Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 79: The Cheerful Little Boy

Chapter 73

The Cheerful Little Boy

Xiaolin sat playing with her chubby baby brother, who was laughing happily. The little one loved playing with his sister. Whenever he heard her voice, he would excitedly wave his arms and legs.

"Xiaoyu, do you like your sister? Hmm? Little Xiaoyu?" Xiaolin teased, tickling her brother’s round belly.

"Eh eh! Ah!" Tianyu wiggled his arms and legs, showing off his pink gums as he smiled at his chubby-cheeked sister.

"You little round belly, do you like it when your sister tickles your belly?"

"Ah!"

"Hehe, I’m going to eat your belly! Nom nom nom!" Xiaolin pretended to nibble on her brother’s belly, only touching it with her lips.

The cheerful laughter of the two siblings was so infectious that Hui Ning, who was fetching something from the bedroom, couldn’t help but laugh along. After giving birth to her youngest son, she remained plump and healthy, not thin and frail like before.

Tianrong was very pleased with his wife’s current appearance. She was no longer thin and delicate like before. Even though he wished for more children, it was difficult because their chubby baby liked to stay awake at night for breastmilk, making it inconvenient.

"These two siblings play together all day. Don’t you want to go out and run around with the other children?" Hui Ning asked as she sat beside her son’s crib, watching him smile adorably.

"I want to play with Xiaoyu," she replied, still tickling her brother’s belly.

"So, what were you talking to the other children about outside?"

"I hired them to collect wild scallions. I’m going to make pickled vegetables."

"Eh!"

"Xiaoyu, do you want to talk to your sister?" Xiaolin looked down at her lively brother, who was wiggling his arms and legs joyfully.

She played with her brother until he cried for milk and then fell asleep. Only then did she leave for the backyard, where the space had been turned into a factory for making goods to sell at the shop. It was an extension of the noodle factory, making it much larger.

The children brought in their small baskets of wild scallions. Xiaolin paid them based on the weight they had collected. The scallions were cleaned and left to dry, awaiting her grandmother’s pickling brine to be mixed in and stored in jars.

At this time, Xiao Zhong was a young bull over a year old. Though not particularly tall or large, his long fur and sharp horns made him quite noticeable.

"Xiao Zhong," Xiaolin called out to the chubby bull.

Xiao Zhong turned to look at his little mistress but, seeing she had nothing more to say, went back to grazing.

"Xiao Zhonggg!"

Huff!

Xiao Zhong snorted as he was disturbed. Seeing this, Xiaolin giggled. The chubby girl walked over to hug the long-haired bull and scratched his chin to comfort him.

"Xiao Zhong, you’re cheating. You’re bigger than me now."

Mooo

"Can I ride on your back? Please, Xiao Zhong?"

Xiao Zhong turned to look at his little mistress, who was giving him a pleading look. He lay down on the ground and continued chewing grass contentedly. Seeing this, Xiaolin climbed onto his back and lay down, snuggling into his soft fur.

Her small hands reached to scratch the bull’s chin, making him feel ticklish and causing him to stick out his tongue to lick his nose. Xiaolin chatted softly with Xiao Zhong until she heard her mother calling. She bid farewell to the long-haired bull and walked back to the house.

"What is it, Mother?"

Xiaolin washed her hands thoroughly before entering the house. She looked at a boy who was taller than her with curiosity, before recognizing him as Fu Long, whose family dried mussels for her family’s business.

He looked healthier and was wearing new, clean clothes, indicating that their living conditions had improved significantly.

"Oh, Brother Fu Long," Xiaolin greeted him as she walked into the living room.

"Xiaolin."

"Your uncles sent Fu Long to fetch you," Hui Ning told her daughter.

"What do they need me for?" Xiaolin turned to ask Fu Long.

"Your uncles caught something. They wanted me to fetch you this morning, but seeing that your house was busy, I came now," Fu Long explained to his little sister, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

"May I go to the beach, Mother?" the chubby girl asked for permission.

"Alright, just don’t come back too late."

"Yes, Mother."

The two children walked to the beach. Xiaolin asked Fu Long about the work at his home, wondering if everything was going smoothly, as she hadn’t been able to visit since her mother entered her eighth month of pregnancy. She only went out when selling giant prawns at the shop.

"It’s going well. I once walked to the northern beach and found rocks covered with mussels. I told my father that once we finish harvesting here, we should move to the northern side," Fu Long explained.

"Don’t collect the small ones, okay? Let them grow first so that we can have a continuous supply. If we harvest them all without letting them mature, they might disappear, and we won’t have any left to collect later."

"I remember what you said,"

"But the northern side doesn’t belong to anyone, right?" Xiaolin asked, remembering the unpleasant encounter with the old woman. She didn’t want to face any more trouble.

"No, it’s part of the coconut grove beach. There are no villages around there."

"That’s great. We can harvest without worries,"

The two children chatted along the way until they reached the beach. Fu Long then excused himself. Xiaolin walked around to check the squid drying racks, which had expanded significantly, taking up most of the area around the two small huts.

There were now about ten more workers, not including her five uncles.

"Oh, the little boss is here to inspect the work?" Tian Yi said as he saw his chubby niece walking around the squid drying racks.

"Did you send Brother Fu Long to fetch me?" Xiaolin asked as she walked over to Tian Yi, who was cleaning squid.

"Yes, we caught some unusual creatures," Tian Yi replied, putting down his work and leading his niece to a shaded area with a large bucket. Xiaolin peered inside and looked slightly confused.

"Mantis shrimp, maybe?" Xiaolin tilted her head, thinking.

"Mantis shrimp, is it?" Tian Yi asked.

"I think so," Xiaolin replied.

"And how do you cook it?" He asked his little niece excitedly.

"You can fry it with garlic and holy basil, or steam it and eat it with spicy sauce."

"Can you make basil stir-fry for your uncle? I’ll go get some basil," Tian Yi said eagerly.

Before she could respond, her tall, greedy uncle had already dashed off towards the coconut grove. Xiaolin watched him go, thinking to herself that it would be another tiring task since they ate quite a lot.

Now, the small hut served not only as a resting place but also as storage for ingredients, pots, jars, and pans.

Some days, they cooked their meals here, but Xiaolin believed they prepared it for her to cook for them. Occasionally, they would even come to her house and carry her, who was lazing around, to cook specifically for them.

When her uncles heard she would cook, they immediately began cleaning the mantis shrimp. Some started a fire and placed a pan on it, while others fetched the ingredients and laid them out. Seeing their effort, she couldn’t refuse.

Garlic and chilies were thrown into the hot pan as per the little boss’s instructions. She wouldn’t stand by the stove herself to avoid getting the smell on her, fearing it might irritate her baby brother later. Her uncles understood and followed her directions.

"Put the mantis shrimp in now. Don’t stir too much; I don’t want the meat to fall apart," she instructed. Since she had never cooked mantis shrimp before, she wasn’t sure how to handle it, only having seen it done. She needed practice to know how long to cook it or when to add the seafood.

"Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a bit of sugar. When it’s cooked, add the basil leaves," she continued.

The aroma wafted throughout the small hut, making it impossible for the workers to concentrate on their tasks. They kept craning their necks to look towards the makeshift kitchen where the cooking was happening.

The meal was prepared in large quantities since there were many people waiting to eat. Xiaolin made sure to take two plates to share with the Fu family and her great-grandfather, who were drying mussels at the shelter. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Once that was done, she then returned to take another plate home, accompanied by her uncle Guo Lu, who hurried back to the beach to avoid missing out on the delicious food.

Back home, the chubby girl went to bathe and wash her hair thoroughly to remove any lingering chili smell that might irritate her baby brother. After she came out, Hui Ning gently dried her daughter’s hair.

"What did you get this time, hmm?"

"Uncle caught mantis shrimp, so I told them how to cook it," Xiaolin replied while sitting still for her mother.

"Are you going to sell it?"

"If it’s tasty, the uncles will probably suggest selling it to father, yawnnn"

"You’re sleepy already?"

"Mm-hmm, yes, I’m sleepy,"

"Then go to sleep, dear. Your hair is dry now,"

Hui Ning said, spreading a quilt on the floor next to Xiaolin’s baby brother. Xiaolin lay down, watching her peacefully sleeping brother, and soon fell asleep herself.

The next morning, Xiaolin heard that her father had tried selling the mantis shrimp. She wasn’t worried because the aunts and the cook were skilled enough to create new dishes. They only needed to change the meat, while the cooking methods remained the same. There was a chance the new dish might become a customer favorite.

The little tycoon’s daily routine remained the same: inspecting the factory and playing with her little brother. Even though it seemed monotonous, she enjoyed the peaceful and uncomplicated life, which was what she had always dreamed of.

"I want to check on the orange and pomegranate trees. Is Grandpa in town?" Xiaolin asked her grandmother while lying lazily on the bamboo bed in the backyard, where her grandmother was pickling wild scallions.

"He went to collect stall fees at the market. He’ll be back soon. We can go then,"

The Tang family had bought an additional male ox and a cart for transporting goods and for Hui Song’s use. Their female ox had recently given birth to a chubby female calf, just as robust as its mother.

Xiaolin lounged around until mid-morning when her grandfather returned. The two of them grabbed baskets and headed into the forest. Xiaolin hadn’t ventured into the forest for a long time because there was no one to accompany her. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, leaving her feeling idle and alone. Sigh.

"Can you gather some lotus flowers for tea? We’re almost out," Hui Song suggested this to his granddaughter as they walked past the lotus pond.

"Of course, Grandpa. If you have time, let’s gather a lot tomorrow so we can dry them for winter."

              

"Alright, we’ll do that tomorrow then."

"Yes,"

The two of them continued through the forest. Xiaolin’s eyes sparkled when she saw that the orange trees were bearing even more fruit than the previous year. They sat and ate oranges until their bellies were full, then collected some in their baskets before heading back home.

Hui Song asked Xiaolin to stay home while he made several trips to gather all the oranges, as it would take multiple trips to finish.

Xiaolin obediently stayed home, taking her basket to the factory to share a few oranges with her uncles and aunts. She also didn’t forget to give an orange to each of the children playing around the big tree.

Since she didn’t want their noises to interrupt her little brother, she asked them to move and play there instead. Turns out they really liked it because it was a spacious area that allowed them to run around and be as loud as they wanted.

"What’s this, Xiaolin? It’s so delicious," a little girl asked as she peeled and ate the orange.

"It’s an orange. I just picked them from the forest."

Xiaolin sat and peeled an orange for herself as well. She realized she needed to socialize more. Since moving here, she only knew the Ling and Fu siblings and no other children.

"It’s so tasty! I wish my mom could try it,"

"Before coming here, I gave some to the uncles and aunts at the factory," Xiaolin replied.

Hearing this, the children ate their oranges contentedly and then ran off to play. Xiaolin joined them, thinking she needed to lose some weight as she was getting quite chubby. She didn’t want to carry belly fat into adulthood.

The cheerful laughter and chatter of the children brought smiles to the faces of those working nearby. Even since they started working for the Tang family, their children no longer had to skip meals and had the energy to run and play with friends. It was truly a good thing.

Hui Song returned home with the final basket of oranges. Now, the storage room at the back of the house was filled with baskets of oranges. Seeing the abundance of oranges, Xiaolin decided to prepare some to give to respected elders in the city the next day.

"Can we gather the lotus stamens today, Grandpa? I want to give them to the elders in the city along with the oranges."

"Sure, but let me rest for like an hour first," Hui Song said, though he had already laid down on the bamboo bed.

"Sure thing."

In the meantime, Xiaolin went to play with her baby brother, who was getting chubbier each day from drinking lots of milk. She found him so adorable that she wanted to pinch his chubby cheeks and pretend to gobble him up. He was just too cute, her chubby little brother.

"Hey, you little marshmallow," Xiaolin teased as she tickled her baby brother’s belly, making him laugh brightly.

"Oh I can just bite you, you chubby little thing," she said, looking at his pudgy arms before pretending to nibble all over his soft body.

"Ah! Eh!" The chubby baby waved his arms and legs happily. He loved playing with his sister and enjoyed the playful voice she used when talking to him.

"You chubby little thing, your round belly looks so tasty! Nom nom nom."

"Aah! Hehe, ah!"

"Hehe, look at you," Xiaolin laughed as he wiggled his arms and legs.

After playing with him for a while, the baby cried for milk. He was nursed by his mother while glancing at his sister, with his little hand resting on his mother’s soft chest.

"He wants milk but still wants to play," Hui Ning said, poking her son’s cheek.

"Mother, I’m going to gather lotus stamens with Grandpa,"

"Alright, don’t get too carried away. Come back for lunch."

"Got it, Mother!"

"You little rascal," Hui Ning said, smiling.

"Hehe."

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