Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Upon entering the courtyard, Wang lovingly brought hot water to help her wash her hands and face. After the beggar girl had washed her face clean, the mother and daughter inside smiled when they saw her. The little girl was very pleasing to the eye, with round eyes and a round face.

Wang and her second son exchanged a glance, understanding each other without needing to speak.

"Oh, this girl looks so cheerful. Come sit down and eat with us." Wang Shi pulled Qi'er's hand and pressed her down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What a pitiful sight! How old are you this year? Where are your parents? Why are you begging for food during the New Year?" Wang asked with concern, placing a hot steamed bun in her hand.

“My parents are gone, and only my sister and I are left in our family. After they passed away, my uncles and aunts said that since we were daughters, we couldn’t inherit the family property. They divided up all our land and house and kicked us out. My sister has been begging to support me, but she hasn’t come back since she left yesterday morning. I finished the last piece of bread in the house and was starving, so I thought I’d go out to look for my sister and see if I could beg for some food. But I haven’t been able to beg for a single bite all day. Luckily, I met this old lady who let me wash my hands and face with hot water and invited me into her house to eat. Old lady, you are a good person. I kowtow to you.” As he spoke, the beggar suddenly put the bread he was holding on the kang table and was about to get off the kang to kowtow to Wang and the others.

Wang quickly reached out and pulled her back onto the kang (a heated brick bed), then said with pity, "Eat your food. Since we've met, it means we're destined to be together. If you don't mind that my family is poor, stay here for a few days until you find your sister and then go back."

"No, no, it's enough to have a hot meal. How can I stay here and bother you? It's too much trouble."

The second son, who had been listening to the two men, suddenly spoke up to offer advice.

“Good child, listen to your aunt and stay here for a few days. Once we find your sister, we'll send you back. I don't have any children yet, so if we really can't find her, you can ask me to be your godfather.”

"..."

Finally, after being warmly persuaded by Mrs. Wang and her son, the little beggar agreed to stay in their home.

"Girl, what's your name? How old are you?" Wang asked again.

"Auntie, I'm eleven years old this year, and everyone in my family calls me Jiu'er," the little girl replied obediently.

"Jiu'er... Hmm, that's a nice name. From now on, we'll call you Jiu'er too. You'll sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with me tonight. You're about the same age as my eldest granddaughter."

Jiu'er naturally had no objection to Wang's arrangements.

Although Wang Shi repeatedly urged her to eat more, Jiu'er only ate one steamed bun and drank a bowl of thin porridge before stopping. After everyone at the table had finished eating, Jiu'er tactfully helped carry the bowls to the kitchen to wash them.

At the dinner table, Madam Wang and her second son were very kind to her, but another, younger woman had a gloomy expression and didn't say a word throughout the meal. Although she didn't ask Jiu'er to leave, she didn't give her a friendly look either. Judging by her age, she should be Madam Wang's daughter-in-law.

While washing dishes in the kitchen, Jiu'er tried to help in a fawning manner, but was pushed away and stumbled. Even as she finished all the chores and was about to leave the kitchen, she said fiercely to Jiu'er, "Get out of here, don't stay in my house."

That night, Jiu'er and Wang Shi lay on the same kang (heated brick bed). In the middle of the night, they heard sounds coming from Wang Shi's son's room.

"I advise you to be a decent human being. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for doing such a heinous thing?" The voice was angry and suppressed; it was the stern-faced woman speaking.

Immediately following was a sharp slap. "I don't need you to eat or drink, mind your own business. You've been married into my family all these years and haven't even laid a single egg. I haven't divorced you out of consideration for our marriage. Watch your mouth, or if you dare say another word, I'll sell you off too." This was Wang's second son; his voice, devoid of the daytime's carefree and playful demeanor, was now filled with ruthlessness and cruelty.

In the darkness, Jiu'er opened her eyes and looked at the pitch-black roof, listening to the woman's suppressed sobs. When the sobbing gradually stopped, she turned over, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Jiu'er got dressed and went to the kitchen to boil water and cook. After Wang's daughter-in-law got up, Jiu'er saw that her eyes were swollen and there was a handprint on her left cheek.

Seeing that Jiu'er was already cooking, she frowned, looking very impatient. She snatched the fire poker from Jiu'er's hand and waved her away.

"Go away, hurry up and leave. Every household is short of food right now. How can we afford to feed you?" Perhaps afraid of being overheard, she spoke very softly, even though her words were harsh.

At breakfast, Jiu'er still didn't eat much, just a cornbread and a bowl of porridge. After breakfast, she busied herself helping with chores around the house. Wang Shi and her son whispered to each other in the main room for a while, their voices very low.

After a while, Wang's son went out, and no one knew what he was doing.

Jiu'er saw this but didn't ask, continuing with her work. After a while, Wang's eldest son came over.

"Mother, my second brother just asked to borrow the oxcart. He said he had some errands to run. What is he going to do?"

"It's nothing, I'll be back in a bit." Wang Shi didn't want to say much to her son.

"Oh," seeing that his mother was unwilling to say more, Wang's eldest son prepared to leave. But just as he was leaving, in the instant his sister-in-law lifted the curtain and came out of the kitchen, he saw a little child sitting in the kitchen.

"Mother, who's in the kitchen?" asked Wang's eldest son.

"Nobody, just a beggar girl. Go back now, aren't you going to visit relatives today? Your second brother will be back soon, go back and prepare your things."

"Mother..." Wang's eldest son understood what his mother and second brother were about to do when he heard his mother mention the girl's identity, and he cried out in pain. Then he leaned closer to his mother and pleaded softly, "Mother, we don't lack food or drink now, please don't do such a thing."

“We have enough to eat and drink, but what about Gou Dan’s illness? We have to spend money to treat him. He hasn’t been able to speak since he had a fever a few years ago.”

"Mom, think about why Xiaobao got a fever. Maybe it's karma. Mom, I beg you, please, just consider it as doing good for Xiaobao and don't do such things again, okay?"

“This has nothing to do with you, and you don’t need to worry about it. If you want retribution, let it fall on me. I’m not afraid. Besides, that girl is an orphan with no parents. Finding her a place to eat is a way of saving her life.”

In the end, neither mother nor son could convince the other, and Wang's eldest son angrily threw down the curtain and left. The daughter-in-law, who was standing at the kitchen door, saw her brother-in-law leave like that, spat on the ground, and went back to her own room.

Around noon, Wang's second son brought back an old woman, dressed quite elegantly, with a gilded hairpin in her hair. Wang warmly called her Granny Mei.

Grandma Mei ate lunch here. At the table, she carefully looked Jiu'er up and down, from head to toe, then nodded with satisfaction and said to Wang Shi...

"This girl is not bad, she's better than the previous ones. You're really capable."

Jiu'er pretended not to understand what they were saying and seemed at a loss when Granny Mei looked her over.