Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Uncle Ma, Aunt Ma, yesterday the master told me to serve Miss personally. Can I use the kitchen over there now?"

"Sure, wait for me a moment. I'll finish these two bites of rice and then we'll go together. That way, I won't have to look for anyone else."

Yesterday, on the way back with Zhang Youtie and Liu, Uncle Ma mentioned that Nineteen possessed martial arts skills. Surprisingly, Zhang Youtie and Liu weren't surprised at all; they only asked him...

"Who's more capable, you or Nineteen?"

Hearing Zhang Youtie's question, Uncle Ma's face turned slightly red, but he still answered honestly.

“I’m not as good as Nineteen. I didn’t hear Da Niu’s snoring and murmuring just now, but she could hear it clearly even though she was standing farther away than me. I guess her internal martial arts skills are very powerful.”

Hearing Uncle Ma's answer, Zhang Youtie sighed and said, "Then let her protect the young lady personally."

When Uncle Ma returned, he told Aunt Ma that Nineteen was Miss's maid, so she wasn't surprised when Nineteen came to ask her about it.

Aunt Ma quickly finished her rice and led Nineteen to the kitchen. She deftly dug out the earthenware pot buried in the stove, wiped it clean, wrapped it in a cloth, and tucked it into Nineteen's arms, giving him instructions.

"Hold them to warm your hands, but hold them tight, be careful not to drop them." Then he took about ten freshly steamed buns from the large pot and put them in the steamer basket, wrapped them in a new steaming cloth, and then addressed the nineteenth person.

"Let's go. Let's go over there."

The snow started falling late last night and is now ankle-deep. Aunt Ma led Nineteen through the wind and snow, carefully making their way forward, their footsteps crunching on the snow.

When the two arrived, the house was still quiet and without a sound. Only a tall stack of burlap sacks stood in the yard. Nineteen didn't know what was inside, but she was certain that the sacks weren't there when she arrived the previous night. However, that wasn't her concern; her job was to serve the new masters well and ensure their safety.

Before the masters got up, Aunt Ma instructed Nineteen to boil a pot of water for them to use when they got up to wash. Aunt Ma knew that Liu and the others ate simple breakfasts, so she planned to make stir-fried cabbage with minced meat sauce and four fried eggs.

She learned to fry eggs from Xia Yu. At first, when she was blind, during the autumn harvest, the young lady had to cook for several people, and fried eggs were the most common dish she made. So, the first thing she did after her eyesight improved was to learn how to fry eggs, and she would make them for her masters every two or three days.

After the two had finished doing all this, they noticed the light was on in Liu's window. Seeing that her mistress was about to get up, Nineteen took a basin of hot water to bring it over. Aunt Ma was a little surprised by her actions, wondering about her status, but she knew it wasn't her business. Although she was puzzled, she didn't ask anything. She simply stopped Nineteen, who was about to leave with the basin.

"No need to send it over. Madam will come out in a little while, and you can take the basin over then. Miss will get up a little later, so you can bring her water after she leaves the room. Our house is small now, so unless the master specifically instructs us, we shouldn't go to the main room."

Nineteen knew that Aunt Ma was telling her about her master's living habits, so she listened attentively and made sure to remember them.

Just as Aunt Ma had said, a little while later, Liu Shi lifted the curtain and came in. Seeing Aunt Ma and Nineteen, she smiled gently and said, "Aunt Ma, you've worked hard again today."

"Madam, you're too kind. This is what I should do," Aunt Ma said with a smile, curtsying to Madam Liu.

Hearing her words, Madam Liu smiled but didn't say anything more. She turned to Nineteen, who was standing next to her, and asked softly, "Nineteen, did you stay well yesterday?"

Nineteen followed Aunt Ma's example and bowed, then smiled and said to Madam Liu, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I'm comfortable here."

"Yes, just tell Aunt Ma if you need anything. Miss usually gets up a little later, so you don't need to come so early."

"Yes, I understand," Nineteen replied, bowing her head.

After Liu finished washing up, Zhang Youtie also came out dressed. Nineteen immediately went to fetch hot water for Zhang Youtie to wash up. However, Zhang Youtie waved his hand dismissively.

"Oh, I can do it myself. You just need to serve the madam and young lady."

Seeing that the nineteenth boy was standing there, unsure of what to do, Liu patted the small stool beside her and called out.

"Nineteen, Master, you don't need anyone to serve you. Please sit here. Miss will be up soon."

“Madam, this is against the rules.” Nineteen hesitated, looking at the small stool next to Madam Liu, and dared not step forward.

"It's alright, come and sit down. Aunt Ma and I are sitting low, and if you stand like this, I'll have to crane my neck to talk to you, which is tiring. Come and keep Aunt Ma and me company."

Upon hearing what Liu said, Shijiu thought about it and it seemed to make sense, so he sat down as Liu instructed.

"Nineteen, where are you from?" Liu asked, swallowing the porridge in her mouth.

"I don't remember," Nineteen replied softly, lowering her head.

"Do you have any other relatives?" Liu asked again.

"I have another sister."

Where is she now?

"She wasn't chosen from the place I was in before."

Hearing this, Madam Liu understood that Nineteen's older sister was also a secret guard for the Shen family. However, Aunt Ma didn't know this; she assumed that when Nineteen said she wasn't chosen, she meant she wasn't selected at the brokerage firm, so she gently patted Nineteen's back to comfort her.

“You are a lucky person, and your sister will be just as good. She will definitely find a good master.”

"Yes, thanks to Aunt Ma's auspicious words, my sister will surely be safe as well." Nineteen said softly, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She only hoped that her sister would be safe. She would take good care of her mistress. The person who brought her here yesterday said that the mistress was very important to the master. So, if she served her mistress with all her heart, would there be a day when she could beg her mistress to ask her to dig her sister out of that swamp?

After a night of reflection, Xia Yu had accepted the fact that an undercover agent had been sent to her side. Aside from her spatial abilities, which she couldn't reveal to outsiders, she didn't have any other secrets. She just needed to be more careful in the future. Therefore, when she saw Nineteen again, she no longer felt the same resistance as the night before. She even chatted with Nineteen for a few minutes during dinner.

"Nineteen, you know martial arts, right?" Xia Yu asked curiously.

"Yes, I will," Nineteen nodded in reply.

"Can you fly?" Xia Yu asked again.

Hearing Xia Yu's question, Nineteen frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked...

"Are you referring to the lightness skill, Miss?"

"Well, that's it."

"Yes, but that's not what I'm best at."

"Oh? So what are you best at?"

"Swordsmanship, my master said I have the most talent in swordsmanship, and he has focused on training my swordsmanship over the years."

"Where's your sword? I didn't see you with one."

“This is it!” Nineteen pointed to the black belt tied around her waist.

"A soft sword?"

"Miss knows about soft swords?" Hearing Xia Yu's answer, Nineteen was a little puzzled. She didn't understand how her young lady, an ordinary girl, would know about soft swords.

"I've heard a little bit, I've heard a little bit," Xia Yu said jokingly. After saying that, Xia Yu asked...

"Nineteen, can you take me flying?"

Liu, who had been listening attentively to the two children, not only spoke up in disapproval upon hearing Xia Yu's request, but also...

"Xiaxia, Nineteen's kung fu is for your safety, not for you to fool around with. It's for crucial moments. If everyone knew you had a girl who knew kung fu by your side, wouldn't you attract even more attention?" After saying that, he looked at Nineteen again and said...

"Nineteen, you don't need to come and serve us in the mornings anymore. You still need to practice your kung fu every day. Just remember to be careful when you practice, and don't let others find out." After thinking for a moment, he continued, "After the New Year, we will build a courtyard for you and Miss. You can move in then and practice in the courtyard."

Nineteen, who had been there for half a day, had never seen Madam Liu so serious before. He quickly extinguished the fire stick in his hand, stood up, clasped his hands in front of Madam Liu, and bowed, saying, "Yes, Madam. This servant understands." After saying that, he realized that clasping his hands in front of his hands was inappropriate, so he quickly placed his hands on his waist and performed a curtsy.

Seeing her flustered manner of bowing, Madam Liu couldn't bear to scold her. Besides, Nineteen hadn't done anything wrong; it was her maid who was overthinking things. She would give her a good talking-to when they got back to her room later, making sure she learned her lesson and didn't cause any trouble in the future.