Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The old man's words immediately drew the attention of those around him. All eyes turned to the grandfather and grandson.

"Xiaxia, what do you mean by it being a gift from the Emperor?" Aunt Wang asked.

"Aunt, I just told my grandfather that I brought gifts for everyone, many of which were bestowed by the Emperor," Xia Yu explained to Madam Wang with a smile.

"Oh my god, you actually saw the Emperor on your trip?" Wang asked, staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Yes, that's right. My brother and Luo'er even rescued the eldest prince from drowning in the palace," Xia Yu nodded and said.

Hearing Xia Yu's words, everyone immediately became excited and was about to ask a few more questions. The old man's eyes swept over the people watching the commotion outside the courtyard, and he quickly interrupted them, saying...

"Come on, come on, let's go inside and talk, we can eat and talk at the same time."

When Grandpa Zhang said that, everyone agreed.

"Yes, yes, come inside and tell us. The food is ready, or it will get cold."

After everyone was seated, Liu looked around and frowned.

"Changyun, why didn't your mother come over? Changsheng's wife, go and call your third aunt over for dinner."

"Hey, I'll go right away."

Chang Sheng's wife, Jin Xiaoqiao, quickly handed the child in her arms to her mother-in-law beside her, then got up and walked out.

Spring Rain is responsible for leading Autumn Rain and Winter Rain to bring the food from the kitchen.

"Xiaxia, what happened when you said your brother saved the eldest prince?" Old Master Zhang asked.

"Grandpa, let my brother tell everyone about this. I wasn't there at the time either."

After hearing Xia Yu's words, everyone's attention turned to Chang Yun, waiting for him to speak.

Changyun felt a little awkward being stared at, so he took a couple of sips of water before briefly recounting what had happened.

He described the situation simply, but Old Master Zhang still sensed the danger involved. What if the eldest prince hadn't been saved?

The old man had thought of that, but no one else had. After hearing Changyun's words, Mrs. Liu happily took her grandson's hand.

“I knew Changyun was a lucky man. Now he has saved the Crown Prince. His Majesty should reward Changyun handsomely.”

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Old Master Zhang shouted angrily upon hearing his wife's words.

"What's wrong? Am I wrong? What's wrong with you, old man?" Liu was very dissatisfied with the old man embarrassing her in front of everyone, and she was also a little angry.

The old man ignored her and just looked at the crowd.

"Don't talk about this matter outside. Just talk about Changyun saving the Crown Prince in our family, don't tell anyone else. You all need to remember one sentence: 'Both thunder and rain are imperial favors.' Although Changyun saved the Crown Prince by chance, it was something that every citizen of Da Huai should do. The Emperor's reward was a great favor, not something 'ought to'. Do you all understand?" Old Master Zhang's expression was serious as his gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the room.

The sudden downpour of cold water on the previously smug crowd instantly sobered them up.

Yes, let alone the emperor's son who was saved, even if it were an ordinary person, I doubt anyone would want their benefactor to keep bringing it up!

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense for a moment. Xia Yu felt that the old man was really wise at crucial moments.

"Grandpa, this chicken is delicious. Is it raised at home?" Xia Yu asked, trying to lighten the mood as the atmosphere became too heavy.

"Yes, those are the ones in the backyard. Eat as much as you like. You must have suffered a lot outside these past six months, right?" Grandpa Zhang realized that his tone had been too harsh just now, so he went along with Xia Yu's words.

"Yeah, we didn't eat well at all. At first, I got seasick and vomited everything I ate, I felt like I was throwing up my bile. I was hoping we could ride in a carriage. But when we got in the carriage, we realized that people who get seasick can also get carriage sickness. On the boat, you can lie down, but in the carriage, it's uncomfortable to sit, and there's nowhere to lie down. And for lunch, we just had dry biscuits soaked in hot water. Grandpa, Grandma, you have no idea how much of a hassle this trip was for us." Xia Yu recounted what had happened to Da Niu.

The people who were just eating with their heads down were now grinning as they listened to Xia Yu's words.

"Xiaxia, aren't you with the government delegation? Why are you living such a miserable life?" Madam Wang couldn't help but ask.

“Aunt, the food and lodging arrangements are actually very good, but we may not reach the wilderness by lunchtime during the day, so we can only make do with one meal. The food and lodging are quite good when we stay at inns and post stations.”

And so, everyone ate and chatted, and the mealtime actually lasted a little longer than usual. After the meal, Jin Xiaoqiao led her younger sisters to clear the table, while Xia Yu and Changyun took out the gifts they had brought and distributed them to everyone.

When Grandpa Zhang and Madam Liu heard that the fabric Xia Yu had was a gift from the Emperor, they cherished it so much that they dared not touch it, for fear that their old skin would scratch the fine silk.

Wang and Li were overjoyed with the jewelry Xia Yu gave them. Wang insisted on keeping it as a family heirloom. Xia Yu was both amused and exasperated.

Xia Yu also took out the gifts she had prepared for her sisters and sister-in-law. The earrings and hairpins were placed in a brocade box. Although the craftsmanship of the earrings was not as exquisite as those made in the imperial workshops, they were more novel in design, and the gemstones on them were rare and precious. Therefore, everyone liked them very much.

As for the hairpins, Jin Xiaoqiao, as the eldest sister-in-law, let her younger sisters choose first. Only after they had made their choices did she pick up the last gold hairpin with butterflies and flowers, which happened to be her favorite design.

Everyone was very satisfied with the gifts Xia Yu gave, and next it was Chang Yun's turn.

Everyone else was fine, but when it came to Wang and Li, Changyun took out two gleaming gold ingots from the box.

The people around stared wide-eyed. Was that a gold ingot?

"Auntie, Auntie, I don't know how to choose jewelry. You can either make jewelry out of this gold ingot or leave it as you wish."

As he spoke, Changyun respectfully handed the ten-tael gold in his hand to the two aunts.

"This is the first time I've ever seen a gold ingot. And you know what? This yellow one looks much better than white silver!" Wang Shi held the gold in her hands, wishing she could kiss it, but she couldn't because there were too many people around.

Li was also very happy, but she was much more reserved than Wang.

On the kang (heated brick bed), holding the Ai-Dai jewelry and a gold comb given to her by her grandson, Liu felt a little uneasy. Actually, it was fine that her grandson didn't know how to choose jewelry; if he didn't want the comb, a gold ingot would have been fine too. But then she thought again that her grandson had put a lot of thought into choosing it, and she felt that the comb was prettier than the gold ingot.

When it was Jin Xiaoqiao's turn, Chunyu, Xiayu, and Qiuyu's turn, Changyun gave each of them four gold ingots and six silver coins, each wrapped in a small, exquisitely embroidered pouch.

The gold and silver ingots were made in the palace; they were beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted. The girls were overjoyed when they received them, even the most composed Chunyu took them to show her mother. They had never imagined that gold and silver could be made into such exquisite ingots, which could be both played with and given as gifts.