Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

After leaving the Good Luck Restaurant, Zhang Youtie led Xia Yu to Peach Blossom Spring, the second largest tavern in town, which they had visited before. The manager still remembered Zhang Youtie and, having heard that he could now deliver steadily and reliably, had pre-ordered ten catties of shrimp each day for the next two days, fearing that too much wouldn't sell in the hot weather. Xia Yu remembered what Lord Shen had told her last time and dared not casually guarantee the use of their water again; if the shrimp didn't die, she feared that more people would discover the suspicious activity.

However, the shopkeeper of Peach Blossom Spring didn't give the full amount of money; instead, he gave a deposit of fifty coins. Xia Yu still took out her notebook and charcoal pencil and wrote everything down. Seeing how diligently they worked, the shopkeeper was quite satisfied, thinking that Xia Yu's family had a good business sense. Although he was surprised that Xia Yu, a girl, could read, he didn't ask.

After leaving Peach Blossom Spring, Zhang Youtie took her to the Liu family's house, intending to inquire whether they needed prawns daily. However, this time, the steward of the Liu family said that their masters had gone to the estate to escape the summer heat and were not currently in the manor. They would decide whether or not to need prawns daily upon the masters' return.

After leaving Liu's house, Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu went to a few smaller restaurants. Some of the busier ones ordered two or three catties of shrimp, while others waved their hands at the first sign of price without even looking at the shrimp. In total, they ordered fourteen catties of shrimp from these restaurants.

The father and son carried the bucket around until noon. Xia Yu was exhausted and thirsty, and his clothes kept getting wet and then dry again.

"Dad, I can't go on anymore. Let's eat something first." Xia Yu stood under the shade of a tree by the roadside, feeling so hot that she wanted to stick her tongue out.

Zhang Youtie turned his head and saw his daughter's flushed face. He was a little angry at himself for being so careless, only looking at the shops on both sides, that he had forgotten to take care of his daughter.

"Daughter, Daddy was wrong. What do you want to eat? Come on, Daddy will take you there."

"I'll eat anything, Dad, I'm so thirsty! I've already finished the water in my water bag." Xia Yu waved the water bag from her waist at her father.

“I’ve finished mine too, let’s go to a shop for a drink.” After saying that, she looked around and saw a restaurant by the roadside. She took her daughter’s hand and walked there.

"What would you like to eat, sir?" The waiter quickly greeted them upon seeing them arrive.

Seeing that there were quite a few people sitting in the shop, Zhang Youtie said to the waiter, "Bring us a pot of water first, our throats are so dry they feel like they're on fire."

"Alright, please sit here first, I'll get you some water." The waiter shook the kettle on the table and found it was empty, so he told the father and daughter to sit down first and then took the kettle to fill it with water.

Xia Yu looked at the sign on the wall and ordered a bowl of noodles with soybean paste for eight coins. Zhang Youtie couldn't read the words, so Xia Yu read them to him quietly. After hearing what his daughter said, Zhang Youtie ordered a bowl of noodles with oil. When the waiter brought the water, Zhang Youtie told him what noodles they had ordered.

"Sir, we also have braised side dishes here, they taste amazing, and they're absolutely delicious with noodles! Would you like to try some?"

Hearing him say that, Xia Yu suddenly had an idea and asked, "What kinds of braised dishes do you have?"

"We have braised pork, pig's head meat, braised pig's liver, pig's stomach, pig's large intestine, pig's heart, braised eggs, and braised bean curd sheets," the waiter rattled off, listing each item as if they were his own treasures.

"Sir, don't underestimate us just because it's pig offal. Our braised dishes are the best in the world. You can see that almost every table orders them." The waiter quickly added a few more words to make sure they didn't find them offensive.

"Hmm, it sounds pretty good from what you've said, but I wonder how much it costs?"

"A serving of braised pork costs 15 coins, a serving of pig's head meat costs 12 coins, a dish of pig liver, pig stomach, pig heart, and large intestine costs 8 coins, a braised egg costs 1 coin each, and a dish of braised bean curd costs 2 coins."

"Dad, how about we try some?" Xia Yu suggested to Zhang Youtie after hearing what Xiao Er said.

“Okay, order whatever you want to eat.” Eating is no longer a burden for their family, so Zhang Youtie never disagreed with his daughter’s wishes.

Hearing her father say that, Xia Yu didn't stand on ceremony and directly ordered the food. "Then I'll have a plate of braised pig's head, a plate of braised bean curd, and two braised eggs."

Xia Yu actually wanted to try whether the braised dishes sold in the restaurant were the same ones made by her aunt.

When the dish was served, Xia Yu saw the bright red chilies inside and immediately knew that it was definitely her aunt who had made it. In this era, chilies were not yet widely available. Apart from the noodle shop in the county town where she had eaten last time and the ones she had herself, she had never seen anyone else with red chilies.

A plate of pig's head meat was piled high, the meat sliced ​​very thinly—the knife skills were far better than anyone else's in the family. It was served with coarsely shredded scallions, the red and white colors looking quite appealing. However, despite the large amount of meat, it only amounted to about half a pound. If they sold it in half-pound portions, the restaurant's profit margin would be quite substantial.

As soon as the dishes were served, other customers arrived. The waiter, without bothering to collect Xia Yu's family's opinions on the food, hurried to the door to greet them. Xia Yu heard clearly that after the customers ordered, the waiter also vigorously promoted the braised dishes to them. Under the waiter's strong recommendation, the two customers at that table ordered a plate of bean curd sheets and a plate of braised large intestines.

"Sir, how is our braised food?" the waiter asked as he served Xia Yu and his companions noodles.

"Not bad, the taste is really good, it makes you want to eat more after you finish eating it." Zhang Youtie could also tell that it was produced by his own family and praised it highly.

"Many customers say so, sir. Try my noodles, they're very chewy and smooth." After saying that, he looked around and whispered to Xia Yu and the others, "My noodle maker's ancestors used to make noodles for the emperor, this skill is passed down from generation to generation." He then deliberately nodded mysteriously at Zhang Youtie.

Xia Yu almost burst out laughing at his behavior. She wondered where the owner of this shop had found such a clever waiter. He could chat with customers at any table, and those few words he just whispered had probably been said to countless people, yet they gave the impression of 'I'm only telling you this, don't let anyone else hear it.'

After the waiter left, Zhang Youtie called to his daughter, "Hurry up and try their family's traditional cooking!"

Xia Yu finally couldn't help but laugh.

Before dawn the next day, Zhang Youtie took several buckets of shrimp to town. Xia Yu still dripped two drops of space well water into each bucket. This little bit wouldn't cause any obvious changes in the plants, but it was enough to keep the shrimp in the buckets alive.

"Dad, let them keep this bucket at the shop. When you come back, buy a few more buckets and replace today's bucket with today's when you deliver the shrimp tomorrow. That way, the shrimp won't die while they're handling them. Don't forget to give some water to the families who ordered less."

Zhang Youtie understood what his daughter meant and naturally agreed without mentioning it again.

After delivering the shrimp, Zhang Youtie handed the bill from Peach Blossom Spring directly to Xia Yu. Xia Yu promptly took out her notebook and wrote it down, just in case something was missed over time.

Then the father and daughter drove the oxcart loaded with shrimp to the county town, while Liu stayed home to look after the shrimp pond. Although a fence had been erected around the pond, they were still worried that some people might be restless and throw random things into it. Next to the pond was a thatched hut that Zhang Youtie had someone build, where he had slept every night to watch over it. But this wasn't a long-term solution, so Xia Yu suggested finding a reliable person to come and look after the shrimp pond. However, the couple discussed it for a long time but couldn't find a suitable candidate.