Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 27: I Almost Drowned and Selling Duck Eggs

Chapter 26

I Almost Drowned and Selling Duck Eggs

In the early morning, Tianrong emerged from his bedroom with a bright and refreshed face. He went behind the house to wash his face and heard shouting at the front, so he quickly dried off and opened the gate.

"Ah, Brother Ta Zhong, you’ve arrived. Please, come in," Tianrong greeted the five men standing at the front gate, including Wu Zhong, Lei San, Guo Lu, Zhang Shen, and Tian Yi.

Before returning home, he had stopped to hire a group of older brothers who often sailed together to help bag the sweet potatoes in preparation for selling them in the city. They agreed readily as the approaching winter made fishing difficult, and some fish were hard to catch.

"Do you have that many sweet potatoes that you needed to hire us five to help bag it?" Wu Zhong asked, surprised since they were out at sea when Tianrong announced he needed help.

"I’ve planted sweet potatoes on twenty mu of land," Tianrong explained. "I’m not sure how many jin there are in total, but it’s so much that I barely have room to store it."

"Really? That much?" The five men looked at each other, amazed.

"If you want to buy some to store as food, feel free to come by. I’m selling it to our villagers for just five brass coins per jin."

Leading them to his old house, when he opened the door, the five men’s jaws dropped in shock at the sight of large sweet potatoes filling the house.

"T-This much? And the potatoes are so big," Lei San pointed out.

"It’s a lot, indeed."

"Next year, if you’re interested, I’ll teach you how to grow sweet potatoes and buy them from you at forty brass coins per jin, but I’ll have to check them first. If they are small, I’ll pay less," Tianrong told the men he respected. These men had taught him how to fish and support his younger brother.

Wu Zhong and the group were stunned, realizing they earned only forty to fifty washers a day from fishing. It seemed they might need to switch to growing large sweet potatoes. At least, one mu of land could make them a considerable amount of money. In the meantime, they could continue fishing.

"Thank you so much, A’Rong," Wu Zhong patted Tianrong’s shoulder, deeply touched.

"I haven’t forgotten that the fact that I’ve survived to this day was because of you guys. Let’s get to work. I’ll pay each of you ten brass coins until everything is sold."

"Ten brass coins just for bagging sweet potatoes?" Tian Yi finally spoke.

"Brother Yi, we need to load the sweet potatoes onto six carts, and each cart can carry no less than fifteen bags. It’s not a small task."

Hearing this, the five men no longer protested. They quickly got to work bagging the sweet potatoes and tying the bags, then carried them to the front of the house to wait for the carts.

Meanwhile, Xiaolin was lying comfortably on a soft pillow, swallowing saliva at the dream of delicious food.

"Xiaolin?"

"Xiaolin"

"Uh-huh...," Xiaolin heard a soft call not far away. Unsure if it was a dream or someone actually calling, she turned away to face the wall, clutching the plump fabric doll her mother made for her.

"Xiaolin, I’m going to catch some shrimp. Do you want anything else?"

Hearing about shrimp, a dream image of a plate of large shrimp stir-fried with holy basil appeared, along with succulent squid and a sunny-side-up egg with runny yolk, before dispersing as she was jolted awake to see Tianchen’s smiling face.

"Uncle"

"I’m going to catch shrimp now. Do you want anything else?"

Lying still for a moment to process, she then bounced up.

"Get lots of shrimp, and also ask Uncle Heng for lots of squids, please. As for me, I’m going to collect duck eggs."

"Who will you collect them with? I can go get them for you."

"By the time you finish catching shrimp, it will be daylight. I’ll ask Grandpa."

"Alright then, I’ll go now so I can catch more." Tianchen patted her head before hurrying off.

Xiaolin watched her young uncle’s back, then quickly rolled out of bed to wash her face at the back of the house, before trotting back inside to her grandparents’ bedroom.

The plump figure climbed onto the bed and shook her grandfather, but Hui Song continued to snore loudly. After shaking and calling for a while without waking him, she climbed onto his chest.

"Help! I’m drowning and can’t breathe!"

Hui Song shouted out loud while still with his eyes closed, flailing his limbs as if fighting for his life. In his dream, he was weighed down by a large, plump white stone, preventing him from surfacing.

“Giggling” Xiaolin covered her mouth to laugh. She then moved to sit beside her grandfather when she saw her grandmother starting to move.

"What’s wrong, dear?" Zhang Ruo, awakened by her husband’s cries, quickly got up to shake him.

"Gasp! I’m drowning!" Hui Song sat up suddenly, taking a deep breath before looking around.

"Drowning? You scared me," Zhang Ruo scolded, then turned to her side when she heard a small laugh.

"Oh, Xiaolin, what are you doing here? Why are you up so early?"

"I came to ask Grandpa to get duck eggs with me," the little girl giggled, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Take her to collect the eggs, dear. And has Ning not woken up yet?" Zhang Ruo glanced towards the kitchen, not seeing any lights, assuming her daughter was still asleep. She then got up to dress and prepare breakfast.

"I almost died.. Sigh. You should wear something warm," Hui Song sighed, lifting his granddaughter from the bed to the floor.

Xiaolin nodded and hurried off to dress. Once ready, the grandfather and granddaughter hand in hand walked into the woods, joining some villagers heading in the same direction.

"Are you also heading into the forest, Uncle Hui?" A young man asked, carrying a large basket on his back and holding a knife.

"Oh! Yes, A’Xie. And where are you going with that knife? Aren’t you going to work today?" Hui Song responded, with Xiaolin standing quietly by his side.

"I’m off to cut some bamboo to repair my house’s roof. The dock’s been quiet lately with fewer ships coming in, so I thought I’d fix up the house before winter hits."

Hui Song chatted with the young man for a few more sentences before taking Xiaolin’s hand and heading towards a large lotus pond in the forest. They arrived just in time to see a flock of wild ducks leaving the forest, preparing to descend into the pond for food.

Seeing this, Xiaolin tugged on Hui Song’s sleeve and they both hid to watch. Some ducks were laying eggs by the water, while others entered the water. Xiaolin’s eyes widened; it was her first time witnessing ducks laying eggs.

"Grandpa, should we catch one? Can you catch it?" Xiaolin whispered to her grandfather.

"Let’s set a trap tomorrow morning. Today, we only brought a basket, nothing else. Before we leave, I’ll cut some bamboo to make a trap."

Xiaolin nodded vigorously, turning her plump face back to watch the joyful ducks in the water, deciding not to disturb them for now.

After waiting a while and the ducks had all entered the water, the grandfather and granddaughter collected the eggs. They found hundreds of white duck eggs, leading toXiaolin asking Hui Song if they should sell the eggs.

"I’m not sure myself. If Xiaolin hadn’t told us, we wouldn’t have known these duck eggs were edible."

Xiaolin pondered, knowing that before selling a product, you need to present it to potential buyers. She wondered if she should also cook some of the eggs to show customers.

Xiaolin’s plump face tilted left and right in thought.

"Let’s try selling them. Last time you went selling, there were many customers, weren’t there?"

"Let’s do that then. Let’s get lots of them, Grandpa. We’ll boil about ten eggs for the customers to try," Hui Song agreed, supporting his granddaughter as best he could.

Together, they collected eggs until the basket was full, nearly a hundred, enough to boil and cook at home and still have plenty to sell. Carefully, they walked home with the basket full of duck eggs.

“You’re back already? Why did you get so many?" Zhang Ruo asked upon their return, surprised to see the basket full of eggs.

"Xiaolin wants to try selling the eggs, Grandma. How do chicken eggs usually sell?"

"Chicken eggs in the city sell for two Yi for five eggs, but duck eggs are much larger. You could sell three for two brass coins," Zhang Ruo advised, patting her granddaughter’s head and pinching her plump cheeks.

"Great, Grandma. Could you boil ten eggs for me, please?," Xiaolin asked.

"Alright. What will we eat today then? And do you want anything else?"

Xiaolin shook her head, her cheeks quivering before she cheerfully responded.

"I’m going to take the boiled eggs for our customers to try. As for the meal, I  will make seafood tom yum and shrimp basil stir-fry. Uncle is catching some for us," Xiaolin explained.

"If so, tell me how to make it. Your mother hasn’t woken up yet."

"Is mom not feeling well?" Xiaolin asked with concern, noting that her mother usually woke up very early. She was about to walk into the house when Zhang Ruo stopped her.

"No, it’s nothing like that. Last night, your father was just teasing your mother a little too much."

Hearing this, Xiaolin’s face turned beet red, causing both grandparents to fret, fearing their granddaughter might become ill. Meanwhile, the chubby child raised her small hand to pinch her nose, as naughty thoughts filled her mind, fearing a nosebleed might ensue.

Just as things settled down, Tianchen returned, followed by Tianrong who had finished stacking the sweet potatoes at the front of the house. Xiaolin then had the two brothers help prepare the squid and peel the shrimp for cooking, with Hui Song joining in to speed up the process.

Once the seafood was ready, Xiaolin, standing on a chair, directed the cooking process with Zhang Ruo handling the actual cooking - boiling, stir-frying, making the curry, and frying. It wasn’t until the shrimp basil stir-fry was served that the sneezing of the men in the house ceased.

Today’s meal included not only shrimp basil stir-fry and seafood tom yum but also soft-centered fried eggs with crispy edges, and dried squid for lunch for the new merchants.

"What are you cooking, mom? Sorry for waking up late," Hui Ning emerged from her room, looking tired but radiant.

Xiaolin squinted and smirked teasingly, making Hui Ning’s face flush. She felt that her daughter was not acting her age of just five years old, and couldn’t maintain eye contact with her for long without feeling embarrassed.

"Hehe," Xiaolin giggled softly.

"Watch it, you nosy kid," Hui Ning approached, pinching her daughter’s round cheeks.

"Ow! IT-URTS," the chubby child mumbled, muffled.

"Come, let’s eat. The cart will be here soon, and we can head to town," Hui Song called everyone to the table.

The shrimp basil stir-fry was so popular it was almost not enough for everyone. The soft-centered fried eggs were also a hit, making the men wish for seconds, but the arrival of the cart prompted them to head out to load the sweet potatoes.

Liu Hao was already waiting at the front of the house, eager to share in the good sale but agreed to help Tianrong sell first.

Dressed in several layers by her mother, making her even rounder, Xiaolin’s white cheeks turned pink in the cold air. She sat beside her grandfather on the cart driver’s seat, with the cart owner on her right.

"Did your family plant many sweet potatoes?" The cart driver asked, having previously discussed and found they were the same age, which made their conversation friendly.

"We planted about twenty mu."

"Oh! That many?" The cart driver’s eyes are wide opened

"If you want to buy some for storage, you’re welcome to come to our house. I’ll sell them to you at the same price I offer to our villagers," Hui Song offered, having hit it off with the cart driver and considering him a friend.

"How much are you selling them for? To be honest, I’ve almost spent all my savings on buying rice. Rice prices are really high this year," he sighed, thankful that his friends had invited him to help with the sweet potato hauling, giving him an opportunity to earn some money.

"We’re selling them for only five brass coins per jin. We were just poor villagers ourselves. We sell them cheap because we want to help out."

"You guys ! Sweet potatoes aren’t cheap, but you’re selling them for just five brass coins?" The cart driver whispered back, frowning.

"Why not? I only sell at this special price to the people in our village. I mentioned a special price because we get along well."

Xiaolin watched the two men talk and argue for a while. One wanted to sell cheap, while the other complained it was too cheap and that they could make a good profit if sold in the city. By the time they reached the city, Xiaolin felt tired from their constant arguing.

Xiaolin was placed where she used to sell vegetables, watching the chaos of people waiting to buy sweet potatoes. After a while, the crowd dispersed.

"A’Wen, don’t leave just yet. Wait for me and my granddaughter to finish selling these, then you can go back to my house to buy the sweet potatoes, alright?" Hui Song patted his new friend Guo Wen on the back. Guo Wen clenched his teeth and frowned at the stubborn old man. He sighed and agreed to leave his cart at the city gate.

Xiaolin then packed eggs into a five-egg bundle for Grandpa Hong’s pharmacy. Her chubby figure wobbled into the pharmacy, and the employee recognized her and quickly called for his boss.

"Is little Xiaolin here already? What did you bring to sell today?" Hong Chuan greeted her with a warm smile, followed by an elegant and beautiful elderly woman.

"Hello Grandpa and Grandma. I’ve brought some eggs to sell. They’re duck eggs, similar to chicken but the eggs are white and bigger," her chubby hands took out the eggs from her shirt and handed them over to Hong Chuan, who took them to inspect.

"Oh, they’re really big. How are you selling them?" He looked interested in the eggs.

"Since they’re bigger than chicken eggs, I sell them three for two brass coins. But today, I’ve brought five eggs as rent for your stand," she took out the remaining eggs and handed them to him one by one, which Hong Chuan handed to his wife to hold.

"What a good child you are, how can this be enough? Could I buy nine more eggs, is that alright?"

"That’s fine, Grandpa. I’ll go get them now," Xiaolin hurried out of the pharmacy, and Hong Chuan turned to smile at his wife.

"She’s just as adorable as you said, my dear," Fang Jin spoke to her husband, her gaze following the chubby figure actively engaging with her grandfather. Soon later, Hui Song came to help carry the eggs to them.

"Nine eggs for six brass coins," Xiaolin beamed, her eyes squinting with joy as she reached out to accept the coins Hong Zhuan handed her.

"Thank you for your purchase," her charming manner made the couple laugh.

-----

Read ‘Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en