Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 87: A Lazy Day of the Chubby Kid

Chapter 81

A Lazy Day of the Chubby Kid

Huan Tan drove the carriage to drop off the chubby kid at the Tang household before heading back to the city. As soon as Xiaolin arrived home, she grabbed a basket and went to the vegetable garden to pick several tomatoes and some mild peppers. She planned to make ketchup and chili sauce.

Carrying the basket to the back of the house, the chubby girl saw her uncle lounging on a bamboo platform. She went over and nudged him. Tianchen, upon seeing his niece, quickly got up.

"Where have you been, Xiaolin? Those kids said someone suddenly carried you off," the young man inspected his niece, and upon seeing no bruises, he sighed in relief.

"Uncle Tan took me to the shop. Uncle, can you help me make ketchup and chili sauce? Tomorrow I’ll take you to eat something delicious,"

"Of course, I love delicious food."

"Where is everyone else?" Xiaolin looked around before asking.

"The governor’s son has gone home, and Brother Tan’s son went to see his mother at Ling’s house," Tianchen replied.

Xiaolin nodded. First, she asked her uncle to boil some water while she washed the peppers and tomatoes. Once clean, she steamed the peppers and soaked the tomatoes in warm water for about fifteen minutes to make peeling easier.

When the peppers and tomatoes were ready, Tianchen took on the task of chopping the peppers before grinding them. Xiaolin peeled the tomatoes, then put them in a pot to simmer, mashing them as they cooked. After that, she strained the tomatoes and simmered them again until the sauce thickened. She seasoned it with sugar and salt to complete the ketchup.

"Do I make the chili sauce the same way as the ketchup?" Tianchen asked as Xiaolin was ladling the ketchup into small jars.

"Yes,"

"In that case, I’ll handle the rest. Go see your sister-in-law; she’s been worried about you," Tianchen said.

Xiaolin nodded and ran into the house, stopping by her room to grab her bathing items. She washed thoroughly to get rid of the pepper smell, fearing it might irritate her mother and little brother. After her bath, she went to hug her mother, who was talking with her younger brother.

"Xiaolin, where have you been, hm?" Hui Ning asked as she turned to her chubby daughter, gathering the soft, squishy child into her arms.

"Uncle Tan took me to the shop," Xiaolin replied, rubbing her round cheeks against her mother’s chest. Then she looked down at her younger brother, who was playing with his favorite cloth doll, which was sewn in the shape of Xiao Zhong.

"Xiaoyu, your big sister is back," the chubby child said as she lay down beside her little brother.

"Ah Ah!" The little boy, upon hearing his sister’s voice, moved his arms and legs excitedly. Xiaolin laughed with delight and leaned in to kiss her brother’s chubby belly.

"Was there a problem at the shop? Why was your uncle in such a hurry? He scared everyone,"

"Some customers wanted me to auction off the giant prawns. They probably noticed I hadn’t been to the shop in a while,"

"I see. By the way, your Uncle Weng brought a big basket of lotus roots. What do you plan to do with them?" Hui Ning asked as she untied her daughter’s hair. Whenever Xiaolin lay down to play with her brother, she would always fall asleep with the baby.

"I’m going to make lotus root flour, but later. I want to play with Xiaoyu first. Right, Xiaoyu? Your bigsister will play with you first," Xiaolin said, tickling her brother’s belly, making him laugh happily.

"Ah,"

"Hehe, Xiaoyu, you chubby little baby,"

Xiaolin chatted with her brother until she fell asleep while he was nursing. Soon, Tianyu also fell asleep next to his sister. Hui Ning placed the siblings side by side and walked outside. Since no one else was home, she had to occasionally check the noodle factory to ensure everything was running smoothly.

"Oh, Xiao Chen, are you hungry?" Hui Ning asked as she saw her brother-in-law coming out of the kitchen.

"Oh, I was helping Xiaolin make some sauces,"

"Making sauces? Are you going to the beach?"

"Xiaolin said she’d take us to eat something delicious tomorrow, but I’m not sure where she’ll take us," Hui Ning nodded.

"You should get some rest. I’ll check the factory and then come back to make lunch. I’ll wake you up when it’s ready."

"Alright," the young man agreed, grabbing a pillow and lying down on the bamboo platform in the backyard, as it was cooler outside than inside the house.

After Hui Ning finished checking on the factory, she returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Once the meal was ready, she woke her brother-in-law and asked him to watch the children while she freshened up. She then grabbed a basket filled with food and headed to Ling’s house.

"How’s it going, Mother? Sister Qing?" Hui Ning asked as she entered the house, seeing everyone gathered in the main hall.

"Oh, Ning, did you come to see your niece?" Zhang Ruo asked her daughter.

"I brought some food, thinking everyone might be too busy to make lunch. I also wanted to see the baby,"

"I’ll take the food to the kitchen, Auntie," Ling Hai said as he came to take the basket from Hui Ning, followed by Ling Han, who quickly ran after his brother.

"Such chubby cheeks! Have you named her yet?" Hui Ning asked, looking at the sleeping baby.

"Her father named her Ling Mi,"

Hui Ning stayed to see her niece for a while before heading back home to check on her son. When she returned, she saw her brother-in-law playing with the baby. The little chubby boy was babbling back, not to be outdone.

"Mommy is back, Xiaoyu. Mother, Xiaoyu is hungry," Xiaolin said, looking up at her mother.

"Alright, dear. You should wash up and eat too. I’ve already prepared lunch," Hui Ning said, noticing her daughter’s messy hair, indicating she had just woken up.

"Let’s go, Uncle!" Xiaolin said, hopping along to the back of the house with her uncle following her. Both were excited to have Hui Ning’s cooking after a long time.

After washing their faces and hands, the two sat down to eat at the bamboo platform in the backyard. The meal consisted of stir-fried morning glory, fried dried squid, omelet, and fish soup. They ate so heartily that they finished everything, leaving Xiaolin rubbing her full belly.

"Your cooking is amazing," Tianchen said, also rubbing his stomach as he sat beside his niece.

"Let’s rest a bit, and then we can make the lotus root flour,"

"Lotus root flour?"

"Yep, when you eat it, you mix it with hot water and add some grains. It becomes like a dessert,"

"Alright, I’ll help you,"

They rested for about half an hour before washing and chopping the lotus roots. They then ground them to extract as much flour as possible. They placed the ground roots in a cloth bag, hung it from a beam, and placed a large wooden bowl underneath to collect the liquid as it drained.

"What do we do next?"

"We wait. We’ll check it again tomorrow. I’ll weed the vegetable garden,"

"The sun is too strong for weeding now. How about going to the beach or collecting coconuts?"

"That sounds great! I want some coconut water," Xiaolin exclaimed, jumping up and down. She hadn’t had coconut water in a long time.

"Go tell your sister-in-law then. I’ll get the cart ready."

Xiaolin ran into the house, making a commotion, which earned her a scolding from Hui Ning. The chubby child, undeterred, asked for permission to go out and play. After her mother agreed, she gave Hui Ning a big kiss on the cheek and ran outside, hopping onto the cart her uncle had prepared.

The two made their way to the coconut grove, with Xiaolin singing along the way. Once there, they filled the cart with fragrant coconuts and headed to the beach.

They stopped to greet the Fu family, who had moved closer to the coconut grove to shuck oysters. Xiaolin shared several coconuts with them before continuing their journey to the little love hut where their uncles were working diligently.

"Little Xiaolin!" Uncle Chang Shen called out loudly upon seeing his chubby niece. Whenever she visited, they were sure to enjoy some delicious food.

"Uncle, how are you?"

Xiaolin asked as she climbed down from the cart and approached her uncles, who were lounging in front of the hut. There were now two more huts, as they had hired more workers.

"Not too great since we haven’t had any of your cooking,"

"Then cook for yourselves! I’ve shown you how many times," Xiaolin retorted, taking a coconut from Uncle Wu Zhong, who had already cracked it open.

"We tried, but it never tastes as good as when you make it," Chang Shen replied, pinching Xiaolin’s seemingly chubbier cheeks.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Xiaolin asked, looking at the eager faces of her uncles.

"We want spicy shrimp basil stir-fried. Can you just cook for us? We’ll prepare all the ingredients," Chang Shen requested.

"Alright, I can do that,"

Suddenly, the previously lounging group sprang into action, bustling about to gather the ingredients. Thankfully, the additional workers who were drying squid weren’t as hungry, or the scene would have been even more chaotic.

"The uncles seem really hungry, don’t they?" Tianchen remarked, watching the commotion.

"Yes, I think so too," 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The two sat sipping coconut water, watching their uncles busily preparing shrimp, some were picking basil leaves they ran to get from the coconut grove, some were pounding chilies and garlic, and some were stoking the fire until it nearly engulfed the thatched hut.

Once everything was ready, Xiaolin stood beside her Uncle Guo Lu, who was waiting to stir-fry the dish. She took charge of seasoning, ensuring it turned out just right. She also asked her uncle to prepare some squid so they could share it with the workers drying squid.

The food they had prepared likely consisted only of flatbread and pickled vegetables. The poor villagers could hardly afford good meals. Xiaolin decided to make extra so they could take some home for their families. She made the basil squid less spicy since there would probably be children eating it as well.

Once the meal was ready, her five gluttonous uncles devoured the spicy shrimp basil stir-fried with great gusto, joined by her uncle Tianchen. The large platter of shrimp basil was finished, leaving nothing behind, not even a drop of sauce, making the dish so clean that it practically didn’t need washing. Xiaolin could only blink in astonishment.

"Xiaolin’s cooking is as great as ever," Tian Yi said, leaning against the hut’s post, patting his noticeably rounder belly.

"I wish Xiaolin would come to the beach every day," Guo Lu added, looking at his niece with a pleading expression.

"But I have other things to do too," the chubby child replied, munching on a snack her uncles had prepared for her. They must have been eagerly awaiting her visit every day, as they even had snacks ready.

"Oh, come see us when you’re free, alright?"

"Are the tides getting lower these days? I want some scallops,"

"There might be some. I’ll gather some for you and bring them to your house," Wu Zhong answered his chubby niece.

"Thank you, Uncle."

After lazing around for a while, her uncles got up to clean the squid, leaving Xiaolin to lie down in their place. She called out to her uncle that she was going to visit her great-grandfather, carrying two coconuts. Luckily, the fragrant coconuts were small; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to carry them.

"Great-grandmother!"

"Oh, Xiaolin! Are you here by yourself?" Zhang Ren asked as her great-granddaughter walked in carrying the coconuts. Seeing no one behind her, she assumed she came alone.

"I came with Uncle, but he’s at the squid drying racks."

"Is that so? And what are you carrying?" Zhang Ren took the green fruit, which was larger than most, and examined it.

"Coconuts. They’re delicious,"

"How do you eat them?"

"You cut them here. There’s water inside, so be careful,"

Zhang Ren followed her instructions and sipped the coconut water. She then nodded in approval. She then called out to her husband, Shi An, who was shucking oysters nearby. Shi An walked over and took the coconut from his wife before chucking it.

"Oh! This tastes really good. It’s sweet and fragrant, very refreshing,"

"Where did you get these, Xiaolin, hm?"

"There’s a coconut grove over there," she replied, pointing with her chubby finger.

"Oh, near where the Fu family moved to shuck oysters?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Good, good. We should go collect some for ourselves later,"

Xiaolin chatted happily with the two elders, sometimes telling jokes that made them laugh so hard they almost couldn’t breathe. Her ability to tell funny stories was quite impressive.

Occasionally, the chubby child would get up to sing and dance, shaking her hips to entertain the elders. If they were like the elders in her past life, they would probably laugh so hard they’d spit out their betel nut juice. The two elders were so engrossed in watching their adorable great-granddaughter dance that they forgot all about their work.

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