Chen Xiaobei felt a pang of misery, but the lesson from Wugong Ridge was still fresh in his mind.
It was clear these people had thoroughly investigated him before making their move. Thus, at this moment, he seemed to have no choice but to agree.
"Brother Sun Jian, you're right, I am in dire need of money. But not today. It's getting dark, and we have an old saying: 'Don't enter the mountains after dark.' I'm sure you know it."
He was spouting nonsense, but Chen Xiaobei delivered it with a straight face.
For if you pretend to be serious, some people will believe you.
"Hmm, Brother Xiaobei speaks sense. If one can get lost in broad daylight, one certainly shouldn't venture in after dark." Sun Jian surprisingly chimed in.
"Yes, yes, yes! There are ferocious beasts in the mountains. They don't dare come out during the day but prey on people at night. Let's postpone it for another day, another day." Chen Xiaobei quickly offered Sun Jian a way out.
Sun Jian nodded. "Then we shall return tomorrow."
Chen Xiaobei quickly waved his hands. "Not ideal, not ideal. I need to go to the county town tomorrow. How about this, let's meet three days later, three days from now."
De Gui, standing nearby, couldn't help himself again. "Chen Xiaobei, are you toying with us? You say three days and it's three days!"
Just then, Sun Jian spoke. "Alright, then it's as Brother Xiaobei said. We'll meet at the Mountain God Temple in three days."
With that, Sun Jian beckoned and led his men away.
This left Chen Xiaobei feeling a bit surprised.
But he had no time to ponder this now.
Once he was sure Sun Jian and his men were far enough away, Chen Xiaobei hurried towards Hulu Valley.
At this moment, he didn't notice a dark shadow quietly following him from a distance.
Upon entering the valley, Chen Xiaobei first turned his attention to the ginseng with red tops.
He couldn't determine the age of the ginseng, but he could discern their size. He dug out two large ones. Then, after some thought, he dug out three more, complete with soil, intending to transplant them at home and see if he could nurture them.
No sooner had Chen Xiaobei left Hulu Valley than Sun Jian and his men entered.
As soon as they stepped into Hulu Valley, Sun Jian, De Gui, and the others' eyes widened in astonishment. They probably never imagined such a treasure trove existed on Qingniu Mountain.
Seeing the lingzhi and ginseng scattered everywhere, De Gui couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"No wonder that brat was so secretive. It turns out there are real treasures here!"
Saying this, he stepped forward, reached out, and plucked two large lingzhi. He was about to pick more when Sun Jian stopped him.
"Don't touch anything else. Chen Xiaobei frequents this place. If too much of these things disappears, he'll surely notice."
"Brother, things in the mountains don't belong to him. If he can pick them, why can't we?" De Gui was utterly bewildered.
Sun Jian shook his head. "Our immediate priority is to get a clear understanding of Qingniu Mountain's terrain. That Chen Xiaobei is very important to us."
"Once we have a map of Qingniu Mountain's terrain, we'll take all the lingzhi and ginseng from here. We'll present them in the capital to the Grand Tutor."
Upon hearing this, De Gui couldn't contain his excitement. He chuckled dryly, "Yes, yes, Brother is right. By then, the Grand Tutor will at least reward us with a few hundred taels of silver, right?"
Then, they all burst into laughter in unison.
Chen Xiaobei returned home with a large bundle of fish mint just as dusk was settling.
Lidong had been waiting and quickly stood up upon seeing him.
"Brother Xiaobei, you're finally back."
Cui Hongyu stepped forward and took the bundle from Chen Xiaobei's shoulder. "Husband, Brother Lidong has been waiting for you. He said we need to discuss starting work tomorrow."
Xiaobei casually sat down under the large locust tree. At this moment, Chen Qiao'er, very obediently, brought a bowl of water from inside the house and handed it to Chen Xiaobei. "Brother, drink water."
Chen Xiaobei smiled, took the bowl, and gulped it down. He gently patted Chen Qiao'er's small head. "Qiao'er is so good. Go play over there!"
Seeing Chen Qiao'er's demeanor, Lidong couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. His two daughters were as stiff as wood; if they could be half as lively as Chen Qiao'er, that would be wonderful.
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei spoke.
"Brother Lidong, you can handle the work starting tomorrow as you see fit. I have two main requests: make this house sturdier and replace the thatch roof with tiles. As for the courtyard wall, it needs to be at least two people high."
Lidong nodded one by one, agreeing. "Alright, then it will be as you say. Also, you'll need to find a place for Qiao'er and yourself to stay temporarily for a few days, as the house..."
Chen Xiaobei inwardly sighed with relief. The house Da Chun had given him was truly suitable; otherwise, he would have had to shamelessly ask to stay at Da Chun's place.
He pointed to the western courtyard wall. "Demolish a section of this wall, and I'll stay at Brother Da Chun's place."
Lidong looked astonished. "Is that appropriate?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "It's appropriate. Da Chun said before he left that I should dismantle this wall, and we'd become one family. It would be easier to help him watch the residence and courtyard on a daily basis."
"Oh, and he also mentioned he'd want to have his courtyard wall heightened later."
Lidong was naturally delighted. With the courtyard wall needing to be raised, it meant more work for a few more days, and thus, more money.
After sending Lidong away, Chen Xiaobei prepared two cement flower pots and planted the ginseng. Seeing him busy, Cui Hongyu couldn't help but smile.
"Husband, ginseng takes many years to mature before it can be harvested. Your potted plants might..."
Chen Xiaobei understood Hongyu's implication. Potted plants were time-consuming and labor-intensive, and with just a slight misstep, all the effort could be in vain.
But he had to try, didn't he?
After all, he wasn't the only one who went to Hulu Valley; others did too. What if he encountered someone unscrupulous who dug up all the lingzhi and ginseng? Wouldn't he be left staring helplessly?
After finishing his tasks, Chen Xiaobei took out the two large ginseng roots he had dug up for Cui Hongyu to appraise.
Upon seeing the first one, Cui Hongyu exclaimed excitedly.
"Husband, where did you find this?"
Seeing her excitement, Chen Xiaobei felt a secret joy. It must be a valuable specimen with many years of growth.
Indeed, before he could speak, Cui Hongyu continued, "This ginseng is at least a hundred years old. This is a rare find."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei also became excited. This was worth ten taels of silver!
He immediately embraced Cui Hongyu and couldn't resist kissing her on the cheek. "That's wonderful, that's wonderful! With this one ginseng, we'll be rich. It's worth twenty taels!"
This sudden action left Cui Hongyu with a smeared face, but thankfully, it was dark.
Chen Qiao'er, standing nearby, saw this and couldn't help but clap her hands and exclaim, "Shameful, shameful, brother is so shy!"
Chen Xiaobei feigned a stern expression, grabbed Qin Qiao'er, and lifted her into the air.
"Dare to speak ill of me? See if I don't spank your bottom."
Chen Qiao'er struggled with her hands and feet in mid-air. "Sister-in-law, save me! Sister-in-law, save me!"
Cui Hongyu's face also turned serious. "I won't get involved, I won't get involved. Who told you to speak so carelessly?"
Chen Qiao'er clearly hadn't expected Cui Hongyu, who usually doted on her, to say such a thing. She immediately felt wronged.
"Brother and Sister-in-law are ganging up to bully me."