The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 40

 

| TBBOTOF | 40

"Going to the county seat from Riverside Village would take at least six or seven hours by carriage, and even walking there would take over a day for those with fast strides.

"Wei Dong, going to the county seat now would exhaust me," Tang Xu pulled him back. "I can't walk that far."

Wei Dong glanced at him, seeing his pitiful expression, and suddenly smiled.

Tang Xu was momentarily swayed by this smile, but then immediately realized that this guy was deliberately teasing him! Going to the county seat to sign a marriage contract might be on the agenda, but certainly not today! Well, this guy grows up so fast, he's already teasing me! He glared angrily, crossed his arms, tilted his head, and hummed.

I'm angry!

I won't be pacified easily.

Wei Dong stood beside him, observing his series of actions, and after a moment of contemplation, he understood. Tang Xu was upset. Why? Oh, because he figured out that he was tricking him into thinking they were going to the county seat to sign the marriage contract.

Wei Dong stared at Tang Xu in silence, organizing his thoughts on how to cheer him up. He was not good with words.

Tang Xu glanced at Wei Dong sideways, but couldn't see him clearly from that angle. He turned his head back slightly to get a better view and found his future husband lost in thought.

What's going on? Why is he spacing out?

After some consideration, Tang Xu realized that Wei Dong might not understand why he was upset. So he turned to face him and said, "You lied to me!" 

Wei Dong snapped out of his reverie, nodded once without hesitation, and then shook his head.

Tang Xu felt dizzy from watching him. What does that mean?

Is it a lie, but also not a complete lie?

‘No, no, we're not married yet. I can't let him develop the habit of relying on guessing and imagination to communicate. I must be direct.’

"If you don't speak up, I can't understand what you mean," he pointed at himself. "I'm angry, but not too angry, but I'm still unhappy."

Wei Dong nodded. "I understand."

Tang Xu tilted his head. "And then?"

"I'm thinking about how to cheer you up," Wei Dong stated matter-of-factly, while holding his hand and leading him forward. "I didn't lie to you. We do need to sign the marriage contract, but going to the county seat is too far. So, let's go to the town and find the mayor to write the marriage documents. 

Once we have the marriage documents, half of the marriage process is completed," he recalled what Aunt San had said earlier and explained to Tang Xu, "In our village, people rarely write marriage documents. They usually have the village mayor as a witness and then organize a wedding banquet, letting everyone in the village know that the two people are married."

Tang Xu looked up at him, his eyes shining with excitement.

Wei Dong rarely explained things so carefully to someone. He lost his parents when he was young, and despite being a cheerful and lively person before, he was forced to grow up quickly due to various circumstances later in life.

He had experienced a lot of malice and seen all kinds of attitudes, so it was rare for someone to treat him sincerely. He didn't want this person to feel any grievances.

When Aunt San came over, she talked a lot, but she didn't mention marriage documents at first. It was only when Wei Dong asked if there were any documents to sign that she remembered about the marriage certificate.

Aunt San also mentioned that those fancy things were only done by wealthy families, and we simple villagers didn't need to bother with such complications.

After carefully questioning her, Wei Dong learned everything she knew.

Now, Tang Xu's mind was filled with the thought, Almost drove without a license.

"I want to write you a marriage document, sign the marriage certificate, and write down what I can offer you," Wei Dong paused for a moment, seemingly a bit shy as he averted his gaze from Tang Xu's eyes. "And, I only want to marry one person."

Tang Xu digested the meaning of his words and slowly widened his eyes.

“Really?" Concepts like "one life, one partner" were hard to come by in this era of polygamy, let alone in modern times where even monogamy couldn't be guaranteed.

Tang Xu wasn't doubting Wei Dong; he just wanted to confirm again.

“Yeah,” Wei Dong took the initiative to hold his hand and walked forward slowly. The two of them, one in front and one behind, listened to each other's steady voices.

“Before I met you, I never thought about getting married, nor did I feel like there was anyone I wanted to marry,” Tang Xu's gaze was fixed on Wei Dong's earlobe, which was turning red without being covered by hair. He kept staring and listening until the earlobe turned red! The fact that someone's complexion could reveal such a thing!

What did that mean?

It means he's very shy!

Tang Xu took a few quick steps to walk parallel to him, turned his head to look, and found that the man's face had no expression, but his eyes were wandering as if he had once again fallen into some kind of imagination, not even noticing Tang Xu walking up to him.

Tang Xu boldly glanced at him and, seeing that he wasn't speaking, asked softly, "So, when did you start thinking about marrying me?"

After all, before yesterday, apart from feeling that this man had a cold exterior but a kind heart, Tang Xu couldn't see anything else. Suddenly, it seemed like he had an epiphany, and there would always be some things that stimulated him like this. 

After walking forward holding hands with Wei Dong for a while, he finally replied, “Two days ago.”

“Hmm?” Tang Xu was puzzled, shaking the hand they were holding. “Could you elaborate?”

Wei Dong didn't understand what ‘elaborate’ meant, but he knew that Tang Xu wanted him to say more.

What should he say?

Recently, he had been going into the mountains every day, leaving before dawn, even if he hadn't stayed in the mountains for long. By the time he returned, it was already dark.

After coming back and cooking dinner for the two of them, Wei Dong didn't idle either; he went out to gather some firewood.

After being asked about Tang Xu by his elder aunt, Wei Dong always felt something strange that he couldn't put into words. So, when he went to gather firewood, he deliberately took a detour from behind the Wu family's house.

One day, two days, three days, four days, every day he could hear Wei Zhonghong cursing Wu Weiming. Although Wei Dong didn't hear it all, he pieced together what was going on.

Wu Weiming went to find Tang Xu, saying he wanted to marry him, but he was rejected. 

After returning home, he became depressed every day, not doing well in his work in the fields, and day by day, he wanted to leave and earn money. Wei Zhonghong was so angry that she felt chest tightness and headaches, and it took three or four days of medicine to feel better.

Wei Dong's only thought at the time was that no one else should marry Tang Xu! He disagreed!

Then he started figuring out how to marry Tang Xu himself. Unexpectedly, in the end, Tang Xu was the one who spoke up first.

These words definitely couldn't be said directly to Tang Xu, but they could be expressed more tactfully.

Wei Dong said, "You are very nice. I think about you every day, and it makes me happy. I want to see you all the time and marry you."

Tang Xu covered his face with his hand, expressing surprise, "Wow, you're good at this!"

“Don't say it anymore!” Tang Xu waved his hand at him. "I won't listen anymore, I won't listen."

He already felt weak in the knees, and if he heard a couple more sentences, he was afraid he wouldn't even be able to walk away.

Wei Dong didn't understand his predicament but obediently stayed quiet when told not to speak.

After walking for a while, Tang Xu suddenly remembered and asked him, "What about the meat? Is it still soaking in brine?"

Looking up at the sky, Wei Dong replied, "I told Wei Xi to wake up and fish it out. He should have done it by now."

"Are you not worried he might sneak a bite!" It's not good for a child with poor health to eat heavily seasoned meat.

Wei Dong nodded, "I told him if he sneaks a bite, you won't make him shredded meat when you come."

Tang Xu raised his eyebrows, "Don't always threaten children, it'll make them rebellious."

Wei Dong nodded, not fully understanding but willing to cooperate.

Tang Xu was right; hearing him speak always brought joy.

"What about the meat I marinated?"

"We hung it up with a piece of rope," Wei Dong said when he noticed Tang Xu looking at him, adding, "It's hanging with the sausage." Tang Xu thought for a moment, that's fine; drying some salted meat would be good too.

"Did you hang up the lean meat too?"

"Yeah, it won't go bad. We'll cook it when we come back." Wei Dong glanced down at him, noticing a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and asked with concern, "Feeling hot?"

"I'm okay," Tang Xu shook his head, smiling at him, "Let's go and return quickly." 

"We can't hurry, we have to buy things."

When they left, neither of them brought a basket. Apart from the household registration paper requested by Wei Dong and Tang Erhu, there was only a water bag hanging from Wei Dong's waist, nothing else.

If they had to buy things, they couldn't carry them back themselves. What could they use to carry them?

As it turned out, Tang Xu's solution was simple. If they couldn't carry them themselves, they could find a cart to haul them back.

They arrived in town around noon, the second time they came this way, coinciding with the market day. The streets were bustling with activity, vendors and stalls lining the roads, many people selling goods, and Tang Xu even spotted a familiar figure.

"Uncle San?" Tang Xu and Tang Sanhu made eye contact. Not saying hello wasn't an option, so he walked over, first glancing at the bamboo basket on the ground beside Tang Sanhu, where the eggs were pale green and slightly larger than chicken eggs; these were duck eggs. "Did you come here yourself, Uncle San?"

Tang Sanhu didn't initially recognize Tang Xu, he just saw a handsome young man looking at him and instinctively smiled. After all, he was in the business of selling eggs, and a smile usually meant good business.

It wasn't until Tang Xu approached and greeted him that Tang Sanhu realized he was his second brother's Xu Ge'er.

Xu Ge'er had indeed become quite handsome now, no wonder his second sister-in-law had some bad intentions.

Tang Sanhu grinned as he looked at Tang Xu, casting his eyes over the man beside him several times. He knew this man; he was Wei Dong from the neighboring village.

"Your third sister-in-law is pregnant, so I decided to sell some of the eggs we've saved at home." The three Tang brothers looked quite alike, especially when they grinned; their expressions were very similar.

Tang Xu thought of the dried-up pond at Wei Dong's house and turned to ask, "Is the chicken named Huizi raised by Xiao Xi?"

"Yeah, he likes the fluffy ones. Why, do you like them too?" Wei Dong looked at him, sensing that Tang Xu might be inclined to buy a lot just with a nod of his head.

Tang Xu smiled with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. "I prefer eating them. I'll buy some eggs to make salted duck eggs when I get back." 

After saying this, he turned to Tang Sanhu, pointing at Wei Dong as he introduced, "Uncle San, this is my future fiancé, and we've already exchanged formal engagement gifts."

Tang Sanhu widened his eyes, "What? Are you two engaged?"

"We haven't had the engagement wine yet, but he has given the betrothal gifts to my mother, so we've settled the matter to prevent my mother from changing her mind," Tang Xu squatted by the basket, pointing his finger, "Twenty-six eggs. Uncle San, how much are you selling duck eggs for?"

Tang Sanhu looked at him fondly, realizing, "You can just take them to eat; your engaged uncle doesn't have much else to offer you."

"No, no, no, it's different. It's not easy to save up a basket of eggs," Tang Xu waved his hand, "If Uncle San doesn't take money, I won't buy from you."

"You little brat," Tang Sanhu scolded him with a glare, but he wasn't actually saddened by the rejection. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief; if he hadn't taken back any money, his mother-in-law would have made a fuss, "Your third aunt has priced them at three wen per egg, so you can have these for sixty wen."

Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong, signaling him to pay, "I'll take advantage of Uncle San and take one egg, that'll be seventy-five wen."

Wei Dong grabbed a handful of copper coins from his purse and handed them to Tang Xu. With his large hands, he grabbed many coins of different shades.

Tang Xu thought the coins were really dirty as he counted seventy-five and handed them to Tang Sanhu, "Uncle San, don't be polite to me. When we hold the engagement banquet, please bring your family, including your siblings."

Tang Sanhu smiled repeatedly, picking up the basket and handing it to Tang Xu, "Carrying it with a basket would be more convenient."

"Ah, thank you, Uncle San." Tang Xu slung the basket over his shoulder and walked forward with Wei Dong.

After walking a distance, he looked back, and Tang Sanhu was no longer there. He said to Wei Dong, "If he finds out I took advantage of him, my third aunt will surely come to my house demanding money."

Wei Dong nodded. Many people in the market were selling their accumulated eggs—chicken, duck, and goose eggs.

From one end of the street to the other, Tang Xu bought two baskets of chicken eggs, three baskets of duck eggs, and one basket of goose eggs. Wei Dong silently paid without asking any questions.

Is he not afraid of having too many eggs that couldn't be eaten in time and would spoil? That wasn't a concern at all. Tang Xu could easily eat five boiled eggs without feeling overwhelmed, and eggs preserved with salt could last a long time without spoiling.

Even though he wasn't skilled in cooking, he had tasted perfectly salted duck eggs before. The yolks were rich and oily!

"I plan to hatch some eggs myself and utilize the pond in the backyard," Tang Xu said, looking at him. "Why did you dig up that pond back then if you weren't going to use it?"

Wei Dong paused at the mention of the pond and responded, "That wasn't a pond."

"What was it then?" Tang Xu thought, if such a large area wasn't a pond, what could it be?

"That was a pit," Wei Dong explained. "When I wanted to practice digging traps, I needed a place nearby. Digging directly on the mountainside might not yield good results. So, I chose the backyard, which was closer to the well. The person who dug the well initially mentioned an underground river, so the soil in the pit was damp. If you want to raise ducks there, I can arrange for someone to clean it up and deepen the pit."

Tang Xu looked at him speechlessly.

Which respectable man would dig pits in their own backyard for no reason? Digging a pit was one thing, but couldn't he at least fill it back in? Leaving a muddy pit there would only lead to misunderstandings.

Wei Dong didn't notice his silence and continued, "Raising some ducks would be nice, it would liven up the house. Once the pond is ready, we can directly buy some ducks to raise. If you try to hatch eggs yourself, you won't get any big ducks without them."

Tang Xu smirked mysteriously, "You'll find out when the time comes."

Carrying several bamboo baskets, they went to the mayor's house. When they entered, they were initially thought to be bringing gifts. Upon hearing that they were there to write marriage documents, the mayor remarked that few villagers came to the town to write marriage documents. Typically, after the marriage documents were written, they had to go to the county to sign the marriage contract, which was essentially a formality.

After exchanging a few more words, Tang Xu left twenty duck eggs with the mayor as a token of gratitude for helping with the marriage documents. Holding the freshly written marriage documents, he felt quite happy.

So, this was like a marriage certificate!

He looked over it several times, even though he couldn't understand all the traditional characters, he could roughly guess their meanings. He felt ecstatic. 

Seeing him happily reading, Wei Dong asked, "Do you understand?"

"No, I don't," Tang Xu looked up at him, "Do you know how to read?"

Wei Dong nodded, explaining, "I learned from the village scholar when I was young. My father wanted me to take the imperial examination for children, but I couldn't sit still. Once I learned to read, I wanted to wander around. He scolded me a couple of times, but I couldn't change. My mother suggested not to force me and just let me do what I wanted."

Tang Xu thought Wei Dong's mother must be a gentle woman, and his father probably wasn't very domineering.

"What about Xiao Xi?"

"With his health, he used to cough even after taking a few steps. It's only recently that he's gotten better," Wei Dong explained, noticing Tang Xu's skeptical expression. He then asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Xiao Xi is nine years old now. It's boring for him to stay at home every day. It's better to go back and ask if he wants to study. Whether he wants to pursue officialdom or not doesn't matter. At least it will give him something to do."

Considering Wei Xi's health, even if he gets better in the future, he probably won't be able to do heavy work. While he's still young, he might not feel much about being taken care of by his brother, but as he grows older and thinks more, he might feel some internal conflict.

Wei Dong thought about it and found the suggestion to be quite good, nodding in agreement, "I overlooked that."

"You've already done a great job." It's rare for an older brother to risk their own life to treat their younger brother's illness. In an era where one could live comfortably by farming, who would willingly become a hunter?

Being a hunter might sound impressive, but it's achieved through risking one's life.

Just because someone enters the mountains doesn't mean they'll catch wild chickens and rabbits. It takes many attempts and failures to develop such skills, not to mention encountering fierce beasts like wild boars and wolves. It's fortunate not to get injured.

Thinking about this, Tang Xu asked, "How much silver did you sell the wild boar for?" He could imagine that the stag would fetch a good price, but it's hard to guess for a wild boar. Could it really fetch two hundred taels?

Wei Dong, seeing his curiosity, didn't hide it and told him.

Tang Xu's eyes widened in surprise and he asked, "Why so expensive? Are wild boars rare?" To be honest, his understanding of wild boars was based on those in the zoo, and he had only seen wild ones on television.

"Kind of. With plenty of food in the mountains, wild boars don't often come out. They move in groups, and it was just lucky for one to fall into the trap. If you encounter a wild boar in the mountains, it's best to run. If you can't kill it, it'll grind you down," Wei Dong explained.

When Wei Dong spoke, he chuckled, "A few years ago, when I brought the hunted wild animals to sell in town, they saw my young age and pressured me to lower the prices significantly. I was tricked for a while. Later, when I was forced, I took the prey to the county and earned quite a bit. I learned what prices to ask for. When I brought them back to sell in town, I demanded higher prices. If they didn't buy, I took them to the county."

He explained it simply, but Tang Xu imagined the hardships and felt a pang of heartache.

It couldn't be that easy to earn silver. If he annoyed the wealthy families in town, they might even go as far as hiring their servants to ambush him in a secluded area and beat him up.

Thinking like this, he asked directly, "Didn't anyone cause trouble for you?" 

Wei Dong smiled confidently, with a hint of swagger in his expression.

"I have a knife in my hand. Anyone who comes looking for trouble gets beaten back. If they don't submit after one beating, I'll beat them multiple times. Since I only have one worthless life, they wouldn't dare to risk their lives," Wei Dong explained.

Why was Boss Wu, who ran the gambling den, so polite to him? It was because all his hired thugs had been beaten up by Wei Dong. Once they saw blood, they naturally became scared and submissive.

Now, Wei Dong couldn't always get large wild animals to sell. Whenever he brought one, he set a fixed price, and whether people bought it or not was up to them.

If the price was high, so what? They could choose not to buy.

Wei Dong's attitude was clear; bargaining was impossible. If they wanted to negotiate, they had to buy the goods first. That's why he dared to ask for high prices. If you bought, of course, He’d give them face.

Boss Wu and Boss Song understood this well. So, if they had any business with Wei Dong, even if his price was high, they wouldn't refuse.

His skills were there for everyone to see. In this area, it was unlikely they would find someone with such good skills and reputation as Wei Dong.

Once he took on a business deal, he would almost always see it through. Even if he couldn't complete it, he wouldn't come up with various excuses to demand payment. 

Wei Dong's rule was simple: if the job was done, he'd take the money; if not, even if he got hurt or died, it had nothing to do with the client.

Not only in the town but also in the county, some big bosses liked to hire him to venture into the mountains. Most of the time, they sought rare medicinal herbs rather than big wild animals. It was all about fate; if they found them, they'd buy them; if not, they'd move on.

Tang Xu smirked at the corner of his mouth. He figured out Wei Dong's character— he was someone who would definitely retaliate if wronged.

He didn't just remember the good deeds done to him, he also kept track of the bad ones and would seek opportunities to get back at them. And it probably wasn't as simple as just one act of retaliation. He wouldn't stop until he had completely subdued his opponents.

Tang Xu licked his lips, thinking that he liked this personality more and more. He felt increasingly satisfied with his choice to pursue a man who always aligned with his desires.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat," Tang Xu suggested.

"Let's first put the stuff on the ox cart," Wei Dong said, taking him to the street corner. They found a familiar cart driver and loaded several baskets of eggs onto the cart. "We'll have more things later."

The cart driver nodded with a smile, "Alright, you can go eat after you finish shopping. I'll wait." While speaking, he glanced at Tang Xu several times but quickly averted his gaze when Wei Dong gave him a stern look.

Tang Xu didn't feel the glances directed at him. Perhaps he had grown accustomed to being the object of others' attention. After all, he was well aware of his own appearance. Being too handsome could also be considered a kind of burden.

He shrugged it off.

"Let's go to Fuyun Restaurant," he suggested.

Wei Dong didn't mind where they went. He held Tang Xu's hand without caring about the curious, surprised, or jealous looks from others, and they headed to Fuyun Restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was bustling with activity. There were loud shouts and calls from inside, and several waiters hurried around, sweating on their foreheads as they served and took orders.

The observant Xiaomu noticed Tang Xu's smile and approached them, asking, "May I lead you to your table, sirs? What would you like to eat?" 

Tang Xu glanced at him, realizing that Xiaomu hadn't recognized him and was just treating them as regular customers. Boss Wu, behind the counter, heard the commotion and looked up, surprised.

"Tang Xu!"

Tang Xu turned to him, nodding with a smile. "Boss Wu, business seems to be thriving."

Boss Wu, slightly surprised, came out from behind the counter and personally led them upstairs. "Thanks to your recipe, the restaurant's business is booming. Chef Liu has mentioned you several times. He regrets not asking where you live. He said he should have visited you to express his gratitude."

Upon hearing Boss Wu's words, Tang Xu understood immediately. It seemed that their signature dessert, Snowy Bean Paste, was also selling well, and Chef Liu must have made quite a profit.

When Boss Wu saw Wei Dong accompanying Tang Xu upstairs, he recognized him after a moment of thought and was surprised. "Excuse me, are you two...?"

Tang Xu didn't hide anything and replied, "He's my future husband. We've just had our engagement settled, and we're here to do some shopping in town."

"Congratulations! You two look capable; I'm sure you'll have a prosperous future together," Boss Wu congratulated warmly.

"Thank you for your kind words. Just arrange a few signature dishes for us," Tang Xu replied.

Boss Wu nodded and didn't bother them further. He went downstairs to instruct the kitchen to prepare the dishes, and he specifically informed Chef Liu that Tang Xu had arrived. However, Chef Liu was too busy to spare a moment to greet them. Tang Xu sat in his chair, resting his chin on his hand, looking at Wei Dong.

Wei Dong returned his gaze, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Why don't you ask me how I know him?" Tang Xu asked.

"If you want to tell me, then tell me," Wei Dong replied simply.

Tang Xu nodded and decided to tell Wei Dong about selling two recipes to the restaurant.

After hearing the story, Wei Dong concluded, "You sold them short. Fuyun Restaurant has branches in several counties and even in the prefectural city. By giving them your recipes, it's not just one establishment that profits."

"I know, but the price I sold them at is still decent for me. I reckon if I asked for more, they wouldn't have accepted," Tang Xu explained briefly. He knew Wei Dong would understand this reasoning.

Wei Dong naturally understood. That's how he had succeeded, too, though they sold different things.

To him, Tang Xu remained mysterious, but he didn't ask further questions, and that suited him fine.

Sitting opposite each other, Tang Xu felt it was a good time to get to know each other better.

It didn't make sense to be engaged and not know much about each other's backgrounds. He started the conversation.

"I used to work hard at home, but after falling into the river and getting sick, I gained a lot of clarity," Tang Xu said as he looked at Wei Dong, sharing his story.

"If you had met me before, you would have noticed that the old me and the current me have very different personalities," Wei Dong nodded, acknowledging the change.

"Consider it as if I've died once, and Yama woke me up with a slap," Tang Xu replied.

 Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe that statement, but he chose not to delve deeper.

"I earned a thousand taels by selling two recipes and deposited it into the official bank," Tang Xu shared.

"I've also saved quite a bit in the official bank," Wei Dong responded.

Tang Xu, now intrigued, asked, "How much is quite a bit?" 

Wei Dong calculated in his mind and casually said, "I should have around ten thousand taels."

"!!!"

"Why do you have so much money? Didn't you say you were quite poor?" Tang Xu couldn't help but ask. He had assumed Wei Dong might have some family wealth, but he didn't expect it to be this substantial.

Wei Dong shrugged. Just as the waiter arrived with their dishes, he continued, "Wei Xi's medical expenses took a good portion, but apart from that, there hasn't been much expenditure. I've been saving over the years. I plan to buy two houses in the county, renting them out for more profit than depositing in the official bank."

Tang Xu couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up.

A talent indeed – now thinking about investing in real estate to make more money.

"If you want to buy, then buy. Anyway, the thousand taels I have should be enough for us to spend for a while," Tang Xu replied casually. Even considering Wei Xi's medical expenses, a thousand taels could last them quite some time.

Wei Dong was surprised by how casually Tang Xu said this and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of running out of money?"

"If we run out, we can always earn more," Tang Xu replied nonchalantly, earning a curious look from Wei Dong. He picked up some fish-flavored shredded pork with his chopsticks. The dish looked tender and delicious. 

After tasting it, he found it even better than what he cooked himself. Clearly, the chef's skills were impressive. "This is delicious. I'll pack some for Wei Xi later."

Wei Dong nodded and also served himself some dishes. "I thought you liked money."

"I do like money. Who doesn't? The thing is, even if you like money, you shouldn't hold onto it without spending. What's the point of working hard to earn money if you're not going to use it?" Tang Xu explained his mindset to Wei Dong. "Money is meant to be spent on improving our lives and making ourselves happier. Of course, we should set aside some for emergencies, but ultimately, money should be enjoyed. Don't you think so?"

Wei Dong smiled and nodded in agreement. Tang Xu's perspective was spot on.

Their way of thinking might be seen as unusual by others in the village. After all, in their eyes, saving money was for the betterment of future generations. Even if they had to tighten their belts a bit, they were determined to leave behind enough for their descendants to live a good life.

Tang Xu believed that while it was true that the older generation planted trees for the benefit of the younger generation, he didn't believe in sacrificing his own happiness just to save money. He didn't consider himself that noble.

"I think that if you can make a big profit, you can make two smaller ones. A thousand taels is plenty for me, but I wouldn't mind having just one tael either," he explained as he enjoyed his meal. "Besides, you wouldn't let me go hungry anyway."

Wei Dong chuckled lightly and offered him some fried pork strips. "Do you want to live in the county?"

"I don't want to. I like your mansion. It meets all my requirements for a residence. And as for that vacant land in the backyard, can we cultivate it? I plan to plant some vegetables there. It's a shame to leave it barren," Tang Xu replied as he served soup to Wei Dong and himself. "Wei Xi said you don't know how to grow vegetables. You just scatter seeds and let them grow on their own. If they don't grow well, you buy vegetables from the neighbors."

Wei Dong nodded. "I don't have time to tend to the vegetable garden. I'm usually up in the mountains every day, checking the traps and occasionally doing business with wealthy families from the county and town."

Tang Xu's eyes lit up. "Can you take me with you next time you go into the mountains? Last time I was near Mount Yuanbao, I saw many fruit trees. We could pick some fruit and make preserves or jam."

Wei Dong considered the situation at Xiaoyu Mountain and was hesitant to take him there.

"It's full of wild animals. You might get scared if we go in," he warned.

"I'm not that scared. If there's danger, I can climb a tree!" Tang Xu boasted. "I know a lot about plants. If I find any edible ones, I'll bring them back to cultivate. We can use them to make pickles or dried vegetables."

He clasped his hands together and pleaded with Wei Dong, "Please, just take me once! I promise not to slow you down!"

Wei Dong's heart softened under his gaze, and he reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I'll take you into the mountains when the weather is good." 

Tang Xu smiled happily, his eyes squinting with joy.

After finishing their meal, Tang Xu went to the kitchen and had a few words with Chef Liu. Knowing that the snowy bean paste dessert was selling well, even attracting customers from the county, Tang Xu felt relieved. At least he hadn't made empty boasts earlier.

After leaving the restaurant, they wandered around the streets for a while, buying two jars of wine and some sugar cubes. Wei Dong then took him to a carpenter's shop to order some new furniture.

After finalizing their furniture order, they visited a tailor shop, where Tang Xu insisted on buying fabric to make clothes himself rather than having the tailor do it.

They ended up buying two pieces of fabric, one in a dark color and the other in a lighter shade.

"What else do you need?" Wei Dong asked as he held the two pieces of fabric.

Shaking his head, Tang Xu replied, "Nothing else. You already have all the cooking spices, and I don't think we need more jars for pickled vegetables."

"You can buy those in the village. Do you eat pastries?" 

"No, I can make them myself." Tang Xu said.

 "Why do you know how to make so many dishes? I've never had any of your cooking at the restaurant."

"I learned it from my dream." Tang Xu's face flushed. "Just like you are good at hunting with your strength, I might be good at cooking. Anyway, whether it's good or not, you can tell by tasting it."

He actually enjoyed cooking. He had learned a lot from his mother and grandmother at home. In the countryside, it was all about these home-cooked dishes. Later, he found many recipes online and learned from them. The results were quite satisfactory, and the taste was good.

Wei Dong nodded as if he believed Tang Xu's lie.

As they rode the ox cart back to the village, they encountered many people along the village road who were quite surprised to see them. Upon entering the village, they overheard many people discussing their engagement, and it suddenly dawned on them.

"No wonder we saw them buying so many things to bring back on the cart. They must be preparing for the engagement banquet."

"Mrs. Wei San said Wei Dong gave Liu Xiangxiang twenty taels of silver as a betrothal gift. That old lady really hit the jackpot."

"After all this fuss, Wei Dong probably doesn't have much money left. He still can't afford to be too proud."

"How do you know he's broke? He could buy so many things."

"He's just putting on a show. With a sickly son at home who needs medicine every day, where would he get money from?"

Whether Wei Dong had money or not was a frequent topic of discussion among the villagers, mainly out of curiosity. Despite knowing that Wei Dong worked as a hunter, they hadn't seen him catch anything other than a few wild chickens and rabbits in the village.

How much could those wild chickens and rabbits be worth? And with a son who was sick all the time, it was doubtful he had any savings.

This time, being able to produce twenty taels of silver as a betrothal gift and buying things for the engagement banquet probably meant that he had emptied his savings.

Many people gathered together to gossip, shaking their heads and muttering that Tang Xu really didn't know any better. They couldn't help but comment on the grandeur of the Wei family's mansion, not realizing that it was empty inside.

It was just that Tang Xu was too young and didn't understand the many expenses of daily life!

Tang Xu expected that the villagers would find their engagement a joke and laughed about it. He shrugged it off, thinking that he was the one living his own life, so why care about what others said? It was pointless to be bothered by others' opinions.

The ox cart stopped directly in front of Wei Dong's mansion gate. Tang Xu jumped down from the cart's platform and stamped his feet on the ground. Sitting cross-legged on the hard board, his legs felt a bit numb. They unloaded the goods, and Wei Dong paid the man with copper coins. The large iron gate was closed, and Wei Dong used the key to unlock it from the inside.

"Xu Ge'er!"

Tang Xu bent down to pick up a piece of cloth, about to step into the gate, when he heard a shout from behind. He turned to look and was startled.

Who was this?

With a scruffy beard, unkempt hair, and a thin face with prominent cheekbones, his eyes had dark circles around them.

He looked like a ghost.

Tang Xu looked him over carefully, feeling a headache coming on.

He couldn't help but think, why couldn't this future general stay away from him? Wu Weiming stood there with red eyes, staring fixedly at Tang Xu. He had heard about Tang Xu and Wei Dong's engagement.

He had gone crazy at home, even getting beaten by his mother with a stick, but that didn't seem to clear his mind. He ran out to Wei Dong's house and waited at the gate, intending to ask Wei Dong why he wanted to marry Tang Xu. However, he didn't expect to see Tang Xu himself here.

Wei Dong frowned when he saw Wu Weiming like that.

He didn't say anything, just looked at Tang Xu.

Tang Xu sighed with exhaustion, handing the fabric to Wei Dong. "You go inside with these first, I'll talk to him for a moment."

Wei Dong nodded and glanced at Wu Weiming again as he walked away.

Wu Weiming tightly pursed his lips and took two steps forward, stopping in place.

Tang Xu raised his hand to stop any words he might want to say. He was afraid, afraid that in his current state of impulsive infatuation, if he listened to Wu Weiming go on and on, he might have a heart attack.

As a future great general, why couldn't he just open his mind and run into the embrace of the military camp?

It seemed that the stimulation wasn't harsh enough!

Well, then he is sorry!

"I'll only say this once. You're not a child, you have your own thoughts. You may like me, and I appreciate your affection, but I don't accept it. You can't force me to accept you just because you like me. I'm engaged to Wei Dong because I like him, and he likes me. Do you understand?"

Wu Weiming wanted to say he didn't understand, but how could he not understand?

He felt a bit aggrieved in his heart. He was the one who had met Tang Xu first!

Tang Xu said, "A person should be able to pick up and let go. If you only like me because you find me pretty, then your affection is too shallow. If you encounter someone prettier than me in the future, you'll probably change your mind immediately. Don't tell me you won't, I don't believe it. How can you know something that hasn't happened won't happen?"

Wu Weiming anxiously interjected, "Wei Dong might also change his mind!"

"Whether he will or not is none of your concern. I just want to ask if you can have some decency. Have your parents spoiled you rotten? Your mother must be heartbroken. She'll probably not only be heartbroken but also scold me a thousand times, saying I'm a home-wrecker who seduced her good son and turned him into a ghost of a man."

Wu Weiming widened his eyes in astonishment.

Tang Xu snorted coldly, "See, I'm right, aren't I? Am I unjustly accused? I don't even know you, yet you've tarnished my reputation. Who can I turn to for comfort?"

Wu Weiming looked down, "If you marry me, my mother will definitely like you."

"I've said it many times, I won't marry you. Can you stop talking nonsense here?" Tang Xu couldn't stand this kind of infatuated talk; he couldn't listen to anything else!

"I said I like mature, stable, capable heroes, and I've found my hero. I'm very happy to marry him. Please bless us, or if you can't, please stay away and don't cause us trouble. Thank you." With a determined tone, Tang Xu turned around and walked into the courtyard, closing the gate behind him.

Wu Weiming stood at the door for a while before turning back home.

Seeing him return, Wei Zhonghong pretended not to notice, feeling relieved only when she heard that Wei Dong and Tang Xu had become engaged. Her own son finally seemed to have given up.

Wu Weiming walked straight to her and knelt down with a thud. Mrs. Wei Zhonghong frowned and looked at him, "What do you want now?"

"Mother, I was wrong. I won't do this again." Wu Weiming was truly resigned this time because he knew he could never compete with his cousin.

Even if he achieved something significant in the future, it would be years away. Tang Xu's rejection of him now meant he would reject him in the future as well.

"Mother, I want to go out and do something."

"Fine, go ahead. Go wherever you want, just don't die out there." Wei Zhonghong nodded directly.

She also understood that keeping her son in the village would likely not yield good results. It was better for him to go out and find something to do, even if it meant helping others carry loads, than to stay home feeling miserable.

Wu Weiming got up and went into the house to pack his belongings.

Once he decided to go, he wouldn't come back without making a name for himself!

He wanted Tang Xu to regret it!

If Tang Xu knew his thoughts, he would surely applaud and say, "Finally, he's gone! How can he be a general if he doesn't leave!"

The first step in growing up is to take a step forward! 

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