Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Thinking of her past life, Xia Yu chuckled, shook her head, and shook away those unpleasant memories. Today was a good day, and she didn't want those upsetting things to affect her mood.

Then a woman who had returned from watching the commotion with the crowd said to A and B, “Oh my, you didn’t see it! The Li family sent ten oxcarts this time, three of which were full of gifts. I never imagined that the Li family, who are usually so quiet, would be so wealthy. I’m so envious.”

"Three oxcarts loaded? My goodness! Did Li's mother move her entire house here?!"

Xia Yu watched as Liu led a group of women toward Li's room. However, there were too many people, so only the important elders could go in, while the other female guests were led to Wang's room.

Li's mother's surname was Min, so let's call her Li Minshi for now. The old lady entered the room and met her daughter's expectant gaze. Seeing her daughter's slightly fuller face, Li Minshi's heart finally settled down.

She had visited twice during her daughter's pregnancy and found that the Zhang family valued her daughter's pregnancy very much and took good care of her, so she had nothing to complain about. However, her daughter's morning sickness was so severe that she couldn't eat anything, which worried her a lot. Over the past few days, she had burned countless incense sticks and kowtowed countless times, praying to the gods and Buddhas to bless her daughter with a smooth delivery, but the closer she got to the end, the more worried she became.

When Li Minshi saw Zhang Youyin arrive with great joy, bringing five catties of pork, a large rooster, two pieces of tofu, and firecrackers to announce the good news, her legs went weak—the kind of weakness one feels when someone who has been holding their breath for many days finally feels relieved.

When asked about her daughter's condition, her son-in-law only said that mother and child were safe and sound, and everything was fine. However, upon hearing that Granny Liu from the village had also been invited over, Li Minshi knew that things were definitely not as simple as Zhang Youyin had described.

After seeing Zhang Youyin off with the good news, she immediately took ten eggs to Granny Liu's house to inquire about her daughter's delivery. She was surprised to learn that the Zhang family had brought out a century-old ginseng they had dug up from the mountain for their daughter, and had also invited a doctor from Baohetang in town. Although her daughter had suffered some hardships during childbirth, the outcome was ultimately good, with both mother and child healthy.

Hearing Granny Liu's words, Li Min finally breathed a sigh of relief. She abandoned her immediate plan to visit her daughter and returned home with only her three daughters-in-law to focus on preparing the food for the delivery. Her husband's family valued their daughter, and her own family couldn't let her down either. Therefore, Li Min prepared so many gifts for her daughter and grandson that they filled an entire oxcart. Her three daughters-in-law didn't dare complain about their mother-in-law's generosity; instead, they actively helped with the preparations. They all knew that their sister-in-law had been childless for many years, and this time, after much effort, she had given birth to a son. As her sisters-in-law, they naturally wanted to make their sister-in-law proud in front of her husband's family.

The other two oxcarts carried gifts from Li's aunts, uncles, cousins, and sisters-in-law, as well as gifts from her married sisters. Each family's gift was individually wrapped in a cloth, containing the giver's name and the gift itself. The eggs were all placed in two baskets, with a list indicating which family gave how many.

It has to be said that the Li family was clever in their approach; this was much more impressive than each person delivering gifts individually. Having three large carts full of gifts all together looked much more grand. Moreover, the Li family knew that they had many relatives on their side, and having each of them deliver gifts to their daughter individually would not only waste time but also disturb her rest. This method truly achieved several goals at once.

“Mother…” Li Shi held Li Min Shi’s hand, her voice choked with sobs.

“You mustn’t cry, or you’ll hurt your eyes. Having a son is a great joy, and your in-laws are treating you so well. You should be happy, okay?” Madam Li Min quickly comforted her.

"Yes, Mother, I know. I just got a little excited when I saw you." Hearing her mother's words, Li Shi quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and put on a smile. She then looked at the women who had come in with her mother and smiled.

"Auntie, Second Auntie, Third Auntie, Fifth Auntie, First Uncle's Wife, Second Uncle's Wife, Eldest Aunt, Oldest Aunt, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law, you've all arrived? Come and sit on the kang, it's warm up here." Li called out to the people who came in. Apart from the three sisters-in-law, the rest were all elders.

After leading the woman into the house and exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu left. She knew that Li must have something private to say to her family, and she was confident that she hadn't done anything wrong during Li's pregnancy and childbirth, so she wasn't afraid that her daughter-in-law would complain to her family. Besides, there were still many things outside that needed her attention.

After the in-laws left, the people inside began asking Li Shi various questions: How was her diet during her postpartum period? Who was taking care of her? Was her breast milk sufficient? Did the baby cry at night? Li Shi knew these elders were just concerned about her, so she answered truthfully. After hearing Li Shi's answers, her aunt couldn't help but sigh...

“Our seventh sister-in-law is also blessed.” After saying this, she lowered her voice a little and continued, “Although my parents-in-law are somewhat biased towards the twins, they are not confused when it comes to important matters. Both of my sisters-in-law are kind-hearted and good to Xiaomin, and the family is harmonious.”

Hearing what Li's eldest aunt said, Li Minshi said, "Isn't that right? I heard from Granny Liu, who delivered Xiaomin's baby, that they even brought out a hundred-year-old ginseng to use."

"Oh my, a hundred-year-old ginseng? Is what your mother said true, Seventh Sister?" Li's aunt-in-law couldn't help but ask in surprise when she heard her aunt say this.

"Yes, that ginseng was something my third brother's family found by chance on the mountain. My sister-in-law brought it over on the day he gave birth." At this point, Li Shi looked like she was about to cry again.

“Mother, if it weren’t for those century-old ginseng slices that kept me alive until Granny Liu and Doctor Qi from town arrived, I might never have seen you again.” Thinking back to that day, she really thought she was going to die.

Worried that her daughter might damage her eyes from crying during her postpartum period, Li Minshi quickly comforted her. She then changed the subject, never daring to mention ginseng again. Her intention was to show off to the relatives how much her in-laws valued her daughter, but she hadn't expected to upset her daughter.

As everyone was talking in hushed tones, Xiao Bao, who was sleeping next to Li Shi, started to whimper.

"Oh dear, she's crying! Quick, check if she peed!" several people quickly called out to remind her.

"Let me, let me," Li Minshi stopped her daughter from taking the baby and took the baby herself.

"Oh dear, are you crying? Let Grandma see if you peed your pants," Li Minshi said softly to the child while holding him.

Unwrapped the thin blanket covering the child, felt between the baby's legs, and quickly pulled out two wet diapers.

"Of course it's pee, isn't it? There's quite a lot of pee here." As she spoke, she took two diapers from a stack of neatly folded diapers and quickly put them on the baby. Just as she was about to wrap the baby in the blanket, her eyes were drawn to a silver light inside the blanket.