The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 124

 

| TBBOTOF | 124

In the countryside, there weren't many entertainment options, so when it was known that Tang Xu's exceptionally fat sow had finally found a mate, everyone was astonished.

First were Tang Erhu and his son Tang Yang. Despite being only seven or eight years old, Tang Yang was already as tall as his father's chest and as tall as Tang Xu. 

When Liu Yao told them that there was a wild boar in the backyard, the father and son didn't even finish their meal. They rushed out with their bowls, stuffing their mouths with food as they ran.

Tang Li, who was carrying a small pot of stewed goose for Tang Xu, turned around to find the dining table empty. "Where are my dad and Yang?" she asked in confusion.

Liu Yao chuckled, "Brother Dong caught a wild boar on the mountain to mate with the sow in the backyard. When I came over just now, I could hear the squealing. Uncle Erhu asked me what was going on, so I told him. He and Ah Yang ran over right after finishing their meal."

Tang Li was speechless. She couldn't help but say, "My brother's sow is so picky. Will it really accept a wild boar?"

Liu Yao shrugged, indicating he wasn't sure either. "Ah Li, do you want to go see?"

Tang Li shook her head, "No, I still have to make some jelly cakes. The inn needs a lot tomorrow. Can you help me mix the cake flour later? It's too heavy for me to mix evenly."

Liu Yao nodded, "Sure, I'll help you after I finish eating."

Tang Li nodded back and walked him out. Seeing the two empty bowls on the table and barely touched meat dishes, she sighed helplessly. She filled her own bowl with some food, covered the dishes with lids, and waited for the father and son to come back from watching the excitement to finish their meal.

In the backyard of the big house, the father and son peered curiously into the pigsty, their faces full of curiosity.

Behind the half-height wall, the large pigpen was divided into two sections. In the shaded area under the shed, the fat pig lay sprawled on the stone slab, panting heavily after eating some sweet and sour fruit. 

On the other side, in the sunny area, the wild boar lay on the ground, weakly grunting.

"Xu Ge’er!" Tang Erhu called out after watching for a while, turning his head.

Tang Xu, who was eating in the front yard, heard the call and came out with a bowl in hand. "What's wrong Dad?"

"You need to build a shed for this wild boar too. Otherwise, put it in the back mountain to raise it. If it stays under the sun like this, it will get sunstroke," Tang Erhu pointed to the wild boar in the pen. "It's struggling to even breathe."

"The back mountain won't work. The sheep are grazing there, and the boar might scare them," Tang Xu finished the rice in his bowl, put it down, wiped his mouth, and went to the pigpen. He saw the half-dead wild boar inside and took a green and red apple out of a bag, tossing it to the boar.

Even though the wild boar was dizzy from the heat, it still thought about eating. The apple hit its snout, causing it to open its mouth and eat.

"They fought several times just now. Pangpang got so angry that it wouldn't let the boar under the shed. It couldn't win a comfortable spot on its own, so what can I do?" Tang Xu shrugged and threw another apple at the boar. "Maybe we should put some ice in there?"

Tang Erhu turned to look at him, "People don't even use ice, and you want to give it to a pig?"

"Dad, you said the cool air might be too uncomfortable for us. There are big ice blocks in the icehouse. If we don't use them, they're just sitting there," Tang Xu retorted.

Tang Erhu glared at him, "You've got an answer for everything, don't you? Go on, I'll build a shed."

"No need to go to all that trouble," Tang Xu said, waving his hand. "Ah Dong said if the wild boar can subdue Pangpang, they can stay together. If it can't, we won't keep it. We brought it here to see if Pangpang would be willing to mate with it. If not, why should I feed it?" He tugged at Tang Erhu's arm and turned to Tang Yang. "Ah Yang, go finish your meal, and Dad, you too. It's just a wild boar, look at how excited you two are."

Just as he finished speaking, the wild boar, after eating two small apples, seemed to have gained some strength. It wobbled, stood up, snorted, took a few steps back, and then charged at Pangpang, who was lying on its side.

Pangpang, who had been peacefully dozing off, was suddenly ambushed. The sound of pig squeals echoed all around. Watching the two pigs colliding and baring their teeth, Tang Xu winced with each impact. 

The wild boar, repeatedly knocked down, kept getting back up and charging again. He couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy.

The scene was almost tragic.

Tang Erhu's expression was also hard to describe. Before he could say anything, Tang Yang spoke up.

"Dad, I know why it's still here," he said, pointing to the wild boar that kept standing up after being knocked down by the sow. "Teacher taught us, this is called persistence."

Tang Xu burst into laughter, followed by hearty chuckles. Tang Erhu looked down at his son, gave him a light pat on the forehead, and said, "Good, you're learning well."

Standing off to the side, Tang Xu silently facepalmed. Watching the wild boar get knocked down and stand up over and over again, he nodded inwardly. It was indeed persistent.

"Alright, alright, stop watching and go eat." He went to pull the two of them away.

The father and son had another meal there. Tang Erhu mentioned he wouldn't be going to the fields in the afternoon and ended up having a couple of drinks with his son-in-law.

After Liu Yao finished his meal, he said: "Brother Xu, I will help Ah Li mix the cake flour. She said that she would make some cold cakes in the afternoon, and someone from the restaurant would come to take them away in the evening."

"Yeah, take some small apples over there and make some apple jam to put inside," Tang Xu said, noticing Liu Yao's puzzled expression. He realized he might not have taught him how to make jam properly. "I'll come with you. Ah Dong, you stay here and put the little chubby one to sleep."

Wei Dong nodded and glanced at the child in the small cart, who had just been fed goat's milk and had a round belly.

Liu Yao went to the barn and fetched a basket of small apples. These were picked by Wei Dong and Liu Yao in the mountains. They not only picked fruits but also dug up two fruit trees and planted them in the backyard, the survival of which was now up to fate.

Wei Dong had spent much of the summer messing around with fruit trees. Whenever he saw one, regardless of whether the fruit was sour or sweet, he dug it up and planted it.

Tang Xu quite liked it. Mountain fruit trees of all varieties. If it weren't for the children tying him down, he could have followed Wei Dong into the mountains.

Speaking of which, the small apples were about the size of a child's palm, sourer than sweet, and quite firm. They could be stored for a long time in a cool, ventilated place.

Wei Dong had picked quite a few. Some had bruises on the skin, and some had been pecked by birds. These were all sorted out and placed in the backyard. They were fed to the pigs, donkeys, and mountain goats every day, all of which enjoyed them.

"The apricot jam we made last time sold really well," Liu Yao said, carrying the bamboo basket and looking admiringly. He hadn't expected the jam to have such a rich flavor without needing to just add sugar.

"To make jam, you can't just use fruit puree. You have to leave some fruit pulp so that when you eat it, you get that grainy texture. When simmering the jam, you can't add too much water, or it'll spoil quickly once it's done," Tang Xu explained as they walked.

Liu Yao nodded, "Got it."

"You also can't add too much sugar. For fruits with high acidity like these, you should use less. Ripe apricots are sweeter naturally, so add sparingly, or it'll be too sweet to eat," Tang Xu added.

"Brother!" Tang Yang ran over from behind and shook Tang Xu's arm excitedly. "This afternoon, Master Xu said he's teaching brother Xi to recognize medicinal herbs, but I didn't want to listen. I'd rather help you with work."

"There's not much work to do, why don't you go help your brother-in-law watch the chubby little one?" Tang Xu sighed, patting Tang Yang's chubby cheek affectionately. "You're such a good uncle."

"The little one cries too much!" Tang Yang wrinkled his small face. "When I came out, my brother-in-law had just taken him to the backyard, saying that he wanted him to compete with the wild boar in the backyard to see who could cry louder."

Tang Xu: "...” That's his real father.

Meanwhile, Tang Li scooped the cake flour into a wooden barrel according to the proportions Tang Xu had taught her, preparing to mix it and then steam it in a pot.

"Ah Li, are you sure you'll be able to sell all of these?" Tang Xu entered the barn and saw her preparing the flour, feeling a bit worried. "If we can't sell them all within two days, they might not taste good anymore."

"Mr. Wu, the owner of Fuyun Restaurant, sent word through someone that there will be a temple fair early tomorrow morning, and everyone in town will be there. We need a few hundred chilled cakes for sure." Her chilled cakes were sold individually, about half the size of a palm, priced at one qian each.

They were affordable and delicious, ensuring repeat customers. Tang Xu was impressed by the sheer number required – several hundred wasn't a small amount.

"We'll make some apple jam too, selling at two qian each. How much did you sell those apricot jam-filled ones for last time?" he asked.

"Two qian each," Tang Li replied with a grin. "I'll sell the plain ones for one qian each."

The plain ones were just steamed without any filling or even a hint of sugar, coated in a layer of yellow bean powder afterwards. Tang Xu realized these were the most basic kind but still quite popular.

There were also red bean paste and date paste filled ones, both sold at two qian each, and those sold well too. The apricot jam-filled ones they made previously were unexpectedly popular, but they hadn't sold any recently due to the surplus of jam.

Tang Xu looked at the little girl with great satisfaction. Even though she was young, her entrepreneurial spirit was impressive.

"Let's just make apple jam. If people in the village want to buy it tomorrow, tell them there are no other flavors available." 

The weather was gradually cooling down, and soon the cold cakes wouldn't sell anymore, but Tang Xiu felt that other pastries could still sell well, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching on August 15th. Mooncakes were a must.

Thinking about mooncakes made him think of snow skin mooncakes, similar to the cold cakes they made now. However, the flavor of the snow skin mooncakes needed to be varied and not so monotonous, and the colors should be adjusted as well.

As he thought about how to make money with the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Yao had already started helping to mix the flour. 

Tang Xiu watched the two of them chatting and laughing together. He glanced at Tang Yang, who was eating an apple beside him, and couldn't help but sneer, "Go feed the chickens. I can hear the hens clucking."

Tang Yang responded with an "okay" and took a basin to scoop up the bran. He then asked, "Sister, should I chop some vegetable leaves to mix in?"

Tang Li looked at him and pointed outside, saying, "The basin over there was chopped up by Liu Yao. You can use that."

Tang Yang went out to feed the chickens. Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he watched the two laughing and chatting, but suddenly his mood soured. 

When did they become so close? It felt like his family had been stolen away. Was it just an illusion?

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