The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 100

 

| TBBOTOF | 100

At this point, it's already past half-past ten in the morning, and everyone at home has gotten up and finished washing up.

Tang Xu took the meat and vegetables out of the cellar and filled a large wooden basin with them, packed to the brim.

Inside the kitchen, a large pot was simmering with mixed grain porridge, and a bowl of batter was being stirred.

"Xiao Xi! Go to the back and pick some lettuce leaves for me!" Tang Xu shouted out the window.

Wei Xi: "Got it!"

He placed the food basin on the ground and quickly headed towards the back kitchen.

The bathhouse room was originally spacious, with a large tub for bathing, a chair, and a table, leaving the rest empty.

Tang Xu thought since this room was warm and well-ventilated, he might as well make use of it. He made several long baskets with bamboo boards, filled them with soil, and planted some vegetables.

Originally, it was just an experiment, but unexpectedly, the vegetables grew well. There were quite a few lettuce and rapeseed plants. At least they could enjoy fresh green leafy vegetables in the winter, which was not bad at all.

He didn't plant too much, considering there were still a lot of vegetables for pickling. It would be a waste not to eat them. Knowing that this room could serve as a warm space, he decided to plant more next winter.

"Ah Li, steam the sausage and slice it later. Whoever wants to eat can have some."

"Ah Dong, peel a few potatoes and soak them. I'll stir-fry some hot and sour shredded potatoes."

Tang Xu gave instructions one by one, "Ah Yang~~~ Go to the chicken coop and collect the eggs. See how many were laid today, and bring them all here."

Tang Rui came out of the house and naturally heard Tang Xu's call.

He was inexplicably looking forward to it, hoping that he could also be assigned work.

Unfortunately, he waited for a while but he wasn’t assigned to anything.

Tang Erhu sat in his wheelchair, controlling the wooden wheels himself, slowly moving outward. The door latch blocked his path.

"Ah Rui, come over and move this wheelchair," Tang Erhu said, grabbing the wooden crutch behind him and using it to support himself as he stood up, addressing Tang Rui, who was standing at the door.

Tang Rui snapped out of his daze and quickly went to help move the wheelchair.

"Dad, why don't we just remove the door latch?" he suggested.

Tang Erhu glared at him. "It's not a bother. Besides, the latch can keep out the snow."

As he finished speaking, Wei Dong came back from the field with potatoes. Seeing Tang Rui moving the wheelchair, he said, "Dad, I'll remove the door latch later. It'll be more convenient to come in and out."

"No need to remove it. Moving it is not a hassle, and besides, it might snow anytime soon. Having the latch can keep out the snow," Tang Erhu said, sitting on the wheelchair. There was a soft cushion on the seat, making it comfortable to sit, and there was also a place to rest his feet, so he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

Tang Xu noticed his father sitting in the wheelchair and quickly shouted, "Ah Rui, go and get the small blanket from the kang to cover Dad's legs. Don't let him catch a cold."

Tang Erhu saw him poking his head out of the kitchen and quickly responded, "I know, I know. I won't catch a cold. You be careful not to catch one yourself."

Tang Xu grinned and shouted, "Dad, wait in the main hall. I'll make some pancakes for lunch."

Although it was called a batter, it was actually soft dough. He took it in his hand and spread it thinly on the hot iron pan, making a thin pancake.

Making these pancakes seemed simple when he did it, but Tang Li realized how difficult it was once she tried it herself.

"Brother, I don't know how to make these pancakes at all," she said as she fried shredded potatoes on another stove, while Wei Xi washed the lettuce he had picked, and Tang Yang arranged various pickled vegetables as Tang Xu had requested.

Chili eggplant, cucumber, and soybeans, all kinds of pickled vegetables were scooped out from small jars, their salty and sour aroma making mouths water just by smelling them.

"Brother, this one is too sour," Tang Yang wrinkled his face, lifting up a large bowl to show Tang Xu.

Tang Xu sniffed it and said, "Wash it a couple more times; pickled vegetables are supposed to be like this."

"Okay, I'll go wash them," Tang Yang nodded with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, Tang Xu flipped the pancakes high in the air, and Tang Li's hot and sour shredded potatoes were also ready.

The mixed grain porridge in another pot was also cooked, sticky and purple in color. It didn't look very appetizing, but it tasted great.

Several types of rice and beans had been cooked until they were mushy, mixed together, and tasted soft and smooth.

"Brother, is it okay like this?" Tang Yang brought over the washed pickled vegetables. Tang Xu took a small eggplant and tasted it. He nodded and said, "Put them there. Take these to the main hall, and I'll mix the pickled vegetables."

Although this breakfast was a bit late, the family was very satisfied. The egg yolks were golden and beautiful, fried with green onions, and very fragrant.

The pancakes were thin, rolled with scrambled eggs with green onions or shredded potatoes. Half a pancake filled their mouth’s in one bite.

Tang Xu ate the most refinedly. While watching the others devour the pancakes, he took pickled vegetables with porridge and chewed slowly.

"After we finish eating, let's all go back to our rooms for a nap. We'll be staying up all night to celebrate the New Year."

Tang Erhu waved his hand, holding the bowl of porridge. "How can I sleep? You should rest more."

"I'll prepare the ingredients. We'll have a feast for dinner," Tang Xu smiled and looked forward to dinner. Despite being the one cooking, he still had a hearty appetite at the thought of enjoying a table full of delicacies.

With a good appetite, Tang Xu had two bowls of porridge and ate two pancakes, feeling full.

"Brother, go rest in the room for a while. We'll finish cleaning up, and you can come out later," Tang Li urged.

Tang Xu nodded and agreed. Indeed, he needed to rest in the room for a while. His back was starting to ache. 

The little guy in his stomach seemed to grow a little fast, and the pain was quite obvious.

Seeing his discomfort, Wei Dong hugged his shoulder and escorted him back to the room. He watched as Tang Xu lay on the bed and sat on the kang, massaging his calf. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"My stomach feels a bit uncomfortable," Tang Xu said, poking his belly with his fingers. He smiled at Wei Dong. "It's okay. Your son seems to be growing rapidly."

Wei Dong sighed and gently stroked his stomach a few times. "When he comes out, I'll spank him so he knows not to trouble his own father."

Tang Xu chuckled and gave Wei Dong a playful glare. "You wouldn't dare."

"If it means you won't have to work so hard, of course, I would," Wei Dong chuckled and kissed Tang Xu's forehead. "Rest for a while?"

"Yeah," Tang Xu pouted and gave him a peck. "I'll rest for a bit. Can you soak those frozen ribs in water? I need to marinate the lamb chops before grilling. Also, ask Tang Rui to chop some firewood; we'll need plenty for the oven."

"I'll chop the wood; he wouldn't do it properly anyway," Wei Dong said as he tucked Tang Xu in and felt the temperature beneath the kang blankets.

"Just let him do it; he can't just eat without doing anything," Tang Xu huffed.

Wei Dong chuckled and pinched his cheek before getting up and leaving the room.

Tang Li, with Tang Yang and Wei Xi, was tidying up the kitchen. Wei Dong went over to check the three kinds of ribs soaking in the basin and gave them a squeeze. He took out the beef steaks and put them in a basin. "Where's Ah Rui?"

"Brother went back to the room," Tang Yang said as he watched him carrying the basin out. "Brother-in-law, what are you doing?"

"I'll chop the bones into small pieces; they'll cook faster. Leave the lamb chops; they just need to soak. Take out the pork ribs and put them in a basin; I'll chop them together," Wei Dong instructed Tang Yang.

Tang Yang turned and grabbed another basin, taking out half a rack of pork ribs and putting them in. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother-in-law, you have so many basins at home! At least twenty of them, all big and small."

"We have a lot more in the barn," Wei Xi said as he helped lift the basin. "Brother-in-law said the more people in the family, the more basins we need. He and my brother made a lot of wooden basins and barrels."

Tang Yang nodded. It was something his brother could accomplish. Just by looking at the rows of jars in the room, he knew how diligent his brother was.

Wei Dong carried the basin out of the kitchen and went to the east wing to call Tang Rui out.

"Ah Rui, help chop some firewood. Your brother will need a lot of firewood for the lamb chops and stewing beef ribs. Since it hasn't snowed these past few days, chop some firewood to dry. Otherwise, we won't have enough firewood at home." It was rare for Wei Dong to say so much to Tang Rui, and his tone was quite gentle.

Tang Rui nodded. "Okay."

He went to the backyard to chop firewood, while Wei Dong also went to the backyard to chop bones.

They both had axes of similar size. Wei Dong swiftly chopped the frozen beef ribs, making quick and steady movements.

On the other hand, Tang Rui's posture looked good, but when he swung the axe, it sent the firewood flying off the wooden stump.

He was stunned.

Tang Yang and Wei Xi were also stunned.

Wei Dong looked up and said, "Be steady and firm, don't swing too hard."

Tang Rui nodded and picked up the piece of wood that had flown off, continuing to chop.

It can be said that he wasn't doing it well; it was just that he was sweating all over and had only managed to chop ten pieces after half a day of chopping.

Tang Yang couldn't bear to watch anymore.

"Brother, take a break; let me do it," he said as he took the axe and started chopping on the adjacent wooden stump. Clang, clang, clang.

Although the pieces of firewood he chopped weren't all the same size, at least he managed to chop them each time.

After watching for a while, Wei Dong nodded and praised, "Ah Yang is quite strong."

Tang Yang grinned at him. Seeing that he had finished chopping the ribs, he stopped to wipe his sweat. "Brother-in-law, where should I put these after chopping?"

"Put them on the ground in the backyard; there's no shelter there, so they'll dry quickly." Wei Dong nodded towards Xiwei. "Xiao Xi, help move them over and stack them up."

"Got it," Wei Xi replied.

They were bustling in the backyard, while Tang Xu, after taking a nap, woke up and went to the kitchen to marinate the lamb chops.

Tang Li heard the commotion and came out of the house, just in time to see him heading out. "Brother, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to marinate the lamb chops with some sauce. We'll cook them later," Tang Xu waved at her and pointed to the corner of the cellar. "Go get a few fresh round onions and a couple of pears. Also, grab two red peppers, the round ones."

Tang Li nodded and fetched a basin from the kitchen. "Is there anything else you need?"

“No, bring it over. Let's make the sauce first,” Tang Xu said as he entered the kitchen, pouring out two bowls of the preserved apricots he had made earlier from the pottery jar. He kept one bowl for himself and took the other bowl to Tang Erhu.

"Dad, are you asleep?" he knocked on the door and asked.

"No, I'm not asleep," Tang Erhu replied from the kang. "Come in, what are you standing outside for?"

Tang Xu pushed the door open, brought the table over, and placed a small bowl on it. "I made some preserved apricots earlier. Dad, have a taste."

"I've already had some. You're pregnant now, so keep them for yourself," Tang Erhu said as he took a piece and popped it into his mouth, finding the sweet and sour taste appetizing.

Tang Xu waved his hand. "I ate too much and my stomach feels uncomfortable. There are still plenty left. We picked a lot of apricots when I went up the mountain with Ah Dong recently."

"Has Dongzi not been going up the mountain lately?" Tang Erhu asked.

"Yeah, he said it's not safe to go up the mountain in winter. Many wild beasts come out from deep in the mountains. Our mountain is connected to other mountains, and there's a big mountain behind Dayou Mountain. He hasn't been there either." 

Tang Xu had been to Dayou Mountain once and even caught a tiger using a flower mandrake, but he didn't think he was very cool. This thing could be very dangerous if not used properly.

"What about after spring?" Tang Erhu inquired.

Tang Xu squinted slightly, looking at his father. "Why are you asking, Dad? You don’t want to farm anymore, so do you want to join your son-in-law in the mountains as a hunter?"

Tang Erhu laughed awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Tang Xu's expression changed instantly.

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