The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 102

 

| TBBOTOF | 102

Tang Xu's single sentence broke the young boy's defenses.

Just thinking about staying home to study while his dad and sister would have to work hard for the family made his eyes well up with tears.

Tang Xiu was taken aback and hurriedly comforted him, "Don't be sad. You have Xiao Xi to study with you!"

Tang Yang shook his head, wiped his face, and said, "I'm not sad because I can't go to town. I'm upset because Dad and Sister have to work so hard, and I can't help them with anything. Brother, I will definitely study hard with Teacher Fu, and when I grow up, I will earn money to support you all."

Tang Xiu was deeply moved. He had thought the child was upset about not being able to go to town, but it turned out he was more concerned about his family's well-being.

He feels a bit sour in his heart. He realized that, in any case, his teaching over the past half year had yielded significant results, he had straightened out this naughty child.

He felt proud, and filled with pride.

Feeling a surge of pride and satisfaction, Tang Xiu patted the young boy's head and nodded, "Brother believes in you. But remember, you must never do anything bad, okay?"

Tang Yang nodded solemnly.

Tang Xiu served him another piece of beef, poking his cheek playfully, "Here, have another piece."

Tang Yang immediately felt much better and happily ate the meat from his bowl.

Brother’s stewed meat is so delicious~!

After Tang Xu was almost done with his tasks, everyone who went to sleep in their rooms also woke up one after another.

Outside, the sky was overcast, the wind blowing fiercely although it wasn't snowing, causing the paper on the windows to flutter vigorously.

Tang Xiu looked at the thin layers of paper covering the windows. He missed the thick glass windows very much.

If only he could make glass himself.

Unfortunately, he had absolutely no idea how to make glass.

"What are you thinking about?" Wei Dong approached with the dishes and asked as he saw him lost in thought staring at the window.

"The window paper in our house will be easily blown to pieces if the wind is strong," Tang Xu handed him the stewed beef he had scooped out, "and it doesn't keep the cold out. You can feel the chill when you're near the window."

"Just paste on a few more layers. If you feel cold, I'll paste some more," Wei Dong looked at him, and seeing Tang Xu shake his head, he thought for a moment and said, "I've seen wealthy merchants in the county town with those glazed windows. But I heard those things are very expensive. If you want, we can buy a few pieces."

Tang Xu thought of the novels he had read about tribute glass products and decisively shook his head.

He wasn't worthy.

Those things probably cost ten thousand taels each. He was poor and couldn't afford them.

"Pasting on a few more layers of paper is fine. No need for useless things. Money should be spent on essentials!" Tang Xu said seriously.

Wei Dong chuckled lightly, picked up the basin, "Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'll get the lamb chops later. Bring the fruit wine jar over. Let's have just a little bit."

"Don't bother. Dad will definitely crave it when he smells the wine," Wei Dong disagreed.

Tang Xu clicked his tongue. It always felt like something was missing at New Year's Eve dinner without a bit of wine. 

Then he had an idea!

"Melt some frozen pears and squeeze a bowl of pear water for dad. It will clear away the heat and quench your thirst."

Wei Dong couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. "Good idea."

In the main room, the hot dishes were brought to the table, a full spread that wouldn't fit if Tang Xu hadn't served the pork rib rice in each person's large bowl.

"Why aren't you eating yet? What are you still busy with?" Tang Erhu, sitting in his wheelchair, saw Wei Dong come in but not Tang Xu, and asked, "Are there more dishes? There's so much, how can we finish it all?"

The children all eagerly waited; they had never seen such a lavish feast before. Even Tang Erhu hadn't seen so much food before.

Even during Tang Xu and Wei Dong’s wedding banquet, the food on the table was not so sumptuous.

Wei Dong placed the small basin he carried onto the table and moved aside some plates to make room. "Ah Xu went to get frozen peas for Dad, and also the roasted lamb chops."

Tang Erhu was puzzled. "Frozen pears? What for? I don't eat those."

"To make pear juice for you. Otherwise, when we're drinking fruit wine, you might feel tempted by the smell," Wei Dong explained sincerely.

Tang Erhu: "...” Thank you.

Wei Dong turned and headed out again, returning to the kitchen to bring out the roasted lamb chops from the oven. The surface of the lamb chops sizzled with oil, emitting a rich and fragrant aroma.

This was even more delicious than the whole roasted lamb they had enjoyed in the mountains.

Wei Dong swallowed, finding it hard to resist the temptation of trying one. It was going to be very satisfying to dig into these.

He covered the lamb chops with a basin to keep them warm and hurried back to the main room.

Meanwhile, Tang Xu fetched a small basin of frozen pears from the ice room—ten of them. He soaked them in water to thaw, planning to let his father squeeze the pear juice himself once they were ready.

He went back to the stove to pick up the fruit wine jar, and his face was numb from the wind.

"Hurry, take it!" Tang Xu swung one leg over the doorstep, pushing the jar into Wei Dong's hands while half of his body remained outside.

Wei Dong swiftly took it, and raised the door curtain to help him.

Tang Xu shook his disheveled hair in the wind, exhaling sharply. He glanced at everyone sitting around the table and asked, "Is the kang bed in your room still warm? Don't let this strong wind blow out the fire."

"It's lit, don't worry. Come and sit down quickly," Tang Erhu patted the chair beside him, feeling sorry for him working all afternoon. 

Once everyone was settled, he asked him, "Are you tired?"

"I'm alright, I didn't do it all by myself. Ah Li and the others helped prepare earlier," Tang Xu said as he quickly poured fruit wine for everyone and water for Tang Erhu. "Dad, start with water instead of wine for now. Later, you can squeeze pear juice to drink."

Tang Erhu nodded with a smile, picking up his cup and looking around at everyone. Finally, he said, "This is our first New Year's Eve dinner together. Thank you, Xu Ge’er, for all your hard work."

Tang Xu grinned happily. "It's no trouble at all. I'll be even happier once you all finish everything."

"Come, let's drink this cup and start eating!" Tang Erhu downed the cup of warm water in one go, displaying his boldness.

Others sipped from their cups, not finishing them entirely, taking small sips.

Tang Xu set down his cup and placed a lamb chop into Tang Erhu's bowl. "Try it while it's hot, Dad. See how it tastes."

Tang Erhu chuckled and made an affirmative sound before grabbing the chop and taking a big bite.

The crispy skin gave way to tender, juicy meat, flavored with sauce that made it so delicious that even the flavor made it hard to open one's eyes.

He didn't even say anything and he ate without manners.

Others ate in a similar manner, each grabbing a piece and biting down.

Both Tang Yang and Wei Xi were more exaggerated, making sounds of approval while chewing, indicating how tasty it was.

Tang Xu himself grabbed a piece to chew, finding the taste slightly tangy, but since everyone else was enjoying it so much, he didn't mention it.

After taking a few bites, Tang Xu lost his appetite and directly placed the lamb chop into Wei Dong's bowl.

Wei Dong looked at him. "Why aren't you eating?"

"You go ahead and eat, I'll try something else," Tang Xu replied. Although his appetite had returned somewhat, he wasn't particularly fond of the tangy flavor of the lamb chops.

Wei Dong didn't say much, just nodded and continued eating.

Tang Xu scooped about half of the pork rib rice from his large bowl into Wei Dong's bowl, thinking it was not too much, he gave away another half.

Then he started tasting each dish.

After tasting everything, he felt satisfied.

When he set down his chopsticks, he noticed the others at the table were still eating.

Leaving aside everything else, the flavors on this table were truly exceptional.

The fish, which Tang Xu had prepared as Squirrel Fish, was initially intended to be braised fish. 

However, with the braised beef already on the menu, he felt the flavors might overlap. 

Therefore, he opted for a simpler version of Squirrel Fish—making precise cuts into the fish, deep-frying them until crispy, and then coating them with a sweet and sour sauce. The result was a dish with a delightful golden-brown crust, tender inside, and bursting with amazing flavors after being drizzled with the sauce.

The carrots in the braised beef were a hit with Tang Li, the young girl. She kept picking several pieces of carrots and putting them in her bowl. Using her chopsticks, she mashed them up and mixed them with rice, eating slowly and in small bites.

Tang Xu glanced at her and asked, "Seems like Ah Li doesn't need that much meat, huh?"

Tang Li blushed and smiled at him sweetly. "Brother, these carrots are so sweet and delicious!"

"The potatoes are delicious too!" Tang Yang chimed in, his mouth full. “Brother, everything you make is especially tasty!"

Wei Xi nodded in agreement, making affirmative sounds while chewing meat, too busy eating to speak.

Although they had eaten a good breakfast earlier and had helped out in the backyard, followed by a nap, they woke up feeling hungry again. Once they started eating now, they couldn't seem to stop.

Tang Xu smiled as he watched them eat, occasionally picking up a piece of cucumber to crunch on, finding it refreshing.

"Don't just eat meat, Ah Yang. Have some vegetables too." He picked some vegetables for Tang Yang, who had been fixated on the meat, worried he might get indigestion.

Tang Yang grinned, holding a big bowl of rice and digging out a piece of rib from it and happily gnawing on it.

Tang Rui also ate with a mouth full of oil, without saying a word or raising his head, but his eating manner was refined despite his quick pace.

Tang Xu felt content seeing them enjoy their meal so much. He occasionally picked up some vegetables to eat himself. Even without much conversation, it was quite enjoyable.

The meal lasted for an hour. Though there was no lively chatter, everyone ate heartily. Tang Erhu alone drank several cups of water.

Once his belly was full, this middle-aged man patted his stomach in satisfaction and couldn't help but say, "I ate too much. I think I'll take a walk after this."

"What are you planning to walk around?" Tang Xu looked surprised. "Dad, don't be reckless and wander about. What if your bones get misaligned?"

Tang Erhu waved his hand, his mouth still oily. "Why so worried? I'm not going anywhere dangerous. Besides, Dongzi made me a cane. I've been using it to walk to the outhouse these past few days." He said this proudly.

Tang Xu frowned deeply upon hearing this, glancing disapprovingly at Tang Rui. "Didn't I ask you to take care of Dad? Why did you let him go to the outhouse alone?"

Tang Rui looked helpless. "I wanted to help him, but he wouldn't let me."

Tang Erhu chuckled. "I still have one leg that works. I can walk on my own with the cane."

"Aren't we worried you might mess up your bones' alignment?" Tang Xu's tone cooled. He looked at his father sternly. "If they get misaligned, we'll have to set them straight again. Otherwise, you'll be limping with one leg longer than the other. Besides being unsightly, it'll be troublesome."

Tang Erhu's expression stiffened momentarily. He wanted to retort that at his age, looks weren't a concern, but seeing his son's serious expression, he held back.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Next time, I'll let Ah Rui help me."

Tang Erhu grunted lightly and took a big sip from his bowl.

The cool, sweet liquid slid down his throat, refreshing him instantly.

"After we finish eating, you guys clean up. I'm going to take a nap," Tang Xu said with a yawn. "There's still rice left in the pot. If it's not enough, go get more. Combine the leftover meat and vegetables, and heat them up tomorrow. Tonight, we'll make dumplings together as a family!"

After he finished speaking, Tang Xu waved his hand sleepily and stumbled back to his room.

The others left behind looked at each other, and Wei Dong was the first to get up.

"Brother, serve me a bowl of rice too!"

"Brother-in-law, I want some too!"

Tang Erhu shook his head with a sigh. They sure can eat a lot.

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A Special Thanks to Moo again!