The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 10

 

| TBBOTOF | 10

After finishing their meal, Tang Xu didn't even wash the bowls. Instead, he followed Liu Xiangxiang back to the house to get the money.

The wine sold in the town's liquor store was cheap, but even so, it cost thirty wen for a pot, which was less than half a catty. Tang Erhu didn't like the taste of light wine, and if Tang Xu bought the cheaper kind, he would surely be scolded. Liu Xiangxiang knew her husband's preferences well, so she handed over the thirty wen for the wine without hesitation.

In fact, Tang Xu felt that even if she wasn't happy about it, she wouldn't show it in front of Tang Erhu. It would only cause unnecessary trouble.

A catty of coarse salt cost fifteen wen, enough for about a month's worth of consumption. Since Tang Erhu had a heavy taste and sweated a lot during work, not having enough salt would make him feel weak.

Tang Xu said to Liu Xiangxiang, "Mother, give me more copper coins. I'll probably need to buy five catties of salt. We don't need to buy rock sugar since we still have some in the sugar jar, enough for Li mei and Ah Yang to make sweet drinks."

"Why do you need to buy so much salt? It's not good if we can't finish it and it gets damp," Liu Xiangxiang said, frowning as she closed the small box containing the copper coins.

Tang Xu raised his hand and counted for her, "We need more salt for making sauce. I plan to pickle more vegetables while they're still tender, and if Ah Yang can catch some small fish, we can pickle them to make dried fish. Mother, I've calculated that four catties of salt won't be enough. We need at least five catties."

Liu Xiangxiang's mouth twitched, wanting to say they didn't need to buy so much salt and they could use less when pickling vegetables and making sauce.

But she knew better. If they used too little salt, the pickled vegetables and sauce wouldn't last long. If they didn't finish them and they went bad, that would be a real waste.

With a stern face, Liu Xiangxiang turned around, opened the small box, and took out a string of copper coins, counting out seventy-five coins for him.

Tang Xu took a deep breath and looked at the handful of copper coins in his hand, his face twitching uncontrollably.

Couldn't she just give him a whole string of them? That bunch looked like a hundred coins.

"Mother, we also need to buy vinegar, which will cost another thirty wen," Tang Xu said.

Liu Xiangxiang furrowed her brows, raising her voice, "Buy vinegar? I don't like sour things!"

"...Mother, even if you don't like it, Father does, and we all enjoy it. If we don't have vinegar, when we eat noodles, we can only use soy sauce as a dipping sauce. Father will be upset," Tang Xu didn't know how to reason with Liu Xiangxiang anymore. 

Sometimes, he wished she could be more generous and not penny-pinch all the time. It seemed like she'd rather drink cold water than spend money on anything unnecessary.

The problem was, aside from being thrifty in their daily expenses, she spared no expense for her eldest son. She bought him three brushes at five taels of silver each and prepared four ink blocks at half a tael each. Her affection clearly favored him.

"Mother, Father will be back soon. If he sees you didn't give me the money, he'll scold you again," Tang Xu said, invoking Tang Erhu's authority to compel her.

While counting the copper coins, Liu Xiangxiang's hands trembled. She was both angry and heartbroken. She was angry because Tang Xu was now holding her accountable, and heartbroken because she was now short of a hundred and thirty-five copper coins!

"Why haven't you left yet?" Liu Xiangxiang pushed the small money box under the cabinet and turned to Tang Xu, urging him, "Go on, wash your dishes. Don't stand around here annoying me. I can't stand the sight of you."

Tang Xu walked away with the copper coins. He had initially planned to ask if they should sell the eggs they had saved, but now it seemed unnecessary. Liu Xiangxiang would probably handle it herself.

By now, it was already dark outside. Tang Xu returned to the house, strung the copper coins onto a grass rope, and put them in the backpack. He also packed most of the mushrooms that had been drying for the past few days into a basket. He intended to try his luck selling them. 

Maybe he could make some money out of it, even if just ten wen.

After boiling some water for washing up, Tang Xu went to bed. He needed to wake up before the rooster crowed the next morning to prepare breakfast. He estimated he wouldn't make it back for lunch, so he needed to pack some dry food to take with him.

He also needed to take advantage of these few days of free time to finish knitting the socks. He had already finished the pair for Tang Erhu, but his own pair was still missing half a sock.

Last time he went up the mountain, he saw a ginseng plant and remembered its location. He planned to dig it up next time and sell it. It should fetch a good price at the medicine shop or the clinic.

What to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Chinese-style hamburgers!

With his mind filled with miscellaneous thoughts, Tang Xu fell asleep groggily.

When he woke up again, it was still dark outside. He went to the outhouse to fetch water, but when he returned to bed, he couldn't fall asleep again. He decided to get up, wash up, and then make porridge and pancakes.

As he rolled out the dough, he suddenly remembered that he had planned to make Chinese-style hamburgers in the morning. His hands paused for a moment, and then he muttered to himself, "Well, I can bring the pancakes on the road."

He quickly cooked the pancakes, stacking them in a basin and covering them with a cloth. He served himself a bowl of porridge and rolled up some pancakes with dipping sauce and wild vegetables. He also rolled up two more with mushroom sauce and wrapped them in oil paper to take with him after finishing the meal.

As the sun rose and the rooster crowed, there was movement in the main house. Tang Xu washed the dishes he used and placed them in the cupboard. Then he quickly went back to his room, grabbed the already packed backpack, and stood outside the main house window, calling out loudly, "Father, mother, the meal is ready in the kitchen. I'm leaving now."

After saying that, without waiting for anyone in the house to respond, he quickly left. He didn't want Liu Xiangxiang to see the dried mushrooms in his basket. If she did, she would definitely know he intended to sell them, and then he wouldn't be able to keep a single penny.

The village on the front side of Heshan Village is closer to Yongning Town, while the one on the back side is closer to Yong'an Town. The main directions are these two. If he goes around the village, it will take an extra hour to reach his destination.

Heading towards the rising sun, Tang Xu's steps went from light to heavy. By the time he could see the town, he was panting heavily, his face flushed, and layers of sweat beads covered his forehead, which he couldn't wipe away no matter how much he tried.

There was a tea stall at the entrance of the town. Tang Xu went there and spent two coins on a pot of hot water. He also asked the shopkeeper to fill his water bag. He had already finished the water he brought with him on the way.

"Little brother, aren't your family worried about you coming to town alone?" The shopkeeper was an old man with gray hair and beard, and wrinkles all over his face. However, he looked quite spirited, with his eyes squinting into slits when he smiled, giving him a kind face.

Tang Xu wiped the sweat off his forehead and replied, "I have a brother working in town. My family asked me to come and check on him. Uncle, please help me fill up my water bag. Thank you."

The old man took the water bag with a smile. He thought to himself that this young man had a striking appearance. With his rosy cheeks and watery eyes, he was sure to catch the attention of the wealthy and gentry in town.

Tang Xu became more cautious when he heard the old man speak. As he left the tea stall, he grabbed two burning branches from the stove. After they cooled down, he rubbed his hands on them and then rubbed the black ash all over his face. No matter who saw him, they wouldn't think twice about him with his dark appearance. This was a small trick for self-protection. After all, he was delicate and weak.

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