Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

After the village chief spread the word, the entire Zhangjia Village was in an uproar. What wonderful news! In the past, they had to travel a long way to town to see plays, but now their own village was able to hire a troupe to perform right at their doorstep.

"Hiring a theatrical troupe will cost money. We've discussed it, and the villagers will decide how much to contribute. We'll record everyone's contribution, how much was received, how much was spent, and where it went. We'll post it all out so everyone knows." With that, the village chief took a five-tael silver ingot from his sleeve and placed it on the table. The accountant sitting nearby quickly wrote it down in his notebook.

"My family will also contribute five taels of silver!" someone suddenly shouted from the back of the crowd.

When everyone turned around, they realized it was Old Wai speaking. Then they saw him walk to the front of the crowd and say something to the bookkeeper.

“My family will also contribute five taels of silver, but I don’t have any money on me. Please write it down. I’ll go back and get it now…”

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. Some of those familiar with Lao Wai were laughing and cursing him.

"You old fool, you're in such a hurry to write your name without even bringing any money. If Mr. Ding doesn't write it for you, be careful he doesn't renege on his debt and refuse to pay you."

When Lao Wai heard the man say that about him, he spat out a curse.

"Don't try to compare your child's belly to mine. It's just five taels of silver. Why would I need to renege on my debt? I'm not short of money these days!" Old Waila said smugly.

"Grandpa, that's judging others by one's own petty standards," Xiao Bao, Old Wai La's grandson, corrected him upon hearing his words.

"Yes, that's right. That's exactly what I mean. My little treasure is so knowledgeable." Old Wai smiled so wide his mouth almost reached his ears when he heard his grandson speaking.

Mr. Ding, who was keeping the accounts, shook his head and smiled, but still wrote down Lao Waila's name in the notebook, though he circled the words "five taels" as a mark.

Seeing that this was possible, the villagers all announced the amount of money they would contribute, ranging from three taels to two taels to one tael, with some contributing as much as ten taels and others as little as half a tael. They wrote down the names first, intending to collect the money later at home.

That evening, Mr. Ding and several other respected figures in the village tallied up the amount of money they had received at the village head's house. A total of 278.5 taels of silver had been handed over, including 100 taels donated by Zhang Youtie.

Zhang Dayong, who had been sitting silently to the side, finally spoke up when he heard that so much money had been donated.

"These days, hiring a troupe to perform for a day costs only ten taels of silver. How about we hire two troupes and have them perform for five consecutive days? What do you think?"

“Da Yong’s idea is good. Let’s hire two opera troupes to perform for five consecutive days. What about the rest of the money?” one of them asked.

The village chief took a few puffs of his pipe, thought for a moment, and then said...

"The remaining money will be kept in the village's account. I plan to build a dock in the village after the New Year, so that it will be more convenient for the village's products to be shipped out in the future."

"it is good"

"it is good"

"it is good"

Upon hearing the village chief's words, everyone in the house agreed, thinking it was a truly excellent idea. It was a good thing that would benefit future generations.

With the money in place, everything else was easy. The villagers were all overjoyed to hear that the traditional two-day performance had been extended to a five-day spectacle. They eagerly invited relatives from other villages to come and watch the show, feeling incredibly proud.

Although there are two operas in the village, Zhang Youtie still plans to hire two more at home, for two days. One for male guests and one for female guests. After all, he now has quite a few business associates, and he can't very well invite them to sit outside with the villagers to watch the opera.

Madam Liu finally got busy, starting to draft the guest list, deciding who to invite on the first day of the two-day performance and who to invite on the second day. She also had to consider the kitchen's menu and the guests' tastes. These were all things she, as the hostess, had to take into account.

The guests on the first day included Mr. and Mrs. Shen, Zhao Youting of Baiweilou and his female relatives, Li Chengye of Meiweiju and his female relatives, Mr. Jin of Haoyunlai Restaurant in town and his family, Mr. Liu and his family, Mr. Li and his family, Granny Liu, Mr. Hu of Chengxin Silk and his family, as well as Mr. Hu's eldest son, who is Liu Xiaocui's fiancé.

The next day, relatives and friends arrived. Liu thought that these relatives and friends could stay at home for a few days, and besides watching her family's opera, they could also enjoy the festivities in the village for a few days.

Liu Xiaocui blushed with embarrassment when she saw her fiancé's name on the list. Madam Liu smiled as she watched her sister's blushing face.

“I’ve heard that this young master Hu is a shrewd businessman, and your brother-in-law has a good impression of him. But ultimately, it’s you who will be marrying him, so it’s good to get to know him better before the wedding.”

"Okay, I understand." Liu Xiaocui knew that her sister was doing it for her own good, and although her face was burning hot, she still nodded in agreement.

With everything prepared, the day arrived for Zhang Youtie's family to hold their private performance. Uncle Ma had invited the most famous opera troupe in Ming'an County, the Haitang Troupe.

That day, Madam Liu got up early and went over the arrangements for the gathering again, making sure nothing was overlooked. Only then did she go back to get ready.

Because this time she had invited mostly business associates and their families, Liu's attire was not as understated as before. She wore light powder on her face, her eyebrows were lightly drawn, and a touch of rouge on her lips made her lips appear even redder and her teeth whiter. She wore a long, elegant dress with cloud patterns, the sleeves, hem, and embroidery featuring layers of auspicious cloud designs. A white jade belt cinched her waist, making her appear slender yet noble and elegant. A purple silk shawl draped over her arms further accentuated her graceful and swaying figure.

Standing up, Madam Liu looked at herself in the mirror.

"Aunt Ma, isn't this a bit too formal?" Liu touched the gold hairpin and hair ornament in her hair; she had never dressed like this before.

“Madam, this is fine. Today we have invited Mr. Lu Xun’s business associates. If you dress too plainly, people will think you don’t respect them.”

Hearing Aunt Ma's words, Liu nodded in agreement. Yes, this was different from the people she usually interacted with in the village; her clothes represented the family's reputation, so they couldn't be too shabby.

Then she reached out to Green Cloud to help her put on the prepared ring and bracelet, checked them in the mirror again to make sure everything was in place, and then went out to her sister's yard.