The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 81

 

| TBBOTOF | 81

Tang Xu remained unruffled when he heard that the villagers were gossiping about him, as relayed by Luo Pingping.

That day, when he sent Wei Zhonghong off, he saw a few women coming down the mountain path and immediately guessed what they might say. After all, the surprise on their faces was undisguised.

It was expected, but what he didn’t expect was for these two to see him late at night, and he didn't anticipate that Aunt Luo would also come.

"You haven't been back for so long. Don't say I'm worried for nothing, your grandmother has mentioned you countless times. How can you, with such a big pregnancy, not tell your family? What do you two know? If you don't take care of yourselves properly, what will happen?" 

Luo Pingping couldn't help but say a few more words when she thought about how uncomfortable he must be at home.

Tang Xu obediently admitted his mistake and smiled, trying to placate her. "Auntie, could you go back and say a few good words to my grandmother for me? I didn't mean to not visit her. I'll definitely go and accompany her after a few days when my health improves a bit."

Lou Pingping sighed and poked his forehead with his finger, saying, "Alright, I understand. You can't keep silent like this when something happens in the future."

Tang Erhu sat aside, nodding, "In the future, you must tell your father when something happens, do you understand?"

Tang Xu responded with an "oh," saying, "I understand, Dad, I was wrong. I won't hide anything from you next time!"

After the two elders left, Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong and asked, "I'm hungry. I want to eat gnocchi soup. Do you want some?"

Wei Dong nodded, "Yes."

…

Tang Erhu hurried back home with the cow cart. On the way, he also thanked his sister-in-law. 

At this moment, Luo Pingping finally felt relieved in his heart. Hearing his words, she smiled and said, "I treat Xu Ge'er as my own child. He is sincere and good to us. It's normal for me to care about him. Why do you need to thank me?"

Tang Erhu didn't say much more. He was thinking about what to give to Tang Xu's side when he returned home, as he genuinely didn't know about these matters.

When he escorted Luo Pingping to the door of the old house and she stood firm, he immediately said, "Sister-in-law, considering Xu Ge'er's current situation, shouldn't he eat something good to replenish himself?"

"He won't be short of food on his side, so you can rest assured about that," Luo Pingping had been thinking a lot on her way back as well. 

She pondered over what help she could offer to Tang Xu's side, but apart from going over to take care of them, there wasn't much she could do. "Erhu, I know you care about Xu Ge'er, but you really shouldn't interfere too much in this matter. He has a man to take care of him."

Tang Erhu nodded, "I know, I forgot because I was too happy."

Just now, suggesting Tang Li to go take care of them was also because he was worried they might be too busy.

"Alright, let's go back. Tell the siblings the good news and let them be happy too."

Luo Pingping turned and pushed open the courtyard door, then closed it behind her.

Old lady Wu Guizhi heard the sound of the door closing and quickly got down from the kang, hurrying to the outside of the house.

"Is it eldest daughter-in-law? Have you come back?" she asked through the door curtain.

The door curtain was lifted, and Luo Pingping, with a chill about her, entered, smiling, "Mom, it's me. Why aren't you wearing something warm? It's quite chilly in the main room."

"What cold? We've got the kang burning. Have you seen Xu Ge'er? What's going on? How's his health?" Wu Guizhi pulled her towards the table since the old man was already lying on the kang, and it wasn't convenient to bring her daughter-in-law inside to talk.

Without delay, Luo Pingping sat down, took a sip of water, and smilingly told her about Tang Xu being pregnant, "It's been over two months, and he's been vomiting a lot. I noticed he's lost quite a bit of weight. He said he didn't want the family to worry, so he didn't say anything. What a silly child! 

He said that he didn’t tell anyone about his first three months pregnancy, fearing it might startle the baby. So he kept it a secret. Neither he nor Wei Dong understand these things. So, they have been visiting the doctor frequently in the past couple of months to monitor the situation."

Wu Guizhi's expression kept changing as she listened, showing a mix of nervous excitement and worry. After hearing Luo Pingping's words, she slapped her thigh, "This child really makes people worried!"

Luo Pingping waved her hand, "Mom, don't worry too much. Dongzi takes good care of him. When Erhu and I went over there, we saw Dongzi washing Xu Ge'er's feet. Their relationship is so good. It's the first time I've seen a man washing his own husband's feet. But our Xu Ge'er is remarkable too. He got pregnant just half a year after getting married. Our Xu Ge'er is really capable. Who dares to gossip about irrelevant things this time!"

Ever since Wei Dong married Tang Xu, their lives have improved, many villagers have been secretly talking, saying all sorts of things. But most of them were just speculating, with the majority saying that even though Wei Dong and his family were doing well now, they were still unsure if the "ger" they brought back could have children.

Most of those who spread such rumors were younger ger and women, mainly driven by jealousy towards Tang Xu. They envy his good looks and competence, so they can only fabricate stories about him possibly being unable to have children.

Luo Pingping had heard such gossip twice, both times while washing clothes by the river. She immediately scolded the individuals involved. Perhaps they stopped talking about it for fear of retaliation or because they still needed to maintain their reputation, especially since some of them hadn't officially arranged their marriages yet. 

After that, no one dared to bring up such things again, or maybe they did, but she hadn't heard any more of it.

But now, with Tang Xu pregnant, Luo Pingping was thrilled. Turning to her mother-in-law, she said, "Mom, what do you think about me making some clothes for Xu Ge'er?"

"What's the point of making clothes?" Wu Guizhi didn't understand what Luo Pingping meant. "With his belly getting bigger every day, even if you make clothes now, he won't be able to wear them for long. It would be a waste. You'd better help make some children's clothes and shoes. He definitely won't be able to do these things."

Wu Guizhi chuckled, then added to herself, "The two pairs of shoes I made for him should be just right for him to wear now. When his feet swell later in the pregnancy, we'll have to make wider ones."

"You should go to bed soon, Mom. When we have good weather in a couple of days, you can ask Erhu to drive you over there to take a look at their big mansion."

Wu Guizhi nodded, "Yes, I'll go in a couple of days!"

…

After another half month passed, with the Lunar New Year approaching, Tang Xu's morning sickness finally improved.

It happened suddenly, one morning after eating breakfast, Tang Xu didn't vomit. 

As he wiped his mouth, he was about to stand up and head to the outhouse when he realized he hadn't vomited at all!

"Dong Ge! Dong Ge! I'm not vomiting anymore! I don't feel like vomiting at all!" Tang Xu shouted towards the kitchen from the courtyard. "Come out quickly!"

Wei Dong set down his bowl and got up to go outside. "Not vomiting anymore?"

Tang Xu nodded, his face filled with joy. "I don't feel like vomiting at all, Dong Ge! I'm feeling better!"

Wei Dong was also delighted. These past two months had been quite a trial for his wife.

"After the New Year, let's go to Xujia Family Village and have the old doctor Xu take a look at you," Wei Dong suggested as he led Tang Xu back to the kitchen. After making him comfortable, he returned to his meal.

Wei Xi sat beside Tang Xu, holding his bowl and smiling at him. "Brother-in-law, do you think you won't vomit anymore in the future?"

Tang Xu nodded and shook his head uncertainty. "I think I won't, but I can't be sure. Just not vomiting for a day is already good."

Wei Xi sighed in relief. "That's great. You've lost a lot of weight recently."

Tang Xu touched his face, knowing without looking that he had indeed lost a lot of weight. His arms were thinner, his face was gaunter, and he could even feel his ribs. He felt repulsed even when he bathed, and he felt sorry for Wei Dong for having to cuddle with him every night.

"When you guys were eating meat buns just now, I didn't feel nauseous even after smelling the meat. I thought maybe it was because I ate a plum in the morning and suppressed the nausea, but it seems it's not the case," Tang Xu said, seeing the last half of the meat bun in Wei Dong's hand. 

He reached out and grabbed it, took a bite himself, chewed, and swallowed it. "Mmm! It seems like I haven't eaten meat in ages!"

Despite cooking meat dishes every day, he rarely ate meat or fish. The main reason was that the taste was too heavy, and eating it would make Tang Xu vomit severely, so he simply avoided it.

With just one bite of the meat bun today, not only did he not taste any greasiness, but he even felt like it wasn't enough. He quickly finished the remaining half.

"We'll slaughter a chicken for lunch. I want to eat chicken thighs!"

Tang Xu ate half of the entire chicken by himself, his mouth full of oil, and his belly swollen.

He still didn't vomit.

Oh my oh my~ Didn't vomit~ He won't vomit anymore~

For dinner, they had braised pork!

After eating, he still didn't vomit!

Oh my oh my~ Didn't vomit~ Didn't vomit~ He was feeling even better!

Burp~

Ugh~

However, being too proud led to misfortune. After boasting too much, Tang Xu couldn't hold it in, and he ended up vomiting everything he had eaten for dinner, including the braised pork and white rice. He vomited until his eyes welled up with tears, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

Wei Dong looked on helplessly, patting his back and saying, "I told you not to eat so much at once, but you didn't listen."

Tang Xu took the water cup Wei Xi handed him and rinsed his mouth, giving the man a pitiful glare in response to his words.

Wei Dong felt a pang of guilt and quickly comforted him, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Next time, eat a little less, and you won't vomit. Look, you didn't vomit after eating half a chicken for lunch. Next time, just avoid eating too much oily food. If you love pork belly, I'll buy some for you tomorrow morning. Let's freeze about a hundred and eighty catties!"

Tang Xu chuckled at his teasing and patted him.

"We do need to buy more meat. It's almost New Year's, and we'll need to bring a piece of meat when we go visit people."

But Wei Dong shook his head. "No need for meat. Bringing a jar of your homemade wine will be better than anything else."

"We'll bring wine, meat, and sweets. Granny just sent me two pairs of shoes the other day. It's quite straining for her to make shoes at her age. Giving her some more meat would help her replenish her health," Tang Xu said. 

Before he got pregnant, he had planned to invite his family over for a meal during the New Year, wanting everyone to gather and enjoy themselves. But now, being pregnant, he knew he wouldn't be able to handle cooking so many dishes. 

So, he decided to postpone it for later.

Wei Dong nodded. "Alright, tell me what to buy. I'll take a cart to the town or even to the county if necessary. I'll buy everything before everyone starts grabbing New Year supplies."

Tang Xu also wanted to go to the county and asked him, "Can I come with you?"

Wei Dong was a bit conflicted. It wasn't that he didn't want him to come along, but he was worried that he wouldn't be able to handle it physically.

However, seeing his hopeful eyes, Wei Dong softened. He compromised, "Alright, let's wait a couple of days. If you don't vomit again in these two days, we'll go to the county."

Tang Xu's eyes lit up, and he sweetly nodded, smiling, "Great! I definitely won't vomit again!"

It’s said to not count your chickens before they hatch. Tang Xu woke up in the middle of the night and started vomiting again, though not as severely as before.

For the next two days, he vomited during the night while sleeping, mostly getting rid of his dinner, his stomach felt relieved afterward and he was able to continue sleeping.

Although Wei Dong hadn't suggested Tang Xu stay home and rest instead of going to the county, Tang Xu waved it off himself.

He couldn't go anyway; if he started vomiting halfway there, he wouldn't even have anything to fill his stomach.

Wei Dong took the shopping list and some money, rushed with the mule cart, and went to the county to start shopping!

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