Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 112: She’s a Six-Year-Old Child

Chapter 106

She’s a Six-Year-Old Child

Today was the last day the Huan family would be staying at the Tang house. The chubby girl clung to her older friends relentlessly, even riding on their backs like a plump tick. Wherever Huan Tan went, the round figure stuck to his back, prompting sighs from Hui Ning and Zhang Ruo.

Their plump little girl had grown so attached to the Huan family that when they left, she would surely cry until her round cheeks were drenched in tears.

The three young boys didn’t want to leave the fair-skinned girl either. Over the past month, they had been inseparable—eating, playing, and working together. The thought of being apart for years made them sad enough to shed tears.

Each had different responsibilities; when one was free, the other might not be, making it hard to find common time. Especially the twins, who had to study far away in the capital, adjusting not only to new living conditions but also to a different education system, which was much stricter than in the surrounding towns.

Previously, they had spoken with the Zhou siblings, who also could only visit home because their mother was nearing childbirth. Otherwise, they had spent most of their time studying at academies in the capital, where education was highly valued, and most institutions were so strict that long holidays to visit distant homes were rare.

"Are you a tick? Clinging to me like this," Huan Tan remarked, glancing at the plump friend clinging to his back. She rested her round cheeks on his broad shoulder, her tiny hands gripping tightly like a gecko.

"Are you saying you’re a D, O, G, dog?" Xiaolin retorted, causing Huan Tan to raise an eyebrow.

"If you’re free, have your father bring you to visit me. I’ll be at home, but I’ll have more work because we’re expanding our cultivation, so I won’t have time to go anywhere for long," the young man sighed. He had been carrying his chubby friend since morning, and his back ached. When would she get off his back?

"But there’s nothing for me to do at your house,"

"Plenty. If you want coconuts, we have them in the forest behind the house. The stream has fish and river prawns. The fields have red shrimp, and there are fruits to pick. You could even help me make charcoal."

"But my house is more convenient."

Huan Tan sighed as his plump friend began to stubbornly resist. He was now fully convinced that she wasn’t a woman from a future world anymore. She had become a six-year-old girl with some lingering memories from the future world. Her every action and movement clearly indicated that she was just a little child.

"I’ll come visit when I can, but it won’t be anytime soon."

"That’s still good enough," Xiaolin replied, shifting to rest her head on the other shoulder to ease her neck.

"Are you ready to get down now?" Huan Tan asked the plump little girl who was murmuring next to his ear.

"No."

The twins watched their chubby little sister clinging to their father’s back. Huan Qingqing nudged them, suggesting they invite her to play so she wouldn’t feel sad. The twins approached their father, who was packing sweet potatoes into sacks because Hui Song had told them to take some home.

"Xiaolin, come play with us," Ching Long invited his sister.

"If you like riding on backs, you can ride on mine," Ching Lang added.

Xiaolin turned quickly to her kind brother who had offered to carry her. She thought to herself, if even adults like her father, their father, her grandfather, and her uncle ended up with backaches from carrying her all day, how could her little brother possibly manage? Despite her thoughts, she got down from her tall friend’s broad back and walked over to the twins.

"Where is Brother Wen?" Xiaolin asked, looking around for her other adopted brother. Normally, the three boys were always together, but she hadn’t seen him since breakfast.

"He went to play at Ling’s house. Should we invite them to come play with us?" Ching Long said, taking his sister’s chubby hand. Ching Lang quickly grabbed her other hand, not wanting to be left out.

"How about we go play at the beach? You can take some seafood back home," Xiaolin suggested, looking to the twins for their opinion.

The two boys nodded eagerly. Although their father had bought plenty of dried food to take home, they wanted their grandparents to enjoy the delicious seafood they had been eating.

"Great idea!"

After agreeing, the three informed their mother, who was taking care of their baby sibling inside, and then headed towards Ling’s house. They heard cheerful noises coming from the backyard, so they went around the back, knowing Miao Hua was probably busy with the baby and didn’t want to disturb her. When they arrived, they saw the Ling siblings and Huan Luwen playing tag. Ching Long called out loudly to them.

"Let’s go play at the beach."

"The beach?" Ling Hai asked, glancing at the two younger boys beside him, who nodded eagerly.

"Let’s go, big brother. Bring a bucket for collecting clams. I want to eat them," Ling Han said, shaking his brother’s arm.

"Alright, go get a small bucket. I’ll tell mother first."

"Okay!" Ling Han grinned and ran off to grab his bucket.

After informing Mi Hua and getting everything ready, the children headed towards the beach. The cool breeze hit Xiaolin’s chubby cheeks, making her smile and jump happily. The boys, seeing her joy, started jumping and laughing along with her until they reached the beach.

"O beautiful sea~ with the sky so clear and bright~" Xiaolin sang as she ran along the shore, followed closely by the boys.

"Xiaolin, wait up!" Liu Han ran after his plump friend, his cheeks bouncing with each step.

"Look! There’s a tiny squid here!" Xiaolin ran back and squatted down to examine the small squid hiding inside a shell.

"A tiny squid?" Ling Han, who had been right behind her, sat down next to her, peering at the shell in confusion.

"See? Right here. Do you see it?" Xiaolin pointed with a stick to the moving creature inside the shell.

"Oh! But it doesn’t look like the squid we usually eat," Ling Han said, eyes wide. He thought the squid they usually ate had long, slender bodies, which wouldn’t fit in such a small shell.

"There are many types of squid, Ling Han. Just like there are different types of flour, like wheat flour, white flour, and tapioca flour," Xiaolin explained. Ling Han thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"I get it. Like the sweet potatoes at your house, which come in both orange and purple."

"Exactly!" Xiaolin clapped her hands in delight, making Ling Han smile widely.

The four boys who had been following behind watched the two chubby figures talking together adorably. Huan Luwen squatted across from them, observing the moving shell. His eyes widened as he saw the tiny squid hiding inside.

"What’s going on?" Ching Lang asked. Huan Luwen looked up at his older brother and pointed to the brown shell.

"There’s a tiny squid hiding in here."

The three older boys leaned in to look, but soon lost interest. Ling Hai suggested they collect clams for his little brother first before playing. Everyone nodded in agreement.

After gathering clams to their satisfaction, Xiaolin took the small bucket to her great-grandfather’s hut before leading the group to run around near the old Shi couple’s shelter. She smiled widely, lifting her face to the refreshing breeze and laughing joyfully. She loved her childhood life so much and wished she could be a child forever.

Huan Lu Wen and Ling Han joined her in running around, while Ling Hai and Ching Long helped the old couple shuck mussels. Ching Lang stood with his arms behind his back, watching Xiaolin’s bright, smiling face from a distance.

"It will be many years before we see each other again," Ching Lang said, looking at Xiaolin’s round, white face with a small sigh.

Around noon, Huan Tan came with a horse-drawn carriage to pick up the children from the beach and invited them to go to the city. Xiaolin was the first to run and try to climb up the carriage. Her short legs swung back and forth as she struggled to get on until Huan Tan had to come down and lift her up.

Once everyone was seated, Huan Tan drove the carriage towards Jiangnan city. He intended to hire Hui Song’s friend, who had a cart for hire, because they had received so many gifts from the Tang family that they couldn’t carry them all back.

Xiaolin shouted to be dropped off at her barbecue restaurant. Once she was on the ground, she waved vigorously at her tall friend as he drove away. She invited everyone inside, where the restaurant was almost full of customers.

"Since you are all going home tomorrow, I wanted to treat you to a delicious barbecue. Eat as much as you like," Xiaolin said with a broad smile, though her eyes were slightly teary. Ching Lang noticed but said nothing, following her into the resting room.

"Xiaolin, did the kids come to play?" Tianchen noticed the children and excused himself from the regular customers to greet them.

"Uncle! I brought everyone for a barbecue. Please prepare a big set for us!" Xiaolin grinned so widely that her eyes disappeared into slits.

"Such a young one already knows how to treat her friends. Sit tight, I’ll go tell the kitchen," Tianchen said, patting his niece’s head.

They didn’t wait long before the staff started bringing in the food and stove. Tianchen, having given orders, came to help the children. He began by placing meat and vegetables in the pot and grilling peeled and deveined shrimp with butter on a flat pan, sending a delicious aroma wafting through the room. The children, salivating, clutched their chopsticks tightly while Xiaolin craned her neck to watch the shrimp turn orange.

"Eat a lot. Once you go home, there won’t be any barbecue. Ching Lang said you will be going to study in the capital, right?" Tianchen asked the twins while serving each child a piece of cooked shrimp and adding fresher shrimp to the grill.

"Yes, we will leave as soon as spring arrives," Ching Long answered, serving some vegetables from the pot onto his plate and sharing them with his gluttonous little brother Huan Luwen, who was fixated on the butter-grilled shrimp.

"And how will you manage there? Do you have relatives in the capital?"

"Our father has a friend who has been doing business with him since before we were born. He is a native of the capital, and his wife is a friend of our mother. But most of the time, we will stay and study at the academy," Ching Lang replied.

Xiaolin chewed her food while watching Ching Lang, who sat opposite her. She noticed that recently, Ching Lang spoke much more than before, likely because they had become closer.

"In any case, be careful when you’re far from home. Some rich kids have really bad manners,"

Tianchen advised. He had experienced it firsthand as a young boy. Even in Jiangnan city, the children of the wealthy flaunted their status, and the capital, filled with the offspring of high-ranking officials, could be even more daunting. He worried that the twins might encounter such people and get bullied.

"We will be careful," Ching Lang replied, thinking that it would be best if their father could enroll them in the same school as the Zhou brothers. At least they would know someone there.

After finishing their mookrata meal, Huan Tan returned to have lunch with the children before they all boarded the carriage back to the village. The energetic boys went off to play with Xiao Bai, while Xiaolin lay against Xiao Zhong, who lazily chewed grass under a tree. She soon fell asleep in that position.

The next morning, the Huan family woke up early to pack their belongings onto the carriage. Besides their personal items, they were given many gifts from the Tang family, including two salted pork legs, about fifty salted eggs, five sacks of sweet potatoes, and various other items.

Xiaolin woke up early and clung to Aunt Huan Qingqing, who looked perpetually young, refusing to let go. She watched the young men and her tall friend help load the carriage. The hired cart had also arrived early, as the Huan family wanted to set out on their long journey as early as possible.

Hui Song invited his friend Guo Wen to join them for breakfast. It was a meal where everyone talked more than usual, in contrast with the children, who ate quietly. Each child was lost in thoughts about the past, knowing they wouldn’t see each other often anymore.

For Huan Luwen, he wasn’t particularly troubled. He could always visit his little sister since he had no intention of studying far away in the capital. So, he didn’t feel too emotional about the farewell.

"What’s wrong, Xiaolin? Why are you sitting so quietly?" Hui Ning asked her plump daughter, who sat with her head down, stirring her rice with chopsticks.

"Is the food not tasty, you little chubby?" Zhang Ruo asked, noticing that the twins were also acting similarly. She could guess what was troubling her granddaughter.

"I’m not hungry," Xiaolin said, putting down her chopsticks and looking at the twins, who seemed just as downcast as she was.

The Tang family gathered to see the Huan family off as they prepared to board the carriage. Xiaolin watched them before burying her face into her mother’s waist. The little girl’s sobs made the twins’ eyes fill with tears. They tried to remain strong to avoid making their little sister sadder, but seeing her cry made it impossible for them to hold back their own tears.

"Waahh!!" Xiaolin wailed, and Hui Ning hugged her round daughter tightly.

"The little one is crying," Huan Qingqing said, looking at the pale girl affectionately.

"Xiaolin, *Hiccup*," Ching Long called his little sister.

Xiaolin ran to the twins and threw her arms around them. The twins hugged her back and started sobbing as well, which made Huan Luwen, who had been standing there in confusion, cry and join the group hug. The adults looked affectionately at the children. They had played together for over a month, and parting felt like losing a part of themselves.

Huan Tan stood silently, paying respects to his little friend, who had fully embraced being a chubby six-year-old..

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