The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 62

 

| TBBOTOF | 62

Tang Xu lay on the cart, originally planning to get up once they were out of the village. However, with the swaying of the cart, he ended up dozing off. Wei Dong glanced at him, noticing he was asleep with his eyes closed, so he didn't wake him up. 

He even patted the mule's backside to signal it to slow down. The big mule trotted into the town, pulling the cart all the way to Huichun hall.

Doctor Xu was napping in his own room when the medicine boy came to wake him, saying Wei Dong had brought his husband over. Doctor Xu was still counting the days on his fingers while putting on his shoes. 

It wasn't yet time for diagnosing and prescribing medicine, so why did they suddenly come? When he saw Tang Xu being carried in by Wei Dong, he was surprised and asked, "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" 

Tang Xu's face was red with anger and urgency.

He had dozed off and woke up to see the cart stopped in front of Huichun hall. Wei Dong insisted he go in for a check-up. Refusing was useless, as Wei Dong simply carried him in.

But he wasn't sick at all; he was perfectly fine!

Doctor Xu felt his pulse and found no problems. Instead, he said, "You don't need to drink the medicinal soup for another ten days. Remember not to catch a cold this winter."

Tang Xu nodded with a red face and patted Wei Dong's arm, "Let me down! You're embarrassing me!" If you have no shame, then I certainly do! Seeing Tang Xu getting angry, Wei Dong bent down and let him down to the ground.

Tang Xu quickly turned to bow to Doctor Xu, "I apologize for any inconvenience."

Doctor Xu stroked his beard, smiling as he asked, "What's going on?"

Tang Xu shot a glance at Wei Dong. "You tell him."

Wei Dong simply responded, expressionless, "He pretended to be sick to deceive people."

Tang Xu gasped, looking at him in surprise. "Can't you give a complete explanation of what happened?"

Wei Dong sighed, "I don't want to. It's too long to explain."

"...Fine," Tang Xu thought, ‘having to deal with someone like him, who else can I blame? It's not like when you argued with Liu Xiangxiang.’ 

He realized that Wei Dong only spoke more when he felt like it.

But he also noticed that it didn't matter much if Doctor Xu knew about the incident.

Tang Xu carefully considered his words and found that no matter how he put it, it sounded vulgar. So he recounted the whole story of what happened.

After he finished, he saw Doctor Xu's expression change to one of sudden realization. Looking at the two of them, he said, "I was wondering who made Zhang Cuihua so angry. Turns out, you two are also to blame."

Tang Xu and Wei Dong both looked at him, wondering what their connection was.

Doctor Xu waved his hand, signaling for the medicine boy to bring tea, and the three of them sat down at the table.

He began to explain in simple terms, "When she was brought here, she was in bad shape, almost out of breath. So I asked her man," gesturing towards Wei Dong, "your second uncle here, and he said she fainted at home after arguing with her son out of anger."

Tang Xu listened with interest, surprised that there was more to the story.

"And then?" he asked eagerly.

Doctor Xu, meeting his curious gaze, chuckled and said, "There's no 'and then.' Treating an illness involves observation, questioning, and examination. I needed to understand the situation to treat her. Her husband said she went out for a while, came back angry, lay on the kang for a bit, and then argued with her son, which led to her fainting."

"Why were they arguing?" Tang Xu's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Doctor Xu cleared his throat and picked up his cup to drink tea. Tang Xu noticed his cup was empty and reached out to pour more tea for him.

"I heard him telling his elder brother that it's because his son wants to bring home several more gers to have children with, which made the old lady faint from anger," Doctor Xu said, observing Tang Xu's astonished expression as if saying, ‘My goodness, this man is quite the playboy.’

He cleared his throat again. "Your second uncle's wife is quite ill. Taking medicine and getting injections will cost quite a bit of money. If she just stays at home and rests, she'll recover, albeit more slowly. But..." He paused and sighed, "if she gets angry again, her days may be numbered."

Tang Xu guessed that her high blood pressure from anger could lead to a stroke, leaving half of her body paralyzed.

Doctor Xu had known Wei Dong for many years and had helped him out a lot in the past. Therefore, he understood their family situation and didn't mention anything about Wei Dong having to spend money to help. 

Instead, he advised the two of them, "She can't skimp on her treatment. Otherwise, if she really deteriorates, you won't be able to explain yourselves. From what I gather from her family, they only intend to have her take medicine and rest at home, without getting injections."

Tang Xu nodded, thanking Doctor Xu for his kind reminder.

This time they didn't bring the bamboo basket. Since they were already out of medicine, they decided to take back the medicine for Tang Xu and Wei Xi for the next ten days. They tied the medicine packets together with hemp rope, creating quite a long bundle.

"Where to next?" Wei Dong asked.

Tang Xu sat cross-legged on the cart, with the bundle of medicine packets in front of him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's go to Fuyun Restaurant to check it out. They've been selling liangpi (cold skin noodles) for a few days now, but we haven't seen how well they're doing."

Although they heard that business was good and they came to buy every day, they hadn't actually seen how successful it was.

They headed straight to the restaurant. It was the hottest part of the day, and not mealtime yet, but the first floor of the restaurant was packed. Almost every table had people eating liangpi and skewers. There was also a bamboo tube on each table, and Tang Xu guessed it was filled with ice-cold drinks.

As soon as they stopped the cart, observant Xiaomu emerged from inside the restaurant, smiling and calling out to Tang Xu, "Boss Tang, how come you have time to come over!"

Tang Xu was taken aback by his greeting and raised his hand to his forehead in response.

Since they started doing business with the restaurant, supplying spices and condiments, Xiaomu and the other waiters began calling him "boss." Even the boss, Mr. Wu, stopped directly addressing Tang Xu as "Brother Xu" and instead referred to him as "Master Xu."

To be honest, it felt awkward to Tang Xu.

But Mr. Wu explained that Tang Xu was now a valuable business partner for the restaurant. Although calling him by his name sounded friendlier, it lacked formality and might make others look down on him.

Tang Xu's protests were in vain, as Mr. Wu insisted on this form of address.

"I've come to see how the restaurant business is doing. I can't have you relying on my words and then losing money later," Tang Xu said with a smile. 

Xiaomu blushed and quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. "The restaurant business is doing great," he replied. "Our boss said thanks to your suggestions, otherwise, business would have been really slow in the summer."

Running a restaurant, there were always off-peak seasons throughout the year. Especially in the days without fans or air conditioning, summers were particularly tough, and business could be described as dismal.

Unlike before, the business at the restaurant was booming every day now. 

Although the amount of money per table wasn't as high as before, the high turnover made up for it. There were also many takeout orders. The skewer pot was placed at the front, and anyone passing by would ask about the price. 

People found it affordable, they would buy a few skewers to try, and almost all of them became repeat customers, wanting to eat more after trying it once.

Tang Xu had confidence in these cold skewers. Even in modern times, this was a well-known snack loved by people of all ages.

Keeping prices low and turnover high was the key, even if it meant the headquarters might lose money.

The same went for liangpi. It was even more hassle-free than skewers. With just a ladle of flour, it could be made. However, the method of making it hadn't been researched by anyone else, perhaps because they were the only ones here.

Xiaomu kept praising Tang Xu and the skewers, the liangpi, and everything else endlessly, complimenting him left and right. In summary, he thought Tang Xu was amazing and talented.

"Alright, alright, I know your business is doing well, so I'm relieved," Tang Xu said. He didn't go inside with Wei Dong; they were busy, and they'd be taking up a table without ordering food.

Seeing him about to leave, Xiaomu quickly stopped him. "Boss Tang, don't leave yet. Our boss wants to talk to you about increasing the quantity of liangpi." 

Tang Xu was surprised. "Increasing the quantity?"

"Yes," Xiaomu nodded with a smile, rubbing his hands together. "One hundred servings is too few. Can we add a few more?"

Tang Xu furrowed his brow in slight discomfort. This wasn't something he could decide on. Ah Li could barely manage making 130 servings of liangpi in a day, and that was already pushing her limits. 

The main issue was that if she made any more, she'd have to start even earlier. 

Additionally, the liangpi would turn sour if left for too long. If it weren't for the carriage from Fuyun Restaurant going to the village early every morning to fetch the liangpi, with a cooler box on board, Tang Xu estimated that the goods would spoil before noon.

Seeing Tang Xu's dilemma, Xiaomu led him inside. "How about you talk to the boss?"

"Alright, I'll go talk to Boss Wu." Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong, who waved him off. "You go ahead, I'm not coming in." 

Xiaomu quickly said, "I'll pour Mr. Wei a glass of iced tea to quench his thirst."

"Thank you," Tang Xu smiled and thanked him.

Boss Wu was counting copper coins at the counter. In the past, a meal at the restaurant would cost at least one or two silver coins, mostly in broken silver, which made counting easier, and it wasn't troublesome during the evening accounting.

Since they started selling skewers and liangpi, broken silver coins were rarely seen. It was all copper coins now. At the end of each day, when they did their accounting, When he and the accountant would spend a good while counting, which could be frustrating yet also satisfying.

"Boss, look who's here!" Xiaomu shouted from behind the counter.

Boss Wu looked up and visibly brightened at the sight of Tang Xu. "Master Xu, how come you have time to come over?" After asking, he suddenly remembered their last meeting when Tang Xu mentioned needing to take care of his health. Concerned, he asked, "How's your health?"

"It's quite good. I just came from the pharmacy. I wanted to see how your business is doing," Tang Xu replied with a smile. " Xiaomu said you were looking for me?"

Boss Wu walked around the counter, smiling warmly. "There's something I wanted to discuss with you. To be honest, the liangpi is selling really well. I sell a bowl of cold soup for eight wen, and a bowl of mahjong soup for ten wen. Not just the wealthy households, even ordinary families in town are rushing to buy. 

One hundred servings are simply not enough to meet the demand. As soon as the liangpi arrives from your village, there's already a queue outside my shop. It's sold out within half an hour of opening."

Tang Xu widened his eyes. "Selling out so quickly?"

Boss Wu slapped his thigh. "Indeed! Everyone in town is eagerly waiting for it. No household in town is short of a few wen. Although the profit margin is thin, we didn't expect it to be so popular."

Tang Xu lightly tapped his chin with his finger, surprised that liangpi could be such a profitable business.

He thought about how Boss Wu transported the liangpi with an icebox. The liangpi must be cool and refreshing, especially on such hot days. Eating something cold in the heat must contribute to its fast sales.

"Boss, there might be another way to sell liangpi," Tang Xu suddenly thought aloud. If mixed liangpi sold well, then rolled liangpi would probably do well too. 

He explained the idea to Boss Wu and suggested that they could slightly raise the price. As for how much to increase it, it would depend on Boss Wu's discretion. "How many servings of liangpi do you think you'd like? You shouldn't sell too many at once, or else they might not all be sold, and then it would be hard to sell the rest. I suggest not increasing the quantity by too much."

"At least three hundred servings a day," Boss Wu said, looking at Tang Xu. "Can your sister handle this? What about other relatives?"

Tang Xu thought to himself that other relatives might not be reliable. It's not that they weren't reliable; it's just that he was worried about their reliability. To put it plainly, this task was too simple. Anyone accustomed to kitchen work would understand it at a glance, and after practicing a few times, they could master it. 

Tang Xu did have a suitable candidate in mind—Wei Zhonghong would definitely be capable. However, he was concerned that her daughter-in-law might become jealous.

His aunt Luo Pingping could also do it, but the problem lay with her two recently-married daughters-in-law. Newly-married daughters-in-law usually felt more attached to their maternal families. If they knew about this profitable opportunity, they might get ideas.

It all depended on whether they could control their daughters-in-laws.

Dividing three hundred servings among three families—each getting one hundred servings—was reasonable. With one jin of flour, they could make around twenty servings, and selling each serving for five wen, Tang Xu couldn't let people profit for free. He would have to take a two-wen cut, leaving three wen for them.

After calculating it in his mind, Tang Xu felt that he could manage this business, but it would also come with risks.

"I'll ask around in the next few days. If it's feasible, I'll have someone inform you a day in advance," Tang Xu said.

Boss Wu was delighted. He knew Tang Xu never made empty promises, so his agreement now meant that he was serious. "Great, I'll be waiting for the good news then."

Tang Xu nodded to him, "Then I'll head back first, you're busy."

Mr. Wu escorted the people out, then turned back to take the food box handed to him by Xiaomu, "These puff pastry snacks made by Chef Liu, take them back for the kids at home to try."

Tang Xu accepted it with thanks, not being overly polite.

After watching them leave, Mr. Wu hurried back to continue counting money and tallying copper coins, feeling extremely pleased. Who says small money isn't valuable? Even if it's as small as a mosquito's leg, it's still meat. He understood the principle of accumulating small amounts to make a big sum very well. 

On the way back, Tang Xu leaned on Wei Dong's shoulder and mentioned to him about the idea of ​​finding Wei Zhonghong and Luo Pingping to make cold noodles together.

"I thought if sales go well this year, there will definitely be more people wanting to cooperate with us next year. If we can keep this technique hidden, at least we can make money for a while without any problem."

Wei Dong listened quietly.

"But I'm also very worried that my elder aunt and elder uncle's daughter-in-law might have wandering eyes, you know what I mean?" Tang Xu leaned against his shoulder and nudged him, "Is there any way to let them both help earn money and keep the technique safe?"

"There is," Wei Dong spoke up, "Let your elder uncle's wife go work at Ah Li's place, and have our elder aunt come to our house."

"That sounds too troublesome," Tang Xu frowned, considering the distance between the two villages, "Although they come by carriage from that side, the distance between the two villages is still not close. It's a waste of time to make a trip."

"It's not like it's troubling you. Actually, I think you should just talk to them directly and let them figure out how to be more cautious. It's not a difficult task anyway. The restaurant on the other side must have tried to make it before." Wei Dong said lightly, "That's why they come to you when they can't succeed. If they succeed, who would buy so much from you? It's better to make money while they haven't figured it out yet."

Tang Xu felt he was right. So, he decided to sell five hundred pieces a day. When the weather wasn't so hot, cold noodles wouldn't sell well anyway. It was better to make money first.

"Then let's take a detour through the front village. I'll go find my elder uncle's wife."

"Let her come to our house tomorrow, and bring your elder aunt along. You can teach them both together." 

"Okay."

Since they didn't linger in town for too long, their trip back and forth didn't take much time. By now, it was only around three or four in the afternoon, and many people were still busy in the fields.

The mule cart first went to Tang Erhu's house. His father wasn't there, but Tang Li and Tang Yang were in the yard preparing for tomorrow's work.

Seeing their big brother coming over, both siblings were very happy. Tang Li was shocked when she heard that the restaurant was going to order several hundred more pieces of cold noodles.

"No, no, I can't do it," everyone wanted to make money, but one had to know their limits. Tang Li knew that what she was doing now was already her limit. If she took on more, she might end up exhausted.

At such a young age, being responsible for earning money, she was already extraordinary.

Tang Xu smiled and reassured her, "I'm not asking you to do it. I came to tell you that I plan to let your elder aunt and the elder aunt from the other side handle this work. Your elder aunt has a straightforward personality. If she has this opportunity to earn money, she will do it. In the future, if you are too busy here, she will definitely help out voluntarily."

Tang Li nodded, knowing that half of her brother's plan was for their sake.

Her eyes reddened a bit when she saw the medicine packets on the cart and asked nervously, "Brother, why did you bring so much medicine again? Didn't you just take some a few days ago? Are you feeling unwell again?"

Tang Yang, who had gone back to the yard to fetch a small bucket containing the small fish, shrimp, and crabs he had caught from the ditch today, hurried over upon hearing this, spilling some water in the process. "Brother, are you sick?"

"I'm not sick," Tang Xu ruffled his brother's hair, "But you two, don't be so busy with work that you forget to take care of yourselves."

"I know, brother," Tang Li observed him and noticed that his complexion seemed a bit healthier than before, so she felt relieved, "Dad said the pork buns I made for lunch were delicious."

"That's settled then. It's hot weather, so make sure to drink plenty of mung bean soup to avoid heatstroke," Tang Xu advised. 

He took the small bucket Tang Yang handed over, containing quite a few fresh river catches, and smiled, "Ah Yang's fishing skills are really good."

"Hehe, with the heavy rain yesterday, the water in the river rose and flooded the nearby ditches. When I went there in the morning, the water hadn't fully receded yet, so there were many people fishing. I even caught two slightly bigger ones.

 Brother, do you want to eat them? I can bring them to you," Tang Yang said as he was about to run into the yard, but Tang Xu stopped him, "No need. Go buy a block of tofu instead. We'll stew tofu with fish soup tonight, it'll taste great with some scallions and ginger."

Tang Li responded with an "okay."

Wei Dong said to Tang Xu, "You go find your elder aunt first, I'll go to the riverside." 

Upon hearing this, Tang Yang quickly grabbed the fishing net, "I'll go too."

"Alright, you two go ahead. I'll go up and ask Ah Li to bring the mule into the yard and give it some water to drink." Tang Li not only brought the mule into the yard but also carried all the medicine packets from the cart inside. 

Tang Xu walked up the road, not yet reaching the gate, when he saw someone coming out from inside.

It was a young woman with her hair done up in a married woman's hairstyle.

The young woman looked at him, momentarily stunned, then smiled at him, " Xu Ge'er is here." 

Tang Xu also smiled at her, "Eldest  sister-in-law."

"Are you here to see my mother?" Sun Ning'er asked curiously, her eyes staring directly at his face.

Tang Xu blinked and raised his hand to wipe his face, "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Sun Ning'er's face blushed slightly, and she whispered, "You're just too handsome."

Tang Xu chuckled, "Eldest sister-in-law is also very beautiful. Is my elder aunt at home? I need to talk to her."

"She's here, busy in the kitchen," Sun Ning'er replied. Seeing him about to enter the house, she hesitated for a moment before following him inside. 

Tang Xu turned to her and politely said, "Sister-in-law, if you're busy, you don't have to accompany me."

Sun Ning'er nodded and finally stopped in her tracks.

Inside the kitchen, Luo Pingping was cooking with her second daughter-in-law, Wang Lanhua. Hearing footsteps, she assumed it was her eldest daughter-in-law returning and without turning her head, she asked, "I asked you to go buy tofu, why are you back so soon?"

"Auntie," Tang Xu stood outside the kitchen door and called to her, "It's me."

Upon hearing his voice, Luo Pingping turned around, pleasantly surprised, "Why did you come over? It's been a while since you last visited. Come in, come in, take a seat."

She quickly washed her hands in the nearby basin and wiped them on her apron. "Come on, come inside. Your grandmother was just talking about you yesterday."

After the incident with Liu Xiangxiang, they were worried that they might drift apart from Tang Xu. However, they didn't have to worry for long before seeing Tang Li and Tang Yang setting up their little food stall, selling the cold noodle skewers that Tang Xu had originally made.

Even if they hadn't intentionally bought anything, they knew this business was profitable. The fact that Tang Xu entrusted such a profitable business to Tang Li showed that he cared about this family. 

Moreover, after Tang Li set up the stall, she didn't just focus on making money for herself. This girl had learned a lot about being a good person from her elder brother. She had sent skewers and cold noodles to their old house twice, regardless of the quantity. Everyone in the family had tasted them and praised them endlessly.

The old lady had been praising Tang Xu for several days, and even the usually quiet old master nodded repeatedly, saying that this child had a good heart, and it was their fortune to have such a child in the old Tang family.

Tang Xu smiled and told her, "It's been so hot lately, I've just been too lazy to go out, so I didn't come."

"Mother, look who's here!" Luo Pingping lifted the door curtain and entered the room, calling out to the inner room. 

Wu Guizhi was sitting on the kang, mending shoes. Upon hearing this, she asked, "Who is it?"

"Mother, it's me, Xu Ge'er," Tang Xu replied with a smile as he entered the room. Seeing her sitting cross-legged on the kang, he asked, "Missed me?"

"Oh, I've been longing to see you. Come sit down quickly. Daughter-in-law, make some sweet soup for Xu Ge'er," she reached out to pull Tang Xu, bringing him to sit on the kang. 

She smiled and took out a pair of new cloth shoes from the kang cabinet, "Here, I've been thinking about you. If you didn't come, I was going to have your aunt bring them over."

Tang Xu was stunned, looking down at the shoes in his arms, and exclaimed in surprise, "You made these for me?"

"Yes, I made them for you," the old lady nodded with a smile, "You got married too hastily, and my eyesight isn't good anymore, so I couldn't see things clearly and my hands are slow. I just finished making them a couple of days ago."

Tang Xu took a deep breath.

He had thought that this old lady didn't have much affection for him, but it seemed he had underestimated her.

"Thank you, grandmother," Tang Xu didn't bother with formalities. He just changed his slippers, put on the new shoes, and walked around the room, saying, "They're really comfortable!"

"That's right, back when I was young, I used to mend shoes to earn money," Wu Guizhi looked at him with a loving smile. Seeing that he didn't intend to take them off, she felt very content. When something you give away is appreciated, it's satisfying.

Tang Xu sat back on the kang, turned his head to look at Luo Pingping who came in with a bowl, and lifted his foot to show off, saying happily, "Auntie, look, grandmother made these for me!"

"Yes, I watched your grandmother make them," Luo Pingping smiled as she handed him the bowl, "Why did you come over? Where's Dongzi?"

"He took Ah Yang to catch fish. I came over to discuss something with Aunt," Tang Xu put his foot down, pulled her to sit beside him, then glanced out of the window. Seeing no one around, he chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's best if others don't hear about this matter."

Luo Pingping raised an eyebrow, while Wu Guizhi looked at him puzzledly, "What's the matter?"

Even though there was no one outside, Tang Xu still lowered his voice and moved closer to them, "You know how Ah Li sells a hundred cold noodles to the restaurant in town every day, right?"

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law nodded together. Of course, they knew. Although the carriage came early every day, they had seen them going to the fields early in the morning.

Many people in the village admired them, saying that despite Tang Erhu suffering from Liu Xiangxiang's mischief, his married child sincerely cared for him as a father, trying every means to earn money for him.

"I just went to town with Wei Dong and met Mr. Wu, the shopkeeper of the restaurant. He said he wants to order more cold noodles. Selling a hundred a day isn't enough," Tang Xu said, then looked at Luo Pingping.

Luo Pingping initially didn't quite understand his meaning, but when their eyes met, her mind clicked, and she was stunned for a moment. Then, her eyes widened in pleasant surprise, and she pointed at herself, "You want to let me do it?"

Wu Guizhi's eyes widened too, and she slapped his leg, asking Tang Xu, "Xu Ge'er, is that what you mean?"

"Yes, but not entirely," Tang Xu patted the old lady's hand, "They're asking for at least three hundred. I thought if Auntie can handle it, you could make one hundred, Wei Dong's elder aunt could make another hundred, and Ah Li could continue making one hundred."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Luo Pingping, who was still in shock, and smiled, "Actually, I was thinking it would be best if we could supply them with five hundred a day. You and Wei Dong's elder aunt could take two hundred each, so you wouldn't be working in vain."

Luo Pingping hadn't expected to be offered such a big opportunity.

Excitedly, she nodded vigorously, "I can do it, of course I can. If Ah Li can do it, then I definitely can too."

"Auntie, I have to make it clear to you. The method for making these cold noodles is simple. You don't need to be taught. After seeing it a couple of times, they can make it themselves. If you really want to do this, you have to keep the method secret. I'll teach you, but you can't let anyone else learn it, otherwise, we won't make any money."

"First things first, let's make everything clear," the old lady spoke up before Luo Pingping could nod, "Yes, Xu Ge'er is right. If you want to do this, you have to be cautious. Our family members will all be on guard, and you shouldn't tell anyone else except yourself."

Tang Xu nodded in agreement and added, "Also, these cold noodles are sold for five wen each over there. I'll take two wen, so you'll receive three wen directly. And you'll have to cover the costs of the flour and other ingredients yourselves."

Upon hearing this, Luo Pingping calculated in her mind for a moment and then asked him, "How many noodles can be made from one jin of flour?"

"About twenty-five or twenty-six, depending on the size of the sieve. I think we should make them all the same size. Ah Li's sieve can produce this many at once," Tang Xu explained, gesturing with his hand. "I have ready-made sieves at my place. When you bring one back, Auntie, you can use it as a guide. Just make sure to weave the holes tightly."

Luo Pingping nodded, "Got it. We'll follow your instructions."

"Then, Auntie, after breakfast tomorrow, come over to my place, and I'll teach you how to make them," Tang Xu said, then turned to the old lady with a smile and asked, "Grandmother, did you eat the cold noodles? Did Ah Li bring them over?"

"Yes, she did. She brought them over several times. You're really skillful. They're delicious, not too firm, and perfectly chilled," Wu Guizhi said, pulling him closer with a satisfied smile. However, she still asked, "Have you discussed this with Dongzi?"

"Yes, I told him. I'll go over to his elder aunt's place later to inform her. Auntie, make sure to keep this method a secret," Tang Xu reminded again.

Luo Pingping nodded, "Of course, how could we let others learn such a lucrative business? Don't worry, I'll definitely lock the kitchen door when I start."

"We'll have to start early. They'll come over as soon as it's light, and the carriage won't take long to arrive," Tang Xu added.

"Alright, don't worry. Elder Aunt won't let you down," Luo Pingping reassured, patting her chest.

Tang Xu nodded, got off the kang, and picked up his old shoes. He then said to Luo Pingping, "Elder Aunt, can you get me some oil paper? I'll wrap my shoes."

"You, silly child. Just wear your new shoes," Luo Pingping chuckled and got up to fetch him some oil paper.

Tang Xu chuckled, "Exactly, my grandmother made them!"

Wu Guizhi saw him wrapping his shoes and intended to leave, so she hurriedly stopped him, "Where are you going? You just came, and now you're leaving?"

"I came here to discuss something with Auntie," Tang Xu said, then turned to the old lady and linked his arm with hers, "Grandmother, let me tell you something."

Wu Guizhi was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at him, seeing his handsome smile, which made her heart flutter inexplicably.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Tang Xu leaned in close to her ear and whispered softly. The more Wu Guizhi listened, the wider her eyes grew, and her face smoothed out in surprise.

"Really?!"

Tang Xu nodded, "Otherwise, why would we go to town?"

"She thinks she can bully our family Xu Ge'er! Eldest daughter-in-law, Eldest daughter-in-law!" Wu Guizhi shouted loudly.

Luo Pingping hurried over, "What's wrong, Mother?" She had just gone out to drink some water.

"Quickly, come with me to that old man and woman's house. They dared to push my grandson like that, they must be crazy!" the old lady said as she got off the kang and put on her shoes, dragging the bewildered Luo Pingping out.

Tang Xu followed with a smile, saying to Luo Pingping, "Elder Aunt, help me gather some courage."

Luo Pingping was even more confused, but she still followed them out. She shouted back to the kitchen," Second Daughter-in-law, keep an eye on the fish in the pot. Don't let them burn. I'll be back in a moment!"

By the time they reached the door of the Tang family's house, Tang Xu had already finished telling Luo Pingping about being pushed down earlier. 

Luo Pingping listened with furrowed brows and asked him, "What did Dongzi say?"

"If this matter was handled by him. It's likely to turn into a serious situation," Tang Xu said, shaking his head. Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law thought about how Wei Dong handled the situation with Liu Xiangxiang and agreed with Tang Xu's assessment. 

Just as they were discussing, Wei Dong and Tang Yang returned, each carrying two fish. The fish were not small, each weighing about two to three catties.

"Mother, Eldest Aunt," Wei Dong walked up and handed one of the fish to Luo Pingping. "Auntie, take this back and stew it for dinner."

Luo Pingping quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need. Your uncle caught a fish in the pond this morning, and it's already stewing in the pot now. Take these back and eat them yourselves."

Wei Dong glanced at Tang Xu, who nodded. "I'm inviting Mother and Auntie to come with us," Tang Xu said. 

Wei Dong looked puzzled, "Go where?"

"To collect money, of course!" Tang Xu straightened his chest. "I got injured, so I need to claim compensation." 

Wei Dong chuckled, "Alright."

Tang Yang stood by, looking puzzled, as he glanced at his older brother, not noticing any signs of injury. 

Tang Xu didn't elaborate and simply said, "Take the fish back and let your sister stew them. We need to head back now."

"But brother, aren't you staying to eat here?" Tang Yang pouted, "Father hasn't returned yet."

"I'll come back in a couple of days. Today, I have some other matters to attend to," Tang Xu patted his shoulder. "Both of you, take care and get some rest, okay?" Tang Yang nodded in understanding.

Wei Dong stood at the doorway and whistled, prompting the mule in the courtyard to trot out on its own. Tang Li followed it out, holding a basket with twenty medicine packets inside, along with a string of copper coins.

"We won't be taking these. We're not heading straight home," Tang Xu handed her the string of coins. 

Tang Li nodded, "Then you can take them next time you come over."

"Alright." Tang Xu waited until Wei Dong secured the cart and helped the old lady settle in before waving goodbye to the siblings. "Go back and prepare dinner." 

As the cart clattered away, the siblings returned to the courtyard.

On the cart, Tang Xu addressed his grandmother and aunt. "We don't need to ask for much, just a few taels of silver will do." 

The old lady was relieved to hear this, as she was afraid they would ask for too much. 

"You're asking for quite a bit," remarked Luo Pingping.

Tang Xu patted the basket of medicine packets. "Each of these is only worth two or three taels. Asking for three or five taels isn't much."

Luo Pingping sighed, her eyes fixed on the basket of medicine packets. "No wonder people say, 'It's better not to get sick, as we can't afford the medicine.'"

Tang Xu sighed. "You're right. Those two old folks are indeed bullying us. They're just using their age and seniority to show off. Do they think there's no one in our family?"

Wu Guizhi wiped her face, feeling a bit reluctant even though she was going to collect a debt.

Why did those two old folks have to provoke her grandson, Tang Xu, for no reason?

Luo Pingping had similar thoughts, believing those two old folks would get a good scolding from Tang Xu today.

Wei Dong, sitting in front, heard Tang Xu's words and turned around, saying, "You better lie down later, otherwise, they won't believe it."

"Oh, right, right, I forgot. Auntie, you sit next to Grandma, I'll lie down over here," Tang Xu moved to a different position and lay down. "How long until we arrive?"

"We're almost there, it's not far," Wei Dong replied.

"Why don't I go knock on their door and give them a piece of my mind?" Wu Guizhi moved closer to Tang Xu and asked.

“Grandma, let my auntie go. You stay here and cry, that'll do," Tang Xu instructed her, "Cry and shout about how they're bullying our family."

Luo Pingping raised her hand to her forehead, realizing it might indeed get lively soon. 

Wu Guizhi sighed, "But I can't cry on command."

Tang Xu squinted his eyes mischievously, "Grandma, I'll give you half a tael of silver as hardship pay later. If you don't manage to get any silver, then there won't be any hardship pay."

Wu Guizhi grabbed his arm, immediately changing her expression, "Oh, my poor Tang Xu~~~ How could you be bullied like this~~~"

Tang Xu: "..." You're even better at acting than I am, impressive, impressive.

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