The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 24

 

| TBBOTOF | 24

Tang Xu woke up feeling hot.

It was mid-April now, and theoretically, it should still be somewhat cold at night. After all, the adobe house was notorious for being drafty.

Covered only by a thin layer of blanket, his feet would freeze if he were any taller.

Yet, Tang Xu woke up feeling overheated, not to mention sticky and uncomfortable all over his body.

He sat on the bed, hugging the blanket, feeling dazed for quite some time before finally realizing and lifting the blanket, his face darkening.

What's going on? Could it be that eating well recently had replenished his body, only to confront him with this awkwardly sticky situation early in the morning?

He rubbed his face to wake himself up a bit, then got out of bed to change into his underwear and put on his outer pants.

"Brother, are you up?" Tang Li's voice came from outside the door.

Tang Xu wasn't very skilled at estimating the time by looking at the sun, but it was probably around seven or eight in the morning, as the sky was already bright.

He had slept later than usual, missing the rooster's crow in the early morning.

"Yes, I'm up," Tang Xu replied, putting on his linen socks before squeezing into his modified shoes.

These shoes, modified to fit him better, were simply cut open at the front so his toes could stick out, making them more comfortable.

Tang Li saw him heading out and asked with concern, "Brother, are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I just slept late yesterday and didn't hear the rooster crowing. Did you all have breakfast?" Tang Xu scratched his head, went to brush his teeth and wash his face, then headed to the kitchen. "Just porridge?"

"I boiled some porridge with the leftover rice from yesterday, and I also made some pancakes. But Dad said the pancakes were too hard to chew," Tang Li said, blushing a bit and feeling embarrassed.

She felt like she was a grown-up now, but she still wasn't very skilled at cooking on the stove.

Tang Xu reached up and gently patted her head, noticing that the hairband she used to tie her hair was the one he had bought for her. He smiled and said, "It's okay, you're doing great. What about Mom? Why didn't she cook?"

Tang Li glanced towards the main house and whispered, "Mom said she's not feeling well and didn't eat anything."

"She'll eat when she gets hungry," Tang Xu said.

He figured that the big bowl of meat and rice he had given to Liu Xiangxiang last night had filled her up. After finishing it, she hadn't moved at all, and sleeping wouldn't consume much energy.

"Dad went to the fields?" He scooped some porridge into a bowl, opened the nearby basin and took out a pancake, which was as thick as a palm and hard.

"Next time, if you're making pancakes this thick, you'll need to add some flour paste; otherwise, they'll be too tough to chew," he said as he broke it into pieces and soaked it in the thin porridge before eating. "Your Aunt gave us half a bowl of pickled radishes. Let me taste it."

Tang Li acknowledged and went to fetch the pickled radishes for him.

As Tang Xu ate the pickled radishes, which were crunchy with a salty-sour taste and a hint of spiciness, he squinted his eyes at the spicy flavor. He got up and went to the small jar in the corner, using a spoon to scoop out some chopped red chili peppers.

"Sister, did you see any chili pepper seedlings when you went up the mountain?" Tang Xu picked up some dried chili pepper rings with chopsticks to show her.

Tang Li hesitated for a moment and uncertainly said, "I think I've seen them before. The chili peppers have a strong flavor, very spicy and pungent. Mom doesn't like them, so I stopped picking them after seeing them again."

Tang Xu nodded. He planned to ask his Aunt for some chili pepper seeds. Since they used dried chili peppers to pickle salted vegetables in the old house, they should have saved some chili pepper seeds.

Just as he was thinking about it, a voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Xu Ge'er! Are you home?"

Tang Xu was taken aback and wiped his mouth before leaving the kitchen.

Usually, during the day, each household in the village would not close their courtyard gates unless they were having a big feast and wanted to keep it a secret. Closing the gates meant they were sneaking food, and they did it to avoid embarrassment by someone smelling the food and asking for a share.

"Aunt?" Tang Xu saw the woman coming into the courtyard and muttered to herself before calling out.

Luo Pingping smiled, her teeth showing, which was quite scary to be honest.

Tang Xu saw what she was holding and understood. She was here to deliver a basket of vegetables and a basin to his house, and perhaps she wanted to ask him about the small bag of copper coins.

He reached out and took the items, then turned to hand them to Tang Li, asking, "Why did Aunt come here in person? You could have just waited for me to come over."

"It's no trouble at all," Luo Pingping stared at him keenly, her eyes shining. The last time she saw Tang Xu, he was sick, and when she visited, he looked lifeless inside and out.

But who would have thought that just over half a month later, he looked completely different. Not only were his eyes bright, but his complexion had also improved significantly. Not to mention, he was standing straight with the posture of a healthy young tree sapling. "Xu Ge'er, you've changed a lot. It's like you're a different person now."

Tang Xu smiled inwardly, thinking to himself, "Isn't that right? Your inner self reflects on your outward appearance, so it's natural for both to change significantly."

"Aunt came all this way just to praise me?" Tang Xu said with a smile, gesturing for her to enter the main hall.

Luo Pingping grabbed his hand affectionately and said, "No need to sit down. I just want to have a chat with you. You know, when your dad brought all those copper coins over, it really warmed Aunt's heart."

Tang Xu wasn't used to holding hands with people, especially with his Aunt whom he wasn't very familiar with. But since she was so warm and enthusiastic, he endured it.

"It's nothing. When I was sick, Aunt also sent eggs for me to recuperate," Tang Xu said. Although he hadn't eaten those eggs in the end, it was the thought that counted.

Aunt scolded him gently, "Just a few eggs. You should remember that."

Tang Xu thought to himself, ‘It's not that I remember, it's Xu Ge'er who remembers.’ Tang Xu remembered everyone who had been kind to him, even if it was just a neighbor giving him a couple of peanuts when they met outside.

‘That's a sign of a kind-hearted child,’ he thought.

"Do you have something else to tell me, Aunt?" Tang Xu hadn't finished his breakfast yet, and he was hungry. But judging by Aunt's attitude, she seemed to want to chat a bit more.

He felt a bit awkward, after all, they weren't very familiar with each other.

Luo Pingping pulled him aside about two meters, then stopped and asked, "Did your dad talk to you last night?"

"What did he say? About finding someone for me?" Tang Xu smiled and replied, "Aunt, I know you all mean well, but this matter won't work out."

Luo Pingping was at a loss for words. She had originally intended to test the waters, suggesting one thing or another, just to see what Tang Xu's standards were for a future husband. But he had rejected it outright.

If it were someone else, Luo Pingping's face would have fallen. However, since she had received over three hundred copper coins from him just the previous night, she managed to maintain a strained smile, although her complexion wasn't great.

"Xu Ge'er, could you please tell Aunt what you're thinking?" Luo Pingping asked.

Tang Xu's stomach rumbled. His face twitched slightly. "How about Aunt and I have a chat in the kitchen? I woke up late and haven't finished my breakfast yet."

Luo Pingping nodded with a smile. "Sure, let's go to the kitchen. It's warmer there."

They headed to the kitchen, and Tang Li also emerged from the main house. She had just informed her mother that Aunt had arrived, but Liu Xiangxiang seemed to have ignored her, rolling over on the kang and covering her head with a blanket.

Tang Li didn't dare to push her, afraid of getting scolded. Assuming Aunt had left, she came out of the house, only to hear voices coming from the kitchen.

Tang Li went over and saw her brother and Aunt sitting in the kitchen, each on a small wooden stool.

"Brother, I'm going to wash clothes by the river," Tang Xu nodded, instructing her, "Stay close to the edge, don't go too close to the river."

"I know," Tang Li replied, carrying a wooden basin and soap nuts as she walked away.

Luo Pingping glanced around the clean kitchen. It wasn't large, with a cupboard against the wall and four small jars in the corner. One of them contained the pickled radish she had made, and she guessed the other three were also used for pickling vegetables.

"Dit you tidy up this kitchen?" Luo Pingping asked.

"I did. It's more convenient to have things where I can easily reach them," Tang Xu lifted his eyelids and chuckled, "Aunt, the pickled radish you gave me was delicious. I wanted to ask if you have any chili seeds over there. I want to plant a row."

"You still like eating chili? I dare not use it much when cooking. It's too spicy, and I can't stand it. The first time I didn't know, I put a handful of it in, and it made your uncle cry from the spiciness," she laughed as she spoke.

Tang Xu almost choked on his porridge.

"I quite like it. It stimulates the appetite and goes well with rice," he thought it was probably chili peppers of the "Facing Heaven" variety, known for their high spiciness.

"If you want to plant them, do it soon. When you go back, I'll soak the seeds for you. You can plant them as soon as you get back," Luo Pingping glanced at the vegetable garden outside while speaking. It was quite large, with a variety of vegetables planted, though not many types.

Thinking about his younger brother's plot of land, she estimated he had another vegetable garden in the fields.

She didn't ask further and returned to the previous topic. "Xu Ge'er, you should talk to Aunt about what kind of person you want to find."

Tang Xu swallowed, why couldn't he avoid this topic?

He sighed, pondered for a moment, and said, "Aunt also knows about my family situation. In the early years, I was too soft-hearted and got sick every time I tried to help. Many things became clear after that."

He paused for a moment after finishing speaking. Seeing Aunt nodding silently, he continued, "My mother wouldn't agree to marry me to a poor family who couldn't produce any silver. She probably wouldn't agree even if it meant risking her life."

Luo Pingping nodded, "That's right, your mother is capable of doing such a thing."

Tang Xu set down his bowl, "So, marrying a poor person is definitely not an option."

With that statement, Luo Pingping was at a loss for words.

In the countryside, no family would consider marrying off their daughter to a poor family, let alone for a mere two silver coins. Even with a dowry of twenty silver coins, it was unlikely for a girl to marry.

Take her two sons, for example. The dowry they gave to their wives was the same—two silver coins, which was considered quite generous in the village.

"Aunt, actually, I've told my father that I want to find someone I have a good connection with. At the very least, this person should make me feel comfortable at first sight. Otherwise, how can we live together in the future? At the very least, I can't be bothered by looking at the person lying next to me in bed."

Tang Xu spoke bluntly, but Aunt sighed repeatedly.

Indeed, this was quite difficult to handle.

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