Caught In The Act (1)

Duan Sida glanced at his wife and said, "You two should watch your words. Otherwise, if that dead girl knows something, I won't mind sending you and Xiyan to the Chen Mansion."

Seeing her husband's terrifying appearance, Madam Duan was extremely frightened. She nodded quickly and said, "Husband, don't worry. We won't even say a word out."

Duan Sida was satisfied with her answer, turned to look at the thatched house, and then left with his frightened wife and daughter. 

In the backyard, Duan Yixin was not aware of the danger at all. While busy separating the medicinal herbs, she taught Chi Xinru how to identify them.

Looking at the medicinal herbs spread out on the drying rack, Chi Xinru asked, "Xin Xin, how long do these medicinal herbs need to be dried before they can be sold?"

Duan Yixin looked at the bright sunshine and said, "According to the current weather, it will take about four or six hours."

Chi Xinru calculated the time and asked, "Then it should be ready tomorrow morning, right?"

Duan Yixin nodded and said, "Yes. But I don't know if the medicine hall accepts semi-dried herbs. Some people like fully processed herbs, but I lack the tools to further process them now."

Although she said so, Duan Yixin could actually get the processing tools from the warehouse. But the Duan family always showed up uninvited, and she didn't want to risk exposing her secrets. So, she can only let the medicinal herbs dry slowly under the sun for now.

Seeing her deep in thought, Chi Xinru patted her shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Even if Xi Qian Medicine Hall and Changshou Pharmacy don't want your medicinal herbs, there are still many herb merchants coming and going from Chunshan Town. We can sell the medicinal herbs directly to them."

After hearing what she said, Duan Yixin nodded and said, "You are right."

Chi Xinru smiled and said, "All right. Then I will pick you up tomorrow morning. Remember to get up early so that we can take the ox cart. I'm going back now. See you tomorrow, Xin Xin."

"Mhm, see you tomorrow, Xinru. Be careful on your way home."

After the two said goodbye, Chi Xinru left while Duan Yixin went to the well to clean the pearls she had collected today. When the sun slowly went down the western horizon, Chi Xiyou had just arrived at the entrance of the forest. When he saw the code left by his younger sister on the tree, he walked out of the forest.

Today, Chi Xiyou hunted two rabbits and three pheasants. Considering that Duan Yixin was thin and weak, he decided to give her a pheasant to replenish her body. 

As the temperature rises, the meat cannot be stored for long. Since his family couldn't finish the meat, he planned to give Duan Yixin a portion first and sell the rest to the town tomorrow. Just when he was thinking about how much money he could get from these animals, he saw several people sneaking around Duan Yixin's house.

Chi Xiyou's eyesight was very good, and he could see Duan Sida's face clearly, even in the weak light of the setting sun. The other three who were following him were the gangsters from the Chen family's village. Judging from their sneaky behaviors, Chi Xiyou was convinced that they had bad intentions toward Duan Yixin.

He thought for a moment and decided to catch them red-handed. Seeing Duan Sida and the three gangsters squatting on the bushes, he knew that they were waiting for the sun to set before taking action. 

With little time left, he hurried back to his home. Chi Xiyou knows the limit of his strength and ability, and if he wants to catch these people, he needs help.

When he got home, Chi Xiyou put the animals into the kitchen and called his father urgently, "Father. Father."

Madam Chi heard his urgent call and came out of the bedroom, "Dalang, what's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to find your father?"

Chi Xiyou turned around and saw his mother looking at him with a frown and said quickly, "Mother, where is my father?"

"Your father went to the village chief's house and hasn't come back yet. They are discussing how to defend against the bandit attack. What's wrong? Why are you so anxious?" Madam Chi replied with some confusion when she saw her son's anxious look.

Chi Xiyou looked out to the sky and found that the sun had set, and it was already dark. 

He took his mother's hand and said, "Mother, if Father comes back, ask him to go to Xin Xin's house. I saw Duan Sida and three gangsters from the Chen family's village sneaking around her house. I'm afraid they are planning to do something to Xin Xin because she refused to marry Master Chen."

After hearing her son's explanation, Madan Chi turned pale. She nodded quickly and said, "All right. What about Xin Xin? Is she alright?"

Chi Xiyou thought for a while and said, "I don't know about her condition since I came back to find my father the moment I saw Duan Sida and three gangsters sneaking around her house. I'm going to call a few brothers and go to Xin Xin's house with them. If Duan Sida really wants to do something bad to her, I can stop him and buy time for my father and the others."

After thinking for a few seconds, he added, "Mother, if Father hasn't come back after ten minutes, you can take Ru'er to the village chief's house. Tell them what I just said and take people to Xin Xin's house. The more people, the better."

Realizing that her son wanted to capture Duan Sida in action, Madam Chi nodded and said seriously, "All right. Go quickly and protect Xin Xin. You have to be careful not to hurt yourself."

"Yes, Mother."

After discussing it with his mother, Chi Xiyou went to his bedroom to get more arrows and rushed out to find his friends.