Back in Hetou Village, Chen Xiaobei arranged for everyone and then went to find Chen Dayong.
Dayong was busy with people making charcoal. They had produced quite a lot in the past few days, all of which were sent to Old Wu in the county town as per Chen Xiaobei's instructions.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Chen Dayong was quite proud. He pointed to the dozen or so charcoal kilns that had been built and said, "Brother Xiaobei, I think these dozen kilns are enough."
"Even though Old Wu is making grand promises, I'm really worried he won't be able to sell it all."
Chen Xiaobei nodded at his words, "You're right. Oh, Feng Xiaoyue is here. I'll ask her later how much she can take each day."
As soon as he thought of it, Chen Xiaobei turned to find Feng Xiaoyue.
Feng Xiaoyue was helping Cui Hongyu tidy up the bowls and chopsticks, and while doing so, she was explaining the key points and details of cooking large communal meals to Cui Hongyu.
Cui Hongyu gathered together Da Chun's wife, Cui Hua, and Li Dong's wife, Qiu Mei, and others. She asked them to listen together, because cooking couldn't solely rely on herself.
After Feng Xiaoyue had explained for a while, she smiled and said, "I'll come again in a couple of days. If you have any questions, you can ask me again."
After finishing, Feng Xiaoyue packed her belongings and prepared to leave. Just then, Chen Xiaobei arrived. Seeing Feng Xiaoyue about to leave, he greeted her warmly.
Feng Xiaoyue, however, darted forward to him, displaying a youthful innocence. "Brother Xiaobei, you're here! I have a few things I need to tell you."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and exchanged a few pleasantries about the New Year. "Miss Xiaoyue, thank you so much. If you hadn't come, we would have likely lost money making these large communal meals."
Feng Xiaoyue smiled sweetly. "Brother, why are you being so polite to me?"
Seeing the two chatting happily, Li Dong's wife, Qiu Ju, gently nudged Cui Hongyu's arm and gestured towards them with her lips.
Cui Hongyu understood Qiu Ju's meaning perfectly – that the two were behaving too intimately.
Qiu Ju's intention was to remind her, but seeing the scene, Cui Hongyu's heart stirred.
Yes, Feng Xiaoyue was such a capable and virtuous woman. It would be wonderful if Chen Xiaobei could take her as his own.
She should find an opportunity to mention this matter to Chen Xiaobei.
Seeing the two walking away, Qiu Ju took the bowls and chopsticks from Cui Hongyu's hands. "Sister-in-law, go quickly and see what's going on with these two. I'm telling you, with men, you have to keep a close eye on them."
Chen Xiaobei and Feng Xiaoyue walked out of the courtyard shoulder to shoulder. At the main entrance, Feng Xiaoyue couldn't wait to speak.
"Brother Xiaobei, there's something I want to tell you. I promised to help you sell charcoal a while ago, but I'm afraid I'll have to leave for a while. I'll arrange for Xiaomu to handle these things, but you know he's still just a child!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's heart trembled. "Where are you going?"
"A few days ago, my father received a letter from a friend at the border, instructing me to find Prime Minister Fang Zheng in Wannian City. He said the Prime Minister would help my father clear his name."
Chen Xiaobei fell silent upon hearing this. He remembered that Liu Rumei had proactively offered to help clear his name a while ago, but Feng Xiaoyue had refused. Now she was going to Wannian City to find Fang Zheng. What was the inside story?
Just then, a voice came from behind them. "Xiaoyue, it's too dangerous for you to go to Wannian City alone. You should let Brother Xiaobei accompany you."
The two turned to look. Cui Hongyu stood at the doorway with a smile.
This?
Chen Xiaobei was a bit bewildered. He immediately sensed something different in Cui Hongyu's smile.
Feng Xiaoyue was also slightly taken aback, then her face flushed a little. "Sister Huang Yu, that won't be necessary."
"There's no war going on now, and the journey is very peaceful."
Cui Hongyu presented herself as an example. "That's not necessarily true. You see, I was tied up by bad guys even on my way to the county town. I'm telling you, these bad guys are everywhere now. You have to be careful."
Chen Xiaobei was speechless upon hearing this. Cui Hongyu was making a great effort to persuade Feng Xiaoyue to accept his company on the trip to Wannian City.
Feng Xiaoyue appeared flustered and stammered a couple of times. "We'll talk about that later. Oh, I have something else to do, I'll be going now."
With that, Feng Xiaoyue quickly stepped forward, untied the reins, jumped onto the carriage, and whipped the horse away. Sudan Novel Network.
Watching her ride away, Chen Xiaobei helplessly spread his hands.
"Hongyu, there are so many things to do at home. What are you trying to do? You're not up to something mischievous again, are you?"
Cui Hongyu looked at him with a smile. "What do you mean mischievous? I think Sister Xiaoyue is very good. She's educated and sensible, and she knows how to manage things. If she could join our sisters, we could open a few restaurants in Xiaojia Town and the county town, that would be..."
Seeing his expression, Chen Xiaobei sighed. He knew Cui Hongyu had ulterior motives.
What kind of wife had he married? She spent all day racking her brains to help him take a second and third wife. Was she not the least bit worried about being relegated to the cold palace?
"Hongyu, I think having you and Huang Ying is enough for me..."
Cui Hongyu shook her head repeatedly. "Not enough, not enough. How can just the two of us be enough? Look at the Emperor, he has so many concubines..."
"Even Da Chun is about to take a second wife. How can two be enough for you?"
Chen Xiaobei was rendered speechless at this comparison. Come to think of it, Da Chun's lower body was likely to be incapacitated, so he probably wouldn't be able to take a second wife anyway.
Seeing his silence, Cui Hongyu's smile faded. "Brother Xiaobei, I think it's best for you to accompany Miss Xiaoyue. It's really not safe for a young woman to travel alone to the capital. By the way, ask Steward Liu to send you a few more bodyguards, preferably to go with Brother Liu Tie."
Chen Xiaobei looked at Cui Hongyu. "Hongyu, Steward Liu and the others will be leaving sooner or later. We'll have to rely on ourselves in the village from now on. We can't always count on them."
"I also want to wait until things are less busy and have Steward Liu send people to teach the village guards some martial arts. Then we can protect the village ourselves."
Cui Hongyu nodded. "Everything is up to you. Alright, I'm going back to work."
Chen Xiaobei's words proved to be very accurate. Yang Zhi arrived in the afternoon.
Yang Zhi had come to bid farewell to Chen Xiaobei. He was going back to Great Tu Country with his men.
His sudden departure at this time caught Chen Xiaobei slightly by surprise.
"You... why are you leaving now?"
"It's like this. Our great leader, Ra'erduo, has recovered from his injuries."
"It's not a good idea for us to stay in this corner of the world forever. If we want to revitalize the Vermilion Bird Gang, we need to go back to Great Tu Country to recruit soldiers and buy horses."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's mind stirred. Traveling to Great Tu Country would require passing through Wannian City. If they could protect Feng Xiaoyue, it would be killing two birds with one stone. He wouldn't have to go himself, and Feng Xiaoyue's safety would be guaranteed.
As long as Feng Xiaoyue reached Wannian City and was under the protection of Prime Minister Fang Zheng, no one would dare to harm her.