Chapter 44: The Brave Cui Hongyu

Seeing that Chen Xiaobei didn't respond, Jia Wannian smiled slightly. "This ten taels is a deposit. If you find it, I'll give you another ten taels."

My goodness, a hundred-year-old ginseng is worth twenty taels.

Noticing Chen Xiaobei's surprised expression, Jia Wannian chuckled.

"Brother Xiaobei, since you know Miss Liu, I won't hide it from you. This ginseng is what the Liu family wants. Their price is twenty taels, and I won't charge you a single coin."

Chen Xiaobei believed this part.

Jia Wannian was clever. He had been away for most of the half-hour during the consultation, so he wasn't sure if Liu Rubi would mention the ginseng to him, which is why he was giving him a heads-up in advance.

That being said, Jia Wannian was in a long-term business, while Liu Rubi was just a one-time deal.

As for what choice Chen Xiaobei would make, there was no need to ask. This was also the reason Jia Wannian felt comfortable confiding in him.

After leaving Hua Haotang, Chen Xiaobei headed to the vegetable market. He had to deliver vegetables tomorrow and needed to discuss this matter with Wu Zhong.

When Wu Zhong saw Chen Xiaobei coming with the donkey cart, his expression was complicated, hard to describe as either envy, jealousy, or surprise.

"Brother Xiaobei, you've made a fortune in just a few days!"

Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "It's the boss's donkey cart. I came to the city on some business."

Since it was a slow moment with few people around, Chen Xiaobei took the opportunity to explain that he wanted to trade his homegrown green leafy vegetables with Wu Zhong for other vegetables.

Wu Zhong was quick to agree. "Alright, bring the vegetables tomorrow, and we'll trade them."

Afterward, Wu Zhong continued, "By the way, Steward Cao still wants a few more wild chickens. He's asked me about it several times. You need to keep that in mind."

Chen Xiaobei nodded. Yes, last time Wu Zhong had mentioned it, but he had been so busy with other things that he had forgotten.

"Got it. I'll make sure to get two wild chickens over the next couple of days."

After completing all his errands, Chen Xiaobei went to the general store and bought two fishing nets, which he could use to make the umbrella nets. He also bought two pounds of pork and then some rice.

He loaded everything onto the donkey cart and turned to head home.

Today's lunch was another joyful meal for their family.

While eating lunch, Chen Xiaobei discussed with Cui Hongyu that he needed to go into the mountains tonight to hunt wild chickens. He suggested that Cui Hongyu and Xiao'er wait for him at Da Chun's house.

However, this proposal was rejected by Cui Hongyu. "Husband, now that Chen Ermao is no longer in the village, let's not trouble Da Chun and them anymore."

Thinking about it, everything had been calm recently, so Chen Xiaobei let his guard down.

After a nap, when he woke up, Lido and the others had finished their work and called him to inspect.

The water channel was just perfect.

With the water intake and outlet open, the river water rushed into the lowland, and Chen Xiaobei nodded in satisfaction. At this speed, the land would definitely be flooded by morning.

When it came time to pay, Chen Xiaobei intentionally gave Lido two extra coins and told him that he would need to reinforce his house next and asked him to help think about manpower and a plan.

Repairing the house was a big project, and Lido was naturally thrilled.

Although Chen Xiaobei insisted on having Lido stay for dinner, Lido still insisted on leaving.

Since he had already been paid, staying for dinner would have felt inappropriate.

As the sun set, Chen Xiaobei quickly grabbed a few bites of food and went into the mountains with his large net.

Last time, he specifically went to track the wild chickens' whereabouts, so he knew roughly where they nested.

But with the recent focus on medicinal herbs and fishing, catching wild chickens had temporarily taken a back seat.

To be honest, catching wild chickens was also a decent way to make money; after all, a wild chicken could sell for several hundred coins, much more than selling fish.

Now, Chen Xiaobei was quite familiar with Qingniu Mountain. Soon enough, he found the wild chicken's habitat.

He found a tree, climbed it, and waited patiently.

He waited until it was completely dark, and sure enough, the wild chickens returned. However, what surprised him a little was that there weren't as many as he had expected. It seemed that the wild chickens had become smarter, no longer gathering in large numbers, and their habitat had become more scattered.

But that didn't matter to Chen Xiaobei; he only needed two at most.

The night was in his favor. With one net cast, he caught two wild chickens, and Chen Xiaobei returned home satisfied.

At the same time, two dark figures emerged from Chen Yutian's house and quietly headed toward Chen Xiaobei's home.

The two shadows arrived outside Chen Xiaobei's house and listened intently to the sounds coming from the yard.

At this time, Cui Hongyu was gently lulling Chen Qiao'er to sleep. Being young, after a day of activity, she naturally went to bed early.

So, the whole yard was quiet, with no sound.

Yang Dazhi signaled to his companion, climbed the wall, and lightly jumped into the yard.

However, Cui Hongyu had not fallen asleep, and as soon as he entered, she heard the movement.

Having experienced Chen Ermao climbing over the wall a few days ago, Cui Hongyu was not flustered nor nervous. She quietly stood up.

Chen Xiaobei was very alert. Every night before going to sleep, he would place a kitchen knife under his pillow, but this time he wasn't home, and Cui Hongyu didn't have that habit.

Fortunately, there was still half a doorstick in the room.

Originally, placing the doorstick behind the door could effectively prevent intruders from entering.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiaobei had even lost half of that.

With half a wooden stick in her hand, Cui Hongyu gained a little confidence. She hid behind the door and didn't dare to make a sound.

At this moment, Yang Dazhi entered the yard. Seeing the house dark and quiet, his courage grew. He quietly approached the door.

Reaching the door, Yang Dazhi listened closely. Still, there was no sound inside.

He slowly extended his hand and gently pushed the door open.

Cui Hongyu, behind the door, held her breath, her eyes fixed on the door, her body trembling with nervousness.

Yang Dazhi slowly pushed the door open, confirming that there was no sound inside. He quietly stepped inside.

At Chen Yutian's house, he had already drawn a detailed layout of Chen Xiaobei's home.

Of course, this was before Cui Hongyu had married.

But regardless of that, Chen Xiaobei's bed had not changed. It was still to the right after entering.

Yang Dazhi turned right.

Behind the door, Cui Hongyu could see him clearly.

There was only one person, and he didn't seem that tall or strong, which gave Cui Hongyu a bit more courage.

She raised the wooden stick high and brought it down hard on the back of the intruder's head.

Although Cui Hongyu was a delicate woman, in such a dire situation, she unleashed immense strength. The blow was not light.

Yang Dazhi, caught off guard, was hit with such force that his eyes sparkled with stars. He lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Cui Hongyu was not about to give him a chance to breathe. She quickly brought the stick down again.

At this point, Yang Dazhi could no longer resist, and he was knocked down, lying on the ground.