The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 103

 

| TBBOTOF | 103

When Tang Xu woke up, it was completely dark outside, and the howling wind had stopped.

It was cloudy, and even the moon was not visible.

He was not very good at reading the weather here, and now there was no moon, so he had no idea what time it was.

Anyway, as long as it wasn’t dawn yet, the New Year wasn't over yet.

He put on his cotton-padded jacket and went outside. There was no one in the main house, and Wei Dong was nowhere to be seen either.

First, he went to the outhouse in the backyard to take care of his physiological needs, then headed to the east wing.

He found everyone in Tang Erhu's room. A stove was lit, making the room very warm, almost hot.

Tang Xu came in from the cold outside, rubbing his hands and stomping his feet. "Why are you all in this room?"

"Dad said not to disturb your rest and had us stay here," Wei Dong explained, reaching out to warm Tang Xu's cold hands. 

Wei Dong's hands were dry and warm, and his touch was very comforting. Tang Xu squinted his eyes, squeezing Wei Dong's fingers, and asked, "Why didn't you all take a nap?"

"We couldn't sleep," Tang Yang said, patting his still full belly. "We just finished eating not long ago."

Tang Xu looked surprised. "Just finished? You ate all the dishes?"

"No," Wei Dong shook his head, pulling Tang Xu to sit beside him. He bent down to take off Tang Xu's boots, then pushed him further onto the kang and covered his legs with a quilt. 

He continued, "Dad said we shouldn't finish all the New Year's Eve food. We need to have some left for tomorrow to symbolize abundance every year."

Tang Xu smiled at Tang Erhu and teased, "Dad, I didn't know you understood these customs."

"Why wouldn't I know? If we were staying up all night with your grandparents, there would be even more rules," Tang Erhu reminisced about the times before the family split, staying up late at the old house, shaking his head. "We had to make offerings to our ancestors and kowtow."

Just thinking about all those complicated rituals made Tang Xu's head hurt. Luckily, they didn't have to follow all of those.

However...

He turned to Wei Dong and asked, "Should we be making offerings to Mom and Dad's memorial tablets?"

"Yes," Wei Dong nodded. "We can do it once the dumplings are ready."

Tang Xu agreed, "Alright, let's make some dumplings and cook them first. After the offering, we can prepare the rest."

Wei Dong thought for a moment and agreed.

Tang Xu had performed many offerings before; it was customary during festivals. He, along with the Wei brothers, wrapped over thirty dumplings in the kitchen and cooked them all at once.

Then they lit incense and kowtowed in front of the memorial tablets.

Wei Dong murmured a few words softly, then locked the door to the side room where the memorial tablets were kept.

Tang Xu scooped a bowl of hot dumpling soup, blowing on it as he drank. Seeing Wei Dong approach, he asked curiously, "What did you tell Mom and Dad?"

"I told them I married a virtuous wife who not only helped me improve my younger brother's health but also is expecting a child for the Wei family. I wanted them to be happy for us," Wei Dong said, pulling him close and kissing his smooth cheek. "I am extremely happy."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and handed him the remaining half bowl of dumpling soup. "Here, since you know how to sweet-talk, you can have a sip."

Wei Dong chuckled, "You're just giving me your leftovers." Despite his words, he took the bowl and drank it all, smacking his lips and saying, "It has a subtle meat flavor."

"Of course, you two wrapped a few with broken skins. How could it not taste like meat?" Tang Xu wiped his mouth and went to scoop some flour. "We have plenty of meat filling, so let's wrap more. If we can't finish them, we can freeze them. We can cook dumplings on days we don't feel like cooking."

Wei Dong agreed, helping to carry the basin. "We should visit Aunt on the third day of the New Year. When will we visit your grandparents?"

"On the fourth day? I was thinking of bringing them over to stay for a few days," Tang Xu said as he scooped water. "Didn't we say when we visited last time that once everything here is settled, they can come over and visit? Plus, we need to tell them about building a new house for Dad here. If we start construction without telling them, they'll probably scold us."

"Alright, if it doesn't snow, I'll go pick them up," Wei Dong nodded. Seeing Tang Xu put down the water ladle and roll up his sleeves to knead the dough, he reached out to stop him. "I'll knead the dough. You prepare the meat filling."

"Okay," Tang Xu agreed and started mixing the remaining meat fillings: beef, mutton, and pork.

He wanted to make pork and chive dumplings. He had pre-chopped the chives, mixed them with oil, and frozen them. When it was time to wrap the dumplings, he could simply add the frozen chives to the meat filling. 

This method preserved the freshness and flavor, ensuring the dumplings would taste just as good after cooking.

He had never used frozen chives before, but after seeing it in a short video, he decided to give it a try.

With Wei Dong's strong hands, kneading the dough didn't take long. The dough was pliable but not too hard.

"We need to slice the radish into strips, boil it, and then squeeze out the water," Tang Xu said, pointing to the green radish nearby. "We'll have mutton with radish, beef with onions, and pork with chives, three types of fillings."

Wei Dong nodded. "I'll help you with that. Once we're done, we can start wrapping the dumplings."

Tang Xu smiled and agreed.

While they were busy in the kitchen, things weren't idle in the east wing either. Tang Erhu was sitting on the kang, directing the four younger ones to rearrange the furniture.

The large cabinet that used to be against the entrance wall was moved to another side, and the table was also relocated.

Tang Erhu tilted his head, assessed the new arrangement, and shook his head. "The wardrobe should stay here, it would be more convenient for it to be closer to the kang."

Tang Rui and Tang Yang obediently moved things as instructed.

Wei Xi exchanged a glance with Tang Li and whispered, "Can we rearrange my room too?"

Tang Li smiled and asked, "What do you want to move?"

"The cabinets, and the table. I have two big cabinets in my room, plus a bookshelf," Wei Xi explained, gesturing with his hands. "It's really tall. My brother had someone make a huge one, and it was assembled right in the room. It hasn't been moved since."

Tang Li had never been inside Wei Xi's room, but she had seen the big cabinet from outside and asked, "So, where do you want to move it?"

"The kang is on the other side. Since Brother Yang is sharing the room with me, I was thinking we could split the two wardrobes—one for him and one for me. The big bookshelf can also be divided between us," Wei Xi said, glancing at his two brothers who were wiping sweat from their foreheads, his eyes shining brightly. "Moving around a bit will help us eat more dumplings later!"

Tang Li nodded, "I think that's exactly what Dad has in mind. Otherwise, why would he have us moving furniture around at this time of night?"

She was right. Tang Erhu indeed had that in mind.

It was too cold outside to go out for a digestive walk in the dark, so why not move around indoors? Moving furniture was the perfect way to keep from feeling too stuffed.

Tang Erhu wasn't idle either. Since he couldn't use his legs, he was busy directing with his crutches, waving them around energetically.

If they were any closer, those crutches would probably end up in someone's face.

Not to mention, waving his arms was a workout in itself. Tang Erhu's forehead was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and the inner layer of his clothes was damp.

He put down his crutches and took off his thin cotton jacket, leaving only his inner clothes. He waved his hands to fan himself and pointed at the brazier burning with charcoal. "Put it out, it's too hot."

Tang Yang wiped his face, "Yeah, it's really hot. I wanted to say that earlier."

Tang Rui's face was also flushed from the heat. He bent down to pick up the kettle boiling on top and asked, "Should we take it to another room?"

"No need, just leave it here," Wei Xi waved his hand. "We have a stove in our room too, and it's all lit."

"Uncle Tang, I want Brother Rui and Brother Yang to help me move a few cabinets as well. You can rest here while we get to work over there."

Tang Erhu nodded and pointed at the stove. "Put it out, put it out. Don't burn it anymore. How much coal are we using in a day? It's expensive. Next time, don't light it in this room. It's not even cold."

Wei Xi disagreed. "That won’t work. My brother said the doctor mentioned Uncle Tang's injured leg shouldn't get cold, or it will leave lasting problems."

"It's not cold at all. Once the kang is heated, it stays warm all day. I stay in the house except when I eat. It’s not cold at all," Tang Erhu found it amusing to see the serious expression on the young boy's face. "Don't listen to your brother, listen to me."

Wei Xi shook his head. "No, my brother-in-law also reminded me that Uncle Tang's injury shouldn't get cold."

Tang Erhu sighed, waving his hand. "Alright, alright, I understand. You all go move the cabinet. I'll take a rest too." He had been waving his crutches around for quite a while, and his arms were sore.

Tang Xu and Wei Dong were completely unaware of the furniture-moving happening inside the house. After preparing the dough and filling in the kitchen, they covered everything with a large lid and carried it all to Tang Erhu's room.

Just as they were about to reach the room, they heard noises from the next room.

Tang Xu, puzzled, called out, "What are you all doing in there? Come out and help carry things!"

The door opened, and Tang Yang, wearing only his inner clothes, rushed out. "Brother, what do you need me to carry?"

"Why are you wearing so little? Hurry and put on your cotton-padded jacket!" Tang Xu was startled, nearly dropping the bowl he was holding.

Tang Yang grinned and took the bowl from his hands, turning back into the house. "I'm so hot! Brother, what kind of filling did you make? It smells so good!"

"The bowl you have is beef and onion. Put it on the table and go fetch the other bowl." Tang Xu urged him, then turned to Wei Dong, "Ah Dong, go to the cellar and bring the leeks. I already found them and put them in a bowl by the freezer door."

Wei Dong nodded, placed the dough bowl down, and went to get the leeks.

As Tang Xu entered the room, he noticed the furniture had been moved. Hearing the noises from the next room, he smiled and asked, "Did you all rearrange the furniture?"

"Yes, we’re working off our food," Tang Li replied, wiping her sweat. "Brother, you sit and rest. I'll get the dough board."

Tang Xu sat down on the edge of the kang, resting his hand on his stomach, and turned to Tang Erhu. "Dad, why aren't you moving around?"

"Who said I'm not? I was just exercising my arms." Tang Erhu raised his arms and waved them around. "Worked up a sweat."

Tang Xu chuckled, pointed to the bowls being brought in, and said to Wei Xi, "Xiao Xi, go to the kitchen and bring the peanuts, sunflower seeds, and the jar of drunk dates. We'll snack while we make dumplings."

"Isn't it too early to start making them?" Tang Erhu turned to look outside. The windows were covered with too many layers of paper to see the light outside. "What time is it?"

Tang Xu shook his head. "It’s cloudy, and I can't see the moon."

Wei Dong came in from outside and answered, "It's Hai Shi (21:00-22:59)."

"It’s not too early. Let's all make dumplings together. If they're well-made, we can freeze them for later. If they're not, we can eat them soon. Depending on how you shape the dumplings, I can turn them into potstickers, steamed dumplings, boiled dumplings, dumpling soup, or dumpling pancakes."

"Brother, what are dumpling pancakes?" Tang Yang was puzzled. How could dumplings turn into pancakes?

Tang Xu laughed and pinched his nose. "Of course, if you make the dumplings badly, I'll press a few of them together and cook them into a pancake!"

Tang Yang covered his mouth and laughed loudly, insisting that he would make his dumplings well.

Whether they were well-made or not would be seen soon enough. Except for Tang Li, none of the others made dumplings that Tang Xu would find satisfactory!

But sitting together as a family, chatting and laughing while learning to make dumplings, the time passed quickly!

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