Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Both Liu and Xia Yu noticed Zhang Youtie's anxiety; in fact, they were also anxious. They wanted to know what method Butler Ding planned to use to remove so many chilies, so during a break from the children's play, the three of them listened intently to the sounds outside.

They wanted to go out and see what was going on, but Zhang the Cripple and his wife were still sitting at the same table with them, so they couldn't leave. They could only worry anxiously. Zhang Youtie was drinking with Zhang the Cripple. Liu Shi couldn't understand the Cripple's wife's sign language, so she called Aunt Ma over to keep them company. One person gestured, and the other translated. The three of them chatted happily.

Seeing that her parents were both tied up, Xia Yu excused herself to use the restroom and slipped out of the shed. Unfortunately, it was snowing heavily and late at night; apart from the faint light from the fire inside the shed, nothing else could be seen. Xia Yu stood at the gate for a long time, making sure she couldn't hear anything except for the child's voice.

Xia Yu didn't turn back to the shed until her legs started to feel numb; it was past midnight. After sitting down next to her mother, she gently shook her head at the questioning looks they gave her.

The drinking continued, and the meal lasted for almost two hours before finally stopping. Worried that things weren't finished, Liu brought out some flour and called two women to the kitchen to make hand-pulled noodles for everyone to cook in the hot pot. The children were already sleepy and had fallen asleep in their mothers' arms, while the older children simply slept on the table.

Zhang Youtie took out his pocket watch again to check the time, and felt it was about time. After everyone had finished eating their noodles, Liu Shi began to speak.

"Everyone has worked hard these past few days. We're all happy tonight and have had a drink. Tomorrow, everyone can rest. There's no need to rush to get up in the morning. We have nothing to do anyway, so just go to sleep."

Upon hearing Liu's words, those who were still conscious thanked Zhang Youtie and Liu. Then they woke up the drowsy children and went out of the shed together to the pond.

Zhang the Cripple had difficulty moving, so Uncle Ma carried her back. Aunt Ma didn't leave; she wanted to help put the tables and chairs back in order, and wash the dishes. As they were tidying up, the cotton curtain of the shed was lifted again, and three of the women who had just left returned.

Upon entering the shed and seeing Liu and the others tidying up, the group hurriedly curtsied and quickly stepped forward to take the large basin of dishes from Liu and Xia Yu's hands. They said...

"Madam, Miss, we can handle these tasks ourselves. How can we let our masters do them!"

Another woman went to fetch it from Aunt Ma's side.

“Aunt Ma, you’ve been busy all night, let us do these chores.”

Seeing the group, Liu asked curiously, "Why are you all back again? Who's looking after the children?"

The woman who was good at cooking said, "The children are all asleep, and my sister-in-law is watching them. Both of their families are the same; they have someone watching them." After saying that, she smiled at Madam Liu and said, "Madam, you and Miss can just go and rest. We can take care of things here."

Seeing her like this, Liu smiled and agreed.

"Thank you for your hard work. Be careful not to get burned."

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work. We're used to doing these things at home," the group replied with smiles, seeing how considerate Liu was towards them.

These men were indeed quick and efficient, so Liu felt relieved and prepared to take her daughter's hand and go back inside. Unexpectedly, Uncle Ma came running in from outside.

"Madam, is Master inside? This servant has something to report," Uncle Ma said in a low voice.

Seeing Uncle Ma like this, Liu's hands unconsciously tightened, but she still spoke softly.

“They’re inside. Come in and talk.” With that, Madam Liu took her daughter’s hand and led her into the main room.

Zhang Youtie was sitting at the table, holding a cup of hot tea and lost in thought. Hearing the movement of the curtain, he looked up and saw Uncle Ma following behind Liu Shi. He jumped up from his stool.

"Uncle Ma, is there something you need at this hour?"

“Sir, when we went back to the pond, we found that all the chili peppers we roasted these past few days were gone. There were footprints in the snow, and when I followed them, I found that the footprints disappeared by the river. Someone must have taken them away by boat.”

Hearing Uncle Ma's words, everyone present except Uncle Ma unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Then Zhang Youtie asked...

Does anyone else know that the chili peppers are missing?

"No one else knew that the room where the chili peppers were kept was usually used as a storage room and no one went in it normally. I only found out because I saw the footprints on the ground and thought to go there to check. That's when I discovered the clue."

"Okay, I understand. Those have all been paid for; the buyers must have come to collect the goods. They're just doing this to hide who wants to buy these chilies. We just need to collect the money and sell the chilies. You've worked hard these past few days; go home and rest early. Who knows, we might have to keep going in a few days." Hearing Uncle Ma's words, Zhang Youtie felt a sense of relief.

"Yes, sir, I understand." After saying that, seeing that Zhang Youtie had no further instructions, Uncle Ma left.

"Father, is this all over?" Liu asked Zhang Youtie.

"Sigh, how can it end like this? We received 50,000 taels of silver, and we've only delivered a little over 40,000 catties of chili peppers. Let's just wait and see. I reckon our family will be sending more people in the next few days," Zhang Youtie sighed.

"Dad, how about we rest tomorrow and then start working again the day after tomorrow? The quantity is too far off, and I feel a little guilty."

"Well, that's fine, let's do as our daughter says!" Zhang Youtie said after thinking for a while. After saying that, Zhang Youtie suddenly thought of building a small dock by the river, so that when our family's things are transported out, we won't have to go through the village anymore.

Hearing Zhang Youtie's suggestion, Xia Yu was also somewhat tempted. Their house was too far inland, and every time they left the village, they had to pass through the drying ground where there were the most idle people, and everything they did was under everyone's watchful eyes. If a dock were built here, it would seem more convenient to transport goods out by boat in the future.

"feasible"

“I think it’s a good idea,” Liu and her daughter said at the same time.

Seeing that his wife and daughter both agreed, the matter was settled. Changyun, who was studying at the academy, had been largely ignored; even if he disagreed, it would be a three-to-one vote, and his objection would be invalid. However, this matter still needed to be investigated at the riverbank tomorrow before it could be finalized.

With the matter settled, the family suddenly felt drowsy, their eyes almost closing. Zhang Youtie glanced at his pocket watch; it was almost dawn. The person who had cleared the dishes had already gone home, leaving a pot of hot water for the family to wash up before leaving. However, they were all too tired to care, so they simply rinsed their mouths and went to their rooms to sleep.