Upon hearing Chen Dàqiáng's suggestion, Chen Ermao on the ground became excited. At least this way, he wouldn't have to suffer in the county office.
But Chen Xiaobei slightly shook his head. "No, we can't let him get away with this. Today, Hongyu was kidnapped. If we use Chen Ermao to exchange for her, what if tomorrow someone else gets kidnapped? Who are we going to use then?"
Chen Xiaobei was right. To solve this problem once and for all, they needed to follow proper procedures.
Chen Dàqiáng tried to persuade him in every way, but seeing that he wasn't getting through, he didn't dare to say more. He was afraid of giving away any more clues.
Chen Xiaobei called over Chen Xiaobo and Chen Xiaowen to go with him to the county office, leaving the others in the village.
He hitched up the donkey cart, threw Chen Ermao, wrapped like a dumpling, onto it, and started heading toward the county office.
Although Chen Xiaobei looked calm on the outside, he was actually nervously calculating in his mind.
The bandits from Wugong Ridge were somewhat familiar to him. They usually carried out robberies targeting the rich, never bothering the common folk.
But this time, they were targeting him, and it was connected to Chen Yutian and his wife. Now that Chen Ermao had been caught, he had to make sure the whole family was reunited in prison for some reflection.
But how was he going to rescue Hongyu and Qiaoer?
What if these bandits turned against him? That would be problematic, especially since he had personally sent that Yang Dazhi to the county office.
And then there was the matter of the village head's involvement. Most likely, he'd have to take the blame for that as well.
Thinking about it, he felt a little overwhelmed.
At that moment, as he moved his arm, he accidentally touched something in his pocket.
It was the waist token that Liu Rumei had given him.
Yes, Liu Rumei.
Wasn't her family very influential in the county?
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei became excited, as he finally saw a glimmer of hope for resolving the situation.
Arriving at the county office, Chen Xiaobei quickly explained the situation to He Laoqi.
Of course, he only mentioned that Chen Ermao had previously stolen from his house and didn't mention anything about the bandits from Wugong Ridge or the kidnapping of Hongyu and Qiaoer.
The reason for this was that Chen Xiaobei didn't want to escalate the matter.
After hearing him out, He Laoqi chuckled, "Brother, don't worry. Once he's in my prison, even if he doesn't die, I'll make sure he regrets it."
Chen Xiaobei, of course, understood the implication. He quickly pulled out a silver coin from his sleeve and secretly handed it to He Laoqi. "In that case, I'll leave everything to you, Brother He."
After leaving the county office, Chen Xiaobei went to a noodle shop, ordered two bowls of noodles, and had Chen Xiaowen and Chen Xiaobo stay there to eat. He, on the other hand, hurriedly made his way to the Liu residence.
Upon arriving at the Liu residence, Chen Xiaobei clasped his fists at the guard and asked, "Is Miss Liu at home?"
The guard looked Chen Xiaobei up and down. Seeing his shabby appearance, he frowned slightly and his tone became cold. "Miss Liu is not at home. Perhaps you can come back another day."
Chen Xiaobei, feeling helpless, stepped aside and squatted down in a corner to catch his breath.
At that moment, the guard waved at him again. "Move further away."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei understood. The guard was looking down on him because of his poor appearance. Perhaps Miss Liu hadn't even left the house.
Annoyed, Chen Xiaobei pulled out the waist token from his chest. "I really have urgent business with Miss Liu. Could you kindly pass on the message?"
The guard remained stubborn, shaking his head. "I've already told you, Miss Liu is out. Having a waist token is useless. Come back another day."
"Fine, maybe she really is out," Chen Xiaobei sighed, feeling discouraged. "Then, when Miss Liu returns, please tell her that I, Chen Xiaobei, need her help at Wugong Ridge."
"Alright, I'll let her know," the guard said impatiently, waving his hand.
As Chen Xiaobei walked away, the other guard couldn't help but speak up. "Zhao Erge, why didn't you tell him?"
Zhao Erge spat on the ground angrily. "Look at him, dressed like a beggar, and he wants to see Miss Liu. The waist token, who knows where he got it from."
Just as they were talking, they heard footsteps, and the maid, Xiao Qing, came out. "What's Zhao Erge talking about?"
Zhao Erge quickly smiled and said, "Nothing, nothing, a beggar came by saying he wanted to see the young lady. I sent him away."
"Oh? Who wanted to see me?" As she said this, Liu Rumei slowly stepped out from inside.
Seeing Liu Rumei, Zhao Erge immediately put on a smile. "Miss, it was a beggar who said his name was Chen Xiaobei. I told him there was no Chen family in the county, so he must have been lying."
As soon as Liu Rumei heard Chen Xiaobei's name, her expression darkened. "What? Chen Xiaobei? Where is he?"
Zhao Erge, sensing the tension, cursed inwardly. He realized that they really did know each other.
"Miss, he left. He said he'd come back another day."
Liu Rumei frowned. "Did he say what the matter was?"
Zhao Erge hesitated for a moment, shaking his head like a rattle. "No, no, I told him you weren't home, and then he left."
Seeing Zhao Erge blatantly lying, the person across from him hesitated but ultimately stayed silent.
However, his behavior couldn't escape Liu Rumei's keen eyes.
"Alright, I understand." Liu Rumei turned and walked into the courtyard, waving at the person. "Come here, help me with something."
Liu Rumei continued walking, stopping after about ten paces. She turned to look at the person following her. "Ma Xiaoyi, tell me, what did Chen Xiaobei want earlier?"
Ma Xiaoyi cupped his fists respectfully and said, "Chen Xiaobei said he needed you to go to Wugong Ridge to rescue someone. He seemed to be in a hurry, but Brother Zhao blocked him, and I didn't feel it was appropriate to say much."
A cold glint flashed in Liu Rumei's eyes, a strong murderous intent. "Alright, I understand. You can go back and rest now. No need to patrol today."
That look was so chilling that it made Ma Xiaoyi's legs tremble involuntarily.
Liu Rumei raised her pinky to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
Moments later, the housekeeper of the Liu family came running and stood before Liu Rumei.
"The internal traitor is probably that Zhao Erge at the gate."
Hearing this, the housekeeper looked surprised. "Zhao Erge has been with you for many years, he—"
Liu Rumei sighed. "Let's lock him up first, and there's another urgent matter I need you to handle."
The housekeeper bowed respectfully. "Miss, please give your orders."
"Take a few people to Wugong Ridge. It seems that Chen Xiaobei is in some trouble."
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper's face showed a hint of hesitation.
"Before we came, the master specifically instructed us not to interfere in local matters."
Liu Rumei's expression remained dark. "We're not interfering, just helping Chen Xiaobei with a task."
"But because of Liu Tie's injury, the master is already dissatisfied with you. If this matter reaches his ears, you might be replaced by Young Master Er," the housekeeper said seriously.
The housekeeper nodded. "It's urgent to catch the person who's been informing on us, but Miss, are you really sure it's Zhao Erge? What if—"