Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 117

After staying for a few days, Young Master Chu and Liu Zimo prepared to leave. Before they did, Young Master Chu took two jars of each of the side dishes Grandma Zhang made. If Zhang Shu didn’t mention that the dishes would only last a month at most, he would have wanted to take all of them for the journey to eat with rice or noodles.

Before leaving, Zhang Shu sent them to the riverbank to see if there were any milk-producing sheep for sale, since only one of the two sheep at home was still producing milk.

As they walked past Zhang Family Store, Young Master Chu and Liu Zimo inhaled deeply, savoring the tempting fragrance wafting through the air. Along with the delicious smells, there was also the calming scent of tea.

Seeing their reaction, Zhang Shu led them straight inside. He greeted the two aunts working there and surveyed the shop. The place was packed with people enjoying breakfast, making it hard for Young Master Chu and Liu Zimo to find a place to sit. Without hesitation, Zhang Shu took them to the backyard, where he helped them get a little bit of everything to taste.

Over time, the shop expanded its breakfast offerings. For example, they offered a variety of porridge: sweet green bean porridge, red bean porridge, and two kinds of savory porridge, including lean meat porridge, vegetable porridge, and fish porridge, not to mention the essential plain porridge.

Sour and spicy noodles became the shop’s big hit in the afternoon, but in the mornings, they offered a variety of noodles instead. A small bowl of vegetarian noodles cost three cents, while a large bowl was five cents. A small bowl of shredded pork noodles was four cents, and a large bowl was seven cents. By offering both small and large bowls, customers with smaller appetites or children avoided wasting food, while the men could be satisfied with just one bowl, making everyone happy.

In addition, there were several other popular items on the menu, such as fried poached eggs for one and a half cents each, boiled tea eggs (four cents for two), fried autumn potato cakes (two cents each), and steamed buns. Occasionally, they steamed a basket of glutinous rice cakes to sell. These items became a hit, drawing more customers and boosting the reputation of Zhang Family Store along the river.

After breakfast, Young Master Chu insisted on buying the recipe for the tea eggs. They could be kept warm on the stove, and as northerners, that suited them perfectly.

Zhang Shu, not wanting to write out the recipe, simply handed him a bag of ingredients from the kitchen. With these, Young Master Chu could easily figure out the rest.

When Young Master Chu offered to pay, Zhang Shu declined. The ginseng Young Master Chu gave him previously was worth far more than any money he could take. How could he accept payment after accepting such a generous gift?

Recognizing Zhang Shu’s sincerity, Young Master Chu smiled and patted him on the shoulder before leaving. He wondered what he would bring for Zhang Shu the next time they met.

Zhang Shu watched them go and stood by the river, observing the ships as they passed. Every day, dozens of large ships and hundreds of medium-sized passenger and merchant vessels crossed the river, along with countless small boats.

The busy river supported the local economy, and Zhang Shu felt fortunate to be born in such a convenient place. As long as one was diligent and smart, they wouldn’t starve. Unlike other places, where people sometimes starved without mercy from the heavens.

With a deep sigh, Zhang Shu turned and walked away.

“Boss, that’s the guy. I saw it clearly!” A short man with a sinister face spoke to another person.

“Are you sure?” The boss’s face was cold, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

“I’m sure! I saw him clearly from the little boat last time. He’s tall and looks decent. Most importantly, there’s a birthmark the size of a soybean on the side of his neck!”

Zhang Shu never expected to be watched so carefully. He couldn’t believe that after one or two years, someone still remembered him so clearly.

“Send someone to quietly follow him and see where he’s going!” The boss gave the order, and the short man quickly found a boy about eleven or twelve years old and instructed him to trail Zhang Shu from a distance.

This group of people was the same group of river bandits who tried to hijack the Nan family’s merchant ship in front of Zhangzhou Port. After being frightened off by Zhang Shu, who killed two of them, they didn’t dare to show their faces for a while.

They didn’t know what kind of background the young master on the merchant ship had, but he managed to cause the navy to relentlessly chase them. The government even set traps to bait them in before the New Year.

At the time, their leader was frustrated with the court’s pursuit, so he decided to retire after the next big job. But things went horribly wrong. Most of their brothers perished in the battle, floating lifelessly in the water. They lost over a hundred men, with only four surviving.

They were forced to disguise themselves, row a small boat, and avoid the court’s searches. Eventually, they found refuge in a small city, where they felt they were safe for the time being. The navy’s attention focused on the bigger cities, and the river bandits, by chance, found a quiet place to lie low.

They rowed a small boat along the river, engaged in the business of welcoming guests. When the boat drifted into the reeds, they killed people and disposed of the bodies, making a living this way. But as they thought back on their past glory, resentment began to stir within them.

Of course, they hated the navy most of all, but they knew people shouldn’t fight against officials, so they couldn’t do anything about it. The second person they hated was the young master from the boat that day—he relentlessly pursued them without stealing a single penny. The third person they hated was Zhang Shu. If it weren’t for him ruining their plan, none of what happened afterward would have come to pass.

Now that they saw Zhang Shu, they weren’t about to miss the opportunity to get their revenge.

It was indeed the young master of the Nan family who retaliated against the river bandits. Although his family was in the merchant business, his maternal side was different. His uncle held an official position in the capital, and before his maternal uncle came into prominence, he received a lot of support from young master Nan’s mother, which in turn led his uncle to help young master Nan as well.

He wanted to hide the fact that he almost ended up in danger the last time, but the servant who followed him revealed too much to his mother, causing her great fear.

When his mother learned about Zhang Shu, she wanted to go and thank him personally, but he stopped her. He always felt that Zhang Shu was somewhat inscrutable. He went to Zhang Shu’s house himself, bought some vermicelli noodles, and talked to him for a long while, but he didn’t notice anything unusual.

Ever since that incident, the young master was plagued by nightmares, always dreaming that he was thrown into the sea, sinking into the cold water with his eyes wide open. After several nights of this, he became afraid to sleep, feeling suffocated whenever he closed his eyes.

The night maid told his mother about his condition. After thinking for a moment, the young master told her about the dreams. His mother was horrified. She thought that if it weren’t for Zhang Shu, her son might have ended up dead in that cold sea, his life cut short by those river bandits.

Thinking of how close she came to losing her only son, Madam Nan gnashed her teeth in anger, wishing she could tear the river bandits apart.

Determined, she set off for the capital, vowing to ask her brother to eliminate the source of her son’s nightmares.

Her brother was just as furious upon hearing the news. Coincidentally, the court was discussing how to expand the trade route and attract merchants from various countries to Nanhai County. He wrote a memorial detailing how a group of particularly rampant river bandits in Nanhai County were terrorizing the area. If they were not eliminated, they could endanger the business of visiting merchants.

The emperor was fully supportive of the proposal, and he ordered the Ministry of War to take swift action, commanding them to capture the river bandits and execute them on the spot.

The Minister of War sent word to the 10,000 naval forces stationed near Nanhai County, instructing them to split into several teams and eliminate the river bandits.

The major threat was quickly neutralized, and Young Master Nan could finally sleep peacefully.

Madam Nan was relieved to see her son safe again. But she was also concerned about Zhang Shu, the man who saved her son’s life. She secretly vowed that if Zhang Shu ever needed help, she would never stand idly by.

Zhang Shu returned to the Zhang family store, chatted with a few people, and then drove his carriage back home.

The eleven or twelve-year-old child followed him all the way to the Zhang family store. When Zhang Shu drove off, the child realized he couldn’t keep up and decided to head back.

The short man, known as “San Cunding,” saw the boy return and carefully questioned him. When he learned that Zhang Shu was connected to the shop, he smiled a bloodthirsty smile, which made the boy shudder in fear and look at him with trepidation.

San Cunding glanced at the child with disdain, then casually tossed a handful of copper coins at him. The child nervously picked them up, still trembling. San Cunding then returned to report the news to his boss.

Zhang Shu could never have imagined that a plot was about to unfold.

Zhang Shu parked his carriage near the market in the city and got off to check out the dairy sheep being sold at the livestock market.

He was fortunate that someone brought a dairy sheep to sell that day. However, the seller insisted that if Zhang Shu wanted to buy the dairy sheep, he would have to take the two lambs born to it as well, or the lambs would not survive.

After considering it for a moment, Zhang Shu decided to buy all three, thinking it would be useful since he had many animals at home. He might even be able to enjoy mutton during the winter.

After paying one tael and four hundred coins, Zhang Shu led the three sheep back to the carriage. The sheep were frightened and kept trying to jump off, causing Zhang Shu to struggle to keep them settled as he drove. Despite the March warmth, he found himself sweating from the effort.

Thankfully, at the intersection of the town, he ran into Zhou Nan’s Aba, who was on his way home after selling herbs. Zhou Nan’s Aba agreed to ride along with him, and this helped calm the sheep down.

“Uncle, come to my house for dinner today?” Zhang Shu invited.

“No, no, I’ll go to the Li’s house instead.” Zhou Aba had been more diligent since the birth of his two little grandchildren. He often sold herbs and bought cakes to spoil them.

“Nonsense! I’m asking you to come. I’ve got some rare northern treats that haven’t been touched yet. Come, stay at my house, and we’ll have a few cups with my grandfather.”

Zhou Aba nodded. After all, they were relatives, and there was no need for formalities. Thanks to Zhou Nan, who worked hard to find such a perfect husband, they no longer had to worry about hunger and hardship.

When they arrived at Zhang Shu’s house, the yard was lively. The twins, now more than eight months old, sat on a large mat under the tree. They looked up when they heard the sound, and upon seeing Zhang Shu and Zhou Aba, their little hands fluttered excitedly.

Qianjin, who had been squatting outside playing with them, stood up immediately and ran to Zhang Shu with a bright smile, “Father!”

Without waiting for an introduction, he called Zhou Aba “Grandpa Zhou,” making the old man beam with joy. He quickly took out the cakes he bought and handed them to Qianjin.

Qianjin smiled and thanked him, then fed the cakes to his two cousins, even wiping their mouths with a small handkerchief.

Everyone laughed, “Our Qianjin is so capable! He can take care of his cousins.”

Shyly, Qianjin ran to hide behind Zhang Shu. As he hid, his eyes caught sight of two white objects.

“Father, baa! So cute!”

Seeing the excitement in Qianjin’s eyes, Zhang Shu could almost imagine the lamb meat running off with the pots during the New Year…