Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Liu Dazhuang looked at Gao Shi, but saw that she had no reaction at all and was vigorously sweeping the dust off the table with a broom.

As the lights came on and voices were heard in the yard, the neighbors on the other side were drawn out to check. This inevitably led to some pleasantries. Finally, someone notified Uncle Zhang Haoran's family. Just as they were finishing cleaning one of the rooms, Uncle Zhang arrived with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.

"Sister-in-law, why didn't you send a message before you came back? I could have cleaned up your yard." Aunt Zhang glanced at the several large boxes in the room, her eyes darting around, before speaking warmly to Madam Gao.

"Hey, we were in such a rush to get back. Hao'er just went on a mission for a few months. The second night after we got home, he told me to pack my bags so we could go home for the New Year. Before I could even finish packing, the Emperor's decree came down, and he assigned Hao'er some official duties. We set off from the capital by boat that very afternoon. How could we have had time to send you any messages?"

Madam Gao knew her sister-in-law was always looking to take advantage of others. She'd just seen her eyeing the boxes in the room, and knew she was up to her old tricks again. So, without any pretense of modesty, she directly stated why she and her son had returned: they were there on imperial orders. Let's see if she dares to try anything funny again.

"Oh my, Hao'er's really made it big these days, he's even receiving imperial edicts from the Emperor!" Aunt Zhang first offered a couple of incoherent compliments after hearing her sister-in-law's words, then looked at Zhang Haoran and said...

"Hao'er, your two brothers are useless. Now that you've made it big, you should help your two good-for-nothing brothers out."

"Don't you know what time it is? You're here and you're not even helping with the work? What are you doing saying all this nonsense? Now that Hao'er has made it big, do you think he'll forget his brother? You're just worrying about nothing." Uncle Zhang waited until his wife finished speaking before scolding her.

The people in the house weren't fools; they could naturally understand the underlying meaning in the couple's words. Tian Maisui, disapproving of her behavior, directly shoved the rag she was holding into Aunt Zhang's hands, smiling as she said...

"Auntie, please hurry up and help tidy up the house. Even if you're raising a brother, he needs a place to live, right?"

Suddenly, a cold, damp rag was shoved into her hand. Aunt Zhang's first instinct was to throw it away, but thankfully, she was still thinking straight. She endured the disgust in her hand and forced a smile.

"That's right. As soon as his uncle heard that his sister-in-law and nephew were back, he didn't even have time to eat before dragging us over to help. It's just that we felt a little closer to Qinxiang and we talked a bit more when we met earlier, didn't we?"

“I think that’s why too. Auntie, hurry up and get to work. The kang still needs wiping, and the table hasn’t been wiped yet! Zhang brothers, go to my yard and get some firewood to heat the kang first.” Tian Maisui directly instructed the people standing in the house.

After saying that, he looked at the two wives of the Zhang brothers and smiled.

“The room next door hasn’t been cleaned yet, so you two sisters-in-law can go over there and get started. Brother Haoran is a high-ranking official in the capital now; we can’t let him do these things himself!” After saying that, he turned to the other villagers standing in the courtyard.

"If you're free right now, please help Aunt Zhang tidy up her house, otherwise it'll be freezing in here!"

After listening to Tian Maisui's words, they consciously found tools and started working in the yard and house. Everyone was used to working, so they didn't need to be told what to do.

The two wives, who were initially reluctant, instantly snapped out of their daze when they heard Tian Maisui mention the high-ranking official in the capital.

Based on the mother-in-law's usual comments about this aunt, they didn't think the two had a good relationship. If they wanted to get some benefits for their husbands, they should try to curry favor with this aunt.

“Okay, no problem. Leave the house over there to us, we’ll make sure it’s clean. Aunt and brother must be tired from their long journey, so don’t do anything else, just rest. We’ll take care of things here.” Zhang Dabo’s eldest daughter-in-law was a smooth talker, and after thinking it over, she happily agreed, and her words were quite eloquent.

Aunt Zhang pursed her lips unhappily when she heard what her daughter-in-law said, but she couldn't say anything at the moment. She just deliberately slammed and smashed the table while wiping it, so that everyone in the room could see her displeasure.

With many people working together, the work was done quickly. In just one hour, the house was cleaned and the kang (heated brick bed) was lit. Although it was still a bit damp, the house was much warmer than when we first entered, no longer as cold as it had been when we first came in.

After the house was cleaned, the other villagers exchanged a few simple greetings with Gao and her son before going home. Several older women invited the mother and son to stay at their house for the night, but Gao politely declined with a smile.

At this time, only the Zhang family members remained in the house; Liu Dazhuang and his wife had left sometime earlier.

Aunt Zhang rubbed her aching back and said to Madam Gao...

"Sister-in-law, at this crucial moment, we still have to rely on our own family. That Liu family's daughter-in-law spoke nicely, but she only worked for a short while before running away."

Gao refused to respond, turning her back to her as she opened the trunk and carried the bedding out. Mai Sui was a child she'd watched grow up; she knew Mai Sui's temperament perfectly well. Why would her sister-in-law try to sow discord in front of her?

Originally, when Aunt Zhang saw her sister-in-law opening the chest and taking things out, she craned her neck to see what good things were inside. But instead, she saw her sister-in-law take out two quilts, which looked used. She couldn't help but curl her lip, thinking, "What good things could possibly be worth bringing all the way from the capital?"

"Sister-in-law, why did you bring all these old quilts back with you? They're so heavy!"

"We can't leave it behind, there's nothing here. If we don't bring it, we'll have to borrow some bedding from your house. Don't you think so, sister-in-law?"

Hearing Gao's explanation, Aunt Zhang smiled and said

"We have everything at home, just come and get it."

She spoke sweetly to his face, but inwardly she thought, 'He's an official, after all. He can't buy this with money, yet he has the nerve to borrow bedding from my house! Humph!'

"Auntie, what items need to be taken out of the boxes and put away? We can help," Zhang's two daughters-in-law asked, after washing their hands and returning to the room to look at the boxes scattered throughout.

"No need, those things are all small pieces, I'll sort them out slowly. You must be tired after working for so long just now?" Madam Gao smiled kindly at her two nieces-in-law.

"Not tired at all, I'm just used to doing it at home."

"..."

Several people sat inside the house watching Gao work and talking to her. In another room, Zhang's eldest uncle and his two sons were also chatting with Zhang Haoran.

The Gao family had not yet eaten dinner when they returned, but it seemed that all the relatives in the house had forgotten about it.

"Auntie, I've cooked some porridge for you, and here are a few flatbreads too. Come and have some!" Tian Maisui's voice came from the courtyard outside. She was carrying an earthenware pot with two bowls on it. Liu Dazhuang followed behind, carrying a covered tray with a clean steaming cloth draped over it.

"Thank you, Mai Sui! It's so kind of you to think of me. I was feeling a bit hungry earlier," Gao said to the head farmer, completely ignoring the expressions on Zhang Bo Niang's and her two daughters-in-law's faces. Then, standing at the door, she called out to another room.

"Hao'er, come and eat. Your brother Zhuang and sister-in-law have cooked some hot porridge and brought it over."

"Yes, Mom, I'm coming right now," Zhang Haoran replied to his mother. He then turned to look at his uncle and two cousins.

"Uncle, eldest brother, second brother, shall we eat some more here?"

"Uh, no need, no need. I thought you had eaten before coming back. If I had known you hadn't eaten, I would have asked your aunt to stew a chicken for you." Uncle Zhang finally felt a little embarrassed and said awkwardly.

Hearing her brother-in-law's words, Gao, who was still at the door, smirked and gave a sarcastic smile.