| TBBOTOF | 45
Tang Xu came out of the room, and the courtyard was empty.
He felt exhausted, drenched in sweat from wrestling with Wei Dong, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. He boiled water and cleaned himself up.
A room in the back was arranged for a large tub, for leisurely baths when free, but with all three children around, he didn't feel like soaking now.
He wanted to go find the doctor and ask if Wei Xi's body could handle medicinal baths for better recovery, combined with herbal medicine.
It would be great if the siblings could get along with Wei Xi, then the two kids could often come over to play, and Wei Xi would be happy too.
With various thoughts running through his mind, he quickly finished wiping himself, feeling much cooler and refreshed. Tang Xu cleaned the towel, poured the water from the basin into the tub, planning to use it to water the plants when it cooled down completely.
After tidying himself up, he glanced back at the room; Wei Dong was already lying down, asleep. His snoring was not loud, but his breathing was a bit heavy.
Tang Xu pulled a sheet over him to prevent him from catching a cold with his chest exposed. Thinking of Wei Dong's earlier assertive attitude, Tang Xu's face felt a bit warm again.
No, no, I can't think about this anymore!
Stay alert!
The masculine scent in the room was too strong; it made him dizzy! He ran away as if escaping, not noticing the smirk on the man's face on the kang.
Wei Dong turned over and continued sleeping.
Tang Xu went to the east wing to check on the situation of the three children. But when he stood outside and knocked on the door, there was no response from inside. He felt puzzled, pushed the door open and peeked in, but there was no one inside.
Glancing at the closed main door, he thought for a moment, then walked towards the backyard.
Wei Xi had taken the Tang family siblings to the outer courtyard, where they were amazed by the half hill there.
"Your family actually fenced off the mountain!"
"Aren't you afraid someone might come down from there and enter your yard?" "It's so big, I wish my family's property was this big."
Listening to Tang Yang's envious exclamation, Wei Xi explained with a gentle smile, "There's a wall around the mountain, my brother said if anyone comes in, we'll catch them and give them a beating."
"Your brother is so cool!" Tang Yang's eyes sparkled, completely forgetting Wei Xi's description of his formidable brother as the one who scared him before.
Wei Xi loved hearing praise for his brother, and Tang Yang's admiration hit the mark. In an instant, he developed a high level of fondness for this energetic little boy.
Then, he began praising his brother even more.
Tang Li listened with stars in her eyes the whole time, unable to get a word in, just watching the two boys, nearly the same height, exchanging praises back and forth.
Is this what playing is all about?
Is this how boys play?
Just as she was questioning life, she finally heard the angelic voice.
"So you guys came over here." Tang Xu saw the three little ones standing at the foot of the hill and asked with a smile, "Aren't you hot?"
"Big brother!"
"Big brother."
"Brother!"
Tang Xu waved, "Come over here, don't stand there getting sunburnt."
The three little ones ran towards him, Wei Xi took a few steps and then slowed down to a brisk walk. "Feeling uncomfortable?"
Wei Xi shook his head, pleasantly surprised as he covered his chest, his sun-reddened face turned upwards, saying, "I used to feel suffocated and want to cough after taking a few steps quickly before, but I just ran a few steps and nothing happened!"
His eyes were bright and full of joy.
Does this mean his health is gradually improving?
One day he might not have to drink those bitter herbal medicines anymore!
Tang Xu rubbed his soft, slightly dry hair. His hair wasn't as yellow as it seemed the first time they met. "Brother, can you play with us?" Tang Yang held his brother's hand, swaying and acting cute.
Tang Li also looked forward to it. She couldn't join in the games with her two younger brothers, and she assumed her brother would be the same.
But Wei Xi tilted his head and answered for Tang Xu, "Brother is very busy! I'll take you to pick grass beads on the hill."
"Grass beads? What's fun about picking those? You can't even eat them, it's boring." Tang Yang pouted, clearly dissatisfied with his suggestion.
Wei Xi frowned and looked at him, "What do you want to play then?"
Tang Yang was stumped, his eyes wandering. Then he thought of the muddy pond they passed by earlier, his eyes lit up as he said, "I want to play a mud war!"
Tang Xu: "…"
Tang Li: "…"
Wei Xi: "…"
The three of them looked disgusted.
Dirty as it was, they all rejected the idea of a mud war just by thinking about it. Tang Yang was annoyed, "Why are you looking at me like that! Then what do you want to play?"
"I want to pick grass beads, they can be strung with thread and look pretty when hung up." Wei Xi looked at Tang Xu.
Tang Li thought for a moment and said, "I want to learn how to weave baskets with brother. The ones I make aren't sturdy, the bottom always falls out, and they don't look good."
Tang Xu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, no playing in the backyard pond. Ah Yang and Xiao Xi, go pick grass beads on the hill, while Ah Li and I will go to the kitchen to make delicious food for you. Ah Li can also learn how to weave baskets."
Tang Yang immediately nodded, "Okay! I'll definitely pick a lot of grass beads for brother!" A typical little glutton.
Tang Xu gave each of them a small bamboo basket and reminded them, "Don't go too far, even our own hillside could be dangerous. Ah Yang, Xiao Xi isn't feeling well, so don't run too far, okay?"
Tang Yang nodded vigorously, obediently saying, "I'll take care of Xiao Xi! Brother, don't worry."
Wei Xi also said, "I'll watch over Ah Yang, I won't let him go too far. Brother, you can relax." They both looked adorable, and Tang Xu couldn't resist pinching their cheeks. They were really obedient.
Watching the two children walk up the hill along the path, stopping not far ahead, Tang Xu felt relieved knowing there should be grass beads there.
"Let's go, we'll head to the kitchen." Tang Xu turned to Tang Li and asked her, "How about dumplings for dinner?"
Tang Li nodded, "Sure, brother, whatever you make is delicious."
"Later, I'll stir-fry some sugar peanuts for you, and you can help me shell them." There were plenty of peanuts at home, and Wei Dong loved them. Tang Xu heard that his favorite was fried peanuts, with a bit of salt mixed in, making it a dish on its own, perfect with four steamed buns.
"Brother, while I shell the peanuts, can you teach me how to weave the bottom of the basket? The ones I weave always come loose, and the baskets we have at home are the ones you made before." Tang Li followed him into the kitchen. As soon as she looked up, she exclaimed at the spacious and bright kitchen, "Wow, it's so big, we can cook together here!"
In the past, the Tang family's meals were just about getting by, tasteless and bland. Later, Tang Xu suddenly awakened to satisfy his culinary desires in various ways, clearly one stove was not enough.
Now seeing three large stoves, Tang Li envied them.
"Yeah, I was very excited the first time I saw it too; this is my dream kitchen." After all, even in modern times, his family only had one clay stove for cooking, not counting the electric stove.
Tang Li was captivated by his dreamy expression. What was brother saying?
"Let's skip that topic. I'll weave a basket bottom, you watch," Tang Xu brought over a basin of peanuts and fetched some hemp rope. "We don't have bamboo strips at home, but hemp rope works just as well."
Tang Li nodded and sat on a small wooden stool. She looked down and smiled, "No wonder brother was sitting like that when he was peeling potatoes earlier; this stool is different from ours, it's much higher."
"And there's a small table too, no need to bend over. I'll bring it over," Tang Xu went to the room where miscellaneous items were stored and brought out the small wooden table. This table was also something he had just discovered; it was covered in dust, indicating it had been idle for a long time.
Tang Li put the basin on the table and watched Tang Xu weave the bottom with hemp rope while she shelled peanuts. She noticed that he made three rounds before starting to weave, and suddenly realized, "I usually only make one round for the bottom, no wonder it's not sturdy."
"If you want it to be sturdy, you can sew it with hemp thread again, but generally three rounds are enough, you won't be carrying anything too heavy anyway." Tang Xu's basket weaving speed was particularly fast, and he finished weaving in no time. When he finished, he swept the hemp thread around again, "This way, the bottom won't come loose."
Tang Li's hands didn't stop moving, her eyes fixed on Tang Xu's hands. She exclaimed, "Brother, you weave so fast and it looks so beautiful, completely different from what I weave."
"It's just like weaving with hemp thread. Once you're skilled, you can create some patterns. The result is different with different techniques, just like knitting. It's the same with basket weaving. If you add an extra round at the bottom, the outcome will be different." Tang Xu patiently explained, pointing to the woven part.
Tang Li was very clever, and with just a little guidance, she understood.
"Brother, do you think people would buy if I weave some baskets to sell?" She really wanted to save some money for herself, even if it was just a hundred or so copper coins.
Tang Xu put the basket aside and reached over to shell peanuts together, "If you sell the kind of large baskets we use daily, not necessarily, if you want to do this kind of small business, you need to add some variety."
Handmade small baskets are popular even in later years. Usually, rural people make large baskets and crates for convenience, but they might not be suitable for selling.
Selling small baskets and flower baskets alone might not attract buyers, you need to add something else.
Tang Li looked at him, waiting for his advice.
Tang Xu thought about what could be sold at the market in the town, but couldn't find a suitable match.
He shook his head, "It's not feasible at the moment. The large baskets might fetch two coins, but the small ones won't sell. Even if we only sell the large baskets, it's not guaranteed that someone will buy them." Basically, everyone in the village knows how to weave these, to sell... wait a minute!
"Stop weaving baskets, weave other small things instead."
He knew how to weave various small animals from straw; he had learned a lot from watching his grandfather weave since he was a child.
Tang Li didn't understand what other small things he meant. She watched him leave and return with a handful of green leaves. "Brother, what are you doing?"
Tang Xu shook the grass in his hand towards her, "I'm going to use this to weave small toys. Watch." Like performing a magic trick, he quickly wove a green butterfly. Calling it a butterfly might be a stretch, it was more like a moth.
"Brother, you're so amazing!" Tang Li's eyes lit up, unable to resist reaching out and flipping the toy around. "This is so pretty."
"Straw weaving is easy to learn. If you want to learn, I'll teach you. But I don't know many things, you'll have to figure out more on your own." Tang Xu said.
Tang Li nodded vigorously, "I'll learn. Brother, if I can really earn some copper coins by selling these, I'll buy you some meat to eat!"
Tang Xu chuckled and poked her cheek, "You're a good girl. Brother doesn't need you to take care of me. Save the coins for yourself; it'll come in handy for you when you get married."
Tang Li nodded with teary eyes, she would surely remember her brother's kindness.
"With the recent surge in grass and leaves, you can weave some and have Tang Yang go around selling them. It'll attract many kids from the village to come and buy, and don't sell them too expensively, one coin each, everyone can afford them." Tang Xu thought about how he once attracted customers while selling sugar paintings and decided to do the same now.
Sugar paintings could also be sold, but they required investment, unlike these straw woven toys, which were abundant everywhere, even in the vegetable garden.
With no cost involved, even if they didn't sell, there was no fear of loss, just a bit of time wasted. For Tang Li, she had plenty of time.
"I'll teach you how to weave after I finish frying the sugar peanuts." Tang Xu picked up the peanuts and put them in the pan with water. The sugar peanuts he mentioned were coated with a layer of sugar.
When frying, he had to stir them evenly to ensure that each peanut was coated with sugar. Tang Li sat beside him, holding her face in her hands, watching him work busily, her eyes fixed on him. Brother was really handsome and kind. It was truly her good fortune to marry a man like Brother.
"What are you thinking?" Tang Xu waved his hand in front of her and stuffed a sugar peanut into her slightly open mouth. "It's done. Go call them back."
Tang Li moved her mouth, the sweet sugar coating the crispy peanut kernel, especially delicious.
"Delicious!"
Tang Xu smiled and nodded, "Go on, and bring back some grass with broad leaves."
"Okay."
By the time Tang Li returned, Tang Xu had already cleaned the pan. Adhering to the principle of not wasting, he boiled the remaining sugar in the pot for a while and added four eggs.
This was sugar water eggs. Each person would have a bowl of sugar water eggs, eating and drinking happily.
"Brother, I picked a lot of grass beads, both white and black," Tang Yang held a bowl of sugar water, licking his lips contentedly. "Xiao Xi gege also picked a lot, but not as much as me!"
Wei Xi nodded, "Yeah, we can make a lot of strings."
"Why don't you hang them up as a door curtain?" Tang Xu looked at him from the side.
Wei Xi was momentarily stunned, "Door curtain? Oh yeah, that's a good idea!"
Tang Xu thought to himself, This child is so cute.
"Once your brother wakes up, let him go to the mountain and chop down two bamboo poles to drag back. When you have nothing to do, string the grass beads in the house and tie them to the bamboo poles to make a door curtain. That way, flies and mosquitoes won't come into the house when you open the door," Tang Xu suggested.
Wei Xi eagerly replied, "Finally, I have something to do! There are so many grass beads on the mountain; I'll pick them all back to make a door curtain!"
Tang Xu chuckled, thinking it would also be a good exercise. It was already nearing dinner time.
Tang Xu went into the kitchen to prepare the dough, while Tang Yang and Wei Xi sat on the small wooden stool, looking at the butterfly that resembled a moth.
"This is beautiful. Did Brother weave it?" Tang Yang picked it up, looking very pleased. "Can Brother weave big bugs too?"
Wei Xi grinned, "Big bugs aren't pretty, we should weave little chicks, they're cute."
Tang Li thought about what Tang Xu had said earlier, realizing that he probably couldn't weave little chicks. Big bugs might be possible; she would ask Brother later.
Tang Yang, being restless, dismantled the moth with a few moves, ending up with a pile of messy grass, which got scattered. He was dumbfounded and burst into tears.
Wei Xi and Tang Li were startled, Tang Xu came out with flour all over his hands, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Tang Yang held a bunch of miscellaneous grass, tears streaming down his face. He looked utterly distressed. "Brother, sob, I'm sorry, sob, I, I made a mistake."
"It's okay, it's okay. Brother will weave another one for you later." Tang Xu wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and comforted him, "Do you want a big bug? Brother will weave a big bug for you."
Tang Yang cried sadly, pouting as he looked at Tang Xu. "I don't want a big bug, I want this moth."
"...That's a butterfly!"
…
With meat at home, Tang Xu chopped the meat and blanched shredded green radish, squeezed out the water, and minced it.
By the time the dough was ready, he sat with the three children at a small table in the courtyard, teaching them step by step how to weave moths. Well, if they ended up as moths, then so be it. If they could weave them, that would be enough.
It was evident that Tang Li was skilled and had a keen mind for this grass weaving. She learned quickly, grasping two steps after Tang Xu's instruction and applying them in various other aspects. Apart from the final finishing touches, she could weave on her own.
Wei Xi, on the other hand, although less dexterous, was patient and managed to weave step by step.
Tang Yang, however, struggled. At first, he seemed interested, but after a couple of twists of the grass, he couldn't bear it. His hands were heavy, and he ended up ruining the grass before even starting.
Tang Xu watched this, nodding in approval, thinking this attitude wasn't bad either. Suddenly, there was a noise from the main house. Tang Xu turned around to see Wei Dong coming out. They exchanged a glance, and Wei Dong headed towards the backyard.
Understanding his intentions, Tang Xu realized he was going to the outhouse.
When Wei Dong returned after washing his hands, Tang Li's moth was already finished. Somehow, it looked much more delicate than the one Tang Xu had woven.
Tang Xu lowered his head to look at what he held and then glanced at what Tang Li held. He turned around and approached Wei Dong with a smile, holding one in each hand. "Husband, come and see, what are these?"
Wei Dong's advancing steps paused as he stared at the two grass weavings, activating his mind. He raised a finger, "A moth?" then another, "A butterfly?"
Tang Xu's lips twitched, and he handed the butterfly back to Tang Li. "Not bad, Sister Li. If you keep weaving like this, you'll become a master."
Tang Li covered her mouth, giggling incessantly. It was rare to see her Brother losing face, it was amusing.
Wei Xi shot his brother an exasperated glance, unable to speak!
But Tang Yang nodded, "Brother is right. Brother's one looks more like a moth, while Sister's is prettier, like a butterfly."
Tang Xu felt his heart ache twice today because of this little brother of his!
It hurts!
Is mine not good-looking?
He glanced at his own butterfly again. Well, it was indeed somewhat different, maybe too tightly woven, looking a bit rigid.
"Ah Li, you can thread this one onto a thin bamboo stick, then fix it at the bottom. You'll be able to carry it around, fluttering as you move." Tang Xu regained his composure, holding up the moth and explaining how to thread it onto a bamboo stick to Tang Li.
Wei Dong also realized that he had annoyed Tang Xu earlier, but he found it quite amusing. It was rare to see his family's husband change his expression like that; it was adorable.
Tang Li nodded, understanding.
"Brother, do you have anything else to teach me? Can you teach me how to weave something else?"
"Grasshoppers, frogs, roosters, all can be woven," Tang Xu pulled out a few blades of grass and began weaving a grasshopper, "When you weave the butterfly, it's flat, but here it's woven in reverse, and then turned."
Tang Li watched attentively until the grasshopper was finished, then she started to try it herself. Tang Xu turned his head to glare at Wei Dong, who was standing behind him.
Wei Dong pinched his face and asked, "Are you planning to start this business?"
"Ah Li wants to earn some copper coins to save for the future. Do you have any good ideas?" Tang Xu looked at him.
Wei Dong replied , "I bought a small shop in town. If you weave a lot, you can try selling them there. Anyway, the shop is still empty and hasn't been rented out yet."
As soon as he finished speaking, all four pairs of eyes turned to him.
"Brother, you're so rich!" this was Tang Yang, genuinely excited. "Brother, you're so rich!" this was
Wei Xi, sighing. "How come I didn't know you bought a shop?"
This time Tang Xu was also very surprised.
Tang Li didn't say anything, just stared at Wei Dong, her eyes full of admiration.
So it turns out that Brother's marriage is really good! People in the village have been gossiping a lot these past few days, Tang Li has heard a lot, and she was influenced by it.
But now it seems that her brother is the one who quietly made a fortune! Whether he has money or not, he knows it himself, others don't need to know!
Tang Li expressed that she has learned something!
Wei Dong looked at Tang Xu, then pinched him again, "Didn't I tell you I wanted to buy a house?"
"You said you wanted to buy, I didn't expect you already did," Tang Xu thought to himself that this person is really decisive, everything he does is quick.
Wei Dong smiled and said, "As long as there's a suitable store, I'll make arrangements. If Ah Li wants to do this, she can sell them there."
Tang Xu turned to look at Tang Li, the little girl blushed and shook her head, refusing.
"I'll try selling them in the village first, if I can really sell them, then I’ll bother Brother," Tang Li looked at Wei Dong, then at Tang Xu, "Brother, thank you."
Tang Xu looked at her with satisfaction, "Okay, then don't weave too many at once, weave five or six a day."
Tang Li nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to Brother."
And so it was settled, Tang Li began her small business of earning five or six coins a day.
The big steamed buns for dinner won everyone's love. The radish and pork filling was fresh and juicy, and the bun was soft with a bit of soup inside. Tang Xu also made some millet porridge.
The steamed buns were fist-sized, and after eating two, along with a bowl of porridge, Tang Xu was full. He propped up his chin and watched the others eat, sighing, "You guys have really good appetites!"
All four of them had synchronized movements, using their hands instead of chopsticks, one hand holding the bun and the other holding the bowl. They took a bite of the bun, swallowed, and then took a sip of porridge, enjoying the meal.
"Ah Li, that's your fourth one, stop eating now, you'll get too full," Tang Xu had to remind her.
Tang Li blushed and swallowed the food in her mouth, saying softly, "But I'm not full yet."
"How can you not be full? Listen to me, if you eat too much now, you'll feel uncomfortable later," Tang Xu advised her with concern. Tang Li looked at him, and looked at him, and looked at him.
Tang Xu sighed, "I'll bring a few back for you two to have for breakfast tomorrow."
After saying this, he turned to look at Tang Yang reaching for another bun, "You shouldn't eat anymore either, you've eaten even more than your sister."
Tang Yang nodded and withdrew his hand.
He finished drinking the millet porridge in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and let out a loud burp. Wei Xi thought he was already a big eater, but he didn't expect Tang Yang to eat even more than him!
No wonder he was thin and short despite being older, while Tang Yang, at the age of six, was already as tall and strong as him! From now on, he would eat as much as he could!
Then, he was also stopped by Tang Xu.
"Xiao Xi, after finishing this, you're not allowed to eat anymore. They can burn off the excess calories by walking back later, but if you eat so much, you won't be able to sleep at night," Tang Xu advised.
Wei Xi obediently held his bowl of porridge and complied.
Then, the three little ones and Tang Xu watched as Wei Dong ate heartily, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...
"Brother, you can eat so much!" Tang Yang exclaimed in shock.
Tang Li nodded in agreement, indeed, he could eat a lot, the kind of eating that poor families couldn't afford. Wei Xi smiled faintly, looking proud.
"My brother can eat three roasted chickens and five large steamed buns by himself!"
Tang Xu covered his face, wondering why he was boasting about such a thing! Tang Li and Tang Yang were amazed by this revelation.
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow at them. Although his movements were not rough, he ate quickly, finishing a big bun in three bites.
"Take it easy," Tang Xu understood why Wei Dong didn't collect money from the tenant farmers but only took grains as payment. This guy could eat so much that he would end up losing money if he went to the grain store to buy grains with the money.
Wei Dong responded with an "Hmm" and finished eating a bun, then held his bowl to drink the porridge.
When he set down his bowl to indicate he was full, Tang Xu silently calculated: thirteen large buns and three bowls of porridge. Alright, it was doable. One person had made enough food for a whole family.
With the size of the buns he made, if they were put in the Tang family, thirteen buns would be enough for five people to have a meal, and there might even be one or two leftovers. The siblings ate so much because they were afraid they wouldn't have enough food for the next meal, so they exerted themselves unusually. Normally, two buns would suffice for them to feel full.
"Good thing I steamed plenty," Tang Xu took a basket, lined it with greaseproof paper, and put ten large buns in the basket. "Ah Li, if Mom asks, just say I asked you to take these back for Dad and Mom to eat."
Tang Li nodded. "Got it, Brother."
She wanted to help tidy up the kitchen before leaving, but Tang Xu didn't allow it. "Both of you should hurry back while it's still bright outside. I will worry if it's too dark."
"Got it, Brother. We'll come back the day after tomorrow to help you with chores," Tang Yang ran over and hugged Tang Xu's legs, obediently saying.
"Alright, tomorrow you go catch some small fish and shrimp. Keep them in a bucket with water, and bring them over the day after tomorrow morning," Tang Xu pinched his nose. "Remember that?"
"Yes! I'll definitely catch a lot for you, Brother," Tang Yang nodded, his cheeks flushed. Tang Xu escorted the two of them to the door, watching them walk onto the village path before returning home and locking the gate to go to the kitchen.
Wei Dong had already washed all the dishes and was now cleaning the pots.
"You wouldn't mind them coming over, would you?" Tang Xu walked over and stood beside him, reaching for the cloth in his hand.
"No, I wouldn't. Wei Xi enjoys their company," Wei Dong moved away from his hand and said warmly, "I know what you're thinking. They're both good kids."
Tang Xu sighed. Deep down, he was actually a very soft-hearted person. If it weren't for Liu Xiangxiang being too extreme, he wouldn't have kept clashing with people. He considered himself to have a good temper, but there were always people who pushed his buttons, so he didn't hesitate to fight back.
"You don't know what they were like before. They used to never do any household chores, even after being reminded multiple times. They never had a smile on their faces, talked rudely, but now they're adorable," Tang Xu said, looking disdainful.
Suddenly, Wei Dong turned to him and asked, "Did you always do all the work before?"
"Yeah, it was all me... I mean," Tang Xu realized his slip of the tongue was inappropriate and quickly changed the subject, nearly biting his tongue in the process. Feeling guilty, he avoided Wei Dong's gaze and grabbed two peanuts to stuff into his mouth. "Yeah, it was me."
Wei Dong's gaze became deeper. "It was all you, Tang Xu."
"Yeah, that's right," Tang Xu stuffed two more peanuts into his mouth. "Do you like them?" Wei Dong hummed in agreement. "They're good, but I don't like sweet things. Why didn't you bring some back for them?"
"It's not good to bring too much," Tang Xu smoothly redirected the conversation. "My mom is too greedy. If she knew that she could get good stuff every time they came over, she would urge Tang Yang to come over every day. I want Tang Yang to come over occasionally to play with Wei Xi, but I don't want it to be for a purpose, even though he's now coming for the food."
Kids craving snacks and mothers arranging to get them are two different things.
Wei Dong: "As long as you're happy, don't worry about anything else."
"Yeah, I'll just go with the flow," Tang Xu leaned against the stove, munching on peanuts.
Wei Dong glanced at him, then dried his hands after washing the pot and came over to pull him.
"What's up?" Tang Xu tensed up instantly, alertly looking at his partner.
Not that he was easily startled by every little thing, but in the afternoon, he had used the cold water cooling method on himself, which made him feel uncomfortable, so now, it was difficult not to feel awkward.
"Bath," Wei Dong insisted, pulling him out the door.
The large tub in the bathhouse was already filled with hot water, and the room was misty.
"You moved fast," Tang Xu remembered he hadn't boiled water.
Wei Dong motioned for him to look beside him, where there was a stove emitting hot steam.
"Oh, you moved the tub. I didn't see this stove when I came over before," Tang Xu went over to take a look. The pot on it was even larger than the one in the kitchen and was specifically used for heating water for baths.
Wei Dong nodded and calmly began to undress.
As Tang Xu turned his head, he couldn't help but notice his partner's chest muscles, abs, thigh muscles...
Unable to resist any longer!
He pounced!
As for how he ended up back in the room, he couldn't remember at all. All he knew was that when he opened his eyes again, the sun was shining high in the sky. Yesterday...
It seemed like it wasn't even dark yet, but now, the sun was already high up.
Tang Xu rolled over and lay on his stomach, thinking to himself, Forget it, it was really nice anyway.
With yesterday's buns for breakfast, he wasn't worried that his brothers wouldn't have anything to eat, so he sighed and went back to sleep for a while longer.
After finishing his meal, Wei Dong was going to check the traps up in the mountains. Wei Xi stopped him and told him about his plan to make a door curtain, asking him to bring back four bamboo poles. "Brother, come back earlier. brother Xu will definitely look for you when he wakes up."
Wei Dong nodded, "You go up to the kang and string the grass beads. Take a rest if you're tired."
When Tang Xu woke up again, it was almost time to prepare lunch. After washing up, he went to the east wing to check on Wei Xi. The child was sitting on the kang stringing grass beads, having already strung many strands. The grass beads they had picked yesterday were almost used up.
"Brother-in-law, you're up. My brother went to the mountain," Wei Xi greeted him with a smile when he heard Tang Xu's footsteps.
Tang Xu sighed and nodded, "Come out later. Don't stay inside all the time. The weather is nice now, so get some sun."
"Yeah," Wei Xi put down the hemp rope and grass beads in his hand, got off the kang, and put on his shoes. "Brother-in-law, what are we going to do later?"
Tang Xu was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, what are you doing? I'll help you," Wei Xi was eager to try, looking strong, "I'm feeling energetic and want to help you with the chores."
Tang Xu took his hand and went to the courtyard. Looking around, everything was tidied up properly, especially the courtyard which was paved with stone slabs. There seemed to have been a light rain in the early morning, washing the slabs clean, and the vegetable patch didn't need watering anymore.
The chicken coop had just been checked, food had been given, and the chicken manure had been cleaned up. Except for the laundry, there wasn't much else to do. Why did he suddenly have free time?
Tang Xu looked at Wei Xi, and Wei Xi looked back at him.
The two of them faced each other.
"What do you want to do?" Tang Xu decided to hear his thoughts first.
"My brother said you want to raise piglets. Let's go catch some pigs!" Wei Xi's eyes lit up. He had never seen piglets before!
He had only seen wild boars that his brother had brought back from the mountain twice. They were very large, with coarse black fur and long, sharp teeth, quite frightening and not cute at all.
Tang Xu looked at him skeptically and tapped his forehead. "You seem very excited."
"Yeah, Old Wu said Aunt Zhang's sow gave birth to six piglets. They're pink and adorable!" Wei Xi rubbed his hands together. His expression was like that of a cat seeing a big mouse.
"Do you know where Aunt Zhang's house is?" Tang Xu chuckled as he looked at him. He didn't want to dampen his rare enthusiasm.
Wei Xi nodded and went back to get his money pouch. "Brother-in-law, I have money. Let's go buy piglets!"
"Alright, I'll follow your lead. Let's go buy piglets." Tang Xu picked up the largest back basket in the house and went out with Wei Xi. He locked the courtyard gate from the outside so that when Wei Dong came back, he would know that no one was home, and he and Wei Xi had gone out.
Normally, when there were two people at home, they would only bolt the door from the inside and not lock it, but when only Wei Xi was at home, he would lock it from the inside.
Aunt Zhang's house was not far from Old Wu's house, about a fifteen-minute walk. If they walked together, they would have to slow down their pace. As they walked together, they attracted many curious glances.
Before it was time to prepare lunch, the women, who rarely had a break from their household chores, gathered in small groups to chat. The topic of discussion lately had been the hurriedly arranged marriage between Wei Dong and Tang Xu.
When Tang Xu arrived yesterday, he was carried into the courtyard in a sedan chair, and later the courtyard gate was closed. Even though there were many onlookers outside, they didn't get a good look at what Tang Xu looked like.
Some people from the neighboring village had followed along and claimed he was exceptionally handsome, saying there wasn't anyone in the whole village as good-looking as him. But since they hadn't seen him in person, they were itching to get a look.
Yesterday afternoon, some people did catch a glimpse when he returned, but they were mostly men working in the fields, and few women had seen him. Now, they could see a tall, slender figure walking alongside Wei Xi, and the older women were getting excited.
The gossip fire was burning fiercely, and their eyes were shining brightly.
Wei Xi was feeling a bit awkward under their scrutiny and edged closer to Tang Xu. "Brother-in-law, who are they looking at?"
Tang Xu replied nonchalantly, "They're looking at me."
Wei Xi looked up at him. "Why are they looking at you?"
Tang Xu playfully touched his smooth face and said, "Blame it on me being too handsome. They've never seen anything like it."
Wei Xi: ...My brother-in-law probably hasn't fully woken up yet.
Tang Xu was just teasing him and chuckled, "Let them look. We'll hurry up and finish our shopping and head back. Your brother might already be on his way back."
"It's the house right up ahead," Wei Xi pointed out.
Aunt Zhang was just in the midst of chatting with a young woman who had come to see the piglets."Did you marry Liu Sang from the neighboring village?" she asked with a smile. "You don't look very old. Why would you, as a young widow, want to marry a widower who was abandoned by his wife?"
The young woman felt awkward being put on the spot and forced a smile. She didn't want to say much, but under Auntie Zhang's eager gaze, she felt compelled to come up with a reason to leave. "I'm also a widow, and my family..." She trailed off, realizing she couldn't continue.
Tang Xu and Wei Xi entered through the open gate. "Auntie Zhang, we're here to buy piglets," Tang Xu announced.
Auntie Zhang turned around and her eyes lit up when she saw Tang Xu. The young woman looked at Tang Xu with astonishment, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
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