Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 75: Strolling Through Jingnan City

Chapter 69

Strolling Through Jingnan City

The Next Morning

Tomorrow, the father and daughter of the Tang family will return to Jiangnan. Seeing their little sister eager to explore the city, the twin boys volunteered to be her tour guides. Huan Qingqingreminded them not to let her get into too much mischief. She wasn’t overly worried since both her husband and Tianrong would accompany them.

The bald-headed Xiao Jin saw the twins and the chubby girl preparing to go out, and he cried to join them until Jin Lian asked Huan Tan for permission to bring the little boy along. Huan Tan asked her to fetch Jin Long to help look after the kids since he had errands to run, and Tianrong alone might not be able to manage all the children.

"Uncle!" the bald-headed boy ran to the familiar young man Xiaolin recognized.

"You rascal, you can’t be crying over Master Rong and Xiaolin like this," Jin Long said, picking up his nephew.

"I want to go with Big Sister,"

"Get on the cart so we can leave," Huan Tan called out, urging the uncle and nephew as it was getting late.

"I’ll drive the cart," The boy placed his nephew at the back of the cart before taking his seat. Once everyone was settled, he carefully guided the cart down the hill.

Upon arriving in Jingnan city, Huan Tan excused himself to attend to his business, leaving the children in the care of Tianrong and Jin Long.

Xiaolin was quickly dragged by the twins to explore the shops, with Xiao Jin following behind. Seeing that the little boy wanted to be part of the group, she let go of the twins and took his small hand, leading him along the street, much to the twins’ surprise.

"Did Xiao Jin win, Big Brother?" Ching Long asked his brother, who was watching their little sister walk away.

"He wasn’t part of the competition," Ching Lang replied calmly, before following the two little ones, leaving Ching Long scratching his head.

"Xiao Jin, have you ever walked around the city before?" Xiaolin asked, looking down at the little boy. He nodded vigorously.

"Xiao Jin has come with Mother and Miss Qingqing to look at the sweet shops. The sweets are very delicious," he said, swallowing hard at the memory. Xiaolin chuckled softly.

"There’s a tanghulu stall over there. Do you want some?" Xiaolin asked as she spotted the stall not far away.

"Yes, please! I’ll ask Uncle to buy it for me," Xiao Jin replied, about to turn back to his uncle, but Xiaolin held his hand.

"I’ll buy it for you as a gift for our first meeting. How about that?"

"A gift for our first meeting?" Xiao Jin asked, looking up at his round-cheeked sister in confusion.

"Yes, it’s a way to celebrate us meeting and getting to know each other. Come on, I’ll buy it for you," Xiaolin said, leading him towards the tanghulu stall where an elderly woman sat waiting for customers.

"Grandmother, how much is the tanghulu?" Xiaolin asked. The old woman, hearing her voice, perked up excitedly and stood to welcome her young customers.

"Little miss, the tanghulu is three brass coins per skewer. How many would you like? I will wrap them up real nice for you"

Xiaolin quickly counted the group: four children and one young man. Her father wasn’t particularly fond of sweet snacks unless they were made by her or her mother.

"I’ll take six skewers, please. Just wrap one, please, we’ll eat the rest on the road."

"Certainly, little miss," the elderly woman replied, hurriedly handing over the skewers. Xiaolin handed the first one to Xiao Jin, then to the twins and Jin Long.

At first, Jin Long tried to refuse, but Xiaolin insisted, placing it firmly in his hand. She took one for herself, pulled out the money to pay for the snacks, and waited for the wrapped one.

"Here you go," the old woman said, handing over the wrapped tanghulu. Xiaolin gave it to Jin Long before paying and then took Xiao Jin’s hand to continue their walk.

"That one is for Xiao Jin," she told his uncle, who stood holding the treat and blinking in surprise.

"This is delicious, big sister!" Xiao Jin said, grinning with sugar-stained teeth.

"Be careful or you might end up hurting your little teeth."

Tianrong followed quietly, not intervening. He had given his daughter a pouch of coins to carry herself, so he just watched to make sure the children didn’t get into too much mischief. Seeing his daughter chatting happily with the younger boy reminded him of how she had once said she wanted a younger brother, and he chuckled softly to himself.

She must be eagerly waiting for the day her little sibling is born.

The twins watched the two chubby children chat amiably, pointing out various items for sale along the way.

"There are so many sweet shops in the city," the bald-headed Xiao Jin said, looking around excitedly. He tightened his grip on his sister’s chubby hand.

"There are lots of people in the city, so it’s not surprising that there are many shops selling the same things,"

"Shall we go for noodles for lunch, Xiaolin? There’s a noodle shop I really like; it’s delicious," Ching Long suggested, hurrying over to his little sister. Both Xiaolin and Xiao Jin turned to him with interest at the mention of tasty food.

"Yes, let’s go! I love good food hehe,"

"Can Xiao Jin come too?" the little boy asked, looking at the young master hopefully. Seeing Ching Long nod, he beamed with joy.

"We just had breakfast less than two hours ago, and you’re already talking about lunch?" Tianrong remarked with a chuckle.

"I want my little sister to try the noodles at my favorite shop, Uncle," Ching Long said, smiling at Tianrong, who patted the boy’s head gently.

"Alright, we’ll have noodles for lunch then. But what do you want to see first?"

"Father, you should buy some jewelry for Mother. I’ve never seen you buy her beautiful jewelry. She’ll be so happy!" Xiaolin suggested, her eyes sparkling.

Tianrong thought for a moment. They had more money now, and buying a nice piece of jewelry for his wife wouldn’t be a problem. Plus, he would get to see her smile.

"Alright, can you help me choose it then?"

"Of course, Father!"

The group headed to a jewelry shop recommended by Ching Lang, as it was a place his mother frequently visited. Ching Lang realized he needed to talk more; his younger brother was getting ahead of him in many ways. He carefully moved to walk beside the chubby girl, who blinked up at him curiously.

"Do you want any jewelry?" Ching Lang asked, glancing at his brother who was chatting with Xiao Jin.

"I’m still a child, I don’t need jewelry," Xiaolin replied, wondering why the usually quiet boy asked such a question.

Ching Lang didn’t ask anything further, but he made a mental note of his thoughts.

When they arrived at the jewelry shop, Xiaolin eagerly helped her father choose. The shop was filled with beautiful but reasonably priced jewelry. Tianrong selected a silver hairpin adorned with small red gems and a gold hairpin with larger red gemstones and elegant tassels.

Xiaolin was excited about picking out beautiful jewelry for her mother. By the time they left the shop, Tianrong had also bought matching silver and gold earrings, spending quite a bit of money.

Ching Lang held a small fabric pouch and approached the chubby girl, handing her the pretty red pouch. Xiaolin looked up at the taller boy, puzzled.

"What is this?"

"It’s for you. Take it," the boy insisted, holding the pouch out. Xiaolin accepted it and opened it to see what was inside.

Inside the red pouch, Xiaolin found a pair of small silver earrings adorned with light pink gemstones, which were neither too elaborate nor too plain.

"Why...?"

"I thought they would suit you," Ching Lang said, clearing his throat before quickly walking away, leaving Xiaolin staring after him, feeling a bit dazed.

After wandering around the city for a while, they all went to the noodle shop Ching Long had recommended. It was a small shop with only five tables.

"There are still some seats available because it’s not quite noon yet. But if it were lunchtime, we wouldn’t be able to sit and eat comfortably like this," Ching Long explained as they settled down. The owner, seeing the large group, pushed some tables together.

"What do they have here?"

"They serve grilled pork noodles here, Uncle. The pork is marinated and then grilled, making it very tender. The broth is also very fragrant and sweet,"

"Then we’ll have six bowls of noodles and a plate of just the grilled pork," Tianrong told the elderly shop owner.

"Got it. Please wait a moment," the old man said, hurrying to the front of the shop to prepare the noodles.

"If anyone isn’t full, feel free to order more. Today, it is my treat. That goes for you too, Xiao Jin," Tianrong said to the little boy sitting next to him.

"Thank you, Uncle," Xiao Jin replied, smiling so broadly that his eyes almost disappeared.

Once all the noodles were served, everyone started eating. Xiaolin found the taste very similar to the red pork noodles she loved, except the pork wasn’t brightly colored. She happily munched on her noodles, her cheeks puffing out with each bite.

Ching Lang, who had been secretly watching the chubby little girl throughout the day, couldn’t help but smile when he saw her wiggle slightly and her round cheeks move as she chewed.

"Eat lots," he said, picking up some grilled pork from his bowl and placing it in front of Xiaolin.

She stopped chewing and looked up, noticing his small smile, which made her pause for a moment.

What is this boy up to?...So strange.

But when she saw the extra piece of meat, her mood brightened again, and she happily picked it up to eat, sipping the delicious broth. The noodles truly lived up to Ching Long’s praise.

Tianrong and Jin Long each had two bowls of noodles, while the children finished their bowls, feeling quite full despite wanting more. They rested for a bit before paying and leaving, as more customers were coming in, and they didn’t want to take up space.

"Are you leaving tomorrow, Xiaolin?" Ching Long asked quietly. He didn’t want his little sister to leave; he enjoyed playing with her and sometimes got to eat her delicious cooking.

"Yes, I have to go back. I have to help with the shop, and Mother is heavily pregnant," Xiaolin replied, noticing his sad expression.

"If you have free time, you can visit me at my house,"

"I’ll come when the academy has a long break. When it does, I’ll visit you right away,"

"Great! I’ll make lots of delicious food for you," Xiaolin said, making Ching Long’s eyes light up with excitement. He wished the academy would have a long break soon so he could visit her home.

"Where do you want to go next, children?"

"How about we have some snacks and tea at Mother’s shop?"

"That sounds good. Lead the way, twins,"

The twins led the way to a small but bustling sweet shop. Despite its size, customers were constantly coming and going. The young masters of the shop efficiently guided their guests and instructed the staff to prepare seating in the upstairs room.

"Everything is prepared, young masters," the shop manager reported respectfully to the twins.

"Thank you, Manager Ming. Everyone, please follow me upstairs," Ching Lang said, leading the way. Upstairs, the room was already set with an assortment of snacks and tea.

The two chubby children, Xiaolin and Xiao Jin, quickly claimed their seats, followed by Ching Long, who, upon seeing the snacks, also felt his appetite stir.

"Uncle Jin Long, please join us," Ching Lang invited the young man, who felt deeply touched.

Jin Long stood and watched the two young masters with grace. When he was younger, the twins’ parents raised him as if he was not just a servant. As he grew older, the two masters also did not see him as a servant either.

"Delicious snacks! I love them," the bald-headed little boy said, holding snacks in both hands. He took a bite from the left snack, chewed, and then took a bite from the right.

"You little rascal, you can eat one at a time," Xiaolin said, laughing so hard her belly jiggled. She also grabbed some snacks, her round body wriggling with joy.

"What kind of tea is this? It smells amazing,"

Tianrong asked. Normally, he didn’t drink much tea because he couldn’t afford it, but he had tried some at the blacksmith’s shop and the governor’s house, which were fragrant but slightly bitter. This tea, however, had a sweet aftertaste.

"It’s flower tea, Uncle. Mother makes it especially for the shop. She adds a bit of cane sugar to give it a sweet flavor," Ching Lang explained. He seemed to be talking more than usual today, so much that his mouth was getting tired.

Xiaolin noticed Ching Lang massaging his cheeks and mouth, and she laughed so hard she nearly choked on her snack, causing Tianrong to pour her some tea.

"Ah, here you are," Huan Tan said, entering the room.

"Oh, Brother Tan, are you done with your errands?" Tianrong asked, making space for him and pouring him some tea. Huan Tan took a sip and nodded.

"Yes, I finished. Have you all eaten?"

"We had some delicious noodles earlier," Ching Long said with his mouth full of snacks, causing Ching Lang to shake his head slightly.

"Uncle Ming, please order two bowls of noodles for me," Huan Tan said to the shop manager standing by the door.

"Right away, sir."

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