Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The group returned to the village, first unloading the grain and farm tools at the old house, before driving the oxcart home.

"Dad, will we eat all three meals a day at the old house?" Xia Yu asked as she got off the oxcart.

"We won't be together in the morning, but we'll eat together for lunch and dinner. You'll help with the cooking at the old house. Your mother and I both need to work in the fields."

"Won't my grandma complain about me using too much oil when I cook?" Xia Yu asked, still a little worried.

"No, you can't go without oil and fat in your meals these days, otherwise you won't have the energy to work," Zhang Youtie comforted his daughter.

"Mother, how much grain are we bringing to the old house?" Zhang Youtie asked Liu Shi after unloading the goods from the cart.

“I have prepared fifty catties of wheat flour and fifty catties of cornmeal. Our family has a lot of land but few people, so we still have to rely on the old house to do the work. Since we have some money in hand this year, let’s give more.”

"Yes, that makes sense. I'll deliver the grain over in a bit."

"Take it over in a bit. I've also prepared five catties of lard and a piece of meat; take them with you. Xiaxia uses a lot of oil when she cooks, so I don't want the old lady to feel uncomfortable," Liu Shi continued.

"Yes, you've thought of everything." Zhang Youtie thought his wife's arrangement was quite appropriate.

Xia Yu took a knife, went into her spatial dimension, cut off five or six pounds of meat, and handed it to Liu Shi. "Mother, we didn't buy any meat in front of Aunt today. If we suddenly bring a piece of meat over, won't she be suspicious?"

"I forgot about that. It's too hot now, so I can't say it was bought before." Liu sighed and said, "Never mind, you can keep the meat. We'll take it out when your brother takes a break in a couple of days."

He went out and told Zhang Youtie about the situation, asking him to send the oil and flour over first, and to bring the meat over in a few days.

That evening, after the family had dinner, Liu steamed two pots of white flour buns and cooked a large pot of mung bean porridge, which she then put into a wooden bucket. Xia Yu stored all of this in her spatial storage, as it was all prepared for breakfast each day. These past few days had been tiring with heavy work, and this would save her from having to get up before dawn every day to make breakfast.

As for vegetables, there were pickled radish shreds, garlic sprouts, and sweet garlic in the kitchen, and Xia Yu also had braised offal and a pig's head from a few days ago in her room; they could all be eaten directly. After preparing these, the family took a bath and went to bed early, as they would be threshing their wheat the next day. Villagers with little farmland could use the village's drying yard, but families like theirs with dozens of acres of land had to build their own drying yard specifically for drying their wheat.

The next day, Xia Yu served a small bowl of mung bean porridge, five or six steamed buns, and two small dishes of pickled vegetables. Although it was simple, the family ate very comfortably. Zhang Youtie ate three steamed buns and two bowls of porridge, while Liu Shi and Xia Yu each ate only one steamed bun. Xia Yu looked at the table and decided to cook a pot of braised eggs for dinner, so that everyone could eat one every day to supplement their nutrition.

After finishing their meal, Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi took their farm tools and drove the oxcart to work in the fields. Xia Yu cleaned up the kitchen, thought for a moment, took thirty eggs from her own cupboard, put them in a basket, and carried them to the old house.

When she arrived at the old house, only Qiuyu, Dongyu, and her aunt were home; everyone else had gone to work in the fields. Seeing that her grandmother wasn't there, Xia Yu quickly put all the eggs from the basket into her spatial storage. She had to let her grandmother see her taking things from home; if she gave them to her aunt, she felt that, given her aunt's personality, she would just leave them there and eat them all herself.

Seeing Xia Yu bring in a basket, Qing He didn't feel the need to go and take it, acting as if she hadn't seen it at all. Xia Yu immediately felt that putting the eggs away was the right thing to do.

"Auntie, what's for dinner today? What are Grandma's plans?" Xia Yu asked her directly.

"They didn't say anything, they just took out the flour and told us to watch them make it."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Huh? I didn't know. We just had breakfast. Let's make it later!"

Xia Yu was devastated by her answer. How could someone so old act like a fool? Shouldn't the three of them prepare a meal for the whole family in advance?

Xia Yu glanced at Qiu Yu, who was standing next to her with Dong Yu. The two were about the same age, so it seemed that it was better to discuss with Qiu Yu than with her aunt.

"Qiuyu, what do you think we should cook for lunch?"

"Second sister, Grandma brought out six catties of wheat flour, three catties of cornmeal, two cabbages, and two eggplants." Qiu Yu quickly recounted the ingredients her grandmother had given her.

Xia Yu did a quick mental calculation: there were fourteen people in her family, and the amount of noodles the old lady had given her wasn't much. She needed to think carefully about how to have a proper lunch.

Xia Yu went to the vegetable garden in the backyard of the old house to see what vegetables were growing there. This garden was much larger than Xia Yu's own, probably about an acre in size. Apart from a fenced-off area for chickens, the rest of the garden was planted with vegetables: perilla, tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, and several other common household items. Seeing the tomatoes and perilla, Xia Yu remembered what she needed to make.

"Qiuyu, how about we make some salty porridge and fried pancakes?"

“I’ll listen to you, Second Sister. But before my mother left, she told us to boil a pot of tea and let it cool so they can drink it when they come back at noon. Also, we should boil the water we’re going to take from the fields in the afternoon.”

"Okay, I understand." After discussing with Qiu Yu, Xia Yu went to the upper room to find her aunt. When she got inside, she found her holding a basket used for work, lost in thought.

"Auntie, Qiuyu and I are planning to make savory porridge and fried pancakes for lunch. Do you know how to knead dough?"

"will not"

Do you know how to roll out dough for pancakes?

"will not"

"So what can you do?" Qiu Yu had no choice but to ask her directly what skills she had.

"I know how to start a fire," Qinghe said, looking at Xia Yu with an innocent expression.

Xia Yu sighed, thinking that it would be better to let her aunt go to the fields to pick up wheat ears than to have her stay at home to help with cooking.

“Auntie, why don’t you come out and start the fire? Boil a pot of water first, let it cool down, and then everyone can drink it when they come back at noon.”

"You called me to boil water? What are you doing then?" Qinghe said, somewhat unconvinced.

"What am I going to do? I'm kneading dough to make pancakes for lunch. If you know how, we can switch." Xia Yu retorted irritably.

"Hmph, you brat! I'm your aunt, your elder. Don't you know you should be filial to your elders?" Although Qinghe stood up and followed Xia Yu outside, she still kept talking.

Xia Yu rolled her eyes inwardly and didn't reply, pretending not to hear.

While her aunt was boiling water, Xia Yu poured half of the flour her grandmother had taken out—wheat flour and half of the corn flour—into a basin, added warm water, and kneaded the dough. Qiu Yu watched from the side, took out another basin, scooped out two bowls of the remaining wheat flour, poured the rest together with the corn flour, added warm water, and kneaded it as well.

"Qiuyu, you know how to knead dough?" Xia Yu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, Second Sister, you can do it too, can't you?" Qiu Yu replied naturally.

Xia Yu thought to herself, "I have the mind of a twenty-five-year-old inside my eight-year-old body, and you have the mind of an eight-year-old inside your eight-year-old body."

The two sisters kneaded the dough, covering each bowl with a damp cloth to let it rest. Xia Yu picked a few persimmons and a handful of perilla from the backyard, washing them along with the eggplants on the counter. Qiu Yu peeled off the outer leaves of the cabbage, shredded the edible inner leaves, and washed them separately in a large basin. Despite being only five years old, Dong Yu helped Xia Yu and Qiu Yu wash the vegetables. She was much better than their aunt who only tended the fire and constantly rolled her eyes at them.

After Qinghe boiled the water in the pot, Xia Yu pointed to the wooden bucket in the kitchen and said...

"Auntie, scrape the boiled water into the bucket. Qiuyu and I are too short to do it." Qinghe glared at her, but did as Xiayu said.

After scraping the water from the pot into the bucket, Xia Yu told Dong Yu not to go back into the kitchen, worried that she might get scalded by the hot water. Dong Yu listened to her, her eyes sparkling as she obediently nodded her little head at Xia Yu.