The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 83

 

| TBBOTOF | 83

At this moment, Wei Dong has already arrived at the inn. After parking the mule cart in the backyard and paying the silver coins, he had the waiter help him move all the things from the cart to his room. Thankfully, he had requested a room in the backyard; otherwise, just dealing with all these things would have kept him busy for a while.

After the waiter finished moving the last basket, he stood by the door with a smile and asked, "Sir, what would you like to eat?"

Wei Dong listed a string of dishes, and the waiter, jotting them down, felt a bit shocked at the large quantity for just one person. But looking at the man's stature, he also felt that eating a lot was normal.

After a hearty meal and a quick wash, Wei Dong went to check on the mule. Seeing that it had also been fed, he returned to his room, locked the door, and went to sleep.

However, in the middle of the night, he was awakened by a noise outside the door. Weidong suddenly opened his eyes, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he listened carefully to the faint rustling sound.

It wasn't mice.

It was "thieves."

Wei Dong sat up, his eyes staring intently at the door.

Outside the door, the two small thieves struggled for a long time but couldn't manage to unlock the door.

"What's going on? Why is this lock so hard to open!"

"How would I know? Hurry up, don't make too much noise!"

"Who's going to come? Everyone's asleep! See, the person living in this room bought so many things, he must be wealthy!"

"How could someone with so many purchases still have a fat wallet! Let's just go in and take the stuff, I saw there's still a lot of meat!"

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow and glanced at the reinforced lock on his door.

These were just petty thieves who came out to steal at the end of the year. Wei Dong had encountered such thieves a few times before, but they never dared to mess with him due to his imposing stature. These two small-time thieves outside probably hadn't been caught before, otherwise, they would know that some people's belongings were truly off-limits.

As the commotion outside grew, Wei Dong sighed, lazily propping his chin on his hand and supporting his leg with the other, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

Finally, the lock on the door was picked from the outside, and the door was gently pushed inward, creaking softly.

But after that one creak, the gap in the door didn't widen further.

Wei Dong got off the bed, put on his boots, and walked lightly to the door.

On the other side of the door, the two small-time thieves were nervously holding their breath, listening intently for any movement inside the room.

Inside the room, Wei Dong also slowed his breathing, remaining motionless as he waited for the two small-time thieves outside to push the door open.

After about half an incense stick's worth of time, the two small-time thieves outside finally began to move.

This time, they gently pushed the door while holding it, avoiding making any creaking sounds.

Wei Dong stayed still, staring at the two black shadows cast into the room by the moonlight, noticing that one of them seemed to be holding something like an axe.

He squinted his eyes slightly, his body tensed, and the muscles on his shoulders and arms bulged.

He was in the same state of alertness when encountering a fierce beast.

The one who entered first was the person who seemed to be holding the axe. He stepped into the room, not daring to take big strides in the darkness, slowly inching forward.

As he moved, he struggled to widen his eyes to adapt to the dim light inside the room. He couldn't help but complain in his mind that it was too dark, and the moonlight shining in didn't illuminate anything.

After taking just a couple of steps, he reached forward to move the ax in his hand, when he encountered resistance.

He felt his surge of triumph wash away.

"!"

Wei Dong grabbed his wrist and, before the thief could react, raised his hand and delivered a powerful punch to his collarbone.

The thief couldn't even scream in agony before his body collapsed due to the intense pain.

The person who followed him into the room hadn't figured out why his companion suddenly fell down, and he himself received a heavy blow and also fell.

Wei Dong sneered.

With skills like these, they still dared to be thieves.

He turned to the table, lit a candle and covered it with a lampshade, then took a bundle of coarse hemp rope from the backpack and tied up the two men. He also checked their pulses to make sure he hadn't killed them, then went out to find the innkeeper.

The innkeeper had long gone to sleep, and not just him, even the night watchman was sound asleep.

When the innkeeper learned that there had been thieves in the backyard guest room, he was jolted awake.

Then it was a matter of reporting to the authorities. A yamen’s servant splashed a bucket of well water on the two unconscious thieves, and they immediately woke up, shivering in pain and cold, clutching their necks and howling.

Wei Dong stood aside and said, "So, am I free to leave? I need to get some sleep."

The yamen’s servant glanced at him and nodded. "Alright, you'll need to make a trip to the county yamen at dawn. The magistrate will want to ask you some questions."

Wei Dong grunted in acknowledgment. He knew the procedure well; after all, it wasn't his first time catching thieves.

As soon as it was dawn, he hitched up his cart. The innkeeper waived the accommodation fee for the night, and Wei Dong didn't argue. After thanking him, he hurried off with his cart straight to the county yamen. 

When he emerged, he held a reward of ten taels of silver given by the magistrate, who said that the two thieves had been stealing from several inns in the county and there was a bounty on their heads.

By now, it was already noon. Wei Dong quickly slapped the mule's rump, urging it to run faster to get home quickly.

…

Tang Xu had gotten up early to feed the livestock in the backyard. He had also prepared grass and bean cakes for the mule that hadn't returned yet, along with two freshly dug carrots.

He didn't feel tired either, leisurely preparing a breakfast of pan-fried dumplings and vegetable congee.

When Wei Xi got up and washed up, intending to help in the kitchen, he was surprised to see that Tang Xu had already prepared breakfast.

"Brother-in-law, when did you get up?" he asked.

"I got up just at dawn. The meat filling was already chopped by your brother beforehand, so there's no need to be surprised. I didn't do much," Tang Xu replied, placing a plate of freshly cooked pan-fried dumplings in front of him. "Try them."

The bottom of the pan-fried dumplings was crispy with a layer of crust, and they made a satisfying crunch when bitten into, releasing a fragrant aroma.

The filling was a combination of pork and green onions, tender and juicy with a savory taste. The hot soup inside was so delicious that Wei Xi couldn't help but slurp it down, although it burned his mouth a bit.

Tang Xu looked at him helplessly. "I've told you many times, when eating dumplings and buns, you must let them cool down first, blow on them, take a bite, blow on them again. You can't just bite into them right away. If you blister your mouth, how would you be able to enjoy eating?"

Wei Xi held his bowl of congee and looked at Tang Xu from the rim. "I got it, brother-in-law. I'll definitely pay attention next time."

Tang Xu nodded and continued to sip his vegetable congee spoon by spoon.

The rice had been cooked until all the grains burst open, becoming soft and sticky, melting in the mouth. The rice soup was white and sweet, with a hint of salt added for flavor. With a few diced carrots and potatoes, it was delicious. As he took a sip, the aroma of rice filled his mouth.

Freshly harvested rice was indeed delicious.

Tang Xu took three sips, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

"Why aren't you eating dumplings, Brother Xu?" Wei Xi asked, devouring two pan-fried dumplings in two mouthfuls, his mouth greasy, and he had already drunk most of the vegetable congee.

Tang Xu picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and took a bite. "It's okay. I made plenty of dumplings. If you like, we can have dumplings for lunch."

Wei Xi nodded eagerly. "Great, I love dumplings."

Tang Xu smiled.

After finishing breakfast, he chased Wei Xi out of the kitchen to go back and practice calligraphy and recite books. Tang Xu leisurely tidied up the kitchen without vomiting.

Then he lay on the kang in his room for a while. His waist was a little sore, and his feet weren't very comfortable either.

He had thought he might fall asleep, but he still couldn't, and his stomach wasn't feeling quite right.

He knew it was because he lacked rest, and he was also worried about Wei Dong. The little one in his stomach seemed to be throwing a tantrum.

Tang Xu sighed, closed his eyes, and forced himself to rest for a while.

It was no use; he tossed and turned, not daring to move too much.

Aches and pains nagged at him.

He wasn't too worried. He had experienced similar pains before and had consulted the local doctor, who assured him it was a normal phenomenon. As long as it wasn't the kind of pain that made him unable to bear it, there was nothing to worry about, just to be vigilant and watch out for any signs of bleeding.

When the doctor said this, Wei Dong listened very attentively.

Tang Xu rubbed his stomach and got off the kang to prepare lunch.

Dumpling soup.

There were twenty-five dumplings in Wei Xi's large bowl, and he finished them all, along with the soup, but still left some leftovers.

Eating something warm on such a cold day was always comforting, and Wei Xi looked eagerly at Tang Xu.

Tang Xu had only five dumplings in his bowl. Wei Xi, the young lad opposite him, had finished his meal, while Tang Xu still had three left.

He had no appetite.

But he had to eat.

Tang Xu waved his hand. "Serve yourself."

Wei Xi grunted and got up to serve himself some dumplings.

Just as he was coming out of the kitchen with his bowl, the large iron gate in the backyard creaked.

He paused, quickly returned to the kitchen to put down his bowl, and rushed to the backyard to see his brother had returned!

Finally, he's back!

Wei Xi turned around and ran back, rushing into the main room shouting, "Brother-in-law, my brother is back!"

Tang Xu, who had just picked up a dumpling, dropped it back into the soup, splashing himself with broth.

He was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up.

But he stood up too quickly, and everything went black before his eyes.

If he hadn't grabbed onto the table, he would have fallen over with that step.

Wei Xi was startled and rushed into the room to support him. "Brother Xu? Are you okay?"

Tang Xu took a moment to recover, his vision filled with colors.

After a while, the discomfort from the dizziness passed, and he weakly smiled at Wei Xi. "I guess I didn't sleep well."

"Don't go over to find my brother right now, he's unloading the cart. It looks like he bought a lot of stuff," Wei Xi said, pressing him back into the chair.

"I'm not going to find him; I'm going to cook dumplings for him," Tang Xu said, pushing himself up from the table, this time much slower.

Wei Xi pushed him back down again, his face tense. "I'll go cook. I can do it!"

It didn't matter if he couldn't make dumplings; cooking them directly in the soup was completely fine!

Listening to his insistence, Tang Xu chuckled and didn't stop him.

He had to take it easy. Considering that Wei Dong had been out since yesterday, he had hardly closed his eyes the entire time.

Tang Xu rubbed his face with both hands, hearing footsteps outside the door. He hurriedly rubbed his face again, trying to make himself look a bit better.

It was no use.

He had rubbed his face so much it felt hot. The moment his husband walked in, he furrowed his brow at him.

Wei Dong had originally entered with a smile, pushing aside the cotton curtain, but upon seeing Tang Xu sitting there, his smile instantly faded, and a frown creased his brow.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" He walked over, feeling Tang Xu's forehead and then lifting his chin to examine him closely. "How long has it been since you slept?"

Tang Xu blinked.

Wei Dong's expression hardened. "Don't lie."

"I haven't slept at all," Tang Xu sighed. "I can't fall asleep."

Wei Dong didn't say anything else. He glanced at the bowl on the table and asked, "Are you still hungry?"

Tang Xu shook his head, not feeling hungry at all.

Wei Dong bent down and lifted him up, carrying him back to their room.

Tang Xu was truly exhausted. Seeing Wei Dong return safely, a wave of fatigue washed over him instantly.

Lying in the warm blankets, after two sighs, Tang Xu's eyes closed and he fell asleep directly.

Wei Dong waited until he was sound asleep before leaving the room. Wei Xi had already brought the cooked dumplings and placed them on the table in the main room.

"Brother, don't leave for so long next time. Brother-in-law can't do without you now!" Wei Xi scolded sternly.

Wei Dong nodded and sat down to eat.

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