Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

On the day of the spring banquet, Madam Liu, along with Xia Yu and several maids, went to the old house to pick up Qiu Yu and Dong Yu. Nowadays, each of the girls in the old house has a maidservant by her side. With improved family conditions, which family wouldn't want to pamper their daughters?

"Madam, watch your step." The old woman who was greeting guests at the entrance of the Shen residence helped Madam Liu down from the carriage.

"My wife was just wondering when you and the young ladies would arrive, and here you are, just in time."

"Mama Jin, your wife is really willing to put you through this hard work today?" Madam Liu said with a smile to the old woman who was helping her.

“In the past, Madam was considerate of this old servant and only allowed me to serve inside. But today, all the guests are distinguished guests, and Madam was afraid that the young maids would be too clumsy to serve them properly, so she sent this old servant out,” Mama Jin replied with a smile.

Just as Madam Liu was about to say something more to her, she heard a sound coming from the steps.

"Sister, you've finally arrived! I was just talking to the ladies about it. It should have been time for you to come. If you hadn't come soon, I would have sent someone out of the city to welcome you." Madam Shen quickly came down the steps and affectionately shook Liu's hand.

"Greetings, Aunt Shen!" Several girls had already been instructed by Madam Liu on the way here that they should no longer call her "Grandma" but "Auntie."

"Okay, sure." She replied, her eyes quickly scanning the girls. They were all wearing brocade cloaks lined with thin cotton, though the colors and patterns differed slightly. Xia Yu and Qiu Yu had their hair styled in cross-shaped buns; Xia Yu wore a gold and coral-inlaid embroidered headdress, secured with a flower hairpin on each side. Qiu Yu's hairstyle was similar to Xia Yu's, except for the style of her hairpins. Dong Yu, being younger, wore her hair in two small buns, adorned with pink velvet flowers.

"Tsk tsk, little sister, it's only been a short time! Your daughters have grown even more beautiful!" Madam Shen couldn't help but praise them when she saw their faces.

"I can only be considered not ugly, not nearly as good as you say, sister," Liu said modestly with a smile.

"You're being far too modest. If this isn't even considered pretty, what about those who are only a 5 out of 10? You deserve a beating!" As she spoke, she slapped Liu's hand.

The three girls stood there watching the two elders chat and laugh, very dignified.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk. There are quite a few little girls here, you can play together in a bit. I've also prepared kites, you sisters can fly kites in the garden later." Madam Shen's last few words were spoken to the three girls.

Surrounded by a group of maids and servants, the group entered the Shen family's courtyard.

When they entered the flower hall, there were already many ladies and young women present. Upon seeing them enter, they all rose and bowed. The highest-ranking person present was Madam Shen, because she had a son who held the official position of Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. Second was Madam Liu, whose husband was a fourth-rank viscount. Third was Xia Yu, whose title of "County Lady" was not high, but it was an honor bestowed by the imperial court. Then came the wives of the magistrate and the assistant magistrate of Ming'an County.

After having tea in the flower hall for a while, Madam Shen led everyone to the Shen family's garden. Because the weather was still chilly despite the changing temperatures, the Shen family had erected large heated pavilions in the garden, with seating arranged inside. The seats were covered with fur cushions and equipped with heaters—a truly thoughtful touch. The pavilions were instantly warm and cozy, filled with the feeling of spring.

Many of the young ladies took off their outer cloaks and played with their newly acquainted friends. They painted, played chess, arranged flowers, played pitch-pot, swung on swings, and so on.

The ladies sat together, sipping tea, chatting, and gossiping about everyday matters, watching the young women play. Those ladies with nephews or nieces of marriageable age took the opportunity to observe the girls in the garden closely. They secretly noted down any girls who seemed promising, planning to inquire about them later.

"Second sister, let's go fly a kite?" Dongyu said to Xiayu. She had just played on the swing and her face was flushed with excitement.

Xia Yu turned her head to look at the various kites hanging on the branches and readily agreed.

“Okay, I want to play this too. But we can’t fly kites here. Go put on your cloak and we’ll go outside the greenhouse to fly them.”

"it is good"

"Dongyu, go call your sister and ask her if she's going or not," Xiayu instructed Dongyu, who was about to run off.

"Okay, I know!" With that, she dashed off to Qiuyu.

When Dongyu returned, she was followed not only by Qiuyu, but also by the young ladies from several other households.

"Lord, we heard you're going to fly a kite, and we'd like to go with you," a young lady said, bowing to Xia Yu.

“Great! It’s more lively with more people. Let’s have a competition to see whose kite flies the highest,” Xia Yu readily agreed.

Hearing Xia Yu say this, the girls cheered and ran off to choose their favorite kites. Xia Yu held the red dragonfly kite she had already selected, waiting for them to choose.

In the end, Qiuyu chose a kite with a soft-winged mantis design, while Dongyu chose one with a crane design. Some young ladies chose kites with portraits of beautiful women, while others chose kites with swallows.

"Put on your cloaks before you go. It's still a bit chilly, be careful not to catch a cold," Madam Shen said hurriedly as she watched the girls run out of the shed without wearing their outer clothes.

However, the maids were too excited and ran off chasing each other, so they didn't hear what Madam Shen said.

"Quickly, you girls, hurry up and take the clothes and follow them. Put the cloaks on the young ladies so they don't catch a cold." Upon hearing Madam Shen's words, the maids of the young ladies quickly grabbed the clothes and chased after them.

Madam Shen then instructed her head maid.

"Go and prepare some clean handkerchiefs, and take a few maids with you to carefully serve the young ladies. Make sure to wipe away their sweat promptly. It's windy in the garden, and it wouldn't be good if they got chilled by the wind."

"Yes"

The girl bowed and turned to leave.