Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

When Zhang Youtie returned with the shrimp, everything on the wasteland had been arranged, and everyone was working enthusiastically.

Seeing his son return, Old Master Zhang put down his shovel and walked towards Zhang Youtie.

"Third brother, why did you buy servants without telling me and your mother? You startled me just now."

"Dad, why are you digging again? What if you hurt your back?"

“They work every day, how can they be so delicate? Why did you suddenly decide to buy someone?” When Zhang Youtie didn’t answer, Old Master Zhang asked again.

“We can’t leave the shrimp ponds unattended, because we’re worried people will throw things into them. This isn’t a job for just a day or two; it requires someone to live here year-round. Who would leave their family and home to do this job for me? Besides, I have to pay everyone I hire. So I was thinking of just hiring two people to live here and watch over the ponds, which would save us the trouble.”

After hearing Zhang Youtie's explanation, Master Zhang silently did the math in his mind and found that buying people was indeed more cost-effective, so he didn't say anything more.

After the father and son finished talking, Grandpa Zhang ignored Zhang Youtie's advice and went back to digging. Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Zhang Youtie stopped trying and just told the old man and Zhang Youjin that they would have lunch there.

Aunt Ma, who is blind, sits under the newly built thatched shed to boil water. Xia Yu brought a lot of mung beans for her to boil, all of which had been washed beforehand. After boiling one pot, Aunt Ma asks Uncle Ma to help her scoop it into a bucket to cool before boiling the next pot. The weather is hot now, and with so much work and sweating, boiling water is practically non-stop all morning. Aunt Ma's timely supply of mung bean water earns praise from everyone who comes to work; they all commend Zhang Youtie for his kindness and thoughtfulness.

Liu and Xia Yu were in charge of preparing lunch for everyone at home. Today was the first day, and after discussing it, Xia Yu and Liu decided to make steamed buns with a mixture of wheat and water, along with one meat dish and one vegetable dish, and finally a tomato and egg soup. At this moment, Liu was in the kitchen kneading dough for the buns; the dough had been prepared early that morning and had already risen, filling two large porcelain basins. Xia Yu was in the yard chopping vegetables. The meat dish was stir-fried green beans with meat, and the vegetable dish was stir-fried tomatoes and eggplant, requiring quite a few vegetables. Next to Xia Yu were two large basins of freshly washed vegetables. She sat on a small stool, with a chopping block in front of her and a large basin next to it. The chopped vegetables on the chopping block could be easily pushed into the basin.

After chopping a large bowl of vegetables, Xia Yu felt that the hand that held the knife was so tired that she could barely lift it.

"Mom, how much meat should we use for the stir-fry at noon?" Xia Yu asked Liu Shi as she ran to the kitchen door after chopping all the vegetables.

"Cut three or four pounds, cut more fatty pieces, they're very oily," Liu replied to her daughter, her hands never stopping kneading the dough.

"Okay, I got it." Hearing Liu's instructions, Xia Yu took a knife and went into his room. Once inside, he cut off three or four pounds of meat that his father had brought back yesterday, which was still mostly fat with little lean meat. Nowadays, people are often hungry and like to eat fatty meat because they think it tastes better, but Xia Yu still prefers lean meat.

She took the meat out of the room and cut it on the stool in the yard. It was all big slices of meat. Xia Yu's hands were sore and heavy, and she didn't have the patience to cut it into strips.

When Xia Yu returned to the kitchen, the first batch of steamed buns was almost ready, and Liu Shi was busy kneading the dough for the second batch. Looking at the sun, it was probably past ten o'clock. The kitchen was filled with trays for holding the dough, and for the first time, Xia Yu felt that her family's kitchen was a bit small.

After the first batch of steamed buns was cooked, Xia Yu used two large winnowing baskets to hold them. Then, the mother and daughter worked together to carry the baskets to the stone table in the yard to dry, covering them with a clean steaming cloth. Only after the second batch of steamed buns was put into the pot and the various lids in the kitchen were put away did Xia Yu begin to cook the vegetables.

To be honest, the wok they usually use isn't very big, and it's really not enough to cook for more than 30 people. But since the big pot is steaming buns, they can only use the small pot to cook one dish in two batches.

Although it took some time, both dishes were finally ready by the time the workers finished work, and they were placed in two large wooden basins. Xia Yu stir-fried the eggplant strips with lard. Although it was vegetarian, it smelled quite fragrant because of the generous amount of oil used. After Xia Yu finished cooking, Liu Shi tasted it first and found it delicious. The addition of red persimmons gave it a slightly sour flavor, making it very tasty.

The stir-fried green beans with pork was incredibly oily; Xia Yu first rendered the fat from the pork in the pan before adding the green beans. She added a generous amount of pork and red chili peppers, making it smell absolutely delicious. After the steamed buns were ready, Xia Yu cooked a tomato and egg soup in a large pot, adding over twenty eggs, and finally a generous amount of sesame oil and vinegar to enhance the flavor.

When the workers returned and saw the prepared food, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"Hey, I told you so, working for Third Brother's family is definitely worth it. Do you think you can get this dish for three coins?"

"Yes, Third Brother's family are all honest people. Look at those big slices of meat. My family didn't even dare to eat that much during the Chinese New Year."

"That's right. My wife always puts some minced meat in when she cooks meat dishes, so you can barely taste the meat flavor."

"Oh, it's a pity we can't take it home. I wish the kids could have a few bites of this delicious food too."

"..."

Everyone started talking about the food. The people from the other village, though standing with their relatives, didn't dare say anything out of the ordinary. They'd only been there a morning and weren't familiar with the other villagers, afraid of saying something that would make them a laughingstock. They just listened quietly, but they were all determined to work hard and not slack off. Otherwise, they'd be kicked out by the employer, and where would they find such good food? They'd seen clearly that morning that many other people in the village wanted to work there but hadn't gotten the job.

Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi used large ladles to serve everyone food, filling each person's bowl to the brim without their hands trembling. A winnowing basket for steamed buns was nearby; people helped themselves, taking as many as they wanted. After finishing the food in their bowls, they would come back to get soup.

"Third Brother, can I take this steamed bun and vegetables home to eat? My family doesn't even have this much oil in our New Year's dishes!" one of the men, who had many children, whispered to Zhang Youtie.

"Sure, but if you don't eat enough, you won't have the energy to work in the afternoon, right?"

"Third Brother, I'll eat home-cooked meals, I'll definitely be full, and it won't interfere with my work this afternoon."

"Alright, hurry back. There's still soup here, don't forget to come and have some."

"Hey, thanks, Third Brother." With Zhang Youtie's permission, the man quietly went home without telling anyone.

Actually, quite a few people were watching their commotion. They saw that after talking to Zhang Youtie, the man went home, knowing that he had taken the steamed buns and vegetables back to his children. Some people couldn't eat anymore. After all, they all had families to support, especially those who were struggling financially. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they couldn't even afford meat for the New Year. Now, they were eating alone, and they felt somewhat guilty.

So some people quietly left the group squatting to eat, carrying their dishes, and went home. Zhang Youtie pretended not to see this. Three months ago, if he had encountered such good food while working away from home, he would have also thought of bringing the dishes back to his wife and children.