Chen Xiaobei smiled and shook his head. "It won't cost much, but it will take some effort."
Seeing that Cui Hongyu looked confused, he continued explaining, "The fish food is actually simple, just need to go up the mountain and get some wild chicken manure." After saying that, he turned and looked at Li Dong and the others who were working in the distance, grinning, "I'll have them go get it tomorrow."
"What?"
"Husband, chicken manure to feed the fish?" Cui Hongyu asked, looking incredulous.
Chen Qiao'er, upon hearing this, waved her hand in front of her nose. "Ah, that's so stinky, how would the fish eat it?"
Chen Xiaobei laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I have a way to make it not stink."
With that, he took Chen Qiao'er's hand, "Let's go, time for dinner."
When they got home, the three of them each took their responsibilities. Chen Xiaobei quickly prepared one fish, a fish over a foot long. That was worth two big coins! If it weren't for his wife and sister, Chen Xiaobei wouldn't have been willing to eat it.
Cui Hongyu washed the rice, and Chen Qiao'er made the fire. The two worked with ease. From an overhead perspective, it was such a warm scene.
In less than half an hour, a hearty dinner was ready.
Eating the fragrant rice, Chen Xiaobei started planning. There were still two big fish left. He would need to go to the county tomorrow to sell them. Since he was already going, he might as well go into the mountain at dusk to catch a few wild chickens and give Wu Zhong an explanation.
When Cui Hongyu heard he was going into the mountain again, she looked worried. "How about not going? You just came back, you should rest at home."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head slightly. "No, I'm just going to sell two fish tomorrow, that's too little. If I catch two wild chickens as well, it'll be worth the trip."
Cui Hongyu knew once Chen Xiaobei had made up his mind, no one could change it.
Before it got dark, Chen Xiaobei headed toward Qingniu Mountain.
At this moment, he didn't notice that Chen Ping had quietly followed him.
With ease, Chen Xiaobei reached the wild chicken's hiding place, carefully hid, and waited.
Perhaps because of long periods of peace, the wild chickens had lowered their guard. So, there were no attempts to test or question him. They simply returned to their homes.
Chen Xiaobei seized the opportunity, threw his net, and caught two wild chickens.
His action caused a stir in the chicken group. They scrambled and scattered.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Chen Xiaobei grabbed the two wild chickens and quickly left.
Once Chen Xiaobei had walked far, Chen Ping quietly emerged from the shadows.
"Someone in the city is buying wild chickens for a high price. You sure have your ear to the ground!" After muttering to himself for a while, Chen Ping marked the spot and turned to leave.
The next day, as dawn was breaking, Chen Xiaobei set out.
With two large water bags, he carried two live fish and two wild chickens—this was all the goods for the day.
As he walked, Chen Xiaobei began to ponder. If things continued like this, it seemed like making a living wouldn't be a problem, but what about when winter comes?
Fish would be harder to catch.
Wild chickens, the resources were always limited.
With heavy snow blocking the mountains, he couldn't even dig for ginseng.
He needed to find a sustainable business.
He thought and thought, and it was giving him a headache. In these times, what could he do?
Just then, Chen Ping was busy in the village.
After all, when his grandparents passed away, many people came to help.
So, he took advantage of the excuse to thank people and entered San Qiu's house.
San Qiu was one of the more educated people in the village. The couplet at the door of Chen Xiaobei's house, when Cui Hongyu came, was written by him.
Chen Ping carefully placed a package of snacks on the table and bowed to San Qiu. "San Qiu, thank you. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't know what to do."
San Qiu's expression became serious, and he sighed. "Chen Ping, we're family. No need to be so polite. If you need anything in the future, just let me know."
After Chen Ping expressed his thanks again, he changed the subject. "Brother, I need to tell you something. Do you know how Chen Xiaobei makes money?"
Upon hearing this, San Qiu froze for a moment, then immediately said with envy, "How else could he do it? He married a good wife and has connections in the city. If a person is lucky, there's nothing that can stop them."
Chen Ping shook his head. "No, brother, listen to me. Chen Xiaobei secretly went into the mountains to catch wild chickens, and now someone in the city is offering five hundred coins for each live wild chicken."
"What?" San Qiu widened his eyes in shock. "How is that possible?"
"If you don't believe me, go to his house and take a look. He has two tied up in the yard," Chen Ping said firmly.
"Ah, but Qingniu Mountain is so large, we wouldn't be able to catch them," San Qiu sighed again.
Chen Ping, now full of energy, responded, "Brother, I have a plan. Last night, I went into the mountains with him. I saw him use a big net, and with one swoop, he caught the wild chickens."
San Qiu looked at him in disbelief, "You... you're telling the truth?"
Chen Ping nodded, "Brother, just wait, I'll make a net like that at home, and then we'll go into the mountains together at night."
After saying this, he stood up to leave.
As Chen Ping walked away, San Qiu's wife, Liu, spoke up, "Husband, I think this Chen Ping is just talking nonsense. Five hundred coins for one wild chicken? Such a great opportunity to make money, why would he tell you about it?"
San Qiu smiled faintly, "You don't understand. Chen Ping is sharp. Do you think he wants to help me make money? He wants to compete with Chen Xiaobei. The position of the village protector was given to Chen Xiaobei by him, but Chen Xiaobei turned around and made Li Dong the captain."
"Before, everyone in the village would have respected him, but now, if they don't want to pay attention to him, they won't. He can't stand that."
Liu then understood, "So, he wants to use this to win you over?"
"Exactly. You see, the village protector team now has dozens of people, and I've heard many want to learn farming from Chen Xiaobei. Chen Ping wants to win people over, but he needs to offer real money."
Liu looked worried, "Husband, if it were me, I'd suggest not getting involved with Chen Ping. I hear Chen Xiaobei can even talk to the Liu family in the county. What does Chen Ping have?"
San Qiu looked at his wife and smiled faintly, "Hmph, Chen Ping thinks he's clever, but who's the fool here? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll earn silver from him and not offend Chen Xiaobei."
"So, you're going to play both sides?" Liu laughed.
San Qiu nodded approvingly, "Exactly. In this world, making money is the most important thing. Who becomes the village head doesn't concern me. Anyway, in the village, for weddings, funerals, and marriages, they'll have to come to me to write it down."
...
In the county, Old Wu was overjoyed when he saw Chen Xiaobei brought wild chickens. "You finally got them, kid. Yesterday, Steward Cao was asking me about this."
"Big Brother Wu, which house is Steward Cao from? I'll deliver them."
Old Wu laughed heartily, "Cao's house is easy to find. Just keep heading west, and when you're almost at the west gate, there's a large house on the north side of the road. That's it."