Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

The next day, around dawn, Liu woke Jinghe up. When Jinghe got dressed and came out of her room, she found her aunts were already waiting in the courtyard with the things they wanted to sell. Her older brother and mother were also ready; her brother was carrying a basket, and Liu was carrying a basket filled with eggs that the family had collected over the past few days. Jinghe greeted her two aunts shyly and then quickly washed up.

Carrying their small baskets filled with herbs, the group set off towards the town. After walking about two miles, when Jinghe felt her legs getting tired, they stopped at an intersection, placing their belongings on the ground. Jinghe, somewhat puzzled, quietly asked her older brother why. It turned out that oxcarts from the neighboring Li family village would pass through here on their way to the town, and the villagers usually waited at this spot to catch one.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a lantern could be seen swaying in the distance. As it drew closer, it became clear it was an oxcart carrying people, with two women already seated on it, each carrying a basket. Seeing the group, the driver greeted Liu and her sisters-in-law with a smile: "Sisters-in-law of the Zhang family, are you going to town together today?" As he spoke, he jumped off the oxcart and helped Liu and her sisters-in-law load their baskets onto it. Aunt Wang and Aunt Li each gave the driver two coins, while his mother gave him four. The driver, after checking his money, took out two more coins and offered them to Liu, saying, "Sister-in-law Zhang, you're too kind. The children don't need money." Liu insisted on refusing, saying she had two children with her and insisted the driver accept the money. Seeing Liu's insistence, the driver didn't refuse further and took the money.

After about thirty minutes in the oxcart, the number of people on the road gradually increased. After another five or six minutes, Jinghe could vaguely see neat houses and streets. There were no city walls or gates like those seen in TV dramas from her previous life, which probably meant it wasn't a high-level town. Besides, although there were mountains here, this town was neither located in a canyon nor a military stronghold; it was just a simple market town, so there was absolutely no need to build city walls.

Several oxcarts were parked by the elm trees along the roadside. The driver of the oxcart that Jinghe and her companions were riding in also stopped his cart. "This must be an ancient station," Jinghe thought to herself. After parking the oxcart, the driver said to the passengers, "Ladies, we'll be heading back around 3 PM. Please be mindful of the time when you're on your business."

The sisters-in-law greeted Jing and her brother and sister, helping them collect their belongings and get off the oxcart.

It was only the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and although it wasn't yet dawn, the road was already visible. Jinghe and her brother followed several adults to their usual spot where they sold eggs. There were already people setting up stalls there. This area was mostly filled with vendors selling vegetables, meat, and live chickens and ducks, while across the street were various breakfast stalls. A large pot was bubbling and steaming on the stove, adding a touch of warmth to the still chilly morning. Smelling the aroma, Jinghe felt a little hungry, but since their business hadn't started yet, she didn't want to spend money on anything.

As if knowing her daughter's thoughts, Madam Liu reached out and placed five coins in her hand, saying, "Go for a stroll with your brother. It's been a long time since you've been here. Buy whatever you want to eat, and don't forget to bring the change back." Looking at the money in her hand, Jinghe asked Madam Liu, "Where are you and your aunt? You haven't had breakfast either."

Before Liu could answer, her aunt, Wang, said with a smile, "You and your brother can play all you want. We can't let ourselves go hungry. There are food stalls across the street when we get hungry. Go play!" Her second aunt, standing beside them, also looked tenderly at the siblings and said, "Go on, Changyun, keep an eye on Xiaxia. Remember to come back early after you're done."

The brother and sister happily took the money and went shopping. Many shops on the street weren't open yet, so they browsed the various stalls. Not far from them were stalls selling velvet flowers, rouge, and hair oil; others selling handmade shoes, woven baskets, and needles and thread. They quickly looked around, but either they couldn't afford it or they didn't like it. After a quick look, Jinghe pulled Changyun to the breakfast stalls. Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, fried dough cakes, steamed bread, sesame flatbread, spicy soup, tofu pudding, and bean curd soup—the aroma made Jinghe's mouth water. All of it was carbs that made her feel good, but now that she was so slim, she didn't need to diet and could eat whatever she wanted without worrying about calories… well… she had to worry about the money!

Two coins for steamed buns, one coin for sesame cakes, two steamed breads for one coin… Jinghe silently calculated in her mind and asked Changyun: Brother, what do you want to eat? He had been listening in when she asked about the prices earlier.

Changyun lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's buy five sesame cakes. One for each of us—mother, the others, and one for father. Mother and Auntie brought pickled vegetables and water with them when they left."

"Okay, bro, let's buy some sesame seed cakes."

The brother and sister went to the pancake stall, picked out five freshly baked, hot pancakes, and asked the vendor to wrap them in oil paper. After paying, they quickly ran back to their mother's egg stall. By this time, the street was gradually filling up with people; some were out for breakfast, while others were carrying baskets to buy groceries. When Jing and the siblings returned, two women were selecting eggs at their stall.

Jinghe handed the sesame cakes she had brought back to Wang and Li, who were startled by the sudden appearance of the cakes before they even noticed her return. Turning around and seeing the siblings, their smiles spread before they could even speak. Wang said, "These two children, the older they get, the more filial they become. We brought some steamed buns with us this morning, you two can have them."

Over there, Liu, who had just sold twenty eggs, saw the situation and smiled at her two sisters-in-law, saying: "Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, this is a gift from our child. Please take it and eat it. Don't be so polite!"

Seeing Liu's words, and remembering the close relationship among the sisters-in-law, the two sisters-in-law both reached out and took the sesame cakes from Jinghe's hands. Wang, with her straightforward personality, jokingly said to Jinghe while holding the sesame cakes, "Then we aunties are benefiting from our nephews and nieces today." Li didn't say anything, but her expression was also very pleased.

Jinghe rolled the pickled vegetables her mother had brought into a pancake and ate it with water, enjoying it immensely, as it was the first time she had eaten white flour in so many days. By then, it was broad daylight, and the streets were bustling with activity as vendors began hawking their wares. Liu Shi ate a pancake until it was cold, but she still hadn't finished it. Every now and then, someone would come to pick out eggs, but not many—at most ten, some two or three, others five or six. Wang Shi and Li Shi were doing the same. Seeing that the eggs she had brought might take a while to sell, Jinghe discussed with Liu Shi that she wanted to go to the clinic with her brother to sell the herbs she had dug.