Chapter 26: Chen Xiaobei Enters the Mountain Late at Night

Hearing that they would wait until morning to send someone, Xiu Mei was immediately anxious. "Uncle, you know the situation in the mountains. If we wait until tomorrow, we'll probably only be collecting Da Chun's body."

Chen Anbang sighed, "Yes, you know the situation in the mountains. It's late at night—who would dare go?"

Xiu Mei looked at Chen Anbang. "Uncle, when you first took a liking to Chen Xiaobei, it was me who made the introduction."

Upon hearing this, Chen Anbang quickly cleared his throat. "Xiu Mei, you shouldn't be saying that."

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't go, but Da Chun is like my own grandson. How could I stand by and do nothing?"

After saying this, he glanced outside. "Let's go. We'll find Chen Ping and have him take the village guard into the mountain."

Chen Xiaobei had already been half asleep when he heard a commotion outside. The sounds of footsteps passed in front of his door, heading out of the village.

Hearing the noise, Cui Hongyu was startled and quickly got up.

Chen Xiaobei lightly cleared his throat to signal that he was awake.

"Husband, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Chen Xiaobei was just as confused. "Sigh, from the sound of it, it seems like the village guard. Something must have happened outside the village."

Before he finished speaking, Xiu Mei's voice was heard, "Please, everyone, make sure you find Da Chun and bring him back."

Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's heart skipped a beat.

What's going on? What happened to Da Chun?

He quickly got up, whispered a few words to Cui Hongyu, then put on his clothes and went outside.

When he reached outside, he saw two figures near the back of his house. He vaguely recognized them as Xiu Mei and Cuihua, Da Chun's wife.

At a distance, Chen Xiaobei cleared his throat a few times to avoid startling them.

Sure enough, the voice came from the other side, "Is that you, Xiaobei?"

Chen Xiaobei nodded. "Aunt, I heard you shouting. What's going on?"

Xiu Mei hesitated, unsure how to explain to Chen Xiaobei, but Cuihua, without hesitation, anxiously said, "Xiaobei, please help us look for Da Chun. He went into the mountains this afternoon and hasn't come back yet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's heart skipped a beat.

"Why did Da Chun go into the mountains alone?"

Cuihua wanted to continue speaking but was pulled by Aunt Xiu Mei, who quickly took over, "Who could blame him? A couple of days ago, after eating some of your wild chicken eggs, Cuihua said they were delicious, so Da Chun thought he'd go back into the mountains to find some more."

Cuihua, in her heart, thought, That was me wanting the wild chicken eggs, not you telling him to go into the mountains for ginseng.

But these words couldn't be spoken, so she just vaguely nodded in support of her mother-in-law, "Yes, yes, Chen Ping took the village guard with him."

Chen Xiaobei looked up toward the distant Qingniu Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, there were one or two small lights flickering.

Without saying a word, Chen Xiaobei quickly ran toward it.

Chen Ping, leading the village guard, had walked over a mile up the mountain before stopping.

One of the men cautiously asked, "Captain, why are we stopping?"

Chen Ping looked around, "What are we stopping for? Who knows if there are wild beasts in these mountains. Let's wait here until dawn, then we'll go back and tell Li Xiumei we couldn't find anything."

The others realized what he meant and scattered in small groups, beginning to chat casually.

While they were talking, suddenly one of them stood up quickly, "Captain, do you hear something?"

Chen Ping listened carefully, but heard nothing. He couldn't help but curse, "What are you doing, Sanjin, getting all jumpy in the middle of the night?"

Chen Sanjin looked wronged, "Captain, I swear I heard something."

Chen Ping listened again and indeed, a rustling sound came from afar, startling him.

"Quick, grab your weapons!"

Just then, a shout came from the distance, "Don't be afraid, Chen Ping, it's Xiaobei."

Hearing this, Chen Ping furrowed his brow. "Why is this kid here?"

Sanjin couldn't help but speak, "Captain, he's a neighbor of Da Chun's. Do you think he came to urge us to go up the mountain?"

Chen Ping rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, "Alright, we'll see how he acts. If he wants to go up, let him. We're not going to accompany him to his death."

After a few more words, Chen Xiaobei arrived.

Chen Ping greeted him warmly, "Xiaobei, brother, what are you doing here so late?"

Chen Xiaobei wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, "I heard Da Chun went up the mountain, and I got anxious, so I came along."

Clearly, Chen Ping misunderstood Chen Xiaobei's intentions. He sighed slightly, "Sigh, I don't know what Da Chun is thinking, staying out so late just to get a few wild chicken eggs."

Sanjin, standing beside him, couldn't help but laugh, "I don't think he went for the wild chicken eggs. He's probably been charmed by the wild chicken spirit."

Everyone at the scene laughed at these words.

"Alright, alright, Sanjin, stop making jokes," Chen Ping said seriously. He stood up, looked around, and sighed heavily.

"Look at this huge Qingniu Mountain, where are we supposed to look for him?"

Everyone understood, and one by one, they began to sigh as well. "Yeah, it's so dark, what if we step into a hole? We could..."

Chen Xiaobei understood what they meant—they had no intention of going further.

"Well, Chen Ping, if you're not going up, at least shout a few times, it'll at least let Da Chun know we're here."

Chen Ping was about to speak, but a middle-aged man interrupted, "No, no, what if shouting attracts wild beasts from the mountains? It's fine for us, but what if they rush into the village? There are elderly and children there."

Well, that was the most cautious and fearful response Chen Xiaobei had ever heard. It also made him realize that he shouldn't expect these people to really search for Da Chun; they were just putting on a show.

Determined, Chen Xiaobei gritted his teeth, "Chen Ping, can you lend me a torch? I'll go look for him."

Sanjin quickly handed his torch forward, "Xiaobei, brother, be careful. This torch is from our village, not just mine."

Chen Xiaobei was taken aback. Even now, they were being this meticulous?

But Chen Ping waved his hand, "Alright, Sanjin, we're all here to save him. Don't mind the details."

He then called someone over and handed Chen Xiaobei an unlit torch. "Xiaobei, brother, we'll wait here. If anything happens, shout."

Chen Xiaobei thanked him and immediately headed up the mountain.

Not far into his walk, he began shouting loudly.

Sanjin and the others at the foot of the mountain heard and couldn't help but curse, "This idiot, really doesn't fear death!"

Chen Ping laughed heartily, "Alright, everyone, listen carefully. If anything seems wrong, run!"