Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 28: I’m Going to be a Millionaire!

Chapter 27

I’m Going to be a Millionaire!

After receiving the money, the grandfather and granddaughter duo began setting up their table to sell eggs. Xiaolin took out a round bamboo box, opened the lid, and inside were duck eggs chopped into small pieces for customers to taste. There were also small sticks for picking up the boiled eggs.

Tianrong and Liu Hao had excused themselves earlier because Liu Hao wanted to repair his house’s roof, and Tianrong decided to help. Originally, Liu Hao planned to build a new house, but Miss Liu thought their current house was still habitable and didn’t want her grandson to waste money.

The large white eggs were placed on the table, alongside a small woven basket that Xiaolin had brought and filled with eggs. Once everything was ready, she took her standby the roadside.

"Big eggs for sale! Come have a look! Freshly collected this morning!" The familiar voice of the young vendor rang out again after several days’ absence.

"What kind of eggs are these?" A chicken egg seller from across the street yelled out. Xiaolin turned to smile and replied cheerily,

"Duck eggs, Grandma. Ducks are like chickens, but they prefer to feed in the water."

"Ducks, huh? I’ve never seen them. Are you sure you didn’t bring some strange eggs to sell?"

Xiaolin’s smile faded. She glanced at the chicken egg seller with a rolled eye and decided not to bother anymore, turning back to continue her sales pitch.

"Fresh eggs! Very delicious and not expensive at all!" Xiaolin turned to smile at a familiar customer, making the chicken egg vendor’s face twist even more.

"Such big eggs, what are they, young seller?"

"Duck eggs, Auntie. They’re edible. I had them myself this morning. I’ve also boiled some for you to try," Xiaolin gestured towards the table with the egg basket, prompting Hui Song to push the boiled egg box and stick container forward.

"Feel free to pick one up and try."

The customer looked hesitant, but upon seeing the hopeful eyes of the little girl, she picked up a stick and tried an egg. Given the high quality of vegetables and sweet potatoes the young seller had brought before, the eggs were likely no different.

After tasting the free sample, the customer chewed thoughtfully, enjoying the chewy texture of the egg white and the richness of the yolk, prompting her to look down at the big egg in her hand again.

"I love the egg white; it’s so crunchy and indescribable. Besides boiling them, what else can be done with these eggs, young seller?" the middle-aged customer inquired, her gaze fixed on the round seller.

"You can fry them, Grandma. Boil and peel them, then fry the whole egg, or beat the egg in a bowl, use chopstick to mix it well with a little soy sauce, and fry it in hot oil – but not too much oil. Or, you can steam the beaten eggs, it’s very delicious. It can be used for cooking just like chicken eggs."

"Tell the customer what we ate this morning too, child," Hui Song nudged his granddaughter, and Xiaolin’s eyes widened in realization before she eagerly explained to the customer,

"That’s right! Or, you can crack the egg directly into hot oil. Just scoop some oil over the egg until the edges start to crisp, then it’s ready to take out."

"Hmm, I’ll give it a try. But how are you selling these eggs?" The woman looked at the little girl’s excited antics fondly.

"Three eggs for two brass coins, Miss. They’re rare and big too."

Hui Song watched his granddaughter with twinkling eyes. Rare for her meant venturing into the forest to collect hundreds of eggs.

"In that case, I’ll take fifteen eggs. How much would that be?"

"Ten brass coins, Miss. I’ll give you an extra one as a gift," the plump child said, beaming as she took the basket from the customer and asked her grandfather to place sixteen eggs in it.

"Thank you very much. If they’re as good as you said, I’ll come back for more." The customer handed Xiaolin ten brass coins and couldn’t resist pinching her round cheeks before leaving. Xiaolin giggled in response.

"Thank you for buying from us!"

After the first customer left, others looked on curiously but didn’t approach to buy. The grandfather and granddaughter sat waiting for a while until a woman in elegant attire approached.

"Young vendor, what are you selling?" A soft voice asked, prompting the plump merchant to look up immediately. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Beautiful auntie! I’m selling duck eggs," she eagerly approached the customer who always purchased generously whenever she visited.

Lian Hua admired the plump child who now stood grinning at her, wishing she could take such a lovely child home.

"Miss, aren’t we supposed to go to the jewelry store?" the maid behind her interjected, looking displeased at the small egg stall.

Xiaolin saw the maid’s unhappy face and reluctantly hid her smile. This maid wasn’t the same as the kind sister who used to accompany the beautiful aunt. That sister was much nicer.

Lian Hua saw the child’s smile disappear and glared at the maid, who immediately quieted down and looked away.

"You sell duck eggs? What are ducks?"

"Ducks are similar to chickens, Miss. They usually feed in the water. I’ve boiled some eggs for you to try," Xiaolin said as she hurriedly grabbed a stick to pick up a boiled egg for the lady. Just as Lian Hua was about to accept it, the maid protested.

"Miss, don’t eat it. We don’t know if it’s clean."  Xiaolin’s face fell upon hearing this, her expression was so upset that Lian Hua worried the child might start crying.

Hui Song quickly came to take his granddaughter away, giving the servant a disapproving look but unable to express more due to the woman’s elegant appearance, suggesting she might be the wife of someone important in the city.

"Quiet!" Lian Hua lost her patience, startling the servant who had never seen her lady shout at anyone before.

"Come here, little one. May I try your boiled egg?" She asked the plump child in a gentle voice, smiling sweetly.

Xiaolin looked between the lady and her servant before approaching to offer the boiled egg. Lian Hua tasted it and nodded in approval.

"How do you sell them?"

"Three eggs for two brass coins."

"In that case, I’ll take the entire basket."

"What!" The grandfather and granddaughter looked at each other in shock.

Lian Hua amusingly watched the adorable scene unfold. When she reaffirmed her intention, the grandfather and granddaughter quickly counted the eggs in the basket.

"We have thirty-five eggs. I’m only selling thirty, and the rest are a gift," the plump child eagerly approached the generous customer with a smile.

"Is that so? Thank you very much. How much is all of them?" Lian Hua couldn’t resist caressing and pinching the child’s soft cheeks several times, charmed by her cuteness.

"Twenty brass coins."

"Take this basket of eggs to the carriage," the elegant figure instructed a male servant standing at a distance, who promptly came to carry the basket away swiftly.

"Such a large amount of eggs at such a low price? Hmm, take this. It’s for you," she placed a silver coin in the small hand before walking away, leaving the grandfather and granddaughter to stare at the coin in astonishment.

"We must return this!" Hui Song, coming to his senses, quickly looked around but the customer was nowhere to be seen.

"Where would we return it, grandpa?" Xiaolin also felt uneasy about the situation.

In her past life, even a two baht mistake in change needed a swift return because it made her uncomfortable, let alone a silver coin.

That’s 980 brass coins in change!

After a while, Xiaolin and Hui Song sighed, packed up their things, said their farewells to Hong Chuan, and hurried off with a specific purpose in mind, remembering a deal they had made two months prior with the blacksmith.

"Haven’t seen you for two months, little girl. I thought something had happened to you," Zheng Luan sighed with relief upon their arrival, happy for the business but worried about his little partner.

"I’ve been busy preparing for the winter. Oh, and this is my grandpa," the chubby child introduced her grandfather to the blacksmith.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"No, no, sir, please don’t do that," Hui Song hastily waved his hands when the younger man bowed in respect. Though he was older, in societal terms, the blacksmith was of much higher status.

You’re decades my senior. I should be the one showing respect. Oh, let me get the little lady’s share of the earnings," the tall figure hurried back into the shop and returned with a small wooden box, which he placed on the table before sitting opposite them.

"Open it," Zheng Luan urged the plump child he hadn’t seen in two months, whose cheeks seemed even rounder.

Xiaolin looked at her grandpa for approval and, seeing his nod, stepped down from her high chair to open the quaint little box. A dazzling gold light sparkled out, blinding her momentarily, her mouth gaping wide enough for insects to nest.

Hui Song, curious at his granddaughter’s silence, leaned in for a look and was just as shocked. The small box was crammed with gold coins, nearly bursting at the seams.

"This is your share from the past two months’ sales," Zheng Luan watched their adorable reactions with a chuckle.

"Uncle, did you give me more than we agreed to in the contract? Why, why is it... so much?" Xiaolin’s wide eyes stared at the man across from her, who laughed until his shoulders shook.

"I’ve given exactly as agreed in the contract. It’s just that your goods caught a lot of interest - from merchants in other towns, the capital, and even foreign traders. We’ve hardly been able to keep up with the demand."

Xiaolin turned to her grandfather, who was already slack-jawed with astonishment. She leapt around joyfully, finally realizing she had become a little tycoon.

The chubby child danced her signature jig, leaving Zheng Luan stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter so loud that employees and customers alike turned to look in surprise.

"Who’s going to be a millionaire? Me, that’s who! Oh yay!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Zheng Luan laughed so hard he doubled over, resting his forehead on the back of the chair. Hui Song, both fond and embarrassed by the scene, scooped his naughty granddaughter onto his lap and covered her mouth to stop her continuous singing. The cheerful child continued to make noises and wiggle around on Hui Song’s lap.

"ANPA! AM-ANCE-IT-EE!" (Grandpa! Come dance with me!) The chubby girl moved their arms awkwardly, caught up in the momentum.

"Enough now, my little one," Hui Song whispered to his granddaughter, glancing across at Zheng Luan, who was wiping tears of laughter, his face flushed red.

Xiaolin nodded vigorously, understanding the message. Hui Song hesitantly removed his hand from her face, and the ebullient child flashed a wide grin before squirming off his lap to admire the golden glow on the table.

"Ahem! Count it, see how much there is," Zheng Luan cleared his throat, but his lips still curved in a smile.

"Yes, sir," the chubby hands lifted each golden coin out, placing them on the table one by one, vocalizing each count.

"One, two, three, four... twenty-nine, thirty! Wow!!"

O.O!!

"I’m going to be a millionaire, grandpa!" The plump figure jumped into her grandfather’s arms, overjoyed. Hui Song hugged her back, still in a daze.

"Congratulations, little tycoon."

"Hehe, thank you, Uncle Zheng, very much!"

The grandfather and granddaughter left the blacksmith shop floating on air. Hui Song clutched the bag with the gold coins tightly in one hand and held his granddaughter’s hand in the other, grateful he didn’t forget her like his son-in-law often did.

"Grandpa, do you want to buy anything? I’m rich today. I will buy it for you!" Hui Song looked down at his granddaughter’s stern face, then his gaze drifted to a small tavern he used to sneak off to from his wife when he was young.

Xiaolin followed his gaze and smiled knowingly, her little hand tugging strongly at her grandfather’s, pulling him towards the tavern. She understood the nature of men, who often bonded over drinks – it’s okay to indulge, just don’t become a drunk.

"Grandpa, how do you sell your goods?" Upon arriving, Xiaolin immediately addressed the man sitting at the small shop. Inside, a few customers were enjoying their liquor and getting comfortably drunk.

"Xiaolin," Hui Song tugged at his granddaughter, intending to lead her away, but the tavern keeper greeted them before they could leave.

"Oh! Isn’t that A’Song? It’s been years, are you getting the same as always today?" A man around Hui Song’s age walked out to greet him, bending down to look at the chubby figure standing next to his old friend.

"Is this your granddaughter? She’s absolutely adorable." He crouched down to talk to the little child.

"How much for the liquor, sir? I will buy it."

"Oh? You’re this little and already know about alcohol? What will you do with it?"

"It’s for my grandpa."

Hearing this, the shop owner laughed out loud.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"I don’t want it, let’s leave, Xiaolin." Even if he was reluctant, he didn’t want his granddaughter involved with alcohol.

"I want to get it for you. I’ll take three jars!"

"Alright, a small jar costs one hundred brass coins a piece. Are you sure you want three?"  The old man asked the little girl with delight, impressed by her bravery and boldness. When Xiaolin      eagerly nodded, he went to fetch the liquor jars.

 

Xiaolin watched as the tiny jars, barely fitting in an adult’s two hands, were brought out. She took out a gold coin from her shirt and handed it to the shop owner, too fast for her grandpa to stop her.

"A’Li! Get it back. Are you selling liquor to a child?" Hui Song questioned his old friend with a mix of anger and amusement. Song Li, hearing this, laughed even louder.

"Sold means no returns!" He turned back into the shop to fetch change for the little girl, who securely tucked the money into her shirt. She then tugged at her grandpa’s hand, pointing at the liquor jars on the counter.

"Let’s put it in the basket and hurry back, grandpa."

Hui Song, torn between the pleading eyes of his granddaughter and the teasing face of Song Li, could only grind his teeth in frustration. He packed the jars into the basket and quickly led his granddaughter away, Song Li’s laughter echoing behind them.

"Did you realize how stubborn you were today?" Hui Song addressed his granddaughter.

"I just wanted to repay you," the little girl pouted, feigning tears. The elderly man lifted her into his arms to comfort her, saying nothing more.

They met Guo Wen waiting by the gate, and the trio made their way back to Shen Lin Village.

Xiaolin clung to her grandfather, hugging his neck and resting her chubby cheek against his strong shoulder, cooing affectionately.

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