Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 109: The Beast in the Coconut Forest

Chapter 103

The Beast in the Coconut Forest

Xiaolin led the boys in a wild dance, their chubby cheeks jiggling as they performed various moves, including the exaggerated star pose and the bent-over laundry washing dance. Unable to tolerate any more, Tianrong washed his hands and scooped up his daughter, tossing her over his shoulder. Xiaolin squirmed like a fish out of water, but Tianrong carried her into the kitchen and shut the door, explaining her antics to his mother-in-law. Xiaolin, seeing her grandmother’s stern gaze, laughed nervously and tried to change the subject.

"Heh heh, Grandma, is there anything I can help you with?" She asked, her round, sweaty face wearing a thin smile as she walked to her grandmother.

"You’ll get what’s coming to you! This winter, I’m going to make sure you learn how to be a proper lady,"

Xiaolin stood frozen, her mind blank. Grandma planned to teach a piglet like her lady’s manners? Unthinkable!

The chubby girl tried to sweet-talk her way out of it, claiming she was already well-behaved, but Zhang Ruo was unmoved. Xiaolin pouted and called out to her father, asking for lots of pork neck so she could make grilled pork neck salad to lift her spirits.

When the group of uncles heard Xiaolin would be making something delicious, they quickly opened the kitchen door and carried her outside, showering her with sweet words and offers to help. Tianrong could only sigh deeply at the sight.

Xiaolin, being pampered by her uncles, crossed her arms and smirked at her father and her large friend, who both frowned and twitched, wanting to roll the chubby girl into a ball and toss her into a soup pot.

"Grill the pork neck now, Uncle,"

Xiaolin latched onto Uncle Guo Lu’s back. Guo Lu didn’t mind. He was actually delighted by the attention, smiled, happy to be close to his niece since it meant getting to eat the tasty food first.

"Grill it nice and juicy, right?"

"Yes, Uncle, wait for some delicious food, okay?" Xiaolin said, clinging to his back like a little monkey.

"Sure thing.”

"Won’t you let me have some too?" Tian Yi asked, feigning a sad tone. Xiaolin turned to him with a cheerful smile.

"Uncle, please slice the pork thinly and set up a small stove and pot for blanching the pork. I’ll go pick some vegetables," she instructed, jumping down and running off to the vegetable patch.

Xiaolin picked a bunch of Chinese kale, along with some chilies and cilantro. She planned to make a lime pork salad for her uncles to enjoy with their liquor. It was because when she got the pork for less than half an hour, they sent someone to get many jars of liquor.

They would surely like the sour pork but she’d only separate it into a smaller plate. She used to search on the internet and found that liquor didn’t go well with sour things as it could cause acid reflux.

The chubby girl supervised her temporary workers as they chopped vegetables, sliced pork, pounded chilies and garlic, and blanched the pork and vegetables. She personally handled the final preparations for both the lime pork salad and the grilled pork neck salad.

She also marinated some pork with a spicy dipping sauce to be grilled, filling the area with a mouth-watering aroma. Even her young helpers gathered around the fire, squatting and watching as the pork sizzled on a grill made from three stones.

"Is it almost ready, Uncle?" A boy asked Ling Heng, who was turning the pork pieces. He swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the meat.

"About 5-7 minutes and it’ll be done. Just wait a bit longer," Ling Heng replied, laughing softly at the children who had gathered around, all swallowing in anticipation along with those tending the grill.

Xiaolin sat holding a spoon, mixing the grilled pork neck salad until well combined before sprinkling roasted rice powder on top and mixing again. She picked up a piece of pork, using her chubby fingers to bring it to her mouth and chew. Her dancing friends from earlier squatted nearby, watching and swallowing hungrily. Xiaolin then scooped some to share, giving each of them a piece to taste.

"Delicious!" Ling Han exclaimed, eyes wide with delight, looking at his round friend. Xiaolin laughed gleefully, hehe.

"Make more, Xiaolin. This isn’t enough," gluttonous Ching Lang pointed to the bowl of grilled pork neck salad, urging her to serve more.

"Uncle Guo Lu is still grilling more pork," Xiaolin said, her fingers busy bringing more pork to her mouth.

"You kids aren’t sharing with your uncle," Guo Lu teased, glancing at the children gathered around the bowl.

The children laughed merrily, and Xiaolin went to sit beside her uncle, feeding him pieces of pork. Guo Lu, grilling the pork contentedly, opened his mouth to receive the meat his niece offered. The sight made his friends nearby look on with envy, jealous of the attention Guo Lu was getting.

In the evening, villagers who finished their work came by to buy some pork to take home. Some bought bones for soup because it was cheaper. Chang Shen, handling the sales, generously gave away extra portions, sending the villagers home with happy smiles. Once the villagers left, the men gathered with plates of food and settled in a corner to drink together. Hui Song and Tianchen, who had just returned, joined them.

Xiaolin hugged a plate of grilled pork with fermented fish sauce, chewing happily until her previously deflated belly began to swell again from all the pork she ate. She also asked her grandmother to boil vegetables for her to eat alongside the pork, knowing that eating only meat might cause constipation. Zhang Ruo prepared stir-fried pork with pickled mustard greens for the children to eat with rice.

"Look at Xiaolin. She’s eating so much her cheeks might burst," Huan Qingqing said to Mi Hua, amused.

"Indeed, she makes it look so delicious," Mi Hua replied with a fond smile.

"She’s a little glutton, clinging to that plate of grilled pork," Hui Ning added with a dry smile, watching her daughter hug the plate of pork tightly. It was a rare sight to see the chubby child devouring grilled pork.

"Nom nom nom," the little piglet ate heartily, oblivious to being talked about.

The Next Day. Xiaolin enjoyed a hearty meal of fried pork ribs with garlic and stir-fried pork liver with wild scallions. After eating her fill, she strapped on a small basket and invited her uncle and the boys to head out, aiming for the coconut forest. She planned to gather kaffir lime leaves and holy basil to dry for the winter and to collect mature coconuts. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Upon stepping outside, she saw the Ling brothers waiting with bright smiles. When asked, they explained that they wanted to join because their mother had brought their younger sister to play at the Tang house as well.

"Have you eaten yet? We’ll be there for a long time," Xiaolin asked, beckoning Ling Han to climb onto the cart with her. Ling Han eagerly climbed up to sit behind his friend.

"Yes, we ate. Mother made stir-fried pork with chilies and garlic, and we had fried pork too," Ling Hai replied.

"This morning, we also had fried pork ribs," Ching Lang said, walking alongside Ling Hai.

"I want fried pork ribs too. They smell so good," Ling Han added, imagining the delicious ribs and swallowing hard.

"You can have them for dinner, Xiao Han. I’ll ask Mother to make them," Ling Hai said, patting his brother’s head.

"Thank you, Big Brother," Ling Han replied with a wide smile.

When they reached the coconut forest, the children ran into the woods, chattering excitedly as they searched for holy basil plants, since the outer area had already been picked clean by hired workers. Tianchen looked around, noticing the boys surrounding his niece and blinking in surprise. It seemed his round little niece was the leader of a group of toddlers, with her chubby followers tagging along.

Xiaolin searched for holy basil plants but only found small ones with tiny leaves sprouting. She decided that next year, she would plant more—around two to three mu—specifically for the restaurant. Although she had planted about ten large plots near her house, it was still insufficient. She hadn’t anticipated the restaurant’s high demand, needing a large basket of basil leaves each day. The basil she had planted could only be harvested for a few days, so today they had to venture deeper into the forest.

Kaffir lime leaves were abundant, with large trees growing plentifully, so Xiaolin wasn’t worried about collecting them. They didn’t use as many kaffir lime leaves as holy basil. However, she still planned to eventually take cuttings to plant at home. Lemongrass and galangal were also plentiful along the stream behind her house, so she hadn’t planted them yet. But as demand increased, she would need to plant them too.

"Over there, Xiaolin! It’s full of holy basil!" Ching Lang pointed to a dense patch of basil with tender shoots.

"Let’s gather them!" Xiaolin ran eagerly toward the basil patch.

The chubby girl sat down, placing her basket beside her, and began picking the fresh basil shoots. The boys quickly joined, sitting in a row beside her, each with their own small basket. Tianchen followed with a large basket strapped to his back, pushing a cart.

"Just stay in this area. When your baskets are full, dump them into mine. I’ll go gather some coconuts," Tianchen instructed the children, who responded enthusiastically. He then placed his basket down and went off to collect mature coconuts.

"Hehe, you guys pick the older leaves, okay? I’ll gather the tender shoots, and we can use them to cook lunch," Xiaolin said as she carefully picked only the tender parts.

"Why only the leaves?" Ling Han asked, looking up at his round friend.

"The older leaves dry more easily, but the tender shoots are best when fresh and taste delicious," she explained.

"Alright, I’ll help you gather the shoots then," Ling Han said, eager to help with making something tasty. Xiaolin laughed at his enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Tianchen was collecting mature coconuts, piling them up before returning with the cart. Suddenly, a coconut fell, nearly hitting his head. He jumped back in surprise and looked up, but saw nothing. He examined the fallen green coconut, finding no bite marks or damage, and wondered why it had fallen.

Thud!

"Hey!" Another coconut fell, nearly hitting his foot. He jumped back again.

"What’s going on?"

Thud! Thud!

"Ah! Whoever is doing this, come out now!" Tianchen shouted, looking around frantically. He caught a glimpse of something quickly darting away.

"What are you?" He yelled, running after a brownish-grey creature jumping between the coconut trees.

Screechhh!

The strange brownish-gray animals, three in total, scrambled down the coconut trees and bared their teeth at Tianchen. He slowly backed away, then turned and sprinted, shouting loudly through the forest.

The children heard the commotion and quickly stood up, looking around. Xiaolin instructed them to stay put while she went to investigate, unsure why her uncle was shouting. The boys exchanged puzzled glances and looked at the round, chubby-cheeked girl who barely reached their shoulders. Despite her size, she was giving orders to those several years older than her.

"Xiaolin, let me go instead. You stay here," Ching Lang said, grabbing her arm as she was about to leave.

"How can you go? You’re still just a kid," Xiaolin replied sternly.

"And you’re the youngest of all," Ching Lang retorted, frowning at the little girl blinking up at him.

Xiaolin stood still for a moment, then muttered, "Well, that’s true." She laughed awkwardly.

"But I want to go with you. You’re not familiar with the coconut forest," she said, shaking Ching Lang’s hand and giving him a pleading look.

"Alright, you all take Xiaolin. I’ll stay here with Xiao Han and Wen," Ling Hai suggested, deciding it was best not to all go at once.

"Hm,, let’s go then," Ching Lang agreed, nodding at Ling Hai before leading Xiaolin toward the direction of Tianchen’s cries, with Ching Long following close behind.

"Ahhh!" Tianchen ran, trying to escape the brown, furry creatures that were baring their teeth at him and hurling small, dried coconuts at his head.

When the three children arrived, they stood confused, watching the scene. Xiaolin, realizing what was happening first, shouted, "Stop right now, you monkeys!"

The three monkeys froze, turning to look at the source of the voice. When they met Xiaolin’s stern gaze, they dropped their makeshift weapons and sat down, looking submissive. Tianchen, who had been running for his life, stopped in his tracks, bewildered. He ran over to his chubby niece and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"*Cries*, my little Xiaolin,"

Tianchen cried, hugging her tightly as he sat on the ground, leaning against her for comfort. Meanwhile, Xiaolin glared at the three monkeys peeking at them, causing them to lower their heads in submission. The twin boys, Ching Lang and Ching Long, exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding what was happening.

After Tianchen had cried enough but still refused to let go of his round-bellied niece, Xiaolin crossed her arms and continued to watch the three monkeys, who looked as sad as scolded puppies. She called them over, and Tianchen, hearing this, quickly tried to stop her.

"Xiaolin! They might bite you!"

"It’s alright, Uncle Chen," Xiaolin reassured him, patting his cheek until he calmed down. The monkeys slowly approached and sat close by, looking pitifully downcast.

"This coconut forest is mine now. If you want to live here, you must not be aggressive, understand? Only chase away those who actually want to harm you or destroy the forest, okay?" Xiaolin instructed them sternly.

Whoop Whoop

The monkeys nodded and chattered as if responding. Xiaolin smiled wryly, thinking about how she could influence animals. She couldn’t understand their chatter, but they seemed to understand her well enough.

Reflecting on her experiences, Xiaolin realized she had a unique ability to connect with animals. Whether it was the aggressive monkeys now sitting submissively before her, Xiao Hui, the once-feral cat who had taken to her, or Xiao Bai, the wild ox that had followed her home obediently, they all seemed to be drawn to her.

What exactly is she!?

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