Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

It turns out that an old scholar used to rent a place in their alley. The old man had a good relationship with him, and he would often invite him over to have a couple of drinks with the old man when he cooked something delicious.

When Pork Dragon's wife gave birth to their first child, the old scholar named him, saying it had a good meaning. However, neither the old lady nor Mrs. Li could explain why; they couldn't understand the scholar's words, but they knew it meant good. A few years later, when their second child was born, the old scholar had long since moved away. The entire family combined couldn't even read a handful of characters, so naturally, they couldn't think of a name with a good meaning. In the end, Pork Dragon made the final decision, naming the child Xingche, after Xingzhou (行舟, meaning boat). He said one runs in the river, and the other runs on land; since Xingzhou had a good meaning, Xingche must have a good one too.

Hearing Li explain the origin of Zhang Xingche's name, Xia Yu almost laughed, but looking at Zhang Xingche beside her, who was happily eating and completely unaware of the problem with his name, she suddenly felt sorry for the child. If this child had the opportunity to go to school in the future, she wondered if his name would cause him unnecessary trouble.

But on second thought, this name is much better than the names of the village's "dog" generation, such as Gouwa, Goudan, and Ergou.

The men at the table naturally overheard the women's conversation, especially the woman telling her brother and sister-in-law about naming her son. Pork Dragon, quite pleased with himself, pulled Zhang Youtie aside and asked...

"Brother, isn't the name you chose great? Doesn't it have a good meaning?"

Actually, Pork Dragon was just trying to put Zhang Youtie in a difficult position. Like Liu Shi, he was illiterate; he couldn't recognize a single character. How could he know whether a name had a good or bad meaning? But he still answered honestly.

“I think what you said makes sense, brother. The names of the boats were all chosen by scholars who said they had good meanings, so it must be true. Boats travel on rivers, and carriages travel on roads. If we follow this logic, the names of the carriages must also have good meanings.”

Liu and Changyun nodded in agreement, which made Zhu Roulong even happier.

The meal was a pleasure for both host and guests.

After the meal, with the witnesses of both families, Zhu Roulong and Zhang Youtie officially became sworn brothers, and Xia Yu's family and Zhu Roulong's family were officially recognized as relatives.

After the ceremony, the two families chatted for a while, and then Zhang Youtie said he was going to take his leave and go home. But Zhu Roulong was very reluctant to part with him, so Zhang Youtie told him about sending Changyun to school. Zhu Roulong heard that this was a big deal and didn't stop him.

Just as Zhang Youtie and his family were about to leave with their oxcart, Pork Dragon carried half a pig onto their cart as a return gift, weighing at least a hundred pounds. Zhang Youtie refused, saying it was too much and the food would spoil in the heat.

Pork Dragon waved his hand and said magnanimously, "Hey, if we can't finish it, we'll just make salted pork. What do I do? We don't have anything else at home, just lots of pork."

Hearing this, Zhang Youtie didn't stand on ceremony with him. The two families exchanged pleasantries at the alley entrance before parting ways. Changyun and Xingche were even more reluctant to part; by this time, they were good friends. However, Zhang Xingche was unaware that because of Zhang Youtie's words, he would no longer be able to play carefree, as his father would be sending him to school.

Zhang Youtie drove the oxcart out of town and went quite a distance to a secluded spot. He then cut five jin of ribs from the pork belly as a gift for Master Changyun. Only then did he have Xia Yu put all the pork into his spatial storage. By this time, the weather was getting warmer, especially around noon; even wearing ordinary light clothing would make one sweat. It would be better to take out the pork for the master when they were almost in town.

"Father, I saw you drank quite a bit just now. Are you drunk?" Liu asked with some concern.

"It's alright, don't worry." After saying that, he turned to Xia Yu and said, "Xia Xia, take out your mother's and your straw hats and put them on, otherwise you'll get dizzy from the sun. Chang Yun, put on your father's straw hat too, so you don't get uncomfortable from the sun later."

Hearing her father's words, Xia Yu took out several hats she had stored in her spatial storage, including her brother's and her father's. Her mother had made them for her to keep in her spare time.

After about half an hour, they came to a fork in the road. Instead of heading home, Zhang Youtie turned and went to the town.

When they arrived at the town's school, the students were still in class, and the gate was tightly closed. Zhang Youtie straightened his clothes, wiped his face with water from his water bag, and then went to knock on the door.

An elderly man with gray hair opened the door. He was the gatekeeper of the school. When he saw Zhang Youtie, he felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember when he had seen him before.

"What's the matter? The students are still in class." He assumed Zhang Youtie was a student's family member.

"Uncle, I'd like to enroll my child in school. Could you help me find a teacher here?"

"We don't accept students casually. Besides, the enrollment period for this year has already passed. You've come too late. Come again next year." With that, the old man was about to close the door.

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Youtie quickly put his hand in the crack of the door to stop him from closing it.

"My fourth brother, Zhang Chengwen, used to study here too. Do you know him, sir? He just went to the prefectural city to take the exam. I'm his third brother. I know it's a bit late, but I beg you to be lenient and help me find a tutor, okay?" Seeing that the gatekeeper was about to close, Zhang Youtie could only mention his fourth brother's name, hoping that the gatekeeper would recognize him and help him out.

"Oh, you're Chengwen's family? You said the child you sent is his nephew?"

"Yes, he's his nephew. I'm his third brother." Zhang Youtie thought there was a chance when he heard him ask that, and hurriedly replied.

"Alright then, wait a moment, I'll go find the teacher. Your Chengwen is excellent; his scholarship is top-notch in our academy. The teacher even said the other day that if only one person passes the academy's academician exam, it will definitely be your Chengwen!" He then added...

"Outsiders can't just come in here. You can wait outside for a bit, I'll be right back." He then closed the door.

Liu Shi, Xia Yu, and Chang Yun, who were standing behind, were quite nervous. They were worried about not being able to enroll, but after seeing the uncle's attitude, they felt there was still some hope.

Within five or six minutes, the door opened again, and a man dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a square cap walked out. The gatekeeper introduced him, "This is Chengwen's brother. This is Master Li from our school. If you want to enroll, just ask him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youtie quickly bowed to the newcomer.

"Master Li, I would like to send my young son to school. I know it's a bit late, but I hope you can be lenient and accept him."

To everyone's surprise, the teacher was very easy to talk to and helped Zhang Youtie up by supporting his arm.

“I’ve heard Chengwen mention your family affairs. I know that he was able to study smoothly entirely thanks to the help of you brothers and sisters-in-law. He studies diligently at school until late at night every day, which has inspired the entire school’s learning atmosphere. Our teachers here all like him very much. Your family is very good.” After saying this, he sighed and looked at the distant sky before continuing.

"I was the one who enrolled Chengwen in school back then, and your situation is quite similar to yours today. Originally, if you missed the enrollment period, you would have to wait until next year. But since I have such a connection with your family, let me see the child first."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Youtie quickly pulled Changyun, who was standing behind him, out.

At this moment, Changyun was no longer as excited as he had been on the first day when he learned that he could study. He bowed to the teacher very politely, then stood up and let the teacher look him over.

Master Li looked at the dark-skinned, thin boy before him. His hands were rough but clean, with no dirt under his fingernails, and his eyes were bright and resolute.

You can tell from his hands that this child does a lot of chores at home.