Shi Yan then summoned his courage and said with a smile, "Um, I'd like to borrow a few taels of silver from you temporarily."
After speaking, as if afraid Chen Xiaobei would refuse, he quickly added, "Don't worry, I'll repay you double as soon as Brother Sun Jian returns from Qingniu County."
Chen Xiaobei felt conflicted. Honestly, he didn't have any good feelings towards Shi Yan and his companions, nor any ill will.
After all, it was Sun Gui and Sun Qing who killed Chen Ping, not these people.
As for their grievances with Yang Zhi, that was outside his jurisdiction.
Looking at it from another perspective, Shi Yan and the others were quite pitiful. With Sun Jian captured and Cangying Mountain in disarray, they couldn't even solve their most basic need for food and warmth.
Alas, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. If he could help, he would.
With that thought, Chen Xiaobei smiled and said, "Brother Shi, what are you talking about? Repay? We are all family."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei say this, Shi Yan's suspended heart settled, and a smile appeared on his face. "Thank you, brother."
Chen Xiaobei pointed towards the foot of the mountain. "Let's go down the mountain to get the silver."
Shi Yan gave a slightly awkward smile. "We won't go into the village. We'll wait here. You can bring it to us whenever it's convenient for you."
Chen Xiaobei persuaded him a couple more times, but Shi Yan was adamant about not going down the mountain. Chen Xiaobei had no choice but to agree.
As he walked down, Chen Xiaobei wondered why Shi Yan was so determined not to go down the mountain.
He suddenly smiled. He was so stupid. Liu Rumei was in the village. Shi Yan must have been afraid.
He returned home. While Cui Hongyu was drying houttuynia, Chen Xiaobei quietly went into the house and pocketed a bank note.
It was a bank note for two hundred taels.
Chen Xiaobei hid the bank note in his chest, took a bamboo basket, and after greeting Cui Hongyu, said he was going to the grove at the village entrance to see if the lime had been burnt.
Walking on the streets of Hetou Village, Chen Xiaobei looked around, suddenly feeling like a thief.
But then he smiled. The silver was his, so what was there to fear? He believed that even if Cui Hongyu knew, she wouldn't say anything, but it was better not to let her know about such things.
Of course, checking if the lime was burnt wasn't just an excuse, but something he genuinely intended to do.
He first scraped away the charcoal from the top, revealing the bluestone underneath.
After being burnt for so long, the bluestone had turned a pale white.
Chen Xiaobei took a few pieces and put them into the bamboo basket. This was quicklime, and he wanted to take it to the water's edge to douse it with water, turning it into slaked lime.
He followed the woods all the way to the north of the village and came to the riverbank, finding a pit to place the stones in.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei busy here, the few on-duty village guards gathered around and asked in a babble, "Xiaobei village chief, what are you up to again?"
Chen Xiaobei grinned and said, "Making some lime to make chalk for writing."
The village guards looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Chen Xiaobei knew that chalk was a completely unfamiliar word to them. In this era, in this world, chalk should exist.
Chen Xiaobei arranged the stones, then scooped up a handful of water and splashed it onto a fist-sized stone.
There was a hissing sound, and a cloud of white smoke rose.
There was hope.
Chen Xiaobei rejoiced inwardly, then went to scoop more water. The other village guards, seeing this, also quickly helped. Although they didn't have many tools, there were many people.
After everyone's efforts, several stones emitted wisps of white smoke. Strictly speaking, it was steam.
Watching the water being splashed, the stones hissed. The village guards found it magical and surrounded Chen Xiaobei, asking what kind of stones these were.
Chen Xiaobei knew it would be difficult for them to truly understand, but he patiently explained it simply.
"These stones, after being burned by fire and then doused with water, turn into slaked lime."
Chen Xiaobei picked up a branch and raked the slaked lime for everyone to see.
"Then, we'll boil some glutinous rice juice, compress this lime together, and it can be used to write on a blackboard."
"And what is a blackboard?" The village guards asked again.
Chen Xiaobei knew that this explanation would never end, so he decided to cut to the chase. "Ah, it's just a black board. Think about it, on a black board, with white lime sprinkled on it, wouldn't it be very conspicuous?"
"Yes, that makes sense." The village guards were all excited, as if they had learned a lot of knowledge.
"Alright, you guys keep busy here. I'm going to take a walk up the mountain."
Chen Xiaobei quickly took his leave and went into the mountains, handing the bank note to Shi Yan.
When Shi Yan saw the two hundred taels of silver, he was deeply moved and bowed deeply to Chen Xiaobei. "Thank you, Brother Xiaobei. Words cannot express my gratitude. If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Chen Xiaobei smiled and said, "It's just a small matter. No need for thanks. By the way, if possible, you should still go home. You don't have any relatives here, and two hundred taels won't last long."
After speaking, Chen Xiaobei turned and left. He left Shi Yan and the other two in a dilemma.
Shi Liang hesitated and said, "Brother, Chen Xiaobei is right. Why don't we go back to Cangying Mountain?"
Shi Tou immediately objected, "No, no! Sun Gui and Sun Qing are back. They never paid us any attention before. Without Brother Sun Jian covering for us, who knows how they would bully us!"
Shi Yan also agreed with Shi Tou's point. "Yes, without Brother Sun Jian on the mountain, we outsiders would definitely be bullied by their Sun clan."
"Then what should we do?"
Shi Yan pondered for a moment and came up with an idea. "I have a plan. We'll go directly to the capital and find the State Preceptor. We'll explain the situation to him and ask him to send reinforcements."
"Then, we can arrest Liu Rumei and Yang Zhi, and we'll still have made a great contribution."
Upon hearing Shi Yan's words, Shi Tou and Shi Liang immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
"Brother, your idea is brilliant!"
"Then let's set off quickly," Shi Yan waved his hand.
As they walked, Shi Tou asked again, "What about Brother Sun Jian? Are we just going to abandon him?"
Shi Yan couldn't help but say, "Sigh, you worry too much. As long as the State Preceptor speaks, wouldn't Hu Fan obediently release him!"
"Right, right, brother is right." Shi Tou flattered him again.
Meanwhile, in the county town.
An urgent report from the capital was delivered to Hu Fan's hands.
After reading the report, Hu Fan let out a helpless sigh.
"Sir, what happened?" He Dali asked cautiously.
Hu Fan handed the urgent report to He Dali.
"Sun Gui and Sun Qing had an argument with someone in Song City and were killed on the spot."
After reading the urgent report, He Dali was also dumbfounded.
"In this case, we will probably never get the truth about Chen Ping's murder."