Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

After the meal, the old man only told Liu that he was going out to digest his food, and then took Zhang Youjin and the other two to Zhang Youtie's courtyard. Liu and her daughter stayed behind to help clean up the kitchen and dishes at the old house. Changyun also wanted to play with her older brother and Changyuan a little longer, so she played by the old house while waiting to go back with her mother.

While the sisters-in-law were in the kitchen, Liu glanced at her daughter playing with Qiuyu and Dongyu in the yard and asked her two sisters-in-law, "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, do you think the pig intestines we made tonight can be taken to town?"

Upon hearing this, the two people who were washing pots and dishes slowed down their work, pondering Liu's words.

"I think it tastes delicious. If someone sells it and the price isn't too high, I'd be willing to buy it and eat it." These were the words of Wang Shi. However, as soon as she said this, she remembered that she had just pulled Xia Yu aside to ask her how to make the dish. She couldn't help but regret that she had spoken too quickly. If she had known that her third brother's family wanted to make a living from this dish, she wouldn't have asked.

“My sister-in-law and I share the same idea. The taste is good and the cost is not high, so there is a profit in it,” Li said, expressing her thoughts.

Hearing their answers, Madam Liu didn't mince words and directly stated her own thoughts.

"Xiaxia said she wants to teach you how to make braised pig intestines. If you're willing, you can take them to town and sell them for money. Of course, this is just a child's idea. Here's the recipe. You can make it for yourselves or use it to start a business. But I think the children are growing up, and I don't know when the fourth one will finish his studies. It would be good for you to have some money in your hands so you can plan for the children's future."

As soon as Liu finished speaking, Wang was a little stunned and didn't react. She had just been secretly regretting that she had spoken too quickly and asked something she shouldn't have. How come Liu suddenly changed the subject and was going to teach her the recipe?

"Ah...?" The usually straightforward Wang Shi was speechless and couldn't say a word.

A soft chuckle from Li, who was standing nearby, broke Wang's somewhat dazed state. It instantly brought her to her senses, and she understood the meaning behind Liu's words.

Li was unaware of the stories in her sister-in-law's heart; she simply found it amusing to see her sister-in-law's bewildered expression.

"Oh dear, third sister-in-law, I don't know what to say. This is a skill that can be exchanged for money, how can I accept it for nothing!" After saying that, she looked at Li Shi.

"Second sister-in-law, I think this business is worth doing. Would you like to join us?" Hearing Wang ask this, Li lowered her head and thought for a while.

“Sister-in-law, I’m willing, let’s do it together.”

"Okay," Wang said, turning to Liu. "Third sister-in-law, we can't accept this for free; we'll pay for it."

"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? For the past ten years or so, everyone has helped us with the planting season. If we give you a prescription and then charge you, how are my third brother and I supposed to face you afterwards?" As she spoke, Liu's eyes reddened.

“I saw Changsheng’s hands last year, they were covered in blisters. As his aunt, it broke my heart to see them like that, let alone you, his mother. If you had only worked on those thirty acres of land at the old house, without me and Youtie, we wouldn’t have been so tired, and Changsheng wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.” These heartfelt words brought tears to Li’s eyes, and Wang couldn’t hold back her tears as she thought of Changsheng’s hands and back.

"Third sister-in-law, what are you saying? We're all family." She wiped away her tears as she spoke. "Look at me, the older I get, the less valuable my tears are." Liu smiled and handed over her handkerchief, saying, "Eldest sister-in-law, you said it yourself, we're the closest of blood relatives, so let's not talk about money anymore."

The sisters-in-law discussed what to do next, mainly considering the old man and woman. Since the two of them would be doing business, they wouldn't be able to do the housework, and the old woman would definitely complain. Once everything was settled, Liu took her two children back to her own home. After Wang and Li saw Liu off, they agreed to talk to their husbands when they returned that evening, and then went their separate ways.

Old Master Zhang and his son were also working in the fields. They didn't dare light torches in the backyard, afraid the light would attract other villagers. They only lit two lanterns for illumination. The watermelons in the backyard weren't as big as the ones they'd eaten the night before. Old Master Zhang wasn't sure if they were ripe, so they found a smaller one and cut it open to check. Cutting a seven- or eight-pound watermelon was no different from cutting a large one; the moment the knife touched the rind, it cracked open with a snap, revealing the red flesh and black seeds inside. Old Master Zhang said regretfully, "I should have kept it in check. It's so small, yet it's so ripe. It's a pity this watermelon is different from other fruits; you can't tell if it's ripe from the outside." He and his sons then examined the watermelon from all angles.

If Xia Yu were here and heard her grandfather's remark, she would definitely say, "Old man, you're a bit too proud! Actually, a melon weighing seven or eight pounds is probably its true nature."

Seeing that even the smaller melons were ripe, the group didn't hesitate any longer and started picking the largest ones from the yard. They figured they couldn't sell them all by tomorrow, and the smaller ones might still grow a bit bigger on the vines. Because the melon rinds cracked so easily, even though they were being careful, a few still broke, much to Old Master Zhang's dismay. Zhang Youtie said nonchalantly, "Dad, take these broken ones home. Qinghe hasn't had enough; these rotten ones will be enough for her."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Even if we can take them to the old house, we can't take them back today. What are we going to say if they ask us where we got these big watermelons from when we went out? We'll leave them here for now, and tomorrow we'll open up these rotten ones so the buyers will know what they are. If we don't use them all, I'll come back to get them tomorrow night. We'll just say you found them in the county town and bought them."

The three brothers standing nearby were full of admiration when they heard their father say this. Zhang Youtie, in particular, wondered why he hadn't thought to open a few of them and let the buyers see them when they were sold. Since these were already broken, he didn't need to cut them up again. Moreover, his daughter's space was still usable, and they wouldn't break even if they were left inside for several days.

Several people packed the watermelons into large baskets lined with dry straw. Each basket couldn't hold many of the round watermelons, but they were worried about damaging them on the long, bumpy road if they loaded them directly into the cart. Eventually, even filling all five of their largest baskets only yielded a little over forty watermelons. The oxcart couldn't hold any more.

"That's all for now. We'll try it out tomorrow. We don't know if it'll sell well yet. We don't want it all to be broken and unsold," said Grandpa Zhang.

The father and sons sat on small stools in the courtyard to rest. They carried the melons around, examining the patterns on the rinds and patting them to listen to the sound, trying to find a way to tell if the melons were ripe. At this moment, Liu returned with Changyun and Xiaxia. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw several cracked watermelons in the yard and a large basket covered with felt next to the oxcart, realizing that today's work was finished.

Seeing them come in, Zhang Youtie said to Liu Shi, "These melon rinds are too brittle, several are broken. Dad said he'll take them tomorrow so the melon seller can see what the inside of the melon looks like." Hearing Zhang Youtie's words, Liu Shi felt that the old man was very thoughtful. Xia Yu admired him even more.

"We just cut open a small one to check if it was cooked. Go cut it into pieces; we'll have it for dinner tonight," Zhang Youtie instructed Liu.

"Dad, I'll go cut the melon for you," Changyun volunteered. Seeing that his mother agreed, he happily went off.

The father and sons each ate a couple more pieces of watermelon, but not much more. They were still full after their meal, but the vegetables and dumplings had been salty, and they were thirsty from working and sweating. The old man finished his pipe and then took his two eldest sons home. On the way, he told his two sons about planting watermelons next year, mentioning that their youngest son would provide the seeds. The two brothers felt a little guilty towards their younger brother. When they got home, their wives told them about the recipe for braised pork intestines, which their youngest son's wife had given them. The two brothers felt even more that they, as the older brothers, had benefited from their younger brother's kindness.