Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 49: Good News for the Ling Family and Five Chickens
Chapter 48
Good News for the Ling Family and Five Chickens
With the desired dishes completed except for one piece of pork yet to be fried, Xiaolin left the task to Zhang Ruo and Tianchen. Meanwhile, the chubby one dashed out of the kitchen, hands and mouth full of crispy pork.
"Just in time. Tell me what you plan to plant so I can allocate the space properly."
"I want to plant vegetables here, and I’d also like a plot for corn," she hugged her father’s waist, waiting until she’d chewed up the pork in her mouth before stuffing in another piece, under Huan Tan’s watchful eyes.
The chubby child turned to offer some pork to him. Huan Tan sighed upon seeing her greasy face but Xiaolin just giggled happily.
"Tomorrow, I’ll hire some people to work on it then," her father agreed, and she nodded vigorously, her cheeks jiggling.
"What else are you eating now, huh?" Hui Song noticed his granddaughter’s cheeks puffing up non-stop and asked.
"Delicious fried pork!"
"Oh, looks delicious. Your mouth is all greasy."
"Hehe."
Standing around listening to the adults talk about boring stuff for a while, she then ran off to check on Xiao Zhong in the pen. Seeing it contentedly eating grass in its pen, she decided to take a bath herself. After bathing, her increasingly protesting stomach led her back to the kitchen.
"What are you doing, grandma, auntie?" The little round figure tiptoed into the kitchen to find Zhang Ruo and Huan Qingqing busy with something.
"I thought we might not have enough food, so we decided to make a little more," Huan Qingqing looked at the chubby child with a fond grin, wishing she could pinch those plump cheeks if only her hands weren’t so dirty.
"In that case, I’ll take the dishes out first. Come on, Uncle, you haven’t finished all the fried pork already, right?" Xiaolin squinted suspiciously at Tianchen, her greasy mouth serving as damning evidence.
"How could I possibly finish three large pieces by myself? Look, there’s still a whole plate left."
"Then let’s bring the dishes out."
"La la la," the chubby figure sang cheerfully, carrying a plate of crispy pork out to the hall, followed by Tianchen with a big tray of fried fish smothered in chili sauce.
"What have you two got to eat this time?" Hui Ning asked, feeling a bit tired lately and hence not venturing out much.
"Mom, I made something delicious. You’re going to love it for sure," the chubby kid said, placing down the plate of crispy pork and the dipping sauce before hugging her mother.
Hug!
"What does my chubby little one want, hmm?" Hui Ning hugged her round bundle and kissed her cheek.
"I just wanted to hug you, Mom."
"Is that so, dear? And where has everyone else gone, A’Chen?"
"Uncle and the two brothers are outside, and Aunt and sister Qingqing are in the kitchen," Tianchen replied. Huan Qingqing had just gone to help Zhang Ruo with some additional cooking.
"In that case, could you go call your Grandfather, Uncle, and Dad for dinner? It’s about time everyone returned home, right?"
"Sure, Mom," the chubby child agreed before grabbing several more pieces of crispy pork and dashing out of the house, belly bouncing all the way.
The men returned with the chubby child clinging tightly to her father’s back, refusing to let go. Huan Qingqing and Zhang Ruo emerged with a dish of young pea shoots and stir-fried bean sprouts, and everyone began to eat.
"This fried fish with chili sauce is really crispy and delicious," Hui Song commented, enjoying the crispiness of the fish combined with the sweet and spicy sauce.
"I like the crispy pork with spicy dipping sauce," Tianchen said, grabbing a big piece of pork, dipping it in the sauce, and then munching away.
"The crispy pork goes really well with stir-fried morning glory," Tianrong added.
Huan Tan and the twins kept quiet but continuously filled their mouths, appearing to have grown more fond of food since staying at the Tang manor. They would probably return home with round bellies just like the chubby child.
Even Tianchen was starting to develop a belly and cheeks because he wasn’t working as much.
"So, what’s the plan for the store?" Hui Song asked his son-in-law. Xiaolin, chewing her rice, perked up her ears to listen.
"It’ll be a single-story shop. The shop itself will be an open hall with a kitchen at the back."
"Why so? In the city, they have enclosed rooms. A friend told me."
Tianrong turned to his little daughter, who was diligently chewing. Seeing this, Xiaolin hurriedly swallowed her rice before speaking up.
"I want to sell seafood hot pot. The food is served in a pot and heated at the table over a small stove, so it’s eaten hot. That’s why the restaurant needs to be well-ventilated, or else the customers might end up getting cooked too!"
"Ha ha ha, are you saying it’ll be so hot that people will get cooked, my little grandchild?" Hui Song laughed loudly. Xiaolin grinned, showing off the vegetable bits stuck between her tiny teeth.
"And will that be the only dish you sell, dear?" Hui Ning finally spoke up.
"I will also make other dishes, in case someone wants a la carte meals, like stir-fried vegetables, fried fish, grilled fish, and grilled squid. How about that, Dad?" the chubby child looked up for her father’s opinion, who was sitting beside her.
"Let’s do as you suggest. But who will cook? Your mom is still pregnant."
"Aunt Mi Hua! And also Auntie-in-law, Uncle Zhong’s wife. They can help with the cooking, along with hiring two men to serve the customers."
"Alright, let’s think about that later. Let’s eat now," Zhang Ruo interrupted, worried her grandniece might fill up on air before food, hastily putting a heaped plate of chili fish in front of the chubby girl.
About a week later, the Huan family had left, taking with them loads of dried goods and promising to visit again. Especially the three father-son gluttons, resembling Tianchen now. Xiaolin whispered to her tall friend to send her a lot of charcoal and cane sugar, slipping him three gold pieces for it.
The construction of the shop and market was underway. Tianrong decided to simultaneously build a dry goods store so it could be used right away or rented out if not for selling.
The home vegetable garden and a small cornfield were already fertilized and seeded. Xiao Zhong’s manure proved quite useful. Now, it was just a matter of watering them daily and waiting for the sprouts.
The sweet potatoes that were buried for sprouting were just waiting to grow enough to be replanted. Some villagers interested in not waiting took the remaining sweet potatoes to plant near their homes.
Wu Zhong’s group began drying squids and preparing them, and just three days ago, an old merchant from Jiu Zhou sent a letter with a deposit requesting two hundred jin each of dried squid and oysters. The Fu family also came to learn the drying technique and started drying some oysters themselves.
As for the Ling family...
"Your aunt is two months pregnant."
Xiaolin’s mouth dropped open at Ling Heng’s beaming, nearly squinted eyes. She originally came to persuade the couple to help out at the restaurant but found out her aunt was pregnant instead.
"Let your uncle help by himself," Mi Hua said affectionately, looking at the round child’s funny face.
"That’s good. Being pregnant means she should take it easy. Even though she can work, she shouldn’t overdo it," Zhang Ruo commented upon hearing the good news. Today, she brought her granddaughter to the Lings’, who had been out of sight for a while, only to discover it was due to the upcoming little one.
"That’s great! My sibling will have a friend, hehe," the chubby child beamed, turning to see the Ling siblings smiling happily as well.
"Hai and Xiao Han will have a sibling just like Xiaolin."
"I want a cute little sister just like Xiaolin," Ling Hai expressed his fondness for the adorable and kind-hearted chubby kid, wishing for a sister of his own.
"I’m glad," Ling Han chimed in, smiling so widely his eyes squinted, the first time Xiaolin had seen him smile.
"You can smile, too," she teased, causing Ling Han to immediately stop smiling, making the adults watching burst into laughter.
"I’ll work at the shop myself then, Aunt," Ling Heng offered.
"Sure, let your wife rest at home. Actually, in the meantime, you and your sons can start shelling and drying oysters to have some income. It’ll be a while before the shop is built and ready to sell."
"Will do."
"Xiaolin will pay a hundred brass coins per jin for the oysters."
"Really? That much? And what will you get in return?" Ling Heng asked the little girl, pretending to be shocked. The chubby child stretched proudly.
"I just have to sit and count money without lifting a finger. If we sell hundreds of jin, I will make a lot. Because I will mark up the price before selling it to merchants or customers."
"Is that so? This young tycoon is really clever, knowing how to use others’ labor to only reap profits."
"Hehe, I will just lie down and wait for the money," she said proudly.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
After discussing business, the chubby child said goodbye to the Lings and led her grandmother by the hand back home, letting the pregnant woman rest. But the two brothers followed them, prompting Xiaolin to think of inviting them to the forest to look for wild vegetables.
"Grandma, can I go see Uncle? I want to go into the forest," the chubby child asked her grandmother after arriving home.
"Then let me take you."
"I was thinking of inviting brothers Hai and Han along, Grandma. You should stay with Mom instead."
"Is that so? Do you want to go with me, Hai and Han?" Zhang Ruo turned to ask the two boys who had followed them home.
"We’ll go. We want to see what the forest’s like," Ling Hai said excitedly. His village was by the sea, lacking forests, unlike this village which was near a large forest and mountains.
"Then be careful."
"Yes, Grandma!" The chubby child eagerly agreed before running to grab her backpack and coming out to invite the two brothers to the Liu house.
Since the onset of winter, she hadn’t seen the two grandchildren of the Liu family and wondered how the kind old lady was doing now. Her plump legs hurried because she wanted to visit the generous old lady. Seeing her eagerness, Ling Hai held his brother’s hand and hurried after her.
Upon arrival, they found two young men chatting on the porch. Seeing the trio approach, they curiously inquired,
"Where are you all going, Xiaolin? And who are your friends with unfamiliar faces?" Liu Hao greeted the little girl, who seemed even rounder than before.
"Uncle Hao! This is brother Ling Hai and Ling Han. Don’t you remember?" The chubby child climbed next to the large uncle and lazily waved at the two brothers.
"Oh, right. I forgot. How are you, Hai and Han?"
"We’re fine, thank you, Uncle," Ling Hai smiled, while Ling Han remained silent as usual.
"So, where are you planning to take them, Xiaolin?" Tianchen asked his niece, noticing the basket on her back and guessing the kids were probably there to invite him into the forest.
"We’re going into the forest. Uncle, are you done with your lessons yet?"
"I’m done, yeah. A’Chen is just about to head back. What are you planning to gather in the forest?" Liu Hao squeezed her plump cheeks affectionately.
"I want to look for some wild vegetables. And where has Great-Grandma gone?"
"She’s at Grandma Zhang’s house."
Hearing this, the chubby child nodded vigorously before inviting the two young men to lead them into the forest, which they eagerly agreed to, quickly gathering their baskets and knives to explore the wilderness with the children.
Ling Hai and Ling Han looked around the forest excitedly. Having been raised near the sea, the fresh, cool air of the forest was a delightful change for them.
"Uncle, have you ever seen trees with sharp thorns?" Xiaolin, held by Tianchen’s hand, inquired.
She had seen on a YouTube channel about a Thai woman with a Korean husband that every spring, there was a thorny, succulent vegetable available for foraging and selling. She also watched a channel by a formidable Chinese woman. Besides the thorny vegetables, there were bamboo shoots and mushrooms to collect, but bamboo shoots and mushrooms would have to wait for another time as they weren’t in season yet.
"Thorny trees? Are they big?" Liu Hao turned back to ask since he was leading the way, followed by the Ling brothers and closing with the niece from the Tang family.
"Not very big, but the whole plant is thorny."
"I might have seen it. Why do you ask?"
"The tips are edible. You have to blanch them first before cooking. You can stir-fry them with chili oil, eggs, or even make a soup," Xiaolin explained.
"Really? Let me take you then."
The small expedition diverted their path towards a hillside. Xiaolin, spotting the thorny plants sprawling across the slope and bursting with juicy shoots, widened her eyes in excitement.
"Is this it?" Liu Hao turned back to confirm.
"Yes, Uncle! Let’s collect them. But please use small branches to pull the thorny plants down because getting pricked by the thorns really hurts."
"Alright, kids stay back a bit, just in case there are fallen thorns around here."
Liu Hao, with a knife in hand, went to cut some small branches to create a hook for harvesting the thorny vegetable tops. Xiaolin stood by, chirping instructions to only pick the plump tops and leave the smaller ones to grow bigger.
Liu Hao and Tianchen gathered the tops, tossing them to the kids to put in the basket. The Ling brothers seemed to thoroughly enjoy the activity. Although there were many thorny plants, they only collected enough to fill Xiaolin’s small basket.
"Why don’t we pick them all?" Tianchen asked his niece.
"Let’s try eating some first. These thorny vegetables are a bit bitter. If we like them, we can come back for more."
"Alright then."
BUK BUK BUKA
At that moment, they heard the sound of wild chickens in the distance. The greedy chubby kid, salivating at the sound, yearned for chicken! She fancied a spicy chicken soup but regretted that bamboo shoots were not yet in season.
"Uncle, catch the chickens! Let’s make soup with the thorny vegetables!" The plump child bounced excitedly, shouting out.
"You stay here with the kids, Tianchen. I’ll go catch the chickens."
"Got it."
"Catch lots of them!"
Liu Hao left, and the waiting group sat down under a tree. There was a mix of running and chicken sounds for a while until Liu Hao returned triumphantly with five struggling wild chickens.
"Wow, you’re the best, Uncle!" Seeing the chubby figure jigging about, Liu Hao laughed.
"Now I have to trouble you to cook for me. It’s been too long since I’ve had a meal made by you, Xiaolin."
"Of course! Let’s head back then."
The group of five exited the forest, passing by the Liu residence towards the Tang household, where only Grandma Zhang and Hui Ning were left, as Hui Song and Tianrong had gone to oversee construction work in the city due to simultaneous construction of three buildings.
"What have you brought back now, eh?" Zhang Ruo, hearing the chickens, came out to see the group entering through the gate.
"We got five chickens, Aunt," Liu Hao proudly showed the chickens to Zhang Ruo.
"And what will we eat them with?"
"Chicken and rice!"
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