Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

No matter how turbulent the political situation or how dangerous the borders, none of that mattered to Xia Yu. Her family continued their busy yet peaceful life in Zhangjia Village.

Unable to contact Shen Jingheng, Xia Yu's daily work consisted of planting cotton and chili peppers in her spatial dimension. Every morning, Zhang Youtie would deliver fresh chili peppers to the pond, and the dried ones would be piled up in the storage room. Only Uncle Ma had the key to that room, and he only called on Da Niu whenever he needed to move things. This girl was very strong and very tight-lipped. Now, Uncle Ma would call on her for many moving jobs, forbidding her to tell anyone, so she wouldn't utter a single word.

Zhang Youtie had already told Aunt Ma and the others to let Da Niu eat as much as she wanted, until she was full. Now, she not only eats her fill every day, but she also has new cotton clothes to wear. This is a life she never dared to dream of before, and she cherishes it very much.

However, it was only because of Zhang Youtie's explanation that everyone witnessed Da Niu's true appetite. She could eat nine steamed buns made from two kinds of dough, each the size of an adult's fist and weighing about 150 grams. There was also a large bowl of vegetables and two full bowls of porridge. For the first time, she experienced what it felt like to be 'full.' Amidst the astonished gazes of those around her, she cried tears of happiness.

Aunt Ma and the onlookers were puzzled to see that Da Niu was crying after having a full meal.

"Why are you crying?"

"Could it be that they haven't eaten enough yet?!"

"This is the equivalent of three men's appetite. It's only because the master and mistress are kind-hearted that they would go hungry anywhere."

"Isn't that right? I've never seen a child eat so much. If they grow any bigger, won't their appetite increase even more?"

"..." The onlookers kept talking, and the topic changed from why Da Niu was crying to their amazement at Da Niu's appetite.

Ignoring the gossip of others, Aunt Ma waited until Da Niu had finished crying and gradually stopped before asking her a question.

"Big girl, are you still hungry? Master said you can eat as much as you want, until you're full. Don't mind what people are saying. I'll go get you some more." After saying that, Aunt Ma went to get some rice for Big Girl.

"Aunt Ma...no...no need...I...I...I'm full!" Da Niu sobbed as she tugged at Aunt Ma's sleeve.

Aunt Ma was even more puzzled when she heard her say that. "Then why are you crying? Did someone wrong you?" After saying that, she looked up and glanced at the people who were watching.

"No, no, we didn't bully her at all." Seeing Aunt Ma's expression, the person next to her quickly spoke up to defend her and prove her innocence.

They were all bought together. This little girl was about the same age as their own child, and she was all alone, without any relatives around. These people weren't bad; who would bully a little girl like her?

"Aunt Ma, no one is bullying me. I just feel so happy." Da Niu finally stopped sobbing and was able to speak smoothly.

"I've never been full in my life. This meal is the first time in my memory that I know what 'fullness' feels like," Da Niu said to Aunt Ma, her eyes red.

Upon hearing her answer, everyone around fell silent; no one spoke. Even Aunt Ma was the same, simply patting Da Niu's head affectionately.

But in his heart, he thought, 'This appetite, which family can afford to feed someone like this? They're lucky to have such a good master. If they went to the wrong place, they'd only have this much food, regardless of whether they were full or not.' Looking at the silent crowd around him, he guessed everyone had the same thought: even a landlord wouldn't dare to eat like this.

Several days passed in this manner, and everyone's roles were clearly defined. The skilled cook, surnamed Zhou, was thirty-one years old. Her eldest son, eldest daughter, and husband had gotten separated on the road, and their fate was unknown. Now, only her nine-year-old son, named Gou Dan, remained with her. Since her husband's condition was uncertain, everyone called her Sister-in-law Zhou. Liu assigned her to be in charge of the kitchen, preparing three meals a day for everyone.

Her sister-in-law is Meng Xiaomei, now twenty-seven years old. Her husband died of illness on the way, and they came with her. She has an eight-year-old daughter named Xiaocao and a seven-year-old son named Gousheng. Because she is a widow and her husband's surname is Guan, everyone calls her Guan Mengshi. Her daily task now is to roast chili peppers. However, her daughter is already eight years old, and she will help her sister-in-law with some kitchen work when she has free time.

To avoid mentioning too many names at once, which might be overwhelming, others will be introduced later. Of course, no one was left to do all the work; everyone was assigned tasks, including the children. Xia Yu distributed a considerable amount of cotton each day, having the children help remove the cotton seeds. Despite their young age, the children were very quick and efficient; ten children could remove over two hundred pounds of cotton a day.

Several more days passed, and it was almost the twelfth lunar month. No one had come to see them again, and Xia Yu thought the matter was over. But then, the person they had been waiting for suddenly showed up at their door.

It was the middle of the night again, and Dahei and Erhei, who were sleeping in their doghouse on the floor of Xia Yu's house, suddenly started barking at the outside.

Xia Yu woke up with a start, and seeing the two dogs baring their teeth at the outside, she knew someone had broken into her yard. Just then, she heard knocking on the window again. After a while, Xia Yu heard Zhang Youtie's very low voice.

"Who?"

"Brother Zhang, it's me, Ding Chengxin," Steward Ding's voice rang out from outside.

Upon hearing the voice of Steward Ding, Zhang Youtie quickly unlatched the door and opened the door to the main room.

"Butler Ding, come in quickly."

Xia Yu started getting dressed when she heard Butler Ding's voice. When she went out, she saw her mother also coming out of the side room.

Without further ado, the group sat down at the table, and Steward Ding directly stated their purpose.

"The adults said the chili peppers are good, but there are too few of them, and we need to make more."

"Yes, yes, we were too rushed last time, but we've gotten another 20,000 jin recently. You can come and pick it up anytime, sir," Zhang Youtie replied hastily upon hearing Steward Ding's words.

“Alright, then I’ll arrange for someone to come over at midnight in five days. Besides… do you have any other questions?” Butler Ding started to say, but noticing the family’s somewhat anxious expressions, he changed the subject and asked.

"Uncle Ding, what should we do if we need to see Lord Shen?"

"That's one of the reasons I'm here today. I've also brought someone with me. This person is the master's personal guard, named Shen Shijiu. From now on, she will live in the house to protect and take care of the young lady. She knows how to contact the master. Just tell her if you need anything." After saying that, he said to the door, "Come out and meet your new master."

As soon as she finished speaking, a person emerged from the shadows behind the door. Her appearance sent a chill down the spines of the Zhang family members present.

'When did she come in? Only Butler Ding was there when I opened the door. Did she just come in? Or had she been there all along?'

The newcomer was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, emanating a chilling aura. He appeared to be only eleven or twelve years old, with two large, round eyes that looked adorable, and a cute smile on his face; outwardly, he seemed harmless. However, Xia Yu hadn't forgotten Butler Ding's introduction: 'Shen family's secret guard, Shen Nineteen.'

She bowed to the group, then smiled sweetly and said to Xia Yu, "Miss, from now on I will serve you personally. You can call me Nineteen."

Upon hearing her words, Xia Yu felt as if her head had exploded. She realized she was being monitored.