Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Hearing Manager Liu say this, Xia Yu was naturally happy, but thinking of the little mutton fat left at home, Xia Yu frowned slightly.

Seeing that she seemed hesitant, Manager Liu, who had been watching her closely, asked...

"But there are difficulties."

When Manager Liu asked, Xia Yu answered truthfully, "My family doesn't have much mutton fat left, so we can only make a small amount tomorrow."

"We have mutton fat in the kitchen. Today, when we were cutting meat for the customers, some parts were all fat, so we removed them. You can take them if you need them," Manager Liu said after hearing Xia Yu's problem.

The group went to the kitchen and saw that there was quite a bit, probably eight or nine pounds. Xia Yu didn't take it for free; he bought it for ten copper coins per pound. This stuff is different from lard. Many people here buy fatty pork to render fat for cooking, but not many like mutton fat because it has a gamey smell that most people don't like. If Xia Yu hadn't bought it to make mutton fat hot pot, the restaurant could only add some when stewing mutton, and even then, not too much. After all, the people who come to Zui Xiao Lou to eat are not lacking in fat and don't like overly fatty food.

"I still have forty-five pots at home. If your restaurant decides they don't want them, I'll sell them to other restaurants." Having resolved the issue of mutton fat, Xia Yu also mentioned the pots to Zui Xiao Lou. After all, if she sold the pots to other restaurants, she would also have to sell the hot pot base herself, which would definitely affect Zui Xiao Lou's business.

Hearing Xia Yu's words, Manager Liu pondered for a while before deciding to buy the pots as well. Although other blacksmiths could forge those pots, it would take time, and with that time, his restaurant could sell them for much more money.

Moreover, this pot isn't just for use in restaurants. Considering Steward Qin's career path, this pot might even give him a chance to impress his master. His mind raced, and he had already figured out how to use the pot.

It was already getting dark when they left Zuixiao Tower, and it looked like it was going to snow again. Manager Liu, seeing the bad weather, wanted them to stay the night in town, but Zhang Youtie politely declined. Seeing their determination to go home that very night, Manager Liu told them to leave their cart at the restaurant and provided them with a horse-drawn carriage. Zhang Youtie was still going to refuse, but Manager Liu pointed to Xia Yu beside him and said...

“If it were just you, I wouldn’t bother with this. My daughter is with me; little girls can’t stand the cold. It looks like it’s going to snow again, so let’s hurry back.” As he spoke, he had someone bring a lantern and hang it in a corner of the carriage.

Zhang Youtie glanced at Xia Yu beside him, thanked Manager Liu, and accepted his kindness.

Xia Yu climbed into the carriage and instantly felt less cold; the wind was kept out, and it felt like a small room, giving her a sense of security. The interior was tastefully decorated, but not luxuriously; it seemed to be a carriage used by restaurants to take drunk customers home.

After leaving the city gates and onto the main road, Xia Yu took a cotton quilt from the carriage and gave it to Zhang Youtie.

"Dad, put this on quickly, the wind will blow you through soon."

Zhang Youtie took the quilt from his daughter and asked Xia Yu, "Is it cold in the carriage?"

"It's a bit cold, but it feels much better without the wind," Xia Yu answered honestly.

"Okay, then hurry inside and wrap yourself in a blanket. Don't come out again." Zhang Youtie said, pulling the cotton curtain on the carriage tightly shut to prevent any draft from getting in.

Hearing her father's words, Xia Yu obediently shrank back, but she didn't stay idle. She took some of the various spices she had grown in her space to use as a base for the hot pot and put them in a basket, pretending they were bought from the county town. At the same time, she used a small stove in her space to boil a kettle of water, filled a hot water bottle, and handed it to her father so he could hold it in his arms to keep warm.

After doing all that, Xia Yu wrapped himself in a blanket and nestled in the carriage, occasionally saying a word to his father.

It was completely dark, and Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu still hadn't returned. Liu Shi and Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma paced anxiously back and forth outside the courtyard. Several times Uncle Ma wanted to drive the oxcart out to fetch them, but Liu Shi stopped him each time. "Let's wait a little longer," she thought. "This has happened before. Although it's dark, it's still early. Perhaps something has delayed them."

Just as he was getting anxious, he saw lights flickering in the distance coming this way, and Uncle Ma ran towards the lights.

As you get closer, you can see that Zhang Youtie's clothes aren't completely covered up, with only his eyes showing.

"Master, you're finally back!" Yuan said, jumping into the carriage and taking the reins from Zhang Youtie.

Upon entering the main room, a warm, cozy atmosphere greeted them as soon as the cotton curtain was lifted. Aunt Ma brought over hot water and asked Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu to wash their hands. Liu poured each of them a bowl of brown sugar ginger tea.

Xia Yu was alright; she stayed huddled in the carriage, wrapped in a blanket, so she didn't feel too cold. Zhang Youtie was driving ahead, and although he had a blanket and a hot water bottle at the beginning, he gave them to Xia Yu to put away before entering the village. Once these warming items were removed, Zhang Youtie felt even colder; he was already freezing to the bone on the short distance from the village entrance to his home.

After drinking a bowl of brown sugar ginger water, Zhang Youtie finally felt some warmth in his body.

Taking off her gloves, she soaked her hands in hot water and sighed contentedly. After the father and daughter drank the ginger water and washed their hands with hot water, everything was ready. Aunt Ma then brought out the still-steaming dinner: white radish and mutton soup, and leavened flatbread. After setting the food down, she left.

"Why are you back so late today? Did something happen on the way?" Seeing that Aunt Ma had left, Liu asked Zhang Youtie.

"Nothing much, it's just that Zuixiaolou was too busy today, and there were still some things we hadn't finished talking about, so I waited until they were done before I came back."

"Was that carriage newly purchased?" Liu asked again.

"No, those are the carriages from Zuixiaolou Restaurant. The weather wasn't very good when we left. Manager Liu lent us the restaurant's carriages for a while. We'll exchange them for our own carts tomorrow when we deliver the hot pot base." He then looked at Xia Yu, who was holding a bowl of soup, and asked...

"Xiaxia, were you comfortable in the train carriage today?"

When Xia Yu heard her father ask her a question, she quickly swallowed the food in her mouth before saying, "It's so comfortable. There's no wind at all inside. I'm almost asleep."

Hearing his daughter say this, Zhang Youtie smiled and said to Liu, "I also want to book a carriage. If we have to go out in rainy or snowy weather in the future, you and the children can sit inside and suffer less."

"Okay, let's get a regular one, as long as it can keep out the wind and rain." Liu was also very tempted by Zhang Youtie's suggestion.

"Yes, I'll ask in the county town tomorrow. Zuixiaolou ordered some hot pot base again today, and we'll make some more after dinner. Tell Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma that we'll be going to bed late tonight," Zhang Youtie said to Liu Shi, thinking about tomorrow's plans.

"Okay, I understand. You eat quickly, and I'll go tell Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma in a bit."