Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Although Liu was somewhat unconvinced, she didn't say anything more.

Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi lifted the curtain and came in, while Xia Yu and Chang Yun did not follow. After Xia Yu entered the courtyard, she greeted her two aunts and then went to play with her eldest sister, Chun Yu. Chang Yun had not yet reached the old house when he was pulled away by the village children to play on the way.

When Zhang Youtie and his wife entered the room, they saw the old man sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a pipe in his hand. Liu was sitting not far from him. When she saw the two of them come in, although Liu remembered what the old man had told her, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at Liu. When Liu called her "mother," she ignored her and only snorted. This time, she didn't even lift her eyelids.

Old Master Zhang was afraid his wife would say something unpleasant, so he spoke first, "Third son, third son's wife, what brings you here now? Did you take Changyun to school today?"

"Father, we've already been to the school. We're here now because of this."

"What's wrong? Did it not work out?" The old man suddenly became nervous, leaning forward slightly as he asked. He couldn't quite explain why he was nervous. He was conflicted about sending his grandson to school. He didn't have to pay for Changyun's education, and his son and daughter-in-law's willingness to discuss it with him showed respect. He was glad he hadn't said anything offensive that day. But if the school wouldn't accept Changyun, then he…

“I remember when you registered my fourth brother, you even gave the teacher some meat. I brought some meat with me today, but I didn’t give it away. I hope that won’t be a bad thing for Changyun.”

"Hey, I thought it was something serious. You mean this? I did deliver meat to your fourth brother's tutor, but he's not the tutor at this school." When Old Master Zhang heard that it was about this matter, he felt relieved, but there was still a hidden disappointment in his heart. However, he didn't show it on his face and lit his cigarette and started puffing away.

"Father, what exactly happened? Fourth Brother went to other schools?" Zhang Youtie was a little confused. He couldn't remember these things. At that time, he had just had Changyun and was immersed in the joy of becoming a father for the first time. He didn't pay much attention to his fourth brother going to school.

"Yes, that's right. The first time I took your brother was to a private school run by a scholar. The tuition was one tael of silver a year, plus two catties of meat. But your fourth brother only studied there for less than a month before he stopped going. Later, the scholar even returned the tuition, but the meat was long gone."

"Why isn't my fourth brother going?" Zhang Youtie was very puzzled by this.

"I don't know either. Your fourth brother didn't say, but he just didn't want to go. When I went to find that scholar, he didn't say anything and just returned the money." Back then, he was also puzzled by this matter, but his fourth brother was very tight-lipped and didn't say anything. After returning the money, he gradually forgot about it. If his third brother hadn't brought it up today, he would have completely forgotten about it.

"Third son, is everything settled regarding Changyun's schooling?" Old Master Zhang asked again.

"If it's as Father said, then everything is settled now. I'll go to school tomorrow," Zhang Youtie said with a beaming smile.

Liu, who was listening nearby, finally understood what the father and son were talking about. It turned out that the third son had also sent his son to school. Liu, who was already angry, felt her anger rise again when she heard that her son had sent his grandson to school without even consulting her.

With a "crack," shards of porcelain scattered around Liu Shi and Zhang Youtie's feet, startling Liu Shi into a gasp. It turned out that Liu Shi had slammed the porcelain bowl she had been drinking from directly at Liu Shi's feet, causing it to shatter.

"Oh my god, I deserve to die! I've raised several sons for nothing, not one of them respects me... They don't even tell me about important family matters, I might as well be dead! What's the point of me living? I'm getting old and people just hate me... Oh... I don't want to live anymore!" Liu suddenly plopped down on the ground, slapping her thigh and starting to cry. Her wailing stunned everyone, especially Zhang Youtie. They were just discussing Changyun's schooling, what was his mother doing now?

Even Old Master Zhang, who was closest to her, was startled. Looking at Liu's antics on the ground, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. He had just told his wife not to talk nonsense, and now she was wailing again.

The two sisters-in-law, who were cooking in the kitchen, were so startled by their mother-in-law's howl that they almost cut their hands.

"Sister-in-law, do you think Mother's anger is directed at the third son's family?" Wang whispered in her sister-in-law's ear.

“I think it’s probably true. She was unhappy when she came into the yard, but she didn’t scold us. Now that she’s making such a loud noise, I think it’s probably because my third brother or his wife offended her,” Li Shi echoed her sister-in-law.

Suddenly, he remembered what his man had said to him last night.

"Sister-in-law, Mom's probably worried about Changyun's schooling!"

Just as the two were wondering if they should go upstairs to say a few words to reconcile them, Liu's voice suddenly rose again: "You ungrateful wretch, you heartless wretch! Now that you've made something of yourself, you've abandoned your parents and brothers to live your own little life. Will you even care about your fourth brother in the future?"

Zhang Youtie and Liu Shi finally understood why the old lady had thrown a tantrum. Ultimately, it was because of her fourth brother. She was afraid that once her parents went to school, they wouldn't be able to take care of her fourth brother anymore.

Thinking about all the sacrifices his own family had made for this larger family over the years, and all the sacrifices his family had made for his fourth brother, Zhang Youtie felt a pang of sadness upon hearing his mother speak of him like this.

His mother was very kind to her sons and grandsons, provided that none of them harmed her fourth brother's interests. Once his fourth brother's interests were touched, his mother would act this way. It had been like this since childhood. As long as his fourth brother was not at home, his mother loved Qinghe the most, and she was also a loving mother to her sons. But as soon as his fourth brother came home, his mother's eyes, heart, and mouth were only on her fourth brother.

He and his two brothers were much older than his fourth brother and Qinghe. He remembered that before his fourth brother and Qinghe were born, his mother was very gentle with them. At that time, their family owned more than 100 acres of land, and they lived a very comfortable life. His mother cooked delicious food for them and made them new clothes. He was the youngest of his brothers, and his father would lift him up on his head and let him ride on his father's shoulders like a tall horse.

He remembered that when he was seven or eight years old, his mother would hold him in her arms and call him "my darling." Later, when his fourth brother and Qinghe were born, the brothers were very happy, especially him, because he felt that finally there were two little ones following him around calling him "brother." But his mother changed; she began to dislike the brothers, and all her attention was focused on the newborn twins. He was very sad about this for a while, and even cried secretly.