Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 39: Bean Sprouts and Tom Yum Noodles

Chapter 38

Bean Sprouts and Tom Yum Noodles

Days passed, and the first snow arrived. Fortunately, the uncles had prepared dried squid in advance. Mussels were also easily harvested, so the Ling family could prepare them quickly, waiting only for the old merchant to pick them up.

Besides the dried goods prepared, they also made more dried squid and dried clams to store as family provisions. Once they had money, they even bought some sweet potatoes and salted eggs to store for later consumption.

Xiaolin stayed bundled up in blankets in her room since the night before, only emerging for breakfast before returning to her cozy retreat. Initially, she planned to play in the snow, having never experienced it before. However, the reality of the freezing temperatures made her reluctant to leave her warm blankets.

In her previous life, Xiaolin never traveled abroad and could only watch snow scenes on TV or the internet. She thought playing in the snow would be fun, but now, she didn’t even want to step out of her room.

Hui Ning opened the door to see her daughter curled up under the blankets, forming a cute, round shape. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

"Xiaolin, I’ve lit the fireplace in the living room. Why don’t you come out and lie down there? It’s really warm," she suggested, sitting down by the bed and stroking her daughter’s chubby cheek as she laid under the blanket.

The lazy child stretched her arms up to be carried by her mother, wrapping them around her neck and nestling her cheek against her shoulder.

"Will Xiao Zhong be cold, mommy?"

"Your grandpa has already lit the fire for him. Your dad even made a small fireplace like the one we have at home."

"Thanks, mommy."

The plump child lay next to the fireplace, snuggled under blankets Hui Ning brought her, even providing a fluffy pillow to hug.

"So cold... Xiaolin, warm me up," Tianchen, who just entered the living room, quickly joined his niece under the same blanket. His cold body made Xiaolin try to wriggle away, but he wouldn’t let go of his warm, soft niece.

"You’re so cold, uncle."

"Because of you, Xiaolin, I had to go study at Brother Hao’s house."

"If you don’t study, I won’t let you help with the shop," the round child turned to Tianchen and pulled his cheeks apart with both hands.

"Okay, okay, I get it, little tycoon."

"Where’s dad?" She asked when she didn’t see her father follow his brother in. She saw that her father was free in the winter, so she made him study with his brother together.

"He stopped by to chat with his friends in the village."

"How’s studying going, uncle?"

"My head and hands hurt from all the memorizing and writing. Xiaolin, you have to make something delicious to make me feel better," he nestled his face against his niece’s plump belly.

"Tired as you may be, you gotta hang in there. In the future, uncle, you will have knowledge to sustain yourself and your family."

"Understood."

The plump child nodded before continuing to laze around. Then, she suddenly remembered her bean sprouts should have grown by now, so she got up and urged Tianchen, who was also lounging lazily, to check on the bean sprouts with her.

"It’s been five days; they should be ready to harvest."

"They are still small, Xiaolin, and they are white," he informed her, having been responsible for taking care of these sprouts and observing their growth daily.

"Bean sprouts are supposed to be eaten when they are white," she explained.

Hearing this, the young man agreed to get up, led by his niece’s enthusiasm. Tianchen uncovered the cloths over the mung bean and soybean sprouts for her to inspect.

Xiaolin looked at the bean sprouts that had swelled to almost fill the large basin, a far cry from the tiny seeds they started as, and found them appealingly plump and white.

"They are ready to eat now, uncle," the round child said with a wide smile to her uncle, who still looked at the sprouts with uncertainty.

"Are you sure they’re edible?"

"Absolutely. Oh, and let’s open the cloth covering the water spinach too. Let it get some sunlight so the leaves can turn green."

Without a word, Tianchen did as his niece suggested, uncovering the cloths as she went to do the same for the small basin where she had sown the pea shoots.

The tiny white sprouts, jostling each other in the basin, made Xiaolin laugh with joy. She danced around in celebration of her success before moving the basin into the sunlight, as they had kept the basins in a storage room to protect them from the cold.

"Look, uncle, the water spinach and pea shoots have sprouted. In three days, we can start eating them."

"Pea shoots?" The young man came over, intrigued by the small plants.

"Today, let’s have stir-fried bean sprouts. Eh...maybe noodles would be better," Xiaolin mused, scratching her chin.

"Noodles sound good in this cold weather. Having some hot noodle soup would be nice."

"In that case, let’s wash the bean sprouts together," said the plump child, hurrying to fetch two baskets. She began washing the green and yellow bean sprouts.

"Make sure to remove the seed coats," she instructed her uncle before dashing off to find her mother throughout the house.

"Mom!" Running breathlessly, she found her mother sewing in the bedroom. Hui Ning put away her sewing materials upon seeing her daughter.

"What’s up?"

"Uncle and I want noodles. Can you make them for us, please?"

"Of course." Hui Ning followed her daughter’s eager lead to the kitchen.

Xiaolin asked her mother to slice the cured pork and fry it until crisp, along with garlic until golden. They also prepared ground pepper. Mixing these ingredients, they boiled water and added the mixture along with radish slices to create a simple noodle soup base without needing pork bones.

"Next, we make the noodles. Take some wheat flour, mix it with eggs, and knead until combined,"

Xiaolin’s small mouth cheerfully instructed her mother. At that moment, Tianchen, carrying a tray of bean sprouts, walked in, so the plump niece enlisted him to knead the dough instead, not wanting her delicate mother to suffer from sore arms.

"Roll it evenly, uncle, so the noodles are all the same thickness,"

the round figure sternly supervised her conscripted laborer from atop a chair. Tianchen nearly broke a sweat by the time he produced the egg noodles.

"Do you want ordinary noodles or amazing ones, uncle?"

"Amazing?"

"Yes, exactly."

Hui Ning, hearing her daughter’s conversation with her younger brother-in-law, chuckled softly while she thinly sliced the salted pork.

"I’d like that."

"Right, then take some peanuts to roast until it smells nice, and then grind them," she directed.

"Will do!"

Tianchen fetched a small stove that Xiaolin had previously commissioned. Once lit, he placed a pan on it, started roasting peanuts under the watchful eye of his chubby niece.

"The water’s boiling now, dear."

"Leave it for now, mom. Uncle, grind it with all your might!"

Xiaolin fetched a small mortar made from bamboo, crafted by her jobless granduncle, perfect for her small stature. But when it came to cooking, she didn’t even do it herself,

because she made her uncle do it, hehe.

"Once you’re done, wash the pan and set it up to boil water again. We’ll blanch the noodles and bean sprouts,"

 Tianchen quickly saw the outline of their new dish and hurriedly went about his tasks, including blanching the noodles and vegetables, and arranging them in bowls.

"Add half a spoonful of the ground peanuts, followed by chili, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice."

"What’s next?"

"Pour the noodle soup over it."

"Pass it here, and I’ll do the pouring," offered Hui Ning, taking the bowl to ladle the fragrant, beautifully colored soup into it before placing it on the table. The plump child, already waiting, mixed the noodles with the seasonings well before taking a taste.

"Mmm! Delicious, uncle," she said, offering a spoonful to her uncle.

"It tastes like Tom Yum, just without coconut milk."

"Exactly! It’s called Tom Yum noodles, uncle."

"In that case, I’ll have some now," the young man snatched the bowl in front of his niece and dashed out of the kitchen.

"Uncle!!"

Xiaolin carried another bowl of noodles to the dining room. Though she looked perturbed, her mood lightened upon seeing Tianchen enjoying the noodles. She proudly placed her bowl on the dining table, and Tianchen looked up at his plump niece with appreciation.

"Why do you have a boiled egg too?"

"Because I wanted to have one with the noodles as well," the plump child said, enjoying her noodles while cutting the egg into small pieces with a spoon, looking blissful.

Seeing this, Tianchen swallowed his saliva. He went to the kitchen with his bowl that only had soup left, and came back with a full bowl of noodles and a halved duck egg.

"Greedy uncle."

"Then why do you have to make such delicious food?"

"Hmph."

The uncle and niece competed to finish their bowls. Xiaolin, with a full belly, went back to the kitchen to tell her mother to clean the soybeans soaked since morning.

"Uncle, if you’re full, come back to work, please!" Xiaolin shouted loudly, calling for Tianchen with her eyes closed.

The young man lazily walked to the kitchen, carrying his empty noodle bowl.

"You’re using me again."

"If you want delicious things, you must help mom grind the soybeans."

Tianchen, with no way out, had to sit and grind a large bucket of soybeans until his arms nearly fell off. Once they had the soy milk, Xiaolin asked her mother to heat it until it boiled, put some tofu water into a pot, and the rest in the pan was mixed with vinegar, stirring until the milk in the pan began to curdle.

"Uncle, fetch a clean basket, please," Xiaolin said, "Put a thin white cloth on it and pour the milk from the pan into it."

Xiaolin dragged a large basin to the center of the kitchen, placed a small basin inside it upside down, followed by the basket lined with the thin white cloth.

"Pour it into the basket?"

Tianchen moved to replace his sister-in-law. He was ready with the dried tofu mold.

"Yes, uncle."

The mother and daughter stood by, encouraging the young man pouring hot soy milk into the basket. They began to see white tofu curds at the bottom of the basket from the soy milk. Once they finished pouring, they had a considerable amount. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Put a small cutting board on it and put a white cloth first."

Xiaolin ran to help the two, not forgetting to place something heavy on top to squeeze as much water out of the tofu as possible.

"What’s next?"

"Wait, uncle."

"How long will this take? I want something delicious already."

"It might take about an hour or two, so we’ll have to wait until evening. But for now, let’s sip some warm soy milk."

Xiaolin scooped some sugar into the pot of warm water to add a little sweetness before serving it to her uncle. Meanwhile, she prepared three small cups and took her mother’s hand to join.

"Pour it into the cups."

Tianchen quickly did as told, eager to taste what his niece had made. The three of them sat sipping the warm soy milk or tofu water, enjoying the unexpectedly delicious flavor. It was not only tasty but also warmed their stomachs.

"It’s really good, Xiaolin."

"Have some more! And mom, you should have it every day too, to stay healthy," Xiaolin said, prompting Tianchen to ask for a refill.

"Understood."

Once they finished the tofu water, the uncle and niece returned to their playful lounging by the fireplace, while Hui Ning went back to her sewing. Eventually, their playful noises quieted down, and when Hui Ning checked on them, she found both had fallen asleep.

"What are you doing?" Asked her husband from behind, making her turn around.

"Checking on Xiaolin and A’Chen. Didn’t you bring father and mother along?" Hui Ning inquired.

Hui Song and Zhang Ruo had been visiting their old home since morning, possibly sitting and chatting with villagers by now.

"They’re still caught up at Aunt Yao’s house. But I’m hungry; is there anything to eat?" His tall frame enveloped her in a hug, planting a big kiss on her cheek.

"There’s noodles that me and Xiao Chen made. I’ll prepare some for you," she said, and Tianrong nodded. After she left, he peeked at the two cousins sleeping snuggly by the fireplace.

Soon, Hui Ning returned with bowls of noodles for both of them, as she hadn’t eaten yet either. Tianrong eyed the noodle soup curiously, noticing floating bits of chili and something yellow.

"What’s this?" He lifted a spoonful of bean sprouts to examine them with an intrigued look.

"Those are vegetables the uncle and niece duo planted. Try it and see how it tastes."

Tianrong tasted it, finding the sprouts bland but surprisingly compatible with the spicy noodles, which were quite warming. He ended up eating two bowls.

In the evening, Xiaolin oversaw her mother preparing dinner again. She instructed her mother to chop tofu and add it to the beautifully colored pickled vegetable broth, also making a stir-fry of bean sprouts with tofu.

"Are you done yet, Xiaolin?" Tianchen, the insatiable, peered into the kitchen for the tenth time, clutching the kitchen door frame as if clinging for life.

"You’ve asked many times already," Xiaolin replied, tiredly. Hui Ning chuckled at their exchange.

"But I’m hungry now."

"You’re always thinking about eating."

"What else should I think about then?"

"Maybe you should spend the day studying then. That way, you won’t think of anything else," the plump child said seriously, making the young man feel a chill down his spine.

"No thanks. I’m already exhausted as it is. I never realized studying could be so tiring."

"No complaining allowed."

With the firm decree from his plump niece, the young man had no choice but to slump back down in the living room to wait.

"Don’t be so harsh on your Uncle Chen."

"But you’re stubborn," the plump child said, wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist from behind, pressing her round cheeks against her back affectionately.

"And aren’t you stubborn too, hmm?"

"I’m not stubborn; I’m just very cute," Hui Ning laughed upon hearing this. The mother and daughter took turns cooking and teasing each other for a while, until all the dishes were ready and brought out to the living room.

Tianchen hurried in to help carry the bowls of pickled vegetable broth full of tofu. The young man swallowed hard, his throat bulging. At that moment, Tianrong, who had gone to fetch his in-laws, returned just in time.

"What are we eating today, huh?" Hui Song sat at the table followed by his wife and son-in-law.

"We have pickled vegetable broth with tofu and bean sprouts, and there’s also stir-fried bean sprouts with tofu. Everyone has a salted egg too," the plump child introduced the meal’s dishes.

"Oh, are these the vegetables that our niece planted? They look quite unusual."

"But when made into dishes, they’re really delicious, Uncle," Tianchen excitedly confirmed.

"Then let’s try them out. A’Ning, serve the rice quickly."

"The whole house is gluttonous," Zhang Ruo observed the family’s eager men, with her niece joining in their enthusiasm.

Look at them, staring at the food without blinking. Oh, my plump little niece.

-----

Read ‘Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en