A series of clucking noises ensued, and the wild pheasant flock became a bit chaotic.
This is the same as with humans; if parents discover their child is missing, won't they search everywhere?
But it was dark, and the pheasants had poor eyesight. After a few turns, several of them wandered to the base of the tree where Chen Xiaobei was hiding.
Opportunity knocks but once.
Chen Xiaobei seized the moment, aimed at a pair of small bright spots, and leaped from the large tree.
Something suddenly fell from the tree. The pheasants below couldn't see clearly and were stunned for a moment.
The pheasants in the distance seemed not to have noticed yet.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Xiaobei had landed.
Thud.
A muffled sound.
He was lucky; the net covered two birds.
After a brief silence, the pheasant flock exploded.
Clucking and scattering in all directions.
Chen Xiaobei, quick as a flash, lunged forward again and pinned another pheasant to the ground.
After a lot of effort, he managed to tie up all three pheasants securely.
Chen Xiaobei didn't dare to linger and hurried down the mountain with the pheasants.
Before leaving, he made another mark.
Chen Xiaobei knew that pheasants were smart, so they would notice the disappearance of three of their companions.
But it was too dark for the pheasants to see clearly what had happened, and since there were pheasant eggs here, there was a high probability that the pheasants would return to this spot tomorrow.
Therefore, making a mark was crucial.
He hid in his drafty home until dawn and then Chen Xiaobei couldn't bear it any longer.
He got up, drank two raw pheasant eggs, and then set off with the three pheasants.
At this point, he had no idea about the price of pheasants, so he brought all three with him.
It was more than twenty li from Hetou Village to the county town, and it was all dirt and mountain roads, relying entirely on two legs. It would truly take a long time.
He walked until the sun was high in the sky.
He finally arrived.
Looking at the majestic city gate in the distance, Chen Xiaobei felt a sense of loss. It was similar to the city gates he imagined from the Tang and Song dynasties.
Upon entering the county town, he inquired as he walked and eventually found a vegetable market not far from the West Gate.
It was midsummer, and fruits and vegetables should have been abundant. However, the market was sparse, with few vendors.
Chen Xiaobei walked around and finally chose a spot next to a decent-looking vegetable stall. He set down the three pheasants and squatted there, silently watching the uncle selling vegetables next to him.
There weren't many vegetable vendors, but many shoppers. Soon, more than half of the uncle's vegetables were sold.
As he was feeling envious, a middle-aged man in brocade clothes stood before him. "Hey, kid, are you selling these pheasants?"
Chen Xiaobei nodded.
The man smiled. "How much for one?"
Chen Xiaobei hesitated for a moment and tentatively held out a hand. "Five..."
Before he could finish, the man shook his head. "Five hundred wen is too much. I'll give you three hundred. If you agree, I'll take them all."
Damn, an unexpected surprise. Pheasants were so valuable.
Seeing his silence, the man thought he was asking for too little and gritted his teeth. "Fifty more, that's the best I can do. These live pheasants are rare, if they were dead, they wouldn't be worth much." Sudan Novel Network
The vegetable vendor next to him quickly chimed in, "Young man, although your live pheasants are rare, they don't have much meat on them when you eat them, mostly bones."
The middle-aged man smiled and looked meaningfully at the vegetable vendor. "Yes, Old Wu, you're right. These are just for show, to give as gifts and save face."
Chen Xiaobei could also understand the vegetable vendor's hint, which was to sell quickly, as this opportunity wouldn't come again.
Three pheasants for one thousand and fifty copper coins, which converted to one tael of silver and fifty wen.
This far exceeded Chen Xiaobei's expectations.
He wasn't stingy. He casually took a copper coin and handed it to Old Wu, the vegetable vendor. "Uncle Wu, thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have lost this big customer today."
Old Wu laughed heartily. "The most generous spender in the county town is this Steward Cao. If you see him again in the future, be polite; it won't hurt."
While helping Old Wu sell vegetables, Chen Xiaobei got a general idea of the current price levels. He knew that one wen could buy two jin of rice.
However, the price of vegetables was a bit high. The cucumbers and eggplants at Old Wu's stall were all priced at one wen or more. It seemed that vegetables were truly unaffordable for ordinary people. It was understandable why there were so few vendors.
As for meat, it was even more expensive. It cost five wen to buy one jin of meat.
In other words, a strong laborer earned only enough for one jin of pork in a day. But in those times, pork production was too low, and scarcity made it valuable.
Chen Xiaobei walked around for a while, bought a few jin of rice, some oil and salt, and half a jin of pork. It cost him ten copper coins, which he already felt was a lavish expenditure.
He didn't make a big show of buying things because he knew the principle of not showing off one's wealth. With his shabby appearance, suddenly carrying a large bag of goods back might arouse suspicion.
On the way back, passing by the city gate, Chen Xiaobei reluctantly bought four meat buns, which cost him four wen, making him feel the pinch.
Of course, he wouldn't eat these meat buns himself. He wanted to take them back for his sister, Qiao'er. As for himself, he ate a large bowl of roujiamo noodles nearby and drank three bowls of noodle soup, leaving him feeling full.
Chen Xiaobei's mood brightened considerably on the way home.
What made him happiest was that he would soon be able to get rid of Chen Ermao, that troublesome person, and start a new life with Chen Qiao'er.
But it was clear he was happy too soon.
When Chen Xiaobei returned home, he quickly went to his second aunt's house to pick up Chen Qiao'er. To show his gratitude, Chen Xiaobei also brought about two liang of pork.
As soon as his second aunt saw him, her face lit up with a smile, and she brought out a bundle from the house.
"Xiaobei, the Cui family sent this through someone. That matter is settled."
This.
Chen Xiaobei felt a mix of laughter and tears. This was clearly an arranged marriage.
"Second aunt, I didn't agree, why did you..."
His second aunt pointed to Chen Qiao'er beside her. "Qiao'er agreed. She's your sister, and she can represent your wishes!"
I.
Chen Xiaobei was utterly speechless. What kind of world was this? A six-year-old sister representing the parents to arrange a marriage for her seventeen-year-old brother.
Chen Qiao'er hopped to her brother's side. "Brother, brother, Sister Hongyu is so pretty. Let her be my sister-in-law."
Chen Xiaobei raised his hand and patted Chen Qiao'er's head. "Let's go, we'll talk about it when we get home."
The siblings returned home, and Chen Xiaobei took out the several warm meat buns and handed them to Chen Qiao'er.
Seeing the meat buns, Chen Qiao'er was so happy that she spun around on the ground several times.