Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head, "The money won't cost much, but it will take some effort."
Seeing Cui Hongyu looking confused, he continued to explain, "This fish bait is simple enough, it just requires gathering some wild chicken manure from the mountain." After speaking, he turned and looked at Li Dong and the others who were working in the distance, and chuckled, "I'll have them fetch it tomorrow."
"What?"
"Husband, chicken manure for feeding fish?" Cui Hongyu looked incredulous.
Chen Qiao'er fanned her nose with her hand upon hearing this, "Oh, that's so smelly, how could fish eat it!"
Chen Xiaobei laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I have a way to make it not smell."
Then, he took Chen Qiao'er's hand, "Let's go, home to eat fish."
Upon returning home, the three divided their tasks. Chen Xiaobei nimbly cleaned a fish, a foot long, worth a considerable sum. If it weren't for his wife and sister, Chen Xiaobei would have been reluctant to eat it. Su Dan Novel Network.
Cui Hongyu washed the rice, and Chen Qiao'er stoked the fire. They were both skilled and familiar with the tasks. From a bird's-eye view, it was a heartwarming scene.
Less than half an hour later, a sumptuous dinner began.
While eating the fragrant rice, Chen Xiaobei started to ponder. He still had two large fish, which he would have to sell in the county town tomorrow. Since he was going anyway, he planned to go into the mountains again before dark to catch a few pheasants, so he could give Wu Zhong an explanation.
Hearing that he was going into the mountains again, Cui Hongyu looked distressed, "Why don't you just not go? You just returned, you should rest at home."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head slightly, "No, I'm just selling two fish tomorrow, which is too little. If I catch two more pheasants, it will be worth the trip."
Alright, Cui Hongyu knew that once Chen Xiaobei made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.
Before it got dark, Chen Xiaobei headed towards Qingniu Mountain.
At this moment, he didn't notice that Chen Ping had quietly followed him.
Familiar with the terrain, Chen Xiaobei found the pheasants' hiding spot again and quietly hid himself.
Perhaps due to a long period of ease, the pheasants had become a bit careless. Therefore, without any probing, they simply returned to their respective roosts.
Chen Xiaobei seized the opportunity and cast his net, capturing two pheasants.
His action caused a commotion among the pheasants, and they scattered in all directions.
Chen Xiaobei, taking advantage of the chaos, quickly left with the two pheasants.
After he was far away, Chen Ping quietly emerged from the darkness.
"Someone in the city is buying pheasants at a high price. You're quite well-informed, kid!" Muttering to himself, Chen Ping made a mark and turned to leave.
The next day, before dawn, Chen Xiaobei set off.
Two large water skins, containing two live fish and two pheasants, were his entire cargo for the day.
As he walked, Chen Xiaobei began to ponder. If he continued to make money in this piecemeal fashion, it might be enough to support his family for now, but what about winter?
Fish would be difficult to catch.
Pheasant resources were always limited.
With the mountains covered in heavy snow, ginseng couldn't be dug either.
He needed to find a sustainable industry.
He thought and thought, his head aching. What could one do in this era?
At this very moment, Chen Ping was busy in the village.
After all, many people had helped out during his grandparents' funeral.
Therefore, he took the opportunity to visit Sanqiu's house under the guise of thanking guests.
Sanqiu was considered one of the more cultured individuals in the village. The couplet at the entrance when Cui Hongyu visited Chen Xiaobei's house was written by him.
Chen Ping brought a packet of pastries, carefully placed them on the table, and then bowed to Sanqiu, "Brother Sanqiu, thank you. If you hadn't helped, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
Sanqiu's expression was solemn, and he sighed, "Brother Chen Ping, we are family, there's no need to be so polite. In the future, if you need any help, just ask."
After thanking him again, Chen Ping changed the subject, "Brother, let me tell you something. Do you know how Chen Xiaobei makes money?"
Hearing this, Sanqiu was startled at first, then his face showed envy, "How else? He married a good wife and has connections in the city. When a person is lucky, they can't be stopped."
Chen Ping shook his head, "No, brother. Let me tell you, Chen Xiaobei sneaks into the mountains to catch pheasants. Now someone in the city is offering five hundred wen for a live pheasant."
"What?" Sanqiu's eyes widened in surprise, "How is that possible?"
"If you don't believe me, go and see his house. There are two tied up in the yard," Chen Ping said with conviction.
"Alas, but Qingniu Mountain is so big, and we don't know how to catch them," Sanqiu sighed again.
Chen Ping's spirits rose, "Brother, I have a way. Last night, I went into the mountains with him. I saw him use a large net, and he caught the pheasants with one swoop."
Sanqiu looked incredulous, "You... are you telling the truth?"
Chen Ping nodded, "Brother, wait for me. I'll go home and make a net like that, and tonight we'll go into the mountains together."
After speaking, he got up to leave.
Watching Chen Ping leave, Sanqiu's wife, Liu Shi, spoke up, "Husband, I think this Chen Ping is talking nonsense. Why would he tell you such a good opportunity to make money, catching a pheasant for five hundred wen?"
Sanqiu smiled slightly, "You don't understand, this Chen Ping is very shrewd. Do you think he wants to help me get rich? He wants to compete with Chen Xiaobei. He let Chen Xiaobei be the village head, but Chen Xiaobei turned around and made Li Dong the captain."
"Before, everyone in the village flattered him, but now, those who should be ignored are ignored. How can he stand this?"
Liu Shi finally understood, "So, he wants to win you over with this method."
"Yes, look at the current village guard, there are dozens of people, and I heard that many people want to learn how to grow vegetables from Chen Xiaobei. If Chen Ping wants to win people over, he needs to offer some real money."
Liu Shi, however, looked worried, "Husband, if you ask me, you should stop messing around with Chen Ping. I think he can't compete with Chen Xiaobei. I heard Chen Xiaobei can even talk to the Liu family in the county town. What does he have?"
Sanqiu looked at his wife and smiled slightly, "Hmph, Chen Ping thinks he's very smart, but who is a fool? Don't worry, I have my own judgment. I can make money from him without offending Chen Xiaobei."
"So, that's double-dipping then," Liu Shi also chuckled.
Sanqiu nodded approvingly, "You are very right. Nowadays, making money is the important thing. Who becomes the village head has nothing to do with me. Anyway, in the village, for weddings and funerals, people still have to find me to write some words."
…
In the county town, Old Wu was overjoyed to see that Chen Xiaobei had brought pheasants, "You brat, you finally brought them. Steward Cao was asking about this yesterday."
"Brother Wu, which manor does Steward Cao belong to? I'll deliver them to him."
Old Wu laughed heartily, "The Cao manor is easy to find. Just head west, and when you're near the West Gate, there's an imposing mansion on the north side of the road. That's it."