The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 82

 

| TBBOTOF | 82

Wei Dong was very familiar with the county town, even if he hadn't been there for a while, he still remembered where to go and what to buy.

Since the things he needed to buy were mostly for eating, he didn't need to go to too many places, just to the busiest market would be enough.

Unlike the town, where almost everyone was a small landowner, of course, there were still poor people, but relatively fewer.

The streets were also interconnected, not like the town where there were only two streets, and you could finish walking around in a couple of hours. It would take more time to walk around here.

Wei Dong didn't plan to stay long either, thinking of quickly buying what he needed and returning early.

The city gates of the county were closed at the dog hour every day and opened at the hare hour. If you missed it, you could only go to the county office to ask the county magistrate to open the gate, but that usually wasn't for urgent matters, and the county magistrate wouldn't grant it.

The mule was fast, and Wei Dong also moved quickly when buying things. By the time he had almost bought everything on Tang Xu's list, the cart was already piled high.

He tied the goods tightly with coarse hemp rope and looked up at the sky.

The sun had just set not long ago, and he still needed to buy salt, sugar, vinegar, and a bottle of soy sauce.

As Wei Dong led the cart towards the shop selling seasonings, he hadn't walked a few steps when suddenly a woman in white who had been kneeling by the roadside jumped at him.

Wei Dong caught a glimpse of white in the corner of his eye, quickly dodged to the side and turned around to see who was attacking him. The woman who rushed toward him fell to the ground.

She cried out in pain, attracting the attention of passersby.

Wei Dong kept his eyes straight ahead, lifting his feet to continue forward.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then quickly called out, "Young master! Please wait!"

Wei Dong didn't even realize she was calling him, after all, very few people addressed him as "young master".

The woman, in her white clothes, endured the pain from the fall on her legs, gritting her teeth as she stood up again and pounced on him again.

This time, Wei Dong dodged again, his brows furrowed in displeasure. "Who are you!"

The woman's eyes reddened, tilting her head slightly upwards.

Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows were a pair of round almond-shaped eyes, soft and pleading. Her lips were pale pink, and her slender neck trembled slightly, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Wei Dong didn't even react to the sight of such a delicate and fragile woman, but several men nearby, around the same age as Wei Dong, couldn't help but stare.

"Where did this little lady come from? Pouncing onto people in the middle of the street. Why doesn't she come jump on us brothers?"

"That girl over there is selling herself for her father's burial, I must say, she's not bad looking."

"Brother, you're so lucky. Just two taels of silver and you can have a beautiful girl."

Wei Dong glanced at the man who spoke, with his well-defined features, and retorted, "If you have two taels of silver, you can take her home. I have a husband in my family, I don't need such 'luck'."

The square-faced man was taken aback by his response, his expression turning sour. But he didn't dare to say anything more, mainly because Wei Dong was tall and sturdy, and when he looked down at him, his gaze was as cold as if he were looking at a dead object. He feared that saying another word might earn him a punch.

He can't afford to provoke.

Those who were just watching the commotion murmured to each other and gradually backed away.

The woman in white, seeing people gathering around, felt a glimmer of hope. 

Since she couldn't reach Wei Dong, she decided to grasp onto the cart's wheel, sitting on the ground beside it, and looked at Wei Dong, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Young master, I beg you, please buy this slave and take me with you!"

Wei Dong's expression remained cold. "What?"

"Buy me!" The woman looked at him, her expression filled with anticipation.

She had been selling herself here to bury her father for two days already. There were people who came asking about the price, but they were either old men from wealthy families looking for concubines or young masters from other rich families seeking mistresses. 

Even if she were to enter their households, she would be relegated to the back courtyard, dealing with the schemes and intrigues of other concubines. It was uncertain how long she could survive in such an environment.

She wanted to find a strong and powerful man who could help her with household chores and live a stable life.

In the past two days, there had been many people coming to the county to buy goods, and she had seen a few who caught her eye. However, Wei Dong was the one who truly impressed her.

Not only did he fit all her preferences in appearance, but even his shopping spree attitude seemed to align perfectly with hers!

Looking at his attire, he seemed to be from the village, but he had a mule and bought a lot of things, indicating that he must have come to buy New Year goods. Being able to buy so much at once showed that his family must be well-off.

She was tempted and took action, but she didn't receive any sympathy from the man.

When she heard that the man already had a husband in his family, the woman's face turned pale.

But since she had already taken action, she had to hold onto him somehow!

So she began to wipe her tears, sobbing softly, and took the opportunity to tell him about her lonely and helpless situation.

The woman was confident in her looks and figure, especially since many men had been ogling at her in the past few days.

However, after she spoke for a while, Wei Dong didn't ask a single question. He just leaned against the cart's shaft, arms crossed, and looked at her expressionlessly as if watching a play.

"...My name is Sun Meier. I am sixteen years old this year. If the young master doesn't mind, could you..." She stammered for a while before finally getting to the point.

Wei Dong finally spoke up, "I don't have any money."

Sun Meier was taken aback, staring blankly at Wei Dong, then glanced at the cart full of goods beside him.

Not only was she stunned, but even the bystanders watching the drama were stunned.

How could he say he had no money? Wasn't that cart full of goods all bought on credit?

Wei Dong tilted his head, staring at Sun Meier for a moment, causing her to instinctively straighten her proud chest, her cheeks turning slightly red.

As Sun Meier's eyes were filled with embarrassment, Wei Dong spoke again, "You haven't had any children, have you?"

Sun Meier was momentarily stunned, quickly shaking her head. "Young master, I'm still a virgin. How could you say such things!"

Wei Dong simply responded with a flat tone, "Sorry, then I definitely can't buy you. If you had children, you could at least take care of my husband at home. Since you haven't given birth, what can you do if I buy you? You don't seem like you can work in the fields either."

Sun Meier was left speechless, not knowing how to respond.

Wei Dong glanced up at the sky, clicked his tongue in annoyance, straightened his body impatiently, patted the mule, and said, "Let's go, I need to buy some salt and vinegar quickly."

Without waiting for a response from Sun Meier, he drove the cart away.

Sun Meier, caught off guard by his sudden departure, nearly stumbled and was almost run over by the cart wheel.

The bystanders were slow to react, only thinking that Wei Dong seemed like a fool.

He didn't bother to look at such a beautiful woman, yet he said something about buying someone to take care of his husband... Just how precious was his husband?

"Isn't that Wei Dong? He's a hunter and really skilled," someone recognized Wei Dong.

"What's so special about being a hunter?"

"He can catch live tigers! Remember the live tiger the boss from the town sent over not long ago? He caught it. That's how skilled he is!"

"Really? How come I didn't know about this?"

"He entered the city before dawn. The county magistrate specifically arranged for him to come in without attracting attention. My brother is on gate duty, and he happened to be on duty that day and saw it. But don't spread this around. Not many people know about it. They say the tiger was being sent to someone important!"

"They must have sent it to some big official's house. No wonder he didn't even spare a glance at the woman that pounced on him."

"He already has a husband, haven't you heard? And his husband is pregnant! That's some luck, marrying a husband and getting pregnant so quickly."

"Surely, his body must be blessed!"

"Oh, I prefer women with good figures."

"Ugh, the more you say, the less tasteful it becomes!"

Wei Dong didn't know what they were saying, nor did he care. He just wanted to quickly buy the seasonings and leave through the city gate, or else he would waste the whole night.

But in the rush, he missed the gate closing.

Wei Dong locked eyes with the guard at the gate, and the guard was startled by his fierce gaze.

"It's past the time to leave the city gate. You can't stay here!" the guard shouted loudly, swallowing hard.

Wei Dong frowned. What was the guard shouting about? They weren't far apart, he could hear the guard perfectly fine without him shouting.

He nodded and turned, leading the mule cart back.

He'd find an inn to stay for the night. Tomorrow morning when the city gate opened, he'd head back.

…

Back at home, Tang Xu had been worried about Wei Dong since he left in the morning. After all, there were a lot of things to buy, and he was afraid Wei Dong wouldn't be able to handle it alone.

By the time they finished dinner, and it was pitch black outside, and Wei Dong still hadn't returned, Tang Xu knew he probably wouldn't be back tonight.

After finishing washing up and pouring water, Wei Xi came from the backyard, holding a basin of water with his hair dripping wet.

Tang Xu frowned when he saw him. "Why didn't you dry your hair in the bathroom before coming out? It's so cold outside, you'll catch a cold."

Wei Xi stuck out his tongue and chuckled, "I hurried over, I was afraid you might already be asleep."

"What's up? Do you need something?" Tang Xu asked, puzzled.

Wei Xi nodded. "My brother has been to the county many times. He'll be fine. Brother-in-law, don't worry so much. Take care of yourself."

Tang Xu paused, then smiled. "Was my mood that obvious?"

"Yeah," Wei Xi nodded. "You haven't smiled since after lunch."

Tang Xu rubbed his face and thanked him. "Thank you, Xiao Xi. I'm just worried that your brother might attract unwanted attention with all the things he bought."

Wei Xi waved his hand confidently. "That won't happen. Even if someone tries to rob him, my brother won't lose his goods."

Tang Xu raised his hand and poked Wei Xi's forehead. "What are you saying! Am I worried about the goods getting lost?"

"Hehe, I know you're worried about my brother getting into trouble. Don't worry, he'll be fine!" Wei Xi grinned mischievously.

Tang Xu knew Wei Xi was deliberately being playful to cheer him up, but his worries didn't diminish at all.

Not wanting the kid to worry about him, Tang Xu sighed and patted his shoulder. "You go to bed. I'm fine. I'll go to bed soon too."

"Brother-in-law, really don't worry. My brother has friends in the county, and if he can't leave the city gate, he'll definitely find an inn to stay in," Wei Xi reassured him again.

Tang Xu nodded, indicating that he acknowledged Wei Xi's comfort, and then pushed him towards his own room.

He woke up several times throughout the night and hardly slept at all.

At the break of dawn, before the chickens in the backyard had even crowed, Tang Xu got dressed and got off the kang.

He couldn't sleep a wink all night, tossing and turning. If it weren't for the fear of making noise and waking Wei Xi up, Tang Xu wouldn't have even stayed on the kang.

The two roosters in the backyard crowed one after another. They didn't fight each other every day, with their feathers shining brightly and their sizes impressively large.

Not long ago, they had fluttered onto the fence and scared the fat orange cat. 

Since then, the cat and the two roosters had become enemies. Whenever Tang Xu thought about going to the chicken coop and shoo the roosters away. However, the fat cat's claws were quite more accurate, just swatting at the roosters a couple of times to shoo them away, without causing any real harm.

At this moment, the fat cat had just emerged from the chicken coop. Well, to be precise, it had crawled out of the chicken nest. It was getting colder, and it had stayed out too late wandering around at night. 

Instead of going back to its house, it had to run to the chicken coop to huddle and keep warm.

Rabbits had more baby rabbits in their burrow, and the big rabbits wouldn't let the cat go over there.

Tang Xu took the prepared food and went to feed the poultry in the chicken coop. He saw the fat cat, covered in chicken feathers, wriggling out from the fence surrounding the chicken coop.

He smiled and asked, "Mimi, are you finally willing to come back?"

The fat cat meowed and rubbed against his pant leg affectionately, then lay down, exposing its belly.

Tang Xu gave its soft belly a couple of rubs before avoiding its claws that were trying to hook onto his pants leg and went to feed the chickens.

He needed something to do to keep himself occupied and stop himself from overthinking.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Wei Dong might have encountered some trouble that delayed his return. 

What could it be?

Could he be in trouble? 

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