Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

After dinner, the father and sons chatted for a while longer before Grandpa Zhang got up to go home. Xia Yu quickly stopped him, offering to pick two watermelons for him to take home. Hearing his granddaughter's offer, the old man naturally refused, waving his hand and turning to leave. Xia Yu stepped forward and pulled her grandfather, saying, "Grandpa, these are from our garden. There are many more in the backyard garden; come and see them." These were watermelons the mother and daughters had planned beforehand, wanting the people at the old house to see the produce from their garden.

Liu carried a lantern and walked ahead, with Xia Yu and Chang Yun supporting the slightly tipsy Old Master Zhang, followed by Zhang Youtie and his brothers. Turning the corner, they arrived at the back of the house. By then it was completely dark, and they couldn't see what was in the vegetable garden. Liu held up the lantern and shone it on one spot. The dim light didn't illuminate a large area, but even in that small area, they could see more than a dozen large, round watermelons.

"Wow, these watermelons are growing so well! There are so many watermelons growing in such a small area!" Zhang Youtie was surprised when he saw the watermelons growing in the field.

"Third brother, we don't have this around here. If you ask me, we should take it out and sell it. We can get a lot of money from it."

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Third brother, let's take it out and sell it. It's a rare delicacy, so we can ask for a good price."

Both Zhang Youjin and Zhang Youyin advised their younger brother in this way. Xia Yu, watching from the side, couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This family is truly a rare breed of honest people! They actually speak the truth."

“Your older brothers are right, these are good things, don’t throw them all away. We didn’t finish the one we just cut, we’ll take half back to the old house so everyone can have a taste, that’s enough, don’t pick any more of these. Now we have an oxcart, we’ll pick the ripe ones in the next few days and set off before dawn to sell them in the county town.” As he spoke, he squatted down and rubbed the watermelons in his hands, saying, “I think these aren’t as big as the one we just cut, maybe they haven’t grown enough yet, let them grow for a couple more days.”

After saying that, he whispered to his sons, "None of you brothers should talk about this. Keep the fact that there are watermelons in the third son's yard to yourselves."

After saying that, he whispered a few words to Xia Yu's father alone, but no one else heard what they said. He did agree to let Xia Yu pick a melon for him to take back to the old house, but he only wanted one. No matter how much Zhang Youtie and the others pleaded, he only wanted one. Helpless, Xia Yu could only choose a large melon from the two space melons and have her uncle carry it. That melon weighed about twenty-three or twenty-four pounds. Zhang Youtie originally wanted to drive the old man back in an oxcart, but the old man refused.

Stimulated by the watermelons in Xia Yu's garden, the slightly tipsy group was no longer dizzy. Zhang Youyin carried a lantern in one hand and supported Old Master Zhang with the other, walking ahead. Zhang Youjin followed behind his father and brother, carrying a large melon. The group headed towards the old house. Xia Yu's family stood at the gate watching them until the lanterns disappeared from sight, then turned back, locked the gate, and went inside.

"Dad, what did Grandpa say to you just now?" Xia Yu asked her father as soon as she entered the house.

“Your grandfather said, ‘It’s our good fortune that we can grow this watermelon. This year we can make a lot of money from it, but we also need to be careful of some petty people and not mess with the government. Just keep a low profile and make a fortune.’”

"Dad, I've realized my grandfather is a man of great wisdom," Xia Yu truly thought. How many people throughout history have truly managed to "make a fortune in silence"? People love to return home in glory, wanting everyone to know they've become successful; after all, who wants to hide their wealth in the dark? Their family is currently powerless and without any backing, so no matter how much money they earn, they have to keep a low profile. If her fourth uncle could pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar…

"Her father, you must remember what your father said. Bringing back the oxcart today was a bit too conspicuous. But luckily, we have several dozen acres of fertile land. If it weren't for the tight budget of supporting her fourth uncle's schooling, we would have bought the oxcart long ago. Just do as your father said, from now on, when we go out to sell melons, we'll leave before dawn and come back at night. We'll try our best not to run into anyone in the village." Hearing her father-in-law's instructions to her husband, Liu understood what the old man was worried about. As the saying goes, "A prefect can destroy a family, a magistrate can ruin a household," she was also afraid that some officials would take a liking to what she had grown.

"I understand, wife. Father just told me that too." Zhang Youtie's mention of "wife" immediately made Liu blush.

"You're being cheeky in front of the kids, having just a couple of drinks. See if you're even acting like a father anymore," he said, throwing the handkerchief he had just washed, which he had prepared for Zhang Youtie to wipe his face, at him.

"Hehe..." Zhang Youtie wasn't angry at all. He chuckled and picked up a handkerchief to wipe his face a few times.

Seeing the sweet atmosphere between her parents, Xia Yu didn't want to interrupt, but she still had to ask, "Dad, are you still going to eat the watermelon on the small table? If not, I'll put it away."

"Eat, don't put it away yet, I haven't eaten enough. Your grandpa and the others said they wouldn't eat anymore and wanted to save it for you to eat slowly, so I was too embarrassed to eat anymore. Changyun, Xiaxia, and her mother, eat some more with me."

"I'm not eating anymore, I'll be too full if I eat any more," said Madam Liu, waving her hand.

"I'm not eating anymore, I ate too much just now. Let my brother eat with you."

Changyun was already full, but he felt he could still have a little more to spare. He sat down at the table and ate another piece of melon.

Back at the old house, carrying a watermelon weighing over twenty pounds was no easy task, mainly because these things were so round. If you asked Zhang Youjin and the others to carry sacks of grain weighing dozens of pounds, that would be a piece of cake. But these round watermelons were difficult to carry. After walking more than halfway, Zhang Youjin felt his arms getting sore and heavy. He had no choice but to call out to his second brother, who was walking ahead, and ask him to carry it for a while.

"Big brother, you can't even lift something that weighs about twenty pounds? Just watch me." Zhang Youyin teased as he took the watermelon from his brother. Zhang Youjin rubbed his sore arms and ignored him. He'd find out soon enough.

Zhang Youjin stepped forward to help his father carry the lantern. When they returned to the old house, his mother, Liu, opened the door. Everyone else had gone back to their rooms. Seeing them return and smelling the alcohol on them, she couldn't help but grumble, "Go check on the third son's oxcart. Why is it still there? They're eating and drinking so much. The third son's family lives alone. Don't you fathers and brothers know how to care for them?"

After saying that, he noticed something Zhang Youyin was holding behind him and asked curiously, "What is this? Did Third Brother give it to you?"

"Mom, stop talking and let me in. My arm is killing me, it's so heavy and slippery, I'm afraid I'll fall." Zhang Youyin couldn't help but speak up when he saw his mother standing at the door, not moving aside. His arm had been aching earlier, but remembering what he had said about his older brother, he had bitten his lip and dared not utter a sound. Now that they were finally at the door, his mother was still blocking the entrance and nagging. If she kept nagging, the watermelon would fall.