Because Chen Daqiang was the most nervous, seeing that Chen Qiaoer and Cui Hongyu were safe and sound, he could finally relax.
Everyone gathered around, asking questions, but Chen Xiaobei just smiled and said nothing. He didn't want to make too much of the situation, but him remaining silent didn't stop others from talking.
Chen Xiaowen and Chen Xiaobo immediately took on the role of voluntary narrators. After all, they had eaten so many meat buns, now it was time to earn their keep.
"Do you know? Our captain is quite impressive. He stood with his hands on his hips at the foot of the mountain and told those bandits, 'Send the people down here, or I'll have the imperial troops come and destroy your lair.'"
Chen Xiaobo's performance had everyone's full attention. They didn't even dare to breathe.
"And guess what? After a while, those bandits really brought the people down."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Chen Xiaobei in confusion.
What does this mean? Is it true?
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand, "Alright, alright, everyone get back to what you were doing, I still haven't eaten yet."
The group scattered. Some stayed at the village entrance to keep watch, while others went home to eat. Chen Xiaobei led Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiaoer back to his home.
Although it had only been one day, it felt like a long time since they'd returned.
He was preparing dinner, but it was too late to make anything substantial, so he settled for making some noodle soup.
Before he could even light the fire, there was a knock on the door, and Cuihua from next door walked in.
Upon entering, she greeted them warmly, "Hongyu, you're back! You don't know how worried we've been about you."
"By the way, Xiaobei, the food is ready at our place. Let's go eat together."
Without thinking, Chen Xiaobei declined, "No need, we already ate on the way."
Upon hearing this, Cui Hongyu felt a warm feeling in her heart.
On the way, there were some things she couldn't ask in front of Chen Xiaowen and Chen Xiaobo.
Now, she was eager to know exactly how Chen Xiaobei had rescued her, so she didn't want to go for the meal.
Cuihua didn't press the matter further, saying a few more words before leaving.
After she left, Chen Xiaobei and Cui Hongyu exchanged a look and smiled knowingly. The meaning behind the smile was something only the two of them could understand.
They made some noodle soup and also boiled a few wild eggs. As they ate, Cui Hongyu curiously asked if it was really as Chen Xiaowen and the others had said—that it only took a few words to get the people released.
Chen Xiaobei didn't hide anything, "Wouldn't they? I made it clear to them, if they didn't release the people, I would go to the county and ask the county lord to send troops to surround them. Naturally, Daolaohei would be afraid."
Cui Hongyu was somewhat skeptical of Chen Xiaobei's explanation.
"Hubby, as far as I know, these bandits have occupied Wugong Ridge for many years. If they could be scared off with just a few words, they wouldn't have gotten this far."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Cui Hongyu in surprise, "So, what do you mean by that?"
"I think these bandits might have another agenda. Do you remember when we were leaving, that man named Yang Chun said that Daolaohei would come to apologize one day? How could a bandit, someone who preys on common folk like us, behave that way?"
After hearing her words, Chen Xiaobei fell into thought.
What Cui Hongyu said made sense. Indeed, why would a bandit come and personally apologize to an ordinary citizen?
That night, Chen Xiaobei tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The incident made him think of a few things: First, reinforcing the walls of his house was now an urgent task.
To ensure the safety of Hongyu and Qiaoer, he also needed to add something else: two dogs.
At least, if anyone tried to break in, the dogs would bark and alert the village guard.
Of course, the most important thing was to reform the village guard's duty system. Having some guards constantly away from home at night wasn't ideal.
He decided to act immediately. The next morning, Chen Xiaobei went to Li Dong's house.
"Brother, have you thought about the house repairs? I want to get started as soon as possible."
"The workers have been contacted. I was planning to talk to you in the next couple of days, but after hearing about what happened with Hongyu, I thought you'd be waiting for a few more days."
Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "Can't wait any longer. The sooner, the better. Let me know when work can start, and please prepare everything in advance."
"Then, let's do it tomorrow. Today, I'll gather the people and arrange for the bricks and tiles to be bought."
Chen Xiaobei took a silver ingot from his sleeve. "Is this enough? If not, I can go back and get more for you."
"That's enough, that's enough. Just give me the deposit, and someone will bring the bricks and tiles back."
At that moment, Chen Xiaobei truly experienced the pleasure of having money and getting things done easily.
After breakfast, Chen Xiaobei picked some of his own green vegetables, about 40-50 pounds, loaded them onto the donkey cart, and hurried to the county.
At the market, Wu Zhong saw him coming and greeted him with a wide smile.
"Kid, where have you been these past few days?"
Chen Xiaobei could only smile vaguely, "Not much, just doing some chores at home."
"By the way, Brother Wu, can you keep an eye on my stall? I need to go around for a bit."
Wu Zhong smiled and waved the scale in his hand, "Go ahead, if anyone buys, I'll help you with the purchase."
When Chen Xiaobei arrived, he realized that he didn't have a scale of his own. He had to rely on Old Wu to help with the sales, so it was better to just let him take care of everything.
Chen Xiaobei's destination was the livestock market in the area; he wanted to get two dogs.
When he wasn't at home, the dogs could protect Chen Qiaoer and Cui Hongyu.
But today, his luck wasn't great. The market had donkeys for sale, horses, sheep, and chickens, but there were no dogs for sale.
This made him feel disappointed.
But there was nothing to be done; after all, dogs were still considered a rare commodity these days. Not every household could afford them.
When he returned, Old Wu handed him five large coins.
"Sold five pounds in total."
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly. "Don't worry about the money; just leave me five pounds of vegetables later."
Wu Zhong didn't argue and quickly packed up the vegetables.
Chen Xiaobei leaned against the donkey cart, selling vegetables while chatting with Wu Zhong casually.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, "How much are these cucumbers?"
Hmm? Chen Xiaobei was startled; the voice sounded familiar.
He looked up, and... wasn't this Xiao Yue?
Yes, it was Xiao Yue, the one he had given five taels of silver to at the broken temple.
Now, Xiao Yue looked much healthier, but her face still showed signs of exhaustion.
As soon as he looked up, Xiao Yue spotted him and couldn't help but call out in surprise, "Xiao Bei-ge!"
The affectionate nickname took Chen Xiaobei by surprise.
Old Wu looked at the two of them in disbelief.
"You... you know each other?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded slightly in response.
"It's Xiao Yue! You're here to buy vegetables?"
Chen Xiaobei could only say something awkward.