| TBBOTOF | 52
Liu Xiangxiang watched as Tang Xu and Liu Qiaoniang left for the less crowded corner of the village road. She felt flustered and stood there for a moment, contemplating, before taking a step.
"What are you doing, Second Sister-in-law?" Tang Sanhu's wife, Li Xiu, held a handful of melon seeds and walked towards her, curious. "What are you looking at? Why aren't you coming in to eat?"
Liu Xiangxiang stopped her steps and forced a smile, pulling at her own face. She glanced at Li Xiu's protruding belly. "You should be careful, Sister-in-law. Don't wander around when you're pregnant. With so many people around, it's not good if you bump into someone and something happens."
Li Xiu chuckled, approaching her with her belly protruding. "My son is growing up so well. The doctor says this pregnancy is going very well. You and Second Brother have a good relationship, why haven't you had another child? While you still can, you should have more children. Having another son would mean more land."
Liu Xiangxiang sneered, "I've already had four. My family has enough land. It's you who should have more children, Sister-in-law. After all, you only have one son. Both daughters and gers will eventually get married and leave the family."
Li Xiu was infuriated by her words, but she had indeed only given birth to two daughters in a row. Among the three sisters-in-law in the Tang family, she only had one son and her sister-in-laws had two! Even though the eldest sister-in-law had only three children, her eldest daughter was the first grandchild in the Tang family and was highly favored by the elderly grandmother and grandfather. The later-born granddaughters couldn't compare to her, even though they were girls.
Liu Xiangxiang saw Li Xiu glaring at her with anger and sarcastically remarked, "Mind your own business. You're always poking your nose into other people's affairs. What, are you bothered that the eldest sister-in-law spent money to marry in her daughter-in-law's today? You dare to argue with me here, with such a thick face? Don't act all high and mighty in front of me, as if I owe you something. Do you think everyone sees you as a treasure? You have no shame at all."
"You!"
"What about me? What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Liu Xiangxiang stood with her hands on her hips, spraying her words forcefully. She was venting out all the frustration she had received from Tang Xu earlier. "And you have the nerve to ridicule me? At least I don't stare at other people's belongings like you do. What, you think your man can't earn enough money so you're looking for a new one? Stop poking your nose into others' business. If you're not embarrassed, I am!"
If Tang Xu were here to hear Liu Xiangxiang's outburst, he would definitely applaud her.
It turned out that even the cheap woman had times when she didn't curse! And she was quite good at arguing.
Li Xiu was about to explode with anger but couldn't find a comeback for the moment.
She could only hold her stomach, inhaling deeply with an "Aiya, aiya." Seeing her pale face, someone who was initially just spectating hurried over to mediate.
"On such a joyful occasion, you two sisters-in-law shouldn't argue at the doorstep, making others laugh."
"What's all this arguing for? You two argue every day, every time you see each other, it's an argument. Xu Ge'er's mother, you should say a few less words, she's heavily pregnant, don't upset her any further."
"Yeah, why are you so hot-headed? Just now, I saw you arguing with Liu San's newlywed wife. What were you two arguing about?"
"I saw it too, do you two know each other? Oh, right, his wife is also from the Liu family's village, same as your maternal village, you two must know each other."
Upon hearing their probing remarks about Liu Qiaoniang and her relationship, Liu Xiangxiang's complexion worsened. "What's it to you? Have you seen enough? If you are, then leave and make room for others."
With a wave of her hand, she snorted at the onlookers and turned into the courtyard.
In front of so many people, it was impossible for her to go find Tang Xu and Liu Qiaoniang again. She feared that if she did, there would be a string of eavesdroppers following her. Thinking that Liu Qiaoniang might have already told everything to Tang Xu, Liu Xiangxiang's hands and feet turned cold.
At this moment, Tang Xu stood with his arms crossed, one meter away from Liu Qiaoniang, watching her cry in sadness.
How should I put it, it was quite annoying.
He just asked if both his biological parents had passed away, and this person started crying. She couldn't even speak, just cried.
"Um, could you please stop crying? I haven't eaten yet, actually. If you can't control your emotions, I can wait until you finish crying, cry enough, and then come find me to say what you want to say, about the truth of my origins."
Liu Qiaoniang was so scared by his serious tone that she stopped crying, staring blankly at Tang Xu.
"You, you, you."
Tang Xu's expression turned completely stern, impatiently saying, "Besides 'you, you, you,' and 'I, I, I,' and 'wuwuwu,' what else can you say? Sorry, I really don't have the time or interest to waste here with you. Actually, I'm not that interested in knowing about my own origins. I know Liu Xiangxiang isn't my birth mother, and I also know both my birth parents are dead. I know Liu Xiangxiang and your relationship with her might not be that good.
Let me guess again, I guess my mother died when I was still a baby, and your family didn't want to raise me. Coincidentally, Liu Xiangxiang's son died, and her mother found your mother. They probably figured it wouldn't hurt to spend a little money to buy a ger back home, so they bought me from your family."
As Tang Xu spoke, he observed Liu Qiaoniang's expression. Seeing her full of shock while shaking her head and saying 'no, no, no,' he questioned, "What's not correct?"
She didn’t spend money to buy a child? That makes him more speechless. Her own grandson was just given away directly.
Liu Qiaoniang covered her mouth and cried, sobbing as she said, "Liu Xiangxiang deceived her!"
"Do you believe that? How could she be deceived? If she didn't agree, could Liu Xiangxiang still come to your house and snatch the child?" Tang Xu always believed that whether it was the buyer, the seller, or the one abandoning the child, for whatever reason, none of their actions were forgivable.
He sarcastically retorted, "Was the child she carried out and handed over to the other party? Why, now that you see I've grown up and live well, you want to claim me back?"
Liu Qiaoniang was completely flustered by his questions.
"No, no, my mother didn't know about you, it's me, I wanted to tell you..."
"Your mother didn't know? I'm almost eighteen now, for over seventeen years, your mother never thought to ask about me? Then she probably had no feelings for me to begin with. Maybe not only did she lack feelings, she probably hated me. How's that? Did I kill my parents in her eyes?
I'm probably just an unlucky star to her, born to bring misfortune to my parents, so she probably couldn't wait to get rid of me, right?" Tang Xu asked with a smirk, his expression full of mockery. "And you? What role do you play here? Judging by your age, you're probably my father's younger sister, right?"
Liu Qiaoniang had no idea how to respond to Tang Xu's words. His speech was too fast, and he seemed to hit the nail on the head with everything he said.
"I... I was too young at that time, I could only watch you being taken away," she said, eyes lowered, tears falling.
Tang Xu nodded indifferently, "Oh, then what happened?"
"Liu Xiangxiang did it on purpose! She used to have a very good relationship with my eldest brother, she thought my eldest brother would marry her!" Liu Qiaoniang reached out to grab his arm. "Liu Xiangxiang did it on purpose! She deliberately told my mother that she would take good care of you, but in fact, she wanted to bring you back to abuse you! She hated my brother-in-law! Hated him for taking away my eldest brother!"
Tang Xu's mouth twitched several times, his eyelids twitching incessantly.
What on earth?
That's a lot of information!
He raised his hand to stop Liu Qiaoniang's overly excited shouting. "Calm down, calm down. Are you suggesting that Liu Xiangxiang deliberately killed her own son just to come to your house and take me back as an infant to mistreat me?"
"No, I didn't say that," Liu Qiaoniang shook her head.
Tang Xu shook his head too. "Hmm, I know that, but I can tell you for sure that it's impossible. She's not that cruel." Liu Xiangxiang wouldn't dare to do such a thing just for revenge.
He finished speaking and looked up at Liu Xiangxiang, who was standing not far away.
Liu Xiangxiang couldn't eat a single bite when she returned to the dining table just now. She was really afraid that Liu Qiaoniang would say something unpleasant about her, so she followed over after all.
"Mom," Tang Xu smiled and waved at her, his face full of smiles. "Why are you standing there? Come over and chat with us!"
Liu Xiangxiang saw the devil again!
She walked heavily to the two of them, her face pale.
Clasping her fists tightly, trembling all over, it seemed that with a little more stimulation, she would faint directly. Unfortunately, Tang Xu was the source of that stimulation.
Moreover, he didn't want Liu Xiangxiang to play dumb.
With a lazy tone, he said, "Mom, she said I'm not your biological son, that you brought me from someone else intending to mistreat me. Although you haven't been very good to me, it seems you haven't really mistreated me either. At least you haven't let me starve to death or beaten me severely. Most of it was just not buying me medicine when I was sick."
Liu Xiangxiang's face grew uglier with each of his words.
"She also said that you had a good relationship with her elder brother and thought he would marry you, but when you found out he didn't, you held a grudge in your heart." Tang Xu's smile never faded from his face as he looked into Liu Xiangxiang's eyes, filled with coldness. "Mom, is she right?"
Liu Xiangxiang couldn't even make a sound.
Liu Qiaoniang glared at Liu Xiangxiang angrily. "Why aren't you saying anything! Speak up! Aren't you good at yelling!"
Tang Xu glanced at Liu Qiaoniang, then back at Liu Xiangxiang, and asked, "Mom, are you planning to tell father about this?"
Liu Xiangxiang was stunned, her eyes widening suddenly. She rushed forward and grabbed Tang Xu's arm, pleading urgently, "No, no, no, you can't tell him, he'll kill me! He'll divorce me! Xu Ge'er, Mom was wrong, Mom was really wrong, please forgive Mom, okay?"
Tang Xu sighed, supporting her as she almost fell down. Looking up with no emotion in his eyes, he said, "Mom, I never wanted to tell Dad about this, but it seems like he already knows."
Liu Xiangxiang's body stiffened, and she looked up at Tang Xu.
Tang Xu looked past her.
Liu Xiangxiang turned around and saw Tang Erhu’s expressionless face.
Tang Erhu noticed that Xu Ge'er and his wife had been out for quite some time and hadn't returned. He felt puzzled and asked around, hearing that they had been seen arguing at the door earlier. Later, Xu Ge'er and Liu Qiaoniang left together, and Liu Xiangxiang followed. He was worried that Liu Xiangxiang might cause a scene and ruin the joyous atmosphere at his elder brother's home, so he came to find someone.
He didn't actually hear what they were saying, only hearing Liu Xiangxiang sounding very afraid while pleading with Xu Ge'er for something.
Walking over with a stern face, he first glanced at the three of them, then his gaze fell on Liu Xiangxiang's pale face.
"What can't you tell me? What did you do again!"
Tang Xu sighed. This wasn't the outcome he wanted.
Liu Xiangxiang was so frightened by Tang Erhu that her body trembled uncontrollably as she shook her head and retreated repeatedly.
Liu Qiaoniang stood beside her and said, "She definitely won't say it. Let me tell you!"
Tang Xu frowned but remained silent. Regardless of the situation, some things needed to be clarified.
"Dad," Tang Xu spoke up, "this isn't the place to talk. Let's go home and talk." Tang Erhu nodded with a stern face, grabbing Liu Xiangxiang's wrist and pulling her away.
Tang Xu glanced at Liu Qiaoniang with no particular expression and said, "I'll go tell my father. Do you want to tell your husband too?" Liu Qiaoniang shook her head. "No need. He didn't come to the wedding banquet."
Tang Xu nodded and went back to the old courtyard where the wedding banquet was being held, finding Wei Dong who was eating and drinking.
"What's wrong?" Wei Dong looked up at him and could tell from one look that his mood wasn't good.
Tang Xu sighed and leaned over to Wei Dong's ear. "My dad is about to find out that I'm not his biological son. I'll go over there, it's just at my home. Keep an eye on the three little ones, make sure they don't run back."
"Do you need me to come with you?" Wei Dong asked, concerned. Tang Xu shook his head and glanced at the other people who were sneaking glances at them.
In a lowered voice, he said, "If everything is fine after dinner, take the three of them to our house. Let Ah Li clean up a room for them and let them stay at our place tonight. Once things are sorted out, they can go back home."
Wei Dong nodded. "Alright, no matter what happens, you still have me and our family, you know?"
"Yeah, it'll be fine," Tang Xu nodded with a smile.
Tang Erhu dragged Liu Xiangxiang back home and went straight into the main room, throwing her to the ground. Liu Xiangxiang knelt on the ground, her legs weak, and looked at him pleadingly. "Erhu, let me explain!"
Liu Qiaoniang followed closely behind, standing beside them. "Stop lying! You've been lying to him for seventeen years!"
Tang Erhu frowned, turning to look at Liu Qiaoniang. He asked her, "Are you the second wife Liu San married?"
Liu Qiaoniang nodded. "I'm from the same village as Liu Xiangxiang."
Tang Erhu asked her coldly, "What were you about to say just now?"
Liu Qiaoniang looked outside the room, and coincidentally, Tang Xu entered the courtyard. She waited for a moment until everyone entered the house and closed the door before pointing at Tang Xu. "He's not Liu Xiangxiang's child, he's the child of my eldest brother and his wife!"
Tang Xu helped Liu Xiangxiang up from the ground, dusted off her clothes, and then guided her to sit by the kang. Next, he fetched a chair and placed it for Liu Qiaoniang to sit down.
Once the three of them were seated, he stood to the side, smiling gently. "Alright, let's calmly discuss who I really am."
Tang Erhu nearly slammed his bowl onto the table.
Tang Xu glanced over disapprovingly. "Dad, calm down a bit. Listen first before getting angry."
Tang Erhu felt a strong sense of suffocation building up in his chest. Tang Xu then looked at Liu Qiaoniang, gesturing with a smile. "Please continue."
To be honest, with his attitude, Liu Qiaoniang's anger from earlier just dissipated.
She lowered her gaze, took a sip of water, and calmly continued, "Xu Ge'er is the child of my elder brother and his wife. My elder brother's name is Liu Dazhu, and his wife is called brother Yu, both are from our village, Liu Family Village."
Tang Xu silently repeated the name Liu Dazhu in his mind. It was a name he hadn't expected, sounding so simple and rustic. As for his father's name, it sounded quite nice; he must have been handsome.
Liu Xiangxiang sat with her head bowed by the kang. When she heard the name Liu Dazhu, her hand trembled reflexively. Tang Erhu remained silent, panting heavily, waiting to hear more explosive revelations.
Liu Qiaoniang glanced at Tang Xu and said, "He looks a lot like my brother-in-law."
Tang Erhu turned to look at Tang Xu, who winked at him and smiled. Tang Erhu glared at him indignantly. Why was he smiling? Was this a time to smile?
Suddenly, his anger subsided.
"Liu Xiangxiang, I want to hear an explanation. I don't want to just hear her speak," Tang Erhu addressed Liu Xiangxiang. "If you still don't want to speak, then I'll let you go back to your mother's house, and we won't have to talk about this anymore."
Liu Xiangxiang shifted her body and looked up at Tang Erhu.
Even if this man wasn't the one she initially fell in love with, they had lived together for over twenty years. She knew that Tang Erhu was being sincere at this moment.
He didn't yell at her or hit her. His tone of voice was calm, but it was precisely this calmness that made her even more anxious.
Liu Xiangxiang remained silent for a while before nodding and saying, "Yes, Xu Ge'er is not my biological child. Our first child together was a son, but he was stillborn. I didn't want to make you sad, so I brought Xu Ge'er back."
"Erhu, I was very heartbroken at that time. I didn't know why the child was stillborn. I was at a loss, and my mother suggested that I adopt a child, so I followed her advice," Liu Xiangxiang said tearfully, looking very distressed.
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, showing amusement at Liu Xiangxiang's attempt to deflect blame. Tang Erhu frowned but remained silent.
Liu Qiaoniang coldly snorted from the side, "You gained sympathy when your child died, but why did you have to ask my mother to adopt Tang Xu? You said you would treat him well, raise him as your own child. How did you treat him well? You beat and scolded him! You almost sold him to an old man for twenty taels as a servant!"
"Liu Xiangxiang, stop lying. Who do you think you can fool? If you really wanted to raise your child well, you wouldn't have treated him like that!"
Ever since she met Tang Xu, Liu Qiaoniang had been investigating everything about him. Over the years, anyone with eyes could see how Liu Xiangxiang treated Tang Xu. She didn't provide him with good food or clothing, made him do extra chores, and even tried to sell him!
Liu Qiaoniang felt like she was going crazy.
She had a close relationship with her older brother. He was ten years older than her, and when he got into trouble, she was the most devastated in the family after his husband.
So when she heard that Tang Xu wasn't doing well, she wanted to bring him back!
Tang Xu, feeling tired from standing, sat down at the table and glanced at Tang Erhu's expression. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Can you start from the beginning? You know what I mean."
Liu Qiaoniang was taken aback, looking at him.
Liu Xiangxiang also looked up at him, her eyes filled with hatred.
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, "What, can't you?"
"I don't know much," Liu Qiaoniang looked at Liu Xiangxiang with contempt and said, "When my older brother married his husband, I remember Liu Xiangxiang came to our house and caused a scene. She scolded his husband, calling him a fox spirit and accusing him of stealing her man."
Tang Xu made a sound of surprise. Wasn't that knowing quite a bit? Tang Erhu also glared at Liu Xiangxiang, his face darkening. "And then what?"
Liu Qiaoniang sneered, "Not long after that, I heard Liu Xiangxiang got married, and not to someone from our village. She married into a prominent family from Heshan Village. At that time, I even told my mother that she was lucky, causing a scene at someone else's wedding and then getting married herself. I thought she was truly sincere to my brother!"
Tang Erhu clenched his fists, glaring fiercely at Liu Xiangxiang as he angrily asked, "Is what she said true?"
Liu Xiangxiang pursed her lips and remained silent.
Liu Qiaoniang continued, "You ask her, does she dare to speak the truth?"
Liu Xiangxiang took a deep breath and looked at Tang Erhu, "When my mother heard that a matchmaker came to the village, she asked which family was looking for a bride. She asked me if I was willing to marry you. I said yes. I didn't want to stay there and watch them.
Was I wrong? I always thought Liu Dazhu was going to marry me. He helped me with work and even gave me floral cloth! But he turned around and married someone else! Apart from not being as good-looking as that someone else's ger, what else am I lacking?"
The initial two sentences are still explanatory, but later on, as the conversation progresses, it becomes more and more heated.
While crying and shouting, she says, "He's just a disaster! When he was pregnant, he couldn't stay still. He told Liu Dazhu that he wanted to eat jujubes, and that idiot Liu Dazhu actually went to pick them for him. And what happened? He fell down the mountain and died! Haha, he deserved it! That Yuge'er also deserved it! When the man died, he was so shocked that he gave birth to a worthless child, and died before a month had passed. They deserved it! Short-lived ghosts! It would be better if they were all dead!"
Tang Xu frowned. Liu Xiangxiang seemed to be losing her mind.
He glanced at Tang Erhu, and the middle-aged man's face was also extremely ugly. Liu Qiaoniang hadn't expected Liu Xiangxiang to suddenly become so arrogant, and she was startled. But after hearing what she shouted, she exploded.
"You're talking nonsense! My brother and my husband are not short-lived ghosts!"
"If they're not short-lived ghosts, then why did they die so early?" Liu Xiangxiang looked smug, getting more and more excited as she spoke. "You think if it wasn't for your mother disliking that he gave birth to a ger, I could have simply taken the child away? You should thank me. If I hadn't taken him back to raise him, he would have been thrown into the mountains to feed the wolves by your heartless mother! When I took the child, no one stopped me, and your whole family is also not a good bunch of people!"
Tang Xu sighed in his heart. He knew it would end up like this.
Ultimately, both sides are at fault in this matter.
But…
He looked at Tang Erhu and got up to pour him another bowl of water.
"Dad," he called softly, "Take a deep breath, you'll suffocate yourself."
Tang Erhu exhaled heavily, looking at him helplessly, "How can you still laugh?"
"There's nothing I can't laugh about," Tang Xu sat down, glanced at Liu Xiangxiang, then at Liu Qiaoniang, and said to her, "May I ask boldly? Are you here to have me acknowledge me as family? Change my surname back to Liu?"
Liu Qiaoniang widened her eyes, nodding excitedly, "Yes, you were never a member of the Tang family!"
"But the Liu family abandoned me, obviously they didn't care much for me as a ger," Tang Xu shrugged, "I won't acknowledge your family, but if you think we can get along, you can let me call you 'Little Aunt,' and that's all. Forget about anything else." He finished, smiling.
Then he looked at Liu Xiangxiang again, "Mom, Dad asked me before if I would hate you. I said I wouldn't. At the very least, you raised me. But there's no real mother-son bond between us. Don't expect me to see you cry and feel sorry for you. If it weren't for Dad and my younger siblings, I would definitely cut ties with you completely. We never really got along."
Liu Xiangxiang glared at him with a gloomy face, but she didn't dare to say anything because what Tang Xu said was true. She disliked him, and he felt the same way.
Tang Xu then turned to Liu Qiaoniang again, indifferently saying, "I may inherently be cold-hearted. Whoever is good to me, I'll be good to them. Whoever treats me badly, no matter how much they try to repair the relationship, I won't accept it."
Tang Erhu sighed, his heart in turmoil. Even though he hadn't shown enough care for this child before, during the past few months of being together, he truly felt the bond of father and son between them. He couldn't bring himself to disown this child.
"Tang Xu," the middle-aged man said with red eyes, his voice hoarse, "What do you plan to do? Will you talk to Dad?"
"Dad, I think our previous relationship was fine. I'm already married, and I have a good relationship with my husband. My younger siblings are also doing well. You've always cared for me. That's enough," Tang Xu sighed, patting his adoptive father's shoulder to comfort him, "Really, this has nothing to do with you. Don't blame yourself."
Tang Erhu covered his face, not letting Tang Xu see his current expression. Tang Xu felt uneasy, turning to Liu Xiangxiang, "Mom, what do you say?"
"I..." Liu Xiangxiang looked at Tang Erhu in a loss, "Erhu, I was really confused at the time. I was so scared. I was afraid you would hit me, afraid you would divorce me. I really never intended to do anything to hurt you!"
Tang Erhu lowered his hand, tears in his eyes as he looked at Liu Xiangxiang, asking, "Did you bring Xu Ge back to get revenge on that brother Yu?"
Liu Xiangxiang hesitated, avoiding eye contact, "No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did!" Liu Qiaoniang screamed, "You did it to get back at his husband!"
"Get out of my house!" Liu Xiangxiang lunged forward to pull her away, "You have no business meddling in my family affairs!"
Liu Qiaoniang struggled against her grip, shouting, "You're just a wicked woman! You're using a child to get back at them! You're jealous of them! You're jealous of his husband!"
Tang Erhu slammed his hand on the table, "Enough!" Both women startled and involuntarily let go.
Tang Erhu addressed Liu Qiaoniang, "We'll handle this matter. Please leave."
Liu Qiaoniang frowned, glancing at Tang Xu. Tang Xu smiled at her, "I'll walk you out."
He escorted Liu Qiaoniang to the door, saying, "Take a moment to tidy yourself up a bit. Otherwise, if someone sees you with your hair all disheveled, they'll surely gossip."
Liu Qiaoniang hurriedly raised her hand, smoothed her hair, and nervously looked at Tang Xu, "Are you really not considering coming back to my family with me? Although they've done wrong, but, but it's not entirely their fault."
"I haven't blamed anyone," Tang Xu's expression was cold, he forced a smile at her, "And I won't go back to your family with you either."
Liu Qiaoniang looked at him disappointedly, nodded in acknowledgment, and then left alone.
Tang Xu stood in place watching her leave, glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then turned back and returned to the courtyard, closing the door behind him.
Inside the house, Tang Erhu sat at the table, while Liu Xiangxiang knelt beside him, crying inconsolably. Tang Xu walked over and glanced at Tang Erhu. The middle-aged man looked at him and said, "I'm going to divorce her."
Tang Xu sighed heavily.
"Dad..."
"You don't need to say anything. She made a mistake and should face the consequences. It's unreasonable for her to cry and make a fuss, and then just continue with her life as if nothing happened." Tang Erhu interrupted Tang Xu.
Liu Xiangxiang cried uncontrollably, repeatedly saying that she knew she was wrong.
But this time, Tang Erhu was determined to divorce his wife.
"You can't divorce me! I still have three children! What will happen to them if you divorce me? Aren't you ashamed? The whole village knows that Xu Ge'er is not your child! You'll lose face!"
"I have no face left!" Tang Erhu slapped himself on the face, "My face was already lost because of you! Even if you had told me the truth back then, told me that the child had died, told me that you couldn't bear to see a little ger being abandoned so you brought him back to raise him, would I have disagreed? But what did you do? You brought him back just to retaliate against his parents! Xu Ge'er wasn't raised to death by you, it's truly a blessing from heaven!"
Tang Xu nodded in agreement as he listened from the side.
Though Tang Erhu was a rough man, he had a good heart. And it had to be said, he did have feelings for Liu Xiangxiang. If Liu Xiangxiang had truly told him that she adopted a child from another family because she had lost her own, Tang Erhu might have agreed.
Unfortunately, one mistake led to another.
"Dad, I've asked Wei Dong to take Ah Li and Ah Yang to our house. Once you're done here, I'll bring them back. Let them stay at my place for a couple of days," Tang Xu said softly.
Tang Erhu grunted in acknowledgment, "Okay."
The father and son locked eyes, Tang Erhu opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Tang Xu smiled at him, speaking lightly, "Regardless of everything, you're still my dad, and my attitude towards you won't change."
Tang Erhu stood up, embraced him, and patted his back, "Yeah, Dad knows."
Tang Xu left, knowing he couldn't control what would happen to Liu Xiangxiang next.
After returning home, there was no way to hide this matter from the siblings, so when he got back, he called the two of them over and told them everything.
Throughout the conversation, both siblings were wide-eyed in astonishment, listening intently. When they heard that their mother would be divorced, Tang Li's mouth dropped open, but she didn't make a sound. Tang Yang asked, "So, I won't have a mother anymore?"
Although their mother often scolded him and wasn't as good to him as she was to their older brother, he still didn't want to be without a mother!
"Brother, please, can you beg Dad not to divorce Mom?" Tang Yang threw himself into Tang Xu's arms, crying, "I don't want Mom to leave. I can't be without Mom."
Tang Xu hugged him, comforting him, "There's nothing I can do about this matter, little brother. When Mom does something wrong, she has to face the consequences. You won't be without a mother, even if she and Dad separate, she'll still be your mother."
Tang Yang cried so hard that his shoulders shook.
Tang Xu patted his shoulder, saying, "It's okay to cry. You still have to face reality."
Tang Li also teared up, and Tang Xu lifted his hand, and the little girl rushed into his arms.
Holding his younger siblings, Tang Xu glanced at Wei Dong standing at the door, looking helpless.
Wei Dong raised the bamboo tube he was holding and asked, "Honey water, does anyone want to drink?"
Tang Yang lifted his head, tears streaming down his face, and a bubble of snot forming on his nose. "I want to drink."
"...," Tang Xu chuckled helplessly, realizing he couldn't back out now. Wei Dong walked over and handed him the bamboo tube, then asked Tang Xu, "Is Dad really going to divorce Mom?"
"Yeah, this matter won't be resolved. My dad said I don't need to worry about it," Tang Xu rubbed his face and stood up. "Whether your hungry or not, I'll go make food."
"Brother, I'll help you." Tang Li looked at him.
Tang Xu nodded and gently patted her head twice. "Good girl, you'll have to start taking charge from now on."
Tang Li pursed her lips nervously and looked at him. "Will Dad marry another woman?"
"He might," Tang Xu thought to himself that Tang Erhu was only forty years old, still healthy and strong, so it was unlikely he wouldn't remarry. "Don't worry about that. If Dad does marry again and mistreats you in the future, come find me. I won't let anyone bully you."
Tang Li couldn't hold back anymore and rushed over, burying her face in his chest, crying out in sobs.
Tang Yang watched his eldest sister cry with sadness, and after finishing the honey water, he began to cry too, his cries echoing loudly.
Tang Xu felt overwhelmed, at this moment, he didn't want Tang Erhu to divorce his wife.
After dinner, Tang Xu watched Tang Yang and Wei Xi return to the east wing, and then watched Tang Li go to the room where Wei Xi used to live before, before going to take a bath with Wei Dong.
Back in the room, Tang Xu dried his hair and said to Wei Dong, "We need to go to town tomorrow to restock."
"Restock what?" Wei Dong's hair was longer than Tang Xu's, but he didn't like to dry it bit by bit. He just wrapped it up with a towel and didn't care.
"Spices, it's not very suitable to always buy them from the pharmacy, and it's expensive." Tang Xu actually wanted to pick them in the mountains himself, after all, these things could be found in the mountains, but it seemed like there weren't as many varieties when picking them himself. "Do you know where the pharmacy gets its spices from?"
"We probably buy from someone else. I'll go ask if you want."
"Hmm... Would that be appropriate?"
"What's wrong with that?" Wei Dong reached out and took the towel from his hand, helping him slowly dry his hair. "Hui Chun Tang is a big pharmacy, and many medicinal herbs are grown by them."
Tang Xu nodded. "Okay, then you ask, and see if they can offer a discount for bulk purchases."
"Why do you want to buy so much?" Wei Dong looked puzzled.
Tang Xu smirked. "I'm going into business!"
"Oh, right, the business with the restaurant, didn't they come looking for you?" Wei Dong remembered.
Tang Xu raised a finger and shook it at him. "Whether they come or not doesn't matter. I want to do it on my own. When the weather gets warmer, I'll make some cold pot skewers and sell them in the village."
"Sell them in the village? Is that feasible?" Wei Dong expressed doubt.
Tang Xu shrugged, "You never know until you try. I think it's possible."
Actually, Tang Xu's idea to sell cold pot skewers in the village was a sudden whim. Mainly, he wanted the two children to keep busy and not dwell on things that troubled them. After all, such matters were not something they should worry about.
The next day, only Tang Xu and Wei Dong went to town. The three children stayed at home as per Tang Xu's request, sharpening bamboo skewers and feeding the animals in the meantime.
They hurried back and forth with the mule cart, and even before it was lunchtime, they entered the yard. Hearing the commotion, the three children ran to the backyard and saw them unloading two large baskets from the cart.
Then they realized that the baskets were filled with various medicinal herbs—or rather, spices.
"Why did you buy so much?" Tang Li couldn't understand. "Won't they spoil if left for too long?"
"Some of it is Xiao Xi's medicine, and some are mine. The rest are spices," Tang Xu explained wearily. "After lunch, I'll prepare the ingredients, and we'll try cooking a pot to taste the flavors tonight."
Thinking about cold pot skewers made him salivate uncontrollably.
This time in town, they also found the well-digger who finally had time, and they had already scheduled his visit to dig the cellar.
"After the cellar is dug, we can store ice in there!"
"If you want ice now, I can buy some back," Wei Dong hugged him. "Do you need it?"
"No," Tang Xu shook his head. Buying ice from town and bringing it back would probably melt halfway, which would be wasteful. "Let's go, I'll make meatballs and tofu. We'll have skewers tonight!"
After a busy afternoon of preparation, they finally enjoyed a delicious skewer dinner in the evening. Although it wasn't cold pot skewers, they couldn't resist the savory and spicy flavors. Even before the broth was fully cooked, including Tang Xu himself, they couldn't help but salivate at the bubbling hot pot.
The aroma was irresistible!
He poured half of the broth into a clay pot and placed the clay pot in a basin filled with well water to cool it down. The rest of the skewers were directly placed into the pot to cook.
Looking at the four children sitting around him, Tang Xu couldn't help but sigh, "Aren't you all feeling hot?" Sitting beside the hot iron pot emitting steam, how could they not feel hot? However, he saw them all shaking their heads in unison, their eyes fixed on the pot without moving.
"Alright, alright, go set the table, it'll be ready soon."
"Wuwu, big brother, just give me a bite, just one bite, I'm dying of craving! It smells so good!" Tang Yang refused to leave, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Please."
"It's not cooked yet!" Tang Xu pinched his nose. "Quick, go out, your face is all red from the heat."
But Tang Yang didn't move, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Tang Xu sighed and picked up a skewer with tofu on it, handing it to him. "Blow on it, don't burn yourself." Tang Yang nodded eagerly, blowing on it a few times before impatiently stuffing it into his mouth.
"Mmm!"
Tang Xu was startled. "Is it too hot? Spit it out, spit it out!" He reached out to take it back.
Tang Yang took a few deep breaths but eventually managed to chew and swallow it. "Big brother! It's so delicious!"
"Open your mouth!" Tang Xu was terrified. He held his chin and made him open his mouth, carefully examining it to find no burns in his mouth. "My fault, I shouldn't have given you the tofu skewer. You're not allowed to do this next time! If it's too hot, spit it out, understand?"
Tang Yang nodded. "I understand, big brother. It's really delicious! It's the best thing I've ever eaten!"
Tang Xu chuckled, pinching his cheek. "Got it. Go help your sister set the table, we'll start dinner soon!"
The spicy skewers received unanimous praise. Later, when they finished the skewers, Tang Xu saw that they hadn't had enough, so he decided to put all the prepared meat and vegetables into the broth and cooked it directly.
Transforming from skewers to spicy hot pot, they still enjoyed it immensely. Despite being drenched in sweat, nobody complained, their mouths tingling from the spiciness. "How is it? Can we sell this?" Tang Xu asked, leaning on his chin and looking at them.
"Definitely!"
"Yes, we can!"
"Absolutely!"
Wei Dong nodded as well. "When you sell it, set up a pot next to it. The aroma from the broth will probably attract half the village."
Tang Xu grinned. "That's exactly the effect I want. Tomorrow morning, we'll get ready and start selling at noon, let's test the waters." With enthusiasm, all four of them nodded in agreement.
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