Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

After being chased out of the house by her father, Zhang Qinghe walked around the yard, then turned and headed towards her second brother Zhang Youyin's house, calling out "Second brother, second brother" without stopping for a moment, and pushed the door open and went in.

The group of people who were eating melons heard her voice, and before they could even get off the kang (a heated brick bed), she had already entered the room.

As soon as she entered the room, her eyes fell on the kang table. Seeing the melon in the basin, she reached out to grab it without saying a word. "Hey, hey, what are you doing? Didn't Mom and Dad leave you a basin of melons in their room? Why are you coming into our room to steal our food?" Zhang Youyin saw his sister's actions and reached out to stop her from taking the melon.

"I only ate a few pieces before Dad stopped me from eating anymore, saying he had something to say to Mom, and then he let me out." Zhang Qinghe was very dissatisfied with her second brother's actions.

"There's a reason why I won't let you eat. Look at your waist, it's as thick as a barrel, doesn't it look like a girl's?" Saying this, she pulled Qiu Yu, who was standing next to her, in front of her: "And look at your niece, she's so thin from hunger, and you still have the nerve to come to our room and steal your niece's food?"

When Li Shi first married into the family, whenever she heard Zhang Youyin complain about her sister-in-law's thick waist and plump figure, she would comfort her. However, she later discovered that her sister-in-law, spoiled by her mother-in-law, showed no respect for her sisters-in-law. Except for her fourth brother, who was still studying, no one else caught her eye. She was lazy, greedy, and lacked manners. Li Shi stopped interfering in their sibling rivalry and let them talk. No matter how harshly Zhang Youyin spoke to her, she still treated him with affection. Zhang Qinghe didn't call her sister-in-law, and Zhang Youyin never spoke up for her.

"Hey, Qiu Yu's hair tie is so pretty!" He reached out and untied the hair tie from Qiu Yu's head, examining it closely. "Hey, it's made of silk! Second Brother, I like it, give it to me!"

"Why would your niece tell me that? If you want to know, ask Qiuyu." Zhang Youyin waved his hand dismissively.

To everyone's surprise, Zhang Qinghe acted as if she hadn't heard anything, grabbed the hair tie, and walked out, refusing to eat the watermelon.

"Auntie, that's my hair tie," a timid voice sounded behind Zhang Qinghe. However, Zhang Qinghe seemed not to hear it, and simply took the hair tie and went out, completely ignoring Qiu Yu.

"Mother, Auntie is taking my things again!" Qiu Yu turned to Li Shi, who was holding Dong Yu, her eyes filled with tears that were about to spill, but she held back from letting them fall.

"It's just a hair tie, right? I'll ask your mother to make you another one. Don't cry, or you'll look like a cat soon," Zhang Youyin coaxed Qiuyu, wiping her tears with his large hands.

"Come here, Mother," Li Shi said, placing Dongyu on the kang (heated brick bed) and pulling Qiuyu into her arms. As soon as Qiuyu was close to her mother, the tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her face. Li Shi gently wiped Qiuyu's face with a handkerchief. "Qiu'er, don't cry. That's your aunt. If she took it, she took it. Mother will make you an even better one. But remember, next time you wear something nice, stay away from your aunt. Or be clever and run away before she can take it. I doubt she, as an aunt, would be too embarrassed to chase after her niece and snatch things." Li Shi spoke gently to her daughter, but the words she said...

"Ahem, what kind of teaching are you giving your daughter? Qinghe is her elder after all. How can you teach a child like this?" Zhang Youyin couldn't stand it anymore when he heard his wife teaching their daughter like this. After all, she was his own sister. Although she was a bit greedy and lazy, it wasn't a big problem.

“You know she’s an elder, right? Does she act like one? She’s always taking things from her niece. You rarely see an aunt like that,” Li retorted, though her tone remained gentle. Zhang Youyin knew she was in the wrong. Seeing her two daughters nestled in Li’s arms and no longer clinging to her, she stood up and said to the mother and children, “Remember to finish these melons. They spoil quickly.” Then she left.

Just as he stepped outside, he bumped into his father, who was also coming out of the house. Zhang Youyin quickly called out, "Dad!" The old man grunted a sullen "Hmm" and walked out of the yard with his hands behind his back. Zhang Youyin was puzzled by his father's dark face. What was wrong with him today? He was all happy when he came back from his third brother's house yesterday. Why was he still angry from this morning until now? Who was he angry with?

Li found it amusing to see her husband standing there, bewildered and seemingly oblivious to the legal trouble that had transpired. She figured that besides the children, only that simpleton outside knew what was going on in the whole courtyard. And yet, the one who caused the trouble acted as if nothing had happened.

Grandpa Zhang left his house, lost in thought, and walked slowly. Before he knew it, he had arrived at Xia Yu's house. Several people were having dinner in the main room. Zhang Youtie was sitting facing the door and was the first to see them. He quickly stood up to greet them, with Liu Shi and their two children following behind him.

"Dad, have you had breakfast? We've just started eating, please have some here."

"I'll eat, you guys eat. I just want to see the watermelons you grow in your backyard again." After saying that, she waved to her son and daughter-in-law, "Go eat, don't worry about me." Then she went to the backyard on her own.

Everyone could tell that the old man was not in a good mood. Zhang Youtie told Liu to take the children to eat, while he went to the dining table, took a steamed bun, put some radish and pickled vegetables in it, and went to the backyard to find the old man.

This time, coming to the backyard again, they could finally see the whole picture. The small yard was densely covered with watermelon vines, some even climbing up the yard wall. The watermelons were countless; a rough look revealed that a single vine could support at least a dozen watermelons, some big and some small. The larger ones were about the same size as the ones they had eaten yesterday, while the smaller ones were only about the size of a bowl. Zhang Youtie, standing next to his father, was so shocked by the scene before him that his mouth gaped open, and the crumbs of steamed bun he hadn't swallowed fell out. Zhang Youtie instinctively caught them with his hand, and looking down, he realized it was the half-chewed steamed bun in his mouth. He glanced at his father, noticing that his father wasn't looking at him. Thinking it would be a waste to throw it away, and since it was from his own mouth and not dirty, he put the bun back in his mouth and ate it.

Seeing the round watermelons, Grandpa Zhang's mood, which had been gloomy all morning, brightened up. As a farmer, he was always happy to see a bountiful harvest.

"Third son, can we save this melon for seeds?" Old Master Zhang asked.

"It should work. I haven't tried it yet, but we should still have some seeds left from this year's purchase. Dad, if you want them, I'll go get them for you."

"I'll pass on this year. It's probably too late to plant them now. If I can save these melons for seeds, I'd like to plant some next year."

“That works too. Next year, our family can plant a few more acres of watermelons and make more money. Then, we'll have enough money for our fourth brother's schooling.”

Hearing his third son speak his mind, the old man felt somewhat guilty.