The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 112

 

| TBBOTOF | 112

Xujia Village

Wei Dong drove the mule cart with Tang Xu all the way, only stopping for meals and bathroom breaks. It took them four hours to reach Xujia Village.

Fortunately, Wei Dong had previously taken Dr. Xu home; otherwise, he wouldn't have known the way.

"This road is like a winding maze. Are we going up a mountain?" Tang Xu leaned against the side of the cart, lazily looking at the rugged mountain road behind them. He couldn't help but grin. "No wonder the old man said the people here grow little grain. If it doesn't rain, the fields will dry up."

As he spoke, he observed the surroundings. The mountains here weren't as lush as those back home, and the trees weren't as sturdy. The withered yellow grass on the hills made the place look desolate. "There’s definitely  no prey to hunt around here."

Wei Dong nodded. Due to his profession, he liked exploring mountains, but this one really didn't have much to offer. Maybe some wild chickens or rabbits, but Dr. Xu had mentioned there were many medicinal herbs on the mountains. 

The environment here was also suitable for growing various herbs. Tang Xu patted Wei Dong's shoulder and pointed to a household with smoke rising from the chimney in the distance. "Over there."

"Hmm?" Wei Dong was puzzled. "What's up?"

"Is that the place?" Tang Xu was inexplicably excited. They had set off at dawn and now it was mid-afternoon. After finally seeing a house with a fire going, he felt relieved that their journey through what felt like wilderness survival was coming to an end. 

Who would've thought? 

They had driven the cart, crossing mountains and rivers, barely seeing any people. They even passed an abandoned village with grass growing on the mud houses, looking like a scene from a ghost movie. 

"No, the old man's house is further back," Wei Dong said, glancing at him with a smile. "Are you tired from sitting?"

"Yeah, I even took a nap," Tang Xu said, leaning on Wei Dong's back and yawning. "The road's pretty good, though. How about we walk the rest of the way? My legs are all numb from sitting." 

Wei Dong patted the mule's rear, and as it slowed down, he jumped off and stood steadily, reaching up to help Tang Xu down. "The road is full of stones, watch your step."

"I know, I know, let me stretch my legs. They're practically useless now," Tang Xu said, stamping his feet firmly on the ground and exhaling. It felt like sitting in the hard seats of a green train—pure torture. "If only this road could be repaired. The mountain path is too bumpy; it makes me feel like throwing up." 

Despite his complaints about being uncomfortable in the cart, Tang Xu barely managed to walk a hundred meters before he was out of breath.

Panting heavily, he stood with his hands on his hips, sweat beading on his forehead. 

Hot…

"We're almost there," Wei Dong reassured him, holding his hand and indicating the path ahead. "Just another quarter of an hour."

Tang Xu turned and sat down on the edge of the cart. "I give up."

"..." Wei Dong glanced at Tang Xu's belly, earning himself a kick. "Actually, you should walk more."

"I walked," Tang Xu huffed, lifting his chin slightly and giving a small grunt. "I've walked a long way already."

Wei Dong looked back at the road they had just traveled. Oh well, if it made him happy.

In front of Dr. Xu's house was a large, cultivated field, currently barren and devoid of even a single weed. The yard gate was open, revealing similarly empty plots of land inside. It wasn't hard to imagine how lush and green it would look in the spring.

Tang Xu pulled two large bundles out of the cart and slung his packed bundle over his shoulder. 

"Is Mr. Xu home?" he called out, patting the open gate and shouting into the courtyard.

Soon, a chubby little boy wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket emerged from the house. His round face and big round eyes, topped with a cotton hat, made him look adorably plump. 

Tang Xu couldn't help but smile and waved at him. "Oh, what a cute little baby! Come here, come here."

He looked like he was about to abduct the child.

The chubby kid ran up to him, asking, "Who are you looking for?"

Tang Xu looked at the kid, he was slightly shorter than Tang Yang but equally chubby. He felt tempted to pinch his cheek. 

He restrained himself, knowing he shouldn't touch someone else's child without permission. "I'm Xu Ge’er, looking for uh...," Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong, "Old Doctor Xu must be his great-grandfather, right?"

After all, the old man was really old, and this kid didn't seem like his grandson. Wei Dong nodded, looking down at the child, asking, "Are you Xu Ze?"

The kid widened his eyes in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Ze’er~~ Who are you talking to?" came the familiar shout from inside the house.

Tang Xu shouted, "It’s me Xu Ge’er!"

After shouting, he looked down at the child, carefully examining the faint pink mole on his forehead. "Your name is Ze’er? I'm Xu Ge’er."

Xu Ze blushed and turned back to run.

Dr. Xu heard the commotion and came out of the house. He was grabbed by his great-grandson and luckily held onto the door frame, or he would have been knocked over by the chubby kid. "Careful, don't run around and fall."

Dr. Xu patted his grandson's hat, looked up, and froze upon seeing Wei Dong and Tang Xu.

Xu Ze looked up at his great-grandfather and said, "He looks good! Much better than Ze’er!"

Dr. Xu regained his composure, chuckled, and said, "Of course. If you can look better than him, you won't have any trouble getting married. Our door frame will be knocked over by matchmakers."

Tang Xu chuckled.

"Happy New Year, Dr. Xu! You seemed surprised to see us. Didn't Ah Dong ask someone to send you a message? Did you not receive it?"

Old Dr. Xu looked at Wei Dong, who raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't receive it?"

"No, in our village, letters usually don't make it through. Are you sure you didn't get fooled by some errand runner?" Dr. Xu waved his hand towards the two men. "Come inside and rest for a while. It must have taken you four or five hours to get here."

Wei Dong placed the two backpacks he was carrying under the eaves and went out to tie up the mule. 

Meanwhile, Tang Xu followed Dr. Xu into the house. Finding no one else at home, he asked curiously, "It's just you two here, the elderly and the young. Where are the others?"

"They're out in the fields," Dr. Xu said, holding Xu Ze's hand and gesturing towards the heated brick bed. "Sit there first. Let me feel your pulse."

Tang Xu obediently sat down and raised his hand for Dr. Xu to check his pulse, feeling a bit nervous and holding his breath involuntarily.

Dr. Xu half-closed his eyes and was silent for a moment, then raised his hand. "Give me your other hand too."

Tang Xu switched hands, and there was another moment of silence. This time, Tang Xu was less nervous, his eyes occasionally glancing at the chubby kid sitting on the heated brick bed, who was swinging his legs from time to time. 

Now that he had removed his hat, the bun on his head was exposed, emphasizing the roundness of the child's head.

"Dr. Xu, your great-grandson is quite handsome," Tang Xu remarked.

"Hmm," Dr. Xu nodded in agreement, then asked seriously, "Have you been eating too much these days?"

Tang Xu held back any retorts and pursed his lips, remaining silent.

The old man gave him a stern look and scolded, "What did I tell you earlier? I told you to move around more every day. Why didn’t you listen?"

Tang Xu defended himself, saying, "I did listen. It was just that we had continuous snowstorms over there recently, and it was so cold. I didn't dare to go out, and Ah Dong wouldn't let me either, he was afraid I might slip."

"Well, you two are too cautious. Open your mouth, let me have a look," Dr. Xu instructed.

Tang Xu opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

Dr. Xu examined him and nodded. "It's okay."

Tang Xu grinned, asking, "Is my child alright?"

"Nothing's wrong. Who told you something was wrong?" Dr. Xu curiously glanced at him. "Was it the doctor from Huichun Hall?"

"No, no, it was a misunderstanding." Tang Xu chuckled, feeling less embarrassed now that he had already lost face twice before. He proceeded to tell Dr. Xu about the scare he had that he might be pregnant with triplets. 

The old man burst out laughing loudly, unable to contain himself.

Wei Dong happened to come in at that moment, hearing the laughter and felt momentarily puzzled. But seeing Tang Xu's embarrassed expression, he quickly understood what had happened.

He walked over and sat beside Tang Xu, asking with concern, "Are you okay, Ah Xu?"

"He’s fine. If he doesn't know, you should know. I mentioned before that this pregnancy was stable." Dr. Xu stroked his beard, sighing. "They said it was triplets, and you believed it?"

Wei Dong nodded, remembering how big Tang Xu's belly had gotten at the time.

The old man snorted lightly, muttering, "Look how lucky you are. You've stumbled upon all the good things in life. You married a good husband, and had a baby so quickly. Is one child not enough for you to want to have three?”

"It's not like that. It has nothing to do with Ah Dong," Tang Xu hurriedly defended him, seeing the old man aiming his comments at his husband. "My belly was really big at that time, about this size." He gestured with his hands over his belly. "Both my elder aunt and grandmother thought it didn't look like just one, so they speculated it might be two or three."

The old man sighed and said, "You're not very old. It's manageable to have one in your first pregnancy. But if you had two or three for your first pregnancy, you'd be in for a lot of trouble."

Tang Xu nodded repeatedly. "I know, I know. I heard from my aunt."

Dr. Xu was quite knowledgeable about their family situation. Instead of questioning why these matters weren't brought up by his mother, he instead asked: "How many days can you stay here? My Family is just starting to fill the land, you two can come over and take a look at the herbs I've collected to ensure they're fresh." 

Tang Xu anticipated they would stay for three days.

"Three days? That won't do." 

Dr. Xu grunted. "Since you're here, you should stay at least ten days before going back."

"We can't stay that long. My grandparents are at our home, my father's still injured, and I'm worried about leaving only my younger siblings behind. Plus, there's something I'd like to discuss with you, Dr. Xu." Tang Xu glanced around at the empty house. 

Apart from keeping an eye on his young great-grandson, it seemed Dr. Xu couldn't do much else here. "You know, Dr. Xu, we've known each other for so long. You know what kind of people Ah Dong and I are, and we get along well," he smiled warmly at the old man. "How about you come back with us?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Ah?"

Tang Xu grinned at the three of them, all looking puzzled, and said, "Anyway, you two have nothing much to do at home. We have two children who are learning calligraphy from the teacher. Xiao Xi and Ah Yang are about the same age as Ze’er. With my father's leg and my condition, we really need a skilled doctor nearby. 

Moreover, with your expertise, Dr. Xu, it would be a waste not to teach and pass it on. Our family is suitable, and with Xiao Xi's temperament, pursuing the imperial examinations and becoming an official might not work out. The effort required would likely trap him, so it's better to let him learn medicine from you. 

Even if he doesn't become a genius doctor, at least he can treat common ailments like headaches and fevers well, benefiting the village.”

Dr. Xu's eyes lit up hearing this.

Without saying anything else, just the proposal for him to teach Wei Xi medicine was enough to pique his interest. Despite having many medicinal fields, there wasn't a single descendant in his family interested in medicine. 

His skills were not only impressive but there was no one to pass his knowledge to! The old man was seriously tempted.

With a sly smile, Tang Xu raised his eyebrows at Wei Dong. ‘Impressive, right?’

Wei Dong nodded. Very impressive. They came for a visit and now they are bringing back Dr. Xu.

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