The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book)- 29

 

| TBBOTOF | 29

Nine-year-old Wei Xi was disciplined by his brother. Without hitting or scolding him, he was confined to his room and not allowed to go out. Due to the fear of cold, the windows of his room were all sealed with wooden strips to prevent the window paper from being blown away by strong winds in winter.

Even though it was almost May now, there was still a fire burning in his room's stove bed. Others would feel stiflingly hot when they entered, but he found it just right for sleeping.

The problem was, even if the temperature was comfortable, being confined indoors without ventilation would still feel stuffy!

Wei Xi pried open the window crack and punctured the already shaky window paper. Watching the busy figures outside the courtyard, he apologized, "Brother, I was wrong. I won't talk nonsense anymore."

Wei Dong seemed deaf to his words, completely ignoring him.

Wei Xi sniffled and then sneezed.

Wei Dong's hands, washing vegetables, paused, and he made a light hum.

Wei Xi knew that he had annoyed his brother by constantly asking about Tang Xu just now, and now it was useless to say anything.

Thinking about the slight smile on his brother's face when he mentioned Tang Xu earlier, Wei Xi squatted on the ground, holding his face in his hands, wishing that his brother could find a husband who could make him happy!

Following Tang Xu's instructions, Wei Dong washed the vegetables and blanched them in water, then made a few cuts and tossed them into the pot. After adding some salt and stirring, he served them.

He took a bit first, thinking that it wasn't bad. There was no strange taste, and it didn't feel like eating grass. The texture was okay, but it was a bit too salty since he added too much salt. Wei Xi preferred mild flavors, and if it was too salty, it would make him cough after eating.

Wei Dong scooped a gourd ladle of clean water from the water jar and poured it into the pot, then cracked two eggs into it.

The vegetables being too salty wasn't a big deal; he could just add water to make soup.

His family's kitchen was spacious, with three connected large stoves and two small stoves. One large stove had a ceramic pot for soup, while the other was for boiling medicinal herbs.

Although the kitchen was quite large, it looked empty, except for two cabinets, a water jar, and a pile of dry branches and wood chips in the corner.

Wei Dong wasn't particularly skilled in cooking, but he had set up the cooking scene quite well.

Once the water in the pot boiled, he placed a wooden rack on top to steam mantou (steamed buns).

He vigorously kneaded the dough in a basin, then grabbed a handful and slapped it onto a cloth.

While one pot was simmering soup and another steaming mantou, he heated another cast iron pot, poured some oil in, and added the blanched vegetables. This time, he didn't add too much salt, preferring it to be bland rather than too salty.

Well, this dinner, cooked by Wei Dong, was quite healthy.

On the other side, Tang Xu arrived home with his clothes soaked in sweat, his face flushed from exhaustion and panting from the heat.

Tang Li, who had put down the hemp thread she was weaving, hurried over, reaching out to take the basket. "Big brother, why did you bring back so much?"

Tang Xu didn't say anything, he put down the basket and rubbed his sore shoulders, thinking he needed to exercise more. Carrying around forty to fifty pounds of weight was almost killing him.

"This is too much," Tang Li took out all the bamboo shoots from the basket and laid them on the ground. Apart from five small ones, the rest were as long as her arms. She counted them, there were twelve in total.

Tang Xu went into the house to drink water, gulping down two large bowls before remembering to ask, "Has the mantou been steamed, Ah Li?"

"It's steaming, and should be ready soon," Tang Li clapped her hands to dust them off. "How should we eat these bamboo shoots and wild vegetables?"

"Wash the vegetables, blanch them, make a cold dish or stir-fry with eggs. Stew the bamboo shoots," Tang Xu scooped water to wash his face, his messy hair falling around his shoulders. He thought it was troublesome having long hair and contemplated cutting it shorter.

Seeing him about to cut his hair, Tang Li was startled. "Brother, what are you doing? You can't cut it so short!"

The scissors were already positioned at his neck, but upon hearing Tang Li's words, he sighed and moved them down to shoulder length. "Is this length alright?"

"No, it's too short," Tang Li took the scissors and left the length at hip level. "If it's too short, people will gossip."

Tang Xu was helpless. "Let them gossip. It's too long and hard to wash, and it's hot and heavy."

"But brother, you always loved your hair. Why do you want to cut it now?" Tang Li glanced at the scattered black hair on the ground, feeling somewhat envious.

Tang Xu shrugged. "It's troublesome to wash."

"Your parents gave you your body and hair. Cutting it too short will be seen as unfilial," Tang Li's expression turned serious, holding the scissors. "If you cut it so short, Mom and Dad will definitely be angry."

Tang Xu chuckled and pressed down on her head. "You know quite a lot."

"Brother, I'll tie it up for you, then you won't feel hot," Tang Li ran her fingers through his hair. "And then I'll use a hairband to tie it up."

Tang Xu shook his head, still feeling uncomfortable. He raised his hand and twisted his hair into three braids, tying them up. Having his hair braided made him feel much cooler without it hanging down on his back.

"Brother, your braids look really nice," Tang Li turned around, "I want braids too."

Tang Xu hummed in agreement and helped her braid two strands of hair, one on each side of her shoulder.

Unmarried young women and married women could be distinguished by their hairstyles. Married women typically wore their hair up, while unmarried girls had various hairstyles, often for adornment.

Tang Li swept the hair off the ground, while Tang Xu went to the kitchen to cook.

He cracked two eggs into a bowl, beat them, and then added the chopped blanched vegetables, along with salt. 

He peeled and shredded five palm-sized bamboo shoots and placed them in a large bowl. Then he grabbed some dried mushrooms to soak for soup later.

He also scooped some shredded dried meat from a jar, which he would mix with ferns for a cold dish later.

With two vegetable dishes and one soup, along with some pickled radish given by their aunt, the dinner was quite abundant.

He finished preparing the dishes and lifted the lid of the pot. Steam rose from the fist-sized steamed buns, indicating that they were well cooked, and they felt soft yet springy to the touch.

"Brother, look how many fish I caught!!!" Tang Yang's voice rang out from a distance and drew closer. Tang Xu wiped his hands and looked outside the kitchen, seeing him carrying a bucket of water. The water sloshed around as he ran, soaking his clothes and pants.

Tang Xu reached out to steady him and took a look inside the small bucket. "Loaches?"

The bucket was packed with loaches, each as thick as a finger and quite plump.

Swallowing his saliva, Tang Yang replied, "I caught them over by the ditch. There were so many, and they were slippery and hard to catch. The new net Brother made for me is really useful. None of them caught as many as I did." His face beamed with a bright smile as he asked eagerly, "Brother, can we eat them?"

"I can't eat them, but loaches can," Tang Xu pinched his cheek. "Tomorrow noon, we'll buy some tofu, and we'll stew the loaches with tofu!"

Tang Yang nodded vigorously, "Mm-hmm, okay." He slurped

....

Tang Xu was already planning what to make for lunch tomorrow, while the two brothers on the other side were struggling with a pot of wild vegetable and egg soup.

"Brother..." Wei Xi sat on a small wooden stool, biting the tip of his chopsticks as he looked at the soup in the pot and the hardened steamed buns in his bowl. "Brother, can I not drink the soup?"

The vegetables, boiled after blanching, had been simmering in the soup for a long time. The vegetables were mushy, and the two eggs had been overcooked. The color of the soup had turned dark, resembling something poisonous.

With a serious expression, Wei Dong scooped himself a bowl of soup, blew on it, and tasted a sip.

"It's drinkable."

He closed his eyes, furrowing his brow, and cautiously touched his lips to the soup, then licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

"Hmm?"

Refusing to believe it, he tasted a small sip again. "Huh?"

Surprisingly, it wasn't bitter at all!

Seeing him drinking the soup, Wei Dong breathed a sigh of relief and took a big bite of the steamed bun, wrinkling his brow. "The bun is hard. Let's soak it in the soup."

Wei Xi glanced up at him, grumbling, "Every time you steam buns, they're hard. I told you I could do it, but you wouldn't let me."

"Tomorrow you can steam them. I'll go into the mountains early in the morning and won't be back for lunch," Wei Dong glanced at the two sets of medicine hanging on the wall. He needed to go hunting in the mountains, and his brother's next batch of medicine would need to be bought.

At the Tang household, dinner was served in the main hall, and it was rare for the family of five to sit together at the table. Tang Erhu slurped the bamboo shoot and mushroom soup loudly. "Delicious!"

Ever since Xu Ge'er recovered from his illness, their food had improved a lot, and Tang Erhu was extremely satisfied.

Liu Xiangxiang ate silently, occasionally glancing at Tang Xu sitting across from her.

Tang Xu only noticed that Liu Xiangxiang had been out in the afternoon when he saw her and Tang Erhu come in through the courtyard gate. He realized why she hadn't been around when he was cutting his hair earlier.

After a moment's thought, Tang Xu said, "Tomorrow morning I'll head into the mountains. Mother, please make breakfast when you wake up."

Liu Xiangxiang, with drooping eyelids and a stern face, retorted, "You waking up early to make breakfast would be perfect, you lazy bum who doesn't want to do any work."

"I have to leave before dawn, I have no time for that," Tang Xu nodded towards the steamed buns in the basin. "I'll take two steamed buns with me in the morning. There are still plenty of bamboo shoots in that forest patch where I dug today. While nobody's there, I'll go and dig some more."

Before Liu Xiangxiang could say anything else, Tang Erhu interjected, "What's wrong with making a meal? You're lying on the kang all day and still have the nerve to call Xu Ge'er lazy."

Being rebuked by her own husband, Liu Xiangxiang had no choice but to agree, "Fine, I'll make breakfast."

Tang Xu chuckled as he held the bowl of soup, savoring its freshness. "So delicious~~~"

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