Cui Hongyu's heart warmed as she looked at the unreasonable Chen Xiaobei.
This man was truly different from the legends, vastly different. He understood warmth and cold, not someone who wouldn't care about his sister's life or death.
So, she obediently stood up and walked into the house.
After settling Cui Hongyu and her sister Qiao'er, Chen Xiaobei turned to leave. He was going to check on Da Chun.
Da Chun had already woken up and, upon seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, was filled with gratitude. "Brother Xiaobei, thank you. Thank you, Hongyu. If it weren't for you two, I might have died on Qingniu Mountain."
Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "You're talking nonsense. You're blessed with good fortune. Even if I hadn't gone, someone else would have."
"Oh, come on. I heard that Chen Ping and his group ran back as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain," Da Chun grunted, propping himself up and leaning against the headboard. "If it wasn't for trying to save that person, I wouldn't have ended up like this."
Chen Xiaobei looked curious. "You were trying to save him? What happened?"
"Don't even mention it. I met that person halfway up the mountain. He said he was seriously injured and asked me to carry him down."
"When we reached the Mountain God Temple, it was already dark. I didn't see clearly for a moment, my foot slipped, and I stumbled badly. As a result, I sent him tumbling down the cliff."
"I went down to try and get him up, but after only a short while, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness."
Now, the matter was basically clear. Falling off the cliff next to the Mountain God Temple was an accident.
Da Chun being poisoned was an accident on top of an accident.
But none of this was important. What mattered was that Chen Xiaobei had confirmed his suspicion: Da Chun entering the mountain was definitely not to look for wild eggs, but to search for ginseng.
Seeing without speaking, maintaining friendship, Chen Xiaobei sat for a while before getting up to leave and go home.
Chen Qiao'er had already woken up and was sitting under the big locust tree. Seeing Chen Xiaobei enter, she made a gesture of covering her mouth and then whispered, "Sister-in-law is asleep. Brother, please be quiet."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and sat down next to Chen Qiao'er. He then noticed that Chen Qiao'er was using a twig to draw characters on the ground.
Chen Qiao'er said proudly, "Sister-in-law taught me."
In his memory, Chen Xiaobei in this life was illiterate, and Chen Qiao'er knew nothing either.
Speaking of which, given their previous economic conditions, attending the village school in the neighboring village was naturally impossible.
Now, it was time to put Qiao'er's education on the agenda.
Of course, this was not urgent. What was urgent was something else.
Da Chun no longer needed the fishwort. He had to sell it today because, in this hot weather, if it was left for another day, a lot of it would spoil.
After instructing Chen Qiao'er, Chen Xiaobei set off with a large bag of fishwort. Walking on the rugged path, he now realized how important a horse was.
But remembering what happened that morning, he had no regrets.
A horse was a valuable thing, but it didn't suit his current identity. Accepting it would cause controversy.
He just didn't expect that, regardless of whether he accepted it or not, controversy had already arisen.
At this moment, the village head, Chen Anbang, was pacing back and forth in his house, feeling very uneasy.
He knew about the Liu family in the county.
People from the Liu family had come, and Chen Xiaobei had brought them.
Then, they had also carried a person down from the mountain. Su Dan Novel Network.
And then the people from the Liu family had gone to Chen Xiaobei's house.
What did this signify? It signified that Chen Xiaobei had already established a connection with the Liu family.
Judging by this situation, Chen Xiaobei not only hadn't met with disaster but seemed to have struck it lucky.
No, he couldn't wait any longer.
He had to make Cui Hongyu a widow as quickly as possible so that he could seize Cui Fugui's entire family fortune.
However, it was inconvenient for him to get directly involved in such a matter. After much thought, he thought of someone.
That person was Chen Er Mao's father, Chen Yutian.
Chen Yutian and his wife had only one child, Chen Er Mao, who was now being forced to flee. They must hate Chen Xiaobei. He just needed to hint at it.
With this thought, Chen Anbang, with his hands behind his back, left his house and ambled down the street, eventually turning towards Chen Yutian's home.
The village head was the highest official in a village. Seeing him arrive, Chen Yutian and his wife quickly ushered him inside.
"Second Uncle, why have you come? Please, please come in and sit down."
Chen Anbang did not stand on ceremony. He walked into the house and sat down in a chair, letting Chen Yutian and his wife serve him a bowl of water.
"Yutian, have you heard from Er Mao recently?"
Unable to guess Chen Anbang's purpose, Chen Yutian naturally dared not reveal more information. He shook his head repeatedly, feigning heartbreak. "Don't mention it. That rascal has run off somewhere. Alas!"
Chen Anbang nodded. "Make sure he hides well. Absolutely do not let him show himself."
Hearing this, which seemed to have a hidden meaning, Chen Yutian couldn't help but become nervous. "Second Uncle, what do you mean?"
Chen Anbang deliberately sighed deeply. "I've come to give you a heads-up."
"Today, something big happened in the village. Have you heard about it?"
Chen Yutian and his wife exchanged glances, looking bewildered.
"Second Uncle, I haven't left the house all day. I don't know what happened in the village."
Chen Anbang deliberately lowered his voice. "Chen Xiaobei brought many people today. They were all riding horses and carrying swords. They even went to Chen Xiaobei's house, and the way they were acting so friendly... it was unbelievable."
Now it was Chen Yutian's turn to be stunned. He clearly hadn't figured out how this concerned him.
Seeing that he still didn't understand, Chen Anbang continued, "They were from the Liu family in the county town. It's said that even the Emperor gives the head of their family some face."
"Regarding Chen Er Mao's escape, Chen Xiaobei has approached me several times, but I've managed to suppress it. If he were to tell the Liu family about this matter, we would be in big trouble."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yutian became a little anxious. "What should we do? Should I go and beg him to let Er Mao go?"
Chen Anbang snorted coldly. "If he were willing to let Er Mao go, why would he have forced me to send the person to the county yamen in the first place!"
He had a point.
"Then, Second Uncle, what do you think we should do about this?" Chen Yutian was completely drawn into his scheme.
Chen Anbang stood up, feigning mystery, and walked to the doorway, glancing out into the courtyard.
Of course, the courtyard was empty.
Then, he turned back to Chen Yutian's side and whispered, "Once something is done, it cannot be undone. Only by silencing him can this matter be kept secret."
This.
Now it was Chen Yutian's turn to be stunned. An honest, hardworking farmer.
This matter clearly went beyond his understanding. "Second Uncle, this doesn't seem appropriate. I..."
"Since you say it's not appropriate, then consider me meddling. However, you need to think clearly: as long as he is alive, Er Mao will never be able to return."
With that, Chen Anbang stood up and leisurely walked away with his hands behind his back.
He was gone, but Chen Yutian and his wife were restless.
Some things are afraid of being wildly speculated. The more they speculated, the more it became a problem. The elderly couple was now overthinking.
Thinking about it, Chen Er Mao and his gang often bullied Chen Xiaobei. Therefore, now that he had an opportunity, Chen Xiaobei would definitely not let it go.
If they never returned, and they grew too old to move, who would care for them in their old age?