The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 114

 

| TBBOTOF | 114

In mid-May, Tang Xu was three months pregnant. Now, in mid-August, he is six months pregnant.

During these three months, there have been significant changes at home. Tang Erhu has finally fully recovered from his leg injury. He is currently in the recovery phase; although he still has a bit of a limp, he can walk quite quickly and is regaining coordination. 

Tang Yang celebrated his seventh birthday and according to local customs, he is considered eight years old by the traditional Chinese way of counting age.

Over the past year, everyone's age increased by one year due to the Spring Festival. Tang Xu, who just turned eighteen in the lunar month, is now considered nineteen. 

Tang Erhu's old house has been repaired, and construction on the new house has already started.

According to Tang Xu’s request, the house should be made of bricks and tiles. Although it is more expensive, brick houses are sturdier and more durable than mud houses. When Tang Erhu suggested building a mud house, Tang Xu decisively refused, stating the simple reason that they didn’t have money.

Hearing this, Tang Erhu felt a bit frustrated and said, "We don't have the money right now to pay you back."

Tang Xu replied, "You can borrow the money for now, and Dad can pay me back later." Tang Xu insisted, saying they would deal with future matters later; right now, they didn't have the money, so they had to follow his decision. 

Tang Erhu had no choice but to agree. Tang Li and Tang Yang, the two siblings, also supported the idea of building a brick house, so the matter was settled..

With the matter settled, they sought help from the villagers. Wei Dong contacted a nearby brick kiln to buy bricks. Sand and stones were dug from the nearby wasteland and could be used after sieving. 

It was the busy spring farming season, and no one was willing to help. So, Wei Dong hired workers, paying them two coins a day with meals included, only hiring ten experienced builders. 

The construction progressed quickly but carefully. Tang Xu frequently inspected the site to ensure the workers didn't slack off.

Their busy construction work drew some envious comments from the villagers.

After breakfast, Tang Erhu walked around the yard with his cane. He saw Xu Ze coming out of the house and greeted him with a smile, "Ze Ge'er, what are you up to?" 

Because of how well the two had gotten along over the past few months, the middle-aged man had grown quite fond of the young man. 

The other day, he even asked his Tang Xu if he should ask Old Doctor Xu to have Xu Ze marry his son Tang Yang. 

When Tang Erhu mentioned this, Tang Xu’s expression twisted with disapproval.

After that, Tang Erhu didn't bring it up again. He agreed with his child view that the children's future should be left to fate. Forcing it wouldn't work, and for now, they should just enjoy their time together. 

Who knows, they might develop feelings naturally over time. Tang Erhu thought this was reasonable, so he didn't mention it again.

When Xu Ze saw Tang Erhu with his cane, he quickly ran up and helped him by the arm, sweetly saying, "I was just fixing the quilt cover. I saw you outside, so I came over to help." 

Tang Erhu was charmed by his considerate manner and liked him even more, saying, "Thank you, Ze Ge'er. You're so good."

Xu Ze shyly smiled and, after helping Tang Erhu back to his room, he returned to his own tasks.

With the weather warming up, everyone in the household had been gradually replacing their thick winter quilts. Taking advantage of the good weather, they dismantled the covers for washing and drying. Xu Ze was busy sewing his great-grandfather's quilt cover, as there was no one else to do it. 

His sewing skills were nearly as good as those of Tang Li, and the family knew that his proficiency likely came from doing a lot of such work before joining the household. Seeing the thin calluses on his hands, they felt both pity and affection for him. 

However, they didn’t want to stop him from working, fearing that would make him feel uneasy. 

Instead, they often reminded him not to overwork himself and encouraged the younger members to take him out to play. Now, Xu Ze felt a strong sense of belonging in this family and was genuinely happy every day.

In no time, the quilt covers on both sides were sewn up. Xu Ze rubbed his eyes and stretched, then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Xu Ze responded as he got up to greet the visitor.

Tang Li pushed open the door, stood outside with a smile, and asked Xu Ze, "Ze Ge’er, Brother said the wild vegetables on the mountain are sprouting new shoots. He asked if we wanted to go pick them. Do you want to go?"

Xu Ze’s eyes lit up, "Are Ah Yang and Xiao Xi going too?"

"They are. Brother-in-law said he wants to dig traps on the mountain. My Brother said it’s not good for them to stay indoors and study all day; it’s good for their health to get some outdoor activity. So he’s taking them to the mountain, and we can come back before lunch. We won’t go far," Tang Li said, her tone full of eagerness. 

Last year, she and Ah Yang picked mushrooms on the mountain to sell for some coins, but there weren’t many. 

This year, there might not be mushrooms yet, but there are definitely wild vegetables. Brother said the tender shoots taste the best. If they put them in a bag, they’ll definitely smell wonderful.

"Alright, let's go. Sister, wait for me a bit. I'll get ready," Xu Ze said, excited as he had never gone up the mountain before. His activity range had only been inside the house, the courtyard, and the herb field outside.

Tang Li nodded, "Alright, I'll go help Brother with the dough first, call me when you're done."

Xu Ze replied with a smile, turned around, and went to gather his things.

After circling around the room, he knew there was no time to waste.

He didn’t know what to bring.

In the courtyard, Tang Erhu glared and said forcefully, using his cane to stop Tang Xu, "Xu Ge’er you're pregnant, why do you want to go up the mountain? Don't you know how dangerous it is up there?”

Tang Xu moved aside and moved around Tang Erhu’s crutch, pouting and saying, "Old Xu said to move around more, sp why are you stopping me? Besides, it's spring now, and those wild vegetables are just sprouting, it's at the point where they are the most tender. I want to taste their deliciousness!" 

Tang Erhu lifted his cane angrily towards Tang Xu’s arm, ready to strike hard with a large force, but the force when it landed on Tang Xu’s arm was negligible.

Tang Xu covered his arm where he was poked, whimpering and pretending, "Dad, it hurts so much!"

Tang Erhu was angry and turned to Wei Dong, "Forget it, why bother taking him up the mountain!"

Wei Dong also felt helpless. It's not like he can bind his legs.

Wei Dong reassured them, "Dad don’t worry, we won’t go far, Ah Li and the others will follow." 

Some things can’t be stopped and he could only compromise to prevent Tang Xu from running up the mountain himself, which would worry people even more

Tang Xu turned his head and shouted towards the kitchen, "Ah Li! Let's go, put the noodles down."

Wei Dong and the other’s walked up the mountain.A few minutes later they arrived, the first patch of wild vegetables had just sprouted. They hadn't gone far, so Tang Xu waved his arms and let the children around him pick them freely. 

Where else could people eat fresh wild vegetable sprouts?

 Wei Dong said, "When will they grow out?"

"Wait a moment, you have to hurry and set up traps. We will eat wild vegetable dumplings for lunch." Tang Xu tiptoed and kissed up and down his chin, pushing his chest, "Come on, go up, we won’t be far." 

Wei Dong nodded, and after reminding the children around him again, he carried tools like axes, shovels, and bamboo baskets to go up the mountain.

Tang Yang strolled around a small area, picking fresh wild vegetables, while also holding a large stick to clear the grass and avoid stepping on hibernating snakes and insects. 

"Can we go eat now?" Tang Yang ran to Tang Xu and handed him some grass and leaves.

Tang Xu sighed, pinched his cheek gently, "Let Ah Li and the others pick for themselves, Ah Yang you are not pulling up wild vegetables, those are weeds." 

"Then I will take it and give it to the big goose to eat." Tang Yang thought it was shameful to feed weeds to a goose, so he pulled wildly, and the grass grew wherever he went.

Tang Xu supported his forehead, saw Tang Yang, and looked into his eyes, "Ah Yang, take it slow, don't hurt your hands."

Tang Yang bent his waist and continued without looking up, shaking his head and moving his hands behind him, "Brother I know!"

Tang Xu turned to the other three, Tang Li and Xu Ze were nearby, and Wei Xi was on the other side, even though it was a bit further away.

He didn’t need to worry so he relaxed and continued to work.

After about half an hour since they set out. The children each carried their baskets to the side, showing off their own harvests.

Tang Yang's basket was full to the brim, packed with wild vegetables and grasses all neatly tucked inside. Sorting out his basket was quite a task.

On the other hand, Tang Li and Xu Ze's baskets contained a clean mix of wild vegetables, although it was a bit challenging to sort them out after Tang Xu checked them.

What surprised Tang Xu the most was Wei Xi's basket. He had sorted out all the wild vegetables meticulously, even using grass ropes to tie them into bundles.

"Xiao Xi is really amazing," Tang Xu exclaimed, giving him a thumbs-up. "You picked more than anyone else."

Wei Xi smiled shyly, "Brother, did I pick correctly?"

"You did great," praised Tang Xu.

With their baskets loaded, the four children headed home. On the way, they met Wei Zhonghong, who was carrying a basket up the mountain.

"Auntie Wei? How come you're going up the mountain?" Tang Xu saw her looking puzzled and pale, and couldn't help but frown. He took a few steps forward, and reached out to support her. "Auntie, how can you go up the mountain in this state?"

Wei Zhonghong sighed and waved her hand, "I’m going up the mountain to pick some wild vegetables. Xu Ge’er you're pregnant, you should go home and rest. Why did you go up the mountain? You might bump into something up there and hurt yourself.”

Tang Xu pulled her, "We've picked enough wild vegetables. Auntie, sit down and rest for a while. Let me have old Xu take your pulse." 

Wei Zhonghong sighed and didn't resist, letting Tang Xu guide her gently down the path.

Old Xu was busy sorting out the newly delivered medicinal herbs in the courtyard. After hearing the sound of the gate open, he looked up with a hint of curiosity and asked, "Why are you all back so early?"

"We picked more than enough, so we came back early," Tang Xu said, pulling Wei Zhonghong towards Xu. “Dr. Xu, can you please read my aunt’s pulse.”

Old Xu nodded, led her to sit at a nearby table, took her pulse, and then frowned. "How long has it been since you slept well?"

"I’ve been taking care of my eldest daughter's health and my granddaughter. That child is particularly noisy. She cries a lot and is particularly clingy. How can I sleep well? I only get a few hours of sleep a day." Wei Zhonghong sighed. 

As her own granddaughter, how could she neglect her? She was tough but soft-hearted. After Liu Shi gave birth, knowing she had given birth to a daughter, Lu Shi fed her daughter well for a month. 

After the month passed, Lu Shi directly handed the child to Wu Shouye. She would rather turn over the land every day and would take care of her child from time to time and would ask when the child would become less demanding.. 

The child would cry when she was full and hungry. Wu Shouye, a big man, had no way to coax the child. Finally, he took the child to Wei Zhonghong. Now the child is more than a month old and eats several meals a day and Wei Zhonghong is really tired.

Tang Xu frowned, he didn’t expect that it would be like this!

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TL: I am not satisfied with my translation for this chapter, I spent 2 hours going back and forth between translating and reading the raws and for some reason I had a hard time tl’s this chapter. I am not sure if it's because of the website that provided the raws, but I had a hard time understanding what was going on in this chapter that I had to guess. I might go back and re-translate this chapter in the future. I hope that the next chapters will not be this difficult.