The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 123

 

| TBBOTOF | 123

In mid-August, it rained sporadically, but the rain was never heavy enough to soak the ground; it would rain for a while in the middle of the night, and then dry up by morning. 

Tang Xu sat in the courtyard, gently pushing the hammock to rock the chubby baby inside.

"Brother Xu," Liu Yao called out, breathing heavily, "Ah  Li said she's stewing goose for lunch and asked if you wanted to eat some."

Tang Xu nodded and asked, "What do you plan to make for lunch?"

Since Liu Yao moved in, Tang Li had moved to the new house to avoid being around an unrelated man. 

Actually, Tang Erhu had long wanted to move out, given that the new house was nearby. It wasn't too hard to part ways, and since this place was his son-in-law's house, staying here made sense since he was recovering from his leg injury. 

Now that he was fully healed and the new house was finished, staying here any longer felt uncomfortable, regardless of gossip.

So, when it was confirmed that Liu Yao would stay, Tang Erhu happily moved back to the new house with his children overnight, nearly setting off firecrackers at the front gate to celebrate.

"Brother Dong said he would be back before lunch. I noticed there are quite a few rabbits in the backyard. How about we stew a couple of them?" Liu Yao's eyes sparkled. At some point, this previously calm and mature boy had become lively and cheerful.

Tang Xu thought about the rabbits in the backyard and sighed, "Who knew they would breed so much?" They had litters frequently, filling the backyard with rabbits of various colors.

"Let's stew two, and also make some stewed salted pork with beans. There are plenty of beans on the trellis." Liu Yao bent down and made a funny face at the chubby baby in the hammock, who was happily blowing bubbles.

The baby giggled, showing his pink gums.

Tang Xu nodded, "Alright, stew them and send some over to the other side. If we have too many rabbits, we can sell some."

Liu Yao's eyes twinkled as he asked, "Can I sell the young rabbits to other kids in the village?"

"Sure, sell the half-grown ones. The little ones probably wouldn't survive if they were sold too early." Tang Xu picked up the fat cat that was clawing at the hammock and squeezed its plump belly, "No jumping up."

Ever since the hammock was set up, the fat cat had been sneaking into it every now and then, trying to cuddle with the chubby baby. However, because the cat ran around outside and might carry fleas, Tang Xu didn’t allow it to get too close to the baby.

The fat cat meowed several times, rubbing its tail against Tang Xu's arm, clearly displeased about not being allowed to cuddle with the baby.

Liu Yao glanced at the cat and then at the chubby baby in the hammock, his eyes full of fondness. He said, "I'll catch a few and put them in a basket later. There are many grandparents bringing their grandchildren to buy cold cakes these days."

Tang Xu nodded, "Alright, you handle that. I'll make lunch; you can take care of your own tasks." 

There was always plenty to do in the yard, especially with the abundant harvest. He never seemed to finish picking and drying vegetables. The newly set-up pavilion in the backyard was already filled with hanging nets, drying all sorts of vegetables.

"Okay, I'll go clean up the rabbits in the backyard first." Liu Yao couldn't resist any longer and gently poked the chubby baby’s little hand with his fingertip.

Tang Xu glanced at him, "In the evening, you can take him to my dad's place to play after taking a bath.”

"Okay, great," Liu Yao responded cheerfully, turning towards the backyard.

Tang Xu looked down at the fat cat in his arms, who was still trying to get to the hammock. He pinched its furry face and said, "You're dirty. Let's give you a bath. After that, I'll let you cuddle with the baby."

The fat cat meowed in agreement.

"So good, there's insect repellent powder at Grandpa’s place. I'll ask him for a couple of packs." Tang Xu was pleased with the cat's compliance.

The fat cat continued to meow happily.

"Alright, alright, I know you can't wait. Just a moment," Tang Xu said as he stood up with the fat cat in his arms. He called out towards the west wing, "Ze’er, Ze’er!"

Xu Ze came out of the house, holding a bundle of herbs, indicating he had been preparing medicine inside. The village only had a few common ailments, so he got into the habit of pre-mixing medicine packets to hand out directly when people came for treatment.

Old Doctor Xu was very content with his life here. He had come at the beginning of the year, and for the past six months, he had never thought about taking Xu Ze back. Grandpa only sent processed herbs once a month to maintain contact.

Tang Xu asked Old Doctor Xu about his plans, and he replied that he would only send Xu Ze back home when he was about to die, just so he could pass away there.

As Old Doctor Xu came out and saw Tang Xu holding the cat, he frowned, "It’s been rolling in the grass, why are you holding it?"

"I'm giving it a bath. Grandpa, can you give me some insect repellent powder? It keeps trying to cuddle with the baby, so I need to make sure it's free of fleas," Tang Xu explained as he walked in. "Can you watch the baby while I bathe the cat?"

Old Doctor Xu nodded, "Sure, but after you bathe it, don't let it outside. Otherwise, it won't stay clean for long."

"Got it," Tang Xu replied cheerfully. The prospect of not having to watch the baby for a bit made him happy. Ever since the baby arrived, it felt like he was tied down, his movements were restricted to the courtyard. 

The baby was very clingy; if he was not held, he had to be within sight. Especially when he was sleepy, no one but Tang Xu could hold him. Fortunately, Wei Dong took care of the baby at night, or Tang Xu might have been driven to despair.

Even though the fat cat didn't enjoy it, it didn't put up much of a fight during the bath, only meowing loudly and hoarsely as if it were being killed. Tang Xu found it almost comical. He applied the insect repellent powder while scrubbing the cat. The water in the basin turned filthy, but he didn't find any bugs in its fur, which was a relief.

"Ah Xu!" Wei Dong called out as he came through the back door, leading a large mule behind him. This mule was becoming quite the asset; Wei Dong found it more convenient to ride the mule up the mountain and use it to carry back his prey, making things much easier than before.

Tang Xu turned his head in surprise. "A wild boar? And it's alive?"

The wild boar, with its black fur and two tusks protruding from its mouth, looked fierce as it grunted and snorted.

"How did you bring back a live one?" Tang Xu asked, using a cloth to dry the cat while keeping his eyes fixed on the boar for a good while. "Can we even keep this thing at home?"

"Didn't you say we needed a boar to mate with our pig?" Wei Dong patted the wild boar, which tried to stand and charge at him but was quickly kicked back down.

Tang Xu's mouth twitched. "It doesn't look as big as our pig." Not to boast, but their sow was extremely fat—so fat that it showed no interest in any of the village boars, even when in heat.

Initially, the other villagers were envious and jealous of Tang Xu's hefty sow. But when they found out she wouldn't mate and produce piglets, their laughter could be heard far and wide.

"Do you think it will work?" Tang Xu asked, his doubt evident.

"We'll have to try and see," Wei Dong replied.

Despite looking robust, the wild boar was indeed smaller than their sow. When they pushed it into the pigsty, their fat pig immediately woke up, its beady black eyes staring intently.

Freed from Wei Dong's grip, the wild boar stood alert, surveying its surroundings.

Tang Xu looked at the scene, still a bit skeptical but hopeful.

Tang Xu turned his head and saw their sow not far away. The wild boar seemed startled, even retreating a couple of steps as the sow approached.

With a glint of mischief in his eyes, Tang Xu encouraged, "Pangpang, go for it! Take him down and have some piglets! If you manage to have a litter, I'll feed you four times a day!"

Whether it was Tang Xu's enthusiastic cheering or something else, the sow charged at the wild boar with a speed she usually didn't possess. 

The pigsty was soon filled with grunts and squeals, causing Tang Xu to step back several paces, his face twisted in a mixture of shock and amusement. 

"Oh my, she's desperate," he thought, averting his eyes from the scene.

He took the half-dry fat cat back inside, finishing drying and brushing its fur before changing his clothes and washing his hands.

In the hammock, the chubby baby had just finished drinking goat milk, and Old Doctor Xu was wiping his mouth.

"This chubby little guy sure can eat," Old Doctor Xu remarked, a sentiment echoed every time the baby had a meal.

Tang Xu chuckled awkwardly, "He's growing fast and needs to eat a lot. He'll be strong in the future."

"With Dongzi's stature, this little one won't be short. Look at Wei Xi, he's tall but skinny," Old Doctor Xu said, putting down the soft cloth and bending to pick up the baby for burping.

Old Doctor Xu had to sit down to hold the baby, as he was too heavy to hold standing up.

"Xiao Xi doesn't need as much medicine as before. In another year or two, do you think his health will fully recover?" Tang Xu asked with concern about Wei Xi's health. 

Although Wei Xi wasn't as prone to illness as he used to be, he still caught colds and fevers during seasonal changes or sudden temperature shifts, though otherwise, he was generally fine.

While gently patting the chubby baby on his shoulder to burp him, Old Doctor Xu nodded. "His weakness is congenital, but as he grows and gets good nutrition, he'll get better. It's always hardest when they're young. If it weren't for Dongzi earning money, Wei Xi wouldn't have made it this far."

Tang Xu understood. It boiled down to Wei Xi's immune system. When he was younger, his immune system was weak, and he didn't have a nutritious diet, so he relied on medication to survive. Now, as he's growing and his immune system is developing, combined with good food and plenty of exercise, he's naturally getting sick less often.

Fortunately, Wei Xi didn't have any incurable diseases; otherwise, no amount of money would have helped.

After the chubby baby burped, he clenched his tiny fists and wriggled his chubby body while making little noises.

Tang Xu quickly picked him up and felt his diaper. As he suspected, it was wet. He carried the baby inside, changed his diaper, and soothed him to sleep on the kang bed. The now-clean fat cat was on the kang, grooming itself. Seeing the baby, the cat immediately snuggled up to him.

Tang Xu glanced at the cat and poked its soft belly. "I thought you were a female cat, but it turns out you're a male!"

The fat cat let out a soft meow, flicked its tail, and revealed its two fluffy globes.

Tang Xu sighed, feeling sorry for himself for a couple of seconds. His dream of having a litter of kittens wasn't going to happen, so he hoped for more piglets next year instead.

Outside the pigsty, Wei Dong looked at the wild boar, which was quickly knocked down by the sow, with clear disdain in his eyes.

"Do you want to be a stud pig kept for breeding, or end up as a pot of stew? Think for yourself."

The wild boar, perhaps understanding his disdain and murderous intent, wobbled to its feet and charged at the sow, snorting.

Pigs can endure humiliation but not death! For the sake of survival, it had to fight!

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TL: I have an early trip tomorrow and I am not sure if I will be able to upload the next chapter on time, I'll try to set the next chapter to be posted automatically but I am not sure of how that it going to go, I have tried using my phone to publish my chapters in the past and it didn't go so well...haha. 

I will also try to upload my chapters on NU as well! I hope everything goes well !