Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 60: Special - : The Plump Child Causing Troublesat the Wedding

Chapter 60: Special Chapter: The Plump Child Causing Troublesat the Wedding

Special Chapter

 The Plump Child Causing Troublesat the Wedding

As spring arrived, Liu Hao transported several chests to seek Fang Jiao’s hand in marriage, bringing a dowry of five taels of gold, numerous beautifully folded pieces of cloth, and plenty of jewelry, sparking envy among the villagers. Rarely does a poor villager receive such a substantial dowry.

Just the thought of gold taels is astonishing, as some families have never even touched silver taels. The Fang family’s good fortune in having such a wealthy prospective son-in-law was the talk of the town. While some genuinely rejoiced for Fang’s daughter, others burned with jealousy.

The Fang family, with big smiles on their faces, boarded the carts hired by Liu Hao for the journey to Shenlin village. Both villages were located on opposite sides of the city which was about ten li away from each other, requiring a cart journey for speed.

Accompanied by about ten close relatives and friends, they all wore their finest clothes, eager to celebrate the couple. They wanted to match the groom’s significant dowry and avoid being looked down upon. Upon arriving at Liu’s residence, they realized the supposedly wealthy Liu family was just ordinary villagers who happened to be slightly wealthier. This realization significantly eased their initial tension.

Xiaolin, dressed early in the morning by Zhang Ruo, was then carried on the back by Tianchen out of the house. Still sleepy, she snuggled against her uncle’s shoulder and fell asleep, softly snoring. The Tang family headed to the newly built three-bedroom house of the Liu family, with the old house now serving as storage.

The wedding ceremony began as the Fang family and relatives arrived. The plump child paid no attention and kept snoring on her uncle’s back, even as relatives tried to engage with her, only to find her fast asleep with drool stretching down.

By the time she woke up, attracted by the scent of food, the ceremony had already ended. It was the smell of food that finally woke her, and she began eating chicken legs with gusto. The guests enjoyed food and drinks on the porch, while the men set up a grill in front of the house, loudly celebrating with fish and pork, inviting the beaming groom to join them.

Today was the day Old Lady Liu had the biggest smile on her face. Her face, fuller and healthier from improved living conditions, made her look robust beyond her years. The elderly woman mingled with guests, chatting happily with both the bride’s relatives and the villagers who came to celebrate.

"You’ll get to hold your great-grandchild soon, won’t you? Truly enviable indeed," one villager remarked, causing the old lady to laugh heartily, showing off her gapped teeth aged by time.

"Haha, we’ll have to pin our hopes on the young couple now," Old Lady Liu sat conversing joyfully with others.

The group of gluttonous uncles and idle workers of the plump child gathered to feast and sip on spirits, led by Xiaolin’s uncle.

Besides enjoying their liquor and snacks, Tian Yi, who wandered off to someone else’s backyard, returned with a wooden bucket and branches in hand. He sat down and rhythmically tapped on the bucket, singing a folk song about forests and seas, catching Xiaolin’s curious ear. Though the tune was unfamiliar, translated into her native language, it oddly didn’t quite fit but became pleasant over time.

The chubby child, munching on a chicken leg, glanced over to see her uncles and aunts playfully teasing her six-month-old brother in another corner. The plump little boy beamed at the villagers greeting him, showing no fear of strangers.

"Xiaolin!" Ling Han rushed over to greet his friend, having previously seen her asleep and drooling on her uncle’s back, and now approached with a skewered grilled pork in hand.

"Xiao Han, come have some grilled chicken with me," Xiaolin beckoned her slightly rounder friend. Ling Han sat beside her, sharing one of his grilled pork skewers.

"Are you eating all this yourself?" Ling Han observed the plump chicken with one leg missing, now in the hands of his plump friend.

"Yup! Uncle Hao gave me the whole thing. Can you help me eat it? I can’t finish it all," the round-eyed child placed down the nearly bone-clean leg and broke off another leg to give to her friend. Ling Han accepted it and they both enjoyed the meal, chatting away.

"Where did Brother Hai go? I haven’t seen him," the round-eyed child glanced at the pork skewers with wide eyes before grabbing one to eat.

"He went to help dad at the shop. After the winter’s gone, the snow’s started to melt, so the villagers are coming out to shop more."

"Is that so? If we’re running low on anything, have Uncle come and tell me immediately, yeah?"

"Will do!" Ling Han nodded, his cheeks jiggling.

Xiaolin laughed at the sight of her friend’s round cheeks, not so different from her own. Last year, he was still a thin child with only a big head. But now, he has become a little piglet just like her, and even more talkative than before, a stark contrast to the almost mute boy who used to follow his brother quietly.

Noise from the group of men enjoying their drinks in front of the house reached them. Xiaolin turned to see them holding back the groom, not allowing him into the house, while the groom’s face turned crimson from being fed too much liquor.

As a tradition to tease the groom, the men eventually carried him to the front of his room, sticking close to the door for a while before bursting into laughter, enjoying themselves until being scolded by Hui Song, which only then did they return to grilling fish and pork, and resuming their drinking as usual.

Hui Ning left her plump son with Aunt Yao before approaching her daughter and her chubby friend. Both kids were feasting on roasted chicken and grilled pork, their faces smeared with grease up to their cheeks. Seeing this, she shook her head, fetched water in a small bucket for them to wash their hands, and helped the two clean their faces and hands thoroughly.

After washing up, Xiaolin wobbled back to her grandfather, who was sipping liquor and chatting away with the men. Meanwhile, Ling Han went to play with his sister, whom he adored. She was as pale and round as his friend, soft to the touch, and a hearty eater just like them.

"What’s up, you chubby kid?" Hui Song, nearly knocked over by the little porker, asked the plump cheeked child clinging to his back.

"Grandpa, the drunk," Xiaolin nestled her round cheek against her grandpa’s shoulder. Hearing this, Hui Song laughed and gently shook his granddaughter’s head.

"I do not get drunk that easily, you little round one."

Hearing that, Xiaolin pouted and stood next to her Uncle Tian Yi, who didn’t stop tapping on the wooden bucket. Seeing his round niece coming to watch, he smiled broadly, put down the bucket and branches, and scooped up the plump child, speaking affectionately to her.

"Xiaolin, why don’t you sing a song for us too?"

"I just ate," the chubby kid replied, patting her round belly that protruded forward. She bent down to look and could barely see the tips of her own feet.

"Exactly, Tian Yi’s singing sounds like a cow giving birth. It’s been a pain for our ears," Chang Sen chimed in. He was pouring liquor into a small cup because pouring it into a jug didn’t satisfy his craving.

"Oh, come on. You think you can sing any better? You’re no different from me," Tian Yi retorted, throwing a leaf at his buddy sitting across from him. Chang Sen laughed out loud, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Won’t Xiaolin sing something for us? I’m fed up with the howling of these guys," Guo Lu coaxed the little girl, pulling her soft arm to stand next to him. The two men who were fighting stopped and glared at him, but they didn’t dare throw anything his way, fearing it might hit his niece.

"I can’t think of any songs," the chubby girl pouted. Guo Lu stood up, lifted his niece onto a log, and quickly grabbed a skewer of grilled pork to appease her. As Xiaolin smelled the delicious aroma, she took the skewer and started munching away, thinking of a song to sing.

Suddenly, she stood up, eyes wide with inspiration, recalling several fun northeastern songs that could be danced to, especially "Ji Hoy1," her favorite song that her primary school teacher used to play and dance to every day. She began to sing out loud, catching the attention of all the men who eagerly grabbed sticks and buckets to accompany the rhythm of their niece’s song.

"Oh my friend~"

The chubby girl sang while dancing clumsily, holding onto her pork skewer without letting go. The fun rhythm made the drunken men stand up to dance in bizarre styles, some clapping along, enjoying themselves immensely. The noise from the drinking group made the women and other guests, who were chatting away, turn in confusion. Seeing the fun, the children eagerly joined in.

"Ji Hoyyy~"

"Hooray!~"

The singing intertwined with children’s laughter, drowning out the embarrassing noises from the bride and groom’s room. Meanwhile, the instigator of this lively scene continued to dance, her belly swaying, taking breaks only to nibble on the pork skewer in her hand. Luckily, Tianrong was only part of the ceremony at the beginning and had since excused himself to look after his and Liu Hua’s shops in town. Otherwise, he’d have a headache from his daughter’s belly-dancing antics for sure.

Zhang Ruo, engaged in conversation with her friends in the village, was nudged to look back at her well-behaved niece, now dancing amid the large men and many children, much to her enjoyment. Seeing this, Zhang Ruo was momentarily stunned before feeling a throbbing headache. She saw her husband nearby, joining in his niece’s singing and dancing, his hand still clutching a liquor jug, refusing to put it down.

"This grandpa and granddaughter duo!"

"Mother, let them have their fun today. It’s a day of joy, after all," Hui Ning laughed, patting her mother’s arm to calm her down.

"It’s so embarrassing. Your dad should be stopping his granddaughter. If she picks up these habits and continues this as she grows, what will I do?" Zhang Ruo complained, massaging her temples as the rowdy noises of the drunken group intermittently reached her ears.

Hearing her mother’s words, Hui Ning chuckled. She turned back to watch her father and sister happily dance around the alcohol circle.

"But then, my heart broke in an instant~ When someone came and took my grilled pork, and walked away~"

‘Ji Hoy’ (A line from a Thai song called Ji Hoy, which means to grill the shellfish) by Pee Saderd, a Thai country singer)

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