Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 36: What A Small World

Chapter 35

What A Small World

On a new morning, Xiaolin prepared her best cloth wrap filled with several oranges, followed by three large pomegranates in another wrap since there were fewer pomegranates. Yesterday, her father and grandfather, following her young uncle, picked oranges and pomegranates until they cleared the trees, bringing home half a basket of pomegranates, about twenty or so, and four large baskets of oranges.

Today, besides planning to gift the fruits to respected elders, she also prepared hundreds of salted eggs to sell in their final batch, with her father and uncle accompanying her to help with the sale.

Upon arriving at the small tavern, there were already customers waiting. They bought ten to twenty eggs each, and soon all were sold out. She took the opportunity to announce that she would no longer sell grilled squid due to the winter season, which the customers understood given the difficulty in catching sea creatures during winter.

"What’s this?" Song Li took a cloth wrap from the chubby-cheeked little girl.

"Fruits, sir. I found them in the forest. They’re delicious."

"Is that so? Thank you for bringing them to this old man," he patted the little girl’s head gently.

After bidding farewell, the next stop was the ironmongery of Zheng Luan. Having delivered the goods and collected a box containing the third month’s share of twenty taels of gold, Xiaolin and her father left the shop beaming.

"Xiaolin is rich again," Tianchen looked at his niece excitedly. Xiaolin giggled before handing her uncle a lump of gold.

"What’s this?" The young man looked at the lump of gold being offered to him.

"For you, Uncle, to buy sweets," she insisted, pushing the lump of gold into his hand before hopping onto the cart, waiting happily.

Tianchen looked at the lump of gold in awe before feeling a chill down his spine. Turning around, he saw his brother glaring at him. He quickly stuffed the gold into his shirt and positioned himself at the rear of the cart.

"Xiaolin gave it to me, don’t make such a scary face."

"Don’t you dare snatch it from Uncle," Xiaolin warned her father sternly. "The money from the sale of the Lingzhi mushrooms has already been given to father." The round face turned to scold her father, her chubby cheeks puffing up in displeasure.

"Tianchen doesn’t need that much money. It’s better for me to keep it for his future bride," Tianrong tried to rationalize with his daughter, not wanting the young boy to become reckless and wasteful.

"I’ll manage that myself," the chubby girl crossed her arms, puffing up her cheeks indignantly, then commanded Tianchen to push the cart towards the pharmacy. After leaving the goods with the pharmacy’s staff in the absence of Grandfather Hong Chuan, they headed towards the governor’s manor.

She guessed the man must be of high status and overheard her grandfather discussing with her uncle, making her even more certain. She also brought along a beautiful jade piece that Uncle Zhou Ming had given her.

Tianrong sighed, watching his brother and daughter strut off, worried they might strain their necks from looking so high. With another sigh, he followed them.

"Stubborn, both you uncle and niece."

Upon reaching the grand manor with high walls and a beautifully grand entrance, Xiaolin gazed up in awe, exclaiming "Wow!" repeatedly. However, as their small cart stopped in front of the entrance, the guards, wielding swords, approached them threateningly.

"Why have you parked your cart here? Didn’t you see the sign that this is someone’s manor?"

Xiaolin looked at the confrontational stance in confusion. Was parking a cart such a big deal that it warranted aggression? Stepping down from the cart, she faced the burly soldier without fear.

"I’ve come to see Uncle Zhou Ming," Xiaolin proclaimed with pride. Tianchen, fearing the soldiers might harm his niece, hurried to pull her behind him. Tianrong, who had been following at a distance, also rushed forward.

"Hahaha. Someone like you wants to meet the governor and even dares to call him ’uncle’? Do you no longer wish to live peacefully?" The burly soldier laughed mockingly, though his eyes were stern.

Tianrong, sensing trouble, quickly stepped in to apologize.

"Big brother, I’m sorry on behalf of my daughter. But today, she intended to bring some fruits to the governor. Could you please inform the governor that the Tang family wishes to see him?"

"Hmph! Enough talking. Leave now before someone inside sees you. You commoners must be here to ask the governor for help with some nonsense, aren’t you?" the soldier scoffed.

"Big brother, we’re just here to deliver some goods."

"Then leave the goods here and go away quickly."

"And how can I be sure that the goods will reach Uncle Zhou?" Xiaolin intervened.

She knew these soldiers were unlikely to deliver the goods to Uncle Zhou Ming. They might either throw them away or keep them for themselves.

"This insolent child!" The soldier raised his sword.

 "What’s happening?" A sweet voice emanated from inside, before a beautiful figure in a pretty pink dress came out.

Xiaolin looked up at the person in front of her with wide eyes. Could this be the beautiful aunt, perhaps the wife of Uncle Zhou? Oh, what a small world!

"Just some villagers causing a minor disturbance, Miss. We were about to send them away immediately," the two soldiers bowed respectfully to the governor’s furen before turning to deal with what they believed to be the troublemaker. But Xiaolin called out before they could act.

"Beautiful Auntie!" Xiaolin dashed past her father and the burly soldier to embrace the woman in the pink dress. The soldiers, ready to pull her away, hesitated to touch the furen.

"Little merchant, it’s you! Where have you been all these days?" Lian Hua greeted Xiaolin warmly, pulling her away to look at her fondly, almost tempted to kiss her cheeks but hesitating upon noticing the two men standing at the gate.

"What brings you here, little merchant?" She asked affectionately.

"I came to see Uncle Zhou Ming. I brought some fruits for him as a gift," Xiaolin replied charmingly, not missing the opportunity to wink at the soldiers, feeling triumphant.

"Is Xiaolin your name?"

"Yes, Miss. My name is Tang Xiaolin." She flashed a sweet, ingratiating smile at the person in front of her.

"Watch it, you bad-mannered barbaric soldiers, Xiaolin will surely get back at you. Hmph."

Hearing this, Lian Hua sat down in front of the little girl, scrutinizing the plump child before her thoroughly. The cute face and plump cheeks were indeed adorable and pinch-worthy.

"Do you also know my husband?"

"Is Uncle Zhou your husband, beautiful auntie? Uncle Zhou once came to buy sweet potatoes from me."

"Is that so? I heard you brought some gifts for my husband. Well then, let’s go inside. You two gentlemen are also invited," she turned to invite the two men standing outside.

The two young men, seeing the beautiful lady smiling sweetly at them, blushed.

Lian Hua took the plump little girl’s hand and walked into the manor, but the cheeky child still turned back to smirk at the two pale-faced soldiers.

Told you I knew him, hehe.

Xiaolin looked around the manor with interest, noting the perfectly arranged trees and flowers along the pathway, leading to the beautifully roofed building. "So this is what the house of the rich looks like," she thought, nodding to herself.

The furen of the manor, looking fondly at the little head turning in every direction, wished she could invite the child to stay at the manor with her. As Lian Hua entertained the thought, a phrase from her husband echoed in her mind, forcing her to suppress her desires, content with just having the child visit occasionally.

Tianrong and Tianchen, following the lady of the manor, felt out of place amidst the mansion’s grandeur and opulence, making them feel utterly insignificant.

This majestic place truly made them feel small.

"Go call my husband over. Tell him we have guests," Lian Hua instructed a trusted servant upon reaching the ornately decorated hall.

"Yes, Mistress," the servant, about the same age as Lian Hua, bowed and went out.

"Please make yourself comfortable," Lian Hua turned back to the two men following her.

"Uh, thank you, Mistress," Tianrong managed, preparing to sit on the floor but was quickly stopped by the hostess.

"Wait. Please sit up here. How can our guests be seated on the floor?"

"Uh," Tianrong looked at his brother for guidance, but the young man just gave a clueless face.

"We’re just common folks; how could we dare to sit up there?" Xiaolin, sensing her father’s discomfort, spoke up to the woman beside her.

"You are my husband’s guests, and I wouldn’t be courteous to have guests seated on the floor. Even if you are commoners, you are still people who deserve respect and dignity," she assured.

Xiaolin secretly awarded the kind-hearted beautiful Auntie a hundred points. Hearing this, the two siblings from the Tang family slowly lowered themselves onto the high-quality wooden chairs, whose cost could probably build a small house.

Lian Hua lifted Xiaolin onto a long chair next to her. Shortly, a servant brought over a plate of pastries and a pot of tea, pouring some for their guest and the lady of the house.

"Right, my name is Lian Hua. I’m the furen of this house," Lian Hua introduced herself, realizing she hadn’t properly made acquaintances with their guests.

"I am Tang Tianrong," and this is my younger brother, Tang Tienchen. Tianrong responded respectfully, nudging his brother who was fixated on the pastries.

"I’m Tang Tianchen."

"Make yourselves comfortable. I’ve sent someone to call my husband. He should be here shortly," she gestured towards the tea and pastries on the table, not wanting her guests to feel uncomfortable. Her slender hand reached out to give a pastry to the little girl beside her.

"Try this, dear. It’s a rose filling baked with sugar."

"Thank you, Beautiful Auntie."

Xiaolin accepted the beautifully colored pastry. It looked like a cookie but was filled with a rose and sugar filling. She had never eaten a pastry made from roses in her entire life.

Biting into the pastry, her eyes widened at the sweetness that complimented the crispiness of the baked treat. She chewed happily, and Lian Hua, watching the plump cheeks move with each chew, couldn’t help but smile.

"Is it good?"

"It’s delicious, Beautiful Aunt. I’ve never eaten such pastries before," she said, taking another big bite and wiggling happily. Seeing this, Lian Hua laughed at the child’s adorable antics.

"In that case, I’ll have someone pack some for you to take home," she said, patting the little head fondly, her eyes locked on the plump cheeks with a playful itch in her heart.

"Thank you so much, Beautiful Auntie," Xiaolin beamed.

The two siblings from the Tang family also enjoyed the high-quality tea with its aromatic scent and the delicious pastries. For people like them, boiling hot water to drink was about as extravagant as it got, let alone affording expensive tea leaves for brewing.

After a while, the tall figure of Zhou Ming walked in. The Tang siblings stood up to pay their respects before sitting down again when Zhou Ming spoke casually.

"Please, sit down. No need for formalities. But what brings you here today?" Zhou Ming asked, then looked at his wife who was quietly sitting there. It turned out to be because of the little chubby kid sitting with her. He went to sit next to his wife, giving special attention to the chubby-cheeked kid biting into pastries.

"My daughter intended to bring some fruits to present to you, governor," Tianrong quickly nudged his brother to hand over the fabric-wrapped bundle, which Tianchen promptly did.

Tianrong then placed the fabric bundle in front of Zhou Ming, who reached out to open it. Inside were large red and orange fruits filling the bag.

"Oh! These are oranges and pomegranates, expensive fruits from the capital. Did you actually go there and buy them?" Zhou Ming was surprised, knowing these fruits were not cheap in the capital and were also rare.

"My daughter just found them in the forest. She thought of them, so she brought them as a gift. We didn’t buy them," Tianrong explained.

"In the capital, these fruits are considered auspicious. Oranges symbolize good fortune, while pomegranates represent the power to ward off evil spirits."

The siblings were astonished. Just forest fruits had such significant meanings? They looked at each other, baffled. Xiaolin was also surprised, blinking rapidly as she looked at the fruits she had collected, forgetting to chew the pastry in her mouth.

"Haha, thank you for thinking of us. These fruits aren’t something you can just buy with money. Besides their good meanings and high prices, they’re also rare. You’re lucky to have found them," Zhou Ming laughed happily.

"Do you have any other plans today? If not, you’re welcome to join us for lunch here," Lian Hua chimed in, wanting to spend more time with the little girl.

"Uh, we don’t have any other plans, but is it really okay?"

"Of course, it’s nicer to have a meal with more people. My wife and I find it quite lonely eating just by ourselves. Our two sons are studying in the capital and rarely come home. By the way, the sweet potatoes you grow taste quite good. Will you plant them again next year?"

"We plan to. If possible, we want to start planting at the beginning of spring so we can harvest twice a year."

"Good, if possible, try to expand your planting area a bit. Many areas are experiencing floods, leading to food shortages. This winter will be tough."

"Next year, we plan to spread the sweet potato planting technique to the villagers in our Shenlin village. The production should definitely increase."

Seeing the men started to discuss boring work matters, Lian Hua excused herself to take the little round child out to the garden to see the flowers, which were starting to wilt at this time. Many servants were diligently cleaning up the fallen leaves.

Being in a wealthy household might be nice, with many servants to attend to various tasks, but Xiaolin felt it lacked privacy with people always coming and going.

Noticing the little girl’s furrowed brow, Lian Hua asked with concern, "What’s wrong, Xiaolin? Why that face? Don’t you want to walk around?"

"No, Beautiful Auntie. I was just thinking about how many people are in your house." Hearing this, Lian Hua smiled fondly.

"They are the servants I hired to work here, dear. Oh Right, the ducks I bought from you have gotten quite fat. Would you like to see them?"

"Eh? They’re not dead?" Xiaolin blinked rapidly. The Beautiful Aunt kept those two ducks as pets?

Strange indeed...

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