Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 72: The First Day Opening and Sneaking Out
Chapter 66
The First Day Opening and Sneaking Out
The small larb restaurant opened for the first day. The little shopkeeper, Xiaolin, sat gloomily at the small cash register table. The shop was quiet, with no sign of customers. Most people passing by were heading to the seafood restaurant instead.
"No one’s coming in," Tianchen, sitting lazily nearby, commented.
"It’s only our first day, and we’ve been open for less than four hours. Let’s wait and see, Uncle. Please continue grilling the chicken and fish,"
Tianchen and Liu Hao helped each other grill chicken in front of the shop. Xiaolin slumped over the cash register table, looking out at the entrance. People started to take notice and stand to look.
"Is this a restaurant?" A young girl asked. Behind her were two other girls and three servants following her.
"Big sister!" Xiaolin recognized the girl as a previous customer when she was still selling goods in front of the market.
The chubby girl hopped off her chair and ran to greet them with a wide smile. The new visitor looked at the white, chubby dumpling-like girl in front of her, pondering for a moment before speaking.
"It’s you, little merchant. This is your shop?"
"Yes, it is! We have a variety of dishes. Please, take a seat, big sister," Xiaolin led her to one of the five tables inside the shop, each seating four people.
"We agreed to eat at the Tang family restaurant today, didn’t we? Why did you stop at this little shop, Xue Er?" The girl in the blue dress pulled her friend’s arm before she could follow the little shopkeeper. She looked around the small restaurant, and the girl in the yellow dress nodded in agreement.
"I remember these two from before. They used to sell food in front of the market. It was delicious, so I decided to stop by," Xue Er gestured towards Tianchen and Liu Hao, who were grilling food in front of the shop.
The two other girls glanced at the young, handsome men and blushed slightly. Xiaolin, standing by, blinked her eyes as the three girls finally walked over and sat down politely. The three servants sat at another table not far away.
"What delicious dishes do you have here, little shopkeeper?" Xue Er asked the chubby-cheeked girl standing by. She felt an urge to pinch those round cheeks.
"Everything is delicious here," Xiaolin said, making Xue Er chuckle lightly.
"Alright then, prepare three dishes for us, and we’ll also have some rice and grilled chicken,"
"Right away. Please wait a moment,"
Xue Er watched the chubby little girl waddle over to the grillers in front of the shop, before running back and disappearing into a corner.
Xiaolin set up a charcoal stove and began slicing the grilled pork neck, intending to make Nam Tok Moo, larb, and spicy bean sprout salad. Most of the dishes at her shop did not use fermented fish sauce due to concerns about customers’ potential stomach issues, as not everyone liked it as much as she did. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
After a while, the three girls saw the little chubby girl bring out two dishes before quickly scurrying away again. They heard the sound of a mortar and pestle from the kitchen and looked down curiously at the unfamiliar dishes in front of them.
"Is this pork?"
"I think so".
"Here’s your grilled chicken," Liu Hao announced, bringing over the freshly chopped chicken.
The two other girls couldn’t take their eyes off his handsome face, nudging each other constantly even after he had walked away. Xue Er watched her friends with bemusement.
"Hey! Control yourselves,"
"Xue Er, he doesn’t look familiar at all. Can a local really look that handsome?" The girl in the yellow dress blushed, covering her cheeks with her hands.
"So what? Do locals have to look unattractive?" Xue Er asked, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at her friends. The girls quickly waved their hands in denial.
"That’s not what I meant. I mean he looks too good to be a common villager. He has fair skin and dresses neatly. Most villagers I’ve seen wear old clothes,"
"They have enough money to buy land and open a restaurant. It might not be a big place, but the land alone wouldn’t be cheap. His family must not be struggling that much," Xue Er reasoned. Her friends nodded in agreement.
"Here’s the last dish,"
The chubby little girl walked out with Liu Hao, who helped carry the tray of food. Xiaolin placed the dish of spicy bean sprout salad on the table, followed by three plates of sticky rice and a kettle of water that she had boiled and mixed with a bit of brown sugar for added aroma and a touch of sweetness.
"Is this rice?" Xue Er asked, looking at the unfamiliar plate of rice. She remembered eating it before.
"Yes, it is, sister. Take a small handful and roll it into a ball before eating it. It’s stickier and chewier than regular rice, but it keeps you full longer. My uncle is bringing a basin of water for washing your hands before you eat," Xiaolin explained, stepping aside for Liu Hao, who placed the basin on an empty chair.
The three girls got up to wash their hands, with Xiaolin holding a towel ready for them. After washing and drying their hands, they returned to their seats.
"Sister at that table, would you like to order some food as well?" Xiaolin asked, glancing at the three attendants sitting nearby.
"Yes, serve them the same dishes as us,"
"Right away,"
Xiaolin said as she prepared another set of dishes with Liu Hao helping to serve them. The two other girls continued to sneak glances at the tall man walking back and forth, while Xue Er ate sticky rice with larb and Nam Tok Moo with great enjoyment.
"Little merchant, can I have another plate of this?" Xue Er called, pointing to the empty plate of Nam Tok Moo.
"Certainly," Xiaolin replied, smiling as she saw the customer’s satisfaction and quickly made another serving.
At that moment, two familiar-looking men with light hair walked into the shop. Recognizing Tianchen, who was grilling food in front of the store, they decided to come in and take a look. Xiaolin, who was bringing food to Xue Er, smiled broadly when she saw her old friends.
"Master Noel, Master Carlson," the chubby child ran out to welcome the customers. The group of girls, intrigued by the unfamiliar names, turned to look with interest.
“Little Xiaolin, is this your restaurant?" Noel asked the chubby child. He and his friend had been seriously learning the language to communicate with her.
"Yes, it is. Aren’t you eating at my father’s restaurant today?" Xiaolin looked up at her tall friends, craning her neck. Seeing this, Carlson went to sit at a table, and Noel followed.
"I saw your uncle grilling some food, so we decided to come in. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Yes, I do. How many dishes would you like?"
"Three, and some rice too."
"Sure."
Xiaolin prepared the food for the two young men, giving them the same set of dishes as the girls earlier, except without the bean sprout salad.
"Would you like some soup as well?" she asked after bringing all the food out.
“Hm, sure, bring some,” Noel replied to the little vendor.
Xiaolin ran back to her small kitchen to make the soup. She prepared a pork soup with a hint of fermented fish sauce, the only dish she made with this ingredient.
The two foreign men took a spoonful of the soup, looked at each other briefly, and then took another spoonful. Xiaolin, standing anxiously beside them, almost held her breath.
"It has a strange taste to it, but the more I eat it, the better it gets."
Phew!
Xiaolin exhaled in relief and went back to sit at her table, watching the customers enjoy their meal.
"I’ll have one grilled chicken and one grilled fish, please, Chen."
"Oh, Uncle Song Li, are you here to buy some dried squid?" Tianchen greeted the new customer.
"Yes, I am. How’s your business going?"
Song Li looked around with interest. Since the chubby child stopped selling grilled dried squid at his tavern, the drinkers had been clamoring for it. Now that the Tang family had opened a dry goods store, he regularly came to buy dried squid.
"We’ve only had three tables of customers so far, Uncle. Please wait a moment, and I’ll wrap the food for you," Tianchen said as he took some banana leaves to securely wrap the food and put it in the basket Song Li was holding. He received two taels before Song Li walked away.
After serving the first two groups of customers, a few more trickled in throughout the day. By evening, the three of them packed up to go home. On the way, Xiaolin talked to her father about wanting to order more charcoal since they were running low, with only about a hundred sacks left.
"Can we send a letter to Uncle Tan, Father?" The chubby child asked, leaning on the edge of the cart, watching her father steer the young ox. The pregnant cow was resting at home with Xiao Zhong.
"Do you want to go on a trip? How about we sneak away just the two of us?" Tianrong whispered to his daughter. But Tianchen, with his sharp ears, quickly moved closer to his niece and older brother, eagerly asking,
"I want to go too!"
"Aren’t you supposed to mind the shop? It’s only the first day, and you’re already planning to run off," Tianrong teased his younger brother.
"But I want to go too! How can you and Xiaolin sneak away alone?" The young man protested with a pout. He had never traveled far, the longest journey being to the town.
"Wait until your sister-in-law gives birth and our nephew can crawl. Then I’ll take you along."
"You promised, big brother!"
So, early the next morning, the father and daughter waved goodbye to their family and set off for Jingnan. Xiaolin wasn’t too worried about her shop because there weren’t many customers, and she had already taught her two uncles how to manage the food preparation before opening. She was confident that the shop could run smoothly even in her absence.
As for the seafood restaurant, Hui Song would take care of it for now. The restaurant had stabilized, but it would still be busy during lunch when many customers came in to eat.
The chubby child curled up in the cart, which moved slowly and leisurely. Xiaolin slept comfortably under her blanket until the sunlight forced her to wake up.
"Awake already? Are you hungry?" Tianrong asked as he heard movement behind him.
"Yes, Father," replied the chubby child, yawning widely.
"Take a steamed bun to eat first."
Xiaolin opened the provisions basket and took out a large steamed bun, biting into it heartily. Her round eyes looked outside, seeing only forest on one side and barren land without any houses on the other.
"How long do we have to travel for, Father?" She asked, handing a steamed bun to her father.
"About six hours. We should arrive by the evening," Tianrong said, taking the bun and biting into it.
"Where are we going to stay?"
"At your uncle’s house in Songlin Village."
Xiaolin paused for a moment, noticing the village names sounded similar. She chewed her bun until she was full and then asked to climb out and sit with her father.
After traveling in the cart for what felt like forever, they finally encountered a large village. The houses here were much nicer than the ones in typical villages. The villagers seemed to have a good income. The father and daughter asked for directions to Huan Tan’s house, which the villagers provided. When they arrived, Xiaolin saw a small hill covered with structures.
The chubby child’s mouth gaped in astonishment. This was the home of someone well-off!
Xiaolin mimicked her tall friend with her mouth as they waited at the entrance gate. Soon, someone came to invite them inside and took care of their cart and ox.
"Little Xiaolin! Greetings, Uncle Rong!" It was Ching Long who ran out to welcome them in front of the beautiful pinewood house.
"Ching Long, how have you been?"
"Very well, Uncle. Please come inside. Father and Mother are waiting," the boy said, leading the father and daughter inside like a good host.
Xiaolin’s eyes were wide with amazement. This pinewood house was just what she wanted. She promised herself that when she had money, she would build one for herself.
After a brief greeting, the Huan family invited their guests to eat as it was mealtime. Xiaolin looked at the food in front of her, noticing a large bowl of bright red, hard-shell shrimp in the center of the table. Seeing the child’s gaze, Huan Qingqing spoke up.
"These are shrimp we caught from the fields, dear. They’re a bit smaller than the sea shrimp at Xiaolin’s house, but they taste just as good. Try some," Huan Qingqing said as she scooped some shrimp for Xiaolin.
"Thank you, Auntie," Xiaolin replied. Seeing Huan’s father and son peeling the shrimp with their hands, she did the same.
"Xiaolin is really cute. Tan, why don’t you give your mother another granddaughter?" Zhang Jing said, turning to her son-in-law. Huan Tan choked on the shrimp he had just put in his mouth.
"Haha, Tan is afraid of his wife giving birth, isn’t he?" Huan Chong chimed in.
"Oh, Father," Huan Tan said, looking helplessly at his laughing parents-in-law.
Xiaolin also gave a teasing look to her large friend, causing Huan Tan to sigh.
"I heard Tianrong’s wife is pregnant too?" Zhang Jing asked.
"Yes, Auntie. She’s over five months along now."
"That’s good. Tan, you should follow suit. I want to hold another granddaughter."
After the meal, Ching Lang and Ching Long led the father and daughter to a small pinewood house made for the twins’ great-grandfather. Huan Chong’s father and uncle came to stay once a year before continuing their travels. The two elders had been traveling for over ten years and, with the financial support of their son-in-law, enjoyed exploring the region.
"This is the house of our great-grandfather. Uncle and Xiaolin, please make yourselves at home," Ching Long said, continuing to engage the guests in conversation while Ching Lang followed quietly.
"Thank you both. You can go rest now."
After the twins left, the father and daughter unpacked and went to bathe before going to bed. Xiaolin cuddled up to her father affectionately. She had always been a homebody, even in her past life, and found it hard to sleep away from home.
"Sleep well, dear. Tomorrow we’ll go explore the town,"
Xiaolin nestled close to her father and soon fell asleep.
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