Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 81

By the time Zhang Shu and the others turn the boat around to look for Li Yan, he has already made it ashore, drenched from head to toe.

Zhang Shu quickly hands his brother-in-law a set of dry clothes and tells him to change. Then, he turns to look at Zhou Nan, who stands there with Xiaohu, looking lost.

“My brother was too excited. If he was abrupt, please forgive him.”

Zhou Nan shakes his head, still feeling dazed. Just moments ago, he was standing there watching the large ship depart, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart. He spaced out for a while.

Just as he is about to take Xiaohu and leave, Xiaohu suddenly lets out a sharp bark toward the water and tries to leap in. Zhou Nan hurriedly pulls her back.

At that moment, a head suddenly emerges from the water. Upon closer look, Zhou Nan realizes—it’s Li Yan!

Li Yan climbs ashore, visibly emotional. Grabbing Zhou Nan’s hand, he rambles on for quite a while, his words boiling down to one thing: he will treat Zhou Nan well from now on, give him everything, and once they’re married, things will be different.

Zhou Nan is both amused and bewildered. How does this blockhead wake up to such a realization so suddenly? Just earlier, he was still insisting they were just ‘brothers’ in the most frustrating way.

But in an instant, Zhou Nan calms down. Could it be that Li Yan is only saying all this because he pities him and wants to help him find his family?

However, the sincerity in Li Yan’s eyes is undeniable. Just one change in mindset, and a person can transform so drastically.

After changing into dry clothes, Li Yan comes back down. Zhang Shu hands him a pouch of money and a bundle of luggage, ensuring that he and Zhou Nan can stay and search for a while longer.

Li Yan pulls Zhang Shu aside and says seriously, “Consider this money a loan. When you go home, if Father asks, tell him the truth. If you see Zhou Nan’s Aba, inform him as well. If not, then let it be—Zhou Nan has already spoken to him.”

Zhang Shu nods. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell Li Aba. He’ll be so happy.”

With that, Zhang Shu sets off on his journey home.

He leaves with a load of goods and returns with only a large bag of money. Zhang Shu bids farewell to Shopkeeper Yan, saying, “Until we meet again,” before hiring an ox cart to take him and Yu Xiaoliu back to Shuitou Village.

At a fork in the road, Yu Xiaoliu mentions that he has made some money this time and wants to buy some pastries for his father—after all, his father is likely the only one at home who still remembers him.

He is about to get off the cart and walk, but Zhang Shu says he’ll go as well. The weather is getting hotter, and food is harder to preserve, so he hasn’t brought much back. Since someone is heading to town, he figures he’ll pick up something too.

The ox cart changes its route toward town. The streets are still the same, neither too crowded nor too empty. People stroll leisurely, giving the town a much more relaxed atmosphere compared to the bustling Nanhai County.

After buying pastries and fruits, Zhang Shu and Yu Xiaoliu prepare to head back. As they pass an alley, Zhang Shu glances to the side and catches a glimpse of Zhang Huai’s figure sneaking around. He has no idea what he’s up to.

Looking up, Zhang Shu notices the large characters at the entrance of the alley: Tianshui Lane.

The name feels strangely familiar, but before he can think too much about it, Yu Xiaoliu changes the subject, and Zhang Shu lets it slip from his mind.

After returning to the village, Yu Xiaoliu gets off first, leaving Zhang Shu to go home alone.

The courtyard is empty except for a group of puppies and a bunch of grunting pigs. The moment they hear movement, they all run toward him. The animals sniff him curiously, recognize his scent, and excitedly wag their tails while licking him affectionately.

Zhang Shu pays the fare and sends the driver away before crouching down to pet the puppies one by one. Then, he asks, “Where’s Jin’er? Where did he go?”

One of the puppies seems to understand him and tugs at Zhang Shu’s pants, trying to lead him toward the backyard.

Zhang Shu leaves his backpack in the front yard, then opens the backyard door and steps inside.

The backyard is as busy as ever—people are drying vermicelli, grinding, cutting, and shaking the starch pulp, just as they were before he left.

Li Mujin is sitting by the side door, talking to someone. The moment he hears Zhang Shu call his name, he instinctively stands up.

Zhang Shu is startled by the sudden movement. Li Mujin is now four months along—though his belly isn’t too big yet, it’s still like a small cushion hidden beneath his robes.

He rushes over to support him, but Li Mujin simply smiles. “I’m fine. Aba and grandma took me to the clinic again a few days ago. The doctor said the baby is stable now—it’s okay for me to move around a little.”

“That’s good, that’s good,” Zhang Shu says, still feeling a lingering sense of worry.

The others nearby chuckle. “Mujin, you should enjoy this. It’s Zhang Shu’s first time being a father—of course he’s nervous. After a few kids, he’ll get used to it.”

Zhang Shu, however, disagrees in his heart. No matter how many times he becomes a father, he will always be nervous.

After exchanging a few words with the others, Li Mujin follows Zhang Shu to the front yard. With so many people around in the backyard, some things are better left unsaid.

Zhang Shu supports him, unlocks the door, and helps him inside. He takes out a large bag of silver from the backpack on the table and hands it to Li Mujin, unaware that Li Mujin has also taken out a bag of money from the secret compartment at the head of the bed.

Zhang Shu looks at the more than 40 taels in the bag in confusion. Where did this money come from? Lin Family Inn shouldn’t have been able to buy so much at once.

“It wasn’t from Lin Family Inn. They brought the buyer here. A businessman who ate at the inn found the food delicious and begged Uncle Lin to sell some to him. He stayed there for two days, and in the end, Uncle Lin had no choice but to ask Dongdong to bring him here. He bought 1,000 jin, and I sold it to him at 27 wen per jin, making a little more than 35 taels. The rest came from Lin Family Inn, of course, after deducting the cost of raw materials and labor. By the way, the pigs are growing fast and eating more and more, so I asked Aunt Ma to bring her sister over. Now, two people are taking care of them.”

“Alright, you can handle the household affairs,” Zhang Shu says, looking at Li Mujin, who is explaining everything in such an orderly manner. His gaze softens.

After Li Mujin finishes speaking, he opens the silver Zhang Shu has brought back and is surprised by how much there is!

After deducting travel expenses and the loan to Li Yan, there are still 170 taels left.

Li Mujin takes out a wooden box from under the cabinet and places all the silver inside. He puts the loose silver and copper coins in the secret compartment for daily use.

Zhang Shu helps him move the cabinet, lifts the bricks underneath, places the box inside, covers it again, and pushes the cabinet back into place.

“How much dried vermicelli do we have left at home?”

“About 3,000 jin. Once those are sold, we won’t need to make any more for now. That should bring the total production to around 1,000 jin.”

While Zhang Shu was away, Li Mujin has worked with his grandparents to complete the final processing steps, later bringing in Li Aba as well.

“So much was harvested?” Zhang Shu is stunned. This is twice as much as he expected. Based on the amount of vermicelli produced and the flour yield, that means over 27,000 jin of spring potatoes have been harvested. It seems like people from all over have come to sell them.

“Yes, I didn’t expect so many people to plant spring potatoes.”

In fact, it’s Zhang Shu’s own doing. Once word got out that he would be buying spring potatoes, the news spread quickly. People shared it with one another, and it eventually reached poorer villages, where even the mountainsides were planted. The local officials rarely come to inspect these areas, so people take advantage of the opportunity.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Shu suddenly remembers the snacks he bought for Li Mujin. He takes them out and opens the package.

Li Mujin picks up a piece of dried plum and puts it in his mouth, feeling a sweetness not just on his tongue but in his heart.

“Where’s my brother? Did he go home?” Li Mujin suddenly remembers that his brother went with Zhang Shu.

Zhang Shu shakes his head. “Your brother is with Zhou Nan, helping him look for his relatives. It’ll probably take some time before he returns. They’re getting married soon—you’re about to have a sister-in-law.”

Li Mujin’s face lights up with joy. “My brother won him over? That’s great news! Aba won’t have to worry about him anymore. I have to tell him right now.”

Zhang Shu stops him. “No rush. Wait until tonight when we invite your Aba and father-in-law to dinner. Then you can tell them.”

Li Mujin glances at the sky—it’s still less than two hours until dinner.

At dinner, Grandma Zhang feels sorry for Zhang Shu, thinking he hasn’t eaten well while he was away. She prepares a large spread of dishes for him. Zhang Shu just focuses on eating, as everyone keeps placing food onto his plate—even Li Aba hands him a chicken leg.

After the meal, the family sits together in the main room and chats. Zhang Shu then tells Li Aba and the others about Li Yan’s situation.

Li Aba is overjoyed. He has heard that Li Yan took a young man down the mountain to Nanhai County, but he didn’t expect them to settle things in just a matter of days.

He knows his son well—he has a difficult personality. It’s a stroke of luck that he found someone who truly loves him.

Li Aba asks Zhang Shu about Zhou Nan in detail. After hearing about him, he is quite satisfied. The boy’s family isn’t particularly well-off, but that’s not important—he’s marrying into their family, not the other way around. If Li Yan had been the one moving into Zhou Nan’s household, then he would have been more concerned.

It’s time to prepare for the engagement and the betrothal gifts. Li Aba sits beside Grandma Zhang, discussing what needs to be arranged.

Since Li Yan is the only son in the Li family now, Li Aba wants to make the engagement grand—both to celebrate the occasion and to show support for Zhou Nan.

Hearing his plans, Grandma Zhang shares everything her family did when marrying off their eldest daughter-in-law. By the end, she also suggests some additional purchases.

Li Yan has yet to return, so Li Aba still has time to prepare.

Two days later, the Zhang family’s workshop is completed. That afternoon, they collect the last batch of dried vermicelli, marking the end of production for the first half of the year.

Workers who have been employed for more than a month each earn at least two taels of silver, while those who operate the mill earn even more.

Take Laiwang and his husband, for example. In just over a month, they have earned nearly five taels of silver together. In the past, Laiwang would have been lucky to earn one tael in that time—let alone with such steady work.

Between that and what they earned from helping build Zhang Shu’s yard and house, they have made over six taels of silver in the past two months. Being able to earn a living so close to home makes all the difference. Even if they are occasionally delayed, it’s no hardship. Everyone is honest, and no one abandons their work midway.

To show his gratitude for everyone’s hard work, Zhang Shu goes to the county and buys two large jars of wine, along with a generous amount of meat and vegetables, planning to host a feast.

The workers aren’t just waiting to eat. The men and their wives roll up their sleeves, washing, cutting, and stewing meat, filling the front yard with the rich aroma of food.

The lively atmosphere fills everyone’s hearts with warmth and laughter.