Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu went to the county town and first visited the Shen family's residence. Their reasons were twofold: first, to see if the family needed fresh shrimp; and second, to inquire whether the remaining seeds from their previous trip could be used to grow shrimp at home.

To their surprise, Steward Ding was not home when they arrived at the Shen residence. However, Granny Qian still managed to summon one of Steward Ding's servants. When the servant saw that it was Zhang Youtie and his daughter, he asked them to rest in the small gatehouse next to the side gate, as Steward Ding would not be back until later.

Hearing this, Zhang Youtie thought he should go to the restaurants on the street to ask first and come back later. He declined the servant's suggestion and drove the oxcart away first.

"Father, where should we begin?"

Zhang Youtie thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Zuixiaolou, where we sold shrimp before. We've been there once before, so it should sell better."

“I think it’s a good idea. The shopkeeper last time ordered quite a lot. I wish he could order that much every day.” Xia Yu remembered that the last time they went to Zuixiaolou, they ordered fifty catties of shrimp. They never came back after that, and she wondered if the shopkeeper had ever “missed” them like the fat shopkeeper in town.

The glaring sunlight shone through the leaves of the roadside trees onto the two of them. If it weren't for earning money, Xia Yu wouldn't want to go out at all. The temperature was at least over thirty degrees Celsius.

Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu parked the oxcart under the shade of a tree next to the restaurant, then carried the buckets up the steps in front of the restaurant. It was only a little past ten in the morning, and the restaurant hadn't started serving customers yet. The waiter was sitting at the table closest to the entrance, propping his head up and looking at the sunlight streaming in through the doorway.

Suddenly a figure appeared on the ground, and the waiter excitedly stood up. "Sir, would you like something to eat?" Before he could even see the person's face clearly, the waiter was already greeting him with a smile.

Upon seeing the person's appearance clearly, they couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!"

"Oh, it's you! I was wondering why anyone would be here so early for dinner!" After saying that, he glanced at the bucket in Zhang Youtie's hand and realized they were still here to sell shrimp. Before Zhang Youtie could speak, he said, "Wait a moment, I'll go call our manager."

"Thank you very much, young man." Zhang Youtie quickly thanked the waiter.

"you are welcome."

As he spoke, he went into a room with curtains hanging over it. Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a summer shirt came out.

This was the second time Xia Yu had met this man. He was the manager of Zuixiaolou, but looking at his appearance and attire, Xia Yu felt that he had a refined air about him. He didn't seem like a manager who spent his days fiddling with abacus beads, but rather like a knowledgeable middle-aged man.

"Hehe, long time no see, brother. I wonder how many prawns you brought today?"

"Yes, shopkeeper, I only brought a few kilograms of samples this time. If the store needs them, we can deliver the freshest ones every day."

"Is that so? And what about the price?"

"The price remains the same as before: 30 wen per jin for orders over 30 jin, and we will handle the delivery."

"Then send over thirty catties tomorrow. Shrimp is only good for freshness here. I wonder how the sales will be if we keep serving this dish for a long time!"

Xia Yu caught the word "this" in his words and was about to ask about it when she heard someone call Zhang Youtie from behind.

"Brother Tie, what brings you here?" The group turned around and saw that it was Steward Ding from the Shen family.

"Manager Ding, haven't the shrimp at home grown up? I was just thinking of coming out to find a buyer. What brings you here?"

"I came to talk to Manager Liu about some things, and also to discuss some business with a few people here. Have you finished your discussion?"

"Yes, almost there. It'll be ready soon."

"So Steward Ding and this brother know each other?" Manager Liu, who was listening to their conversation, knew that they were old acquaintances.

"The boatload of watermelons that the old man took away a while ago were grown by Brother You Tie. The old man even visited Brother You Tie's house in person and thinks highly of him," Manager Ding explained simply, then casually asked another question.

How many prawns did you order?

"Have fifty catties delivered tomorrow first," Manager Liu said, glancing at Steward Ding's expression. Xia Yu, listening to Manager Liu's words, thought to herself, "You can't judge a book by its cover!" Just now, she had thought Manager Liu had the air of a scholar, but it seems her eyes were indeed blind.

Manager Ding lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking, "Does the restaurant your brother runs have prawns as a dish?"

"No, large prawns are not common here. Sometimes fishermen will cast nets in the river to catch some. The big ones are usually brought back by boats coming from the east, but that's only when the weather is cold. There aren't any this season."

Manager Ding pondered for a moment, then turned to Zhang Youtie and said, "Brother Youtie, could you deliver another batch of shrimp tonight? A cargo ship from the Shen family will be heading to the city tonight. If the shrimp can be delivered to the restaurants in the city, it should increase daily sales significantly."

"Yes, I can deliver it. I wonder what time the cargo ship departs tonight? I'll definitely deliver it on time."

"The time is not quite certain. It depends on the amount of cargo that day. The departure time is not fixed. Just deliver it at 5 PM."

"Thank you, Steward Ding. I will definitely deliver it on time."

"Alright, you two talk. I'll arrange your matter with the servant. When you get there, just find the Shen family's cargo ship at the dock and give them my name. I'll go upstairs first. When Master Li and the others arrive, just let them come upstairs directly." The first sentence was addressed to Zhang Youtie, and the second sentence was addressed to Manager Liu.

"Oh, don't worry, I've already made arrangements for the Listening to Rain Pavilion on the second floor."

After Steward Ding left, Manager Liu said to Zhang Youtie, "He's Steward Ding now, so don't call him by the wrong name next time."

"Thank you for reminding us, Manager Liu. We didn't know. Has he been promoted?" Actually, her understanding of the Shen family came from Pork Dragon. In her mind, the Shen family was the richest in Ming'an County. Mr. and Mrs. Shen lived in their old house in Ming'an County, running their business here with their second son. Lord Shen had achieved the third rank in the imperial examination and was now an official in the capital. However, after meeting Lord Shen last time, she felt that his identity was not as simple as it seemed.

"Well, I guess so." Manager Liu didn't intend to say much about the matter, only instructing Zhang Youtie to send over fifty catties of shrimp tomorrow.

"Don't worry, Manager Liu, I'll deliver it first thing tomorrow morning. Do you need to deliver it the day after tomorrow?"

"Send fifty catties tomorrow. If you need more, I'll have someone go to your village to let you know. By the way, could you please give me the address of your village?"

At this moment, Xia Yu saw that they had finished talking, and Xia Yu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "Manager Liu, how do you prepare the prawns at our restaurant?"

Hearing Xia Yu's question, Manager Liu was somewhat puzzled. "How else can you cook prawns? Aren't they usually just blanched or braised? If you like a lighter flavor, you can blanch them; if you prefer a stronger flavor, you can braise them." After saying that, Manager Liu realized what Xia Yu meant.

"Little girl, do you know any other tricks?"