The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 30

 

| TBBOTOF | 30

After dinner, Liu Xiangxiang rarely took the initiative to help with the cleanup. Seeing this, Tang Xu decided to carry the basin inside to wash himself.

Honestly, since coming here, everything else had been fine, but not being able to have hot water readily available for a satisfying bath was a major concern for him.

Tang Xu considered himself a clean and delicate young man. However, even though he washed his body every day, it still made him feel uncomfortable. He felt like even with a bit of force, he could scrub mud off his arms with his fingers.

As for his hair, it was even worse. When he had short hair before, he used to wash it every morning, leaving him feeling refreshed all day. But now with long hair, sweating and oiliness made it unpleasant, not to mention the itching on his scalp.

Soapberry was effective for washing hair, and there were plenty of soapberry trees around. He could gather a basketful at a time to use. However, he didn't like the scent of soapberry. He preferred floral fragrances.

Now that summer had arrived, wildflowers were blooming profusely on the mountain. He could make some floral hydrosol for use as a refreshing toner, moisturizing his skin, which was much needed.

As he thought about various things, his hands didn't stop moving. He wrung out the towel, wrapped it around his hand, and began scrubbing his body.

He really wanted to take a bath, envying those men who could bathe by the river every day. Even if it was cold water, bathing in the river was convenient.

Men often gathered together by the riverbank, not only to wash themselves but also to chat leisurely. They discussed the growth of their crops, joked about each other's wives, and sometimes talked about their children reaching the age of marriage and the financial struggles of building a house.

Recently, Tang Erhu had taken to bathing by the river after dinner, while the sun was still up, to clean himself and fill up a couple of buckets of water for the large water tank at home.

As the weather grew warmer, the time for sunset was delayed, with darkness not setting in until around seven in the evening. During the hottest times of the year, it wouldn't be fully dark until past eight in the evening.

Arriving at the area where the men bathed, Tang Erhu found several others splashing water on themselves, with a group of youngsters playfully splashing each other nearby.

"Erhu, come over here!" someone called out.

Tang Erhu glanced over and saw his neighbors, Wang Zhuzi and his brother Wang Shuanzi.

Thinking about how their wives had been gossiping and peering over their walls recently, Tang Erhu wasn't keen on interacting with them. He simply ignored their call and moved to another spot.

"Huh, I wonder why he decided to beat his wife," Wang Zhuzi muttered, showing his penchant for gossip. "Doesn't your wife hear anything when she's eavesdropping on others?"

Wang Zhuzi thought to himself, "If she did, I would have confronted her right then and there!"

He glared at the man next to him. "Your wife loves to eavesdrop just as much as the rest of us. Don’t act like you don't want to know."

"We really don't want to know," the young man beside him said with disdain in his eyes. "Grown men like you should be ashamed of yourselves for being so nosy about other people's affairs."

"Who are you talking to!" Wang Zhuzi, who was not yet forty but was both fond of gossip and hot-tempered, pushed him back. "Li San, who do you think you are! Talking about me when your wife has run off with someone else!"

The man Wang Zhuzi called Li San seemed accustomed to people talking about his wife running off with someone else. He didn't seem bothered by the push and just nodded while splashing water on himself. "If she wants to run, let her. If she doesn't, then I'm stuck with her. Once I save up enough money, I'll marry another one. There's no shortage of good wives out there."

It was as if Wang Zhuzi had punched a pile of firewood; others might not feel the pain, but he was the one who felt the sting.

Li San remained silent for a while after Wang Zhuzi's outburst. The man beside him chuckled and punched Li San's shoulder, and the two exchanged knowing glances. "You're being quite cryptic. Is the old lady arranging for you to marry someone else already?"

Li San shook his head and laughed. "Not so fast. I can't afford to marry a wife. My family is poor."

"If you can't afford a wife, just bring a man home instead. It's the same thing, just fewer children," the man continued, speaking from his own experience of marrying a man and having a chubby son. "Like my husband, he can help out in the fields and at home. It's better than spending money to marry a wife."

"Bringing a man home doesn't cost money? No family would just give away their sons for free," Li San said as he finished washing up and waved goodbye to them. "I'm off. Time to go home and sleep."

Once he left, the men who had gathered for idle chat changed the subject, mostly discussing how the seeds in their fields were germinating and how the recent rains had been beneficial for their crops.

"Looks like it might rain soon. My father always says that timing is crucial when it comes to farming; otherwise, our harvest won't be guaranteed."

“Is your manure supply sufficient? Mine wasn't enough last year. I should have raised a couple more pigs."

"Who's going to feed a couple more pigs? Do you want to exhaust your own wife?" 

"Whether it's one pig or two, it's still a hassle to cut extra grass for them. I'm busy working in the fields every day."

"You have a point there. Selling one pig can fetch more than three taels. My wife has been nagging about wanting to raise piglets, so I'll let her catch two."

Hearing them talk about catching pigs, Tang Erhu overheard and thought that their pig wasn't particularly large either. He went over and asked, "Where are you going to catch them? I'll catch one too."

"Don't you already have one?" Tang Quan heard him and turned his head. "It's not a litter. It's hard to raise a big and small one together." 

Tang Erhu thought about it and felt that what he said made sense. "That's true. Let's wait until this one is sold before we decide." By now, it was already dark outside. The men hastened their bathing and began to head home one by one. 

Tang Xu washed his hair with soapberry water once, then rinsed it three times with clean water. Wrapping his long hair in a towel, he felt like his head weighed a ton. He poured the used water into the vegetable patch just as Tang Erhu returned.

"Dad, are there many people bathing by the river?"

Tang Erhu nodded with a smile. "Yes, there are. Why, do you want to go too?"

"Yeah, but if I went, I'd be drowned in saliva." He didn't know what people were thinking nowadays. Even if a man had a bit of red on his forehead, why did people have to treat him like a girl? It's as if exposing one's chest and back in front of men was something shameful.

It was a good thing Tang Xu hadn't read the bookshelf, otherwise that book called "The Virtue of Man" could have completely reshaped his values.

Tang Erhu poured the water from the bucket into the tub. Tang Xu saw this and suddenly asked, "Dad, this water isn't the water you use for bathing, is it?" Tang Erhu paused for a moment, then looked at him helplessly. "What are you thinking? It's all fresh water. I fetched it from upstream."

"If only our family could dig a well." Tang Xu smiled at him and kept insisting, "Dad, which family in our village has a well? Well water must be cleaner than river water."

"Digging a well costs around thirty to fifty taels of silver. Unless you're from a wealthy family, who would be willing to spend that money?" Tang Erhu tossed his wet clothes into the basin. Even though he had bathed by the river, he hadn't thought to wash the clothes he had taken off.

Almost every man did this. They would bring their dirty clothes back home to their wives for washing. If they didn't have a wife, it would be their mother or sister-in-law doing the washing. If any man washed his clothes by the river, it would be quite a scene, and he would be ridiculed.

Unless he was the only one left in his family, with no father, mother, brother, or sister-in-law. In that case, even if he didn't want to wash, he would have to. But even then, he wouldn't do it by the river. He would squat behind his own house to avoid being seen.

Tang Xu's gaze drifted over the clothes in the basin. "Dad, you should rest early. I'll go to sleep first." Tang Erhu nodded. "Go ahead."

Back in his room, Tang Xu didn't immediately go to sleep. It was probably around eight-thirty or nine o'clock now. The sky was dark, with thick clouds, and the wind brought the damp smell of soil.

Tang Xu was familiar with this smell. Back in his hometown, whenever he smelled this scent at night, it usually meant that it would rain soon.

And it would be heavy rain.

He quickly turned back to the courtyard, taking the dried vegetables hanging on the pole to the kitchen. He also covered the soy sauce jar outside, so it wouldn't get wet and attract maggots.

Tang Li heard the sounds in the courtyard, pushed open the window, and looked outside. The dark clouds obscured the moonlight, making it difficult to see clearly. However, she could vaguely make out a figure busy in the courtyard.

“Elder brother?” She called uncertainly.

Tang Xu heard her call and turned back, "Ah, it's going to rain. I'm just collecting the things we hung in the courtyard."

"Do you need my help?"

"No need, I'll be done soon. Just close the window and go to sleep." As Tang Xu spoke, the wind suddenly picked up, blowing away the cloth wrapped around his head.

Holding the basket with one hand and covering his head with the other, he turned and ran back into the house.

As soon as he entered, the raindrops the size of beans started to patter down, and in the blink of an eye, the ground was soaked. Tang Xu stood at the door, looking out, his lips curling.

This rain really came down all of a sudden. The land was hit by the large raindrops, causing steam to rise and the dust to fly up before being covered by the raindrops. In a moment, the courtyard turned into a muddy mess.

Thunder rumbled from the sky, and the heavy rain poured down, accompanied by strong winds that rattled the already unstable window frames.

Tang Xu thought that if this heavy rain continued all night, not only would it be impossible to go into the mountains tomorrow, but even going outside would be a problem. The ground in his courtyard would become impassable.

But he didn't worry for long. The rain outside gradually subsided, and the wind stopped.

The heavy rain came and went in the blink of an eye. In just fifteen minutes, the clouds in the sky slowly dispersed, and the moonlight reflected off the puddles on the ground, creating a beautiful scene.

Tang Xu stood at the door, taking a deep breath of the post-rain air. This was it!

He changed into grass sandals and went to the backyard to check the chicken coop and pigsty. The pigsty was fine, the roof was still covered with straw despite the strong wind, but the chicken coop was not so lucky.

The house originally had four chicken nests, but only two remained after the heavy rain. The other two nests were blown away by the wind and collided with the fence, scattering the straw used for nesting, rendering them unusable.

Four hens squeezed into the remaining two nests, clucking at Tang Xu when he approached.

Tang Xu chuckled and removed the two damaged nests. "I'll make new ones for you later, right away. Can't let our egg-laying heroes suffer."

Hens: Cluck, cluck, cluck.

Tang Xu: I know, I know. It'll be nice-looking.

Hens: Cluck, cluck.

Tang Xu: No problem, I'll make a spacious nest.

After exchanging a few words with the hens, he went to the woodshed. There were plenty of dried corn husks in the woodshed, which were used for kindling. They burned exceptionally well.

Tang Xu filled a basket with corn husks and returned to the house. He lit an oil lamp and sat on a small wooden stool, starting to weave chicken nests with the corn husks. He was quite skilled at it, and the weaving went smoothly. In no time, he finished.

The new nests were larger than the previous ones, spacious enough for two hens to comfortably fit inside.

After looking at the remaining corn husks, he decided to weave another nest, slightly smaller than the first one.

Carrying the two nests, he quickly took them to the chicken coop, and on the way, he also stopped by the outhouse to replenish the water.

The black mud and white stones reflected in the water, and if you didn't pay attention to the pits and holes on the ground, you'd end up stepping in the mud with one foot.

Tang Xu walked carefully, keeping his head down and staring intently at the path ahead.

"What are you doing,  Xu Ge'er?" Tang Erhu's voice suddenly rang out, startling Tang Xu, causing him to step into a puddle. Now, not only were his shoes filled with muddy water, but his pants were wet too.

Tang Xu frowned in annoyance, patting his chest to calm his racing heart. "Dad! You scared me." Tang Erhu chuckled, "Did you go to the outhouse?"

"Yeah, I made two new chicken nests. The old ones were blown away. Dad, why aren't you sleeping?" Tang Xu shook his pants and frowned, thinking that in the future, when he had his own house, he would need to pave stone paths in the yard to avoid encountering such embarrassing situations again.

Tang Erhu walked over to take a look at him and said, "I'm going to the outhouse too. You go to bed quickly. It's late."

Tang Xu nodded, washed his feet clean with clear water, and went back to his room.

Lying in bed, he thought about how there would surely be many mushrooms in the mountains tomorrow. He should invite his younger brother and sister to go together and pick more mushrooms to dry. 

In the early morning, as dawn broke, there was activity near the kitchen.

Tang Xu slowly regained his senses, got dressed, and went to the kitchen.

It wasn't Liu Xiangxiang but Tang Li.

"Isnt’t Mom supposed to make breakfast?" Tang Xu wondered.

Tang Li smiled at him and served him a bowl of porridge. "I woke up early and wanted to go mushroom picking in the mountains. Brother, let's go together."

Tang Xu nodded in agreement.

The siblings ate their porridge and steamed buns with pickled vegetables, filled their stomachs, then each took two steamed buns, filled their water bags, carried their baskets, and took their hoes, heading up the mountain.

The rising sun's rays were not yet dazzling, hidden behind layers of clouds, tinting the clouds with a golden hue. Tang Xu stood on the mountainside, shielding his eyes with one hand as he gazed into the distance. He couldn't help but admit that the scenery here was beautiful.

The air in the mountains was even fresher, with every breath feeling invigorating. Occasionally, bird calls echoed through the forest, and many unknown birds with different colors could be seen leaping and flying among the branches.

After a heavy rain, the entire mountain was nourished. Dewdrops hung on the leaves of plants of varying heights on the grassland, swaying gently without falling.

Tang Xu, feeling playful, flicked a ladybug resting on a large leaf with his finger.

"Haha!"

Tang Li heard him laugh and stopped picking mushrooms, asking, "What's so funny, Brother?"

Tang Xu shook his head and pointed to the grass not far away. "There are mushrooms under those fallen leaves. Be careful not to break them when you pick them. When you've filled a basket, head back, and I'll go further up."

"I'll go with you," Tang Li said, curious because she had never dug bamboo shoots before.

"No, you stay here. If there are no mushrooms next time, then you can come with me. I reckon the villagers will be heading up the mountain together to pick mushrooms soon. If you're free after you get back, call Ah Yang and come again. You two can pick more, and after we dry them, we can sell them in town for money."

Tang Xu waved to Tang Li and continued deeper into the forest with the basket on his back.

The path he took up the mountain wasn't the same as yesterday's, and he wondered if it had been washed away by last night's rain. The small path was nowhere to be seen.

The overgrown grasses obstructed the ground, making Tang Xu fear slipping and falling. He instinctively broke off a thick branch to use as a makeshift walking stick, swiping it in the grass as he walked, startling several snakes and rodents.

When he saw a small brownish-green snake hidden among the fallen leaves, his whole body tensed up. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Tang Xu felt his roots were about to explode. He stood frozen in place for a long time before finally exhaling, his face turning purple from the tension.

Feeling dizzy and disoriented, Tang Xu realized he had forgotten to breathe after being startled by a small snake in the forest, where the oxygen levels were exceptionally high... TAT, he berated himself.

After regaining his breath, Tang Xu looked around and threw away the stick he was holding, replacing it with a thicker one.

The weight of the thick wooden stick gave him a sense of security as he walked. Meanwhile, he tried to recall the shape of the snake he had just encountered and whether it was venomous.

As he walked, swinging the stick, Tang Xu managed to startle four snakes and scare away two gray wild rabbits before reaching the bamboo forest where he had dug bamboo shoots yesterday.

The incident with the rabbit took him by surprise. He had been so focused on watching out for snakes in the grass that he hadn't anticipated the fat rabbit's lightning-fast speed. With a whoosh, it darted past his legs, causing him to stumble and fall.

Truth be told, the pain in his tail bone brought tears to his eyes.

Fortunately, nobody else saw that, or he will be utterly embarrassed.

Tang Xu sat on the ground for quite some time, easing the pain before attempting to stand up again. Just as he was about to get up, another rabbit darted past him.

And once again, he ended up falling flat on his face, for real this time.

He lay there motionless for a while, surrounded only by the sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and the rustle of leaves in the wind. Eventually, Tang Xu slowly propped himself up and sat upright.

This time, there were no rabbits bounding towards him, so he managed to stand up smoothly.

Examining his palms, he noticed that his right palm had been scraped by the gravel on the ground, with blood oozing out.

His left hand was fine, just a bit dirty.

He pulled up his pant leg to check his knee, which was quite red but otherwise uninjured.

His buttocks were probably also red, and his tailbone throbbed with pain.

Tang Xu cautiously moved his feet in place, testing if there were any other painful areas on his body. Luckily, apart from his tailbone, there was no other pain. In a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, he waited for the pain in his tailbone to subside before picking up the basket and continuing forward.

Muttering to himself, "Don't let me catch you again, or I'll take away your burrows!"

Tang Xu continued to walk along the path, spotting numerous wild vegetables and mushrooms along the way. He refrained from picking them since the bamboo shoots he had dug up yesterday tasted delicious, especially when stewed with meat.

Given the current weather, it was certain that there would be more rain in the future, ensuring an abundance of mushrooms. However, the wild vegetables were nearing the end of their season. Tang Xu planned to leave some to go to seed so he could plant them in his own yard next year.

In the bamboo forest, Tang Xu followed the method taught by Wei Dong yesterday, digging up the soil one shovel at a time. Perhaps due to the rain, the soil was much softer today, making digging much easier.

He decided to dig less this time to avoid overexertion. It was important to pace himself properly; there was no point in digging up more than he could carry back on his own. Without Wei Dong's help, even though the soil was not as hard as yesterday, digging up a whole shoot still took some time.

Furthermore, perhaps due to the fall earlier, he felt a soreness in his arm when exerting force, which made it difficult for him to dig with full strength.

After digging up one shoot, he sat down by the pit, panting heavily. He needed to rest for a while.

He took out some steamed buns and the water flask from his basket and ate a few bites to replenish his energy.

Meanwhile, Wei Dong, who had planned to go hunting in the mountains early in the morning, found himself unable to leave.

Just before he was about to leave, someone from the Wei family came looking for him, informing him that their elder uncle was not feeling well. They needed him to come over, as they were planning to go to town to see a doctor. The village's doctor was not skilled enough, and since the elder uncle was already in his seventies, they didn't want to take any chances with his health. This elder uncle was a cousin of Wei Dong's grandfather.

He had only seen Wei Dong's elder uncle twice when he was young, so they were not very familiar with each other.

But this old man was quite kind. When Wei Dong and his brother were in their most difficult times, it was this elder uncle who first lent a helping hand. Here, he referred to the elder uncle himself.

At that time, when Wei Xi was gasping for breath due to lack of money for medical treatment, 

Wei Dong went to ask for help from relatives of the same clan, and the elder uncle lent him five taels of silver. Some of his own son's family members were particularly unhappy about this and didn't hesitate to voice their discontent.

Later, Wei Dong sold the family land to repay the silver to the elder uncle. During the Chinese New Year, he would also bring gifts to express his gratitude for the elder uncle's help.

The last time they met was during the Chinese New Year. At that time, the elder uncle seemed quite energetic. But how could he suddenly become unwell after only three months? The visitor didn't say much, hurriedly left, and urged Wei Dong to hurry up and come over, saying that the elder uncle would want to see him as soon as he woke up.

Wei Dong went to the elder uncle's house with a cold expression. When he entered, he saw that most of his son's family members were sitting in the main hall, and they all fell silent when he came in.

This scene made Wei Dong feel uneasy.

“Where is elder uncle?”

"Is it Wei Dong who has come?" The voice of the elder uncle came from the inner room. Wei Dong lifted the curtain and entered the room.

The elderly man, with white hair and beard, was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). When he saw Wei Dong enter, he raised his hand to beckon him over. "Come, sit down."

Wei Dong walked over and sat down, observing the elder uncle carefully. Apart from noticing that there were more wrinkles on his face, he couldn't see anything wrong. "You seem fine."

Wei Dong was puzzled. Why did this elder uncle summon him?

He couldn't figure it out, so he asked. The elder uncle smiled and said, "I just want to look at you more. If I remain unwell, won't one glance less mean one less glance?"

"What illness do you have?" Wei Dong scratched his head. "Elder uncle, do you have something to discuss with me? If you have something to say, just say it directly, don't jinx yourself."

Then he saw those slightly yellowed eyes suddenly brighten.

Wei Dong had a clue in his heart. The only thing that could make the elder uncle worry while he was ill must be about marriage and having children.

Sure enough, the elder uncle stared at Wei Dong's face and reminisced about the time when his parents arranged his marriage. They had Wei Dong shortly after their marriage. He mentioned how Wei Dong had been taking care of his younger brother over the years, which wasn't easy. 

He might be one of the few elders in the Wei family whom Wei Dong respected. After blabbering on for a while and seeing Wei Dong sitting there without showing any impatience, he finally got to the point: "Your cousin's niece, I've met her. She's quite well-mannered and wants to marry a capable man. Your cousin mentioned that you have good prospects and she wants to consider you."

"No, I'm not interested." Wei Dong was the kind of person who would stick to his decisions no matter what others said. At the moment, he didn't want to get married, or rather, he didn't dare to.

He was afraid that the person who considered him would treat Wei Xi well on the surface but mistreat him behind his back.

Considering Wei Xi's health, if he didn't eat properly for three days, he would be bedridden.

Wei Dong had seen it once. Even his own aunt, when he was around, treated Wei Xi kindly, giving him candy and eggs. But when he wasn't home, even in the freezing cold, she made Wei Xi do laundry and fetch water. At that time, Wei Xi was only four years old and could barely walk steadily, let alone carry a bucket to fetch water.

That was also the last time Wei Dong had any contact with his paternal relatives. Later, he cut off all ties with them completely, ignoring both the old and the young. If they had any problems, they would come looking for him, but he drove them away with a stick.

After a few times, they even threatened to remove him from the family records if he didn't keep in touch.

The situation with Wei Dong's family ties was unclear, but the lack of communication was definite.

After a moment of contemplation, Wei Dong didn't hear what the elder uncle said, but he guessed it was about the other party's daughter. He waved his hand to interrupt the conversation and stood up, saying, "It's useless to talk about this. I don't have the intention."

"You're almost twenty! And there's nothing wrong with you, so why aren't you getting married?" The elder uncle slammed his leg in frustration, but his excessive agitation caused him to choke on his saliva and coughed a few times.

In the main room, someone heard the commotion, peeked through the curtain, saw Wei Dong patting the elder uncle's back, and then retreated.

"My health is fine, but I don't want to marry, and I don't have money." Wei Dong felt he couldn't afford to tarnish his reputation. "Elder uncle, you should rest. I need to go up the mountain to catch prey and exchange it for money to buy medicine for Wei Xi. I'm leaving."

Without giving the elder uncle a chance to stop him, he turned and walked away.

Once he left, the elder son and daughter-in-law of the main room entered together, asking, "Father, what about Wei Dong?" The elder uncle shook his head. "I've advised you not to scheme against him. Your plans won't work."

The daughter-in-law, Sun, frowned and muttered, "Why is he so stubborn, focusing all his attention on a sickly child?"

The elder uncle's expression turned stern. "Shut up!"

Sun pouted, "Father, I know my words are harsh, but it's the truth. If it weren't for Wei Xi, Wei Dong would have a much better life. With his hunt he brings back from the mountain, he could easily sell it for fifty taels at least!"

The elder uncle grabbed the water bowl on the kang and hurled it towards her, "I told you to shut up! You heartless fool! His brother hasn't even died yet, and you're already thinking about money! Even if your niece were a celestial being, Wei Dong wouldn't be interested in her!"

Sun angrily tossed her hand, pushed aside the curtain, and stormed out.

The elder uncle was furious. He turned to his eldest son and said, "I've told you before that your wife is dishonest, but you insisted she was kind-hearted. Looks like you've wasted your life!"

His eldest son, who was also in his fifties, blushed deeply upon hearing this.

"Father, we don't want to see Wei Dong all alone even when he's twenty," he said with his head down, his gaze shifting.

The elder uncle didn't want to hear his nonsense. He pointed outside and said, "Get out, get out of my sight!"

Wei Dong left the elder uncle's house and headed straight for the mountain, his expression blank.

He was well aware of what those who claimed to care about him and urged him to marry at his age were really thinking. Unfortunately for them, their plans were misguided. Even if he were to marry, he would only marry someone he liked.

But who did he find appealing?

Unconsciously, the bright smile of Tang Xu floated into his mind. He sighed and shook his head. Don't daydream, why would someone like Tang Xu be interested in him?

Wei Dong's purpose for going up the mountain was clear. He circled around the traps he had set, finding that out of ten holes, eight were empty, while two contained a stag and a wild boar. The boar was particularly fat, weighing around three hundred catties.

When he went up the mountain yesterday, there was nothing in the traps, so these two animals likely fell in during the heavy rain last night. He cut down a tree and made a makeshift frame, dragging the boar and stag out of the pit and tying them up. He then began to head downhill with his catch. Just as he had walked a short distance, he heard a voice filled with anger yet excitement coming from the side: "Another one is caught by me!"

Wei Dong halted in his tracks and looked in the direction of the voice.

Tang Xu flung his backpack into the bushes and held a wooden stick, poking the ground one by one.

Out of curiosity, Wei Dong walked over and, upon seeing what Tang Xu was poking, he froze for a moment. "A rabbit?"

Tang Xu poked the rabbit vigorously, engrossed in his task. He hadn't heard any footsteps, so when he suddenly heard someone speak behind him, he startled. After seeing who it was, he gave Wei Dong an annoyed glare. "Could you please announce yourself next time? Sneaking up on people can scare them to death." 

Wei Dong glanced at him. "Hmm, okay," then he gestured towards the dead rabbit on the ground. "Did you catch it?"

Tang Xu proudly raised his chin. "How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"

Wei Dong nodded. "Very impressive."

"Hehe, I found a rabbit hole over there, and I blocked it off," Tang Xu chuckled and pointed to a distant spot. "There's another hole over there, and I blocked that one too."

Before he could finish, Wei Dong interjected, "You wait by this hole, and when the rabbit comes out, you can hit it with the stick." 

Tang Xu nodded. "Just trying my luck, I don't expect to actually kill one."

The rabbit on the ground had sandy-colored fur and was quite large, probably weighing around seven or eight catties.

When the rabbit had stuck its head out of the hole earlier, Tang Xu didn't think he would actually hit it with the stick. He swung quite forcefully, and the rabbit flew away with one strike.

"Oh, what a pleasant surprise," he bent down to pick up the dead rabbit, then remembered to ask Wei Dong, "Why are you also in the mountains?" Wei Dong gestured behind him for Tang Xu to see.

Tang Xu turned to look and saw the wild boar corpse blocked by Wei Dong. It had antlers resembling tree branches on its head.

His eyes widened, and he stuffed the dead rabbit into Wei Dong's arms, running over to the other side to circle around the hunting trophy twice. "This, this, this, is this all caught by you?"

Could anyone catch such a big wild boar?

Tang Xu turned to look at Wei Dong. Except for the mud-caked grass shoes on his feet, he was quite clean and didn't seem to be injured. He also didn't look like he had been in a fight.

He then lowered his head to carefully inspect the bodies of the two prey and noticed several blood holes. Immediately, he remembered the pit trap he had seen last time.

"You dug traps and waited for them to fall in?" Tang Xu truly hadn't expected Wei Dong to be a hunter.

Initially, he and Wei Dong had only met a few times, and during those encounters, Tang Xu hadn't seen any weapons on him. Oh, wait, yesterday he had a machete hanging from his waist, but that machete was for cutting bamboo.

In Tang Xu's understanding, hunters should at least have a quiver full of various types of knives and weapons, or at the very least, a bow and arrow. It was unimaginable for a hunter to go into the mountains unarmed. What if they encountered a large wild animal? Were they supposed to compete with the beast to see who could run faster or endure longer?

Pushing aside those unrealistic thoughts, he looked at Wei Dong. "Did you come up the mountain to collect prey?"

Wei Dong nodded, sensing Tang Xu's genuine curiosity. "I come up here every day to check if there's anything in the traps. If there's nothing, I venture deeper into the mountains to hunt."

Tang Xu suddenly became interested. He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with excitement, wearing a flattering expression. But before Tang Xu could say anything, Wei Dong preemptively refused, "No, no, no."

Tang Xu: "..."

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

"I haven't even said anything yet! It's a bit impolite to reject me outright without even knowing what I was going to say!"

Tang Xu licked his lips, attempting to convince Wei Dong. "You see, I know so many wild vegetables. Bringing me into the mountains won't be a loss. I can take care of myself."

Wei Dong shook his head. "The deep mountains are different from Yuanbao Mountain. It's very dangerous there."

Worried that Tang Xu might not believe him, he lifted his shirt and opened the closed collar, pointing to the fierce scars on his abdomen. "Tiger bite." Then he tapped the three claw marks on his side, even though they were just scars, one could imagine how severe the injuries had been at the time. "Bear claw."

Tang Xu stared straight at the two large scars, walking closer to get a clearer look. As he approached, he could see the smaller scars on Wei Dong's honey-colored skin more clearly. For some reason, Tang Xu's heart tightened.

He pursed his lips and met Wei Dong's gaze.

Softly, he asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Wei Dong was startled, quickly adjusting his clothes and tightening his belt, his expression still blank. However, there was a slight blush on his earlobes. "No, it doesn't hurt."

Tang Xu thought to himself, how could it not hurt? If he had suffered such serious injuries, even if they had healed, just thinking about it would still cause pain. Neuropathic pain!

"Is the deep mountain you mentioned the forest behind that area?" Tang Xu looked back, where dense, tall trees covered the landscape.

Wei Dong nodded and then shook his head, explaining, "The area you mentioned is Xiaoyou Mountain. Dayou Mountain is further in, very far and very dangerous."

Tang Xu nodded in understanding.

Xiaoyou Mountain, Dayou Mountain, he heard these names for the first time.

Wei Dong seemed to understand what Tang Xu was thinking. He returned the dead rabbit to him and said, "I named them myself. They are all called Deep Mountain, but I think it doesn't sound good."

Tang Xu gave him a thumbs up. "The name you chose is pretty good."

Wei Dong nodded and bent down to pick up the backpack he had thrown on the ground. Seeing that there were only five bamboo shoots inside, he thought that he had dug them pretty well today. At least none of them were broken off when they were palm-sized.

"Aren't you going to dig more?" Tang Xu asked.

Wei Dong shook his head, took the backpack from Tang Xu, thanked him, and placed the dead rabbit inside before putting it on his back. "Digging too much would be too heavy to carry back. It's better to carry less. If I have nothing to do after lunch, I'll come back up again."

Wei Dong didn't ask further. "Then I'll head back now."

"Oh, are you leaving already?" Tang Xu stopped him. "It's still early." 

Wei Dong nodded. "I need to go to the town to sell the carcass and buy medicine for my younger brother." Tang Xu's mind brightened when he heard that Wei Dong was going to the town.

If he took this rabbit back home, it would only be eaten, and then a few compliments wouldn't make much difference. After all, he had been praised quite a lot recently. He didn't think that constantly earning goodwill would lead to better treatment. On the contrary, he might end up with a bigger appetite due to eating meat more often lately.

If he couldn't get more meat later, the four people at home might start to complain.

Of course, it could also be his own petty thoughts. But he really wanted to go to town!

"If you won't take me into the mountains, can you take me to town? I want to sell this rabbit." Tang Xu tilted his face up, his eyes watery.

Wei Dong wasn't heartless, but he had concerns. Seeing him remain silent, Tang Xu thought for a moment and said, "Once we're in town, I'll treat you to a meal!"

Wei Dong: "?"

"I know the owner of Fuyun Restaurant. I plan to sell the rabbit to him," Tang Xu said. A rabbit this big, even if it's not alive, should still be worth three or two silver coins. After all, it's wild game.

Wei Dong's eyes lit up as he asked, "How much do you plan to sell it for?"

"Huh?" Tang Xu didn't quite understand what he meant.

Wei Dong clarified, "How much money do you want for the rabbit?"

Tang Xu thought for a moment, observing his expression, and uncertainly suggested, "Three taels of silver?"

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. "Too little," he remarked.

Tang Xu blinked in confusion.

Wei Dong continued, "Five taels, sell it to me."

Tang Xu: "(°△???)"

Are you kidding me? 

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