The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 16

 

| TBBOTOF | 16

Tang Xu lowered his head and walked forward, the sandy road seemingly endless. Sweat trickled down the sides of his cheeks, and beads of sweat, gray and black, rolled down his pointed chin, dripping onto his neck and slipping into his clothes.

He panted heavily, each step an ordeal. His legs were sore and swollen, the soles of his feet burning as if scorched by fire. The shoulder straps chafed his flesh, causing a raw, stinging pain.

Bearing the weight, he comforted himself with a forced smile. The road ahead was long, but if he could reach home before dark, it would be worth it. Otherwise, he might encounter wild beasts out hunting.

Thinking of wild beasts, he glanced at the man walking about three meters ahead of him. Judging by the muscles in his body, even if a wolf did appear, this man could probably kill it with his bare fists... right?

He looked up at the sun in the sky. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon now. He still had about an hour or so to go before reaching home.

Feeling exhausted, he decided to find a shady spot to rest. Looking around, he spotted a large rock not far away, along with several trees that, though not thick, could provide some shade.

Tang Xu's spirits lifted, and he took a deep breath before hurrying over. The surface of the large rock was shiny, obviously polished by countless backsides. As he sat down, the warmth of the sun-soaked rock was surprisingly comfortable.

Setting his basket aside, he stretched his arms and shoulders, wincing at the dull ache.

Tang Xu lifted his shirt to examine the large patch of red on his porcelain-white skin. Judging by the situation, his shoulders would likely be rubbed raw and bleeding by the time he got home.

He took a sip of water from his pouch, noticing that it was already half empty. He needed to conserve it carefully, or else he might run out of water before reaching home, given his current rate of sweating.

Of course, that was an exaggeration. Dehydration leading to fainting was a possibility, though.

He kicked off his cloth shoes to give his feet some relief, looking at the worn-out toes. He grimaced slightly.

While he was in town, he had considered buying a new pair of shoes or even making some himself from cloth. But the thought of doing so might raise questions about where the money came from, especially if he had sold the mushrooms for two taels of silver.

Tang Xu planned to tell Liu Xiangxiang that he had sold the mushrooms for five hundred copper coins. When he got back, he would give her all the copper coins he had. Otherwise, he would never hear the end of it, especially since he had also bought meat and sugar. If he didn't leave her some silver, he doubted he would have any peace, and Tang Erhu wouldn't be on his side either.

He decided to bury the remaining half tael of broken silver when he got back, saving it for later.

He hadn't eaten the two pancakes he made in the morning. Opening the oil-paper wrapping to check, he was relieved to find they hadn't gone bad. Tang Xu turned to the man standing on the roadside, considering for a moment before calling out, "Hey, do you want something to eat?"

He knew it was impolite to call out like that, but he genuinely couldn't remember who this person was.

However, he was confident that this man didn't have any ill intentions towards him. He didn't believe a villain would have the patience to lead him for so long without making a move on an easy target like him.

Tang Xu figured that if he had indeed mistaken the person's identity, he would accept it.

Wei Dong was originally standing by the roadside, looking down at the ants carrying the bodies of caterpillars on the grass. When he heard Tang Xu's voice, he looked over.

Tang Xu waved at him with a smile on his face, his eyebrows raised. "I'll treat you to some pancakes."

For about five seconds, Wei Dong stood still before finally taking a step forward.

"I thought you were afraid of me."

His voice was deep and slow, lacking much intonation, which made it sound somewhat aloof.

But to Tang Xu, it felt like listening to the calm and gentle melody of a cello.

He rubbed his ear inexplicably and then shifted his gaze away from the man's face, feeling a bit flustered.

"I made pancakes at home this morning. If you don't mind, I'd like to treat you. Consider it a thank you for accompanying me all this way." Tang Xu's cheeks flushed as he held out the oil-paper wrapped pancakes.

Wei Dong glanced at Tang Xu's dirty face and hands, then accepted the clean pancakes wrapped in oil paper.

"Thank you." He didn't beat around the bush, taking a bite with a slight upward curve of his eyebrows. He chewed quickly, finishing both pancakes in just seven bites.

Tang Xu couldn't help but swallow, not because he was hungry, but seeing someone else eat always made him feel like whatever they were eating must be incredibly delicious and fragrant, sparking a desire to eat it too.

Wei Dong crumpled up the oil paper and tossed it onto the ground.

Tang Xu got up to retrieve the crumpled paper and tossed it into his backpack, saying to Wei Dong with a curious look, "Taking care of the environment is everyone's responsibility."

Wei Dong looked bewildered. What did that mean?

Tang Xu waved his hand. "It's nothing. Just pretend I can't stand dirtiness. I'll be home in a little while. You don't have to follow me, or you don't have to walk in front of me."

Wei Dong lowered his head to look at Tang Xu, who was looking up at him. Their eyes met.

Tang Xu noticed that Wei Dong's pupils were dark and round, almost like he was wearing contact lenses.

Feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze and realizing that his face was dirty, Tang Xu quickly used his sleeve to wipe his face, making it even messier.

With a sigh of frustration, Tang Xu asked, somewhat puzzled by Wei Dong's silence, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Have you ever considered that I'm walking in front not only to protect you but also because my home is in this direction?" Wei Dong turned around and started walking. "Let's go."

Tang Xu's eyes widened, then he covered his face with both hands and let out a silent scream.

Oh no no no no no!!!!!

So embarrassing, so awkward, I’m socially dead!!!!

He's just being presumptuous!!!

So they're from the same village, no wonder he knew "Xu Ge'er". 

Xu Ge'er usually sticks to places like home, by the river, or in the vegetable garden. He doesn't have many friends in the village, tends to keep to himself, and rarely speaks up. So he really doesn't know many people in the village, except for relatives from the Tang family and maybe a couple of neighbors nearby.

Since Tang Xu arrived, he hasn't washed clothes by the river. He doesn't want to go there; just the thought makes him anxious. Maybe he has a bit of PTSD; he's not sure if it's his own issue or a reaction toXu Ge'er body. So ever since he started wearing clothes, he's been washing them at home.

Because he washes clothes at home and avoids fetching water from the river, Liu Xiangxiang scolds him a lot, but he just ignores her.

Nowadays, fetching water at home is mostly done by Tang Li. The little girl can actually help with a lot of chores, as long as there's a carrot dangling in front of her, she works efficiently.

Tang Xu awkwardly smirked, then added, "Well, I should thank you too. If I were walking back from the town alone with all this stuff, I'd definitely have been targeted by someone already."

Wei Dong just grunted in response, not saying much.

Tang Xu didn't speak again; he had to conserve his energy to keep moving forward!

Heave-ho, heave-ho, huff, puff. Tang Xu could hear his own breathing getting heavier, and the backpack on his shoulders felt heavier too.

"Give it to me."

Huff, puff...

"Give me the backpack."

Tang Xu propped himself up with his knees, slowly lifting his head. He felt so tired, he was hallucinating. Otherwise, why would he see such a handsome guy reaching out to him?

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