It was a point of shame that Chen Xiaobei had not visited his father-in-law's home since Cui Hongyu married him.
However, he couldn't be entirely blamed for this, as Cui Hongyu herself had never brought it up.
In truth, Cui Hongyu harbored some resentment towards her father. It was her father who, misled by Cui Banxian's insinuation, had forced her to marry Chen Xiaobei.
But now, looking back, it seemed that by some twist of fate, marrying Chen Xiaobei had turned out to be a great find.
Cui Fugui, who had stayed home and not gone out for a consultation that day, was organizing medicinal herbs when the old family servant, A Xiang, rushed in.
"Master, the young lady is back."
Cui Fugui frowned, "Who did you say?"
"The young lady, the married Miss Cui Hongyu, and she's brought the son-in-law with her."
Cui Fugui slowly put down the herbs he was holding. "Go quickly and intercept her at the door. Ask her what she's here for."
A Xiang stamped his foot in exasperation. "Oh, Master, Chen Xiaobei is now the village head of Hetou Village, no, he's already the township chief. He certainly won't be coming to us to ask for things."
Upon hearing this, Cui Fugui's tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
"Alright, then you go and welcome them on my behalf. And if there's anything, tell Hongyu to come and speak with me."
A Xiang had no choice but to steel himself and approach the main entrance. He plastered a smile on his face as he saw Cui Hongyu arrive. "Welcome back, Miss."
"Greetings, Son-in-law."
Cui Hongyu nodded, her face filled with urgency. "Uncle A Xiang, where is my father?"
Xiang pointed towards the study. "Master is in the room. You can go in."
He then turned to Chen Xiaobei. "Son-in-law, please come in for some tea."
Chen Xiaobei understood that they didn't want him to go in.
So be it. Let Cui Hongyu speak to him herself. But Cui Hongyu didn't care about such niceties. She glared, her voice rising significantly. "I'm here to give Father money, why is he putting on airs?"
Inside the room, Cui Fugui's eyebrows shot up upon hearing about the money, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. He hurried to come out, but after a couple of steps, he stopped himself, reconsidering.
Seeing that there was no movement from the room despite mentioning the money, Cui Hongyu simply grabbed Chen Xiaobei's arm. "Fine, if Father doesn't care for it, we'll go back. This is truly treating good intentions like donkey's liver and lungs."
With that, she pulled Chen Xiaobei and turned to leave. A Xiang became anxious. "Miss, don't rush. You can go in and talk things over slowly."
Seeing Cui Hongyu about to leave, Cui Fugui finally couldn't hold back and yanked the door open with a creak.
Upon hearing the door open, Cui Hongyu and Chen Xiaobei exchanged a knowing smile.
Cui Fugui deliberately walked with his hands behind his back, his steps slow and deliberate, approaching the courtyard. "Making such a racket at the doorway, not even entering the house, what does this look like?"
Cui Hongyu directly cut him off, getting straight to the point.
"Father, we need labor to transport supplies up Qingniu Mountain. Ten li beyond the Mountain God Temple. Fifty copper coins a day for the round trip."
Cui Hongyu finished speaking rapidly. Cui Fugui's eyes widened instantly.
"What? Fifty copper coins for one trip? Are you carrying gold or silver?"
"Alright, I'll say it one last time. Help me find one person, and I'll give you an extra twenty copper coins. How much you can earn depends on your own ability."
After saying this, Cui Hongyu pulled Chen Xiaobei away. Chen Xiaobei quickly shook her off with force.
Since he had come, he couldn't just leave without saying a word. He at least had to say a few things to his father-in-law.
He clasped his hands towards Cui Fugui and said respectfully, "The supplies being transported are all from the imperial court and are legitimate. Also, please rest assured, Father-in-law, Hongyu will not be wronged by my side."
After speaking, Chen Xiaobei bowed to his father-in-law again.
"We have a lot to do at home, so we won't be coming in. We'll talk again after this matter is settled."
"Oh, and it's best to pack up. You might need to leave with us for a couple of days. Troops might be coming here."
Cui Hongyu glanced at Chen Xiaobei, as if to say, "You didn't have to say that."
But Chen Xiaobei didn't think so. Reminding his father-in-law was always a good thing.
Unexpectedly, Cui Fugui was also a stubborn man. He smiled slightly. "No matter whose soldiers they are, how can they trouble us ordinary folk? I will not hide. However, if you need manpower, that's easily arranged."
He then turned to A Xiang. "Go and gather some people in the village. Choose some strong laborers. Don't embarrass our Cui Family Village."
After thanking him again, Chen Xiaobei quickly took Cui Hongyu back to the village. Cui Hongyu had a heavy task, needing to escort the elderly and children away.
By the time Chen Xiaobei returned to Hetou Village, Huang Ying was pacing anxiously at the entrance. Seeing Chen Xiaobei arrive, she quickly went to meet him.
"Brother Xiaobei, what's wrong? Why are we suddenly leaving? It's all so chaotic."
Chen Xiaobei sighed. "Alas, the conflict in the court has reached Qingniu Mountain. I fear it might implicate the villagers, so you should go and find shelter elsewhere."
Huang Ying hesitated and then tentatively asked, "Are you coming with us?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "I'm not leaving. I have other matters to attend to."
"Then I'm not leaving either. I still need to learn how to make landmines with you."
Chen Xiaobei glanced at Cui Hongyu and remained silent. This was something Cui Hongyu needed to persuade her about. Su Dan Novel Network
Cui Hongyu stepped forward and affectionately took Huang Ying's hand. "Good sister, your husband has already made dozens of landmines these past few days, which is enough."
"There are also so many children and elderly people who need care."
Huang Ying stubbornly shook her head. "No, I need to protect you and Brother Xiaobei. They are not related to us by blood or kin. Whether they live or die is none of my concern."
Chen Xiaobei didn't know whether to feel joy or sorrow upon hearing this. Huang Ying was still young, and it was not wrong of her.
As the saying goes, one should not concern oneself with matters outside one's purview. She was not the village head and had no responsibility to protect these villagers.
However, if she were to protect the villagers, it would alleviate many of his worries.
Seeing his silence, Huang Ying seemed to guess Chen Xiaobei's thoughts. Her eyes twinkled, and she chuckled. "Brother Xiaobei, why don't you have Ziyan protect Sister Hongyu, and I'll stay and protect you? We'll be one on each side."
Before Chen Xiaobei could speak, Cui Hongyu's face lit up with joy.
This was an opportunity for Chen Xiaobei, wasn't it? She immediately agreed. "Okay, okay, Huang Ying, you must protect my husband well. Don't let anything go wrong."
Upon hearing Cui Hongyu say this, Chen Xiaobei immediately understood her intentions. "Oh my, at such a time, and she's still obsessing about me finding a second wife?"
Soon, A Xiang arrived with dozens of people from Cui Family Village. Huang Ying immediately picked up her notebook and went forward, registering everyone's names and the supplies each person was allocated.
Seeing this scene, Chen Xiaobei knew that Huang Ying would not be leaving.
Once everything was ready, Chen Xiaobei arranged for a village guard, Chen Xiaobo, to take a record of the supplies and lead these villagers from Cui Family Village towards the steep slope.
Watching Chen Xiaobo depart, Huang Ying suddenly asked, "Why are there so few village guards? Where is Chen Dayong and the others?"
Chen Xiaobei's heart stirred. That's right, Chen Dayong and the others were still at Longwang River.
Oh no.