Cui Hongyu's worries were not unconsidered by Chen Xiaobei. He also worried about taking too big a step and getting into trouble.
So Cui Hongyu's words served as a reminder: he wouldn't plant only leafy greens.
He recalled the winters of his past life, filled with radishes, cabbage, and gourds. Tomorrow, he could visit the county town and see what kinds of such vegetables were available, and get some seeds.
The happiest person tonight was Xiu Mei, Chen Dachun's mother.
The crops would have been idle for a whole winter, but now there was an income of over a hundred copper coins.
Even if Chen Dachun worked as a laborer for a month, he wouldn't earn that much.
Looking at his mother's delighted expression, Chen Dachun appeared very calm.
Of course, it was only calm on the surface; his heart was already in turmoil.
He thought of how he had spent a thousand taels of silver as if it were water, squandering it in just a few months. He felt heartbroken.
Now, with over a hundred copper coins, his mother was as happy as if it were New Year's. He knew he had to truly awaken. With this thought, he couldn't sleep.
While Chen Dachun lay awake all night, Liu Rumei was also making tense preparations because the Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun was arriving soon.
Although the peerless Daoist had fled and Sima Wushuang had been captured, the National Master's people on Mount Qingniu had lost their leader. However, there were still some remaining remnants, and she wasn't sure if these few had descended the mountain.
Therefore, to ensure the Crown Prince's absolute safety, the most secure method was to search the mountain again, especially the Dragon Eye area mentioned by Sima Wushuang.
As dawn broke the next day, Ma Biao led his men up the mountain. The village guards at the foot of the mountain merely greeted them, as they were accustomed to the comings and goings of the Liu family.
Chen Xiaobei, meanwhile, drove his horse-drawn cart towards the county town. For him, today's only task was to buy vegetable seeds.
After all, the Chen Xiaobei of this body was a good-for-nothing who knew nothing about farming. He had no idea what seeds could be planted.
Cui Yong, the shopkeeper of the seed store, was already familiar with Chen Xiaobei. After hearing his request, he pondered for a moment and brought out two types of seeds.
"This is called a water radish."
"This radish can grow as thick as an arm. White at the bottom and green at the top."
Wasn't this the kind of radish he commonly saw in his past life?
The other type recommended by Cui Yong filled Chen Xiaobei with joy: cabbage.
Cui Yong only described it in a couple of sentences, and Chen Xiaobei had already identified it.
"Good, give me more. I want to plant at least ten to twenty mu."
Hearing this, Cui Yong finally showed a hint of a smile and turned to pack the seeds for Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei took the opportunity to ask, "Shopkeeper, you have such good seeds, why are you still worried?"
Shopkeeper Cui Yong sighed, "Alas, these are radish and cabbage seeds. At this season, they should be selling briskly, but mine just aren't selling."
"And why is that?"
"Our Qingniu County's rainy season ended early. Look, it hasn't rained for half a month now. From now on, there will basically be no rain until winter snow. If people want to plant vegetables, they have to figure out irrigation themselves, so the common folk are naturally unwilling."
"Alas, heaven doesn't provide us with a living."
Chen Xiaobei secretly felt fortunate upon hearing this. He really didn't know about this.
Thinking about it now, his decision to rent Chen Dachun's Yongye Field was a stroke of luck. There was a small river nearby that could solve the irrigation problem.
Just as Chen Xiaobei was driving his horse-drawn cart back to Hetou Village,
Several fast horses galloped out of Xiaoxiao Town, heading south.
They reined in their horses at the entrance of the courtyard where Xiao Cui had previously stayed.
The leader in the middle waved his hand, and a man in black immediately dismounted and quickly walked to the courtyard gate, lifted the door knocker, and knocked a few times.
There was no reaction from inside the courtyard.
Xiao Cui'er had already been captured, so naturally, no one responded.
After knocking several times, there was still no movement from the courtyard.
The man in black looked around. There were few pedestrians on the road, and no one noticed him. He leaped onto the wall and then into the courtyard.
After a short while, he climbed back out and approached the leader, bowing slightly. "Sect Leader, there's no one inside. Judging by the traces, it hasn't been inhabited for some time."
The leader lifted the black veil from his face, revealing a stunning beauty. It was the White Lotus Sect Leader.
The White Lotus Sect Leader looked towards the courtyard, frowned slightly, then dismounted and walked towards a neighboring house.
Arriving at the door of this house, the White Lotus Sect Leader again lightly knocked on the courtyard gate. Soon, there was movement from inside, and a somewhat aged voice asked, "Who is it?"
"Old Uncle Zhang, it's me." The White Lotus Sect Leader lowered her voice and said softly.
Old Uncle Zhang in the courtyard was an elder with white hair and beard. Hearing the voice, he was first startled, then his brow furrowed, and he quickly hurried to the door.
"Zhang Yu welcomes the Sect Leader."
The White Lotus Sect Leader nodded slightly. "Old Uncle Zhang, where is Xiao Cui? Has she not returned for a few days?"
Zhang Yu clasped his fists. "A few days ago, people from the Liu family captured her. According to your instructions, I was only to monitor and not to rescue, so I could only..."
Upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, the White Lotus Sect Leader's brow twitched. "I was careless. Did the Liu family discover something?"
"This subordinate does not know the specifics, only that they took the person to Hetou Village."
"What? They took her to a small mountain village?"
"Yes, Sect Leader. Liu Rumei is now living in that small village."
Hearing this, the White Lotus Sect Leader looked enlightened. "So that's how it is."
"Zhang Yu, how many subordinates do you have available now?"
"Sect Leader, I have over a dozen people. However, their martial arts skills are very ordinary and probably not up to the task."
The White Lotus Sect Leader snorted coldly. "Xiao Jingyun's martial arts are also mediocre. What are you afraid of?"
Zhang Yu bowed respectfully, "I will obey the Sect Leader's orders."
"I have a map of Mount Qingniu here. Take your men and follow the map to search for possible ambush locations."
Zhang Yu took the map, carefully opened it, glanced at it, and then tucked it into his sleeve.
"Sect Leader, would you like to stay for a meal? I will arrange it now."
The White Lotus Sect Leader shook her head. "I am staying at the inn in town. If you need to find me, go to Yue Lai Inn."
With that, the White Lotus Sect Leader turned and left the courtyard.
Zhang Yu returned to his house and opened the map of the mountain route to examine it again, finally sighing softly.
"This vast Mount Qingniu, with only a dozen of us, alas!"
At this time, Chen Xiaobei was driving his horse-drawn cart towards the village. Before he even reached the village entrance, he saw a rustling in the grass by the roadside, which then subsided.
Someone was in the grass.
Chen Xiaobei immediately became alert.