Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 69: Xiaolin Is Bored but Everyone Else Is Busy

Chapter 63

Xiaolin Is Bored but Everyone Else Is Busy

The Tang family restaurant had been open for several days now, and each day, customers crowded the front of the restaurant, waiting for a table because there weren’t enough inside. Some customers, unwilling to wait, ordered takeout to enjoy at home. The restaurant was so busy that Tianrong didn’t have time to think about opening a dried food store.

Xiaolin suggested to her father that they extend the roof and add ten more tables outside, which helped reduce the chaos at the front. However, it became chaotic inside as there weren’t enough servers, so Ling Heng was asked to help. Liu Hao’s two friends were also hired, with everyone receiving a daily wage higher than that for working within the city walls.

More cooks had to be hired as well, mainly acquaintances of the existing cooks. At the very least, they helped with tasks like preparing vegetables and ingredients, while the main cooking remained the responsibility of the three main cooks.

"Pad Thai with shrimp for table twelve and seafood in gravy sauce for table three are ready!!" Wu Zhe, Wu Zhong’s twenty-year-old younger brother, shouted from in front of the kitchen door, placing the dishes on the table by the door.

"Is the oyster omelet for table seven ready yet?" An Cheng asked his busy friend in the kitchen.

"It’s on its way," Wu Zhe replied after glancing at his sister-in-law, who was making the omelet. An Cheng nodded and took the Pad Thai to the customer.

"Table eighteen ordered extra fried rice!" Du Xie ran over, panting.

"Got it," Wu Zhe noted down the order. Having studied a bit at a small mountain temple, he could read and write.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Tang household was completely different from the bustling restaurant. Chubby Xiaolin was overseeing her small factory, which had been set up two days after the restaurant opened.

As the restaurant got busier, her father ordered her to stay away for safety reasons. With the crowd and the hot food being served, Tianrong feared hot soup might spill on his daughter, so he kept her at home.

Bored at home, the chubby girl found things to do. Besides hiring the couple from the Wen family to make mung bean starch noodles, Xiaolin also thought of making rice noodles for Pad Thai and wide rice noodles for rad na. Zhang Ruo, seeing her granddaughter’s many plans, hired friends to help. These friends included Yao, her son, and daughter-in-law.

"The big noodles are enough for now. Father will be here to pick them up soon. Grandma, please help Aunt Wen with the mung bean noodles. I don’t want to make too many big noodles because they don’t keep well," Xiaolin told Yao, who was making big noodles by spreading batter on a white cloth stretched over a clay pot.

"Sure, dear," Yao replied, looking at the chubby girl with adore. Xiaolin’s chubby figure was very endearing.

After inspecting her little factory and seeing that everything was in order, Xiaolin hopped and skipped back to the small house.

"What are you and Auntie doing, Mother?" The chubby girl walked over to her mother and Mi Hua, who were busy in the hall.

Since her husband had started helping at the restaurant, Mi Hua spent her days at the Tang house. Her two sons helped gather mussels at the beach, as they didn’t want to stay idle at home, and brought them to the Shi family to process further.

"I brought out some fabric to show your aunt," Hui Ning said, wiping the sweat off her daughter’s round cheeks. She wondered why the little girl was sweating so much, likely from wandering around near the stove.

"I’m so bored, Mother," the chubby girl pouted, flopping down to snuggle in her mother’s lap.

"Is little piggy bored already?" Mi Hua asked, folding a beautiful cotton cloth she had been examining.

"I have nothing to do, Auntie," the chubby girl said, patting her plump belly lightly. Mi Hua laughed at the sight.

"If you do too much, you’ll get sick again, you little rascal," Hui Ning teased, squeezing her daughter’s chubby cheeks.

"But doing nothing is boring, Mother," Xiaolin said, looking up at her beautiful mother with a pleading expression.

"Why don’t you go play with Xiao Zhong?"

"Xiao Zhong sleeps all day, and Grandpa goes to sleep with him, hehe," Xiaolin giggled, covering her mouth. Her grandfather spent most days napping under a tree while watching over Xiao Zhong grazing.

"Why not ask Grandpa to take you to the coconut grove? Didn’t you say you wanted to go there?"

"That’s right!" The chubby girl jumped up, gave her mother a big kiss on the cheek, and ran out of the house quickly.

"Sister Hua, look at my daughter running around with her skirt flying up. Sigh," Hui Ning said, exasperated.

"Giggling, Mi Hua replied, "Your daughter is raised by men, it’s no surprise."

"That’s true. She spends more time with the men than with me, her mother," Hui Ning sighed again. What could she do? Heavily pregnant, she couldn’t run around and find things to do with her daughter.

The chubby girl ran, her belly jiggling, to find her grandfather, who was napping peacefully under a tree. He woke up with a start when she jumped on him, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Ugh!"

"Hehe, Grandpa! Let’s go to the coconut grove!" The chubby-cheeked girl grinned, showing her white teeth, oblivious to her grandfather’s pained expression as he struggled not to lose his lunch.

"What do you want to do there, hmm? Don’t you like staying at home comfortably?" Hui Song asked, looking at her plump cheeks moving as she spoke. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Xiaolin wants to find something to do," she pouted.

"Find something to do for yourself or for others? Look around, there’s hardly anyone who isn’t busy already."

"Hehe, but making money is good, isn’t it?" Xiaolin thought and laughed, realizing that her idleness and quest for tasks had made others busy.

"Alright, go get ready then. I’ll take Xiao Zhong to drink some water first," Hui Song patted his granddaughter’s head and gently lifted her off him.

"Okay, Grandpa," Xiaolin replied, then ran back to the house, her little bottom bouncing.

After getting ready, the grandfather and granddaughter duo pushed the cart towards the coconut grove. Xiaolin swayed on the cart, her little mouth constantly singing.

"A bird plus a bird is a bird plus a bird, Hehe! What does a bird plus a bird make?"

Hui Song watched his granddaughter, who seemed to be in a very good mood. She danced along with her singing, making her grandfather wonder where she came up with all these songs.

"A bird plus a bird makes a bird, righttt? What does a bird plus a chicken make? Guess, guess!"

"What is a bird plus a chicken?" Hui Song asked.

"Hehe, I don’t know either,"

Hui Song shook his head at his granddaughter’s antics. He pushed the cart slowly, fearing the chubby little girl might fall off as she began to dance more vigorously.

"A water jar, fill it with water and we will be happy. Bounce to the left, bounce to the right, whee!" The chubby girl wiggled her hips dangerously. Hui Song watched nervously, worried she might fall off the cart.

"You little rascal, what are you doing dancing on the cart? Sit down right now,"

The chubby girl covered her mouth, giggling. She just wanted to tease her grandfather. When he started to scold her, she obediently sat down. Her big eyes looked ahead, seeing that they were almost at the coconut grove, so she sat still.

Upon arriving, Hui Song pushed the cart around the grove, making sure to gather some kaffir lime leaves needed at the restaurant. As they explored, Xiaolin noticed many kaffir lime trees, both big and small. The grove was also full of holy basil, sweet basil, and lemon basil that she had been looking for.

"Next time, let’s dig up some small plants to grow at home, Grandpa," Xiaolin suggested as she picked holy basil leaves and put them in a basket.

"Sure, but we didn’t bring any digging tools today."

"Let’s bring coconut shells next time too. We can dig up the plants with their soil and put them in the shells so they won’t wilt. When they mature, we can collect the seeds and plant them," she said excitedly.

"Alright, little boss. You’ve found more work for your grandpa again,"

"Well, I see you lying around doing nothing all day," the chubby girl teased. Seeing her grandfather sigh, she laughed brightly.

After the two grandfather and granddaughter pair filled a small basket with holy basil, they heard someone calling from nearby. It was Tianchen, walking towards them. He looked into the basket and smiled widely.

"Perfect timing, Uncle. I need some holy basil. I was planning to pull up several plants because if I pick them leaf by leaf, it won’t be enough."

"Is the restaurant doing well, Uncle?" Xiaolin asked, looking up while picking young basil leaves and putting them in the basket.

"We barely get any rest, Xiaolin. We have to take turns eating lunch, and as soon as one group of customers leaves, another group is waiting to be seated. We don’t even have time to clear the dishes," Tianchen said, sitting down on the ground to help his niece pick basil.

"It’s always like this in the beginning. People are curious about new and different foods. After a while, things will settle down," Hui Song commented. He had seen this pattern often when he went to town to buy or sell vegetables. A new shop would open, drawing crowds, but eventually, only regular and occasional customers would remain.

"I think so too, Uncle. Sigh, It’s exhausting, but when I see the book, my fatigue just disappears. We make at least fifty taels of gold a day,"

"That much?" Hui Song exclaimed, accidentally pulling up an entire basil plant in his surprise.

"Yes, Uncle. After deducting expenses, we still make a good profit because we don’t have to buy ingredients from merchants. I heard Big Brother plans to increase everyone’s wages since they’ve been working so hard."

"Good, good. They deserve fair wages for their hard work. So, when will the dried food store open?" Hui Song asked, while the chubby girl listened attentively.

"Big Brother said he wants to wait until the restaurant is stable. If we open now, we won’t be able to manage it well,"

"That’s wise. You should hurry and take the basil back before customers order and there’s none left. There are also kaffir lime leaves in the cart,"

"Thank you. I’ll head back now. Goodbye, Xiaolin." Tianchen gave his niece a big kiss on the cheek before heading out of the grove, carrying the basket of basil and stopping to grab the kaffir lime leaves.

"Let’s go to the beach, Grandpa! I want to catch some giant shrimp. I wonder how low the tide is today," Xiaolin said, clinging to her grandfather’s back. Hui Song lifted her onto his hip to prevent her from falling and walked back to the cart.

"What do you want the giant shrimp for? Are you hungry?"

"I want to eat them, and also sell them. They can be a special dish that’s hard to find. I’ll sell them for a high price," the chubby girl chatted away in her grandfather’s ear. Once they reached the cart, she moved to sit on it.

"Do you think people will buy it at a high price?"

"Of course they will! People are always interested in new and unusual things. Look at how our new restaurant is attracting so many people,"

"Alright then, I’ll help you catch some," Hui Song said, pushing the cart towards the beach.

"Great! I also want to see if there are any crabs. We have shrimp, squid, and mussels, but I haven’t seen any crabs yet. I want to eat steamed crabs with spicy dipping sauce," Xiaolin said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Crabs, huh?"

"If I find any, I’ll let you know,"

As they walked along the beach, they soon reached two small huts that had been repaired and were now sturdy again. These huts were used by the fishermen to rest at night before heading out to sea.

"Xiaolin is here!" Guo Lu exclaimed upon seeing his niece. Whenever she arrived, it usually meant they were in for a treat. He was so sure of it!

"What’s the excitement about, Uncle?" Xiaolin asked, noticing the excitement in her uncles’ eyes and the presence of three unfamiliar men.

Guo Lu saw his niece looking at the strangers and turned around to introduce the three men to her.

"These are men from our village. They’re about your father’s age. The one cleaning the squid is Uncle Tang, the one washing the squid is Uncle Ta, and the one drying the squid is Uncle Gan."

"Hello, uncles. For your hard work, I’ll make something delicious for you,"

Xiaolin said with a wide smile. The men, charmed by her cuteness, smiled back warmly. It was rare to see a healthy, chubby child in such a rural village.

As soon as Guo Lu and Lei San heard Xiaolin mention making something delicious, they quickly abandoned their tasks and crowded around the cart. Xiaolin was surprised by their eagerness.

"What will you make for us, Xiaolin?" Lei San asked, eyes gleaming.

"Tell us, and we’ll help," Guo Lu added with a big smile.

"You two!" Hui Song sighed, walking over to help the others dry the squid.

"I want to look around the beach first. The tide is very low today. I’m looking for an animal with many legs. I think it looks like a spider," Xiaolin said, stroking her chin as she pondered. In hindsight, crabs and spiders do look similar. Eh, or was she the only one thinking that?

"A spider-like animal?" Lei San exchanged glances with his friend before grabbing a bucket.

"What is it, Uncle?" Xiaolin asked, climbing down from the cart to look at the bucket Lei San brought over.

"Is this what you’re looking for?" Lei San asked, pointing into the bucket. Xiaolin looked inside and started jumping up and down excitedly.

"Blue swimming crabs! They’re huge!" She exclaimed, dancing around. Lei San and Guo Lu laughed at her excitement.

"That’s right. They got caught in the nets. We caught a bunch and were planning to show them to you later,"

"That’s great, Uncle! Tomorrow, catch as many as you can, but not the small ones or the ones with eggs. If you find those, let them go back into the sea,"

"Understood,"

Chubby Xiaolin then asked her uncles to build a fire and set up a stove so she could steam the crabs. Tian Yi, who had been pretending to focus on cleaning squid, suddenly sprang up and ran off.

"I’ll get the dipping sauce!" he shouted over his shoulder, leaving the others staring after him in surprise.

"That guy, I thought he was working hard," Wu Zhong said, shaking his head as he added kindling to the fire.

"He was listening with his ears wide open more like, hahaha," Chang Shen laughed heartily as he fetched water to clean the crabs.

"Scrub them well, Uncle. Make them really clean," Xiaolin instructed, her round belly protruding as she stood watching the large crabs.

"Yes, yes, Xiaolin, go sit and wait. We’ll handle this," Chang Shen replied, telling his chubby niece to rest.

"I want to go look around the beach, Uncle,"

"Guo Lu, take her to the beach and see if you can find anything else to eat."

"Perfect, I want to catch some giant shrimp. When Xiaolin isn’t here, I can’t sneak off to catch shrimp without Wu Zhong biting my head off," Guo Lu whispered to his niece, though his loud whisper was heard by everyone.

"I heard that!" Wu Zhong yelled, glaring at his friend.

"Haha, let’s go quickly, Xiaolin. The mad dog is coming to bite us," Guo Lu laughed, grabbing a bucket and carrying his niece to the beach.

Wu Zhong, offended by being called a mad dog, yelled after them. Xiaolin, being carried, laughed loudly, enjoying the fun.

At the beach, the uncle and niece duo started collecting scallops that were scattered all over, filling their bucket. These scallops could be used in the restaurant’s dishes. They also managed to catch several giant shrimps, prompting Guo Lu to shout back to Wu Zhong to bring another bucket.

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