Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Xia Yu and Liu Shi had just finished breakfast when Zhang Youtie drove the mule cart back. He handed the cart to Uncle Ma as soon as he entered the courtyard and went into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Liu, who was washing the pot, saw that he had returned hungry and asked in surprise, "Didn't you eat in town?"

"Oh, don't even mention it. The snow on the road was more than a foot deep. The food stalls opened late, and when I came back, some of them were still lighting their fires. I figured that since I was already home by the time they finished cooking, I would just come back."

"Then I'll make you a few poached eggs; they cook quickly."

"Ah, anything is fine. I'll cook for you and warm you by the fire." Zhang Youtie chattered to Liu Shi while quickly lighting a bundle of firewood and putting it into the stove.

"Mom, I have a few shumai and two mutton buns left over from the last time we had hot and sour soup. I'll heat them up on the steamer." Xia Yu interrupted after her parents finished speaking.

Upon hearing her words, Madam Liu glanced nervously into the courtyard, fearing that Uncle Ma might have overheard.

"Mom, Uncle Ma went to the backyard to feed the livestock, he can't hear you." Seeing how nervous her mother was, Xia Yu unconsciously lowered her voice and whispered.

“You silly girl, you’ve already said the wrong thing so early in the morning. Let me tell you, Aunt Ma’s eyes are better now, and she’ll be coming over here to help with the work. You have to be careful with what you say and do,” Liu Shi reminded her repeatedly, still worried.

Xia Yu nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, "I know, Mom, I will definitely pay attention in the future." After saying that, she peeked into the yard again, then put her hand in the basket on the table. When she took her hand out, there were already five shumai and two steamed buns inside.

Liu touched it and found it was still a little warm, but she put it on the steamer to heat it up, since she needed to boil the water in the pot anyway.

"Dad, Mom, there's a vacant lot to the east of our house. Why don't we buy it? We'll be raising silkworms after the New Year, and we'll need to hire people. I'm thinking of building some houses on this vacant lot to the east, and we can set up the silkworm rearing there. What do you think?"

After Xia Yu finished speaking, he looked at his parents, waiting for their response.

"That's a good idea. Next year we'll be raising silkworms, and there will be a lot of people coming and going. Given our situation, it's not convenient." Mrs. Liu agreed with her daughter's words. Because of her daughter's special circumstances, their house wasn't suitable for too many people coming and going. Thinking of this, Mrs. Liu continued...

“Okay, I’ve been eyeing that vacant lot too. Since we’re on the same page, I’ll go to the village chief’s house in a bit and ask if anyone owns it. If not, we’ll buy it,” Zhang Youtie said, warming his hands by the fire in front of the stove.

"What's the rush? Everyone's at home making dumplings today. We can go tomorrow. The land's right there; it won't disappear if we wait a day."

"Okay, I'll listen to my wife. If you say tomorrow, then tomorrow it is." Zhang Youtie said with a grin.

"Don't you have any shame in front of the children!" Liu scolded him, blushing slightly.

Hearing Liu scold him, Zhang Youtie wasn't angry at all; he was still all smiles. Xia Yu, watching from the side, grinned from ear to ear, feeling like she'd been fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection) first thing in the morning. However, her parents' relationship was genuinely quite good; she'd never seen them argue.

After the water boiled for a while and the steamed buns and shumai were thoroughly heated, Liu put the buns and shumai into a large bowl and handed it, along with the chopsticks, to Zhang Youtie, who was tending the fire. "Eat some first, the poached egg will be ready soon."

"Ugh"

Zhang Youtie took the bowl handed to him by Liu Shi, picked up a bun with his chopsticks, and ate half of it in one bite.

"Dad, eat slowly, don't choke."

"Yes, I know," Zhang Youtie mumbled in response to his daughter, then devoured the bun in a few bites.

First, Liu put some salt in the pot, then cracked five eggs into it. She covered the pot and let it simmer for a while, instructing Zhang Youtie to turn off the fire in the stove. Once the eggs had solidified into plump, white poached eggs, Liu put a spoonful of lard into a bowl. Just as she was about to ladle the eggs and soup out, Xia Yu quickly reminded her...

"Mother, put a small spoonful of the seasoning sauce that I bought from Zuixiaolou."

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Liu didn't ask a single question and did exactly as Xia Yu instructed before ladling the poached eggs and egg drop soup into bowls. The lard, which had originally solidified, melted quickly into the soup after being poured over it, leaving only a layer of bright oil floating on the surface.

Zhang Youtie, unconcerned about the heat, sipped the hot soup from the rim of the bowl.

"Ah! On such a cold day, a bowl of this soup is so comforting!" After exclaiming, she took another big gulp.

"Hmm? Damn, this soup tastes really good after adding this sauce." Zhang Youtie didn't taste anything on the first sip, but he realized on the second sip that the soup tasted different from usual.

"Xiaxia, come and try it, it's delicious." Zhang Youtie beckoned to his daughter, wanting her to come and have some too.

"You drink it, Dad. I just ate." Xia Yu had a steamed bun with a poached egg and a bowl of red bean and millet porridge this morning, so she's full now.

"Her mother, have some." Zhang Youtie held the bowl and offered it to Liu Shi's lips solicitously.

Actually, Liu was already full, but seeing him eagerly bringing it over, she lowered her head and took a sip from his hand.

"Yes, it tastes better than before."

"Have another egg," Zhang Youtie said, picking up an egg to feed Liu Shi.

"No, I can't eat anymore. We just ate when you came back. You eat, we have plenty of eggs. I'll make some if I want to."

Hearing what Liu said, Zhang Youtie stopped trying to persuade her. He picked up a bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Before long, a large bowl of poached eggs, shumai, and steamed buns were all gone.

After finishing the soup in his bowl, Zhang Youtie let out a happy burp, patted his stomach, and said, "I'm full, that feels good!"

"I'll go check over at the pond and scoop out the remaining shrimp. We'll make pork and shrimp dumplings today." Zhang Youtie put the bowl on the table and prepared to leave.

"Father, once the shrimp are caught, take some to the old house," Liu called out to Zhang Youtie before he left.

"Okay, I understand. Let's see how much there is. I'm thinking of sending some more to the village chief's family. We need the village chief's help to buy land."

"Well, you decide what to do. We should send some to the village chief's family; we've been keeping them busy a lot lately," Liu said with a smile.

"Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma, let's go and scoop all the shrimp out of the pond. We're having pork and shrimp dumplings today," Zhang Youtie called out from the yard toward the backyard.