Chapter 111 Eating Pig's Trotters: A Calorie Explosion

The tiny little figure and the huge package seem completely mismatched.

Ning Jia couldn't help but chuckle as she squatted down, peering closer at the impressively large package, and asked:

"Bai Su, this isn't... your luggage for tomorrow, is it? There's so much, can you even carry it?"

"I didn't bring them myself, they were..."

Bai Su sighed helplessly:

"I told them I didn't need to bring anything, just some tissues and a diary, but they insisted that wasn't okay, and then they stuffed all this stuff into my bag..."

The "they" that Bai Su mentioned were her family members.

At this moment, three little girls of different ages were standing on the other side of the huge package, staring intently at Bai Su.

Seeing Ning Jia looking in their direction, the little figures blushed. One of them, a round-faced figure, seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking with an embarrassed expression:

"Our Bai Su is grateful for your care."

"You're too kind."

Ning Jia quickly waved her hand and frantically searched the database of little people's names in her brain, but she still couldn't remember the name of the person in front of her. She only remembered that she should be Bai Su's mother.

Seeing Ning Jia suddenly fall silent as if she had stopped speaking, Bai Su spoke up at the right moment, pointing to the round-faced little man who had just spoken:

“I haven’t formally introduced Ning Jia to this before. This is my mother, Ling Quan.”

She then pointed to another small female figure with a pear-shaped face, "This is my aunt, Liu Hua."

Finally, he pointed to the little girl with a peach-shaped face who was hiding behind the two adults, "This is my little sister, Shan Nai."

"They're not very talkative, and they usually prefer to stay in their rooms. In your world of giants' terms, they're... well, they're pretty homebodies."

Ning Jia suddenly realized, and she said, "Why was my impression of Bai Su's family so vague? Turns out they're a family of homebodies."

At this moment, the little girls named Lingquan, Liuhua, and Shannai (in order of age) all smiled at Ning Jia and then fell silent.

Ning Jia returned their friendly smiles:

"We're all friends, no need to be so polite with me."

It seems this family is not only homebodies, but also a bit shy.

Looking at it this way, Bai Su, who is usually quite quiet, seems unusually lively.

She looked at the huge package, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Bai Su is very smart, quite skilled, and meticulous. She'll definitely be fine on her own in the park. You don't need to worry too much."

"I think we should just go along with her wishes and go into battle without any burdens?"

"I also think that my sister can do it."

A soft voice came from the mouth of the little peach-faced Shan Nai.

Seeing everyone looking at her, she blushed and bravely ran out from behind her mother, rushing into Bai Su's arms:

"But sister, I can't bear to part with you..."

We'll miss you too!

Ling Quan and Liu Hua also walked over quickly.

The family huddled together, surrounding Bai Su. Although a hint of helplessness flashed across Bai Su's face, she blinked a few times but did not break free.

Seeing that the package issue was resolved, Ning Jia smiled and walked away, leaving the family to bid a warm farewell.

...

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

Ning Jia remembered the pile of things left at the door and happily went to find Chief Canglan:

"Chieftain, Chieftain, regarding those cushions we mentioned before, I bought a few at random. Would you like to see if they're suitable?"

How many are there?

Canglan and Zelan were dazzled as Ning Jia took out one plush mat after another from the bag.

Canglan asked hesitantly, "Aren't so many cushions too many?"

"Not much, not much, we can use them all."

Ning Jia pointed to the work area:

“It’s cool to sit on the floor to work in the summer, but it won’t work when it’s cold. You definitely need to put down some soft mats.”

He then pointed towards the second bedroom:

"And everyone's rooms also have wooden floors. When it's cold, your feet get cold when you step on them. You have to put down some carpets or something."

He then pointed to the study area next to the sofa:

"It's getting cold. Isn't it a bit too hard to make the children sit on the cold floor to study?"

"Also, people often rest under this coffee table, so it's warmer to put some cushions down there."

"And the windowsill! Lay out a blanket, put in a cushion, and sit there to bask in the sun in winter, wouldn't that be comfortable?"

As Canglan and the others listened to Ning Jia pointing here and there, they suddenly realized that the cushions in front of them were not enough.

Zelan asked in surprise, "You don't mean... you want to put mats all over the house, do you?"

Ning Jia nodded vigorously, "I'm just being prepared."

"You have no idea how cold the floor is in winter! Even wearing thick socks, it's still cold to step on, like stepping on ice!"

The little ones were all surprised; it seemed these cotton pads were really indispensable.

Ning Jia turned her head and looked at the bright sun outside:

"Since the weather is nice today, I'll go wash all these mats first, and then put them all over the house after they're dry."

One hour later.

Ning Jia was standing on the roof, using clips to attach washed mats to the clothesline. Her gaze inadvertently swept down and she suddenly noticed a black car that had appeared in the alley.

A tall young man, carrying a large cardboard box in one hand, was walking towards the yard.

Wait, didn't Zhou Chi say he wouldn't be here until the afternoon? Why is he here so soon?

Ning Jia stood on the roof, waved to him, and then quickly went down to open the door.

Hello hello~

Before Zhou Chi even reached the courtyard gate, Ning Jia went to greet him.

She quickly took the heavy fruit gift box from his hand, "You came all this way, why did you bring anything?"

She glanced again at the lighter cake box in his hand, "Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes, it's a chocolate cake. I reduced the sugar by most of it, so it won't be too sweet."

Ning Jia smiled and said, "That's good. When I make snacks for them, I put less sugar in them."

Zhou Chi glanced at her, pursed his lips, and seemed to want to say something but didn't.

Before entering, he subconsciously stopped and looked at the clean ground and the empty surroundings before stepping into the courtyard.

Ning Jia, walking behind him, saw the whole scene clearly and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Don't worry, you're a guest today, there won't be any ambushes."

Zhou Chi also laughed, reaching out to touch a spot on his cheek:

"Chief Canglan's medicine is truly miraculous; I'm almost fully recovered now."

Ning Jia walked closer to him and looked at his face carefully:

"It's true, those wounds are completely gone, not even a scar..."

I heard that Chief Canglan takes a very long time to make medicine. The medicine he used on Zhou Chi took almost a year to make, no wonder it was so effective!

This was the first time Ning Jia had seen Zhou Chi without a band-aid. She couldn't help but stare at his face for a long time, until she blushed. Realizing what was happening, she quickly looked away and explained:

"I didn't mean anything by it, I just think... Chief Canglan's potion is really amazing!"

Ning Jia wondered to herself as she watched whether Zhou Chi was naturally blessed with good skin or if the lotions contained skincare ingredients.

Zhou Chi's skin is amazing! It's so white and smooth, without the large pores that are common among men...

He looks like a clean-cut and handsome young man.

Ning Jia smiled and invited the handsome young man into the living room, where he sat down on the sofa. She then poured him a glass of hot water.

"Sorry, we're out of tea leaves. Please don't mind."

Zhou Chi shook his head. "I'm thirsty. Some plain water would be just right."

He sat upright on the sofa, picked up his cup and took a sip of water, when he looked again and saw several familiar little figures on the coffee table.

"Angelica dahurica, bamboo, and osmanthus!"

Zhou Chi called out to them one by one with delight, a happy smile spreading across his face as he looked at the little ones he hadn't seen in so long.

Soon, the other little people also ran over one after another, and they all surrounded Zhou Chi, chattering about their lives after they separated.

"Zhou Chi, you have no idea how strong the wind was back then! So many persimmons fell from the tree in our yard!"

"Zhou Chi, do you know that we've started making new clothes recently? It's because the clan leader said it's going to get colder and colder, so we need to prepare for winter early!"

"Zhou Chi, do you know that the kids at home are going out for training tomorrow? I thought they wouldn't be able to train once they got to the city..."

Zhou Chi listened with a smile to each of the little people's daily stories. Although he had heard most of them from Ning Jia, it was especially endearing to hear them from the little people themselves.

"You guys keep chatting, I'll go hang the mats out to dry."

Ning Jia said something to Zhou Chi, then returned to the rooftop and continued to shake the cushions one by one, smoothing out the fluff, before clipping them to the clothesline.

After drying for only a few minutes, she turned her head and saw Zhou Chi had also come up. She couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"Weren't you chatting with Bai Zhi and the others? What are you doing here?"

Ning Jia thought for a moment, "Is there anything you're worried about that you want to give me special instructions on?"

Zhou Chi quickly shook his head, "No, no, I think life here is pretty good, there's nothing to worry about."

“I heard from them that you had a tough morning and were going to cook later, so I came over to help.”

Ning Jia laughed upon hearing this, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair, her face radiant in the sunlight.

"Don't listen to their nonsense. I just went out to buy some things. I'm not tired at all."

She then struck a pose like Popeye, showing off her muscles:

"Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm a super energetic person! As long as I'm not working, I have plenty of energy for everything!"

Wow, that's really impressive.

Seeing Ning Jia's bright smile, Zhou Chi also smiled.

He bent down, picked up a mat from the basin, shook it carefully, and stood beside her to air it out.

The bright sunshine felt warm on my skin, it was so comfortable.

In the gentle autumn breeze, Ning Jia hummed a song as she leisurely aired out the mats, and Zhou Chi's movements also slowed down.

He used the clips to secure the mat on the rope, and as he smelled the faint fragrance of laundry detergent, his expression gradually relaxed, and he squinted slightly in the wind.

"By the way, why are you here so early today?"

Ning Jia completely ignored the occasional glances Zhou Chi gave her, and asked while waiting:

"Didn't you say you wouldn't arrive until almost noon?"

Oh, I almost forgot.

Zhou Chi suddenly snapped out of his daze, raised his wrist to check the time, and then his eyes widened abruptly:

"It's already this late?"

Ning Jia was puzzled. "What's wrong? Is it urgent?"

Zhou Chi nodded to her:

"Something I asked my aunt to do has suddenly become clearer. Sorry, I have to go now, I'll come visit again later!"

Seeing Zhou Chi hurriedly go downstairs, presumably to greet the servants in his room, and then rush out again, standing in the courtyard, he looked up at Ning Jia, waved, and shouted loudly:

"Ning Jia, I'm leaving."

Ning Jia gave him a big "OK" sign and said with a smile:

"Go ahead, come anytime you're free."

Zhou Chi watched from afar, then stretched out his hand and gave her an even bigger "OK" sign before turning and leaving the courtyard.

...

Everyone was very satisfied with lunch.

Ningjia finally got to eat the braised pig's trotters he had been craving for days, and the little people also finally got to eat the big meat they had been craving for days.

Luckily, the clay pot at home is big enough, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to stew so many pig trotters.

But while braised pig's trotters are delicious, they are a little greasy and shouldn't be eaten in large quantities.

Therefore, today's braised pig's trotters were divided into portions beforehand and then served in small dishes for the children.

Adult children can eat two small pieces of pig's trotters each, and growing children can eat one more piece. Underage children can only eat one small piece each.

The little ones didn't have any objections, only Guoguo and Xingxing complained quite a bit:

Why?! They're almost adults too, why can they only eat one delicious pig's trotter?!

Seeing this, Shan Nai blinked her big eyes and offered most of her piece to Guo Guo and Xing Xing.

"Here, you can have this. I can't eat this much meat."

Guoguo immediately shook her head, refusing to be fed. Xingxing glanced sympathetically at the thin Shannai and used a tissue to wipe the grease from her mouth.

"Little one, thank you, but you should still eat it. You need to eat more to grow strong!"

“That’s right,” Guoguo licked her lips. “Xiaoxiao, you need to eat more so you can be like Sister Baisu.”

"Oh, okay."

Shan Nai thought for a moment, then slowly dragged the small plate back, buried her head, and continued to eat in small bites.

Over there, Ning Jia also watched Shan Nai, who was eating very politely, with a thoughtful expression, and quietly asked He Meng:

"He Meng, why does Yamana already have a daimyo before she's even an adult?"

He Meng ate until her little mouth was covered in thick soup, and she mumbled something indistinctly:

"It seems that... she was born very weak, and the tribe was afraid that she would not live to adulthood, so they consulted the sun god and gave her a formal name in advance."

Ning Jia immediately understood.

In the Lilliputian race, a child only becomes a daimyo after reaching adulthood. And having a daimyo means that the child must at least live to adulthood.

Bai Su's family was too low-key, which is why she only discovered now that there were such thin children in the clan.

Looking at little Shannai, who was noticeably thinner and smaller than the rest of the clansmen, Ning Jia's mind flashed through many nutritional supplements, and she added "help Shannai gain weight" to her to-do list.

Weight gain...wait, weight gain?

She suddenly remembered her weight, and lowered her head guiltily, glancing at the bowl of rice mixed with calorie-filled meat gravy.

Never mind.

She hesitated for half a second, then steeled herself and said to herself:

Such chewy and tender pig's trotters, such fresh and delicious soup, and such sweet and chewy soybeans—none of it should go to waste!

Thinking about dieting right now is such a downer, I guess I'll eat first and then start dieting.

Besides, how can you have the energy to lose weight if you don't eat your fill!