Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Someone was in charge of carrying the luggage onto the ship. Grand Tutor Li led the children to say goodbye to both families. Once all the luggage was on the large ship, Xia Yu and the others were about to board. Madam Liu held her son and daughter's hands tightly, repeatedly reminding them to remember to buy some necessary clothes when they arrived in the capital. She told them not to be stingy and to take good care of themselves, and so on.

The same applies to the Shen family. Master Shen instructed Shen Luo to keep the token he gave her safe, so that she could withdraw five thousand taels of silver whenever she encountered a Shen family business on the road.

"I understand, Grandfather. Don't worry, I have the token, I have the token..." But before she could finish speaking, Madam Shen covered her mouth to stop her from saying the rest of her words.

"Don't talk nonsense. Remember to take care of yourself on the road. If you need anything, ask the people around you for it. Got it?"

"I know, I know. You've said this to your grandfather so many times. Look at my ears, aren't they covered in calluses?" Shen Luo said, bringing his ear close to Madam Shen's face so she could see it.

Madam Shen, who had been quite worried about her grandson's trip, was amused by his antics.

"You little rascal, you're getting more and more mischievous as you grow up. Now you even know how to tease your grandmother." She then gently tapped his forehead.

Even if it's hard to part, the time for separation always comes. All the luggage has been loaded onto the ship, and the sun is rising higher and higher. Grand Tutor Li looks up at the sun and says to those still reluctant to say goodbye...

"We should get going, let's go." After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the sampan built between the dock and the ship.

Seeing that the teacher had boarded the ship, Changyun bowed to Zhang Youyi and Liu Shi.

"Father and Mother, my sister and I are about to board the ship. We will take good care of ourselves while we are away. Father and Mother, please take good care of yourselves at home and don't worry your children."

“Your mother and I will stay home and take good care of ourselves. You two should get on the ship quickly so as not to delay the journey,” Zhang Youtie urged, helping his son and daughter up.

"Dad, Mom, we'll be back in a while. Take good care of yourselves at home and wait for me to bring back some local specialties and tell you about the sights and sounds of the outside world." Xia Yu tried her best to make her words humorous.

"Alright, alright, we'll wait at home. Let's board the ship." Liu Shi urged, suppressing the sourness in her eyes.

Just then, Shen Luo came over and called them to board the ship together.

"Father, Mother, we're leaving!" Xia Yu said.

"Let's go!" said Madam Liu.

Nineteen and Daniu arrived just in time to help Xia Yu carefully step onto the sampan and board the huge ship, which was taller than a house. Changyun followed behind them, holding Shen Luo's hand.

Once everyone was on the deck, the red-clad guards standing on the dock boarded the ship in order. After everyone was on board, the boatmen worked together to stow the sampan. The large white sail unfurled at the top of the mast, and with the help of the wind, the ship, several dozen meters long, slowly sailed away from the dock.

Xia Yu and the others stood on the deck, waving goodbye to their families on the dock until they became tiny black dots and could no longer be seen.

At this moment, on the dock, Liu, who had been holding back her tears for a long time, finally couldn't hold them back anymore. Ignoring the onlookers around her, she collapsed into Zhang Youtie's arms and cried.

“Mother, the child is growing up and will leave us one day, just like the swallows under the eaves. When they grow up, they will leave the protection of the old swallows and go out to find food on their own.” His words were full of endless emotion. He wanted to cry, but as the pillar of the family and a man, he could not shed tears. His words were not only to comfort his wife, but also to comfort himself.

After crying for a while, perhaps exhausted from crying, Liu straightened up from Zhang Youtie's embrace, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. She seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps addressing Zhang Youtie.

"I must find a husband for my daughter who is close to our home. I absolutely cannot let her marry far away."

Hearing Liu's words, Madam Shen, who was feeling sad not far away, instantly forgot her sadness and began to plan how to make Xia Yu her daughter-in-law.

On the large ship, the sorrow of parting was instantly replaced by other things.

Da Niu excitedly pulled Xia Yu over to see the cabins they had been staying in on the ship for the past few days.

“Miss, this cabin is so big! I thought the rooms on a ship would be dark and cramped, but seeing this, I realize how ignorant I was. Tonight, Nineteen and I will sleep on the daybed here, and you can sleep on the bed inside. That way, we can take care of you personally tonight.” Da Niu excitedly arranged the accommodations for the night.

Xia Yu looked in the direction she was pointing and found that the layout was similar to her home. In the center of the door was a small flower room. To the left of the flower room was a carved bed with embroidered curtains. Under the window was a dressing table. Under the window on the other side was a chaise lounge where one could lean back and take a nap.

To the right of the flower hall was a daybed and four chairs, resembling a small meeting room. This way, at night, the curtains on both sides could be drawn, creating separate spaces where each could remain undisturbed.

Not only Da Niu, but Xia Yu also didn't expect that there would be such spacious and bright rooms on the ship.

Nineteen also looked around, but she felt that rather than sleeping on that not-so-wide daybed with Daniu, it would be better to move the chaise lounge over and sleep on it herself. She was afraid that Daniu would beat her up in her sleep that night.

After the group finished touring their rooms on the ship, the two maids took out their luggage and began moving out the things they would need.

Xia Yu thought that what they said they needed were personal toiletries, but she didn't expect to see that Shijiu had actually taken out all the bedding. She rolled up the bedding that was originally on the bed and put it on the chaise lounge, and then spread out the bedding and sheets that she had brought from home.

Xia Yu's consciousness was still stuck on her past life's hotel stays, where she only brought a sheet and duvet cover at most. She thought they would only bring a sheet this time, but she then realized that Shijiu had not only brought a quilt and mattress, but even the pillow from her bed.

"Nineteen, this is too much trouble. We don't even know how many days we'll be able to sleep here. Just make do with whatever we can find."

"How can we just make do? This is only the beginning. The journey is long and arduous, and we can't afford to be careless with our food and lodging. Miss, please sit down and rest for a while. Leave this to me." As she spoke, Nineteen quickly and efficiently laid out the mattress and sheets, arranged the pillows neatly, and then placed Xia Yu's newest favorite silk quilt on top.

Over there, Da Niu had already carried a camphor wood chest over herself, filled with Xia Yu's clothes for this season. She also had two bulging bundles hanging from her arms, containing clothes for her and Shi Jiu to wear for the next few days.

Da Niu had no idea how outrageous her appearance was. Soon, everyone on the ship who was well-informed knew that there was a very strong maidservant who was traveling to the capital with Grand Tutor Li.

Meanwhile, Grand Tutor Li had already introduced his two students to Eunuch Li.

"Greetings, Eunuch Li!" The two bowed respectfully to Eunuch Li at the same time, not daring to show the slightest disrespect because of his status.

"No need for formalities. Your teacher and I have been friends for many years. Since he treats you as his own grandchildren, I will do the same." After saying that, he took out two silver notes from his pocket and gave them as a greeting gift.

The two hesitated, unsure whether to accept the silver notes offered to them. Just as they were about to look up at their teacher's expression, they heard Li Taifu's voice.

“If it is a gift from an elder, you should not refuse it. Since it is for you, please accept it.”

"Yes, thank you, Eunuch Li." The two thanked Eunuch Li in unison as they accepted the silver notes.