The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 107

 

| TBBOTOF | 107

Tang Xu returned home unaware that the Wu family had stirred up trouble over the fabric he had brought. He climbed onto the kang, stuffed his feet under the quilt, enjoying the warmth.

He squinted contentedly, letting out a sigh.

"Feeling sleepy?" Wei Dong reached out to feel his forehead, then his hand. "Your hands are still cold from the walk back."

"My feet are still cold," Tang Xu sighed again, pulled his feet out for Wei Dong to touch, then tucked them back in. "I'll take a nap. If Dad wakes up from his afternoon nap later, let him know I'm back."

Wei Dong nodded. "Okay."

During dinner that evening, he told Tang Erhu about their plans to visit the old Tang family residence early the next morning to pay New Year's respects. 

Tang Xu looked at his father while holding his bowl and asked, "Dad, are you going too?"

Tang Erhuo finished eating first, leaned comfortably against the wheelchair, holding a cup to drink red jujube water. He paused momentarily upon hearing the question, then nodded. "Yes, I'll go. Your grandmother can't see me; but she must be thinking about me."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Do you think she'd miss you when you're with me?"

"Of course. Just wait and see when we get back," Tang Erhu said confidently, puffing out his chest.

Tang Xu thought to himself that Grandma was probably at home murmuring about them right now.

Did Wu Guizhi murmur?

She did.

She woke up in the morning of the first day and started murmuring to her eldest daughter-in-law, repeatedly murmuring the same sentences over and over again

I wonder how Erhu's health is.

I wonder when Xu Ge’er will come back for the New Year.

She needs to pack up soon. Xu Ge'er said he'd come to pick them up to stay over at his house.

Luo Pingping was busy in the kitchen with her two daughters-in-law, preparing meals. She heard the old lady muttering to her beside the stove, and after finishing, the old lady would go to mutter to her husband.

Anyway, on the first, second, and third day of the New Year, Grandma didn't stop muttering.

As a daughter-in-law, Luo Pingping's ears were calloused from listening.

"Mom, what would you like for breakfast?" Early on the fourth day of the New Year, Luo Pingping, who had packed up the New Year's gifts to take back to her parents' home, saw her mother-in-law looking out into the yard and shouted that she was going to eat at her mother’s house and come back in the evening.

Wu Guizhi didn't see any mules passing by the village road and walked back disappointedly, saying, "I’ll eat a bite, I'm not really hungry."

She finished speaking and had already walked up to Luo Pingping. Despite being thin, she was agile, and walked very quickly.

"Let's make rolled noodles and toss them with some sauce. We've been eating quite heavy dishes these past few days, which the young ones enjoy but might be too much for the elderly—it’s not that they don't like it, but they will feel uncomfortable after eating too much." 

Luo Pingping nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go make the noodles. Should we have some braised dishes or just sauce?"

"You decide, add some cabbage leaves." Wu Guizhi waved weakly and walked towards the house.

"Grandma!" At the moment Grandma pushed aside the door curtain, a voice came from outside the courtyard.

Luo Pingping was stunned, and Wu Guizhi was equally stunned. Then the old lady responded with delight, "Ah! Here I am!"

Luo Pingping watched her mother-in-law hurrying excitedly towards the courtyard gate and couldn't help but chuckle, "Mom, take it easy, don't rush, they're already here." 

The mule cart stopped at the front gate, and Wei Dong got down first, then helped Tang Xu down, followed by moving Tang Erhu's wheelchair down. 

He wanted to reach out and hug his father-in-law, but was firmly rejected.

It was a firm rejection.

Tang Erhu sat in the wheelchair, and Tang Xu covered him with a thin blanket.

Wei Dong nodded to his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law as a greeting, took the basket from the cart and carried it to the kitchen, then hurriedly drove the cart away.

"He’s leaving already? Where is Dongzi going?" The old lady held Tang Xu's hand, looking in the direction the mule cart had departed, curious.

Tang Xu smiled, "He went to pick up those little ones. It's too cold these days; otherwise, they might freeze while walking over."

He finished speaking and turned to push Tang Erhu's wheelchair.

Wu Guizhi quickly stopped him, "No need, no need. You don't have to help, let your eldest uncle push. Dahu, Dahu! Come out quickly, your second brother is back!" 

Luo Pingping also said, "How can you push with your big belly?"

Tang Dahu heard the shouting from inside the house and hurried out. Seeing his brother sitting on a strange chair, he looked surprised. 

He circled around Tang Erhu twice with a face full of astonishment before smacking his lips and saying, "What's this? Why does it look so good? Is it comfortable to sit in?" 

Tang Erhu nodded happily, patted the armrests, and looked at his elder brother. "Xu Ge’er came up with the idea, Dongzi found someone to make it. It's called a wheelchair, you can push it and walk. You push from behind, but don't push too fast to avoid tipping me over." 

Tang Dahu rubbed his hands together, grinned, and held onto the handles.

With one push, he lifted the wheelchair up, almost causing Tang Erhu to fall off. Luckily, he had foresight and held onto the armrests tightly. 

Tang Xu was startled and instinctively reached out, "Dad!"

"Xu Ge’er!" Luo Pingping was equally startled, scared by Tang Xu.

Wu Guizhi glared at her eldest son angrily, scolding, "You're already so grown up, and you don't even know how to push a cart properly! You scared Xu Ge’er!"

After scolding her son, she turned to Tang Xu with a gentle expression, seeing his pale face. 

She comforted him, "Don't be afraid, Grandma will scold your uncle for you. Your dad is holding on and won't fall." 

Tang Xu's heart was pounding. He took several deep breaths to calm down, though his stomach still aching from the scare.

He furrowed his brows, gently stroking his belly through his padded jacket.

Tang Erhu was also almost scared into standing up by Tang Xu, but luckily his sister-in-law held him back.

"Be more careful, don't you know you're pregnant?"

Tang Xu looked aggrieved, "I was just afraid Dad might fall again." 

He glanced at Tang Dahu, who also seemed embarrassed and sighed, "Uncle, the wheels got stuck. You should check it before pushing again." 

Tang Dahu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, it’s my fault. You go back inside and rest."

Tang Xu was now the focus of protection at home. If anything happened to him, no one could bear the responsibility.

Luo Pingping saw his posture holding his belly and knew he must be feeling uncomfortable from the scare earlier. 

She quickly helped him inside, saying, "Lie down on the kang for a while, and warm your stomach." 

Tang Xu murmured in agreement. His stomach was uncomfortable, and he didn't dare to be careless.

Wu Guizhi was also anxious. She lightly pounded Tang Dahu's shoulder and grunted, "If anything happens to Xu Ge’er, I'll beat you to death!"

Tang Dahu acknowledged with a grunt and loudly called out to the neighboring house, "Tang Zu! Come out and fetch the herbalist!"

Tang Zu came out from the other side, glanced at Tang Xu who had entered the main house, and responded to his father before heading out.

The old master wasn't in the house; he must have gone out.

Instead of lying on the kang, Tang Xu sat leaning against it, covered his stomach with a blanket, drank some hot water, and gradually felt much better.

The herbalist arrived promptly, took his pulse, and reassured him that there was nothing serious, he was just a bit startled, and advised him to rest. No herbal medicine was prescribed.

After seeing off the herbalist, Tang Xu smiled at the elders inside the house, "I'm really fine. It just hurt a bit earlier, but I feel much better now."

"Your belly has been like this for about four months, right? Why does it look so big?" Luo Pingping observed that his complexion had improved significantly and stopped frowning. She was clear he wasn't deceiving them, so she felt relieved. 

However, this relief made her notice something was off. She touched his belly and then looked at his face, puzzled: "You haven't gained weight elsewhere, why is your belly so protruding?" 

Tang Xu glanced down and shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't been eating much lately, but my belly has indeed grown a lot."

He had mentioned this to Wei Dong last night while bathing. Despite not gaining weight elsewhere, his belly had noticeably protruded.

Wei Dong's expression at the time... how should he put it? It seemed he was slightly excited.

When Tang Xu heard Luo Pingping's question now, he asked, "Auntie, you don't think I've gained weight either?"

"Not at all," Luo Pingping shook her head, then looked at Wu Guizhi, "Mom, take a look. Xu Ge’er hasn't gained weight."

"No, he hasn't," Wu Guizhi confirmed, feeling his belly and then asking, "How's your sleep been?"

"Recently, I've been eating well and sleeping well. Ask my dad, I've been eating plenty at every meal," Tang Xu speculated inwardly, "Could it be twins? Maybe that’s why it's so big." 

Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law frowned simultaneously.

Tang Dahu widened his eyes, while Tang Erhu's face darkened.

Tang Xu was bewildered by their expressions. "What's wrong?"

"Xu Ge’er, with your current condition, it doesn't really look like you're expecting twins," Wu Guizhi, being older and having seen many pregnant women, spoke.

In the village, there were pregnant women expecting twins, but their bellies didn't protrude as much as her son's.

"It can’t be right," Luo Pingping murmured.

Tang Xu was close enough to hear her and looked at her sharply, "Auntie?"

Luo Pingping furrowed her brows, uncertain as she looked at him. She was afraid of saying something wrong and frightening him further, but it was clear that something wasn't quite right. 

"How about waiting a while and going to the county to find a doctor who understands these things? We can't guess accurately on our own," she suggested cautiously.

Wu Guizhi sighed and held Tang Xu's hand, patting it gently. "My poor Xu Ge’er, Grandma feels so sorry for you. If it's twins, it's manageable, but more than that would be a death sentence." 

Tang Xu forced a smile.

He thought to himself that twins would already be quite challenging; triplets could be life-threatening.

With the current medical conditions, forget about cesarean sections and such. Even a normal childbirth wasn't guaranteed for pregnant women, let alone for a pregnant man. It was already so tough!

Tang Erhu frowned, glanced at Luo Pingping, and after a moment's thought, he asked, "Sister-in-law, have you looked into it? Their situation over there."

Luo Pingping didn't understand at first, but seeing his gesture towards Tang Xu, she suddenly realized and nodded. "I asked around. It seems the Zhang family had a young mistress who gave birth to twins, but that was many years ago."

Tang Xu understood and asked her, "Did she successfully give birth?"

Luo Pingping shook her head with a grim expression.

Tang Xu's expression immediately fell.

Just then, Wei Dong returned with his donkey cart, having met the herbalist on his way back. He stopped the herbalist and learned that Tang Xu had been quite startled.

The three younger ones overheard the herbalist's words, they felt nervous and deeply worried.

Tang Rui also frowned as he looked at the herbalist. The herbalist reassured them multiple times that Tang Xu was fine and so was the baby in his belly.

Wei Dong thanked him and slapped the mule's buttocks, urging it to move faster.

Inside the house, Tang Xu sighed and drank hot water from a bowl. Seeing his dad, uncle, and grandma with uneasy expressions, he quickly changed the subject, "Where's Grandpa? Have you all had breakfast?"

"Not yet," Luo Pingping slapped her forehead, "I forgot to prepare it. Your grandma said she wanted handmade noodles. Will you be able to eat them?"

"I'll eat. Bring me a small bowl," Tang Xu nodded.

Tang Erhuo interrupted, "What are you thinking of eating? We came here after breakfast. Be careful not to eat too much. If the baby grows too big, it might be difficult during delivery." 

Hearing this, Tang Xu's eyes widened.

"Dad, do you want to starve me to death!"

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