Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 95: The Cheeky Ching Long

Chapter 89

The Cheeky Ching Long

After being scolded heavily, Xiaolin asked her grandmother for permission to go play in the coconut grove. Zhang Ruo, realizing that keeping her granddaughter at home wasn’t feasible, reluctantly agreed but reminded her not to lead other children into dangerous mischief. The round-cheeked child earnestly promised before leading her diverse group of friends out of the house, not forgetting to carry a small basket.

Zhang Ruo watched her granddaughter and the group of boys, who would soon enter adolescence, with a weary heart. Her plump granddaughter had become the leader of this group of boys.

Fortunately, the eldest son of the governor, who had already reached adulthood, accompanied them. She hoped he could somewhat keep the children in line; otherwise, she would undoubtedly have a headache if she let her granddaughter go with the kids without an adult present.

But Zhang Ruo might have forgotten that the one she relied on to control her granddaughter had recently been found swimming with the kids, soaked and in a sorry state...

The children’s cheerful procession soon reached the large coconut grove. Suddenly, Xiaolin remembered she hadn’t yet discussed with her father the idea of buying the coconut grove. She turned to the two Zhou boys, wondering if it was possible to purchase the grove, but unsure how much they knew about buying land.

"Xiaolin, do you have something to ask?" Zhou Minglu noticed the little girl looking at them for a while and asked.

"I want to know if it’s possible to buy a forest. I would like to buy this one,” Zhou Minglu stood there, pondering before bending down to meet the girl’s big round hopeful eyes.

"I’ve heard that if the forest isn’t too large, it can be bought. But those with power can buy large forests or even entire mountains. That’s a loophole in the law that can’t resist the influence of powerful people. You should talk to my father first."

Xiaolin nodded. Most laws seemed to control the powerless, like ordinary villagers, while some powerful individuals lived almost above the law. She needed to find time to discuss this with her father and then visit the governor’s manor. She wanted to buy the coconut grove as soon as possible for her peace of mind.

"Thank you very much. In that case, let’s explore this coconut grove. Most of the trees here are coconut trees, and I’m not sure if there are any animals living around,"

The exploration team began their journey through the coconut grove. Unlike dense forests, the coconut grove wasn’t particularly scary. There were tall coconut trees everywhere, though some were short enough to reach and pick their fruits, which were young aromatic coconuts. On the ground, there were plenty of holy basil plants, interspersed with sweet basil and lemon basil.

Xiaolin couldn’t understand why these vegetables were growing here, but she figured it wasn’t any stranger than her own rebirth that these vegetables would be in such a place they weren’t supposed to be in.

The chubby-cheeked girl looked around, hoping to find new plants she hadn’t seen before. Behind her were young boys, especially the inseparable Huan twins who flanked her protectively, acting as her personal guards.

The Zhou brothers were also fascinated by the strange but open forest, but they carefully walked in the clear areas as they were scared they’d get hit in the head by big coconuts.

Meanwhile, Huan Luwen had already run ahead, excited to see the coconut grove whose fruit was used in making thick tom yum soup. He had also enjoyed the aromatic coconuts before and wanted to eat more. The forest behind his village also had aromatic coconuts, but they were well-known among the villagers and rarely available for frequent consumption.

"Xiaolin, can we take some aromatic coconuts back with us?" Huan Luwen asked the only girl in the group.

"How will we carry them back? Let’s wait until evening and then ask my uncle to help us with a cart,"

"Alright," he agreed, continuing to lead the way cheerfully. Occasionally, he stopped to look at the large holy basil plants, recognizing them from dishes he had seen.

"There are so many holy basil plants here," Ching Lang noted, seeing the plant everywhere he looked.

"I got my holy basil from here too. In about a week, I’ll come back to gather more leaves to dry for the winter. I’m not sure if my father will close the shop during winter because the uncles won’t be able to sail,"

"In that case, you should sell only pork. As for seafood, use dried squid and dried mussels," Ching Long suggested.

"Barbecue might be enough, but what will the seafood restaurant sell if we run out of fresh seafood?" Xiaolin explained.

"That’s right. I completely forgot," Ching Long scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Speaking of which, we have never eaten at Xiaolin’s restaurant, have we, Xiao Wang?" Zhou Minglu turned to his younger brother, Zhou Mingwang, who nodded in agreement.

"Where is Xiaolin’s restaurant?"

"Didn’t Uncle tell you?" Xiaolin asked in surprise. Seeing the two brothers shake their heads, she blinked in confusion.

"It’s the restaurant outside the city, the seafood and barbecue restaurant."

"Really? I’ve always been curious since you mentioned the seafood restaurant. Every time my elder brother and I passed by, it was always full of customers, so we never had a chance to stop by," Zhou Mingwang remarked. He had visited Xiaolin’s house three times but never knew they had such a large restaurant.

"You must try it at least once. Xiaolin’s restaurant serves very delicious food,"

Ching Long said to the Zhou brothers with a wide smile, leaving them puzzled. Usually, when they visited Xiaolin, the twins would remain stern-faced. Little did they know, Ching Long maintained that serious expression to confuse those who weren’t close, often mistaking him for his elder brother.

"Then, before we return to the capital, we must visit Xiaolin’s restaurant at least once, Xiao Wang."

"You should go before winter sets in. When we can’t catch any seafood, there won’t be much to sell,"

"Sure, I’ll go soon."

That day’s exploration of the coconut forest yielded nothing for the small group. Zhou Minglu, noticing they had ventured quite deep, suggested they all return, fearing they might get lost if they went further.

Thus, everyone walked out of the coconut forest. Xiaolin led the group towards the beach to check on her workers.

"Sister Lan," Xiaolin greeted Fu Lan cheerfully.

Fu Lan, who now had a healthier build than before, though her skin had darkened from working at the beach daily, smiled widely and quickly washed her hands as she approached Xiaolin. For Xiaolin, the darker skin tone made Fu Lan even more attractive.

"Xiaolin! What brings you here?" Fu Lan asked the chubby little girl. Even though they didn’t see each other very often, the chubby little girl was her only friend. Fu Lan then quickly washed her hands then approached Xiaolin with a broad smile.

"I was exploring the coconut forest, and these are my brothers, Huan Chinglang and Huan Chinglong, and this is Brother Huan Luwen. The two behind us are Young Master Zhou Minglu and Zhou Mingwang,"

Xiaolin introduced the group of handsome young men who stood out from the ordinary villagers. Fu Lan, noticing the boys behind her little friend, stood shyly. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Who is she, Xiaolin?"

Ching Long’s eyes sparkled as he walked over to whisper to his sister, staring intently at the girl in front of him. Xiaolin glanced at him and then at his gaze before narrowing her eyes.

"Brother Long, are you interested in her?" Xiaolin whispered softly. Ching Long cleared his throat but didn’t deny it.

"Hehe, this is Sister Fu Lan. She dries mussels and sells them to me," Xiaolin said with a mischievous smile.

"Is that so?"

Ching Long nodded, glancing at the girl before him. He liked her natural dark skin, unlike the girls in Jingnan City, who were naturally fair but still applied powder to make themselves even whiter, making it hard to see their true faces.

"Uh, everyone, please come and rest in the hut to get away from the sun. It’s much hotter at the beach than in the village,"

The shy Fu Lan invited them and led the way to her family’s small hut. Not far away, her family was sitting by the rocks, cleaning mussels. Seeing his sister leading a large group to the hut, Fu Long washed his hands and walked over.

"Is that you, Xiaolin?" Fu Long’s stern face softened when he saw the round white figure among the group.

"Brother Fu Long, may we rest here for a while?" Xiaolin asked with a smile, introducing everyone again. The Fu couple, seeing Xiaolin bringing friends to talk with their children, didn’t interfere and let the children chat freely.

Fu Lan, being a good host, brought water for everyone. Fu Long noticed one of the boys staring at his sister and coughed.

Ching Long glanced at Fu Long, who seemed to be the same age as him, with indifference before turning his gaze back to Fu Lan, who was chatting animatedly with Xiaolin. Seeing this, Fu Long frowned and sat next to Fu Lan, glaring at the boy without looking away.

Ching Lang, noticing Fu Long’s glare, nudged his younger brother lightly with his elbow. Ching Long sighed and turned to speak quietly to his brother.

"Big Brother, I like her."

"Ugh! A’Long, you’re only eleven," Ching Lang choked on his saliva and reminded his brother that he was still too young to marry.

"In four years, I can marry."

"Talk to Father and Mother yourself," Ching Lang said, exasperated. This younger brother, when stubborn, wouldn’t listen to anyone, sometimes needing a spanking from their mother to come to his senses.

Although Xiaolin was chatting with Fu Lan, her ears were wide open, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two brothers. Meanwhile, the Zhou brothers and Huan Luwen had gone to watch the Fu couple clean mussels on the rocks.

"You two shouldn’t work so hard earning money that you forget to prepare supplies for the winter," Xiaolin advised the Fu siblings.

"We’ve already dried some mussels and haven’t sold them all to your father. As for other supplies, Father will buy more later," Fu Lan responded to her round little friend.

"Tell Uncle Fu to talk to Uncle Zhong’s group. They’re planning to hunt wild boar for winter supplies soon. Your father could join them. My father and grandfather will also be going," Xiaolin suggested.

"Really? Thank you so much! I’ll tell my father about it.” said Fu Lan excitedly. She had never a meaty pork before. The most she had was when her father bought pig bones that barely had any meat left on them for her mother to make soup with.

"You can talk to him now in case they plan the hunt soon. That way, Uncle Fu won’t miss the opportunity,"

"Go tell Father, Xiao Lan," Fu Long instructed, trying to get his sister away since Ching Long was still staring at her.

"Alright, Big Brother," Fu Lan replied, getting up and walking towards her father excitedly.

Xiaolin glanced at the two boys repeatedly before sighing deeply. She looked at Ching Lang, who was pretending to admire the scenery.

"How long are you two going to stare at each other?"

"Who wants to do that? Hmph." Fu Long snapped, turning away.

"You have the same name, yet you don’t like each other," Xiaolin muttered to herself. Seeing Uncle Fu heading towards the small hut, she stood up.

"I have to go now, Brother Fu Long, Sister Lan."

"Come visit me again, Xiaolin," Fu Lan said with a longing look. Xiaolin agreed before leading the boys to her hut by the beach.

"Little Xiaolin, did you miss me, is that why you came by? We just saw each other all day yesterday," Guo Lu greeted his chubby niece, who waddled in.

"I’m here to check on the work. If you don’t do your job well, I’ll dock your pay," Xiaolin said, pretending to be stern.

"Oh no! I’m scared, Boss. I’ll get to work right away," Guo Lu teased, bowing dramatically.

"Hehe," the chubby girl giggled, covering her mouth.

"The tide is low today. I was thinking of gathering some scallops for you. Didn’t you say you wanted some last time?" Guo Lu told his niece.

"That’s right! It’s a pity I didn’t bring any basil, but I can make it tomorrow because Grandma is cooking a big pot of braised pork leg today,"

"Really!? In that case, I should come over to your house tonight," Guo Lu said, his mouth watering at the thought of the succulent braised pork leg.

"I’ll come too!" Chang Sen shouted from not far away, loud enough that Wu Zhong and Tian Yi, who were talking with Fu Liang at a distance, turned to look.

"But there will be a lot of people tonight, so no one can have more than two bowls,"

Xiaolin cautioned, knowing that the Zhou brothers would be joining for dinner, along with friends and family, including the Shi, Liu, and Ling households. Just the usual group of ravenous men could almost empty the pot.

"I promise I’ll only eat two bowls," Tian Yi said, though he mentally added, with bowls piled high with rice.

"In that case, I’ll go collect the scallops now. Uncle, you should keep working. I have plenty of help today," Xiaolin said, preparing to leave.

"Alright, be careful,"

Guo Lu said, looking at the three familiar Huan boys and the two strange young men who had come along. He nodded, trusting that the boys would take care of Xiaolin. As Xiaolin approached, she whispered to her uncle that the two unfamiliar boys were the sons of the city governor.

Dropping that bombshell, the chubby girl cheerfully walked after the group of boys, leaving her uncle Guo Lu so shocked he nearly collapsed.

For a small-town man like him, meeting the city governor was unheard of, yet his niece had brought the governor’s sons to help gather scallops at the beach. The audacity!

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