Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Father, won't people be suspicious if we sell so many shrimp?" Xia Yu was actually a little worried. Shrimp worth more than a hundred taels of silver a month amounted to several hundred catties.

“I always deliver the shrimp myself. Before, when we sold less, Uncle Ma would help us catch them, but now that we sell more, I catch them myself. Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma don’t even know how many we take away each day. These two shrimp ponds are bigger than the previous ones, so they shouldn’t arouse suspicion,” Zhang Youtie comforted his daughter.

Hearing Zhang Youtie's words, Xia Yu felt a little relieved. Then the group talked about the watermelons that had been planted in the field.

Liu said, "The watermelons are almost ripe. I see that they are not as big as before. The big ones are only about eleven or twelve pounds, and the small ones are only seven or eight pounds. They should be able to be picked before the autumn harvest. Fortunately, the corn is growing tall now, otherwise people would definitely have to go to the fields to keep an eye on them. When you go to the county town to deliver the shrimp, take some time to visit the Shen residence and ask Steward Ding if they still want any. If they do, we should save them for them."

"Okay, I understand. We need to pay everyone's wages tomorrow. I'll ask after I deliver the shrimp the day after. Is there anything else?" After Zhang Youtie agreed to his wife's request, he asked Liu Shi and Xia Yu, but both of them shook their heads. Only then did the group disperse to rest.

The next day, after breakfast, the workers who had been working there gradually arrived, almost all with their wives and children. There were about a hundred people in total, including men, women, and children. Other villagers, knowing that Zhang Youtie's family was paying everyone their wages that day, also came to watch the spectacle. Children darted through the crowd, playing and laughing. The men chatted amongst themselves, while the women gathered, needles and thread in hand, gossiping about village matters. One woman talked about how Aunt Huang's chicken had laid double-yolk eggs, another about how much dowry someone had asked for in their engagement, and still others discussed how they would use their wages to buy meat and make dumplings for their children in town. The place was bustling and lively; one might mistake it for a theatrical performance.

As the sun rose higher and there was still no talk of paying wages, some women grew impatient and ran to Liu to ask when they would start receiving their pay, as there was still work to be done at home.

Before Liu could even speak, Li Xiaomiao, who had been helping out for several months, spoke up first: "Third Brother went to the county town to deliver shrimp and won't be back until 9 AM. If you have something to do, just go back. Let your husband wait here; you won't be shortchanged on your wages."

Seeing that Li Xiaomiao was speaking a bit harshly, Liu quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Auntie, the third son will be back soon. Why don't you sit here and chat with us for a while? The time will pass faster that way."

"Look at how rude Sister Li is. If you ask me, you should learn from Third Sister-in-law. I just came here to ask on everyone's behalf: who is worried about not getting their money? You all talk here, I'll go explain the situation to them." With that, she walked away somewhat sheepishly.

Li Xiaomiao scoffed disdainfully as she watched her leave.

Liu watched in disbelief. Li Xiaomiao was usually a good person, so why was she being so rude to Zhao Gensheng's wife?

"What's wrong? Did she offend you?" Liu asked Li Xiaomiao in a low voice.

"I can't stand her. I've never seen such a lazy woman in my life. Her yard is so filthy you can't even step inside. It's covered in chicken droppings, making the whole house stink like a latrine. And let me tell you, even my latrine is cleaner than hers." Li Xiaomiao is a diligent and clean person who can't stand people who can't keep things tidy. Once, she went to Zhao Gensheng's house to ask for the sieve she borrowed. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw chicken droppings everywhere and almost threw up. The stench was so bad she ran right out of the yard, abandoning the sieve.

Hearing Li Xiaomiao's words, Liu felt a little nauseous; it was indeed quite slovenly.

"Third sister-in-law, didn't you hear her say she was asking for someone else? Look at the people with her, they probably don't even know what's going on, and she dragged them into it. It's fine if she's asking for herself, but dragging others into it makes her look bad."

Liu peeked at the group of women talking with Zhao Gensheng's wife. Although they didn't interact much, they weren't well-known in the village.

Li Xiaomiao was about to continue telling Liu about Zhao Gensheng's wife when she heard someone shout, "Third Brother is back! It's Third Brother!"

Liu quickly stood up and went out of the courtyard to see. Sure enough, Zhang Youtie was returning with his mule cart, making way through the crowd.

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting." Zhang Youtie clasped his hands in apology to the people on both sides from the carriage shaft.

"Third Brother, you're too kind. Anyway, we're all just chatting and gossiping together when we're free."

"We arrived shortly after that."

Zhang Youtie drove the mule cart into the yard, followed by Uncle Ma, who was going to help Zhang Youtie distribute money to everyone. Xia Yu was playing with Da Ya and Er Ya when she saw her father return. She told her friends and hurried home. The prepared silver was still in her spatial storage; she needed to go inside and get the money box out.

Uncle Ma moved a table over and placed it on a wooden platform that Xia Yu had made beforehand. This platform was three meters wide, three meters long, and one foot high. If you turned the platform over, you would find that the back was full of wooden lattices. This was actually made by a carpenter for Xia Yu to use in the space for seedling cultivation, but it hadn't been used yet, so it was a good idea to make an ancient version of an awards podium.

On the table lay a list and a box of inkpads. Xia Yu and Liu Shi brought out the money box, which was divided into two compartments: one for small silver ingots and the other for strung copper coins. Liu Shi opened the box in front of everyone, and the sight of the gleaming silver ingots and copper coins caused a stir among the crowd. So much money! They had never seen so much money in their lives. At that moment, the villagers here felt for the first time the disparity between themselves and Zhang Youtie's family.

Zhang Youtie was illiterate, but Uncle Ma could. After Zhang Youtie announced that the wages would be settled, Uncle Ma read out the names from the list. Those whose names were called came up to collect their money and then pressed their fingerprints in the place designated by Uncle Ma.

The first one was Zhao Gensheng, who worked for eighty-four days, earning twenty-eight cash a day, totaling two thousand three hundred and fifty-two cash. Upon hearing his own name first, and then his wages, Zhao Gensheng was so excited he stumbled along, his steps faltering amidst the laughter of the others. Blushing, he stepped forward and accepted two one-tael silver ingots and two strings of coins from Zhang Youtie. Xia Yu and Liu Shi then counted out fifty-two copper coins and handed them to him. Seeing that his hands were too full to press his fingerprint on the money, his wife quickly took the money from Zhao Gensheng's hands so he could put his fingerprint on the paper.

Zhao Gensheng stumbled down, still clutching two silver ingots in his hand. Yes, after his wife took the copper coins, she tried everything to pry the two silver ingots out of him, but he wouldn't let go. This drew laughter from the people below, and his wife, annoyed, pinched his arm twice before finally leaving herself.

The second was Xu Xialei, Wang Laotai's son-in-law, the one the village chief couldn't remember the name of. He also worked for eighty-four days, and his wages were the same as Zhao Gensheng's. They had all worked together for several months and were familiar with each other. When he came down from the platform, some of his close friends jokingly asked him to treat them to drinks, saying that he had made money at his mother-in-law's house and as her son-in-law, he should treat them. Xu Xialei didn't hesitate and immediately agreed.

Zhang Dashan, Wang Youcai, Zhang Tianliang, Zhang Dayong, Zhang Eryong… one after another, names were called as they went up to receive their silver, making those around who weren't working there envious and resentful. In those days, digging up two taels of silver from a few acres of land was no easy feat. After the men's wages were distributed, Li Xiaomiao and Tian Guihua, who helped with the cooking, each received four hundred wen. This amount couldn't compare to the men's, but during the months they cooked for the Zhang family, the lunch portions were always plentiful, and they could take two bowls of leftovers home every day, saving the family a lot of money. It was a kind of hidden income. In addition, Liu gave each of them a six-foot piece of fine cotton fabric. It was the dyed cloth they had bought, and the two happily accepted it. Although it was dyed, it was still fine cotton, good for anything. When they got home, they only told their husbands about the fabric, then secretly kept it, without telling anyone else in the family.