Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The three cargo ships sailed to a dock a hundred miles away. Ding Chengxin and the ship's helmsmen all disembarked, and new helmsmen and sailors boarded. They set sail again, but Ding Chengxin had no idea where they were headed.

The days passed in a lively atmosphere, and before they knew it, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Early in the morning, Liu got up and started busying herself. To be precise, she was busy preparing for her younger sister.

"Sister, I don't want to go." Liu Xiaocui was very reluctant to go to the temple fair at Guanyin Temple. She was afraid of running into the Hu family there.

"No, I've already made plans with my sister-in-law, you have to come with me. Changyun is about to start his year, and I need to go and pray for his safety and well-being." Liu said while choosing clothes for her sister. This wasn't a lie; Li Taifu had said the same thing during dinner on New Year's Eve.

Liu Xiaocui, who had initially intended to refuse, heard that her nephew was about to take an exam. Although she didn't want to see the Hu family, she thought of Changyun and obediently put on the clothes that Liu Shi had chosen for her. She sat in front of the dressing table and let the maid apply makeup to her face.

Finally, Liu helped her sister put on the jewelry that had been prepared beforehand, and on top of that, she wore a fox fur cloak that Xia Yu had made for them in the capital.

After everything was tidied up, Madam Liu looked her up and down again, then nodded in satisfaction.

After a simple breakfast, Madam Liu, along with her sister, Xia Yu, and several maids, set off in two carriages towards the Guanyin Temple.

The carriage wasn't moving slowly, but it still took them more than an hour to reach the Guanyin Temple area. The temple fair had been going on for several days, and there were a lot of people. Nowadays, carriages certainly couldn't go up the mountain, and since they were still quite a distance from the foot of the mountain, the group got off the carriage and walked forward.

There were many stalls along the roadside, selling incense and candles, handicrafts, food, and tea. Xia Yu even saw someone making sugar paintings. Liu Xiaocui wanted to stop and look at the items, but Liu Shi pulled her away.

"We'll see when we get back. Let's get up the mountain and take care of our business first."

"..." Liu Xiaocui only thought that her sister was in a hurry to go up the mountain to pray for her nephew's safety and well-being, and did not think of anything else. She put down the pretty box she had just picked up and followed Liu Shi.

As they weaved through the crowded tourists, the maids and Aunt Ma who had come with them tightly protected their mistresses, afraid that they might be bumped into.

Having finally reached the foot of the mountain, Xia Yu looked at the endless stone steps and felt a headache coming on. Heaven knows that walking on stone steps was her biggest fear; if she could, she could leap three steps at a time. But following her mother's example was definitely not going to work. She had to slowly incline up one step at a time, a slow pace that made her anxious.

After walking for about half an hour, they finally saw the gate of the Guanyin Temple. Xia Yu looked at her aunt and saw that her forehead was slightly sweaty, her face was slightly flushed, and she was being helped by a maid to lean against the railing of the stone steps, panting.

"Mother, where is Aunt?" Xia Yu asked softly, looking at Liu Shi, who was also slightly out of breath.

"I don't know. They live closer to us, so they should be inside by now." Madam Liu glanced at the sky and estimated the time.

"Auntie, shall we go in?" Xia Yu called out to Liu Xiaocui, who was not far away.

"Okay," Liu Xiaocui's breathing was still a little unsteady.

Looking at Xia Yu and her two maids, who remained expressionless, Liu Xiaocui asked with a smile.

"Xiaxia, aren't you tired? Sister, look at these girls, they've climbed so high and they're acting like nothing's wrong."

“They exercise for an hour every morning, so this is nothing to them,” Liu said with a smile, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Then I should go back and practice with them too, so I won't be out of breath after just a few steps."

Xia Yu watched her aunt's smile from the side and thought to herself...

'I should have brought my aunt out sooner; the worry on her face from a few days ago is no longer visible.'

After resting for a while, the group tidied up their makeup and made sure their faces were free of blemishes before heading into the temple.

As soon as I entered the temple gate, a little novice monk, about five or six years old, walked towards me. He had three ordination scars on his chubby, round head.

"Amitabha Buddha, have you come to offer incense, benefactor?"

The young novice monk asked, "Because of the temple fair, some guests are just visiting the temple for a short while."

"Little monk, I've come to pray for my son's safety and well-being," Liu said with a smile to the young novice monk, explaining her purpose for coming.

"Oh, please follow me, benefactor." The young novice monk earnestly led the way, mimicking the way his senior monks usually spoke.

"Little master, you're amazing! You're so young and you're already a guest master. You have a bright future!" Xia Yu couldn't help but tease the small figure in front of her.

Upon hearing Xia Yu's words, the young novice monk's face turned red, not only his face but also his neck and ears. In Xia Yu's eyes, he looked like a boiled shrimp.

"You flatter me, benefactor. I... I... there were too many worshippers at the temple today, and my uncles were too busy to handle them all, so they asked me to help out." The young novice monk, though shy, stopped and turned to explain earnestly to Madam Liu.

"Oh my, he's so cute!" Xia Yu couldn't help but praise him when she saw his rosy cheeks, and even reached out to pinch his little face.

"Ah? Benefactor, men and women should not touch each other." The little monk was startled when Xia Yu pinched his face and quickly backed away, almost falling to the ground with a thud.

"Xiaxia, you mustn't be rude to the young master." Seeing that her daughter had frightened the young master so much that he almost fell over, Madam Liu quickly spoke up to stop her.

"Here, let me give you some candy." Xia Yu stretched out her hand, with a few pieces of candy lying in her palm.

The young novice monk looked at the candy in Xia Yu's hand and couldn't help but slurp his saliva.

“Benefactor, the abbot forbids us from eating sweets, as they will rot our teeth.”

Xia Yu was amused by his greedy look, so she took his hand and placed the candy in his palm.

"Here, I'll tell you a way to eat candy without getting your teeth rot," Xia Yu whispered.

Upon hearing Xia Yu's words, the young novice monk's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly moved closer to Xia Yu, trying to hear her words clearly.

"Brushing your teeth after eating sweets will prevent cavities!"

"Huh? Is it that simple?" The little novice monk stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Seeing Xia Yu nod firmly, he happily put the candy into his sleeve. Although happy, he hadn't forgotten his mission. He dutifully led Xia Yu and the others into the main hall, then addressed the presiding monk inside.

“Uncle Master, these benefactors wish to pray for peace and blessings.”

"Hmm..." The monk only hummed softly in response to the novice's words, without opening his closed eyes, and continued striking the wooden fish with his hands without stopping.