Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 14: An Army Marches on a Full Belly!

Chapter 13

An Army Marches on a Full Belly!

As the day arrived for the construction site inspection, Tianrong decided to build a new house on an empty plot of land behind their current home. He planned to demolish the old house, inherited from his grandfather, once the new one was completed due to its age.

The new single-story house would have five bedrooms, a kitchen, a storage room, a living hall, and a porch for leisure and other activities. It also included a bathroom, a toilet, and a separate firewood storage.

Previously, Xiaolin had whispered to her father about installing a chimney for warmth in winter, which Tianrong relayed to the architect. A mud fence would encircle the property for privacy, costing a total of twenty taels of gold.

Hui Song was assigned to oversee the construction, while the two Tang brothers moved to a small hut by the beach, where many drying racks for fish were set up, with the little lady overseeing the work alongside her furry brown companion.

"I’ll bring you lunch, my dear," Hui Ning told her husband, inspecting his temporary seaside accommodations and reminding their daughter not to frolic too much since the men would be busy working.

"Either menor Xiaochen can fetch it; don’t trouble yourself," Tianrong discussed arrangements with his wife, leaving Tianchen to clean the squid with seawater before drying them on racks.

They started sailing from midnight until the Zhou hours (between  01:00-02:59), catching several buckets of squid, mainly selecting the long-bodied squid (banana squid), but also keeping two large squids (cuttlefish) for cooking at home. They also brought back some other sea fish to keep at the house.

"It’s alright, sweetheart. I have nothing much to do at home. The potato flour is all done, just a little left to grind," she mentioned about the flour that needed to be sun-dried and then ground into powder because it was still in hard lumps.

"Then, you should get some rest. Eat well and sleep enough so you’ll be strong. Once the new house is finished, we can try for a sibling for Xiaolin," Tianrong looked at his wife lovingly, making Hui Ning blush.

"Dear, what are you saying? Xiaochen is right here." Hui Ning glanced at her husband playfully, while Tianchen, who was eavesdropping, pretended to focus back on his task.

Xiaolin and Xiao Zhong were playing on the beach. Farther away, there were drying racks of fish owned by other villagers, which Xiaolin hadn’t noticed before. Some people were also collecting shells on the shore.

"Xiao Zhong, don’t run too far," she warned the chubby cow frolicking happily.

The young girl approached a boy about ten years old who was collecting shells by the shore. He looked skinny, similar to her family before their recent good fortune.

Noticing her stare, the boy looked back. He frowned upon seeing a chubby, fair-skinned girl with puffy cheeks staring at him with wide eyes. Looking around, he saw only the peculiar cow approaching.

"Little girl, why are you here alone? It’s dangerous," he approached the plump child and cautioned.

"My father and mother are over there. What are you doing here?" pointing towards her father’s hut, the boy looked and nodded in acknowledgment.

"You shouldn’t wander off so far. What if you fell into the water? What would you do then?" he sighed, seeing the young girl’s fearless gaze.

"I came to collect shells," he showed her a small bucket with a few cowries inside. Xiaolin peered into the bucket, intrigued.

"Are you from Shen Lin village?" she asked.

"No, I live in Haipin village. Are you from Shenlin?" Nodding, her cheeks jiggled with the motion, and he understood before continuing to collect shells.

"Are you going to sell these shells?" Xiaolin followed him slowly. It was the first time she saw a child her age because she rarely went into the village, only accompanying her father to purchase land.

"No, I’m collecting them to eat."

"Why not catch fish or sea creatures around the rock pools? Or do you prefer eating shells?"

"I wouldn’t dare to catch them. I’ve tried before and got chased away."

"Eh? Why were you chased? The sea belongs to no one."

Hearing this, the boy didn’t respond. People in his village weren’t very friendly, often bullying those who were weaker, especially his impoverished family. So, he chose to avoid trouble when possible.

"Let’s catch sea creatures from there. I’ll show you which ones are edible," Xiaolin, seeing the boy’s skinny frame, wanted to help. He was so thin he was almost just bones. She grabbed the larger boy’s arm and dragged him towards her family’s hut.

The boy followed quietly. The shore Xiaolin led him to belonged to the Shenlin village, and since he was invited by a villager, he presumed there wouldn’t be a problem if he shared some of the sea creatures.

"Who have you brought along?" Hui Ning, watching her husband and brother-in-law work, turned upon hearing voices and saw her daughter bringing a stranger boy, asking curiously.

"I found this big brother collecting shells," she smiled broadly at her mother, then turned to the side to introduce the boy, who bowed respectfully to her parents and uncle.

"I don’t recognize you. Are you from Haipin village?" Tianrong inquired.

"Yes, Uncle. My name is Ling Hai," the boy introduced himself.

"And why did Xiaolin bring you here?" Tianchen asked.

"I want to take him to shrimp catching."

"I’ll come with then!" Tianchen dropped his knife and immediately grabbed a bucket, ignoring his brother’s almost fiery gaze.

"Slacking off, huh?"

"Hehe, big bro, I haven’t eaten shrimp in days," he scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly under his brother’s stern gaze.

"Never mind. Catch a lot then. We’ll have your sister-in-law take some home too," Tianrong relented, wanting some shrimp himself, though he feigned sternness just for show.

"Right away! Let’s go, little Xiaolin, Xiao Hai," Tianchen cheerfully led the way, leaving the two youngsters looking excited.

Hui Ning shook her head with a smile and took her brother-in-law’s place, skillfully cleaning the squid with her husband watching cluelessly, as he often struggled with the task, ending up with several ink-stained disasters.

Ling Hai followed the two uncles and their fluffy cow companion, intrigued by the unusual animal, having only seen the emaciated cattle of his village leader before.

Eventually, the uncles stopped by a scattered group of rocks with some holding water and trapped sea creatures. Ling Hai watched as Xiaolin beckoned him over while her uncle quickly rolled up his sleeves and pants, eagerly stepping into the rock pool.

"Hurry up, Xiao Hai, these shrimps are really tasty, and there are fish too. Come and catch some quickly," Tianchen called out to the silent boy.

Deciding to join in, the boy stepped down into the rock pools, observing and then mimicking the older boy’s odd techniques for catching sea creatures. As he caught more, he began to enjoy himself, further spurred on by the little girl’s encouraging cheers from the shore. He even laughed when he saw Tianchen chasing fish in frustration.

"Ah, I’m soaked! But is this enough to eat, Xiao Hai?" Tianchen half-complained, looking at his drenched self but didn’t forget to ask the boy, who stood with a smile looking at his bucket full of fish.

"It’s enough. This much can feed my family for two or three days. I’m really thankful to you and little Xiaolin," he replied with a wide smile, happy that his family would have enough to eat for the first time in days.

"Thankful to us for what? Anyone can catch these sea creatures," Tianchen waved it off, with Xiaolin nodding in agreement.

"Brother, let’s take the fish back home. The shrimps can be steamed and eaten straight away, or you can cook them in other dishes," she suggested, knowing his family must be waiting.

"Alright, I’ll head back first then," Ling Hai bid farewell before walking away, also stopping to say goodbye to Tianchen and Hui Ning.

The two uncles, carrying a nearly full bucket of shrimp, returned to their small hut in high spirits, their tummies rumbling with anticipation despite it not being lunchtime yet.

"Should we grill the shrimps here, Uncle?" Xiaolin looked up at her tall uncle, rubbing her little belly which was protesting loudly inside.

"I thought you were going to show me how to dry squid," Tianchen looked down at his niece, chuckling. It hadn’t even been a day, and she was already prioritizing food over work.

Feeling a bit embarrassed but unapologetic – after all, an army marches on its stomach, she argued that they needed to eat well to work well.

"If we’re hungry, how can we work?" She proudly lifted her chin before leading the way, leaving Tianchen laughing behind her.

She ran and hugged her mother from behind, nuzzling her cheek against her back, seeking affection before shyly admitting her hunger.

"What is it?" Hui Ning turned to ask, still busy cleaning squid by the sea to reduce its fishiness.

"I’m hungry, Mother. Can I have some shrimp to eat?" Hearing this, her parents chuckled softly.

"Already hungry before we even start working?"

"We need to eat well to have the energy to work!"

"Is that so?" Tianchen laughed softly before washing his hands and starting a fire for his little daughter, indulging her whims.

Xiaolin shouted in delight, jumping around happily. It seemed she was fully embracing her childlike tendencies, almost becoming a five-year-old in spirit.

The little one sat huddled up, eagerly waiting for the skewered shrimp that was cooking over the hot coals. Previously, Tianchen had dashed back to his sister-in-law to fetch some spicy dipping sauce to accompany the grilled shrimp. Hui Ning hadn’t forgotten to scoop some rice into a bowl for them as well, ensuring they could have rice with their meal since it was nearly lunchtime. Meanwhile, she needed to stay home to cook for her parents.

Tianrong watched his plump daughter, who couldn’t take her eyes off the skewered shrimp, and chuckled softly before he quickly started to process the squid, taking advantage of the good sunlight for drying. According to his daughter, it would take about three to four days of drying for the squid to be well-preserved for long-term storage.

"Xiao Zhong, come here quickly, I’ve brought you some milk too," Tianchen called out to the chubby cow that was comfortably basking in the sun. Hearing about food, the cow hurriedly got up, its bulky body swaying as it eagerly ran and hopped towards Tianchen, who was pouring milk from a bamboo container into a small wooden trough.

The young man walked over to the fire to check on the shrimp. Seeing they were nicely cooked, he took them off the heat, placed them on a plate, and began to peel them, placing the beautifully pink shrimp meat into his niece’s small rice bowl as she waited eagerly.

"Brother, come wash your hands and let’s eat," he called out.

Xiaolin picked up a shrimp and bit into it, relishing the juicy, springy meat – truly delightful. Her plump cheeks moved in sync with her chewing, her small mouth smacking from the shrimp’s oiliness. The little girl kept picking up shrimp to eat nonstop, especially since her father and uncle were peeling them for her.

"Mmm," she hummed contentedly, rubbing her rounded belly outside the hut after eating her fill, watching her father and uncle diligently work on the squid.

"Are you all full now?"

"Sweetheart, why are you here? Why didn’t you rest at home?" Tianrong looked up to ask. Hui Ning sat down, scooping the cleaned squid into a small basket she had brought along.

"I wanted to help so we can have lots of dried squid stored," she replied to her husband with a smile, then stood up to walk to the drying racks, laying out the squid one by one.

Hearing this, Tianrong shook his head slightly. He wished she could relax, but she wanted to work instead.

The Tang family worked until dusk, then covered the squid racks with coarse cloth to protect them from dew. Hui Ning returned to deliver food to the two brothers before leading her daughter back to their small home, with Xiao Zhong excitedly running ahead.

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