The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 96

 

| TBBOTOF | 96

On the early morning of the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Wei Dong drove the mule cart and took Tang Erhu to the town again.

The doctor at Huichun Hall had previously treated Tang Erhu's wound and recommended changing the dressing every three days. 

Although the cold weather made infection less likely, it was still important to be vigilant. If something went wrong, early detection would allow for timely treatment.

At dawn, with the sky still dim, two roosters were enthusiastically crowing, unfazed by the biting cold. The pigsty nearby also came alive with noise, as the pigs, having grown from little chubby piglets to big fat ones, started grunting. 

They heard the roosters and knew that feeding time was soon, so they didn't sleep any longer.

Tang Li got up early to feed the livestock in the backyard. Seeing the well-fed chickens, ducks, and geese, and the extremely fat pig, she was surprised. It had only been two or three months since she last visited, but the sow had grown so quickly!

Later, she learned that her brother fed the animals three to four times a day and understood why the pig had grown so large. It wasn't that she was bad at raising pigs, but that her brother was overfeeding them, making it impossible for them not to get fat.

These past few days, Tang Li had been taking care of the morning feeding. To be honest, it was quite tiring, but also very fulfilling. Helping her brother filled her with energy.

"Brother-in-law, I made some pancakes and mixed grain porridge," Tang Li said when she heard a sound and turned around while washing a bowl. She saw Wei Dong coming out of the main house. "Would you like to eat something before you go?"

Wei Dong responded affirmatively, noticing she had just finished feeding the livestock. He said, "Heat some water to wash up, don't let yourself get cold. Have you brought your father his breakfast? After eating, I'll take him to town to change the dressing."

Tang Li nodded. "Yes, I did. Is my Elder Brother awake?"

"No, he needs to sleep a bit longer," Wei Dong replied as he went into the kitchen to eat. He ate quickly, pairing the pancakes with various diced pickles, and sipped the hot mixed grain porridge, feeling completely refreshed. "Have you eaten yet?"

Tang Li shook her head and smiled at him. "I'll wait until Elder Brother wakes up. Xiao Xi and Ah Yang will be up soon. When I brought Dad his breakfast earlier, Second Brother was awake too. He said he'd come over to eat later."

Wei Dong nodded, took another sip of porridge, wiped his mouth, and grabbed two more pancakes.

After he finished eating, he went to check on Tang Erhu and saw that he had finished eating and was already dressed. 

Wei Dong carried him on his back. "We're setting off now."

Not long after they left, Tang Xu woke up.

He felt a bit uncomfortable, not in pain, just hungry.

He suspected the baby he was carrying was a little glutton, already making sure he didn't miss his three meals a day.

After getting dressed and getting off the kang, he heard movement in the house and immediately asked, "Brother, are you up?"

Tang Xu was a bit surprised and turned his head to look at the window. "Ah Li, are you sweeping the yard again?"

"No, I'm hanging clothes!" Tang Li replied.

Tang Xu frowned and glanced at the bamboo basket beside the kang where the dirty clothes were kept. The dirty outer pants he and Wei Dong had worn were missing.

He quickly put on his cotton shoes and went outside, not forgetting to grab the cotton jacket from the kang. "Ah Li, didn't I tell you not to wash our clothes?"

"I washed them while I was at it. It wasn't any trouble," Tang Li said, shaking out the freshly wrung clothes. They were Tang Xu's outer pants. She stood on her tiptoes to hang the pants on the line. 

Tang Xu went over to help. 

"Brother, don't touch them. It’s cold, you might get sick."

"Aren’t you afraid of getting sick?" Tang Xu glared at her, wringing out the wet pants. He was stronger than Tang Li, so he wrung them drier. "You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"

Tang Li blushed and nodded. "I wanted to wait to eat with you. Everyone else finished eating. Ah Yang and Xiao Xi went back to their room to study, and Second Brother is also reading."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. "Then let's go eat. Next time, don't wash our clothes, or I'll really be upset."

Tang Li nodded obediently. "Got it, Brother. I won't wash them again."

Tang Xu felt helpless; she had brushed him off the same way the day before.

Since tomorrow was New Year's Eve, besides taking Tang Erhu to town to check his leg wound, Wei Dong also needed to pick up a wheelchair. The one Tang Xu had used was no longer suitable for Tang Erhu and needed some modifications.

"Will Brother-in-law and Dad be back for lunch?" Tang Li asked while cleaning up the dishes. She turned to see Tang Xu carrying a large basin and asked, "Brother, what are you going to do?"

"Make some fried snacks. I'll prepare them now so we don't have to worry about it during the New Year," Tang Xu replied with a smile. He placed a basket of eggs on the stove and went to get the flour. "Dad and Ah Dong probably won't be back for lunch. The snow on the road makes it difficult to travel."

Tang Li quickly moved the flour bag next to the egg basket, watching as Tang Xu scooped flour, cracked eggs into it, added sugar, and kneaded the dough.

As she observed and learned, she felt a bit puzzled when Tang Xu started heating soybean oil in a large pot. 

Why was he making so many different shapes from one bowl of dough? But the fried results looked surprisingly good.

"These are sanzi, tauhuan, and danpao. Even though they all come from the same dough, they taste different," Tang Xu explained, placing a piece of each into a bowl and gesturing for her to try.

Tang Li tasted each one and her eyes widened. "Why is that? Danpao is so soft, sanzi is very hard, and tauhuan is crispy."

"By adjusting the softness and hardness of the dough, you get different appearances and textures. Even if they are all sweet, they offer different fresh experiences when eaten." Tang Xu used a large skimmer to scoop out the sanzi (fried dough twists) from the pot and placed them on the bamboo mat beside him. "Once these cool down, they'll be crispier and more delicious. The more you chew, the more flavorful they become. Because I added more flour, the sweetness is a bit lighter. Dad should like it since he doesn't usually like very sweet things."

Tang Li's eyes were full of admiration for Tang Xu.

Regardless of anything else, her brother really understood the art of making food perfectly.

"What about this meat? How should we prepare it?" Tang Li pointed to the piece of meat beside her, a large, pure lean meat.

Tang Xu planned to use the tenderloin to make crispy fried meat. It could be processed further or eaten directly later.

Tang Li, holding a kitchen knife, was eager to try.

Tang Xu sighed helplessly, "You're such a pretty girl, can't you be a bit more ladylike? If you keep acting like this, no one will propose to you in the future."

"Many people want to marry me!" Tang Li lifted her chin proudly.

"Oh?" Tang Xu took the knife and started cutting the meat. "Really, has anyone come to propose recently?"

Tang Li pouted, turned around, and sat on a small stool nearby. She propped her chin up and looked at him, "Ever since our family stopped selling cold noodles, more and more people have been coming to propose. Dad turned them down several times, but then when I went to the river to do laundry, I got stopped by them. I turned them down myself a few times too. Now, I'm even afraid to go to the river."

"Then, what are your own requirements for your future husband?" Although the girl was still young, in the countryside, girls typically married early. 

Even if he wanted to keep his sister at home, it would be impossible for her to remain unmarried past sixteen. Otherwise, the gossip would drown her.

Tang Li's cheeks turned pink as she glanced at Tang Xu, remaining silent.

Tang Xu smiled and asked, "What? Do you want to find someone like me?"

"Not exactly," Tang Li shook her head. "I just hope to find someone who treats me half as well as you do."

Tang Xu chuckled softly and continued cutting the meat.

"Call your second brother over to help chop the meat. I need to make meatballs."

Tang Li was puzzled as to why her brother stopped talking to her but obediently got up to call Tang Rui.

Tang Rui, who was reading in his room, never expected to be asked to do chores. Staying here for the past few days made him feel more comfortable than at the school dormitory.

"I don't know how," he said, looking at Tang Li, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Tang Li stood at the door, pouting, "I didn't know how before either; I learned. Besides, our brother cooks two meals a day for us even though he's pregnant. Now, he's asking you to help chop meat, and you can't do that?"

Tang Rui opened his mouth but found he couldn't argue with his sister.

With no other choice, he put on his coat and left the room.

Tang Xu heard footsteps and turned around. Seeing Tang Rui following Tang Li, he smiled and pointed to the meat beside him, saying, "Chop that big piece into small bits and put it in the bowl when you're done."

He then handed over a kitchen knife.

Tang Rui, holding the knife for the first time, found it heavier than he expected.

"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen…" he muttered to himself.

"If you stay away from the kitchen, you'll go hungry. Your choice," Tang Xu didn't indulge him. 

Since Tang Rui was staying here, it was up to Tang Xu to handle this bookish boy who seemed to have lost touch with reality.

Tang Rui gulped and pouted, reaching for the meat on the cutting board.

Before he could grab it, Tang Li seized his wrist. "Big brother, you didn't wash your hands!"

She pulled him to the basin of clean water, making sure he washed his hands properly. Then, she raised her hand to demonstrate the correct way to chop the meat.

Tang Rui picked up the raw meat from the basin, his expression looking as if he was about to vomit.

Tang Xu watched from the side. He couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. "You didn't seem to mind when you were eating it. Hurry up and chop it finely, or there won't be any lunch today."

Tang Rui felt instantly aggrieved but didn't dare put down the kitchen knife and walk away.

After all, Tang Xu's cooking was truly addictive.

What could he do but chop? Though unskilled, it wasn't impossible. His wrist grew sore, his palm numb, and after a few chops, his entire arm started aching.

He pressed his lips together, clenched his jaw, and persisted.

Tang Xu, meanwhile, began coating the meat strips with batter. He glanced over and nodded in approval, "Not bad, the force is just right. Don't use too much strength, or it will be even harder to pull the knife out if it gets stuck in the cutting board."

Oddly motivated, Tang Rui focused on the chunk of meat he was hacking into a mushy mess, red and white all mixed together, making him feel nauseous again.

"Brother! We're here!" Tang Yang ran in from outside, lifting the curtain and letting in a draft of cold air, with Wei Xi following behind him.

The two of them were stunned to see Tang Rui chopping meat.

Tang Yang and Wei Xi's surprised expressions were unmistakable.

Tang Xu placed the flour-coated meat strips into the oil pot and took a moment to glance at the two of them. "Why aren't you guys in your room studying? Are you hungry?"

"No, we're not," Wei Xi shook his head. "We came to see if there's anything we can help with since we're taking a break."

Tang Yang nodded and added, "Brother, take a rest. I can handle this. Let me help you."

He started washing his hands and rolled up his sleeves, ready to assist.

Tang Xu sidestepped and gently nudged him aside. "No need to get your hands dirty. You two can sort the beans over there. We'll grind some beans later to make tofu skins, and we can fry some spicy strips as snacks for you."

The boys' eyes lit up at this and they hurried to sort the soybeans.

"I'll push the mill, brother Xi!" Tang Yang patted his small chest. "I'm strong!"

"Alright, you push."

"Xu Ge'er are you home?"

Everyone in the kitchen heard the voice from outside. Tang Xu recognized it as Wei Zhonghong's and replied, "Auntie, I'm here!"

Wei Zhonghong came in with a basket on her arm, covered with a cloth, concealing its contents.

Tang Xu signaled Tang Li to welcome her in since he was too busy to go himself. 

Tang Li promptly went to greet her.

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