Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The girl's excitement didn't last long because she got seasick.

"Miss, please go out first, don't let the smell bother you." Da Niu was lying on the daybed, with a basin on the floor next to the bed, which contained a lot of vomit and gave off a foul smell.

"Miss, you should go and rest. I can take care of Sister Danu here." Nineteen also persuaded Xia Yu, and as she spoke, she helped Danu up from the bed and brought her a glass of warm water to her lips.

"Then I'll go get some dried plums for Da Niu to suck on; maybe that will help." Xia Yu realized she couldn't really help, so she remembered the jar of plums she had in her bundle, which she had prepared in case she got motion sickness in the carriage. It would come in handy now.

She had just stepped out of her room when she ran into Changyun and Shen Luo, who had come looking for her.

"Sister Xiaxia, where are you going?"

“I took out the plums I brought, because Da Niu gets seasick.”

“I knew some of you would get seasick. I’ve prepared a medicine pouch specifically for preventing seasickness. Take it to Da Niu and let her put it by her pillow and smell it.”

Only then did Xia Yu notice the several medicine pouches hanging from his fingers.

She reached out and took one, then sniffed it. It smelled of asarum, cloves, mint, and angelica, and seemed to have other notes as well, but she couldn't quite place them. The scent was peculiar; even she, who didn't get seasick, felt the nausea in her chest dissipate after smelling it.

"These are all for you. I asked my grandmother to prepare a lot for me." As she spoke, she handed several of the ones she was holding to Xia Yu.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll take it inside for Da Niu to use first. We'll come find you when Da Niu is feeling better, so we won't invite you in for now." Because of her martial arts training, Xia Yu's hearing was much better than Chang Yun's and Shen Luo's. She had just heard Da Niu groaning again, so she must be in a lot of pain.

After saying that, he closed the door again in front of the two of them.

"Brother Changyun, I came here with good intentions to deliver sachets, but Sister Xiaxia didn't even invite me in for a seat. She just dismissed me like this?" Shen Luo muttered to Changyun in a low voice, looking at the tightly closed door in front of her.

"If you really want to go in, just knock on the door."

"Um, let's forget about it. Brother Changyun, let's go see what else is fun on this ship. I've never been on such a big ship before." Shen Luo knew that Da Niu wasn't feeling well, so he decided not to go in and cause trouble.

With the help of the wind, the large ship moved forward at a considerable speed, but this did not prevent the people on board from appreciating the natural scenery on both banks.

Smelling the sachet Shen Luo had given her, Da Niu finally fell into a deep sleep on the daybed. After cleaning up her vomit, Shi Jiu opened the windows on both sides of the cabin to let the smell dissipate and lowered the bamboo curtains. This way, the cabin could be ventilated while also blocking the prying eyes of outsiders.

"Asleep?" Xia Yu asked softly.

"Hmm, she's already snoring. Miss, why aren't you asleep yet?" Nineteen lowered her voice, afraid of waking up the girl who had finally fallen asleep.

"I'm not sleepy yet. Why don't you sleep in the bed with me tonight? This bed is big enough for both of us," Xia Yu suggested.

"No, Miss. I'm a restless sleeper at night, so please don't disturb you. I'll sleep on that chaise lounge over there," Nineteen said, pointing to the chaise lounge under the window.

Xia Yu looked over and saw that the bed was quite large, easily big enough for one person to sleep on. The bedding that had been removed from the bed was still on it. Even if the river wind was strong at night, it wouldn't be cold.

The two of them slept on the bed and lay on the tatami mat, chatting quietly.

"Nineteen, have you ever been to the capital?" Over the years, Xia Yu had never asked about Nineteen's past; this was probably the first time she had brought it up.

“I have been there. I lived there for eight years.”

"Is Beijing fun?" Xia Yu asked again.

"It's a very bustling area, but I haven't gone out to play much."

"Let's see how many days we can stay this time, then we can go out and do some sightseeing." He yawned before he could finish speaking.

"Go to sleep, I'm sleepy." She yawned again after saying that. Overwhelmed by sleepiness, Xia Yu turned over and drifted off to sleep.

Hearing the soft snoring coming from Xia Yu's side, Nineteen smiled into the darkness. During her eight years in the capital, she was a madwoman who only knew how to practice martial arts every day; if she didn't practice properly, she would be punished by her master. These years at the Zhang family were the most peaceful and happiest years of her life. She came out with them to protect her young mistress for two reasons, and also hoped to use this opportunity to find out news of her sister.

Xia Yu slept soundly through the night without any dreams, perhaps because the bedding and pillow were her own. When she woke up again, she was alone in the room; Shijiu and Daniu were not there.

Xia Yu finished dressing and was wondering whether to wait for Nineteen to come back before combing her hair, or just tie it into a ponytail herself. Then she heard the door open. Xia Yu peeked into the doorway and saw Nineteen carrying a basin of water in. When Nineteen looked up and saw Xia Yu's wide-eyed eyes, his round eyes instantly filled with laughter.

"Miss, you're awake? I've brought the water. Let me help you wash up."

"No need, it's fine as it is at home. I feel more comfortable washing my face and brushing my teeth by myself. Just help me comb my hair in a bit. Where did Da Niu go?" Xia Yu said as she rolled up her sleeves and splashed water on her face.

"Sister Da Niu is eating in the kitchen right now. I didn't see her when I woke up this morning. I only saw her when I went to get water. She woke up hungry and went to find something to eat." Nineteen found the scene she had just witnessed somewhat amusing.

Xia Yu, who was wiping her face with a handkerchief, noticed the smile on Shijiu's face and asked curiously.

"What good thing happened that makes you so happy?"

"I was just thinking about the scene of Sister Danu eating in the kitchen. Miss, you don't know, the old lady in the kitchen had just steamed two baskets of white flour buns when she saw Sister Danu going to the kitchen to find something to eat. The old lady gave Sister Danu two buns and then turned to serve her some dishes. But after she served the dishes and soup, she found that Sister Danu didn't have any buns in her hand." At this point, Nineteen couldn't help but giggle.

"The old lady looked at Sister Da Niu, then at the few remaining steamed buns on the steamer, and was a little confused. She asked Sister Da Niu, 'Did I give you steamed buns?' Sister Da Niu said, 'I gave you two.' The old lady asked again, 'Where are the steamed buns?' Sister Da Niu patted her stomach and said, 'They're right here!'" Thinking of the old lady's bewildered look, Nineteen couldn't help but laugh for a while before continuing.

"The old lady didn't realize what was happening at first, and said to Da Niu, 'Isn't it dirty to put the steamed buns in your clothes?' Da Niu replied, 'They're not in my clothes, they're in my stomach!' Only then did the old lady realize what was going on and exclaimed, 'You ate two steamed buns in the time it took me to get some food?'"

Xia Yu wanted to laugh when she heard what she said. She could imagine the scene. No one who saw Da Niu's appetite for the first time would not be surprised.