Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

When the father and daughter arrived at Baohetang, they found it quite crowded. A young apprentice doctor rushed to greet them. It was Sanqi again. Xia Yu greeted Sanqi happily, "Brother Sanqi, long time no see!"

"Long time no see, what brings you here...?" Sanqi recognized Xia Yu, but didn't know why they had come.

"Oh, we've come to see Zhang Gensheng, the one whose leg was hit a few days ago," Zhang Youtie explained from the side. Zhang the Cripple's real name was Zhang Gensheng, but everyone was so used to calling him Zhang the Cripple that almost everyone forgot his real name.

"Oh, they live in the second room from the right in the backyard." Sanqi had a deep impression of the two people and remembered them as soon as Zhang Youtie mentioned them.

"Okay, thank you, Brother Sanqi. You go ahead with your work, we'll head over ourselves," Xia Yu said with a smile.

“Go through that small door,” Sanqi said to the two people, pointing to a small door with a curtain hanging over it.

"Okay, thank you." Zhang Youtie thanked Sanqi and then led Xia Yu inside.

Xia Yu, being literate, easily found the room marked with the second number from the right, with a thick cotton curtain hanging at the door. Zhang Youtie called out from the doorway, "Is Gensheng inside?"

"Yes, I'm here." Xia Yu heard the reply from inside as soon as Zhang Youtie finished speaking.

Hearing Zhang the Cripple's voice, Zhang Youtie lifted the curtain and went inside. When they entered, they found that Zhang the Cripple's leg was splinted and fixed to the bed.

"Third brother, I'm sorry, but look at me, I can't get up."

"Hey, we're all family, no need to be so polite! How are you feeling now? Are you alright?" Zhang Youtie asked with concern.

"Sigh..." Zhang the Cripple sighed before saying, "What's the big deal? At least I'm still alive. Carrying this broken body is just a burden to others."

Hearing his words, Zhang Youtie was about to speak up to advise him when he saw his wife gesturing to him. Neither Zhang Youtie nor Xia Yu could understand what she meant.

But Zhang the Cripple understood. "I know, I know, I will live well and wait for Xiaohua to come back at our home." His eyes were filled with tears as he spoke.

Hearing his words, Xia Yu roughly understood the meaning of his wife's sign language gestures. Zhang Youtie also understood and offered his advice.

"Yes, sister-in-law is right. As long as you're alive, there's hope. Xiaohua has always been clever and quick-witted. She'll find her again someday when she grows up. All you need to do is relax and take good care of yourself."

"Third brother, thank you, I... I'm suffering so much..." Zhang the Cripple's weathered voice revealed endless bitterness and hardship.

"Gensheng, take good care of yourself. Only when you're healthy can you have a future." Zhang Youtie reached out and patted Zhang the Cripple's arm to comfort him. At this moment, all words seemed pale. Even outsiders felt bitter just looking at them, let alone the person who was soaking in bitter soup.

After sitting for a while, Zhang Youtie excused himself, citing the bad weather. Since Zhang the Cripple couldn't move, he asked his wife to see them off. Perhaps knowing she couldn't understand his gestures, the Cripple's wife quietly escorted the father and daughter to the outside of Baohe Hall. But just as Zhang Youtie and his companions boarded the mule cart to leave, she suddenly knelt down and kowtowed several times to them.

Zhang Youtie and Xia Yu were shocked and hurriedly got out of the car. Xia Yu knew that her father couldn't easily help someone up, so she quickly reached out and helped the lame woman up from the ground.

“Sister-in-law, Gensheng and I have been friends since childhood. If I were in trouble, Gensheng would definitely do his best to help me. As the old saying goes, those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune later. You and Gensheng have survived such a calamity, so good days are sure to come... Hurry back, Gensheng can’t be left alone.”

After saying this, he called his daughter and drove the mule cart away quickly. He had said all the words of advice he could think of. Xia Yu, sitting in the cart, could see the lame woman standing at the entrance of Baohe Hall, watching them go. She was as thin as a piece of paper, as if a strong wind could blow her away.

Only after the carriage turned the corner and the view was blocked by houses did Xia Yu turn her gaze away and sigh. She seemed to be talking to herself, yet also seemed to be speaking to her father.

"Life is so hard!" Her voice was very soft, almost inaudible in the wind. Zhang Youtie didn't hear what she said, so he asked loudly.

"Xiaxia, what did you just say?"

"I said it's too cold, Dad, let's go home quickly."

"Alright, giddy up... giddy up..." Hearing his daughter say she was cold, Zhang Youtie cracked his whip twice in the air, and the mule sped up a bit.

However, Xia Yu still found a time when no one was around and tossed out several large sacks from his spatial storage, filled with various spices grown there. This should be enough for a while.

When they returned home, Uncle Ma and Aunt Ma were not there. Only Liu was working in the main room with the courtyard gate closed. Hearing the noise outside, Liu put the needle and thread she was carrying into the basket and lifted the curtain to come out.

After helping Zhang Youtie carry his things to the storage room and tidying everything up, he finally asked...

"Are Zhang the Cripple and his wife doing well?"

"That's how it is. My legs were already weak, and now they're broken, and the house has collapsed. How can things get any better? I'm just holding on because I'm still thinking about Xiaohua. Sigh... it's so hard to even think about!"

"..."

"Her mother, I want to talk to you about something."

"What's up? Tell me."

“I was thinking that after a while, when the cripple and his family come out of the clinic, if his parents really don’t want to take them in, we can lend them the empty house by the pond for a while.”

"Just stay here, it's just sitting empty anyway. It's freezing cold, no one can build a house here. Let's stay here for now, and we'll talk about it after the thaw." As he spoke, he thought of Zhang the Cripple's parents' temperament, and then said to Zhang Youtie...

"Don't rush to tell anyone about this. Wait until you're sure the cripple's parents won't let him go back before you do. Don't speak up too soon, or you'll give them an excuse and make us look bad to everyone."

"Yes, I understand," Zhang Youtie said, taking the porridge from Liu Shi and taking a big gulp from the rim of the bowl.

"Be careful, it's hot," Liu reminded him when she saw his expression.