“Status: Updated to Chapter 1795: Little Phoenix Returns”
Synopsis:
[Group pet + space + gourmet food + ability to communicate with animals and plants] The dirt-poor Fu Family finally had a little girl. After that, good fortune came one after another. Pheasants and wild hares delivered themselves to their doorstep, and ginseng and *lingzhi* mushrooms could be picked up casually. The brothers also lived up to expectations: State-protecting general, reigning chief cabinet scholar, royal wealthy merchant, premier divine chef... But the brothers who could dominate a region found themselves in a fix when someone brazenly came to snatch the apple of their eyes, and they didn't even dare to stop him. That someone smiled smugly, placing the imperial seal in Fu Qiujiu's hands: “Be a good girl, this is the betrothal gift.” Fu Qiujiu: “Want to marry me? Get in line first—”
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Chapter 001: Born a Little Girl
In Qinghe County, Yangshu Village, there had been a severe drought for three consecutive years, resulting in a total crop failure in the fields.
This year, with great difficulty, the rains had finally been plentiful, but instead they ran into a spell of continuous rain, with not a glimpse of the sun for over ten days.
The crops were at the crucial grain-filling stage; if it kept raining like this, there would be no hope for the harvest this year either.
Under the large willow tree at the east end of the village, quite a few men, women, and children were sitting around. Unable to work the fields and feeling cooped up in their houses, they had come out to shoot the breeze.
"The Fu Family is having another baby. Do you reckon this one will be a boy or a girl?"
"The Fu Family is just a monk's temple. They've had eight in a row before, every single one a son. Even if they have another, it'll be the same."
"I reckon they're just asking for it. What others pray for and can't get, their family actually turned away twice just because they were dead set on having a girl."
"They're out of their minds."
"Ain't that the truth? Who in their right mind would believe the words of some wandering Taoist priest!"
"Why won't this rain stop..."
...
The Fu Family.
Mother Fan, the village midwife, rushed out of the room in a flurry, swallowing hard with a pale face.
Fu Baiwan strode forward. "Has it been born? Is it a girl?"
Mother Fan's expression was grave. "Big Brother Fu, it hasn't been born yet, and the situation doesn't look good. I'm afraid your missus is going to have a difficult labor!"
The moment Fu Baiwan heard the words "difficult labor," all the color instantly drained from his weathered face. His hands and feet went numb, and he only managed to stay upright by grabbing the large water vat for support.
"Eldest... Eldest Son's... wife, go quickly and tell Dajin to fetch a doctor."
"Dad, where would our family get the money..." Mrs. Zhou's face showed hesitation.
"Get it on credit if we don't have money! Your mother's life is what matters." Fu Baiwan roared with a darkened face.
At this juncture, making a round trip to fetch a doctor would take a full two hours. What would be the point of bringing one back?
To collect a corpse?
Mrs. Zhou left the house rather unwillingly, though not a shred of urgency could be seen in her manner.
"Step on it!" Fu Baiwan bellowed, trembling all over with anger.
Startled by the shout, Mrs. Zhou finally quickened her pace.
"Second Son's wife, quickly... quickly fix your mother a bowl of brown sugar water, and put plenty of sugar in it."
By the end of his sentence, Fu Baiwan's voice was tinged with tears. His wife had lived through hard times with him for the greater part of their lives, and after giving birth to so many sons in a row, he had already given up on the idea of having a daughter.
Who could have guessed that at over forty years old, his wife would conceive again.
Lady Wu's eyes reddened slightly as she choked back her sobs. "Understood, Dad."
Where on earth was there any brown sugar left in the house? Fortunately, her maiden home was nearby, so Lady Wu decided to go back and beg for some.
What else could she do?
Just in case this was her mother-in-law's last meal, she should at least be well-fed and warmed before setting off on her final journey.
Childbirth for a woman was a brush with death; once she ran into a difficult labor, she was essentially halfway into her coffin.
At that moment, Mother Fan came out again, her hands covered in blood. Seeing her like this, without a word spoken, Fu Baiwan felt that the situation had only worsened.
"Big Brother Fu, the feet are coming out first!"
Anyone who had given birth knew that if the feet came out first, it was a textbook difficult labor.
Fu Baiwan nearly passed out, but forced himself to stand. "Auntie, please try a little harder. The children can't lose their mother."
Mother Fan shook her head, glanced at Fu Baiwan, and felt her anger flare up. "You chased all the women out, so who's going to lend me a hand? Look at a house full of men like you—why aren't you coming over to help?"
"Oh, oh."
Without another word, Fu Baiwan hurried inside, casting aside any taboos about men not being allowed in the delivery room lest they bring bad luck.
Whenever their family planted melons, the heavens made beans thrive; whenever they planted beans, the heavens made the melons flourish that year.
If they tried small-scale trading, they lost money; if they walked, they broke their legs; when they went to the mountains to pick mushrooms, everyone else returned with baskets full, while their family picked very few—and poisonous ones at that, which nearly sent the whole family to meet King Yama after eating them...
They had suffered far too many pieces of bad luck like this; they would choke even on cold water, so what more bad luck was there to fear?
"Big Sister Fu, you've got to put your back into it. This baby feels like a baby girl to me."
Actually, Mother Fan had no idea; all she saw were a pair of chubby little feet—how could anyone tell anything from that?
She only knew that this older couple had their hearts set on a girl, and not wanting a life to be lost on her watch and ruin her reputation, she simply said what the mother longed to hear to keep that last breath of hers going.
Tian Guihua had already lost most of her strength, feeling as though her old life was about to be snuffed out, but upon hearing that it was a little girl, her eyes suddenly flew wide open, and strength crept back into her bit by bit.
She could not die. She had a daughter now.
Seeing this, Mother Fan hurriedly stepped forward. "Listen to me, push, push... Good, right, inhale... push... mm, almost there, almost there!"
...
Hiss!
Fu Jiu suddenly felt a crushing sensation. What was going on here?
Hadn't she died in a car accident?
Water filled her mouth and nose, chaotic noises echoed in her ears, and the pressure bore down on her even more fiercely.
No, she couldn't just sit here and wait to die.
She had to get out.
Her eyes couldn't open, so she thrashed about with all her limbs and struggled with all her might.
At last, that oppressive weight vanished.
She was saved.
"Born! It's born!" Mother Fan shouted in excitement.
A single infant cry abruptly stopped the lingering drizzle, and an old elm tree in front of the door—who knew when it had landed there—a gorgeous bird perched upon it and began to chirp along, as if proclaiming a joyous occasion.
Mother Fan wiped the baby clean and handed her over to Fu Baiwan. "Big Brother Fu, you've got your wish this time, but don't have any more. Sister-in-law had a great stroke of luck and snatched her life back from the jaws of death; next time, there's no telling what might happen."
Fu Baiwan gazed at his fair and pretty little daughter, smiling from ear to ear. He rubbed his hands against his chest over and over again before finally daring to receive the little white dumpling in the swaddling clothes.
"No more, no more. Now that I have a daughter, what else is there to have?"
Outside the door, Fu Liujin and Fu Bajin were clamoring to see their younger sister.
"Dad, let us have a look at the little sister!"
"Hold... sister."
Fu Baiwan gently lowered his daughter, terrified of startling her.
The door curtain was lifted. The smile faded, replaced by an expression of utter disdain. "Hold my foot! You'd drop your sister before you could even walk steady."
Fu Bajin pouted, and just as he was about to cry, the thought struck him that it might frighten his sister. Instead, he trotted out to the courtyard on his short little legs and sobbed there.
Wuwu~
"Liujin, go tell your Third Brother to get some more food back. Your mother's body is weak; she needs to build her strength up."
Fu Baiwan glanced sideways at his wife, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion on the bed, feeling a swirl of mixed emotions in his heart.
Fu Liujin was dying with curiosity to see the little sister, and begged, "Dad, just let me look at the little sister, just one look, okay?"
"Scram, scram, scram! Sister is sleeping."
After shooing away the two little rascals, Fu Baiwan dropped the door curtain, carefully wiped his hands, and washed his face before going back to look at his little daughter.
By now, the little girl had already woken up. Her eyes were open, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly, two deep dimples brimming with a sweet smile.
This was Fu Jiu rejoicing over her narrow escape from death, her body and soul spared from destruction.
Outside the window, a long, sweeping rainbow hung across the sky, accompanied by the chirping of birds.
"My girl, even the birds are coming to give your dad some good news."
Looking at her father, who was grinning from ear to ear, Fu Jiu had only one thing on her mind.
She was hungry.
She was starving to death.
"Wa... wa..."
Fu Jiu was crying, but Fu Baiwan was laughing.
Because the louder she cried, the better her health was.
Watching his adorable little daughter, Fu Baiwan felt his heart melting.
Qiujiu~ Little Jiu.
Right, his little daughter would be called Qiujiu.
Fu Qiujiu.
Chapter 002: What on Earth Was Born?
Hearing her daughter's cries, Tian Guihua woke up.
The first thing she did upon opening her eyes was to check the exquisite little doll in the swaddling clothes. Seeing that she was safe and sound, she finally relaxed.
The little girl looked at her with a wronged expression, and Tian Guihua knew the baby wanted milk. However, her own body was weak; when she gave birth to the fifth child, she hadn't had much milk to speak of, and each child born after that had less than the last. The boys had managed to stay alive purely on sheer luck.
Fu Jiu cried for a long time without getting a single bite to eat, so she simply stopped crying to avoid wasting energy.
"Aiyou, aiyou, aiyou, missus, Qiujiu smiled! Oh mother, she is too pretty!"
Tian Guihua looked puzzled. "Qiujiu?"
Fu Baiwan merely glanced at her before quickly looking back down at his little daughter. "Yeah, that pretty bird of wealth outside chirps just like that."
Though her face was pale, Tian Guihua was also bursting with joy. She cast a playful sideways glance at her husband. "With how ungrounded you are—other people's daughters are named Lan'er or Mei'er, and even my name has a flower in it, but you..."
Fu Baiwan, however, was as happy as could be. "My daughter is a bundle of good fortune, how can she be compared to them?"
Fu Baiwan firmly believed that that bird had come specifically to bring him good tidings.
This name was chosen right.
Tian Guihua propped herself up halfway and looked at the chubby little baby. Even though she hadn't eaten anything good while carrying her, this little one had somehow managed to grow plump and fair right inside her belly.
She really did look like a child blessed with fortune.
"A bundle of good fortune? That old Taoist priest was just spouting nonsense to get those few coins in your pocket. If our family only had daughters, he'd surely say that having sons brings a turn of fortune."
Tian Guihua gently poked the little girl's cheek, her heart melting completely.
The Taoist had said: Fu Baiwan, carrying a million debts; give birth to a daughter, and be worth a million.
Fu Baiwan had only taken it as idle chatter at the time, but now he said smugly, "Whatever, at least I have a daughter now."
"Missus, I've got to say, this little daughter is completely different from those stinky boys! Back then, every single one of them was wrinkled like rat pups, look at how fair and chubby my daughter is."
Regardless of whether the Taoist's words would come true or not, just looking at his little daughter made Fu Baiwan feel like he had struck it rich, and that future days were full of promise.
Having given birth to so many children herself, Tian Guihua had also seen plenty of newborns from other families, and she had to admit—her daughter was exceptionally pretty.
"Shh... don't talk, daughter is sleeping."
Fu Jiu didn't want to sleep either, but her eyelids were heavy; this little body couldn't stay booted up for too long.
Sleep, sleep.
Everything was in her dreams.
...
Fu Liujin bounced off to find Fu Sanjin, who had gone up the mountain to hunt in the rain.
What else could he do?
A whole family was waiting to eat, though they didn't hold out much hope. You couldn't even hunt anything on a sunny day, so on a rainy day, you'd be lucky to pick a few mushrooms.
With the rain stopped and mealtime arriving, the people under the big willow tree were also preparing to disperse and go home to cook and eat.
Seeing the Fu Family's sixth child running over, everyone paused.
"Liujin, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry? Has your mother given birth?"
"She's born, she's born."
"Did she give you another little brother?"
Running along while turning his head back, Fu Liujin flashed a grin. "Mother Fan, it's a little sister this time!"
"Really or not? Your mother gave birth to a girl?"
Fu Liujin was in a rush to find his Third Brother and had no time to chat with her further.
Mother Fan intercepted the short-legged Fu Bajin, grabbed him by the arms, and hoisted him right up into the air.
"Sixth Brother, Sixth Brother..."
"Bajin, tell Auntie, what did your mother give birth to?"
Fu Bajin looked at the circle of people closing in around him, his eyes darting back and forth.
Especially Mother Fan—her gaping maw looked as if she wanted to eat people, and he always went out of his way to walk around her whenever he saw her.
A little sister was a treasure; surely these people weren't planning to go snatch his sister away, were they?
"A younger brother."
Children didn't lie. Mother Fan pressed her lips together and chuckled softly. "There you go, I said there was no way it could be a girl; their family only knows how to produce sons."
"Bajin, is it really a younger brother?"
Fu Bajin nodded heavily. A little sister was a treasure and couldn't be let them be snatched away. "Younger brother."
"Does he have a little pee-pee?"
"Yeah, he has a little willy."
A baby boy? Then there was nothing interesting to see.
Mother Fan set Fu Bajin down and waved for everyone to scatter.
With his feet back on the ground, Fu Bajin watched the crowd scatter like birds and beasts, and smiled secretly. Let's see you try to snatch my sister now.
...
"Third Brother, Third Brother... Aiyou..."
Fu Liujin ran all the way up the mountain and spotted Fu Sanjin drawing a bow and arrow, looking as though he had found his prey.
However, because of his sudden yell, Fu Sanjin's shot went wide.
"Liujin, what are you howling for? There goes the pheasant..."
Fu Sanjin shook his head and pulled up his tripped younger brother. "What is it?"
"Mom had the baby."
Fu Sanjin was still dwelling on that missed pheasant. Nine out of ten people had predicted his mother's pregnancy would yield a boy.
"Another younger brother, huh?"
"It's a sister, a sister, a little sister!" Fu Liujin shouted excitedly several times, terrified he wouldn't hear him.
Fu Sanjin's eyes widened in shock. At that exact moment, the pheasant that had just fled, as if startled by something unknown, came flying out from the opposite small slope squawking, landed right by their feet, fluttered its wings twice, and stopped moving.
The two brothers looked at each other, then at the bird.
"Third Brother, a rabbit, a rabbit..."
Fu Sanjin looked over to see a fat rabbit bounding out. He instinctively gave chase, but the panicked rabbit slammed straight into a tree and knocked itself out cold.
The brothers returned with a large wild pheasant in their left hand, a fat rabbit in their right, and carrying a fleeceflower root on their back—the very same root that had just tripped Fu Liujin.
As they reached the foot of the mountain, they ran into Fu Erjin, who was returning from the fish pond outside the village and also loaded down with spoils.
The two buckets in Fu Erjin's hands were completely full, and the son, Tianfu, on his back was fast asleep.
Strange to say, usually you couldn't even catch a fish the size of a palm, but today big grass carp and big crucian carp were bubbling up and popping out everywhere.
Upon learning that the family had gained a little sister, Fu Erjin was overjoyed and instinctively quickened his pace home.
When the brothers entered the village, Mother Fan had eaten her fill and come back out.
Seeing the things in their hands made her mouth water with envy.
Year after year of famine meant no family was well off.
"Erjin, you've got great luck today, catching this many?"
Fu Erjin was an honest fellow and nodded. "Yeah, today that little pond was just crawling with fish, you could just pick them up at will. It's just that I brought too few buckets, otherwise I could've caught even more."
Mother Fan rolled her eyes. In all her years, this was the first time she had ever heard of fish being free for the picking.
She had to go too.
"Alright, hurry on home. Your mother gave you another younger brother."
With that, she didn't even look back as she hurried home to grab a bucket and go fish-picking.
"A younger brother?"
The three brothers looked at each other in dismay. Fu Sanjin murmured quietly, "Wasn't it a sister, Little Six?"
Fu Liujin was bewildered too. "It *is* a sister! Mother Fan—no, Mother Fan said... wait, Mother Fan said brother, but Mother Fan heard it from..."
"Mother Fan, who did you hear that from?"
"Bajin said so." Mother Fan called back, already holding her bucket as she emerged.
So, was it a younger brother or a younger sister after all?
Chapter 003: This One Isn't Giving Away
Fu Liujin was given a stern scolding by his two older brothers for failing to hear things clearly and spreading false news.
He felt deeply wronged.
It was clearly a little sister, so how on earth had she turned into a little brother?
Yet he hadn't actually laid eyes on her himself. Could it be that his father had gone mad wishing for a daughter and seen wrong?
The first thing the brothers did upon returning home was to seek verification from their dad.
"A son? Pui pui pui, what are you stinky brats talking about? Your old man has a daughter!"
When he said this, Fu Baiwan was proud from the bottom of his heart.
Fu Liujin gave a cold snort and went off to settle accounts with Fu Bajin, blaming him for getting him scolded by his two older brothers.
Fu Bajin blinked. "Shh~ Sixth Brother, keep it down. If Mother Fan and the others find out we have a little sister, they'll come steal her."
Though Fu Liujin had been furious, upon hearing this, it clicked.
Turns out this kid had some wits about him after all.
Of course, stealing was out of the question—Mother Fan's family had five daughters and were desperate for a son.
...
While the men were busy butchering the chicken and fish, Lady Wu carried a bowl of freshly brewed brown sugar water inside. Since she had already managed to beg for it, she certainly wasn't going to return it.
As soon as Lady Wu stepped through the door, she saw her mother-in-law nursing the baby and stared in astonishment. "Mom, your milk came in already?"
Tian Guihua found it puzzling too. Not only had she lacked milk with the previous few pregnancies, but it had also been slow to come in, leaving the babies crying for food in the first few days.
She had been worrying about that very thing just moments ago, but then she felt a swelling sensation, and upon squeezing, she found she really did have milk.
The little one gulped down a few mouthfuls and was already full. Lady Wu handed over the brown sugar water, her gaze unable to tear itself away from the tiny infant.
Seeing this, Tian Guihua immediately understood what was going on. "Second Son's wife, did you go back to your maiden home to beg for this again?"
"Ah... Mom, drink some more to build up your strength."
"I just heard Second Son caught some fish. Later on, take some to your parents so your two sisters-in-law don't give you hard times."
Lady Wu smiled. She had indeed just been given the cold shoulder and sour remarks by her two sisters-in-law, and she was grateful her mother-in-law was so reasonable.
Listening to their conversation, Fu Jiu felt this Second Sister-in-law was a good person, and right before falling asleep, she even flashed a smile at her.
That single smile completely delighted Lady Wu.
"Mom, Little Sister-in-law—ah, Little Auntie smiled at me! Newborn babies who actually smile are truly a rare sight."
Lady Wu simply couldn't understand why so many people didn't value daughters.
Wasn't this little girl plump, pink, and utterly adorable?
Even if she hadn't given birth to one herself, she'd cherish her just like this if she had.
Tian Guihua was beaming too. "This girl loves to smile; she was smiling at your dad for half the day earlier."
"Mom, Little Auntie is a child of great fortune. The moment she was born, both Erjin and Sanjin got all sorts of things. Just now I heard them muttering—that dark, ugly thing Liujin picked up can be sold for quite a bit of silver."
Tian Guihua's eyes flashed with joy. In her heart, she was thrilled and believed it was all due to the good luck brought by her little daughter, but outwardly she remained modest. "It was just a fluke. They're always out there, it's not like they always return empty-handed."
*As if,* Lady Wu thought to herself. All those previous times *were* coming back empty-handed.
Returning empty-handed was considered lucky; otherwise, they'd either stir up trouble or get hurt.
"Missus! The chicken and fish are cleaned and gutted, hurry up and stew them for Mom!"
Fu Erjin shouted from beneath the windowsill.
Because his voice was too loud, he promptly got chewed out by his dad. "Keep it down! You'll scare your sister, and see if I don't give you a thrashing."