Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 84: The Big Pot of Braised Pork and Tianchen’s Disappointment

Chapter 84: The Big Pot of Braised Pork and Tianchen’s Disappointment

Chapter 78

The Big Pot of Braised Pork and Tianchen’s Disappointment

It was late afternoon by the time they finally got to eat the pork leg rice. The Zhou family had lingered at the Tang house all day, eager to taste the dish.

The Tang household no longer ate salted pickled vegetables, so there was only the tender braised pork leg and boiled kale. However, chubby Xiaolin happily enjoyed her vibrant pickled vegetables with the meal.

"Come and get some. I braised two pork legs, enough to last until tomorrow," Zhang Ruo said, offering a plate to the villagers who hesitated to accept since they had already eaten grilled pork earlier.

"Don’t be shy, Aunties and Grandmothers. The pig is so big, our family can’t finish it all," Xiaolin said, chewing her food before swallowing and addressing the villagers.

"The pork leg is so good, Mother," said a little girl who visited the Tang house daily. She scooped up a large bite of rice and braised pork, and other children were eating as well.

Seeing that they couldn’t refuse any longer, the villagers accepted the plates. Meanwhile, the men were devouring the food as if they hadn’t eaten in years, including the Zhou brothers. They had eaten braised pork leg many times but had never tasted one as delicious as this.

"It’s so delicious!"

"Looks like I’ll have to bother your family more often,"

Xiaolin loved the pork leg rice but needed lots of kale and fresh chili to balance the richness. However, being still a child, she couldn’t eat much chili, so she asked her grandmother for extra kale instead.

Tianchen, feeling better, came outside and watched others eating with great appetite, feeling envious. He watched his niece munching happily and swallowed a big gulp of saliva. Why did he have to be sick on the day everyone got to eat something delicious?

Heaven is so cruel!

"This is for you," Zhang Ruo said, placing a bowl of plain fish porridge in front of Tianchen.

The young man looked at the bland porridge and felt like crying. He resolved that he would recover by tomorrow to taste his chubby niece’s delicious braised pork leg!

"And where is your grandfather? He went to town this morning and still hasn’t returned," Zhang Ruo said, hands on her hips. She thought her husband was checking on the shop, but it was past closing time, and he still hadn’t returned. She wondered if he had been loitering somewhere; if so, she would be ready with a rolling pin for him.

Hearing this, Xiaolin paused, swallowing her food before glancing at her grandmother’s face. But when Zhang Ruo turned to look at her, the chubby girl laughed nervously and resumed eating.

You’re on your own, Grandfather!

After eating two plates of pork leg rice each, the Zhou family bid farewell. Zhang Ruo packed a small pot of braised pork leg for them to take home, knowing how much they liked it.

Zhou Ming also bought three baskets of fresh vegetables, as the Tang family’s produce was much fresher and more appealing than what was available in the market. He wanted to buy them for his wife and sons to eat.

The chubby girl waved enthusiastically as the large carriage drove away. Then, another carriage arrived, its driver looking like a bandit with his face covered. Xiaolin quickly shut the gate but continued to watch warily. The newcomer looked at the little girl with amusement, removed the hood from his head, and winked at the little hostess.

"Uncle!" Xiaolin jumped up and down excitedly upon seeing the familiar face and quickly opened the gate to welcome him.

"Xiaolin!" Ching Long poked his head out of the carriage window and waved at his chubby little sister, smiling broadly. Ching Lang also leaned out to smile at her.

"Brother Long! Brother Lang!"

The chubby girl waved back happily. She hadn’t seen them since they went to buy charcoal. Only her father had been in contact, ordering a large supply of charcoal and rice.

The rice from the Huan family was fragrant, soft, and delicious, and even the customers at their shop had complimented it and inquired about its source. Tianrong had honestly told them it was from Jingnan City.

"Come inside! Father, Uncle Tan is here!" the chubby girl shouted loudly. Tianrong, who was watering the evening vegetables, quickly walked to the front of the house.

"Brother Tan, why didn’t you send a letter beforehand? I could have prepared a place for you to stay," Tianrong greeted his guest with a smile, quickly opening the main gate to let Huan Tan drive the carriage inside.

"There’s no need for that. If your house wasn’t ready, we could have stayed in the city," Huan Tan replied.

"How could I allow that? At the very least, we need to prepare something better for you. But come in first, I’ll take care of the carriage."

The Huan family followed the little hostess into the house. This time, Huan Luwen was with them, looking around the large house excitedly. The extensive vegetable plots along the sides gave a different feeling compared to the rice fields at his home.

"Uncle, Auntie, you came at the perfect time! Today, I made braised pork leg for lunch. It’s very delicious, and Grandmother made a big pot that will last until tomorrow," the chubby girl chatted, not noticing how many times the Huan family members swallowed their saliva.

The Huan family gathered in the main hall, forming a circle around the chubby baby who was moving his arms and legs excitedly. Xiaolin’s elder sister had strictly instructed everyone to wash their hands thoroughly before touching the baby, so they could only sit and admire the little one’s cuteness.

"Xiaolin is worried that others’ hands might not be clean enough, so she doesn’t want anyone to touch Xiaoyu for the fear that he might get sick," Hui Ning explained to the guests with a smile.

"I understand. There was a time when a villager visited and didn’t wash their hands properly, and Ching Long ended up with a rash all over his body," Huan Qingqing said, recalling the incident. After the doctor visited, she insisted that everyone wash their hands thoroughly before playing with her son.

"And no kissing on the cheeks either," the chubby girl returned with a wooden basin of water. She placed it down for the couple to wash their hands before going back to change the water for the three young boys.

"That’s right. Our face and mouth aren’t clean, so you must clean up before kissing a baby,"

"Where’s the pork leg rice?" Huan Tan asked, bending down to speak to the little hostess. Huan Qingqing gave her husband a playful smack on the shoulder, and Huan Tan looked at her sheepishly.

"Honey, you’ve just got here and are already asking about food?" She chided.

"I want some too, Mother. Xiaolin’s food is always delicious," Ching Long said, grinning his eyes.

"You two are just greedy, like father like son," Huan Qingqing sighed.

"In that case, let’s eat first. We’ve already had our meal, and we had guests from the city earlier. I’ll go prepare some food for you," Hui Ning said, getting up, but Huan Tan waved her off.

"No need to trouble yourself. We’ll eat outside to avoid disturbing your son."

The Huan father and sons moved to the backyard, while Huan Qingqing chose to stay inside to chat with Hui Ning. Xiaolin also followed them outside to help prepare food for the guests.

Meanwhile, Hui Song returned home. Contrary to expectations, he was not drunk. He had only had a few drinks in the morning and then sat to sober up at Song Li’s shop before checking on the store for his son-in-law. When the smell of alcohol had mostly dissipated, he returned home, knowing well that coming home drunk would earn him a scolding from his wife.

Upon entering the house, he saw Huan Qingqing with his daughter and grandson. After exchanging brief greetings, he followed the delicious smell to the backyard.

"Uncle, how are you?" Huan Tan greeted Hui Song as he received his plate of food.

"Oh, Tan, I’m well. Have you been here long? You should have sent a word ahead so we could prepare,"

"We’ve just arrived. I wanted to visit my nephew, so I didn’t send the word ahead,"

"And what are you eating? Xiaolin, can you get me a plate?" Hui Song asked, picking up his chubby granddaughter and giving her a big kiss on the cheek.

Xiaolin sniffed her grandpa for any traces of alcohol. Satisfied with the faint scent, she nodded. Her pudgy finger pointed towards the kitchen, so Hui Song carried her inside.

"A’Ruo, give me some food on my plate too, please,"

"Oh honey, where have you been all day?" Zhang Ruo asked, scrutinizing her husband. Seeing that he wasn’t drunk, she took a plate and served him some rice, slicing pork and vegetables on top.

"I stopped by a friend’s shop for a drink and then checked on our store. It was very busy today, so I came back a bit late," the grandfather and granddaughter looked at each other before Hui Song replied.

"Here you go. You’ve had a long day, so eat lots," Zhang Ruo said, preparing a heaping plate of rice and pork for her husband. Seeing that he had been sensible and not drunk himself into oblivion, she refrained from scolding him. Hui Song’s eyes lit up as he took the plate and carried his granddaughter outside.

Once he had his food, he set Xiaolin down beside him and began eating with pleasure.

Xiaolin noticed the green chili peppers on Huan Tan’s plate. She didn’t know when he had picked them, but seeing him take a bite of rice followed by a bite of chili made her want to try it too, even though she couldn’t handle too much spice yet.

The chubby girl reluctantly turned away and walked over to the three young boys eating in another corner. She smiled seeing them take big bites of rice.

Her pork leg rice was really popular. Maybe in the future, she should open a pork leg rice shop alongside their chicken rice shop. She already had some melon seeds saved up, though she hadn’t planted them yet, and there were watermelon seeds she hadn’t tried planting either.

"That’s right, I should share some with Uncle Hao and the Lins," she thought.

Xiaolin ran into the kitchen, asking her grandmother to pack two small pots of braised pork. Zhang Ruo chopped the pork and added boiled kale and eggs.

"Wait until your grandpa finishes eating before you go. It’s getting late, and it’s dangerous,"

"I’ll ask Father to go with me,"

"That’s fine then,"

Xiaolin ran to fetch her father from the vegetable plot. They returned, picked up the small pots, and headed to the Liu household first. They greeted the two grandmothers briefly, collected their share of the payment, and then headed to the Ling family.

"Brother Hai, Xiao Han, long time no see," Xiaolin greeted the two brothers who came out to open the gate.

"Xiaolin, I’ve been looking after Mother at home, and Xiao Han’s been helping Father at the shop," Ling Hai explained as they let the guests in.

"Is your mother almost due?" Tianrong asked. He had been busy with the shop and only spoke to Ling Heng about business.

"The doctor said she should have the baby any day now,"

"Good, good. Here, take this. Xiaolin made braised pork leg with kale. You probably haven’t had much braised food lately," Tianrong said, handing over the small pot. Ling Hai accepted it with a wide smile.

"Thank you, Uncle. We’ve only been having simple stir-fries and soups. Father doesn’t want Mother standing and cooking for too long,"

"Has your mother been getting some exercise? Even though she’s pregnant, she should still do some light activities," Xiaolin said, frowning. If they didn’t let her aunt move around at all, it might be worrisome when it was time to give birth.

"She doesn’t like to not do anything, Xiaolin. It’s just that the kitchen has oil, and Father worries she might slip," Ling Hai reassured her.

"Oh, that’s good then," the chubby girl nodded in understanding.

"If you like the food, come by our house for more tomorrow morning. Xiaolin and her grandmother made a big pot," Tianrong told the brothers, patting Ling Han’s head. The boy was now almost as chubby as his daughter, and he kept staring at the small pot in his brother’s hands.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"Let’s head back so Xiao Hai and Xiao Han can have their meal."

"Goodbye for now."

"If you need anything, come to our house, Xiao Hai," Tianrong reminded the boy, knowing he was at home with his mother.

"Yes, Uncle."

Xiaolin wanted a piggyback ride from her father, so Tianrong carried his little "piglet" on his back. The chubby girl sang cheerfully, not teasing her father for once, which made Tianrong smile all the way home.

"You’re back already? Go take a bath, both of you," Hui Ning said as they walked into the main hall.

Xiaolin got off her father’s back and ran to give her mother a big kiss on the cheek before being kissed back. The little girl giggled and went to her room to get her clothes and a towel for her bath.

A singing sound loudly resonated in the bathroom as her chubby hands lathered soap all over her body, swaying her hips to the rhythm. Xiaolin’s chubby, fair body was covered in soap bubbles. Despite the soap not being particularly foamy, Xiaolin managed to cover herself in bubbles every time. She almost used up an entire bar of soap with each bath.

After a refreshing bath, the chubby girl dried off and got dressed properly. With guests in the house, she couldn’t wrap herself in a towel like a dumpling as usual.

With her hair tied in a bun and her cheeks looking extra round, Xiaolin walked back into the house. Ching Lang, passing by, couldn’t take his eyes off her round cheeks.

"Xiaolin, are your cheeks getting rounder?" He asked, looking at his little sister again. She seemed even plumper than before.

"Am I getting chubbier?" Xiaolin raised her arms and looked down at herself. She felt like she had grown a bit taller but hadn’t realized she might be getting chubbier too.

"Your cheeks are puffier than before," Ching Lang observed, feeling an irresistible urge to pinch them. Before he could think twice, his hands reached out and squeezed both of Xiaolin’s cheeks. Xiaolin blinked in surprise.

"So soft," Ching Lang remarked, his eyes widening slightly as he gently pinched her cheeks with delight.

Xiaolin, noticing he wouldn’t stop, pouted and then reached up with her own chubby hands to pinch his cheeks in return, causing Ching Lang to blink in surprise.

"But you don’t have chubby cheeks at all,"

"Do you want me to have chubby cheeks?" Ching Lang asked, pausing his pinching.

"No, they’re fine as they are. Excuse me, I need to put my things away," Xiaolin said with a beaming smile, before walking past him.

Ching Lang watched her white-clad figure until he heard a loud clearing of the throat. He turned to see his tall father standing there, who had evidently been watching for a while. Ching Lang felt his face heat up slightly.

"How can you go around pinching other people’s daughters’ cheeks, hmm?"

"Father..."

"You’re growing older, and you need to be more considerate when you interact with girls, or you’ll end up bringing my daughter-in-law home sooner than you think," Huan Tan said, ruffling his son’s hair before heading into the house. But he stopped in his tracks when he heard Ching Lang’s quick-witted response.

"Do you want a daughter-in-law now then, Father?"

-----

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