Chapter 4 Waiting for the pheasants to return to their nests
Chen Xiaobei's memory flashed back to Cui Fugui's daughter Cui Hongyu, who was a well-known beauty.
However, this beauty had a bad fate. The matchmaker arranged for her three times, but before they could get through, all three of her fiancés died in various accidents.
It is said that during the first matchmaking, Cui Fugui asked for dozens of taels of silver as a betrothal gift. The second time, it was reduced to five taels. The third time, the betrothal gift was given for free and no penny of the betrothal gift was required. But this time, it was simply reduced to five taels.
There is only one, and naturally he hopes to marry off this unlucky daughter as soon as possible.
Speaking of which, Cui Hongyu has a reputation for being clever and handy, and can do any job inside or outside the house, but this cannot stop his reputation from being ruined. If his reputation is ruined, everything will be nothing.
While Chen Xiaobei was hesitating, Chen Qiaoer next to her suddenly spoke, "Sister Hongyu is very beautiful. It would be really great to be my sister-in-law."
Chen Xiaobei glared at her, took a mouthful of wild vegetables from his bowl with chopsticks, and stuffed it into Chen Qiaoer's mouth.
When the second aunt saw that Chen Xiaobei did not refuse directly, she continued, "Xiaobei, don't listen to what they say. That husband is just a rumor. He has never married anyone. How can he be considered her husband? He can only be said to be her husband."
Can you blame them for their bad luck? Cui Fugui said that at least ten taels of silver would be required as a dowry, and I won’t hide it from you. If Dachun hadn’t already married a wife, I would have really wanted him to marry her."
Ten taels of silver are exchanged for one tael of silver, and one tael of silver is equal to one thousand cash.
One penny can buy two kilograms of grain, so ten taels of silver may not seem like much, but its purchasing power should not be underestimated.
Then again, the higher the purchasing power, the more obvious it is that Cui Hongyu really cannot get married.
Hearing his mother say this, Dachun couldn't help but smile. "Mom, it's good that Cuihua went back to her parents' home. Otherwise, what would Cuihua think if you said that?"
The second aunt ignored her. Chen Xiaobei knew that this was just her words. Even if Dachun was really unmarried, she would definitely not marry Cui Hongyu.
Seeing that he was silent, the second aunt looked at Chen Xiaobei with a smile and said, "Don't worry, Cui Fugui does what he says. He has been practicing medicine for many years and can still make out ten taels of silver. By the way, don't think too much about it, I
The real thing is for your own good, I will confiscate any benefits from Lao Cui’s family."
Chen Xiaobei didn't care whether he received or lost the benefits, but this sentence reminded him that he was only focusing on discussing Cui Hongyu here, but he forgot about the serious things he had planned tonight.
Chen Xiaobei hurriedly changed his smile to an attentive one, "Second aunt, let's put aside the matter of getting a wife for now. Can I discuss something with you?"
The second aunt had a smile on her face and said, "Why are you being polite to me? Just tell me what's going on."
"Second Aunt, I want Qiaoer to stay at your place for one night. I don't worry about her being home alone."
After hearing what Chen Xiaobei said, Chen Dachun looked surprised, "Xiaobei, it's getting dark right now. Where are you going at night?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled calmly, "I'm going to marry a wife soon, so I have to go into the mountains to get some betrothal gifts."
Upon hearing this, Dachun became anxious. He immediately waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, Xiaobei, don't take risks. Even old hunters like them in the village only dare to go into the mountains during the day. Do you want to risk your life if you go into the mountains so late?"
Chen Xiaobei said to his heart, "What kind of life do I want? My family is so poor, so there is no difference between living and dying."
If it weren't for Chen Qiao'er, I might have left long ago and never looked back.
"Dachun, your family has food and drink, but I'm different. I'm a pauper, and I still have my sister with me. I can't do it without going into the mountains."
Chen Qiaoer immediately came over obediently, took Chen Xiaobei's arm, and said timidly, "Qiaoer go dig wild vegetables by yourself, brother, don't go into the mountains after dark."
Chen Dachun also took the opportunity to persuade, "Brother, how about I accompany you during the day? I will accompany you all the way to the mountain temple."
The mountain temple is halfway up the Qingniu Mountain, about ten miles away from the foot of the mountain. I have been there once when I was a child, but I have never been there since.
It is said that not many people have been to the village.
It can be seen that Chen Dachun really thinks about himself.
Chen Xiaobei patted Chen Dachun on the shoulder and said, "Brother Dachun, there is a saying that no thanks are ever expressed for a great favor. You have helped me a lot. I will keep it in mind, but today I have to go into the mountains."
Chen Xiaobei hesitated for a moment, but in the end he did not tell him about using Qiaoer to pay off his gambling debt. This was too dehumanizing, so he had better save some character for himself.
He didn't speak, and the atmosphere in the room became a little silent. In the end, the second aunt broke the awkwardness and said, "Well, since you want to go, go ahead and leave Qiao'er to me. Don't worry."
When Chen Xiaobei returned home, he simply packed up and set off. He knew that the best time to catch pheasants was when it got dark.
Because I disturbed these pheasants during the day and tied them with cloth strips, the environment changed significantly. The pheasants would not dare to go back until it was dark.
Moreover, there is another characteristic of pheasants: after dark, their eyesight decreases significantly.
Of course, although it is a good time to arrest, it is still very difficult to get close.
Because when walking through the weeds, there will always be movement, and if there is a group of pheasants, there will still be one or two pheasants standing guard.
Therefore, Chen Xiaobei had to hide nearby while it was still dark.
The pheasant policeman was very worried. They would definitely notice if he took away the pheasant eggs.
Just like a parent discovering that their child is missing, the pheasant will panic and look for eggs.
This moment of panic was a good opportunity for him to take action.
Chen Xiaobei entered the mountain and successfully found the mark he had made.
This is it, Chen Xiaobei breathed a sigh of relief.
It's still early now, the pheasants are probably still out looking for food and waiting for dark.
Chen Xiaobei found a tree not far away that was thicker than his waist. There was a huge branch on this tree, big enough to bear his own weight. He sat on the branch and chose a comfortable one.
posture, he took off his belt again and hugged himself against the tree.
This will ensure that you will not accidentally fall. As long as you wait until the pheasants come back and catch a few mountain pheasants, your plan will be successful.
After about half an hour, there began to be a cooing sound in the distance and the grass was shaking continuously. This was the return of the pheasants who had gone out to look for food.
Chen Xiaobei gently untied his belt and tied it back around his waist.
He held the huge net in his hands again.
As long as a pheasant comes near here, he will immediately pounce down on it.
Suffering a sudden attack, the pheasant's instinctive action is to take off.
Therefore, the probability of catching a pheasant in Duotou is very high.
Moreover, if you are lucky and move quickly enough, it is not impossible to catch two more.
Soon, some small bright spots appeared, which were the eyes of the pheasants. As expected, when the pheasants returned, they found that there were fewer eggs.