The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 70

 

| TBBOTOF | 70

On the 14th day of the eighth lunar month, it was Tang Xu's birthday. Liu Qiaoniang had specifically come to tell him the day before. His birthday fell on the 14th day of the eighth lunar month, just one day before the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th.

Tang Xu thanked her but didn't say much more to her.

It was evident that she was quite upset when she left. In Liu Qiaoniang's mind, Tang Xu, who had already revealed his identity to the Tang family, shouldn't have been so close to them.

Moreover, when she returned to her parents' home, she mentioned Tang Xu's identity. Her family complained about her and didn't want to acknowledge the relationship.

Liu Qiaoniang was caught in the middle and had been quite conflicted lately. She couldn't eat or sleep well. Liu San noticed it, but because he was busy with farm work, he only asked a couple of questions and didn't pay much attention.

Then, on that day, shortly after Liu Qiaoniang left Tang Xu's place, she collapsed at home. When Liu San returned from outside, he found his wife lying unconscious near the stove, which sent chills down his spine.

He quickly carried her back into the house, called for help, and summoned a herbalist to come and check her pulse.

"Congratulations, you're going to be a father," said the herbalist with a smile at Liu San. 

Seeing him in a daze, the herbalist advised, "Your wife is fine. When pregnant, it's important to avoid heavy thoughts. Make sure she stays in a good mood. Otherwise, even if she gets pregnant, it's easy to miscarry. You mustn't let her be constantly upset and sad, understand?"

Liu San nodded repeatedly, so excited that his lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

The herbalist gave him two doses of prenatal medicine, instructed him on how to brew the medicine, and then left with his copper coins.

Tang Xu was unaware of Liu Qiaoniang's good news. At that moment, he was propping up his chin, watching Wei Dong writing.

Yes, writing. More precisely, he was keeping accounts!

Recently, with the harvest season for both dry and paddy fields approaching, the fields rented out by Wei Dong were also experiencing a bountiful harvest.

Almost every day, one or two tenants would come to deliver grain. Tang Xu only just found out that his own husband was actually a wealthy landowner!

"You've recorded sticky rice here. Is it yellow sticky rice or white sticky rice?" Tang Xu pointed at the writing, extending his hand to ask.

Wei Dong glanced over, "We have both..."

 He looked up, seeing Tang Xu earnestly studying his account book. He narrowed his eyes, "How did you know it's sticky rice?"

Tang Xu instantly came to his senses.

......

If he said it was just a guess, would he believe it?

In that book, there were various kinds of rice and beans. Although they were in traditional characters, he could probably recognize them all.

Originally, seeing him, his man, keeping accounts and writing looked handsome. 

However, as he was attracted by the content being written, feeling impressed when he saw mentions of sticky rice and red beans, he couldn't help but ask.

Mainly seeing red beans and sticky rice, he wanted to eat sticky bean buns. Because he was greedy, he exposed himself that he knew the characters....

Actually, it seems there's no need to be so guarded, after all, the Tang family also has literate people.

Thinking like this, Tang Xu said, "Yeah, when Ah Rui was at home before, I specifically had him teach me how to read rice and beans. Do you want to eat sticky bean buns? Let's make some."

Wei Dong nodded, "Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Soak the rice. Let's make two kinds, both yellow and white. Also, soak some corn kernels, I'll make sour soup noodles in a while!" Tang Xu couldn't help but drool at the thought of the slippery sour soup noodles.

Wei Dong hadn't tried the sour soup Tang Xu mentioned, but seeing how excited he was, he smiled and said, "Sure, whatever you want to make."

Wei Xi ran to the window, looking inside through the gauze screens. When he saw Tang Xu sitting on the kang, he quickly waved and called out to him, "Brother Xu! Come and see!"

Tang Xu was amused by Xiao Xi's mysterious look, so he got off the kang, put on his shoes, and walked outside. "What do you want to show me?" 

Wei Xi led him to the backyard.

"There!" The two stood below the slope and saw a small orange head poking through the gaps in the wooden fence. Tang Xu widened his eyes, a cat!

"Meow~" The little kitten saw someone approaching and quickly withdrew its head. Tang Xu squatted down to take a look, then glanced up at the tall wooden fence. "When did your brother raise the fence?"

Wei Xi squatted beside him, reaching out his hand to the gap in the fence, making a clucking sound with his mouth. 

When Tang Xu asked him, he thought for a moment before saying, "You've been busy cutting and pickling vegetables these past few days. My brother and our family have been raising more and more chickens and ducks, so we have to prevent them from flying out, hence we raised the fence."

Tang Xu nodded, itching to look at the little orange cat crouching in the grass.

Although so far they hadn't discovered any mouse holes in their house, not having mice at home wasn't the only benefit of keeping a cat. At the very least, having a cat at home could help watch over the granary.

"Brother Xu, do you think this little cat got lost from its mother? It's so small."

"Does anyone here keep cats?" Tang Xu had seen a few wild cats in the previous village, all of them slender-bodied and agile. "I was thinking of getting a dog before."

Wei Xi turned his head in surprise, "Can we keep dogs at our house? Is it allowed?"

"Do you like dogs? You won't mind the noise?" Tang Xu chuckled, looking at him with a smile. "What about cats? Do you like them?"

"I like both," Wei Xi cupped his face, "I used to be in poor health and couldn't keep anything. My brother said I couldn't even take care of myself, yet I still wanted to keep pets. But now that I'm healthy, Brother Xu, can you talk to my brother and let us keep a dog? It can guard the house!"

Tang Xu agreed with a nod, then turned to look at the curious little milk cat approaching. "I'll go get a piece of meat to see if I can lure it over." If this little guy was hungry, it would come over by itself.

As it turned out, the little orange cat was not only hungry but also had quite an appetite.

Tang Xu chopped up some lean meat, and the little fellow gulped it down without chewing, then rubbed Tang Xu's ankle with its little head, emitting a high-pitched meowing sound.

Wei Xi reached out to pat it, whispering, "It's so thin, so small."

Tang Xu picked up the kitten and looked into its mouth. Its teeth had grown, small and sharp. "It's good, it can eat meat now, there's no need to find milk for it."

He picked up the kitten and said to Wei Xi, "Don't hold it yet. Go back and check if it has fleas on its body."

Wei Xi eagerly looked at the little orange cat, laughing happily.

After Wei Dong finished recording the accounts, he saw a big and a small figure in the yard playing with a skinny kitten. Each of them held a small piece of meat, teasing the cat.

"Where did the cat come from?" Wei Dong walked behind Tang Xu, who was squatting down, and poked him on the head. "How much sticky rice should I soak? I'll go do it."

Tang Xu looked up at him. "It came from the backyard slope. It squeezed in through the fence. Let's keep it. I always feel like there might be mice in the grain storage area."

"Can this little thing catch mice?" Wei Dong didn't object to keeping it. After all, he had already noticed that his husband especially liked furry little animals.

"It'll be able to catch them when it grows a bit bigger in two months," Tang Xu said as he stroked the small tuft of fur on the kitten's head. "Xiao Xi, why don't you give it a name?"

"Let's call it Mimi!"

Tang Xu twitched his mouth corner. It seemed like every cat in the village was named Mimi, and every dog was called Dahuang or Dahei. He internally criticized this naming convention but said, "Sounds good. Just hearing it, you know it's for this little one." 

Wei Xi grinned and petted the kitten, very fond of it and clearly happy.

Wei Dong sighed and said to Wei Xi, "It might have fleas on its body, you..." 

"No fleas. My brother-in-law just checked it earlier and even dusted it with medicine powder and combed its fur," Wei Xi interrupted his brother.

"I bought some deworming medicine powder from the herbalist before. With so many livestock in our house, we can't do without it," Tang Xu said with a grin, reaching out his hand. 

After Wei Dong helped him up, he added, "Let's go soak the rice."

Sticky rice probably needed to soak for three days, and Tang Xu also soaked a bucket of corn kernels, which needed at least half a month. During dinner, Tang Xu deliberately made two large meat dishes. After all, it was his birthday, so they had to have a better meal.

The fragrant stewed meat was placed on the table. Wei Xi looked at the steaming stewed chicken pieces, another pot of stewed rabbit meat, the stir-fried spicy pig intestines, and the scrambled eggs with leeks, swallowing saliva.

"Brother-in-law, the festival won't start until tomorrow!"

"Today is my birthday, let's have a meal first," Tang Xu said with a smile as he poured him a glass of honey water. "Tomorrow, my father and the others will come over for dinner. We'll have something simple for lunch, and then in the evening, we'll prepare something nicer."

A couple of days ago, when Tang Erhu came to deliver the corn kernels, he mentioned about them going back home for the Mid-Autumn Festival to have a family reunion.

However, Tang Xu declined mainly because the kitchen there was too small to accommodate everyone comfortably, so he suggested they come over instead, as they had more space and he could cook comfortably.

Tang Erhu agreed after some consideration, but he mentioned he had to go to the old house in the afternoon, so he could only come in the evening. Tang Xu thought it was fine since he planned to bake some mooncakes during the day and then enjoy them with a little wine in the evening. He was feeling quite content.

"I'll bring out those two jars of sorghum rice wine I brewed earlier to taste tomorrow. The flavor seemed pretty good when we cooked it," 

Wei Dong nodded, thinking about the spicy taste he had tasted that day, unable to help but salivate. "Can you pour me a bit now? I'll have a couple of sips."

Tang Xu chuckled at his eager expression and nodded, "Alright, I'll pour you a glass. My homemade sorghum rice wine is stronger than the one you bought, so take it slow when you drink."

 He learned how to make this sorghum rice wine from watching a family-owned distillery in the village when he was a child. Back then, he used to help his grandfather with distillation, and being small and cute, he became acquainted with the owner of the distillery. Over time, he learned some methods of brewing from him.

In the past when he saw heavenly pot on a video, Tang Xu remembered it.

He opened the jar and scooped out a bowl of white wine, the rich aroma filling his nose. He exhaled slightly, knowing that people who didn't drink often were easily intoxicated by the smell alone.

Wei Dong always thought he had a good tolerance for alcohol, but after downing that bowl of wine, he ended up sleeping until noon the next day. 

Tang Xu had already finished baking the mooncakes.

"You're finally awake, brother!" Wei Xi held a small bowl containing cooled mooncakes. "I called you twice, but you didn't respond."

Wei Dong shook his head and wiped his face, "The alcohol hit me hard."

"Go wash your face quickly. My brother-in-law baked a lot of mooncakes and said he's going to take some to our eldest aunt later. What flavor do you want?" Wei Xi took a bite of a mooncake, "There are five-nut and red date paste ones. I made the red date paste myself!"

"What else?" Wei Dong went over to see the mooncake Wei Xi was eating and discovered there was even a salted egg yolk inside! Thinking about the salted egg yolk pastries Tang Xu had baked before, Wei Dong sniffed the aroma and said, "I'm going to brush my teeth."

Tang Xu came out of the kitchen holding a bamboo basket. When he saw Wei Dong heading to the backyard, he called out to him, "I'm going to take some mooncakes to our eldest aunt. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you. Xiao Xi and I are already full from eating mooncakes."

Wei Dong thought for a moment and said, "I'll have something light. Your wine hit me hard, and my stomach still feels warm." 

Tang Xu rolled his eyes, "I told you yesterday not to drink so fast, but you didn't listen." 

"How about some dough drop soup? I'll make a pot for you."

Wei Dong nodded, "Alright."

Tang Xu went to Wei Zhonghong's house. They were just starting lunch, a lively and bustling family gathering. He didn't go in but called out to his eldest aunt outside the courtyard gate, handing her the bamboo basket filled with mooncakes, "I made quite a few. Please taste them and let me know how they are."

"Anything you make must be delicious, and these patterns look so festive," Wei Zhonghong said with a smile as she took the basket. Then she asked, "Have you cooked anything else? Or have you just been busy baking mooncakes?"

Tang Xu shook his head and chuckled, "I've been experimenting with brewing some sorghum rice wine recently. Wei Dong couldn't resist drinking a bowl last night and ended up getting drunk. Wei Xi and I were satisfied with just the mooncakes. I'll go back and make a pot of dough drop soup for Wei Dong to drink later."

"You can brew wine too?" Wei Zhonghong asked in surprise.

Tang Xu waved his hand modestly and smiled, "I've never done it before. I just roughly followed the steps. Eldest aunt, you should go back for dinner. I'll take my leave."

After he left, Wei Zhonghong returned to her house and put the basket down.

"Did Xu Ge'er make these?"

"They smell so good, even better than the ones we buy from the pastry shop in town."

"Mom, can I have some?"

Wei Zhonghong looked at her three sons and gave them a glare, "Always eating, that's all you know." The three of them shrunk their necks. Were they not supposed to eat?

Wei Zhonghong sighed, "Go ahead and eat."

Tang Xu returned home and made a pot of dough drop soup for Wei Dong, then started preparing dinner.

Tang Erhu, accompanied by Tang Yang, was currently by the river catching crabs. 

After finishing dinner at the old house, the father and son didn't stay to chat longer but hurried to the river, as if afraid they would miss out on catching the crabs if they arrived late.

They returned covered in mud but with a good harvest of crabs, large and small, male and female, none were spared. Carrying a bucket of crabs back home, after cleaning off the mud, they rushed to Wei Dong's house with the cow cart.

Tang Li sat on the cart, and in front of her was a basket containing a plucked hen. The hen was well-fed, but the girl didn't feel any remorse when they slaughtered it.

"I wonder what Big Brother will cook today," Tang Yang said as he sat beside the bucket of crabs. 

Tang Li chuckled and replied, "There will definitely be plenty of delicious dishes. Let's go over early and help Big Brother."

"Yeah, I miss Big Brother too, Dad," Tang Yang patted Tang Erhu's shoulder. "In a couple of days, can I start studying with Brother Xi?"

Tang Erhu nodded, "Yes, study hard."

"That's great! I'll definitely study hard. You have to bring me here every morning," Tang Yang said, his eyes sparkling with joy. "Big Brother said I don't need to buy paper, pens, or books; he'll prepare everything for me. Big brother is so kind."

"You also have to be good to our big brother in the future," Tang Li observed from the side. "Just because he's kind to you, doesn't mean you deserve it." 

Tang Yang sniffled, "I'll definitely do that. I'll definitely be filial to Big Brother in the future!"

With that said, Tang Erhu waved his hand and slapped Tang Yang on the shoulder. "Watch your words."

"What's wrong, Dad? What did I say wrong? I just want to be filial to Big Brother," Tang Yang said, puzzled by the sudden slap. 

Tang Erhu thought for a moment and realized that Tang Yang's words weren't entirely wrong, so he said, "My hand was itching. You seemed like an easy target." The cow cart moved slower than a mule cart, swaying along the way. Tang Erhu even saw a few acquaintances and greeted them.

"Where are you off to, Erhu? You're not going home for the festival?"

"We're going to my son-in-law's place. Our family Xu Ge'er invited us over for dinner tonight!" Tang Erhu grinned proudly. 

"Your Xu Ge'er really cares about you. He's a filial child."

Tang Erhu waved goodbye to the people and continued on their way.

When Tang Xu heard the knocking at the door, Wei Xi had already rushed to open it.

Lately, the child had become more active, running and jumping around, but he still couldn't run for too long without coughing. However, he visibly grew stronger, and he had grown taller too.

"We're here, brother Xi!" Tang Yang jumped down from the cart and turned back, showing him the bucket. "Dad and I caught a lot of crabs. Let's wash them together!"

Wei Xi nodded, "Sure." He politely greeted Tang Erhu, "Hello, Uncle Tang."

"Xiao Xi, you've grown taller again," Tang Erhu smiled and nodded at him.

Wei Xi grinned happily, "I've been eating a lot lately. Brother said eating a lot helps you grow faster!"

Tang Yang stood up straight and compared heights with him, realizing that Wei Xi was indeed slightly taller than himself. Surprised, he asked, "Why are you taller than me? I eat a lot too."

"You're three years younger than me, so I probably just grew taller first. You'll catch up soon," Wei Xi said, taking his hand. 

The two children chatted and laughed together. "We have a kitten at home. I named her Mimi. Brother said she's a female cat and will have many kittens in the future."

"Wow! Will the cat go to the backyard to catch small fish to eat?" Tang Yang asked excitedly.

Wei Xi was momentarily taken aback and shook his head, "I'm not sure. It's still too small. It probably can't eat fish yet."

"Well, when it grows a bit bigger, I'll catch fish for it to eat," Tang Yang said, quickly walking into the yard. "Where is it? I want to see it."

Tang Xu stood at the doorway of the kitchen and heard his words. He immediately understood that Tang Yang was talking about the kitten and pointed to the grass-woven nest nearby. "It's sleeping inside."

This little orange cat was quite capable—it could eat, sleep, and especially find its way around. It had previously squeezed into the rabbit's burrow with the little bunnies, only to be kicked out by the mother rabbit. Then it had gone to the geese, only to be pecked by the goslings and scared off.

Just as Tang Xu came out, he saw the cat running back from the backyard. Its fur on the head was even more tousled. The little orange cat circled around Tang Xu, meowing incessantly. 

Tang Xu picked it up, stroked its fur, and then it nestled into his arms, refusing to leave.

He found a grass nest he had made earlier, put the sleeping little fellow inside, and let it bask in the sun.

Tang Yang ran to the nest, carefully reached out his hand to touch the soft little bundle, and whispered, "It's so pretty! 

“Its eyes are yellow!" 

Wei Xi stood beside him, "Wait until it wakes up, and then you can play with it. Let's go crabbing now." 

Tang Xu looked at the crabs in the bucket and exclaimed, "They're so big."

"We got small ones too. If you don't want to eat the small ones, you can throw them into the backyard. Maybe they'll grow even bigger if you raise them for a while," Tang Erhu entered and said to him. 

Tang Xu turned to Wei Xi and said, "When you two are crabbing, pick out the small ones. We'll eat the big ones."

"Okay, then Ah Yang and I will go wash them by the well." Wei Xi picked up the bucket, patted Tang Yang, who was still poking the kitten's belly, and said, "Let's go, we'll come back and see after we finish washing."

Reluctantly, Tang Yang was dragged away, taking one step forward and turning his head back three times.

At this moment, Wei Dong came out of the kitchen and immediately called out to Tang Erhu, "Dad, come quickly, taste the sorghum rice wine brewed by Xu Ge'er."

Tang Erhu's eyes lit up, "Is it ready to drink?"

Wei Dong looked mysterious, "I had a bowl last night and just woke up."

Tang Erhu patted his shoulder, "Come on, let me taste it."

"Dad, don't drink too much before eating, you can only have a sip," Tang Xu said, seeing his excitement, fearing he might get drunk without even having eaten. 

Tang Erhu nodded, "Okay, just a sip."

After taking a sip, Tang Erhu's face turned red, and he gasped for air several times to calm down the fiery sensation in his throat. "That's good wine, good wine!"

"But having a burning throat doesn't necessarily mean it's good wine," Tang Xu said as he began to chop the chicken brought by Tang Li. "How does it compare to the jar Wei Dong bought before?"

"It's stronger than that," Tang Erhu said, his face flushed, sweat beading on his forehead. "Your wine is spicy, but it doesn't choke the throat, and it has a hint of sweetness. It's warm and perfect for drinking in winter."

Tang Xu chuckled, "When you go back, bring a jar with you Dad. This wine will only get better with time. By the time of the New Year, we can take it to the old house and drink it with Grandpa and Uncle."

Tang Erhu nodded, appreciating the idea very much.

Dinner was particularly lavish, with chicken, fish, ribs, crabs, and two small appetizers. Tang Xu simmered two pots of white rice, afraid that there wouldn't be enough for everyone.

"Brother, this is too much," although the new rice smelled delicious, there was simply too much of it.

"It's alright, whatever is left over can be stored in the cellar. Tomorrow morning, we can make porridge or fried rice with it," Tang Xu poured the steamed crabs from the pot into a large basin, a bright red pile, incredibly fragrant. "Let's eat!"

He poured out several times the amount of mulberry wine and cherry wine he had previously soaked and poured a glass of white wine for Tang Erhu. "Dad, if you were staying at my house today, you could have two more glasses. But since you're not, just one glass is enough."

Tang Erhu waved his hand, "It's not appropriate for a father to stay at his son-in-law's house. One glass is sufficient, I want to enjoy the moment."

Tang Xu smiled and pushed the wine glass towards him, then he picked up a crab and placed it in Tang Erhu's bowl. "Drinking wine with crab is incredibly delicious."

Tang Erhu nodded with a smile, "You enjoy your meal, don't worry about me." He then turned to look at Wei Dong and noticed that his glass was filled with cherry wine. "Dongzi, why aren't you drinking?"

Wei Dong shook his head, holding his bowl with a mouthful of rice and meat, eating so quickly that his mouth was full of oil, he hadn't even touched the cherry wine. "I can't afford to get drunk."

Tang Xu raised his glass, gesturing to everyone. "Come on, take a sip. Let's be together as a family every year from now on."

It was Tang Li's first time drinking fruit wine. She took a small sip and wrinkled her nose at the sweet and spicy taste. Tang Yang, curious, dipped the tip of his chopsticks into the wine and tasted it, his eyes lighting up.

"I want to grow up quickly so that I can drink too!"

"I thought you wanted to say that you want to grow up quickly so you can pass the imperial examinations and become an official!" Tang Li gave him a teasing look. 

Tang Yang chuckled, "That will come in due time, but if I can grow up a bit faster, then I can drink alcohol sooner!"

Tang Xu laughed, amused by the notion that growing up was for the sake of drinking alcohol. Okay, little wine enthusiast.

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