Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 16: I Will Become a Savvy Girl!

Chapter 15

I Will Become a Savvy Girl!

After the clam-collecting competition, the Ling siblings left, so Xiaolin, leaning slightly under the weight of her small bucket filled to the brim with clams, trudged back to the cottage. She had gathered enough clams for her to enjoy a spicy dipping sauce boiled with clams for lunch.

"How far along is the sea water boiling?" Xiaolin asked as she set down her bucket of clams before peeping into the pot. Seeing the water had reduced to half, she went back to her mother.

"What should we have for lunch, dear?" Hui Ning asked her daughter, her hands busily preparing the squid.

"Let’s have these clams. We can boil them with some lemongrass, and they’ll be delicious with spicy sauce," Xiaolin suggested.

"Then let’s boil it right here and take some back to share with your grandparents, along with some rice."

Nodding eagerly, Xiaolin went to check on the drying squid. The blazing sun had dried them quickly. Her small hands flipped the squid on the rack to speed up the drying. Just on the second day, and almost all racks were full, with only two left empty.

With continuous effort until winter, her small dried food business could be within reach. There wasn’t much time left this year, probably just enough to sell within the village. Next year, she could fully start her small business and hire help to increase production.

"Come into the shade now, dear. The sun is too strong," Hui Ning called out, snapping Xiaolin out of her thoughts. She looked at her arms, almost smoking from the sun, and quickly ran back to the shade.

"I’ll weave a hat for you in the evening. You’ve been coming to the beach every day; you might get sick from the sun," Tianrong looked at his daughter’s sunburned face worriedly.

"Thank you, daddy," she said before taking a water bottle from her mother and drinking thirstily.

"And what about the salt?"

"We have to wait for it to dry. It’ll turn into grains like the salt mother uses, but it needs to be sun-dried thoroughly before storing it in jars," Xiaolin explained. Hui Ning nodded in understanding, happy to save on salt expenses. Even though their family now had money, it was still important to be frugal.

Hui Ning let her daughter rest in the shade while she went to manage the pot boiling sea water, stirring it a bit to prevent it from burning. She then carried the bucket of clams back home for convenience, planning to share them with her husband later.

The aspiring young entrepreneur stood up, walked around, and watched her two employees preparing the squid. She wondered what else could be processed and regretted not seeking more knowledge earlier. It seemed too late now.

"Sigh," she sighed loudly, causing her father and uncle to look her way.

"What’s wrong, little Xiaolin? Bored? Or should you go back and take a midday nap at home?" Tianchen asked his little niece, who just frowned and pouted.

"I’m thinking about what else we can dry," she lamented.

"That’s enough for now. When you figure it out, let me know. You’re only five years old, dear. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Providing for the family is my job. Your only tasks are to eat, sleep, and play. If you’re bored, you can learn household chores with your mother. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

 

Xiaolin pouted at her father before nodding vigorously. She hugged him from behind and rested her head there, then realized she had been overdoing it previously. Thankfully, she blamed it on Xiao Zhong, and they didn’t suspect her; otherwise, she might have been accused of being a possessed spirit and burned at the stake.

Even though she really was a spirit...

"I think you’re doing great as you are. Enjoy your childhood, dear," Tianrong said to his daughter, looking fondly at her head resting on his shoulder.

"I understand," she mumbled softly.

Why are you being so fuzzy today, Xiaolin?!

She scolded herself internally, clinging to her father until Hui Ning came carrying a basket, and she ran to her, her little stomach was already protesting.

The clams with spicy dip were a hit with the Tang siblings. They hadn’t cared much for them before due to having tastier options, but this time they gobbled everything up without leaving a single one behind. After eating, they rushed to finish preparing the remaining squid and then busily picked at the clams on the rocks, sometimes even quarreling over the bigger ones like three-year-olds.

Xiaolin watched the energetic siblings with bright eyes. She then checked on the salt in the pan, which was starting to crystallize, and had her mother scoop it into a jar to sun dry.

Seeing the pure white salt excited Hui Ning, prompting her to quickly scoop up more seawater for boiling. Xiaolin asked her mother to drop her off at home before returning to continue with the salt.

Back home, the little one with a bulging belly stood watching Zhang Ruo scoop sweet potato flour into jars. From fifteen bags of sweet potatoes, they got five large jars of flour, two of which were given to the Liu family, leaving three for themselves.

"Aren’t you taking a nap today, Xiaolin?" Zhang Ruo asked her granddaughter.

After finishing with the flour and cleaning up, she waited for her husband to help store the jars in the kitchen, as they were too heavy for her to move alone.

"I’m not sleepy yet. What vegetables did you plant, grandma?" Xiaolin sat neatly, watching her grandmother, who couldn’t help but smile at her granddaughter’s cuteness.

"There’s cabbage, turnips, and kale. Do you want to try them? But these vegetables aren’t ready to harvest yet. I have a bit of kale planted for our consumption. I’ll pick some for your mom to cook tomorrow."

"I was just asking. Are you going to keep those vegetables for yourself, grandma?"

"I’ll sell most of them and keep a little for ourselves."

The round face tilted left and right in thought, with Zhang Ruo watching amusedly. After a moment, Xiaolin’s eyes widened with an idea, and she turned to her grandmother again, "Can I have some turnips and their leaves? I want to dry them for winter."

"Of course, dear. Do you need anything else?"

"Um, please include cabbage and kale as well, Xiaolin will make a special pickled vegetable recipe for grandma. You’ll love it for sure!"

It seemed inevitable that she’d end up making Kimchi, but she’d have to wing it since she didn’t know the exact recipe. Laughing at the thought, Zhang Ruo couldn’t resist pinching her granddaughter’s chubby cheeks.

Seeing Xiaolin refusing a midday nap, Zhang Ruo took her granddaughter by hand and walked into the village in case someone came looking for them at home. Usually, after lunch, she’d return to check on the house. Helping at her son-in-law’s wasn’t much, but she started to put on weight since this household eats three full meals a day.

Xiaolin looked around with interest. Many houses had vegetables grown within their fences, even though they couldn’t cultivate rice due to insufficient water. At least they could grow some vegetables, though they might not thrive as well as those far from the sea due to different soil conditions.

"Oh, Zhang Ruo, haven’t seen you at home much lately. Been helping at your son-in-law’s place?" A middle-aged woman greeted, making the grandmother and granddaughter stop and look.

"Oh, A’Yao, that’s right," Zhang Ruo said as she and her granddaughter walked into the neighbor’s yard, joining a small group of women sitting together.

The idle women curiously looked at the plump little girl with fair skin and round cheeks. Since Tianrong’s land was somewhat far from the village and he barely visited, some people had never seen his little daughter.

"Is this Xiaolin, your granddaughter? My, she’s adorable, looks like a little lady from the city, doesn’t she?" A’Yao commented to her friends, who nodded in agreement.

Seeing her wide, curious eyes, they fell even more in love with her, a stark contrast to their own dirty and unkempt children and grandchildren.

"Xiaolin greets all the grandmothers and aunts," Xiaolin bowed politely to them, making the elderly feel a pang of envy for having such a well-mannered and adorable granddaughter.

"Zhang Ruo, I’m going to be frank with you. Can I arrange for your granddaughter to marry my grandson?" A’Yao blurted out immediately, causing the others to turn and glare at her.

"Hey, A’Yao, I was about to say the same thing."

"Come on, people, she’s only five years old! Let her decide for herself when the time comes," Zhang Ruo interjected, frowning as her friends laughed mockingly.

Her granddaughter was only this young, and they were already planning her marriage. Zhang Ruo glared at them. She hadn’t even spent much time with her granddaughter yet, only starting to see her daily after her son-in-law found valuable herbs, allowing them to live closer.

They hadn’t seen each other much before since her daughter often took the little one into the forest. These people, just meeting her for the first time, were already trying to claim her.

Xiaolin looked at the grandmothers and aunts with a shiver. They were going too far! Though she often complained internally about never having been in love, it didn’t mean she wanted a husband thrust upon her through a match-making attempt by others.

Just wait. If she doesn’t meet someone who catches her eye, she’s prepared to remain a spinster forever!

By the time Xiaolin managed to escape from the group of idle women, her cheeks were sore from being pinched. Rubbing her rounded cheeks, Zhang Ruo couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as she observed her granddaughter’s slightly reddened cheeks.

"Those women really went overboard, squeezing you so hard. Does it hurt a lot, child?" Zhang Ruo couldn’t help but complain upon seeing her granddaughter’s flushed cheeks.

Xiaolin shook her head, causing her bob-like hair to jiggle. She wasn’t in much pain; it was just that the hands of those hard-working women were not only rough but also had callouses that scratched against her delicate skin, causing a slight sting. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Good girl. Let’s go and check out the vegetables at grandma’s house," suggested Zhang Ruo, gently rubbing her granddaughter’s cheek before leading her by the hand towards her house located just ahead.

Xiaolin observed a small mud house, similar in size to her previous home but slightly newer in condition. The area around the house was neatly maintained. Grandma led her to the backyard where there were about ten vegetable plots.

There were three plots each of cabbage and kale, two plots of radishes, and two miscellaneous vegetable plots containing kale, Chinese broccoli, pumpkin, long peppers (Xian Jiao), and large red onions.

"Xiaolin, tell grandma what vegetables you’d like to eat. I’ll pick some for you."

"I’d like to eat kale and Chinese broccoli, grandma."

"Alright, then. I’ll pick some for you. But first, let me weed the vegetable garden a bit. Xiaolin, why don’t you sit in the shade? If you’re sleepy, you can rest on the bamboo bed for a while," Zhang Ruo suggested, patting her granddaughter’s head gently.

Xiaolin went to sit and wait without any complaints as she was starting to feel sleepy herself. The little girl yawned widely and moved towards the bamboo bed at the back of the house. After watching her grandmother weed for a while, she laid down and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhong followed Hui Song around all day. When he got bored, he would go out to play in the remaining open areas, alternating with nibbling on the grass. When he got hungry for milk, he would come running to Hui Song, whining affectionately.

"Moo~"

The plump calf trotted over to the man who had been providing it with milk lately, nudging Hui Song’s legs affectionately. The man, who was standing and watching the construction, had to turn around. Several craftsmen also looked on with interest, having seen the unusual little cow frequently over the past few days.

"Are you hungry?" Hui Song asked Xiao Zhong, who bounced around and playfully flicked his ears in response.

"That calf of yours looks quite unusual," commented one of the craftsmen. Hui Song nodded before replying, "My granddaughter found it in the forest, so we decided to raise it."

 

"I see, no wonder it looks different from ordinary cows," the craftsman nodded in understanding before turning back to his work.

Hui Song headed back to his son-in-law’s house, with the chubby calf joyfully running and jumping along since it was about to enjoy some delicious milk. Upon arrival, the calf stood waiting in front of its milk trough, mooing impatiently for the human to hurry up and pour the milk.

Moo, moo~ Nyeh!

"I know, I know, you really are a lot, aren’t you?," Hui Song shook his head gently as he poured milk into the trough for the greedy calf. He stood watching it lower its head to comfortably drink the milk, wagging its tail back and forth.

Such a delightful sight it was almost irritating.

"Are you fluffy or just fat?" he joked as he observed the plump calf.

From a skinny calf, it had grown round and chubby, always looking like it was about to burst, not to mention its fluffy fur making it look all the more adorable.

Xiao Zhong immersed itself in the trough, drinking milk comfortably, oblivious to the human watching. The chubby animal slurped the milk greedily as if it had never eaten before, even though it was fed three times a day.

Hui Song watched the chubby calf for a while before taking the remaining milk back to the kitchen. Looking around for his wife but not seeing her, he only found the flour jars and stored them properly before going out to watch the craftsmen work, leaving the chubby calf to nap in its bed.

Eat and then nap during the day; truly, it was living life.

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