The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 104

 

| TBBOTOF | 104

On the first day of the New Year, early in the morning, a tall figure appeared in the previously quiet courtyard.

Despite going to bed late, Wei Dong woke up early. He did it not for any other reason than to feed all the livestock in the household.

The two roosters had just finished crowing, energetically standing on the fence posts, stretching their necks and flapping their wings.

Seeing Wei Dong carrying a large wooden bucket from the front yard, they quickly flew down, clucking and circling around him.

Wei Dong lifted his foot to shoo the chickens away. "Shoo, shoo, get back."

The bucket contained the feed mixed the night before, meant for the chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits. 

The sheep and mule had their fodder in the backyard, where they could graze at their leisure. 

The two wild mountain goats usually stayed up in the hills and rarely came down. The mule didn’t need to be tied up; its usual range included the large backyard and the hillside. Whether they fought or not, there were no injuries to be seen.

The fat orange cat also came out to take a look upon hearing the commotion. Seeing that it wasn’t Tang Xu, it flicked its tail and went back inside.

Wei Dong glanced at the cat, puzzled by its ever-thickening waistline.

Then he looked at the chickens, ducks, geese, and about ten rabbits scrambling for food and sighed.

He couldn’t understand how his husband managed to raise such strong, plump livestock.

He was also much stronger.

The pig feed needed to be cooked and cooled before it could be given to Fatty. Wei Dong, holding a large broom, swept the courtyard and shoveled the dirt from the pens into the drainage ditch. 

Since it was too cold to wash it out with water, as everything would freeze, he used a bamboo stick to poke the ditch back and forth. This would push the dirt into a large pit dug underground, where it would ferment naturally once the weather warmed up, and be used as fertilizer for the vegetable garden. Any excess would be given to the tenant farmers to use for free.

Tang Xu also made a considerable amount of fermented bean pulp fertilizer, which was quite effective and not as smelly when used in the fields.

Wei Dong transferred the cooled pig feed from the pot into the feeding trough. The fat pig had been waiting by the trough, its large belly swaying with each movement. Most of its face was buried in the trough, and its nostrils were covered in sticky food.

"You sure can eat," Wei Dong remarked, leaning on the fence to watch the pig eat. He estimated the young sow weighed over two hundred pounds. "I will go to the mountain to catch a boar for you in the spring. You need to have piglets to make up for the cost of feeding you."

Fatty wagged its tail, seeming quite happy.

After the pig had eaten most of its food, Wei Dong added hot water to the trough, then carried the wooden bucket to fetch water to wash the pot. Once he finished cleaning the backyard again, he dusted off his clothes, washed his hands, and headed to the kitchen.

The dumplings they made the night before had been frozen. The ones stored in the courtyard were already in a large jar, ready to be taken out and cooked as needed. Since many people had made dumplings the previous night, they were of various shapes. Tang Xu had set aside the best ones to freeze and cooked the rest.

Wei Dong was now reheating the leftover steamed dumplings. Since they had been steamed, it didn't matter if they were misshapen. Some that had burst open were made into potstickers, which had been a hit with everyone.

There was no need to light a fire; Wei Dong just took the big iron pot from beside the heated brick bed to warm the dumplings. It was so cold that he almost considered eating them as they were, without bothering to heat them up.

However, he remembered how Tang Xu always reminded him to eat hot meals, so Wei Dong still went ahead and heated them.

After enjoying the warm dumplings and drinking hot water, Wei Dong went inside, took off his clothes, and crawled under the covers.

Tang Xu was sound asleep, undisturbed by his man, only turning over when Wei Dong slipped into bed, then continued sleeping.

When Tang Xu slept, he always had one hand on his belly, instinctively protecting it.

Wei Dong didn't dare move once he was under the covers, fearing he might wake Tang Xu up.

After warming up, Wei Dong finally pulled Tang Xu into his arms gently and lightly stroked his belly.

When he opened his eyes again, Tang Xu was no longer there.

Wei Dong rubbed his eyes, sat up, put on his padded jacket and pants, and went outside.

Tang Xu was sitting in the main room, peeling peanuts at the table while listening to Tang Yang stumble through reciting an article. Wei Xi had already finished reciting and was sitting beside him, eating fried eggs and sipping tea, occasionally reminding Tang Yang of the parts he forgot.

Tang Yang kept glancing up and to the side, avoiding looking directly at Tang Xu in front of him.

Woo, his older brother suddenly asked him about the article; he wasn't prepared!

Shaking his head and stumbling through it again, Tang Yang still couldn't completely remember it. He sighed and extended his hand, "Brother, please hit my hand; I haven't memorized it."

Tang Xu reached out and lightly tapped his hand, teasing him, "You have been having too much fun lately, did you forget to study?"

Tang Yang lowered his head and nodded with a pout.

“During these two days of the New Year, you can take a few days off to relax. We'll start studying on the eighth day, and after the fifteenth, we'll invite the teacher back to continue teaching you guys,” Tang Xu poked his cheek. “Go on now, have something to eat with your brother Wei Xi. When Dad and the others wake up, we'll cook dumplings.”

Tang Yang immediately perked up, moving closer to Wei Xi. “Brother Xi, you're amazing! You can recite everything!”

Wei Xi proudly puffed his chest and said, “At home, I don't do much else. I basically just study. You have to help with chores, so it's really impressive to memorize so much.”

Tang Yang chuckled and reached for a fried egg puff. As he lifted his head, he saw Wei Dong stepping out through the open door of the main room. “Brother-in-law is up!”

Wei Dong nodded, looking at the three of them. “Just woke up?”

Tang Yang and Wei Xi nodded, pointing to the books on the table and then to Tang Xu.

Wei Dong glanced at Tang Xu, who greeted him with a bright smile.

He raised his eyebrows, Tang Xu asked: "I just went to check on the animals in the backyard, they have all been fed, did you get up early in the morning to feed them?"

“Yeah,” Wei Dong nodded, walking over and sitting down. “The rooster woke me up.”

Tang Xu poured him a glass of water. “Go wash up.”

Wei Dong sais “oh” and stood up to freshen up.

Brushing teeth and washing face had become a daily routine—once in the morning and once at night—which Tang Xu insisted on every day; he found it dirty otherwise.

Wei Dong had gotten used to the routine, not finding it troublesome at all.

If this were in the past, just using water to rinse his mouth would have been good enough; the toothpaste he bought would have turned into clumps and he might not even remember to use it.

What's most intolerable isn't that he spends money recklessly, but that he buys things and doesn't use them!

Before the Lunar New Year, during the major cleanup, they tidied up a lot of things from over a dozen rooms. Tang Xu hadn't seen many of them before and didn't know what they were for. 

When he asked Wei Xi, Wei Xi said they were all bought by his brother before, but they never used.

When he asked Wei Dong again, what did this man say? He said throw away what's spoiled, and as for when he bought it and what it was for, he didn't know.

Now Tang Xu sighs when he thinks about it. If this family weren't affluent, his man would squander everything.

The ancient version of a shopaholic.

After Wei Dong finished washing up, he returned with a refreshed look. 

Tang Xu stared at his man's fresh face, couldn't help but touch his belly, and muttered, "So handsome, my son, if you have half the looks of your dad, I'd be satisfied."

The muttering was very soft, and the two young boys eating next to him didn't hear it.

But Wei Dong understood him very well. Seeing him staring with gleaming eyes, he knew he was thinking about some random things again.

"Dad and Ah Li are up. Shall we make lunch?" He had just gone out to wash up and coincidentally met Tang Li washing her face with hot water and Tang Rui coming out to fetch water.

As soon as Tang Xu heard everyone was up, he quickly stood up.

He stood up abruptly, and suddenly everything went black before his eyes.

He braced his hand against the table, and everything in front of him spun.

Wei Dong quickly stepped forward and supported him, anxiously asking, "What's wrong? Are you feeling dizzy?"

Tang Xu nodded, closed his eyes for a moment to steady himself, then opened them again to reassure the concerned man before him, "I'm fine, I am not dizzy anymore. It's probably because I haven't eaten breakfast. I'll go cook some dumplings, and I'll feel better after eating."

"What are you cooking? I'll go cook. You rest," Wei Dong insisted, guiding him back to his seat and addressing the two worried young boys beside them, "You two stay here and keep an eye on him. Let me know if anything happens."

Tang Xu sighed helplessly, "I really am fine."

Wei Dong's expression was serious, "No."

"...Alright, then I'll sit here and wait for the food," Tang Xu complied quickly, knowing when his man was upset.

Wei Dong grunted in acknowledgment and turned to head to the kitchen to cook the dumplings.

Tang Li finished washing up and went to the kitchen to help. Seeing Wei Dong cooking, she offered, "Brother-in-law, let me do it."

Wei Dong knew his cooking skills weren't up to par; if he took over, the dumplings would probably end up as a big pot of soup.

He stepped aside, handing her the ladle.

Glancing at the pot that still hadn't started boiling, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he hadn't poured the dumplings in yet; otherwise, they would have stuck to the bottom of the pot.

"Brother-in-law, did my brother wake up?" Tang Li asked.

"He did. He was up before me," Wei Dong nodded. Seeing her occasional glances at him, he asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

Tang Li licked her lips nervously, her face slightly flushed.

Despite knowing Wei Dong's warm heart behind his cold exterior, she still felt a bit intimidated by him.

Wei Dong took a handful of melon seeds, sat down by the stove, and glanced at Tang Li while munching on the seeds. "Just say it directly."

"I heard from Dad that Brother wants him and me to open a small snack shop in town," Tang Li began, nervously biting her lip and stealing glances at Wei Dong's expression. Seeing him nod but not say anything, she gathered her courage and continued, "Brother-in-law, if my brother teaches me the trade of running a food business, I won't learn for free. I'll pay him with money!"

Wei Dong paused, momentarily surprised by her statement.

However, as he observed the young girl's nervous and excited demeanor, he quickly understood.

She was worried that Tang Xu might feel uncomfortable if she relied too much on his natal family for support.

"Brother-in-law, don’t be angry with my Brother, okay? I'll definitely take my work seriously and earn more money!" Tang Li finished her statement and looked at Wei Dong, waiting for his response.

Wei Dong nodded thoughtfully, casually responding, "I don't mind this matter. You can discuss it with Ah Xu. If he wants to teach you, that's fine by me. I have no objections."

Tang Li was taken aback, "Oh? You're not angry?"

“There's nothing to be angry about. It's good if he has the ability to help you earn money, so you don't have to work so hard yourself.” Wei Dong admired this about Tang Xu the most—sitting at home, doing nothing in particular, yet money kept flowing into his pockets.

Mainly because Tang Xu was willing to share his knowledge and skills. If it could be taught, he taught it; if it could be sold, he sold it.

Before this, Tang Xu had made a lot of small biscuits and pastries using the oven. In fact, Wei Dong found them much tastier than what could be bought from the pastry shops in town. The flavor and texture were superior. When he asked Tang Xu if he planned to sell these next year, Tang Xu said it wasn't certain yet, he was just experimenting and adjusting the flavors.

As for what adjustments needed to be made, Wei Dong wasn't sure, but they tasted delicious, and the ingredients used weren't difficult to find.

The dumplings were now in the pot. Wei Dong threw the melon seed shells into the stove, then took a garlic bulb and peeled it. "If Ah Xu teaches you, you should learn well. You'll definitely be able to save up money for your family."

Tang Li nodded vigorously, her eyes becoming slightly red.

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