Cui Hongyu understood what Chen Xiaobei was worried about!
It made sense, if there were women and children at home, and bandits really came, Chen Xiaobei would not be able to fight with his hands tied.
But what Chen Xiaobei was thinking was that as long as Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiaoer were not at home, if bandits really came, he could run if he couldn't beat them.
The next morning, Chen Xiaobei was awakened by the crisp sound of a gong. The gong was being beaten by the village chief, Chen Anbang. Chen Anbang was shouting loudly as he beat the gong, "Listen, old and young men, starting today, Chen Xiaobei is the captain of the village guard."
He walked around the village three times while beating the gong and shouting.
Soon, Da Chun called out Chen Xiaobei's name loudly from over the wall.
"Xiaobei, what's going on? Why are you the captain?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head helplessly, "Brother Da Chun, I, I'm being forced into it. I don't want to be."
Chen Da Chun chuckled, "This is good, this is good. You can still get several hundred wen a year."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, you only see the salary, but not the effort of being the captain of the village guard.
"Brother Da Chun, if you think it's good, then you do this job."
Chen Da Chun instantly retracted his head. Chen Xiaobei thought about it and shook his head to himself. It was ridiculous. Chen Da Chun was about to go to the city, why would he be interested in the position of captain of the village guard?
After breakfast, Chen Xiaobei strolled towards the village entrance.
No matter what, it was his first day on duty, so he had to make sure he looked the part.
Some villagers who were going out to farm saw Chen Xiaobei standing at the village entrance with a gong and greeted him enthusiastically.
Seeing their beaming smiles, Chen Xiaobei couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
In his memory, these people usually gave him cold shoulders. Now, they were practically eager to hug him and kiss him.
People are just so realistic.
At this time, Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiaoer were also not idle. Cui Hongyu took a cast net and pulled Chen Qiaoer towards the river.
Cui Hongyu put some meat bones into the cast net and cast it into the water. Then, imitating others, she tied the rope to a nearby reed.
However, she did not wait long, nor did she wait for the reed to sway, before she slowly pulled the cast net back.
She wasn't looking for big fish, she was looking for fry.
After a day and a night, the depression had been filled with river water and turned into a high-standard fish pond.
So, they had to put more fry into it.
Cui Hongyu's net actually caught quite a few, dozens of small fish. She reached her hand through the net and carefully took them out one by one.
She put them into a wooden bucket that had been prepared earlier, with a tiny bit of water in it.
Qiaoer carried the wooden bucket and carefully walked to the edge of the pond, slowly pouring the fish from the bucket into the pond. Seeing the fish swimming happily, she clapped her hands with joy.
The two of them, one catching and one releasing, were busy and happy. Unknowingly, it was almost noon.
Chen Xiaobei stood at the village entrance for a while. Seeing that the villagers were all returning home, he knew it was time for lunch. But when he arrived at his doorstep, no one was there.
This startled him greatly. But upon closer inspection, the door was locked, which meant there was no accident.
After a moment of thought, he walked out of the village.
From a distance, he saw Cui Hongyu and Qiaoer busy at work, and he smiled.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, Qiaoer quickly ran over and tugged at his clothes, "Brother, brother, we caught a lot of fish this morning and put them in the fish pond. Sister-in-law said we can exchange them for silver when the fish grow up."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and gently patted Qiaoer's head, "You caught a lot. Then it's time to rest. Shall we go home to eat?"
Chen Qiaoer happily agreed and ran to Cui Hongyu, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, let's go home to eat."
At this time, Chen Daqiang, a member of the village guard, had gone to work in the fields in the morning. He came back at noon, had a bowl of porridge, and was about to lie down for a rest.
Suddenly, he heard someone coughing in the yard.
Chen Daqiang was a bachelor and lived alone. Few people visited him usually.
The sudden cough startled him. He jumped up from the bed and as he reached the doorway, the door was pushed open.
The sudden light made him unable to see the face of the person who had come. He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust, and almost wet himself in fright.
"Er Mao."
He had only uttered two words when his mouth was covered by Chen Er Mao.
"Brother Da Qiang, don't shout. I'll let you go. Don't make a sound. I just came to ask you a few questions."
Chen Daqiang's gaze shifted, and he saw two other figures in the yard.
Even if he had ten more guts, he wouldn't dare to shout.
"Brother Er Mao, why, why did you come back?"
Chen Er Mao lowered his voice, "I'm asking you who captured Yang Dazhi and the others yesterday? Was it Chen Ping?"
Chen Daqiang shook his head, "No, no. When our village guard arrived, Yang Dazhi was already tied up. It's said that Cui Hongyu knocked him down."
"How could Cui Hongyu, a weak woman, defeat Yang Dazhi?" Chen Er Mao looked incredulous.
Chen Daqiang quickly added, "Then, it was Chen Xiaobei."
"Right, it was Chen Xiaobei who drove the carriage and had Chen Ping and the others send the person to the county office overnight, saying that delays could lead to trouble."
Chen Er Mao spat viciously, "Chen Xiaobei, I'm not done with you."
After cursing Chen Xiaobei, he continued to ask, "By the way, I saw Chen Xiaobei walking around the village entrance with a gong this morning. What's going on?"
Chen Daqiang forced a smile, "Brother, it's strange to say. Ever since those two bandits, no, no, two heroes were sent to the county office, Chen Ping resigned from the position of captain of the village guard and specifically asked Chen Xiaobei to take over."
Chen Er Mao also looked surprised, "You mean Chen Xiaobei is the captain of the village guard now?"
Chen Daqiang nodded, "Yes, he's the captain of the village guard, and it's his turn to be on duty today."
After hearing this, Chen Er Mao pondered for a moment, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Brother Da Qiang, I'm tired. Let me rest here for a while. Also, get us something to eat later."
Chen Daqiang's mouth widened in surprise, "No, Brother Er Mao, you, you..."
Chen Er Mao chuckled, "Don't worry, we'll leave before dark."
Chen Daqiang looked at the two people in the yard, shook his head helplessly, and thought to himself with greed, from now on, there will probably be no more steamed buns with meat.
As night fell, after dinner, Chen Xiaobei personally escorted Cui Hongyu and Qiaoer to Da Chun's house, reminded them a few times, and then hurried to the big locust tree in the middle of the village.
There were two rooms next to the big locust tree. S Dán Novel Network
There were a few beds inside, yes, only beds, simple wooden planks, but even these few beds were better than the beds in many people's homes.
After all, this was considered a place for public officials.
It was still early, and people couldn't sleep. Some were lying on their beds, some were sitting there, chatting aimlessly.
The first patrol team was Chen Daqiang and another person.
The two of them went out for a patrol early and then returned to report.
Seeing this performance, Chen Xiaobei frowned. It was too perfunctory.
At this moment, several dark figures quietly approached Chen Xiaobei's house.