The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 60

 

| TBBOTOF | 60

To understand why Zhang Cuihua didn't go to Wei Dong for money in the past two years, we need to start with the rumor that Wei Dong had no money.

Wei Dong didn't deliberately portray himself as "very poor." It was because he didn't speak up against those spreading rumors about him, and also because the Wei family's mansion had always been tightly closed off. Even if they had gossipy thoughts, they couldn't figure out the truth.

Some people have twisted minds. When they see someone else's mansion being built magnificently, they feel sour inside, and their words naturally wouldn't be pleasant. 

They say rumors stop at the wise, but how many of those gossip-loving villagers are wise? Furthermore, rumors stop at the one who manages them. If Wei Dong, as the person involved, allows the rumors to spread without intervening, then who will stop them?

So, as the rumors spread, they became more and more exaggerated. They said that the two brothers stayed in the mansion all day eating plain food, that all the money Wei Dong earned was spent on buying medicine for Wei Xi's illness, and that the mansion was built to save face, but in reality, it was empty inside, with nothing but bare walls.

As the rumors grew, some people didn't believe them. They went to ask the neighbors closer to Wei Dong's mansion if his family was really that poor.

Uncle Wu's family was the first to be approached, but they didn't know about the situation and said they had no idea.

Zhang Cuihua's house wasn't far from ours, and her personality was still the type that enjoyed being admired and followed by others. For a while, because of the gossip she spread about the Wei brothers in the mansion, she found herself surrounded by many people asking questions.

They live close to each other, and she can't smell the scent of meat coming from their direction. She never sees Wei Dong farming, and when he comes down from the mountain, he always comes back empty-handed. In the past couple of years, she occasionally saw him bring back wild chickens or rabbits, but now she doesn't even see that.

She supposed he could get some meat. Wei Dong must still have to buy medicine for Wei Xi to drink, and they have to make medicine every day. That smell is unbearable! Oh, that poor child, surviving on medicine!

If they make no money, how could they have money? He doesn't even pick and choose when they come to buy radishes. They only charged them for only a few pennies for more than ten radishes, just because they all felt sorry for them!

Oh, the last time they saw Wei Xi, and boy, was he thin! You can tell he's not eating well and doesn't have much meat on his bones! With all the things she's been saying, the only thing that holds true over the years is that Wei Xi isn't eating well and doesn't have much meat on his bones.

After all, Wei Dong is a black hole in the kitchen, and Wei Xi isn't much better than his brother. These two brothers are lucky if they can even feed themselves properly.

Some people have said, "If they have money, why don't they hire someone to cook?" The answer is simple: the brothers don't like it.

Even if they have money, Wei Dong has never liked having people in the house, and with Wei Xi's health, if someone has a bad temper, they don't even need to lift a finger. A few words or a slap could be fatal.

So, they just keep living like this. As long as they're not hungry or cold, it's enough, just being alive is sufficient.

In the past, even when they had money, they just managed to get by. They were satisfied as long as they didn't die. The brothers hardly spoke a few words to each other each day, and the sky above the mansion always seemed gloomy.

But ever since Wei Dong used twenty taels of silver as a betrothal gift to marry a ger from the neighboring village, this news spread like wildfire, and everyone, whether they knew him or not, was shocked.

Their only thought was, "Is Wei Dong really that rich?"

For a while after that, people weren't sure if Wei Dong was truly wealthy, but they saw that the ger he married was very capable and able to earn money.

For a period of time, people in the village could always smell a strong meat fragrance outside, leading them to the Wei family mansion.

Zhang Cuihua was approached again by someone curious about the situation, and this time she changed her story, saying that she had misjudged before. It was actually Wei Dong who had been silently accumulating wealth. After marrying a husband, they stewed and ate meat every day, and the aroma spread far and wide.

The villagers learned about this, and they realized that Wei Dong's husband was very skilled at cooking. Not long after, they tasted the delicious cold soup skewers, and seeing that the family was making a lot of money every day, many people began to murmur to themselves.

It seemed that Wei Dong was truly fortunate. After marrying a husband, their lives had improved significantly. Even Wei Xi's health had improved considerably. He looked energetic, and he had grown taller and gained weight.

Now, the sky above the Wei family mansion was clear and sunny, not to mention the impressive courtyard visible from the occasionally open gate. It was nothing like the poverty they had imagined, where they couldn't even scrape together enough to eat.

This transformation from barely scraping by to eating meat every day was the favorite topic of gossip among the village women. Many of them lamented not recognizing Wei Dong's wealth earlier. If they had, they would have definitely married their daughters or sons into that family, securing a prosperous future for themselves.

Not only did they see the entire family of Tang Erhu enjoying the good life, they also noticed his two children coming in and out of the mansion frequently, staying for several days and enjoying meat dishes every day.

There were still some sour comments, and many who had tried their luck with Wei Dong and failed were feeling even more bitter. Later, when Tang Xu stopped selling snacks at his stall due to the hot weather, those who had been envious of his earnings finally calmed down a bit.

Nobody expected that Tang Erhu's family would set up a snack stall in their own courtyard, and not only that, but their business would also be booming.

When Zhang Cuihua, Wei Zhongyi's mother-in-law, saw how profitable the snack stall outside Wei Dong's mansion was, she felt a pang of jealousy. Coincidentally, a matchmaker came to propose a marriage for her son, a girl from a neighboring village whose family background was quite good. They promised a dowry of two taels of silver and even a set of furniture.

Zhang Cuihua was overjoyed to hear this, but her son refused to even meet the girl. He insisted that he couldn't marry her and wanted to marry a ger instead.

Wei Yu had also said something similar before, and although Zhang Cuihua had been angry, she hadn't paid much attention. But this time, she couldn't bear it anymore, especially with pressure from her in-laws at the old house. Wei Yu was already twenty and still unmarried, and his in-laws were starting to blame her for neglecting her duties as a mother.

Once again, when she heard her son say that he couldn't marry a girl and wanted to marry a ger instead, Zhang Cuihua exploded. This led to her going to the mansion to ask Wei Dong for money.

In the end, this had nothing to do with Wei Dong. It was Zhang Cuihua's own inability to accept the situation. Not only that, she even blamed Tang Xu, whom she had never met.

This was because Wei Yu had said that he liked someone like Tang Xu. He thought Tang Xu was good-looking and capable, and he wanted to marry someone like him.

Zhang Cuihua had a fixation on having sons. Although she had given birth to three children for Wei Zhongyi, she only had one son, Wei Yu, while the other two were daughters.

Zhang Cuihua favored her son over her daughters, treating him like the apple of her eye. When Wei Yu was a child, he was fearless and didn't even fear his grandparents. Because of this, when he saw Wei Xi with a piece of candy, he would go and snatch it. However, Wei Xi wasn't stupid; if he cried, Wei Yu would be scolded.

Once, when Wei Yu pushed him down and scolded him, he managed to snatch the candy and stuff it into his mouth. Feeling proud, Wei Yu hadn't finished laughing before Wei Dong gave him a severe beating.

From that moment on, not only did Wei Yu become weak at the sight of Wei Dong, but he also became rigid at the sound of his name, completely changing his domineering personality.

Of course, saying that he completely changed wouldn't be entirely accurate, but he did tone down his behavior quite a bit. At least he didn't dare to act tough in front of outsiders anymore; all of his domineering attitude was directed towards his family.

He wouldn't dare to act that way towards his father, but towards his mother and two sisters, he was arrogant.

Zhang Cuihua didn't think for a moment that she had spoiled her son. In fact, she thought it was good that her son was like this, believing that it would help him assert dominance over his future wife. 

Then she witnessed her son's rebellious and domineering behavior firsthand. He said he wouldn't marry anyone if he couldn't marry a ger, even if it meant not getting married at all. Zhang Cuihua cried until her eyes were sore and her throat was hoarse, but neither of the two men in front of her bothered to give her a glass of water.

"For whom am I doing this? Isn't it for your old Wei family? Don't you know how difficult it is to raise a son like this? There are many people who cant give birth like I have, but if you're lucky enough to have a son, it's still considered fortunate. But what if you have a son who can't carry on the family line? Are you going to watch your son end the family line?"

Wei Zhongyi thought about what she said and realized that there was some truth to it. Besides, their family wasn't so destitute that they needed to marry a ger. But if his son insisted on marrying a ger instead of a woman, what could he do?

Wei Yu chimed in, "If you're worried about not having a son from a ger, then why don't I marry a few more? After all, marrying a ger doesn't cost much."

The attitude of "I don't care anyway, I'll just marry more women if I want more children" left Wei Zhongyi speechless as a father. 

When he realized what his son had said, he raised his hand and started hitting him while scolding, "You talk about marrying more gers as if it's nothing! Do you think our family can afford to marry multiple people? Do you think they won't need to eat? How many mouths can your hands feed?"

The people who they marry are all landless. What if they can't have children for three to five years? With more people come more mouths to feed. How much food does each mouth need per year?

At this point, not only was Zhang Cuihua feeling dizzy and her head pounding with darkness creeping into her vision, but Wei Zhongyi also felt chest tightness from the anger. 

He couldn't understand why his son could be so heartless! How could he say such ridiculous things! Ridiculous enough to make someone want to beat him to death!

Even after being beaten several times by his own father on the shoulders, Wei Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said.

After dodging to the side and rubbing the sore spot where he was hit, he said indignantly, "What did I say wrong? If I could marry a few more ger, maybe one of them would be able to earn money like Tang Xu, and another one would be able to work like Tang Xu. Wouldn't that mean I win?"

Zhang Cuihua stared blankly at her son as he spoke, unable to catch her breath. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Fainted.

Wei Zhongyi was stunned for a moment before he reacted, rushing over to pull her up. "Cuihua? Cuihua, what's wrong?" he shook her vigorously, calling out as he shook her.

Wei Yu was also startled. "Mom?"

The father and son shouted for a while inside the house, but it was Da Ya who noticed something was wrong in the yard and came in to see her mother faint. Her face changed color, and she quickly turned and ran outside.

"Er Ya, go to the old house and tell Grandpa and Grandma that Mom fainted. I'll go get the herbalist!"

Da Ya, Er Ya, ran out of the yard in both directions. The herbalist lived nearby, so as soon as he heard from Er Ya that her mother had fainted, he quickly grabbed his box of herbs and rushed out. On the way, he asked, "How did your mother faint?"

Da Ya shook her head. "I don't know. Mom came back from outside and went into the house. I heard her crying, and Er Ya and I were working in the yard. Just now, I heard Dad and eldest Brother shouting for Mom inside the house, so I went in to see what happened, and that's when I found out she had fainted."

The herbalist sighed. "Your eldest brother, he's not reliable!" He didn't need to think too much to figure out that it was probably because of Wei Yu's marriage issue.

Wei Yu's inability to marry was something Zhang Cuihua had brought up with him many times, asking him repeatedly, and even asking for herbal medicine to give to Wei Yu. However, in front of Da Ya, a young girl who hadn't yet married, the herbalist couldn't speak so openly.

Thinking about the matchmaker who had visited Wei Zhongyi's house recently, the herbalist figured it was because of this issue. Combined with the hot weather and people's naturally short tempers, that's probably why Zhang Cuihua fainted.

He thought that smelling some strongly scented herbs would wake the person up. But not only did she not wake up after smelling them, even when the herbal medicine was poured into her mouth, there was no response. If it weren't for the faint pulse that could still be felt, she would have seemed dead.

The herbalist shook his head and took out a silver needle, stabbing it into her  philtrum, but she only twitched slightly and didn't open her eyes.

"Not good, quickly get a cart and take them to the town. See if the old doctor at Huichun Hall can wake them up." He didn't say more, but everyone in the room understood.

If the person couldn't wake up, the situation wouldn't be good.

"Go, find your uncle, let him bring the ox cart over, hurry to the town," Wei Zhongyi stretched out his hand and patted Wei Yu, "Hurry up." 

The old lady also urged him on, Wei Yu hesitated for a moment and then rushed out. After a commotion, it was almost dark, and Zhang Cuihua was taken to the town.

When they left, there was quite a commotion, and those who were curious ran to tell Wei Zhonghong.

"Your second sister-in-law has fainted, the herbalist said she's in bad shape, they just took her to the town," 

Wei Zhonghong frowned, "What's going on?"

"They said she was angered. I heard she went over to find Wei Dong earlier, and someone saw her stomping back from that direction."

Wei Zhonghong's face darkened, "Don't talk nonsense, go, go, go, I'm busy and don't have time to chat with you."

The person who came to talk was ushered out by her, and she wiped her hands and hurried out as well.

Tang Xu was in the backyard making grass nests for the ducks. He planned to make a few more and throw them all into the pen so that the ducks could sleep together or separately as they pleased.

As for the two big mother geese that were brooding eggs, they had two big grass nests each, with a thick layer of dry straw inside. The big geese had a bad temper. 

Every time they saw Tang Xu, they stretched their necks and honked at him, and even flapped its wings at him. However, Tang Xu grabbed its neck and held it up, making it unable to struggle.

Tang Xu narrowed his eyes and shook it, saying coldly, "Dare to peck me, I'll pluck your feathers and stew you! Stewed goose in an iron pot is delicious!" 

After saying this, he let go of the goose and threw it to the ground. The goose honked several times and then ran away trembling, shivering with fear. This person was terrifying.

"Ah Xu," Wei Dong came over from the front yard and said, "Auntie is here."

Tang Xu turned his head and responded, patting the goose feathers in his hands. "Why are you calling me Ah Xu again? Just a few days ago, you were calling me Xiao Xu." Wei Dong changed his address for him every few days.

On the kang bed, he was called Bao'er, off the kang bed, he was called Xu Ge'er, Xiao Xu, Xu Xu, all sorts of names, and now he's being called Ah Xu again. 

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow, "I always feel like no matter how I call you, it doesn't feel close."

"Alright, call me whatever you want." Tang Xu bumped into him, "As long as you're happy, my dear." 

Wei Dong chuckled lightly, "Hmm, my husband."

Tang Xu shuddered at the cheesy affection.

Wei Zhonghong sat in the front yard, feeling a bit stuffy inside the house, so she preferred sitting outside in the yard. Wei Xi sat beside her.

"Did your second uncle's wife come over?" 

Wei Xi nodded and shook his head, "I don't know her. When she came, Brother-in-law asked me to come into the yard first." 

Wei Zhonghong nodded understandingly and didn't ask further.

She knew about the incident when Wei Dong severely beat Wei Yu. She even went to see how badly Wei Yu was beaten. Later, she heard that Wei Dong compensated with ten taels of silver.

"Auntie." Wei Dong pulled Tang Xu over and called out.

Tang Xu smiled at Wei Zhonghong and asked her, "Auntie, why did you come over at this hour? Is there something wrong?" It was already dark, and some families had already gone to bed.

Wei Zhonghong softened when she saw him smiling, reached out to pull him to her side, and waited for him to sit down before asking, "Has Zhang Cuihua come over?" 

It took Tang Xu a moment to connect the name Zhang Cuihua mentioned by Wei Zhonghong with Wei Dong's crazy second aunt.

"She came over to ask Wei Dong for money, saying that it was Wei Dong's fault that her son couldn't find a wife, and demanded compensation," Tang Xu imitated Zhang Cuihua's attitude for Wei Zhonghong, and seeing her disgusted expression, he chuckled, "I sent her back with her tail between her legs. When she left, her face looked pretty bad. What's wrong? She left not too long ago."

"Just now she was taken to the town to see the doctor. They said she fainted and even the herbalist couldn't wake her up," Wei Zhonghong pursed her lips, feeling somewhat worried. "Could it be that you angered her to the point of fainting?"

"She left around noon. Can I be blamed if she faints now?" Tang Xu found this idea quite amusing and chuckled, asking in return, "Auntie, do you think she fainted because of me?"

Wei Zhonghong thought about it and felt that even if it wasn't entirely because of Tang Xu, he might bear some responsibility.

"Go ahead and say it. She came over here yelling, and people heard it. Her family isn't afraid of losing face, so I'm not afraid of them causing trouble," Tang Xu suddenly brightened up, leaning closer to Wei Zhonghong and asked in a low voice, "Auntie, do you know why her son isn't getting married?"

Wei Zhonghong was amused by his eager-to-hear-gossip expression and affectionately patted him, scolding, "Mind your own business when it comes to outsiders' affairs. Aren't you afraid of upsetting Dongzi?"

Tang Xu grinned and turned his head to look at Wei Dong, who was peeling a pear with a small knife.

The pear was not very large, and its taste was sweet and sour, but the skin was a bit thick and astringent, making it unpleasant to eat. Every time Tang Xu ate it, he would use his teeth to gnaw around it, spit out the skin, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

However, he still enjoyed eating it, so Wei Dong would later help him peel it.

The main reason was that his knife was too sharp, and a light touch could easily cut his hand and cause bleeding, so he didn't dare to let Tang Xu handle it.

For Wei Dong, it was just a small knife, but for Tang Xu, it was like a long dagger, not light in weight. It was fine for cutting meat but peeling fruit was another matter. He was genuinely afraid of him cutting off his own fingers.

Wei Dong was very skillful with the knife. He held the pear in one hand and the knife in the other, rotating the blade around the pear twice, and the skin peeled off effortlessly.

He first handed one to Wei Zhonghong, then peeled one for Tang Xu and Wei Xi each, before finally taking one for himself and biting directly into it.

The pear skin, which was difficult for Tang Xu to eat, seemed tasteless in his mouth. 

He chomped on it easily, "Auntie is asking you a question!" Tang Xu nudged Wei Dong with his elbow while gnawing on the pear.

"What question?" Wei Dong didn't understand, still focused on his pear.

"She's asking you if you would be upset if I'm concerned about why someone else can't get married," 

Wei Dong wiped the pear juice from his mouth and nodded, "I would be."

Wei Xi stifled a laugh with his hand, while Tang Xu cast a look full of affection at him, then turned to Wei Zhonghong, saying, "Auntie, just tell me. I'm really curious why she came to say that."

"It's not really a secret. We had a big fuss about it a couple of years ago. My stepmother and others advised her, but Zhang Cuihua insisted on her stance, and the matter has dragged on until now," Wei Zhonghong glanced at Wei Dong as she spoke, seeing him expressionless while peeling the pear. 

She continued with some resignation, "Dongzi beat up Ah Yu back then pretty badly. Ah Yu lay in bed for half a year before he could get up, and Dongzi compensated with ten taels of silver."

Tang Xu nodded, slightly excitedly asking, "Did he hurt him badly?"

"I haven't heard of him being seriously injured," Wei Zhonghong replied, "They're about the same age, Ah Yu is actually a few months older than Dongzi, he's almost twenty this year. A couple of years ago, Zhang Cuihua arranged a match through the village matchmaker, but after a few proposals, none of them worked out. It's not that the girls' families disagreed, it's Ah Yu himself who didn't want to marry, no matter what."

"Why?" Tang Xu looked puzzled. He guessed, "Could it be that he has someone else in his heart?"

"If he really had someone else, this wouldn't be an issue. Zhang Cuihua made a big fuss, scolded Ah Yu to the point of tears, and finally forced it out of him. Ah Yu said he couldn't be with a girl, couldn't marry a girl, and wanted to marry a ger," Wei Zhonghong said, then glanced at Wei Xi beside her, whose eyes widened. 

She reached out and patted his mouth, "Xiao Xi, go back to your room and sleep. This isn't something children should hear!"

Wei Xi blinked, held his face in his hands, "Auntie, I've already heard it. Let me continue listening. I won't say anything to anyone, really, I can keep a secret."

Wei Zhonghong glared at him but ultimately didn't chase him away.

Since he had already overheard, kicking him out wouldn't make a difference.

Tang Xu could understand Wei Yu very well. After all, asking a pure homosexual to marry someone of the opposite sex would definitely be a challenge. 

Moreover, since marrying a man was accepted here, why marry a woman? He understood, but that didn't mean everyone else would. 

The people here didn't draw such a clear line between marrying a ger or a woman, after all, both could bear children. The only difference was that marrying a ger carried more risks in terms of offspring, as some ger might never be able to have children.

"Anyway," Tang Xu looked at Wei Zhonghong and asked her, "So this issue has been lingering all this time? Why did she suddenly come over to cause trouble for Wei Dong?"

Wei Zhonghong, being a mother herself and having four sons who were also not easy to deal with, could understand Zhang Cuihua to some extent.

However, upon hearing Tang Xu's question, she shook her head, indicating that she didn't know, "Maybe she's just being irrational. Because of Ah Yu's refusal to marry a girl, she caused quite a stir for a while. She even tried various remedies and herbal soups for Ah Yu to drink. There have been many arguments over this in the past two years."

Tang Xu understood and shrugged, saying, "So, today's incident of her fainting can't be blamed on us. When we closed the door, she still had the strength to bang on it! If she fainted in front of my house, she could blame me, but if it's at her own house, what does it have to do with me?"

Wei Zhonghong reached out to pat his head, saying, "Although my second brother isn't a good person, he wouldn't do something like going to someone's house to cause trouble. What worries me is our parents."

She finished speaking and looked up at Wei Dong.

Wei Dong handed the peeled pear to Tang Xu and said in a calm tone, "If they dare to come, let's make them regret it."

Wei Zhonghong's lips twitched and she reached out to pat him, saying, "What kind of talk is that! If you really made them regret it, what would happen to your reputation!" 

She had many grievances against her own parents, but Wei Zhonghong couldn't stand by and watch them being upset to the point of death. 

Unless Zhang Cuihua could wake up smoothly and refrain from causing trouble for Wei Dong and them, the situation would be really difficult to resolve.

Tang Xu also knew that Wei Zhonghong's worries were valid. After some thought, he said, "It's useless to say anything now. Let's wait and see if Zhang Cuihua wakes up."

As the saying goes, disasters often come in pairs. If Zhang Cuihua woke up, perhaps on their way to the town. However, her previous condition was too scary, and they needed to check on her to be reassured.

The next day, there was no news about the incident. It had rained heavily, with strong winds, storms, and even hail. Tang Xu looked at the layer of ice shards on the ground and then at the vegetable garden beaten by the hail, feeling heartbroken.

"Fortunately, the hail only lasted for a while," he turned to look at Wei Dong, smiling as he asked, "Will we have another harvest when we go up the mountain tomorrow?"

Wei Dong's traps usually didn't catch much prey when the weather was good, but on days like these, with strong winds and heavy rain, they would often ensnare one or two panicked animals that stumbled into them. Regardless of size, they always yielded a harvest on such occasions.

Wei Dong nodded, slinging his arm around Tang Xu's shoulder and smiling, "Want to come with me for a stroll?"

Tang Xu thought that it had been a while since he had been up the mountain, so he nodded in agreement, "Let's go for a walk then. If we find any wild chickens or rabbits, we can bring them back for a meal."

"Why don't you just kill our own hens?" Wei Dong couldn't understand why Tang Xu wouldn't slaughter their own chickens. They had so many hens, all well-fed and plump, yet Tang Xu refused to kill them.

Tang Xu gave him a sideways glance, "Why are you so ignorant? Right now, the hens are laying eggs diligently, at least one egg per day, some even lay two. If I kill them for meat now, what about the eggs? I'll wait until winter when they start laying less, then I'll slaughter them for meat. Besides, I've seen a few hens starting to brood eggs. In a while, they'll hatch plenty of chicks, and our chicken population will increase even more!"

Wei Dong just made a noncommittal sound, his face expressionless.

He wanted to eat chicken.

Tomorrow, he would bring his slingshot with him up the mountain and shoot a wild chicken to stew for dinner.

Tang Xu was unaware of Wei Dong's thoughts. In his mind, he was planning to catch a live male rabbit to breed with the female rabbits at home. That way, their rabbit population would grow, and if they couldn't finish eating them, they could sell them. Not as whole rabbits, but as snacks in bowls.

Spicy rabbit chunks, spicy rabbit heads... just the thought made his mouth water.

"Oh, by the way, help me set up a roasting oven in the kitchen," Tang Xu said, as the rain began to taper off. He nudged Wei Dong, "I want to make some roasted food."

"What does a roasting oven look like?" Wei Dong had never heard of such a thing.

Tang Xu pulled him into the kitchen and drew a sketch on the ground with a charred stick, explaining as he drew.

"There's a sealed iron plate on top, and below, you can burn fire like this," he said, looking up at Wei Dong. "Do you understand?"

Wei Dong nodded, "I understand. This should be easy. I'll go to the blacksmith's shop in town and see if they have a ready-made iron plate."

"And we'll need some smooth round stones, there should be some by the river, have you seen them?" Tang Xu gestured to him.

"Seen them, they're on the riverbank. If you want, I'll gather a basketful for you," Wei Dong nodded, then asked, "Why don't you go to the riverbank?"

Tang Xu patted his chest and said, "I'm afraid. Ever since I nearly drowned in the river, I've been scared. I dare not go near it. Just thinking about going to the river makes my heart race."

Wei Dong frowned, pulled him into an embrace, and kissed his forehead, "If you don't want to go, then don't. I'll bring back whatever you need." 

Tang Xu returned the affection by kissing his chin, "You're the best."

They didn't linger in the kitchen, donned their raincoats, and headed to the east wing. With the wind and rain, and the low temperature, all the windows in the east wing were closed. Wei Xi was sitting in a chair, flipping through the books his brother had found.

Although he couldn't read, he didn't mind tracing his fingers over the strokes of the characters. Whether he got it right or not didn't matter; at least he had something to do.

"Xiao Xi!" Tang Xu knocked on the door.

Wei Xi went to open the door, and upon seeing the two outside, he quickly stepped aside, saying, "Brother, Brother Xu."

"Is it cold?" Tang Xu didn't enter the room, but reached out to close the open door. "Don't stand here in the cold draft. Is there any place in the room where water is leaking?"

Wei Xi shook his head. "Brother Xu, you two should hurry back. I'm fine."

Tang Xu nodded and closed the door. Then he turned to Wei Dong and said, "Let's build a corridor here. That way, on rainy days, we won't have to run back and forth in the rain."

He raised his hand and pointed to the ground. "We don't need to dig a new path. We can just set up wooden frames on both sides of the stone slabs and build a roof on top. It'll be easy."

Wei Dong thought about it and agreed. He had seen corridors in the wealthy households in town, which were very exquisite. If they built one according to Tang Xu's suggestion, theirs would be a rough version.

"Alright, I'll go chop some trees."

"Let's go chop some over there in the backyard. It's closer, so you won't have to run too far," Tang Xu said, pulling him towards the main house. "We can't chop trees over there; it would leave the forest unprotected," 

Wei Dong paused, then added, "But bamboo should work, right?" 

Tang Xu nodded. "You're right, bamboo will work."

Wei Dong thought about it and decided that once the weather cleared up, he would find someone to go up the mountain with him and chop down more bamboo. 

They could then bring it all back at once, and with the help of others, they could quickly set up the frame. It wouldn't take a whole day to finish once the materials were gathered.

"What about using bamboo for the roof too?" Wei Dong asked.

Tang Xu agreed, "Yes, we can use bamboo boards for the roof, and then cover it with a layer of grass curtain on top. It will be more effective." 

Wei Dong nodded, "Alright, I'll follow your lead."

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. After feeding all the mouths at home, Tang Xu instructed Wei Xi to stay home and not open the door for anyone who knocked. Then he and Wei Dong took the mule and headed up the mountain.

Originally, they hadn't planned to bring the mule, but Wei Dong suggested it so they wouldn't have to carry back all the fruit and mushrooms they gathered.

"Let's see if we can dig up some fresh bamboo shoots. We can sun-dry some and pickle others. I still have some pickled chili peppers left, so this time let's make some pickled sour and spicy bamboo shoots," Tang Xu said as he walked behind the donkey with a large backpack, occasionally reaching out to play with its swaying tail.

The mule glanced back at him with eyes full of disdain. Tang Xu grinned at it, then tugged at its fur before letting go. The mule flicked its tail and slapped him in the face.

"Yuck!" Tang Xu waved his hand in disgust. "You stink! You need a bath!"

"It just had a rain shower yesterday, no need for a bath," Wei Dong said, walking ahead and turning to look at Tang Xu. "I don't smell anything bad on it." 

Tang Xu snorted. "I do! Its tail stinks!"

The big mule flicked him again, and Tang Xu reached out and patted its well-developed buttock muscles. "You've got quite the temper!" 

Wei Dong chuckled at the sight but didn't say much, instead pulling on the rope and leading the way up the mountain.

The path was relatively easy, not too rugged.

"Over there is a bamboo forest. The bamboo is quite thick. Should we take a look?" Wei Dong suggested.

"Let's go pick some fruit from Xiaoyu Mountain first," Tang Xu said, thinking about the mountain fruits. After yesterday's heavy rain, he wondered how many fruits would still be left on the mountain.

As they made their way up the mountain, they saw many trees blown down by the strong winds, mostly tall, large trees.

"Can we take these trees back for firewood?" Tang Xu asked.

Wei Dong nodded. "Usually, people who gather firewood in the mountains look for dried trees, trees struck by lightning like these, or trees blown down by the wind, as well as fallen branches."

"Then let's bring all of these down the mountain, split them, and stack them in the backyard. That way, we won't have to worry about running out of firewood in winter," Tang Xu suggested, envisioning a neatly stacked pile that would not only be practical but also aesthetically pleasing.

Wei Dong simply nodded at whatever Tang Xu proposed. After all, it might require a bit more effort, but he knew that his strength was best utilized in tasks like these.

They made their way to Xiaoyu Mountain, and just as Tang Xu had anticipated, most of the fruits had fallen to the ground after the storm, with very few left on the trees.

Tang Xu managed to salvage some of the fruits that hadn't been smashed to pieces and put them in his basket, but the majority were already too damaged.

During their time there, they encountered a small monkey who seemed to share Tang Xu's idea of picking fruits. However, upon seeing the humans, the monkey fled. Watching the monkey disappear into the forest with a few leaps, Tang Xu muttered to himself, "I wonder if there's such a thing as monkey wine."

"What wine?" Wei Dong asked, not quite catching Tang Xu's words.

"Monkey wine, made by monkeys," Tang Xu replied with a smile.

"I've never tried it," Wei Dong shook his head, indicating his lack of knowledge on the subject.

"I've never tried it either." Tang Xu remarked. It was highly unlikely they would stumble upon monkey wine; he had just entertained the idea out of the blue. 

With not many fruits to gather, and those they had collected bearing minor flaws, they decided to wash them and eat them fresh. Unfortunately, they wouldn't keep for long. 

However, they did manage to find plenty of mushrooms sprouting, and Tang Xu filled two large baskets with them. They were sizable with a variety of colors and types.

"Let's go, let's dig for bamboo shoots!" Tang Xu exclaimed.

While they were busy digging bamboo shoots and picking mushrooms, back at the main house, something unexpected was unfolding. Wei Dong's grandparents had arrived.

Hearing the loud banging on the door outside, Wei Xi asked, "Who is it? My brother and his husband are not here. If you have business with them, come back later."

"Open the door! I'm your grandmother!" came the stern reply.

Wei Xi was taken aback. Coldly, he responded, "I don't have a grandmother. My brother said both my grandparents are dead. Anyone claiming to be my grandmother is lying to children."

There was a pause after the knocking, then it resumed with even greater force.

Wei Xi walked to the door, checked the latch, then went to the back door to ensure both were securely locked. Ignoring the banging on the door outside, he returned to his own room.

Outside, the two elderly individuals continued to shout and yell, but unfortunately, their throats grew sore, and no one paid them any attention. They were both angry and frustrated, but there was nothing they could do.

As for Zhang Cuihua, she had indeed regained consciousness, but half of her body remained immobile. It would require a considerable sum of money for her medication, and even then, there was no guarantee of a full recovery.

The two elderly individuals felt sorry for their second son. Hearing that Zhang Cuihua had been angered at Wei Dong's place, and after arguing with Wei Yu back home, Zhang Cuihua had fainted. 

In a fit of anger, the two elderly individuals had rushed over.

They needed to ask Wei Dong for money!

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