Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 46: Xiaolin’s Song

Chapter 45

Xiaolin’s Song

The next morning, Xiaolin, still enchanted by the fish paste from yesterday, got up early to roast chilies, garlic, and onions. Tianchen, who had just returned from collecting duck eggs and saw his niece busily pounding away, joined in to help. Today, he wanted to try the chili paste she made, seeing how deliciously she and the big brother had eaten it.

"Is it good?"

"Of course, it is. Chili paste must be eaten with fresh vegetables, but we only have bean sprouts at home."

"How about we plant a variety of vegetables to eat?"

"Uh-huh," the chubby child nodded vigorously, making her cheeks wobble.

"I will ask dad for a plot next to the house to plant various vegetables to eat. Is that okay?"

"Sure, I will help Xiaolin take care of it."

The little hands helped to shell the steamed fish into the mortar that Tianchen was pounding. Sometimes, she stuffed fish into her mouth until she was almost full instead of rice. Seasoned with a moderate amount of fish sauce mixed with hot steaming water and spices, she then scooped it into a bowl and covered it because the side dishes were not yet finished.

"Have the wild vegetables started to sprout yet, uncle? I want to pick some to eat with the chili paste."

"Some trees have started to sprout a little, but they’re still very small."

"Hmm, maybe we’ll go check in another week."

For breakfast, Tianchen tried his niece’s fish paste. Initially, the taste and smell were very strange to him. He tasted several bites before deciding.

Xiaolin didn’t add too much fish sauce to keep it from running out too quickly, so she only used half a spoon mixed with the steaming fish water, making the smell not too strong. Tianchen found his bowl of rice quickly emptied after just a few bites.

"Delicious!"

Tianchen and Huan Tan competed to scoop up the fish paste, consuming several bowls of rice. Xiaolin and the others could only watch them with wide eyes. Tianrong and Hui Song decided that if the chubby child made fish paste again, they would try it to see if it was as delicious as it seemed.

Seeing Tianchen eating so heartily made them curious, but they hesitated and only pondered for a long time. By the time they looked back, nothing was left in the little bowl.

The chubby child walked out, arms behind her back and belly forward, looking at the land around the house. Now that the snow had melted, her father hired villagers to dig and prepare the land for planting.

The soil needed to be dried in the sun for several days before they could start creating furrows for planting sweet potatoes. This time, they planned to plant primarily for the shoots, and once they got the shoots, they would plant more seriously. Tianrong also intended to share the sweet potato planting technique with other villagers who were in good relations.

Xiaolin intended to plant her chili peppers as well, necessary for the restaurant. While waiting for the chili plants to grow enough to harvest, she would check if the town’s stores sold them. She had forgotten to ask about the chilies at the port.

While walking and lost in thought, a voice called out from behind. Xiaolin turned around to see Ching Long coming up with a wide smile, followed by Ching Lang, the stern-faced one. She could now distinguish the two; Ching Long had a small mole on the left brow, while Ching Lang had one on the right side of his nose.

"Sister, can you bring out the cow to play?" Ching Long asked, looking forward to playing with Xiaolin leading them to Xiao Zhong’s pen.

"Xiao Zhong, come out quickly, let’s play!"

The chubby cow bounded out of the pen joyously, nuzzling its little owner before eyeing the boys standing behind with a beaming smile. Remembering the fun from yesterday with these boys, it led the way out.

"Wait for me!" Ching Long ran after it, laughing brightly, while Ching Lang followed at a more leisurely pace.

"What shall we do today?" Xiaolin wondered to herself after running around with Xiao Zhong and Ching Long for a while.

During the winter, she had been idling away, doing nothing but sleeping. The task of growing bean sprouts had been entirely taken over by her uncle. After several months of resting, she felt too lazy and wanted to just lie down and laze around some more.

"Ah, what should I do?"

Frustrated, the chubby child trudged back home, where she saw her mother, grandmother, and Aunt Qingqing, the beautiful one, discussing embroidery. She sighed upon seeing them. Her grandfather was overseeing the hired workers next door.

"Where did dad and uncle go, mother?" The chubby child waddled up to ask her mother. The villagers had started their work a while ago, but she hadn’t seen her father return home yet, only her grandfather who had gone out to check on them.

"Your father has gone to invite Uncle Wu for a hunting trip in the forest. And your Uncle Huan Tan asked to tag along as well."

Hearing this, the chubby child sat down with a pout. Everyone seemed to have something to do but her; she was left with nothing. Her uncle went to school every morning, so he wasn’t around to help find something to alleviate her boredom.

The chubby child flopped down next to her mother, counting the spiders crawling along the beams in boredom. After a while, she flipped over, crawling and burying her head into her mother’s lap.

Hui Ning looked down at her daughter sprawled on the floor, her posture resembling a chubby insect flattened by a cartwheel, and couldn’t help but laugh.

"What’s wrong, my child? Hmm?" She gently stroked her daughter’s head.

"I’m bored," the little girl mumbled from her cozy lap, her eyes wandering over her mother’s slightly protruding belly before patting it playfully.

"I wish the baby would hurry up and be born."

"The baby isn’t even four months along yet, dear."

"I want the baby to grow up fast so they can play with me."

"Why don’t you go out and play with Brother Ching Long?" Huan Qingqing interjected, looking affectionately at the chubby child.

"I’m tired of running around," Xiaolin sighed deeply, tossing and turning in frustration before eventually drifting off to sleep.

About a shichen later, her mother woke her up, informing her that her father had returned, bringing home three pigs. Xiaolin quickly got up and ran out of the house, her belly bouncing as she moved.

"Daddy!" The plump figure ran into her father’s embrace around his waist.

"What’s the matter, child? Move back a bit; I’m dirty." He didn’t pick her up as he was busy cutting the meat to share with everyone.

"I want some grilled pork neck, and liver too, please. I’m going to pick some wild onions." Without waiting for her father’s reply, the chubby figure grabbed her small backpack and dashed out.

Tianrong blinked rapidly, watching the plump figure that had scampered off before bending down to continue cutting meat.

"Does she like pork liver? I’ve tried boiling it before, and it became as hard as a rock," Tian Yi laughed loudly.

"You need to slice it and rinse it a bit to remove the blood from the liver before cooking. It will become tender," Tianrong replied with a chuckle. Without his daughter to guide him, he probably wouldn’t have dared to try it himself.

"Is that so? I’ll have to try making it then," Tian Yi nodded in agreement.

"Apart from liver, grilled pork intestines are also delicious."

"Intestines? Don’t they smell?" Lei San asked.

"You have to wash them several times, rub them with salt, then boil them with herbs to remove the odor before grilling them."

"Now I want to try them. Let’s bring some intestines; I’ll wash them myself. If we had some liquor, it would be even better," Wu Zhong mentioned, suddenly craving a sip of liquor to accompany the grilled intestines.

"Why did you have to say that? Now I want some liquor too," Chang Shen complained. It had been a while since he had a swig of liquor.

"Then let’s go into town and buy some. Borrowing Elder Lu’s cart, we’ll have it in no time," Guo Lu suggested. The mention of liquor made his mouth water.

Tianrong listened to his seniors friends planning and laughing about pooling money for four or five jars of liquor before smiling softly and stepping in to offer money to Chang Shen, who had volunteered to buy the liquor. He even included extra for his father-in-law and Huan Tan.

Meanwhile, the chubby child was sitting cross-legged under a large tree, her small hands pulling up wild onions and putting them into a basket. Some plants came out easily, complete with small bulbs, while others, more stubborn, yielded only leaves. The plump figure swayed to the tune of the song she was singing.

"If you don’t love me, don’t come around, don’t come borrowing my money, hehe," she sang, laughing along with her humorous song.

"If you don’t love me, don’t ask me anything, for I still don’t have any money, hehe."

"If you don’t love me, don’t call to ask if I have money, because the debts you already owe, you haven’t paid yet~"

"Can you please just stop~?"

"If you don’t love me, then don’t... borrow my money~ Yeah! That’s enough, I’d better get going."

"Singing joyfully until I’ve gathered half a basket of wild onions, I lug the basket back to our little house. Upon reaching the backyard, I scoop water into a small basin to wash the wild onions I’ve collected," the chubby child narrated her activities in a lively tune.

"Xiaolin, what are you doing, dear?" Zhang Ruo approached with a tray of tofu.

"Cleaning wild onions, grandma. Are you preparing lunch?" Xiaolin inquired, her hands busy with the task at hand.

"I’m cooking for our workers. What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you," Zhang Ruo asked, her hands not stopping their work.

"I’ll wait for the grilled pork. But could you stir-fry liver with wild onions for me, grandma?"

"Of course, dear. Let me finish cooking for the workers first, and then I’ll prepare yours. Just leave the wild onions in water; I will handle them."

Nodding vigorously, Xiaolin returned to her father, who was starting a fire. Glancing at the pork neck in the basin, she dashed into the kitchen to grab salt and crushed black pepper, also taking out a jar of oyster sauce.

"Father, I’ll marinate the pork with you," the chubby child said, squatting beside the basin of pork.

Her pudgy hands sprinkled salt and pepper on the pork, followed by pouring oyster sauce over it. Tianrong, already dirty from the work, turned to massage the seasonings into the meat before skewering them onto sticks, ready for grilling.

"I will go make the dipping sauce."

She wanted Nam Jim Jaew, so she carried the sauce jar back into the kitchen. She pounded dried chili for a while, then asked her grandmother to roast some rice until it smelled good. Once the rice was aromatic, she crushed it into a fine powder in a mortar.

"Add fish sauce and lime juice. Oops! Let’s add a bit of the boiled fermented fish sauce. Yum!" Satisfied with her concoction, she mixed everything well and carried the bowl of Nam Jim Jaew outside, all while singing.

"If you’re not hungry like me, you wouldn’t understand~ how delicious grilled pork can be~"

"Pff! COUGH!"

Huan Tan, who had just come outside after changing into a new set of clothes and taking a sip of water, ended up spitting out the water upon hearing the small voice singing nearby.

Xiaolin turned around, and upon seeing who it was, giggled joyfully before continuing her song with a good mood, dancing left and right around her father.

"Many have come claiming to be good, but in the end, they all take my pork away~"

Huan Tan choked on his water from the laughter, causing him to cough so hard that tears streamed down his face. He sighed heavily and shook his head at the bizarre song of the plump child.

"All feelings are gone~ No longer wish to share with anyone today."

"Oh, please tell me, is there really pork to be had~"

Tianrong watched the plump figure dancing bizarrely. He continued to grill the pork with a face full of despair, unlike the group led by Wu Zhong, who clapped along to the chubby child’s energetic performance.

"Excellent performance, niece!" Lei San stood up to applaud the chubby child’s performance.

"The song is quite strange, but it grows on you and is quite enjoyable," Guo Lu added, flipping the pork on the grill.

"Can you sing another one?" Tien Yi laughed softly and asked the chubby child. Xiaolin nodded vigorously, causing her hair to flutter.

"I need to think of a song first."

Tianrong and Huan Tan sighed in unison.

As the pork grilled to perfection, Tianrong and Huan Tan turned pale as if they had lost blood. Xiaolin suppressed her laughter before her eyes widened with realization. She scurried back into the kitchen, grabbed a tray, and quickly washed the bean sprouts she had collected.

"Laa laa," she sang, picking a chili and a clove of garlic to roughly pound, then added fish sauce, sugar, lime, and a bit of tamarind.

"Hmm! That should do."

After tasting and finding the flavor satisfactory, she took the washed bean sprouts, mixed them with the dressing in the mortar, scooped them onto a plate, and carried it outside, with Zhang Ruo watching her granddaughter’s frequent kitchen visits.

"This child has been in and out of the kitchen so many times."

Xiaolin placed the plate she was carrying next to Huan Tan, who was sitting on the back porch. The young man looked down at the little girl and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Bean sprout salad," she declared.

"Bean sprout salad, huh?" He leaned down to inspect the bean sprouts coated in seasoning, the scent of fish sauce making his mouth water.

"So random."

"Try it, it’s really good."

With plump hands, she grabbed some bean sprouts from the plate and popped them into her mouth, crunching away. Seeing this, Huan Tan decided to try some too. The crispiness of the bean sprouts mixed with a slightly spicy taste and the aroma of fish sauce made him look down at the plate in front of him in amazement.

"This bean sprouts salad, it’s not bad."

"Hehe, told you so."

"Xiaolin, the grilled pork is ready," Tianrong called out to his daughter. He had sliced the pork and arranged it neatly on a plate.

Xiaolin ran to collect the plate of grilled pork neck from her father and ran back, climbed onto the porch, dipped the pork in the crushed bean sprout sauce, and ate it deliciously.

Huan Tan watched the little girl enjoy her pork and bean sprouts salad and asked,

"Aren’t you using a spoon?"

"It’s not tasty with a spoon. Look, country folks eat like this," the chubby child replied, lifting one knee and sitting in a casual pose, continuing to eat.

Huan Tan laughed dryly before quickly starting to eat, seeing the little one consuming food so rapidly that the pork might soon be gone from the plate.

Soon after, the twins ran over after playing with Xiao Zhong and lying under a tree near its pen, feeling hungry. They had led the chubby cow back to its pen before returning to the small house.

"What are you eating, Father?" Asked the ever-hungry Ching Long, rushing to peer over the porch at the food plate.

"Grilled pork. Go wash your hands properly before you eat."

The twins hurried to wash their hands and then sat down to eat the pork with them. Seeing the little girl dipping her pork in the bean sprouts salad, they tried it too. They ended up consuming the pork and bean sprouts so voraciously that Xiaolin had to prepare more.

"Add another chili pepper," Huan Tan instructed. Xiaolin shot a glance at the three father and sons who had almost finished her meal.

She had barely gotten a few bites herself!

But still, Xiaolin went into the kitchen to prepare more bean sprouts salad because she wasn’t full yet.

Zhang Ruo walked out with a plate of stir-fried liver with spring onions, along with her niece, before asking the men to take a pot of curry out to the villagers.

Xiaolin popped a piece of pork liver into her mouth followed by a big spoonful of rice. Seeing her do that, the twins also went into the kitchen to scoop some rice for themselves. By now, they were running in and out of nearly every room as if it were their own house.

"The food at your house is delicious," Ching Long said, his mouth full of rice, which made his brother look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Chew your food before you speak."

Huan Tan watched his two sons before shaking his head and walking out to grill more pork since it was almost finished.

Tianchen, who had just arrived home and smelled the delicious aroma, dashed inside. He eyed the stir-fried liver, the grilled pork, and another unfamiliar dish with drool almost dripping from his mouth, hurried into the kitchen to scoop some rice, and then sat down to compete with Ching Long for the food.

"Yuck!"

Xiaolin and Ching Lang watched the two battle fiercely with their chopsticks for the last piece of pork, neither willing to give up until Ching Lang snatched it right before their eyes and dropped it onto the chubby child’s rice bowl.

Xiaolin blinked rapidly, but seeing the fiery looks from Tianchen and Ching Long, she quickly grabbed the pork with her chopsticks, chewed happily, and enjoyed her meal.

‘Nam Jim Jaew’ (Spicy dipping sauce originally from the Northeastern region of Thailand)

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