The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 111

 

| TBBOTOF | 111

On the fifth, sixth, and seventh days of the New Year, was pure torture for Tang Xu.

To put it this way, ever since it was known that he had overstuffed himself and his belly was bulging, the old lady and Tang Erhu would make him go for a walk after every meal. It didn't matter if it was cold; he could just wear a few more layers of cotton-padded clothes. 

After all, walking quickly would warm him up, so he wouldn't get cold. 

The digestive medicine prescribed by the doctor had been taken three times, and Tang Xu's trips to the outhouse increased noticeably. Although he wasn't at the point of having weak legs, it was still quite uncomfortable.

However, his belly had visibly deflated.

While squatting in the outhouse, he thought to himself, ‘Hang in there, don't deflate so quickly.’

Unfortunately, things didn't go as he wished. Deflated meant deflated, with only a slight curve remaining, it was hardly noticeable unless you looked closely to see if he was pregnant.

After all, he was naturally slim.

After drinking the medicine, he started passing gas more frequently. It seemed like he wanted to let one rip at any time.

The sound was really something, like a winding melody, as if there were nine interlinked rings in his pants, clanging nonstop.

On the fifth day, Tang Xu didn't even leave the house. Even though his farts didn't stink, it was too loud.

Wei Dong saw him kneeling on the kang with his butt in the air, a position that really provoked the imagination. 

Before he could say anything, he heard a loud "phong~" sound.

Tang Xu covered his face, his ears turning red.

Then came several more "phong phong phong" sounds.

Tang Xu quickly pulled the quilt over himself, trying to muffle the sounds.

Wei Dong didn't laugh. Seeing how embarrassed Tang Xu was, with his head hanging low, he reassured him, "The doctor said that passing gas is normal. Don't just stay there with your butt in the air, your legs will start to hurt after a while."

Tang Xu turned his head to look at him and whimpered, "I’m too embarrassed to face anyone!"

"No one else heard it, it's okay." Wei Dong pulled him out of the quilt and lifted the covers. "Get up and walk around to relieve the gas."

Tang Xu reluctantly walked around the room and then made a trip to the outhouse.

On the morning of the sixth day, he stayed indoors. But in the afternoon, he had to go out because the old lady kept standing by the window, repeatedly asking how he was doing.

Tang Xu, bracing himself, went out. Whenever he felt the urge to pass gas, he would run back inside, release the gas with loud "phong phong phong" sounds, and then go back out.

By the seventh day, he didn't take the medicine anymore. His belly had already flattened, so Wei Dong didn't prepare the medicine.

After breakfast, Tang Xu realized he hadn't passed gas all morning and was overjoyed.

"I’m not farting anymore!" He jumped into Wei Dong's arms, looking up with bright eyes. "The world is quiet now."

Wei Dong: "....." This was something to be happy about?

"Get your things ready and see what we need to take when we leave tomorrow." He patted Tang Xu's butt and told him to get up.

Tang Xu's body stiffened, and he looked at him disapprovingly, "Don't pat my butt!"

Wei Dong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "What, are you afraid it'll make you fart if I pat it?"

Tang Xu squinted his eyes and fiercely said, "I'll fart on you!"

He would do as he said, he would force one out, even if there wasn't one ready to go.

Wei Dong hugged him, burying his face in Tang Xu's neck, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook.

Tang Xu pouted and huffed.

After packing his bundle, he went to find Tang Li. "Ah Li, are you inside?"

Tang Li was sewing a floral fabric. She had made a skirt out of the two pieces of floral fabric Tang Xu had given her, and with the leftover scraps, she planned to make a short shirt.

Hearing his voice, she responded, "Brother, I'm here!"

Tang Xu pushed aside the curtain and entered, he felt the warm temperature of the room. 

Then he saw Tang Li coming out to greet him with a smile. "I've got something to tell you."

 Tang Li reached out to support him, and Tang Xu glared at her. "What are you doing? I can walk just fine."

Tang Li laughed. Over the past few days, she had noticed something off about her brother. 

Although she didn't know exactly why a seemingly healthy brother needed to drink medicinal soup, she was happy to see his good complexion and spirited demeanor today, unlike the previous days when he hardly left his room. "Brother, what do you want to tell me? Sit down and talk." She pulled him to the edge of the kang and fetched a cushion.

"Sit here, it's a new cushion I made. It's soft."

Tang Xu pressed down on it and nodded. "It's good. Make a larger one, with a bend in it, so I can hug it while I sleep."

He gestured with his hands to show the shape and size. Recently, he had been worried about pressing on his belly while sleeping. He had seen pregnancy pillows online before, he never expected that he would need one himself. 

Tang Li agreed, "Sure, should I stuff it with cotton?"

"We've saved quite a lot of chicken feathers, they are all cleaned and sun-dried and they don’t have a strange smell to them. They're soft and fluffy when stuffed. First, make an inner cover with gauze, fill it with chicken feathers, and then make an outer cover to enclose it," Tang Xu explained while demonstrating to Tang Li. 

Seeing her nod, he retracted his hands. "You can get the fabric from the storage room."

"Got it, brother. This isn't difficult; I can finish it soon," Tang Li replied with a smile. "How many days will you be gone?"

"At least three days. It takes several hours to get there by carriage," Tang Xu sighed, looking helpless. "I don't really want to go, but your brother-in-law said he'd feel more reassured if we consult Dr. Xu."

"Is Dr. Xu the one who has been treating little brother Xi?" Tang Li asked curiously.

Tang Xu nodded. "The old man has retired and returned to his hometown. This trip is also to pay him a New Year's visit and to order a lot of spices and medicinal herbs from him. The restaurant has been using a lot recently, and our stock is running low."

Talking about this filled Tang Li with admiration. Her brother was truly remarkable. He could sit at home, doing nothing, and could earn dozens of taels of silver in a month. 

If it were another family, they would be overjoyed. But her brother seemed indifferent to earning over a hundred taels of silver a month. 

If only she could be so capable herself.

Noticing her change in mood, Tang Xu didn't say much. After the New Year, he planned to discuss their family's snack stall business with Tang Li. 

It was too early to talk about it now. He only said, "You know where everything is stored at home. While we're away, don't skimp on your meals. Grandfather and Grandmother can't eat too much meat, so when you cook, check the cellar for vegetables. Father needs bone broth. I've put large bones in the icebox, and I've asked your brother-in-law to chop them up for you. Cook them separately for Father in a small pot. Make extra so the elderly can also have some. If you and the others want some, use a big pot. Don't deprive yourselves."

Tang Li responded earnestly, "I remember. I'll take care of it."

"Also, I dried a lot of ingredients before, and they're all hanging in the storage room. There are several bags hanging from the beams. If you can't reach them, ask Tang Rui to help. Soak them longer and wash them multiple times to remove any sand." Tang Li continued to nod.

"Every morning, when you cook porridge or soup, boil a few extra eggs. Everyone should have at least one, and you must eat one too. We have plenty of chicken and duck eggs, so don't be stingy, understand?" Tang Li smiled and agreed, "Brother, you aren't going to be gone for long. Why worry so much about us starving?"

"I'm worried that when I'm not home, Grandma will be too frugal and restrict what you can cook, so you end up skimping. Don't skimp on anything, especially for Xiao Xi. He can easily get sick if he doesn't eat well. And Father's leg won't heal properly if he doesn't eat well. It's really important." Tang Xu emphasized, his expression serious.

"I know, I know. I'll make sure to cook proper meals every day. Even if Grandma doesn't let me, we'll have meat in every meal!" Tang Li wanted to cover her face; she never realized her brother could be so naggy. Tang Xu poked her cheek, "When I get back, I'll teach you how to make beautiful hair flowers."

"Okay! Tomorrow morning, I'll steam some buns for you to take on the road." Tang Li quickly grabbed his arm as he stood up to leave. "Brother, what filling do you want?"

"I'll eat anything. Just make extra dough and steam some more buns. Grandpa and Grandma love steamed buns." Tang Xu lifted the door curtain and saw Tang Rui sweeping the courtyard with a big broom. He couldn't help but praise, "Tang Rui, you're so diligent!"

Tang Rui paused in his sweeping, turned his back to him, and continued to sweep the stone path.

Tang Li whispered, "Recently, big brother has been actively helping with a lot of chores."

"Yeah, I noticed. I hope he can keep it up for a while." Tang Xu sighed, "Let A Yang and Xiao Xi help with feeding the livestock in the backyard. There's too much feed for you to carry."

Tang Li nodded, "Brother, you've already prepared everything. I'll just follow your instructions for feeding them."

Tang Xu nodded, "These days will be hard on you. If there's anything you can't handle, ask Tang Rui to help." He raised his voice and called out, "Tang Rui, help your sister with more chores these days!"

Tang Rui said “oh”and nodded obediently.

Tang Rui had no choice but to behave. Since the family head decided to divide the family, Tang Rui realized he was becoming marginalized. If he didn’t make an effort to integrate into the family, he would truly become an outsider. 

Moreover, the elderly couple was still around, and the issue of splitting the family hadn’t been brought to them yet. Even if he had to pretend, Tang Rui needed to act like a filial and harmonious family member.

Tang Yang and Wei Xi ran out of the study room. They were resuming their classes the next day and had already informed Old Scholar Wei.

Oh, right, seeing them reminded Tang Xu of something. He turned to Tang Li, "Old Scholar Wei will have lunch at our house. He doesn’t eat much, he has similar dietary needs like Grandpa and Grandma's."

"Got it, I’ll cook soft food for them in a separate pot," Tang Li replied, glancing at Tang Yang, who was running over. She asked him, "Did you memorize your lessons?"

"Yes, I did. I memorized them with Brother Xiao Xi, and we both have them down," Tang Yang said proudly, puffing out his chest. "We're going to play with Fat Cat for a while." 

Wei Xi nodded.

Tang Xu was about to nod in approval but suddenly noticed something amiss. He raised his hand to stop them, "Wait a minute, come here, you two."

Tang Yang moved closer, looking up at him. Wei Xi stood beside him, covering his mouth and smiling.

"What happened to your mouth?" Tang Xu pinched Wei Xi’s chin. "Open your mouth and let me see."

Wei Xi opened his mouth shyly, revealing a missing tooth. "Ah."

"When did this happen?" Tang Xu asked, surprised. He examined the mouth, noticing a bit of blood oozing from the wound, but it wasn't serious.

Wei Xi closed his mouth again, smiling with eyes squinted in delight.

Tang Yang explained from the side, "It fell out when he was eating peanuts. Brother Xiao Xi spat out a little blood. I asked him if it hurt, and he shook his head."

Tang Xu nodded, then flicked Wei Xi's forehead. "Don't rush to eat hard things. Stop eating peanuts and soybeans for a couple of days. I noticed a new tooth is coming in." 

After saying this, he turned to Tang Yang.

 "Ah~~~"

Tang Yang opened his mouth wide. Tang Xu carefully inspected his rows of small white teeth and smiled, "If any of your teeth start to wiggle, remember to tell your brother. Don’t lick them."

"Okay, I will remember," Tang Yang obediently nodded.

The next morning, Wei Dong hitched up the mule cart and set off with Tang Xu towards Xujia Village.

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