The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 7

 

| TBBOTOF | 7

With Liu Xiangxiang's frugal nature, it was impossible to ask her to leave an oil lamp for Tang Xu in his room. After dark in the countryside, there weren't many activities, and most people would simply wash up and go to bed early.

Tang Xu was forced to adjust his schedule. As soon as the moon rose, he returned to his room.

It was only around eight o'clock now, and he couldn't sleep. He decided to tidy up the bundles of grass ropes piled up in the corner, rolling them into bundles, and then rubbing the dry grass into rough ropes of roughly the same thickness.

The moon was bright, and the moonlight cast a silver glow on the ground. Tang Xu put several bundles of grass ropes into a basket and carried the basket outside.

Outside, the moonlight was brighter than inside the house. He sat on the doorstep, twisting the grass ropes with skillful movements.

He felt fortunate to have grown up in the countryside, where he had helped his mother with many tasks since childhood. Otherwise, he would probably be at a loss here, unable to do anything.

He didn't know when his shoes were made, but they had been uncomfortable all day, pinching his toes. He didn't plan to wear the grass shoes under the bed in his room, as they were too hard and uncomfortable.

Wearing uncomfortable shoes was not an option. Tang Xu sighed and thought about making some changes to his footwear.

The grass ropes he twisted were rough. Switching to hemp ropes would be much better. 

Walking barefoot in grass shoes was uncomfortable, so wearing socks woven from hemp ropes should solve the problem. It was better than shoes pinching his feet, and the soles of the cloth shoes could still be used. He could weave some grass ropes around the outside to enlarge them, making them more comfortable to wear.

There was hemp rope at home, but he would need to ask Liu Xiangxiang for it. She kept everything locked up in the cabinet. He had to ask her for anything he needed, and she would only agree to it after considering it carefully.

Because the fibers of the hemp rope were thick, Tang Xu knew he couldn't use too much thread to weave a pair of socks. So he planned to mention it during breakfast tomorrow.

The simplest way to get Liu Xiangxiang's approval was to involve Tang Erhu. As long as the head of the household spoke up, even if Liu Xiangxiang didn't want to agree, she would have to nod along.

But then he remembered the words Liu Xiangxiang blurted out when she cursed. Tang Xu's movements paused, and his gaze grew heavy.

He tried to recall the content about "Xu Ge'er" from the book. There was nothing mentioned about Liu Xiangxiang and Tang Erhu not being his biological parents.

The gaps in the plot that were not covered in the book seemed to be automatically filled in by this world. Tang Xu searched through the memories of "Xu Ge'er" and found that Liu Xiangxiang had always treated him with such aversion, as if he were a stain on her life. 

Hitting and scolding him seemed to be a common occurrence. If it weren't for her usual attitude towards "Xu Ge'er," treating him like a quail, perhaps a series of events wouldn't have unfolded as they did later on.

Tang Erhu, on the other hand, didn't seem to have done anything wrong. His attitude towards hitting and scolding children, like other men in the village, was typical. Children, well, how could they be disciplined without being hit and scolded? 

Everyone in the village did the same. Liu Xiangxiang might have had a louder voice and hit and scolded more frequently, but to him, it was all normal.

Tang Xu frowned, feeling like he had overlooked something.

He scratched his slightly itchy chin, collected the neatly bundled grass rope, stood up, brushed off the grass crumbs from his clothes, went to the stove room to heat water and wash his hair, and then washed himself before finally going to bed.

This hard bed was truly difficult to sleep on. He longed for his soft mattress.

There were many households in the village that raised roosters. As the sun rose, the cacophony of crowing roosters echoed, making it difficult not to hear them.

Tang Xu lifted the thin blanket covering him, his face full of disdain as he shook the blanket. He would have to take it out to air later; the musty smell was unbearable.

After freshening up, he went to the kitchen to knead dough, roll out noodles, and cut them into strips. In a large pot, he boiled chicken bones. 

Then, he went to the vegetable garden to pluck a few green onions, chopped them finely, and removed the chicken bones from the pot, tossing them into the fire pit. Next, he added the noodles and shredded the leftover chicken from yesterday, tossing it into the pot to cook.

As the day brightened, family members began to wake up and come out. Tang Yang and Tang Li smelled the aroma of meat and ran to the kitchen door to see.

"What did you make, big brother? It smells so good," Tang Yang said, licking his lips and rubbing his eyes vigorously.

Tang Xu almost told him to go far away with his eyes still crusty, but he held back and simply gestured for him to go. "Go wash your face and brush your teeth."

"What's brushing teeth?" Tang Yang asked, looking confused.

Tang Xu glanced at the small brush he made from branches yesterday and thought for a moment. "Just rub your teeth with your fingers a few times, then rinse your mouth with water. Wash up and come get your noodles."

He turned back to sprinkle the chopped green onions into the pot, scooped out the noodles and soup. "Li mei, come get your noodles."

Tang Li went in to get her noodles, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the shredded chicken in the soup.

"Big brother, after I finish eating, I'll go up the mountain to gather firewood. I'll definitely bring back a lot," Tang Li declared.

Tang Xu nodded, thinking about the trap he set yesterday, wondering if he could catch any rabbits. He also planned to take a stroll in the mountains.

In the main room, the five of them sat around the table. Tang Erhu couldn't believe he was eating meat so early in the morning, and the noodles were also smooth and chewy, making the meal exceptionally satisfying.

Tang Xu's eyes twinkled as he glanced at Tang Erhu, smiling as he passed over a bowl containing a yellow, crispy crust bread toasted over fire.

"Dad, you're going to work in the fields later, so eat more," Tang Xu said.

Tang Erhu was quite satisfied with his son at the moment, whether it was the taste of the food or the tone of his words, everything made him feel content.

"You should eat more too. You're too thin," Tang Erhu smiled at him with a fatherly expression.

Tang Xu nodded in agreement, and after they finished their meal and Tang Erhu went outside with his farming tools, Tang Xu followed him to see him off.

"Dad, wait a moment," Tang Xu said as Tang Erhu was about to leave.

Tang Erhu stopped and looked at him. "What's the matter?"

Tang Xu smiled shyly, hesitated for a moment, rubbed his ear in embarrassment, and said, "I noticed that your socks are old, so I wanted to make you a new pair, but we don't have enough fabric at home..."

He stopped talking here.

Regardless of what Tang Erhu had thought before, at this moment, seeing Tang Xu's admiring eyes and his caring attitude towards his father, Tang Erhu, this burly man, felt touched and his face turned red with emotion.

"Is it because we don't have money? Ask your mother," Tang Erhu said.

Instantly, two angry glares shot over from behind him. Tang Xu didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

Tang Xu waved his hand, then looked up at Tang Erhu with his thin face and said, "It's not easy for Mom and Dad to save money, and we also need to save some for Big Brother's education. I thought of using hemp thread to knit a pair of socks for Dad. Although hemp thread is a bit hard, after washing it several times, it should be quite comfortable to wear."

Tang Erhu nodded repeatedly. They usually wore hemp clothes for work, which, although not very durable, were cheap.

When Liu Xiangxiang heard this, she also considered it and thought it was much cheaper than buying fabric directly, so she didn't object.

After Tang Erhu left, Tang Xu asked Liu Xiangxiang for two large bundles of hemp rope. Hemp rope is made by twisting three strands of hemp thread together, so Tang Xu had to unravel it to use the threads.

But for Tang Xu, this was not difficult, and it also gave him some extra work to do.

No time to wash clothes by the river? No problem, he had to unravel the rope to knit socks for his dad.

No time to chop wood or fetch water? No problem, he had to unravel the rope to knit socks for his dad.

No time to sweep chicken and pig manure and water the vegetable garden? No problem, he had to unravel the rope to knit socks for his dad.

Until the socks were knitted, there was a legitimate reason to avoid everything he didn't want to do.

Of course, Tang Xu didn't avoid doing everything. Instead, he delegated some tasks that he used to do to others.

Living life like this gave him a sense of relaxation and vitality.

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