Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 115

Winter passed, and spring arrived. Time flew.

By March, Shuitou Village, with its mild weather, transformed into a scene of singing birds, dancing swallows, green willows, and red flowers.

The women who woke early to wash clothes squatted by the river, pounding the fabric with their hands. The clothes worn in the fields were harder to clean, and the rhythmic “thwack, thwack” of the pounding echoed off the stone slabs, piquing the curiosity of those inside the courtyard.

The tall gate opened a crack, and a small leg tentatively stepped out. Then a round head with a small bun appeared from behind the gate.

With wide, curious eyes, the little one gazed outside, mouth forming an “O” shape, while his little legs carried him out of their own accord.

He wore a two-piece outfit, carried a small cloth bag on his chest, and had a red string necklace around his neck. At the end of the string hung a small silver abacus. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the tiny silver beads could even be moved on the abacus. It made a soft, brushing sound as he walked.

This was the abacus that Zhang Qianjin grabbed during his “Zhua Zhou” (a traditional ceremony where a child picks an item to predict their future career). At that time, he grabbed a big abacus, and everyone said he would be good at managing things. But Zhang Shu said he would be good at doing business. So, Zhang Shu went to a silver shop and had a small abacus made for him to wear.

Zhang Qianjin was then a year and six months old, but his age in the traditional Chinese way of counting made him three. After his “Zhua Zhou,” he learned to walk. At first, wearing so many layers of clothing made him unsteady, and he fell down after a few steps, so people didn’t expect him to walk much.

With spring’s arrival, he shed his heavy clothes and could run around with little stumbling, walking better than anyone else.

Li Mujin was just about to start working. He stayed inside for the past few days while Grandma Zhang took Qianjin outside to feed him. But the chicken soup in the pot was ready, so Li Mujin hurried inside to lift the pot before it boiled over. He extinguished the fire and let it cool, giving Zhang Qianjin the chance to escape.

The adults didn’t notice, but the dogs at home did. They grew into large, serious dogs, their once playful temperaments now much more subdued. They were working dogs, guarding the house, not pampered pets that lived to amuse people.

They looked at Qianjin like a cub. Now that he was out alone, the eldest dog quickly ran over and gently pushed the little boy’s belly with its head, trying to guide him back.

Qianjin laughed and rubbed the dog’s head, thinking it was playing with him. He didn’t appreciate its good intentions at all and continued his journey to explore the world outside.

The eldest dog had no choice but to leave the little one to his brothers and follow Qianjin.

Qianjin walked straight down the main road. Along the way, he met several villagers. When they called out “Little Qianjin,” he cheerfully responded with a clear “Aye,” without a trace of shyness or awkwardness.

A villager who liked to tease asked, “Little Qianjin, why are you out here alone?”

“Looking for Father,” the little ger stopped and answered seriously. Aba said to be polite.

“Where are you going to find him?”

“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head with a hint of sadness.

“I’m going up the mountain. Would you like to come with me to visit your uncle’s house and see the twins?”

Qianjin shook his head. He didn’t want to see those two little fools! Last time, they drooled all over him. Qianjin was a very clean child.

Just as they were talking, two or three carriages appeared on the path outside the village. Qianjin’s eyes lit up, and he shouted, “Father!” to the carriage.

A young man inside one of the carriages laughed, “I was wondering why Young Master Chu was so eager to come here. Turns out, he’s hiding a little treasure here.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Young Master Chu glared at him and then motioned for the driver to stop the carriage.

He stepped out of the carriage and made his way down the stool set by the servant. Dressed in brocade clothes, he exuded a carefree and romantic air, drawing the attention of many villagers.

However, Qianjin was disappointed. It wasn’t his Father… Only their family had a big horse in Shuitou Village. He remembered that his Father rode the big horse the day before yesterday.

“Little ger, whose family are you from?” Young Master Chu squatted down, about ten feet away from Qianjin. He didn’t approach any closer because the big dog behind Qianjin, staring intently at him, made him hesitate.

The dog was yellow all over, with a half-moon-shaped patch of white fur on its forehead. Young Master Chu already did his research the last time he sent someone to discuss business with Zhang Shu’s family. He guessed that the little ger in front of him was the child born to Zhang Shu’s husband when they bought the recipe from him last time.

“I’m from my own family,” Qianjin replied. If it wasn’t his father, he had no reason to stay. He turned around and took a few steps before noticing the man was following him. He quickly waved at him, saying, “No!”

The villagers working nearby grew nervous. Why was this man following a little boy? Could he be a kidnapper? But with such fine clothes? They were suspicious, but couldn’t help wondering if this well-dressed stranger might be capable of kidnapping someone.

Young Master Chu was a bit frustrated, but the other person in the carriage laughed out loud. He supported himself with his hands and jumped down, “Hahaha, your charm, Master Chu, doesn’t seem to work. People think you’re a bad guy.”

Qianjin stared at him with wide eyes, not understanding why his voice was so loud.

“Little ger, would you like some snacks? The cakes are delicious,” the man said, obviously better with children than Young Master Chu. He pulled out a piece of cake and waved it in front of Qianjin.

But this only made Qianjin more alert. His father always told him the story of kidnappers, and they always offered food first!

He reached into the cloth bag on his chest, took out a sweet potato chip, and ate it, showing that he already had food.

Young Master Chu also laughed, “I was wondering how capable you were, but it seems they’re not impressed by you!”

Just then, Grandma Zhang chased after him from home. When she saw Qianjin, she breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re so clever, sneaking outside so quickly. What are you doing here?”

“Grandma!” Qianjin called sweetly, then pointed to the village entrance. “Looking for Father!”

“Your Father won’t be back until the afternoon. Be good and come home with Grandma. Your Aba is looking for you,” Grandma Zhang said as she moved to carry him.

Qianjin twisted his body, not wanting her to pick him up. “Grandma won’t hold me, I’ll go by myself.” There was some worry in his eyes, remembering that Grandma Zhang groaned in pain after twisting her waist a couple of days ago.

“Qianjin is so good! Grandma will guide you.”

Qianjin put his hand in hers obediently and then followed Grandma Zhang home. As they passed by Young Master Chu and Liu Zimo, he broke free from Grandma Zhang’s grasp, took out two sweet potato fries with great effort, handed them to them, and then followed Grandma Zhang back home.

“Who are they?” Grandma Zhang didn’t recognize Young Master Chu.

“I don’t know,” Qianjin answered. He didn’t know them either. He only gave them the snacks because they spoke to him. The village children talked to him just to get food, but his father told him not to be stingy.

The voices grew fainter as they walked away. Young Master Chu and Liu Zimo stood there staring at the sweet potato fries in their hands, unable to process what just happened. After a while, Young Master Chu muttered, “Yours is longer than mine…”

When Zhang Shu returned, he saw several carriages parked outside his yard and immediately knew guests had arrived. He went out to deliver pickled radish strips and helped Wu Jiang with some work for a couple of days. The young man also went to an arranged marriage meeting, supposedly with someone from the nearby county. Business was doing well, but with fewer hands, he needed to help out.

As he entered, he saw Yu Xiaoliu sitting at the stone table entertaining two young men. Zhang Shu didn’t recognize their voices right away, but he assumed they were probably interested in buying vermicelli.

However, when he turned around, he realized he was wrong. It was Young Master Chu.

Zhang Shu was very good at recognizing people. While Young Master Chu might need to investigate to know who was who, Zhang Shu recognized him immediately from their brief meeting two years ago.

“Master Chu, how did you find time to come here?” Zhang Shu asked, surprised. The north was far from here. What could have brought him down?

“I came to do business and passed by here. Thought I’d stop by to see you,” Young Master Chu said, not revealing the real reason for his visit.

“Oh, thank you, Master Chu, for your concern,” Zhang Shu responded, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

Young Master Chu smiled faintly. “You’re my God of Wealth. Who else should I care about, if not you? Thanks to your recipe, I’ve made a fortune.”

Zhang Shu shook his head. “You paid for the recipe. It has nothing to do with me. You’re good at business.” He didn’t know how well it sold in the north, but he wasn’t surprised that a northern dish would do well. He encountered similar dishes in his previous life.

Young Master Chu thought to himself that Zhang Shu was honest, not at all pretentious. In truth, he didn’t come all this way just for business. If he could live comfortably in the north, he wouldn’t have traveled thousands of miles south.

The main reason was that business boomed last year, and his family began to take notice of him. What once was a minor concern, like marriage, was now being pushed on him with urgency. Today, he was meeting Qianjin, tomorrow it would be Miss Li. He became a rare spectacle, treated like an exotic animal, and they almost wanted to open his mouth to check his teeth!

Such a life was unbearable, so he decided it would be better to return south, to live as the eldest son while leaving the northern business to his trusted associates.

Zhang Shu noticed they brought two carts full of things, all northern specialties like ginseng, mink fur, and deer antlers—priceless treasures in the south. They packed a whole box full of them, along with some other items, which Zhang Shu, being a simple person, considered quite precious.

Not having much to give in return, Zhang Shu decided to treat them to a meal. He invited Young Master Chu and his good friend Master Liu to sit together, then went to the kitchen to check on the available dishes.

But when he entered Li Mujin’s room, he suddenly ran out like his hair was on fire. “Mother! Come quickly! Jin’er is about to give birth!” Zhang Shu shouted in the yard, then rushed to the entrance of the village to fetch Midwife Wen, who stayed at the house since last night.

A commotion erupted in the yard.

Young Master Chu froze, holding his cup. Was he fated to be connected with this family’s children? The last time he sent someone to talk business, they coincidentally witnessed the birth of Zhang Shu’s first child. Now, he visited personally and it happened again!

Liu Zimo suddenly burst out laughing. “When you told me about this last time, I thought, ‘What are the chances of that happening?’ Who would’ve thought it would really happen? Go ahead, check if you’ve got some unusual little trinket to give as a gift. Just don’t do what you did last time and give them two ingots of silver.”

Liu Zimo himself shook a small jade Qilin in his hand. He was planning to give it as a gift.

Young Master Chu looked a bit frustrated. He didn’t usually care for such trinkets. What should he do now?