Soon, many figures appeared indistinctly on the cliff.
He saw clearly that Sun Jian was leading the way.
Behind Sun Jian, several people carried stretchers made of branches, indicating someone was injured.
Sun Jian and his group, including Sun Gui, moved forward in silence, heads bowed.
They were about four or five li away from exiting Qingniu Mountain when Sun Jian’s group stopped.
Sun Jian turned and looked behind him, finally speaking.
“Everyone hide in the woods nearby. We’ll head out after dark when the sentries at the foot of the mountain are gone.”
“Sun Gui, give some water to the injured brothers.”
Chen Xiaobei secretly groaned upon hearing this.
It was still over an hour until dark, and more critically, he hadn’t harvested much *yuxingcao* (fish mint), nor had he gathered enough branches.
If he continued to hide, he would have accomplished nothing today. Su Dan Novel Network
No, time was precious. As the saying goes, life is but a fleeting moment.
Therefore, he had no choice but to reveal himself. As for the consequences, he’d face them as they came.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei deliberately yawned to make some noise, then slowly stood up from his hiding place.
He stretched languidly, pretending to look at the sky, “Ah, I slept all the way until dusk.”
He then acted as if he had noticed nothing, turning to harvest the fish mint.
His actions did not escape the notice of Sun Jian and his men. Seeing him, Sun Jian was somewhat surprised.
Sun Gui leaned closer and whispered, “Brother, could this kid have discovered something?”
Sun Jian pondered for a moment, “Let’s not move yet. Let’s see what he does.”
Xiaobei continued to pick the fish mint, his eyes glancing around. Sun Jian and his group remained hidden in the woods by the roadside, making no sound. He felt relieved, perhaps Sun Jian didn't want to see him.
So, he needed to quicken his pace. After gathering a large bag of fish mint and cutting a few branches, Chen Xiaobei hummed a tune and leisurely walked back, acting as if nothing had happened.
Only after he had walked away did Sun Gui heave a long sigh of relief, “Brother, this kid probably didn't spot us.”
Sun Jian nodded slightly.
“Alright, everyone rest. We’ll head back after dark.”
Sun Gui scratched his head, “Brother, when we get back, should we write to the Grand Tutor for reinforcements? That cliff is simply impassable.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Jian’s expression instantly turned grim.
“What would we say to the Grand Tutor? That we couldn’t cross a mere cliff? We’d be a laughingstock.”
Sun Gui sighed, “We suffered losses today because of this cliff. Surrounded by wolves, with no retreat, we had no choice but to fight desperately.”
Sun Jian was also at a loss, “The cliff is dozens of feet wide. Even the most skilled experts can’t fly across it. Even if we report it to the Grand Tutor, what can he do?”
He waved his hand, “Alright, first take the brothers back to rest for a few days, and then we’ll figure something out.”
As he spoke, a bird call suddenly echoed from the front, a signal from the scout. Someone was approaching from the foot of the mountain.
Under everyone’s gaze, Chen Sanqiu walked in holding a bundle. For those who grew up in Qingniu Mountain, evading the sentries at the foot of the mountain was child’s play.
Following the markers he had made, Chen Sanqiu navigated left and right, eventually arriving at a pheasant nesting ground. Seeing the white and blue wild eggs in the grass, Chen Sanqiu was delighted.
With such a large pile of eggs, he would have enough to eat for a long time.
Chen Sanqiu spread out his bundle and began to collect them.
If he hadn’t worried about crushing the lower eggs by packing too many, he would have taken them all.
Seeing Chen Sanqiu descend the mountain with such a large bundle, Sun Jian and Sun Gui exchanged glances, both looking puzzled.
Sun Gui’s small eyes darted around, “Brother, could he have gone to that place and picked all the ginseng and lingzhi?”
Sun Jian lowered his head and thought, “While it’s not dark yet, I’ll go take a look. Wait for me to return, and then we’ll leave.”
He then turned and headed back up the mountain.
By the time he reached Gourd Valley, it was already dusk. Seeing that the ginseng and lingzhi were unharmed, Sun Jian finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
To reassure Sun Gui and the others, Sun Jian found a particularly large ginseng.
This would prove that the medicinal herbs in Gourd Valley were still intact.
Upon returning to Sun Gui and the others, Sun Jian displayed the ginseng he brought, which was enough to prove that the medicinal herbs in Gourd Valley were safe and sound.
…
Chen Xiaobei returned home and spent nearly an hour, just before sunset, completing a self-made umbrella net.
Although it wasn’t as refined as a commercially made one with an umbrella frame, it looked similar in appearance.
As for whether it would be as effective as the store-bought ones, that remained to be tested the next morning.
The next morning, Chen Xiaobei woke up before dawn as usual.
He took his newly made umbrella net and rushed to the small river behind the village.
The river water was still a bit chilly in the morning.
Since he intended to catch some large fish this time, he didn’t choose a spot upstream but opted for a relatively flat area.
He cast the net as before and tied it to the reeds.
Then, he sat by the river, waiting quietly.
To his surprise, it wasn’t long before the reeds began to sway slightly.
He quickly rushed over and pulled the fishing net to a position almost parallel to the water surface.
Inside the net were two fish, each over a foot long.
One of the fish had a bulging belly, as if it had been inflated.
These were clearly a male and a female, and the female looked like she was about to give birth.
Chen Xiaobei secretly rejoiced, realizing he had stumbled upon a great opportunity.
He would transfer these two to his fish pond and let them live a peaceful life.
Just then, Cui Hongyu arrived with Chen Qiaoer.
Seeing Chen Qiaoer, who still looked a bit sleepy, Chen Xiaobei felt a pang of concern.
She had woken up rather early.
“Qiaoer, why are you here? You should sleep a bit longer.”
Chen Qiaoer’s face broke into a bright smile, “Qiaoer is here to help sister-in-law catch fish.”
Cui Hongyu affectionately tapped his head, “Then sister-in-law will cast the net, and you can wait here, okay?”
“Okay,” Chen Qiaoer replied crisply, sitting on a nearby rock.
Cui Hongyu smiled at Chen Xiaobei, “This girl, she wakes up as soon as I get up.”
Chen Xiaobei understood this was a sign of Qiaoer’s insecurity.
One could imagine what Chen Qiaoer had been through in the past few years.
“The child is still young, let’s take it slow,” was all he could say.
As he spoke, he got up, took the umbrella net from Cui Hongyu, walked twenty or thirty paces upstream, and then gently stepped into the water. After all, the river water was a bit cold, and Cui Hongyu, being a girl, might not be able to bear it.
He carefully tied the fishing net again and returned to the bank, sitting side by side with Cui Hongyu.