The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 48

 

| TBBOTOF | 48

Wang Qi looked at the prescription in his hand, and when he took the medicine, he didn't dare to take even a little more. He used a small copper scale to measure the amount, piling it up on a piece of mulberry paper, with each small amount looking quite professional.

If only he didn't have to sneak a glance at Wei Dong every time he turned to the medicine cabinet drawer to grab medicine.

Tang Xu stood on the side, squinting slightly at the other person. Wang Qi seemed to notice his unfriendly gaze and turned to look at him when he turned around.

If it were someone else, they would probably avert their gaze when caught observing themselves. But not Tang Xu, he was the type who could hold his gaze steadily.

Just staring, staring, staring.

Wang Qi's face turned red from being stared at, and he nervously packed the medicine. Tang Xu withdrew his gaze.

This time, Wei Dong on the side squinted his eyes.

Reaching out to pinch Tang Xu's chin, he made a strong movement, turning his face towards himself. 

Tang Xu blinked his eyes and smiled shyly at him, softly asking, "Husband~~ What's wrong?"

"..." Wei Dong pursed his lips and lowered his gaze, staring at his slightly pouted lips, wanting to bite them.

Tang Xu winked at him, "Hmph!"

Wei Dong let go, pulling him towards himself, wrapping his arms around his waist, clearly indicating, He's mine.

Tang Xu's waist was so slender, Wei Dong's arm almost encircled him completely.

Wang Qi saw it when handing over the medicine package, and his expression was particularly wonderful for a moment. Wei Dong used his other hand to take the medicine package, and as he left, he even glared at Wang Qi. 

Poor little ger, he didn't do anything!

A heart full of love wasted on a dog!

Tang Xu thanked him and then reached around Wei Dong's waist, giving him a rough pinch. How impolite! 

Wei Dong's expression remained unchanged as he held onto Tang Xu and walked out.

"You haven't paid yet!" Tang Xu bounced a few times as Wei Dong dragged him. Taking the medicine without paying, you're like a bandit!

Wei Dong said coldly, "It'll be deducted directly."

Tang Xu realized, remembering that he had recharged to become a member.

As they reached the entrance, a medicine boy had already packed the medicine packets for Wei Xi's next ten days of consumption, along with a bunch of various herbs and spices they had bought, all loaded into a back basket, ready to carry.

"Let's go eat, I'm hungry," Tang Xu looked at Wei Dong and asked, "Fuyun Restaurant?" 

"No, not enough food," Wei Dong directly refused. 

Tang Xu almost laughed out loud, "Then where should we go?"

"There's a small stall selling wontons with pancakes, quite delicious," Wei Dong said, then added after a moment of thought, "The bowls are large."

Tang Xu couldn't hold back, laughing with his shoulders shaking.

Wei Dong was well aware of his own big appetite, so he accepted the laughter. Then, he took his younger siblings to have lunch.

The wonton stall was run by an elderly couple, probably in their fifties, with gray hair. The stall was neatly organized, with a roadside stove for cooking on the spot.

There were three tables with benches, all kept clean, not greasy or sticky.

Tang Xu glanced around, quite satisfied. The old woman noticed Wei Dong and called out to him with delight, "Dongzi, you're here! It's been a while since you last came." 

Then, she spotted Wei Xi beside him and was even more delighted, "Is this Xiao Xi? He's grown a lot, taller and chubbier!"

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, Oh, old acquaintances? 

Wei Dong nodded to the old woman and gently pushed Tang Xu onto the bench. "This is my husband, Xu Ge'er, and over there are his younger sister and brother." 

Tang Xu was seated on the bench with Wei Dong’s hand on his shoulder, looking at the curious old woman. He smiled and greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."

"What 'auntie'! You should call her Granny Liu," the old man cooking behind them chuckled, "Call me Grandpa Liu, call her Granny Liu, just like Dongzi does."

"Grandpa Liu, Granny Liu," Tang Xu quickly adjusted, sounding quite sweet. Tang Li and Tang Yang also followed suit, causing the elderly couple to smile.

They didn't need to place orders as there was only one option at the wonton stall: pork and scallion wontons with grilled pancakes. The pancakes were crispy and quite large.

When Tang Xu saw them, he thought they looked quite similar to kebabs from later years, but here there were no skewers; they were cooked in the stove, which was also different, quite tall.

He stared at it for a moment, and the old woman smiled as she brought the cooked wontons to the table, saying, "Dongzi helped set this up. He's helped with our whole stall."

Wei Xi nodded and blew on the big wonton in his spoon before explaining, "When I was little, my brother carried me here to see a doctor. We ate wontons at Grandpa and Granny's stall, and then someone came to collect money... and smashed the stall."

He paused strangely, and Tang Xu instantly understood.

While Wei Dong helped drive the person away, the stall was smashed, leading to the later story of helping set up the stove. Well, it was something his man could handle.

"I thought you guys would often go to Yong'an Town; it's farther from Hou Village," Tang Xu turned to look at Wei Dong.

Wei Dong shook his head, as if recalling something unpleasant, his eyes instantly turning cold. Seeing Tang Xu looking at him, he patiently explained, "The main doctor at Yong'an Town's pharmacy isn't skilled. I took Wei Xi there initially, and he directly said it was a waste of money to take medicine, telling us to go home."

Tang Xu's lips twitched as he asked, "You didn't do anything to him, did you?"

"Of course not, I can't just kill him," Wei Dong slurped the hot soup from his bowl, then set it down when he noticed his husband still looking at him with suspicion. He scoffed lightly, "Every time I go to sell prey, I make sure to pass by the pharmacy."

Understood, no need to say more. He could guess what the guy had done.

Going to sell prey multiple times would surely prompt questions, and he could then say he was saving money to treat his brother's illness. Once people heard that and thought about it, they'd realize the illness wasn't being treated there. If he wasn't treating the illness there, why sell things here? 

Of course, it was to intentionally annoy them!

Tang Xu silently gave him a thumbs up. Impressive.

Wei Dong gave him a subtle smile in return, it was alright, just a bit petty. The grilled pancakes were fragrant and dry, with a slight saltiness, perfectly complementing the wonton soup.

The soup was made by simmering large bone chunks, giving it a milky-white color. The wontons, cooked separately in clear water, were then served in the soup, sprinkled with some green onions, very fragrant.

"The bone soup is really well-made," Tang Xu said as he drank the soup, sweat beading on his forehead.

Of the five people present, only Wei Xi didn't sweat while drinking the hot soup. Everyone else had flushed cheeks and sweaty foreheads.

"It's not easy to make money opening a wonton stall in this hot weather," after finishing the meal and paying, Tang Xu pulled Wei Dong aside, "You seem to have a good relationship with Grandpa and Granny Liu?"

"It's alright, whenever I come to town, I eat here," Wei Dong turned to him, "What's up?" 

Tang Xu shook his head and asked again, "They've been selling here for quite a few years, haven't they?"

"Yeah, the old couple and their son and daughter-in-law. Their home is in town," Wei Dong, rare to know about someone's family situation, elaborated a bit more, "Their son also has a son and daughter. They rely on odd jobs in town to make ends meet, but the money isn't enough to cover the family expenses. So, they've been running this stall here for a long time, and the business is pretty good."

Tang Xu nodded, "Selling wontons in the summer seems a bit hot."

"Yeah, it's always like this. Business is good when the weather's not too hot, but it slows down when it gets too hot. After all, there aren't too many hot days throughout the year," Wei Dong held his hand and squeezed it, "Shall we go buy the donkey?"

"Yeah," Tang Xu remembered that the folks at Fuyun Restaurant were waiting for his reply, so he said, "After buying the donkey, let's head to Fuyun Restaurant. I need to talk to manager Wu about something."

After saying that, he turned to look at the three little ones walking behind him. They must have eaten too much, as they were all rubbing their bellies.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"The wontons are so delicious, big brother!" Tang Yang patted his stomach, his face flushed and hot. Tang Li nodded as well, her face also red, feeling both hot and embarrassed.

Wei Xi was stronger than the two of them, but he still looked like he had eaten his fill. "Every time I come to town with my brother, we always come here for a meal, and the taste hasn't changed."

"Walk slower, I'll get you guys some straw hats when we get back. Your faces are all red from the sun," Tang Xu turned to look at Wei Dong beside him. His complexion was dark, so it was hard to tell if he had gotten sunburned, but his face was indeed shiny with sweat.

At the end of the street was a dedicated area for buying livestock, known as the livestock market. Since it was market day, there were many cows for sale, as well as sheep and pigs. They also saw many vendors selling chickens, ducks, and geese, but there was only one vendor selling donkeys, and they had five of them.

"How do we choose one?" Tang Xu had no clue about this. He looked at the donkeys of three different colors, varying in height, but all seemed lively with clean eyes and tails swishing to shoo away flies.

Wei Dong went straight to check the donkey's teeth by lifting its lips and then patted its limbs. Tang Xu didn't understand what he was looking at, so he just stood there with his younger siblings, feeling a bit worried.

Mainly, he was afraid Wei Dong might anger the donkey and get kicked.

"How much?" Wei Dong turned to the man selling the donkeys.

As soon as the man heard him ask about the price, his eyes, which had been half-closed in drowsiness, suddenly widened, and he looked at Wei Dong intently.

Tang Xu found it amusing to see the man suddenly so excited. Could it be that there were very few people buying donkeys?

"Which one caught your eye?" The man rubbed his hands together and approached with a smile.

Both of them were about the same height, but the man wasn't as muscular as Wei Dong.

"This one," Wei Dong patted the donkey next to him, which was the tallest and most robust. The man chuckled.

Tang Xu thought to himself that at first glance, that particular donkey looked the best, tall and handsome, with a kind of coolness in its eyes that was hard to describe.

Is that really a donkey?

Tang Xu looked at the shorter ones nearby, then back at the tall donkey with a distinctly different expression in its eyes. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.

This isn't a donkey, it's a mule!

A mule!

Tang Xu's eyes also lit up instantly.

"It's so big and strong, it's not much different from a tall horse, so it's a bit more expensive," the man's eyes curved with a smile as he quoted the price to Wei Dong, "Just twenty-five taels."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and interjected, "What about these others?" He pointed to the other donkeys and asked.

The man seemed to just notice him and, upon seeing his face, paused for a moment before saying, "Thirteen taels."

"Husband," Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong, "don't get that one, get this one instead." Wei Dong glanced at the donkey he pointed to, looking slightly disdainful. 

Upon hearing this, the man boasted, "This donkey here can work. Despite the higher price, you won't lose out when you bring it back."

"How wouldn't we lose out? You're not selling horses. Buying a donkey for twenty-five taels, I'll be laughed at by the villagers when I bring it back," Tang Xu looked disgusted. He glanced at the mule, as if seeing the same disdain for his lack of knowledge in its eyes.

Oh, it's quite clever.

With a quick shift of his eyes, Tang Xu reached over and tugged on Wei Dong's arm, acting coy, "Husband, let's not buy it, it's too expensive." 

"Hmm." Wei Dong felt his arm being pinched several times and immediately understood Tang Xu's meaning, nodding in agreement.

The man was getting anxious. He didn't know what was wrong with this donkey; it had grown so big but couldn't produce offspring when it came time for breeding. It had grown for nothing.

Not only was it a big eater, but it also had a bad temper. Since it was meant to be sold, they couldn't be too harsh with it, nor could they let it go hungry and thin. 

Several people had asked about its price, but upon hearing the high price, they walked away. Moreover, because of its temper, it had almost bitten or kicked people several times when they tried to examine its teeth or hooves.

After a few incidents, the donkey seemed to have learned its lesson. When someone asked about the price, it remained still and cooperative during the examination, allowing them to inspect it thoroughly.

Just for this reason alone, the man decided that he must sell it!

Twenty-five taels was just a random price he had shouted out, hoping to fool the buyer, but he didn't expect this handsome couple to not even negotiate and simply say they wouldn't buy it. "If you really like this donkey, I'll give you a discount!" 

The man thought to himself that he had to sell it somehow; he had catered to this donkey enough.

Tang Xu turned to face him, glanced at his own mule with a raised eyebrow, and said, "How much? Give us a fair price."

"Twenty taels!" The man gritted his teeth.

"You keep it then," Tang Xu patted the donkey next to him, "This one, ten taels, take it or leave it."

"No, no, this one is a female donkey that can produce offspring, ten taels is too little. If you buy a female donkey from me, I'll provide free breeding services!" The man shook his head vigorously.

Wei Dong tapped on Tang Xu's hand.

Tang Xu nodded in understanding and followed up with a question, "Then why don't you keep this male donkey as a breeding stud? Don't tell me it's infertile!"

The man's face twitched. This young man was saying everything without a hint of embarrassment!

Tang Xu pressed on, "Really infertile? And you dare to sell it for twenty taels? You're truly heartless!" He pulled on Wei Dong's arm, "Husband, let's go. We won't buy from him. We can buy a cow instead."

He made as if to leave, but the man hurriedly reached out to stop them, "Wait, wait! Eighteen taels! I can't go any lower."

Tang Xu held up four fingers and waved them in front of the man, "Fourteen taels. If it can't produce offspring and has a bad temper, it's not worth it. Buying it would be a risk."

The man gritted his teeth, "...Seventeen taels!"

"Fourteen taels!"

"Sixteen taels!"

"Fourteen taels!"

"Fifteen taels!"

"Deal!" Tang Xu clapped his hands. "Fifteen taels. Husband, give the money."

Wei Dong took the silver from the money pouch, while the three children standing nearby, who had been listening to Tang Xu negotiating the price, were astonished.

How did it suddenly drop to fifteen taels?

Wasn't it being sold for twenty-five taels?

The three children looked at the man who was now pounding his chest and stomping his feet, muttering about how he had been cheated, feeling a strange sense of sympathy for him.

Why couldn't he stick to his guns? He had to haggle with their Brother. It's his own fault.

Why couldn't he be more decisive? If he had haggled with Wei Dong, he might have sold it for twenty taels!

Poor guy, truly pitiful.

However!

This donkey looks really good! It's like the big horse they saw the other day!

Tang Xu watched as Wei Dong slapped three five-tael silver ingots into the man's hands, and the man's expression immediately changed.

"Husband, it looks really good. It must run fast when pulling a cart!" Tang Xu reached out to touch the mule, but this stubborn creature actually dodged away!

Not only did it dodge, but it also swatted Tang Xu's arm with its tail.

"Oh my, it has such a big temper, I love it!" Tang Xu raised his hand again to grab the mule's ear, laughing as he said, "If you keep dodging, I'll stew you! A mule is too big for one pot, so I'll stew you in three pots!"

The mule: ...You must be sick! It couldn't dodge, and its big ears were grabbed with his eyes full of disdain.

The feeling of its fluffy fur was warm in Tang Xu's hands.

Tang Xu chuckled happily, coaxing it, "You'll obediently pull our cart, and when we get back, I'll give you bean cakes! And big fruits!" 

The mule shook its tail and grunted twice in response.

The sound, how should he describe it? It's like a mix between a donkey and a horse, yet neither entirely like a donkey nor entirely like a horse, and surprisingly crisp.

"How old is it?" Tang Xu turned his head to look at the man.

The man put away the silver, although he sold it cheaply, he was relieved to sell it without losing money. Hearing Tang Xu's question, he replied, "It's almost four years old." 

Tang Xu nodded and looked at Wei Dong, "Do we need to harness it to a cart? Where can we buy a cart?"

"Harnessing it to a wooden cart can be arranged here," the man quickly said, "it'll take just half an hour."

Tang Xu looked at him and asked, "How much for the cart with harness?"

The man, having witnessed Tang Xu's bargaining skills, didn't overquote and straightforwardly said, "Two and a half taels."

Tang Xu turned to look at Wei Dong, "Is that expensive?"

"Not expensive," Wei Dong shook his head.

Tang Xu stared at him, "Really?"

Wei Dong shrugged, "It's not too expensive. Let's find someone to do it, we'll go to the restaurant. I'll come back later to drive the cart." 

Tang Xu thought it was fine, "Alright then, let's go." 

Wei Dong patted the donkey's buttocks, making a slapping sound.

The mule swished its tail nervously.

Exiting the livestock market, they headed straight to the Fuyun Restaurant. Passing by the roadside stalls, the three kids curiously glanced at each one, but none of them asked to buy anything.

Tang Xu also took a glance, noticing a stall selling sugar figurines.

He thought Tang Yang might want some, but surprisingly, the kid just glanced at it briefly before turning away to look at a stall selling cloth tigers. "Ah Yang, don't you want to eat sugar figurines?" 

Tang Yang shook his head, "Big brother, I don't want any."

"Aren't you fond of sweets?" Tang Xu was surprised, thinking the child might be too shy to ask for something.

But Tang Yang wrinkled his nose in disgust, saying, "It's so dirty! He didn't even wash his hands before making them, I saw him wipe his sweat earlier!"

Tang Xu: "..." His hygiene education seemed to be quite effective.

Wei Xi, who initially wanted to buy a sugar figurine, quickly withdrew his hand from his money pouch. He didn't want any either.

Tang Li nodded in agreement with her brother, "Yeah, too dirty."

"What do you guys want to eat then?" Tang Xu asked.

But they both shook their heads, indicating that they were still full and not interested in anything from the stalls. Tang Xu didn't press further. There wasn't much appetizing street food around, and the hot weather seemed to deter people from buying snacks.

Arriving at the front of the Fuyun Restaurant, there were no customers inside. A few waiters were dozing off lazily against the pillars, and there was no one at the counter. Manager Wu, the owner, was probably resting in the backyard.

"…Don't you recognize me?" Tang Xu raised his hand, pointing at himself.

Xiao Muzi focused his gaze and saw the delicate and beautiful face. He immediately smiled and said, "Familiar, familiar, it's Brother Xu. Our shopkeeper has been talking about you, wondering why you haven't come."

"I'm here now. Is Manager Wu and Chef Liu in the backyard resting?" Tang Xu sat down with three others at the table and said to Xiao Muzi, "Do you have any cold tea? Bring a pot."

"Yes, just a moment." He turned his head and called out for a pot of cold tea, then said to Tang Xu, "I'll go get the shopkeeper."

"Okay." Tang Xu nodded.

Wei Dong glanced at the menu hanging on the wall, scanned through it, and found that it was still the same, nothing changed.

Manager Wu was dozing off, annoyed when Xiao Muzi knocked on the door and woke him up. But upon hearing that Tang Xu had come, he immediately perked up. "Come, come, come. Did he come by himself?"

"No."

Manager Wu thought of the engagement between Tang Xu and Wei Dong that was mentioned last time they met, and figured they probably came together. When he looked into the hall, he saw Tang Xu accompanied by his whole family.

"Brother Xu, finally got you here!" Manager Wu greeted with a big smile.

Seeing only a pot of cold tea on the table, he turned his head and gave Xiao Muzi a stern look. "Why so short-sighted? Go fetch two plates of pastries." 

Xiao Muzi hurried off to the kitchen.

The three children were tired from walking and sitting here, drinking a glass of cold tea didn't revive their spirits much.

Tang Xu glanced at them and said to the shopkeeper, "We've known each other for a long time. Let's skip the formalities. I came here today with an idea, wondering if you would be interested."

"What idea?" Mr. Wu asked, intrigued.

"You should sell some iced drinks."

Mr. Wu: "?"

"Your restaurant must have ice, otherwise, how do you preserve the meat? Smash the ice, put it in glasses, add various fruit juices, and there you have simple iced drinks. It doesn't require much skill; anyone in the industry would figure it out after trying it once." 

Tang Xu actually had some refreshing dishes suitable for serving cold, but he couldn't propose them himself, as suggesting them himself might drive the prices down.

Manager Wu nodded as he listened, then sighed, "The method sounds good, but as you said, it's hard to prevent others from copying it." 

He leaned forward with a smile, but Wei Dong raised his arm to stop him and gave him a stern look. He quickly backed away, maintaining a distance, and said, "Do you have any dishes? I'd like to try a couple of recipes."

"We do. How about some spicy cold pot skewers? Paired with the iced drinks, it will definitely be popular in the hot summer." Tang Xu boasted confidently. 

Manager Wu could barely contain his smile; Tang Xu was really good at exaggerating. But seeing Tang Xu's confidence, he was intrigued.

Previously, Mr. Wu had shared Tang Xu's method for making tender meat with the main household in the capital city. All the branches of Fuyun Restaurant started using it, and truth be told, they made a lot of money.

As for Chef Liu's snowy bean paste dessert, it was also a hit. He was shrewd enough to sell the method to their main household after making a profit at the restaurant, earning even more money.

"Spicy? I've tried both spicy and numbing flavors. Who would eat that on a scorching hot day?"

Tang Xu waved his hand and explained in detail, "I'm not saying nobody eats spicy food. This dish is meant to be eaten cold. It's refreshing and spicy. Just imagine, after eating something spicy, if you take a sip of something icy cold, wouldn't it be refreshing? You'd want another bite. 

Moreover, these skewers are threaded with bamboo sticks. You can charge one copper coin for vegetarian skewers and two for meat. The price isn't high, and you can taste fresh flavors. Not only the wealthy elites but even ordinary people would be willing to spend a few copper coins for a satisfying snack. With a larger audience, your sales will increase, and naturally, you'll earn more."

After finishing his explanation, he took a sip of cold tea and glanced at the two plates of snacks brought over by Xiao Muzi. One was a flaky pastry filled with stuffing, and the other was mung bean cake.

Just looking at them made him feel uncomfortable; he didn't eat them.

The three children, however, stared at the snacks, their mouths watering.

Tang Xu pushed the plates towards them and said, "Go ahead, no need to be polite with Mr. Wu." The three children looked at Mr. Wu and thanked him in unison.

Mr. Wu nodded with a smile. He didn't look down on them just because they were from the village; he even praised their good manners and thought they were very sensible.

However, Mr. Wu couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled as he glanced at the three children. One of them looked thinner and weaker, resembling Wei Dong in facial features, probably his brother.

As for the other two... he glanced at Tang Xu cautiously, not daring to speculate on their relationship, as they didn't look alike at all.

"Shopkeeper?" Tang Xu called out softly.

Mr. Wu snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at him, "You're right, it's just this flavor..." 

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, "Shall I let you taste the sauce I've prepared?"

"Of course, let's go to the kitchen."

Tang Xu glanced at Wei Dong, who nodded at him. "You go ahead," he said. "I'll be there in a moment." Tang Xu followed Mr. Wu to the kitchen.

During their previous cooking session, Tang Xu knew what kind of spices were available. He directly grabbed them and crushed them together in a mortar. After crushing them into fine crumbs, he poured them into a bowl, added cold water and seasoning. He dipped the tip of a chopstick into it to taste. In his opinion, there were still not enough spices. If he were in his own kitchen, the flavor would definitely be stronger.

He filtered out the crushed spices using a piece of cheesecloth, then grabbed a piece of oil paper from the nearby shelf, wrapped the ingredients, and took them away. Carrying the bowl, he went out and handed a small spoon to both Mr. Wu and Chef Liu, who had come over.

"Give it a try."

Mr. Wu and Chef Liu took the spoons and scooped a little to taste.

They could taste the fragrance of the spices. It was cold on the palate, with a slight tingling sensation on the tongue, followed by a hint of spiciness and a slight sweetness afterward.

Chef Liu smacked his lips and scooped another spoonful to taste. He couldn't pinpoint all the spices used; even if he could identify some, without the correct proportions, it would be useless.

He lifted his eyelids to look at Tang Xu. It hadn't occurred to him before, but this young man had become even more handsome in such a short period. Not only was his face attractive, but he also exuded a charm from within.

He was indeed clever. Chef Liu couldn't help but admire him for his skills in cooking.

If Tang Xu knew Chef Liu held him in such high regard, he'd probably blush. After all, the knowledge he possessed was quite common in the future, and there wasn't much to boast about when standing on the shoulders of giants.

"We can sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds into the soup base and let the cooked skewers soak in the cold soup. The flavor will improve over time, but we shouldn't add too much at first. Let's try it for a few days and see how the customers like it. It doesn't have to be just spicy; we can also make sweet and sour flavors," Tang Xu suggested, observing their reactions and knowing that this plan was halfway there.

Mr. Wu glanced at Chef Liu, and they exchanged a meaningful look.

Tang Xu wasn't in a hurry. Whether they pursued this business or not didn't matter much to him at the moment since they weren't short of money. With this in mind, he decided to be straightforward.

"Both of you should know that I'm married. My husband is quite skilled at hunting, and although we may not be as wealthy as the aristocrats, we have some savings. I don't want to sell this recipe directly. If you appreciate my cooking skills, you can come to collect the ingredient package once every ten days. Just boil it in clear water, and I'll tell you the proportions of sugar, vinegar, and other ingredients. Chef Liu can adjust the taste himself."

Upon hearing this, both Mr. Wu and Chef Liu furrowed their brows simultaneously. Buying ingredient packages was something they had never done before.

These spices are indeed expensive, and if they have to use new ingredient packages every day to boil the soup base, the cost would be quite high.

Seeing their hesitation, Tang Xu handed the small bowl to Chef Liu and said, "How about this? You two can think about it first. My home is in the back village of Heshan Village. If you decide to pursue this business, just come to the village and find me. Ask someone in the village for directions to the Wei family mansion, and they'll guide you."

Mr. Wu nodded after a moment of consideration. "Alright, Brother Xu, don't blame me for being cautious. I need to discuss this matter with the main household. I'm afraid I won't be able to send you a message anytime soon."

"No problem. We've dealt with each other before, and I trust Mr. Wu and Chef Liu." Tang Xu smiled at them and bowed. "I'll take my leave now; I need to purchase some other things."

They escorted him out. Inside the hall, the three children who had finished their pastries were feeling sleepy, resting their heads on their hands.

Tang Xu hurried over and glanced around but didn't spot Wei Dong. "Where's your brother-in-law?" he asked Tang Li.

Tang Li stifled a yawn and replied wearily, "Brother-in-law went to check on the donkey. He said for us to wait here."

"Alright, you wait here for a while; I'll go buy some other things." When Tang Xu left, he tucked the silver note from the government bank into his pocket. He planned to take out the money, keep a portion for daily expenses, and give the rest to his husband for investing in real estate.

He had realized that despite Wei Dong being a muscular man, he was also quite shrewd, perhaps even more so than Tang Xu had initially thought. Moreover, Wei Dong had acquaintances in several towns and counties nearby, so he wasn't afraid of being cheated. After all, he had been deceived before but had retaliated, making it known to everyone that Wei Dong was not someone to mess with.

Tang Xu greeted Mr. Wu, asking his siblings to keep Mr. Wu company while he went shopping and assured them he'd return shortly. He headed straight to the government bank, where he withdrew nine silver notes worth one hundred taels each. He exchanged the remaining one hundred taels for a fifty-tael note and received fifty taels in loose change.

The manager at the bank, seeing a young man like Tang Xu withdraw so much silver at once, kindly offered to have it delivered for him. Tang Xu was touched, thinking to himself that it was indeed a government-run bank, offering such thoughtful service.

"Thank you, thank you, but it's not necessary. My husband will be here soon," he smiled at the manager, then hurriedly left.

He wrapped the silver notes in oil paper and kept them close to his body, while the silver coins were placed in his money pouch. He went straight to the tailor's shop and bought a piece of jujube red cloth, intended for his aunt. He asked her to make a new outfit, which they would wear when welcoming the two new sister-in-laws into the family.

He also specifically bought a piece of gauze, sensing that even if it might take some time, Mr. Wu would eventually come to buy the ingredient packages from him. If not, it didn't matter, as gauze wouldn't spoil easily, and they could use it at home.

After purchasing sugar blocks, coarse salt, vinegar, and soy sauce, his backpack was full to the brim.

The weight on his shoulders made him take deep breaths as he trudged back to the restaurant, sweat covering his body.

Finally reaching the restaurant, he found a mule cart parked outside. The mule made a rumbling sound, and its mouth moved as if it were chewing something. 

Tang Xu stared at its long face for a while, then suddenly reached out his hand and held it under the mule's nose. The mule stopped chewing and nudged its big nostrils against his hand.

"What a lovely smell!"

Tang Xu rolled the small piece of sugar in his palm into his mouth.

"Mm, slurp~~~ rumble, rumble~~~"

The mule was excited!

It lowered its head, nudging Tang Xu's hand, clearly indicating that it wanted more. Tang Xu wiped his hand, feeling a bit disgusted.

"Sorry, that's all gone. This was a reward. If you do well in your work from now on, I'll give you a piece of candy as a reward."

He placed the backpack on the cart, and Wei Dong led the three children out of the restaurant, while Mr. Wu saw them off at the door. Tang Xu waved to him, saying, "Thank you, shopkeeper. See you next time."

The three children boarded the cart, with Tang Xu and Wei Dong sitting at the front. Wei Dong held a small twig and lightly tapped the mule's buttocks a few times.

The mule flicked its tail and trotted forward with a clippety-clop. Tang Xu glanced back and saw the three children dozing off on the cart. Once they left the town, 

Tang Xu looked back again and found that all three children had already fallen asleep, lying down on the cart.

"Good thing this cart has rails, or else they might have fallen off," Tang Xu muttered, then turned and nudged Wei Dong's side with his elbow. 

When Wei Dong looked over, Tang Xu took out the silver notes from his pocket.

"Here's seven hundred taels for you. I'll keep the rest at home for emergencies. You take this and buy a house."

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. "Did you just withdraw it?"

"Yeah, you were right. The interest there was too low. It's better to buy a house and rent it out," Tang Xu replied, then asked, "Did you also buy a shop in the county?"

"I bought two courtyards, both next to the private school. They're already rented out," Wei Dong didn't hide anything from him. He hadn't mentioned it before because Tang Xu hadn't asked. "I also bought two shops."

"In the county towns on both sides?"

"Yeah, I bought them separately. The prices were similar," Wei Dong had been running around a lot recently, mainly for this matter. Even if there were people handling the negotiations, he still had to go and check things out himself.

Tang Xu nodded without pressing further on this topic. Instead, he focused on the sturdy hind legs of the mule and said, "It's not a donkey; it's a mule, a horse-mule. They can't produce offspring."

Wei Dong looked surprised; he had never heard of this before.

“Indeed, it looks more like a horse. It's much stronger in endurance and physical strength than a donkey. We made a good deal buying it for fifteen taels. If we take good care of it, it can be very useful, like grinding grain or pulling a millstone."

"Once we get back, I'll make a box, and then we can start making tofu. Oh, and I also bought a lot of coarse salt. When we get back, we can try boiling some salt brine," Wei Dong nodded as Tang Xu spoke.

Tang Xu leaned his head against Wei Dong's shoulder and spoke softly, "Ah Yang said Aunt's family will soon have two brothers marrying brides. Dad reminded us not to forget to attend the wedding banquet. I bought Aunt a piece of cloth. 

When we had our wedding banquet, she helped us a lot, so I also bought plenty of sweets. Tomorrow, I'll make some snacks for Xiao Xi as an afternoon treat. I noticed he's been eating a lot for dinner these past few days, so he might get hungry in the afternoon."

"Doctor Xu said Xiao Xi's health is improving well, and he'll definitely get better over time."

"Oh, and I'll be taking medicine later to regulate my body. You can't push me too hard," Tang Xu added.

Wei Dong had been listening silently all along, but finally he reacted. Reluctantly, he let out a grunt, his face growing darker and darker. 

Tang Xu chuckled softly, then leaned in close to his ear, murmuring something in a teasing manner. As he whispered, he could see Wei Dong's ears suddenly turn red, followed by his face and neck. 

Then, without warning, Wei Dong wrapped his arms around Tang Xu's slender waist and pulled him tightly into his embrace.

He let out a deep breath, suppressing some kind of wild beast that seemed eager to break free, and blurted out, "Are you trying to suffocate me!"

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