Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 61: Special - : The Gluttonous Child and the Misleading Package

Chapter 61: Special Chapter: The Gluttonous Child and the Misleading Package

Special Chapter

The Gluttonous Child and the Misleading Package

"Daddy, I want some sweets," Xiaolin, perched at the cash desk of the seafood restaurant, complained of boredom while watching the lunchtime hustle and bustle.

A week after Uncle Hao’s wedding, the newlyweds have been diligently contributing to the business. Xiaolin gifted them Xiaolin’s special spicy stir-fried chicken recipe as a wedding present, including a recipe for fried chicken wings, considering the restaurant’s roasted chicken also included wings.

However, Xiaolin noticed that most customers preferred only the meatier upper part of the wings, leaving the smaller parts untouched on their plates. So, she suggested Uncle Hao marinate and deep-fry those parts to make them crunchy enough for anyone with strong teeth to chew on the bones.

Additionally, there were chicken feet left unused since the supplier mentioned that most people don’t fancy them. Xiaolin had the discarded chicken feet brought to the restaurant, where they were deep-fried or used to make a spicy soup, similar to the spicy beef bone soup she once made, and a delicious chicken feet salad that she adored.

The customers were hesitant at first but now, they almost prefer chicken feet over roasted chicken, forcing the small eatery to expand by adding five more tables. Nowadays, from noon to afternoon, every restaurant in town is bustling with people, leaving one to wonder about the state of city diners during these hours.

"Have you finished all the snacks in the room already?" Tianrong asked after serving a customer and returning to converse with his round daughter. Xiaolin pouted in response.

"I’m tired of baked treats, daddy. I want different kinds of sweets, like fried dough treats, Tanghulu, and many more," the chubby child requested with fluttering eyelashes, sweetly persuading her father. Tianrong laughed softly at her gesture, affectionately ruffling his daughter’s hair.

"Then get ready, I’m going to have to assign some work first."

"Yay!"

Xiaolin clung to her father’s back, who had transformed from a lean young man to one with defined muscles, drawing the envy and desire of many older women and widows alike. Thanks to having more free time now that Wu Zhe, Wu Zhong’s younger brother, efficiently managed the shop, allowing him not to be there every day.

Tianrong has already promoted Wu Zhe to be the manager of the shop and allowed him to spend his evenings learning to read and write with Liu Hao to handle paperwork better. Since the restaurant closes earlier than others, Wu Zhe uses this time for his studies, financed by Tianrong.

With more free time, Tianrong spends most of it with his family and exercises by fetching water for the storage jars daily. Xiaolin, who initially wanted to help her father build a water channel, abandoned the idea as her father turned into a muscled enthusiast.

She also contributed to her father’s muscle-building by instructing him on various exercises, including push-ups, running around their property ten times, among other activities. Now, her father no longer complains of back or arm pains when lifting her.

The grandfather, inspired by his son-in-law’s robust physique, also started exercising, likely in hopes of impressing his little niece. Only Xiaolin’s chubby uncle remained content with his rotund belly, thinking perhaps once he meets a woman who catches his eye, he might be motivated to exercise too. For now, he’s happy to indulge in eating, allowing Xiaolin to be chubby just like him.

"Xiaolin!" A shout from behind made the father and daughter pause and look back. Tianrong sighed when he saw his chubby brother huffing and puffing as he ran towards them, his jowls shaking with each step.

Pant! “Where are you and your dad heading?" Tianchen, struggling to catch his breath, rested his hands on his knees. Seeing the father and daughter leave the shop, he quickly alerted Hui Song and ran after them, leaving Hui Song staring bewilderedly.

"We’re going to get some snacks. I’m bored of baked goods,"

"I’ll come too. I want some sweets as well."

"That’s called slacking off," Tianrong glanced at his younger brother, who would soon be seventeen yet still acted as young as his niece.

"That makes you a slacker too then. Let’s go, Xiaolin," Tianchen proudly ignored his brother’s gaze, inviting his niece with a clear voice before walking ahead. Tianrong shook his head at his brother’s antics but followed because the plump figure on his back began to protest noisily near his ear.

Upon reaching the city, Xiaolin hopped down from her father’s back and took her uncle’s hand, guiding him through various sweet shops. They found themselves indecisive in front of a variety of stalls selling shao bing, mantou, baozi, tanghulu, and more, unfamiliar with which one to choose for a rare treat in town.

Following his niece and brother, who resembled Xiao Hui and Xiao Zhong with their round cheeks and drooping jowls, though the niece was a tad plumper, they spotted a snack shop selling round, brown fried sweets sprinkled with sesame that stood out from the rest. Eagerly pulling each other towards it, a middle-aged shopkeeper watched them approach and smiled warmly.

"What kind of snack is this, Auntie?" Xiaolin, her eyes sparkling, asked about the unfamiliar treat displayed on the tray.

"These are Tian’er Dan snacks, made from sticky rice flour. They are chewy on the inside," the shopkeeper chuckled, seeing the excitement in their eyes. She handed one to each, and the two chubby uncles immediately took a big bite.

"Delicious!" Their eyes widened in surprise at the remaining part of the snack in their hands, quickly chewing and then stuffing the rest into their mouths.

"How much are these, Auntie?"

"One stick for one brass coin, and there are three on a stick."

"Let’s get ten sticks, Auntie!"

"I’ll also take ten sticks, please. Make it twenty in total."

Hearing this, Tianrong sighed. It seemed his two gluttonous relatives would never slim down at this rate, consuming ten sticks each. In no time, they might have to roll instead of walk.

After about an hour, Tianchen and Xiaolin, each with a big bundle of snacks, settled down at Song Li’s liquor store for a break. Tianrong, seeing the duo planning to stay a bit longer, went ahead to shop for groceries, leaving them with Song Li and other patrons, who were well familiar with the little tycoon.

"Grandpa Song, I’d like two skewers of grilled dried squid, please," Xiaolin told Song Li, who was grilling dried squid for a customer.

Song Li had bought large dried squids from the Tang’s shop to grill and sell, not making much profit but effectively attracting customers. Though expensive for the average villager, everyone knew a jin of dried squid wasn’t cheap anyway. Those who wanted it bought it; others just paid for their liquor.

"All this food, and you still want more?" Song Li glanced at the table loaded with food. The two plump uncles had been snacking non-stop since arriving but seemed far from full. Despite his words, he took the pre-skewered squid to grill for the eager niece.

"There’s a new snack shop next alley over, I heard it’s run by a foreigner with blonde hair. It’s been crowded ever since it opened," Song Li mentioned, piquing the interest of the two foodies, who immediately perked up and asked for details.

"A foreigner’s snack shop? What do they sell?" The plump child hurriedly chewed her snack faster. Western snacks, popular and continuously evolving with new recipes, sparked her curiosity about what she could perhaps recreate.

"It seems to be baked sweets, but they smell really nice. There are other kinds too, but I can’t remember the names. Their names are so strange."

"Because they’re foreign sweets, the names must be derived from their language, Uncle. Shall we go check it out, Xiaolin?" Tianchen’s eyes sparkled as much as his niece’s.

"Finish what’s in front of you first, you gluttons. There’s also the dried squid that’s still being grilled."

"Hehe."

After stuffing themselves with snacks and additional skewers of grilled squid, the two plump relatives bid farewell to Song Li and headed to the alley recommended by Song Li. Xiaolin saw a long line in front of one shop, understood it was the snack shop they were looking for from the chatter of those queuing, and decided to join the line. The excitement was palpable given the crowd, suggesting the snacks must be exceptionally good.

"When will it be our turn? I’ve been waiting for an hour already," a middle-aged man craned his neck towards the front of the line, still more than ten people away from him.

"Are the snacks here really that good? Why so many people?"

"I heard they’re delicious. Plus, there’s a big crowd, so I wanted to try and buy some for my kids at home."

Xiaolin listened to the adults chatting as they waited to buy snacks. With the sheer number of people, it felt like they were waiting for a giveaway. After nearly half an hour, it was finally their turn. Xiaolin grinned and bounced over to the display shelf.

Her big eyes surveyed the variety of baked goods and cookies arrayed before her. There were fluffy cakes, differing only in the absence of cream and decorative toppings, along with many other types of snacks, though in limited quantities. The appealing presentation of the treats on the shelf made the two greedy uncles swallow hard.

The greedy pair pointed at the snacks they wanted, with a shop assistant packaging them up. They spent several silver coins on a large bag of sweets. Although more expensive than the local treats commonly available, the two understood, given these were exotic delicacies.

Once they got what they wanted, the two cheerfully walked back to the restaurant outside the town, hand in hand. The delightful aroma of the sweets wafted out every time their round faces peered into the bag. The chubby duo could only swallow their saliva, as eager as they were to eat, their round bellies could no longer take in any more food. They had to wait until their meals settled before they could start on the aromatic sweets.

Tianrong looked into the guest room of the restaurant and could only shake his head wearily, seeing the two nephews constantly opening the sweet bags to sniff the delightful aroma nearly every ten breaths. He knew he had to ask his mother-in-law to keep an eye on them; otherwise, if left unchecked, the two nephews would surely become round pigs. They were nearly indistinguishable from their waist and neck as it was.

"Xiaolin, you keep sniffing them by yourself," Tianchen sat with a sullen face, watching his niece almost bury her face into the bag of sweets.

"Fine, I’ll share some with you," her plump hands pushed the sweet bag towards her uncle.

Seeing this, Tianchen smiled broadly and leaned down to also enjoy the aroma of the sweets in the bag. Tianrong, walking in to see this scene, could only sigh deeply.

In the evening at the Tang residence, after a hearty dinner, the two little round bundles sat staring at the sweet bag that had nearly lost its aroma because the two had been sniffing it since noon. Xiaolin, eyes wide with excitement, picked up a large cookie and bit into it heartily. Tianchen also hurriedly grabbed some sweets to taste.

The moment of anticipation halted when the uncle and niece tasted the sweets, leading them to scramble outside and spit out the treats. Hui Ning and Zhang Ruo, who were cleaning up in the kitchen, had to come out to see after hearing unusual noises from the backyard, only to find the two nephews desperately spitting out the sweets.

"What’s happening here?" Zhang Ruo stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the two round figures sitting together.

"Yuck, it’s not tasty at all, Xiaolin," Tianchen turned to look at his niece, who also sat with a grim face.

"You’re right, Uncle, it’s so salty."

"And the piece I ate was bitter too."

"Darn it, I spent so many silver coins, *cries*" the plump figure thought of the money spent and started to tear up. She had wasted money on sweets that not even dogs would bother with. Her gluttony had clearly blinded her.

"What kind of sweets are these, they’re as salty as salt!" The outcry from Hui Ning inside the house made the two uncle and niece’ tears drop, mourning the substantial amount of money wasted.

"Remember not to be too greedy next time," Zhang Ruo looked at the two uncle and niece duo sitting dejectedly on the ground.

Hui Ning, seeing this, laughed amusedly, and Tianrong, carrying the round Tianyu, joined in the laughter, hoping the two nephews would learn to spend their money more wisely in the future, especially when their gluttony kicked in...

‘shao bing’ (Chinese sesame flatbread)

‘mantou’ (Chinese steamed bun)

‘baozi’ (Meat-filled Chinese steamed bun)

‘Tianedan’ (Fried glutinous ball)

-----

Read ‘Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en