Reborn Just To Be a Big Shot Family Freeloader

Chapter 18: Little Cotton-Padded Coats and Military Jacket

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The thought of western-style dim sum got Yan Qixun thinking, so she asked. “Second Brother, you’ve caught so many chickens, but why don’t you have eggs?”

“I do, but I have nowhere to store them. I left them all in Uncle Lu’s basket. He said that he’d give me half of them.”

Yan Qixun couldn’t rely on milk anymore. If she wanted to keep up her protein levels, eggs and tofu were her best choices. Her family had raised a few chickens before. When her father went for the Imperial Examination, all the chickens had been slaughtered. She thought that she would get a few new chickens later on.

Now that her family was poor, there were many things that she needed to do to have a good life. Their food problem has been solved for now. However, their living conditions were not good, but they had shelter from the winds and the rain. Having warm clothes to wear was their next priority.

Yan Qixun set her sights on the rabbits and realized that rabbit fur would suit them. Raising rabbits was a good idea since they multiply rapidly. Raising rabbits was more manageable compared to raising chickens. She could make a spinning wheel and spin rabbit fur. She could knit sweaters, scarves, gloves, and socks with the fur.

Maybe she could even form an entire business and solve the village’s employment issues. The villagers cultivated this land for the sake of warmth and protection. If they needed to earn money, most of them had to rely solely on part-time jobs.

Yan Qixun said to Gongyu Hao, “Second Brother, this time, keep two rabbits that you think have the best-colored fur. Catch more rabbits in the future when you go into the mountain.”

Gongyu Hao said that it wouldn’t be a problem. Yan Lingsu had slaughtered a chicken to make some soup and chased her two siblings out of the kitchen.

Yan Qixun went back into the house and drew a blueprint for a spinning wheel on the brick platform. She was proficient at machine-building, and she had a habit of collecting data. She had collected drawings of every machinery possible, from civilian to military-grade. The structural drawings were all in her mind. No matter if it were a bow and arrow or a spinning wheel, for her, it was just a matter of taking action.

Unfortunately, there were no woodworking tools available at home. She missed her pocket dimension very much.

Seeing that Yan Qixun was writing and drawing, Yan Lingyu was curious. “Fourth Sister, what are you drawing?

“I’m drawing a spinning wheel. Second Brother managed to catch a lot of rabbits. I want to raise rabbits to spin their fur and knit some sweaters and pants. So when it gets cold, I can wear them to stay warm. Rabbit fur is light, and it keeps me warm.”

Gongyu Mingxi, sitting on the brick bed, couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you even talking about, my child? Don’t overthink.”

Yan Qixun laughed. “Mother, it’s not that I overthink. It’s that I have stronger mobility. Although my sisters are both powerful, obedient, and your soft little cotton-padded coats, I’m more of a military jacket. While it isn’t as good-looking, it’s more functional.”

‘What the hell is a military jacket?’ Gongyu Mingxi glared at her but couldn’t be bothered to scold her. Yan Qixun was very mischievous to begin with, and now that she had regained the memories of her past life, she had become even more playful.

While drawing, Yan Qixun asked her mother, “Mother, is there a carpenter available somewhere in our village?”

“Yes, there are carpenters available in the Village Leader’s family. Both father and son are carpenters, and their craftsmanship is commendable. Why? Are you thinking of hiring a carpenter to build your spinning wheel?”

Yan Qixun shook her head. “I can build it myself. I just want to borrow a set of woodworking tools from them.”

Gongyu Mingxi rejected. “That just won’t do. Do you think that they will just lend you their tools? Besides, you’re just a little girl. It probably wouldn’t be easy even if I went there myself.”

This was a problem. Yan Qixun had a lot of things that she needed to make, and she needed some woodworking tools to use in the future. Her best option was to buy them for herself. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any silver.

After she asked for directions to the carpenter’s house, she thought of asking him how much a set of tools would cost so that she could buy them when she had saved up enough silver.

Some of the spinning wheel components will be made of steel, so she needed to go to a blacksmith to get those completed as well. She had planned the design of the spinning wheel before drawing its components.

Seeing that the sun was setting and the room was getting dark, Gongyu Mingxi asked her to put her pen and paper away.

“I will continue drawing tomorrow.” Yan Qixun said.

It was too dark, so it would be hard to see what she was reading, writing, or drawing. While she was talking, Grandmother Zuo brought over some eggs. There was a basket filled with eggs, which made Yan Qixun very happy.

Grandmother Zuo began to chat with Gongyu Mingxi, “Your second son was forced to study when he was younger, but who would’ve thought that he would be a good hunter?

“When my son came back today, he had brought home so many preys. That has never happened before. It really surprised me. My son praised Gongyu Hao’s hunting skills. He said that your second son was truly a capable hunter. My son admired your second son’s hunting abilities.”

Deep down, Gongyu Mingxi was overjoyed when she heard that her second son was being praised, but she did her best to stay humble. “Oh, what does he know? I bet Guanglu did most of the work. Gongyu Hao should be the one admiring Uncle Lu.”

Grandmother Zuo smiled and said, “Don’t be so modest. If it weren’t for Gongyu Hao, we wouldn’t have gotten so many preys today. Guanglu said that he would go to town and sell them. He would be able to sell them for at least one tael of silver.”

“What are the odds? His father has just finished his medication as well. I was worried at first, but now I don’t have to worry about not having enough silver to buy him his medicine.”

When their grandfather was still alive, he was the one that helped Grandfather Zuo recover. Many herbs could be picked from the mountain, so they didn’t need to spend much silver. In the few years that their grandfather had passed away, Grandfather Zuo spent more money buying medicine.

That made Yan Qixun think of her third sister’s medical abilities. Grandfather Zuo might be a retired doctor, but her third sister’s medical skills probably surpassed his.

Yan Qixun said, “We should let Third Sister check Grandfather Zuo’s pulse. Does his medication need to be adjusted?”

Gongyu Mingxi nodded. “Let Yan Lingsu take a look at Grandfather Zuo.”

While she saw Grandmother Zuo’s surprised reaction, Gonyu Mingxi smiled and explained, “Yan Lingsu had learned some medical skills from her grandfather when she was younger. Her grandfather had told me that she has great potential. It’s just that she was just a girl, so we refrained from mentioning it to anyone. Her medical skills are on par with her grandfather’s. In the past, I was worried that she would see too much, and it wasn’t good to expose such a young girl to so much.”

“Your grandfather’s prescription hadn’t been adjusted for more than a year, so I think it’s about time we re-adjusted his medication. Grandfather Zuo isn’t a stranger to us, and Yan Lingsu can be considered his granddaughter, who is now grown up. It’s not a big deal for her to visit her grandfather.”

Grandmother Zuo was thrilled to hear this. Gongyu Jin was an Imperial Physician from town. Since Gongyu Mingxi mentioned that Yan Lingsu’s medical skills were on par with her grandfather’s, she must be outstanding.

She hurriedly said, “Then we have to thank Yan Lingsu. Once autumn had arrived, Grandfather Zuo’s condition did not seem to improve. He had been taking his regular prescription, but he wasn’t showing any signs of improvement. His eldest brother had even said that he would try to save some money so that he could bring the old man into the city so that they could go to a clinic for a check-up.”

Gongyu Mingxi then instructed Yan Qixun, “Help Lingsu check on the fire so that she can follow Grandmother Zuo to go check on Grandfather Zuo. If she could adjust his prescription, Uncle Lu would be able to bring back the appropriate medicine that Grandfather Zuo needs when he comes back from town tomorrow.”

Yan Qixun proceeded to call for her third sister. Naturally, Yan Lingsu agreed.

When Yan Lingsu returned, Gongyu Mingxi asked, “How is Grandfather Zuo doing? Will he be okay?”