He felt a bit disappointed that after waiting for a long time until it was dark, the grass was silent with no movement. He waited for another full hour.
A gust of wind blew, and Chen Qiao'er couldn't help but shiver. "Brother, I'm so cold."
Fine, it seemed the wild pheasant had abandoned this nesting site.
Chen Xiaobei jumped down from the tree, lit a torch, and he and Chen Qiao'er collected some of the wild eggs, covering the rest with grass.
There were too many wild eggs to collect in a short time, and Chen Xiaobei dared not stay too long at night.
Chen Xiaobei held the torch, illuminating the mountain path ahead, and pulled Chen Qiao'er as they quickly walked towards the foot of the mountain.
Chen Dachun, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, waited until they were far away. He quickly crept over, took off his outer garment, wrapped a few dozen wild eggs in it, and then excitedly returned.
Chen Xiaobei led Chen Qiao'er out of the mountain pass. After only a few steps, he felt something was not right.
Because he was holding a torch, although he couldn't see the scene in the distance clearly, he vaguely felt that the dark shadows in front of him seemed to be moving.
Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but stop, instinctively shielding Chen Qiao'er behind him.
"Who, who's there?" Chen Xiaobei asked twice, but the dark shadows disappeared.
After waiting for a long while, and being sure there was nothing unusual ahead, Chen Xiaobei held up the torch and slowly led Chen Qiao'er forward, step by step.
After walking about ten meters forward, suddenly, a ball of white mist covered him.
Not good.
Chen Xiaobei reacted quickly. He threw the torch forward, turned his body, and shielded Chen Qiao'er.
A pungent smell made him cough repeatedly.
Damn it, it was lime.
Chen Xiaobei immediately realized he had been ambushed. He crouched down, picked up Chen Qiao'er, and bolted back.
Chen Ermao and others hiding in the dark were filled with regret at their failed attempt, but they dared not pursue rashly, as Chen Xiaobei had disappeared into the darkness and was hard to find.
Helpless, they had to leave the scene in a hurry.
As they walked, Chen Ermao couldn't help but complain, "Monkey, what kind of terrible idea was that?"
Monkey was also very embarrassed. "Who could have imagined this kid would react so quickly and manage to dodge our ambush?"
Er Leng, who was beside them, couldn't help but say, "We waited for half the night, got bitten by a dozen mosquitoes, and ended up with nothing."
Er Mao kicked his butt. "It's all your fault for not throwing it accurately."
Chen Er Leng hugged his butt and quickly put on a smiling face. "Brother Ermao, what should we do now? We've been guarding here all night."
Hearing this, Chen Ermao also looked annoyed. "Who knew damn Chen Xiaobei would suddenly change his ways."
"Right, if we still can't get Chen Qiao'er, each of you has to give me ten wen. We'll return the deposit we took from Magistrate Zhao."
Upon hearing this, Monkey was the first to cry out in distress. "Brother Ermao, I only had a bowl of wine. Ten wen is too much."
Chen Er Leng couldn't help but say, "Get lost. You ate the most at that meal. Fifty wen would be an understatement."
"Alright, you two stop arguing. Let's go to the village entrance and wait. Tonight, we *will* get Chen Qiao'er," Chen Ermao said, quickening his pace.
The three of them grumbled as they arrived at the village entrance and found a dark spot to squat down. This was the only way Chen Xiaobei would return home.
At this time, Chen Xiaobei had already met Chen Dachun. On the horizon, the crescent moon had appeared, and the entire world was much brighter.
"Dachun, why are you here too?"
Chen Dachun gave a simple, honest smile. "I happened to be out, heard you taking Qiao'er out, and was worried, so I followed. But you were walking too fast earlier, and I couldn't keep up."
Alright, having an extra companion on the way home made him feel much more at ease.
With Chen Dachun there, Chen Qiao'er was no longer so flustered. She even proudly showed Chen Dachun the wild eggs she had found.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei secretly sighed. When he had grabbed Chen Qiao'er and run earlier, he had thrown the basket of eggs he was holding into the nearby grass, and many had broken. But Chen Qiao'er had held onto her basket of eggs tightly, and not a single one was lost.
Chen Ermao, hiding in the dark, finally waited for Chen Xiaobei to return, but when he listened closely, he heard an extra person, Chen Dachun.
The three of them immediately deflated!
Chen Dachun was known for his great strength. Coupled with the reckless Chen Xiaobei, the three had no chance of winning.
When Chen Xiaobei returned home, Monkey was the first to want to leave but was stopped by Chen Ermao.
"Don't be in a hurry. Chen Xiaobei must be tired after running around all night. Let's wait a while longer. After he falls asleep, we'll climb over the wall and snatch Chen Qiao'er."
Chen Xiaobei would never have imagined that Chen Ermao and the others were still harboring such wicked intentions, still plotting for Qiao'er.
He was indeed tired. He had gone to the county town during the day and had been lurking in the mountains at night. So, after a simple wash-up upon returning home, he lay down.
However, he kept Chen Qiao'er in his mind and didn't dare to sleep too deeply.
Of course, Chen Xiaobei was not entirely unprepared.
Before, he and Chen Qiao'er slept in separate rooms.
Now, he moved Chen Qiao'er's bed into his own room, so they slept in the same room.
Chen Ermao and the others squatted outside for another good half hour before quietly approaching Chen Xiaobei's courtyard wall.
Chen Ermao squatted on the wall, first picked up a small stone, and threw it into the courtyard.
"Gurgle!" The stone made a clear sound.
With just this slight sound, Chen Xiaobei's eyes were already alert as he opened them.
Immediately afterwards, he heard a few thuds from outside, like something heavy falling to the ground.
In an instant, Chen Xiaobei realized that someone had entered the courtyard.
Chen Ermao and the other two entered the courtyard and squatted in the corner for a while. Seeing no reaction from inside the house, their courage grew. They stood up and quietly crept towards the door of the house.
Listening to the footsteps outside, Chen Xiaobei judged that they were approaching the house. He quietly got up, holding Chen Qiao'er, and gently tucked her under the bed.
Then, he took out a kitchen knife from under his pillow. This was the only weapon in the house, and he always kept it under his pillow while sleeping.
Chen Xiaobei tiptoed to the door and hid behind it.
With a few soft rustling sounds, Chen Ermao outside pushed open the bolt from the inside and gently pushed the door open.
Chen Xiaobei was one step ahead. He darted to the doorway and let out a roar at Chen Ermao outside.
In the silent night sky, a dark figure suddenly appeared, followed by this roar. Chen Ermao and the other two screamed in fright and fell to the ground.
In the dim moonlight, Chen Xiaobei could see Chen Ermao's silhouette. He calculated the distance, feigned a bold move, and brandished the kitchen knife a couple of times at Chen Ermao.
While waving the knife, he shouted, "Help! There's a thief in the house!"
Monkey and Er Leng, terrified, jumped up from the ground and fled.
Chen Ermao, still on the ground, was scared out of his wits. He scrambled backward on all fours, several steps. "Brother Xiaobei, don't shout, don't shout. It's me, it's Chen Ermao!"
Chen Xiaobei glared at him with the kitchen knife in hand. "What are you doing here again?"
"I just wanted to see you, to see how you are," Chen Ermao said, seizing the opportunity to stand up.