Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Granny Hu went outside and walked to a secluded corner, where she opened Xia Yushang's purse. Just as she had expected, inside was a silver note.

Upon seeing the amount on the banknote, she was secretly astonished; this young lady was incredibly generous. Since the master had returned to his hometown to retire, those of them who looked after the house hadn't received any tips. She found it hard to believe that she was receiving such a large reward, but no matter how much she doubted the banknote in her hand, it couldn't be fake.

Granny Hu happily tucked the purse into her sleeve and went to the kitchen to help with the cooking. There weren't many people left in their old house, and they usually ate at their own expense, but now that their master had returned, the kitchen work had to be done together by several people discussing it.

Xia Yu slept very soundly. When she opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside. For a moment, Xia Yu couldn't tell where she was, until she heard Nineteen's voice outside.

"Miss, are you awake?"

At this moment, Xia Yu's memory slowly returned, and she remembered that she was in the Wutong Garden of Li Taifu's house. Suddenly, she remembered Li Taifu mentioning having lunch together in his courtyard at noon. Looking at the sky outside, she immediately sat up and said to the people outside...

"I'm awake, come in."

With a creak, the door was pushed open. Nineteen and Da Niu each carried a lamp in, instantly illuminating the dark room.

Using the light, Xia Yu found her coat and put it on.

"What time is it now? Why didn't you two wake me up? Didn't you say you were going to have lunch with Grandpa Li?"

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing her words, Da Niu chuckled and said, "Miss, don't worry. The Grand Tutor didn't wake up until 5 PM, and the young master just woke up too. Nobody ate lunch, and I woke up early because I was hungry."

"Ah! Is that so? What time is it now?" Xia Yu asked again.

"Miss, it's already 9 PM," Nineteen said to Xia Yu, having lit all the other candles in the room. Then he continued...

"Young Master Shen Luo has also arrived and is currently in Grand Tutor Li's courtyard. Granny Hu just came to deliver a message, saying that if Miss wakes up, she should go to the Grand Tutor's courtyard for dinner. Miss, let me help you comb your hair again."

Xia Yu glanced at herself in the mirror on the dressing table and noticed that her hair was indeed a bit frizzy.

"Just make something simple, don't keep Grandpa Li waiting too long. By the way, have you two eaten yet?"

"I've already eaten. Granny Hu just brought me some dumplings," Nineteen said with a smile.

"Has Da Niu eaten?" Xia Yu asked again, because she always worried that Da Niu wouldn't have enough to eat when she arrived in a new place.

Da Niu happened to be bringing in water from outside when she heard Xia Yu's question.

"Don't worry, Miss, I ate right in the kitchen today. I ate every pot that Aunt Hu cooked. But there wasn't enough meat filling, so the pot we ate later was fennel and egg filling. It tasted good too, but it wasn't as fragrant as the meat filling." She smacked her lips as she finished speaking.

Xia Yu saw her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but smile.

Nineteen's fingers flew across the page, quickly tying a simple bun on Xia Yu's head. Then, she found two identical hairpins and inserted them on either side of the bun, creating a simple yet adorable look.

When Xia Yu hurriedly led Shijiu and Daniu to Li Taifu's courtyard, wine and dishes were already laid out on the round table in the flower hall. However, the group was still talking in the main room and had not yet sat down at the table.

Xia Yu gave a slightly embarrassed curtsy to Grand Tutor Li.

"Grandpa Li, Xiaxia is late."

"Hey, we're all family, what's the difference between early and late? Let's go to the flower hall for dinner then." But as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach started rumbling loudly. The rumbling was quite loud; Xia Yu, standing five steps away, could hear it clearly, let alone the people sitting next to Li Taifu.

"Haha... As soon as they said it was time to eat, my stomach started rumbling and I couldn't wait any longer." Grand Tutor Li chuckled, rubbing his rumbling stomach.

His smile eased Xia Yu's unease at being late, and she smiled back. Only then did Xia Yu notice Shen Jingheng looking at a vase by the display shelf to her right. She quickly bowed to him again.

"I hope you are well, Uncle."

"We're all family, no need for formalities." When Shen Jingheng heard Xia Yu call him "uncle" again, he was able to control his expression. Although he still felt a little awkward, he no longer showed it on his face.

Today, he listened to Shen Luo talk to him a lot about the Zhang family while he was at the mansion. She kept calling Xia Xia "Sister Xia" and Chang Yun "Brother Chang Yun". If you didn't know, you would really think that Xia Xia and Chang Yun were from the Shen family.

In the flower hall, Grand Tutor Li addressed the group.

"Please sit down. There are no outsiders here. Xiaxia is the only girl here who is my granddaughter, so she is also your niece. We don't need to be superstitious about the rule that men and women don't sit together." These words were spoken to Xia Yu and Shen Jingheng, because the group often ate together at the same table back in their hometown, the only difference being the addition of Shen Jingheng.

"Sister Xiaxia, I want to sit next to you." After Li Taifu and Shen Jingheng sat down, Shen Luo deliberately chose a seat where he wouldn't have to sit next to his father. Not only did he sit down himself, but he also pressed Xia Yu into the seat between him and Shen Jingheng.

Xia Yu originally intended to sit between Li Taifu and Shen Luo, but before she knew it, he had pulled her to sit down.

Although she wasn't afraid of him, sitting next to a stranger who knew half of her secret made Xia Yu feel incredibly uncomfortable. Every pore on her body seemed to express her resistance to Shen Jingheng.

Who is Shen Jingheng? He holds a high position at a young age and has been involved in officialdom for many years. How could he not sense Xia Yu's resistance towards him?

Seeing Changyun pouring wine for everyone, he subtly got up, walked to the door, gave a word to the old woman outside, and then came back and sat in Changyun's seat.

His actions didn't seem inappropriate; people simply assumed he wanted to sit with his son.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, and Shen Jingheng and Grand Tutor Li did not discuss court affairs. Grand Tutor Li talked a lot about farming and raising chickens at home, and Shen Luo mentioned what farm work he had learned at the Zhang family's house. While he was talking about these things, Xia Yu was a little worried that Shen Jingheng would be angry, after all, his only son had gone to work in a commoner's family and had lost a lot of weight from the hard work.

Xia Yu quickly looked at Shen Jingheng, only to see him smiling as he listened attentively to every word Shen Luo spoke. He occasionally offered a word of praise, which made Shen Luo even more excited. He then recounted how Xia Yu had helped her lose weight and how she had taken her to exercise on the mountain.

After listening to what he said, Shen Jingheng glanced at Xia Yu, who had been secretly glancing at her earlier, and then smiled and patted Shen Luo's head.

"Oh, then you should really thank your sister Xiaxia. When Daddy saw you this time, he also felt that you were much stronger than before, and you looked much more robust."

"Yes, that's what my grandmother said too," Shen Luo answered loudly and proudly, puffing out her chest.

Then Shen Jingheng asked Changyun about his studies and when he planned to compete. In short, the atmosphere at the dinner table was very harmonious.

Xia Yu ate somewhat during the meal, mostly just listening and occasionally nodding in agreement. The rest of the time, she was a quiet, beautiful woman eating her meal.