The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 23

 

| TBBOTOF | 23

On the other side of the old house, Luo Pingping finished washing the dishes only to realize that the vegetable basket, bowls, wine jug, and basin have been left behind.

Thinking to send them over first thing in the morning, she placed them separately on the stove.

Tang Dahu had a good tolerance for alcohol and usually enjoyed a drink. With the recent busy days in the fields and building the house, he hadn't had a drink in a long time. Although he didn't drink enough to get drunk today, he was quite happy.

After washing up, he lay on the kang, swinging his legs contentedly.

When Luo Pingping came in and saw this, she rolled her eyes and slapped him on the back, "Hey, I have something to ask you."

Tang Dahu turned his head to look at his wife, "What's up?"

"Regarding Xu Ge'er’s marriage, shouldn't we be a bit more careful?" Luo Pingping took off her shoes and climbed onto the kang, crossing her legs. "I was thinking, instead of waiting until our house is finished, why don't we invite some relatives from my side over for a drink and have Xu Ge'er's prospective in-laws come so they can meet?"

Tang Dahu pondered for a moment and then nodded, "Okay, once the new house is finished, we should host a banquet to thank the relatives and neighbors who helped. Which sister-in-law's nephew is it?" Luo Pingping had three brothers and two sisters, and the Luo family was a large clan with many offspring.

"It's Big Sister-in-law's nephew from the village downstream," Luo Pingping untied her braided hair and ran her fingers through it, smoothing it out. "When we went back for Chinese New Year, Big Sister-in-law mentioned it to me. She wants to find a good husband for him in our village, someone who can take care of both indoor and outdoor chores. Her nephew is a scholar, delicate and weak, so she wants to find someone to take care of him."

After finishing, she grimaced, "Now that I think about it, this might not work out. He's called a scholar, but what if he hasn't passed any exams yet? If he's capable, it's fine, but if he's not, our Xu Ge'er will end up laboring for a lifetime after marrying into their family."

Tang Dahu couldn't understand his wife. She said there was a suitable person, but now she's saying it might not work out.

"Are you saying we shouldn't consider it anymore?" 

Luo Pingping was quite conflicted.

It was like when her eldest daughter got married. She always felt that no match was quite right, but with age, leaving her at home would invite gossip, and her daughter herself would be distressed. In the end, leaving her at home only bred resentment.

Fortunately, she married into a reasonably decent family. After being married for over three years, she had a son and managed to establish herself there.

Thinking about this, she said, "Maybe I'll continue to look around. The problem is, it's not easy to find a suitable family in the countryside. The conditions aren't great in most families. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"You don't need to look around anymore. Tomorrow, find some free time and go ask Xu Ge'er what he thinks," Tang Dahuhu sighed, "His mother is troublesome, and Erhu is reckless. Whether Xu Ge'er can marry into a good family depends on us making sure of it."

Luo Pingping agreed and lifted the blanket, "Alright, I'll take the basket over tomorrow and ask."

The two of them went to bed, while Tang Erhu soaked his feet.

Tang Xu sat next to him with a basin and poured hot water into it, "Dad, do you have something you want to talk to me about?"

Tang Erhu had gestured for him to sit down and soak his feet together earlier, and Tang Xu obediently complied.

Seeing this setup, the siblings each grabbed a basin and sat down as well.

The father and sons, sitting in a row, soaking their feet.

"I just talked to your aunt at the old house and asked her to help find you a good family," Tang Erhu rubbed his feet and glanced over.

Outside the kitchen door, an oil lamp was placed, casting a warm glow on them in the dim light.

Tang Xu seemed to have a moment of bewilderment, and Tang Erhu didn't speak further.

Tang Li and Tang Yang glanced at each other and then at Tang Xu, but neither dared to say anything.

Tang Xu was actually somewhat curious about what kind of family his aunt could find for him.

So he asked, "What did Aunt say?"

Tang Erhu sensed an opportunity.

"She said it's a nephew from her sister-in-law's side of the family, a scholar. He looks decent, and he's gentle, but the family is poor..." Tang Erhu observed his son's expression as he spoke and then fell silent.

"Dad, why stop there?" Tang Xu grinned at this rough man. "If you can't even finish your own sentence, how can you expect me to marry?"

Tang Xu finally figured out where the scumbag who used Xu Ge'er's support to become a successful candidate and then abandoned him came from!

Turns out, it was through a relative's introduction!

Thinking about it, if it weren't for acquaintances introducing them, Liu Xiangxiang probably wouldn't have married Xu Ge'er to a poor scholar.

He chuckled lightly, "Dad, whoever I marry has to be someone I find attractive and suitable. Otherwise, I definitely won't marry."

"You're already being called an old bachelor! How can you not get married?" Tang Erhu frowned, looking disapproving. "It's for your own good, son."

Tang Xu nodded with a smile, "I know you mean well, Dad, but shouldn't you let me choose someone I fancy?"

Tang Erhu gave him a stern look.

"Don't worry, Dad. If I truly fall for someone, you won't be able to keep me here even if you want to." With a splash, Tang Xu took his feet out of the water and wiped them. "I'm done soaking. Take your time, Dad." He glanced at his siblings, signaling with his eyes that it was time to go to bed.

The siblings hurriedly dried their feet and poured out the water from the basins.

Tang Xu went to the kitchen to cover the cured meat with the curtain. He even placed a stone on top, feeling uneasy, and added two more stones on the curtain. It was quite heavy, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Brother," Tang Li stood at the kitchen door, twirling her fingers, "I want to go mushroom picking on the mountain tomorrow morning."

"It hasn't rained recently, so the mushrooms on the mountain might not be good," Tang Xu shook his head. "Tomorrow, I'll go cut pigweed. If you want to come along, you can, or you can stay home and tidy up. The weeds in the vegetable garden need to be pulled out again. I noticed quite a few more have grown."

"Then I won't go to the mountain with you, Brother. I'll pull weeds and wash clothes by the river," Tang Li said.

Tang Xu nodded, "Alright, go to bed early. We'll be busy tomorrow."

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Tang Xu lay on the bed, sighing as he thought about what Tang Erhu had said. He chuckled softly.

It's funny how things turn out. If he hadn't been so generous, they probably wouldn't have been planning to marry him off so soon.

Sighing again, he drifted off to sleep, feeling mentally exhausted.

Marriage was fine, being poor was fine too, but who to marry had to be his decision. No one else could interfere.

Who should he marry?

Unconsciously, the image of that muscular man with his eyes closed and the young lad licking his lips in his sleep floated into his mind.

"Really, quite tempting to touch."

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