The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 129

 

| TBBOTOF | 129

"Father, you do have someone in mind!" Tang Xu exclaimed suddenly, his voice rising.

Tang Erhu quickly waved his hands, "No, no, you've got it wrong. Don't jump to conclusions."

Suspicion clouded Tang Xu's mind. What did he mean by "someone in mind" and "matching temperaments"? Could he have misunderstood something?

As someone who preferred direct communication, Tang Xu decided to ask straightforwardly, "Dad, what did you mean by 'matching temperaments' just now?"

Tang Erhu casually pulled over the kang blanket from the side to spread it out, saying, "Seeing how well you get along with Dongzi, I thought I should find someone whose temperament matches mine. Your mother and Liu Xiangxiang had mismatched temperaments. When she got angry, I got angry too. We argued over trivial matters, and I want to find someone with a gentler temperament, at least to avoid unnecessary conflicts at home."

Tang Xu stroked his chin, sitting sideways on the edge of the kang, tapping his fingers lightly along the kang's edge.

"Dad, do you want to find someone in our village or in another village?" Tang Erhu shook his head, saying, "Wherever, as long as she's suitable."

After a brief pause, he added, "If Liu Xiangxiang finds out, she'll probably come causing trouble again."

Tang Xu didn't think finding someone would be easy, considering Liu Xiangxiang's temperament.

He glanced down at his fingertips, suppressing his curiosity about why his feelings toward Liu Xiangxiang had changed so suddenly. "I'll go see Grandma tomorrow and talk to her. Maybe she knows someone suitable for you."

Tang Erhu sighed heavily, looking troubled. "I don't have much faith in her judgment."

Tang Xu stood up and turned around. "Dad, if news spreads that you're considering finding a new wife, there will certainly be a lot of people coming around to inquire. But you know, those who come looking aren't necessarily the best candidates."

Tang Erhu raised his hand as if to slap him, but Tang Xu quickly ran off.

Back at home, Tang Xu happened to meet Liu Yao pouring water from the house. Tang Xu greeted him and was about to go back inside when the young man suddenly ran over, looking like he had something to say.

Tang Xu, puzzled, asked, "Do you need something from me?"

Liu Yao nodded. After spending some time together, he understood Tang Xu's gentle nature. 

Although Tang Xu hadn't formally taken him as an apprentice, he had taught Liu Yao many things.

Liu Yao remembered what his uncle had said: if he could learn Tang Xu's skills, he wouldn't go hungry no matter what happened.

Liu Yao was also earnestly studying, not only culinary skills but also how to get along with the other people in the house. Despite having many siblings, their large family often led to arguments over trivial matters, which could be frustrating and annoying at home.

After coming here, Liu Yao had feared the worst, but instead, he found himself able to relax completely. He could do whatever he wanted and eat whatever he liked.

He enjoyed cooking and innovation, and Tang Xu's support brought him great satisfaction and joy.

"Brother Xu, I was thinking that after the weather turns cold, it might not be suitable for Ah Li's snack stall to sell cold noodles. Should we sell something else instead?" 

Tang Xu was taken aback. He had thought the young man came to talk to him about something else.

However, knowing that Liu Yao was bold in expressing his ideas, Tang Xu felt he must have some thoughts in mind.

"What do you have in mind?"

Liu Yao chuckled, rubbed his hands, and said, "I thought even if you and brother Dong aren't short on money, Ah Li and the others always need to save more. I also want to save a bit more. How about we make the finished products and sell them outside? We don't have to sell only at the small stall. I can carry them around, and there are enough people in the villages nearby to buy from us."

As the weather turned cold, people in the village were reluctant to go out, especially for long distances, as it was not only tiring but also cold, and they had money to spend.

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, lifted the door curtain and walked into the house, motioning for him to come in.

In the main hall, Wei Dong was inside, coaxing the child to sleep, and faintly heard the child's humming, with the door closed.

Pouring two glasses of water, Tang Xu sat on a chair, and Liu Yao followed and sat opposite.

He drank some water and continued, "Brother, you know how to make a lot of snacks. The men in the village are busy all day and need to drink a few glasses of alcohol when they get home. Can't we sell some small dishes for drinking? Adults in the family will definitely be tempted, and then they will fight to eat, and then we will make money."

Tang Xu looked at him and nodded, "You know how to make money."

"The main thing is that Brother Xu's craftsmanship is good, and everyone likes what you make. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of this." Liu Yao chuckled, and Tang Xu poured water.

Tang Xu snorted and asked him, "What are you going to sell?" He guessed it should be some kind of food that he had made before.

Sure enough, Liu Yao smiled and said, "Brother Xu, the cold rabbit and braised trotters you make are very suitable!"

It's good for drinking and eating.

He has always been puzzled that Tang Xu does so well in marinating, making him want to eat it after tasting it once, not only him, but also others in the family like it.

He saw Tang Xu throw the seasoning package into the seasoning pot, and he knew that the seasoning package was the essence of the braised flavor.

At this moment, Liu Yao looked at Tang Xuan and tried to persuade him, "I can sell hot ones at the small booth and cold ones when I pick them up. Then let them go back and heat them up. It's also delicious to eat cold. It depends on their preference."

Tang Xu thought the proposal was good, but there was a problem. "If I sell more, where do I find the source of goods? There are only more than 20 rabbits in our house, and it will be sold out in less than two days. After selling it, how can I manage it? Where can I find rabbits? You can't let Ah Dong go into the mountains to catch them.

"Brother Xu, our rabbits are not just twenty, there are at least forty. When Xiao Xi helped clean the rabbit nests before, a few rabbits ran to the back mountain and were chased back. I saw rabbit holes in the back mountain a few days ago." Liu Yao thought that the rabbits in the backyard were originally cute and fluffy, but now there’s too many that are causing headaches.

Mainly because they eat too much, I don't know why, but all the animals in this house are particularly good eaters, even the oldest Mr. Xu's stomach is fine.

Tang Xu shook his head, "No, even if there are more, it's not enough to sell. Braised offal can be sold." Tang Xu held a cup of water in both hands and drank, thinking about things, and then spoke.

After a while, Liu Yao couldn't sit still and heard him say, "The most in the village is still eggs. Let's sell some egg tarts, cakes, and also sell braised offal. Your cold rabbit or spicy chicken cubes can be sold as specials. It doesn't have to be available every day." 

Liu Yao nodded repeatedly, "I'll listen to you, Brother Xu. The things you make will definitely sell well!"

Tang Xu smiled, "Go to bed soon. Tomorrow, take some money and buy two sets of pig offal."

Liu Yao agreed, "I'll go back first. Brother Xu, you should rest early too." 

Inside the house, Wei Dong put his sleeping son on the small bed, and pushed open the door and asked him, "Are we going to sell tomorrow?"

"It's been resting for several days. If we're selling braised offal, we have to make it before lunch." Tang Xu turned to look at him, "Did you hear us talking?"

"Yeah." He could hear them just fine.

Wei Dong stretched out his hand and pulled him up, "Come on, let's go take a bath." 

Tang Xiu blinked, and was pulled by him to the door.

As they went along, he still wondered why he was suddenly taken to bathe when they were discussing money-making issues.

And then, he knew why.

A bath made his body even more tired.

Early the next morning, Tang Xu got up, had breakfast, and Liu Yao brought back two complete sets of pig offal. 

After finishing breakfast, he cleaned the offal, and also bought two pig heads. The big pig heads needed to be scorched to remove the hair; otherwise, the skin wouldn't be good.

While scrubbing the pig heads, covered in black ash and soot, Tang Xu came out from the house. 

Liu Yao quickly said, "Brother Dong took the chubby boy out for a walk."

Tang Xu nodded absentmindedly, clearly still waking up.

After washing up, he went to the kitchen, took his reserved breakfast from the large stove: meat buns and mixed grain porridge. 

While munching on the bun, he watched Liu Yao wash the large intestines. Seeing him scrubbing with wood ash, Tang Xiu said, "Get some warm water; soaking your hands in cold water all the time isn't good."

"I'll finish washing quickly," Liu Yao replied, looking up at him. "Should I put them directly in the pot for braising after washing?"

Tang Xiu shook his head. "Bring the bucket of brine from the icehouse later."

"Got it," Liu Yao acknowledged. "Do we need to use soup for braising?"

"Yeah." Tang Xiu turned and went to the backyard to kill two chickens.

The number of chickens in the chicken coop kept increasing, and Tang Xiu found it exhausting to collect eggs every day. After killing two chickens, he deboned the meat and chopped bones, using them to make soup.

He minced four chicken breasts and spring onions together with seasonings, then steamed potatoes and mashed them into potato puree. The two kinds of puree were mixed together and would be used to make meatballs later.

He deboned four chicken legs, laid out the intact chicken thigh meat on a cutting board, stuffed them with various vegetable dices and glutinous rice, and then tied them up for deep-frying.

Chicken feet, necks, heads, and wings were thrown into the braising pot to cook together, ready to be eaten in the evening.

After Liu Yao finished washing the offal, he couldn't help but quicken his pace towards the kitchen, enticed by the aroma wafting from the stove.

Tang Xu finished frying the last chicken meatball, scooped it up, and placed it in a woven bamboo basket to drain the oil.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Tang Xiu turned and glanced at Liu Yao, saying, "Take these to Xiao Xi and Ah Yang, take those to old doctor Xu and Ze’er, these to my dad and Ah Li, and leave these for yourself."

Liu Yao didn't hesitate, lifting the bamboo basket and heading out.

"Pour them into bowls first, don't get yourself covered in oil," Tang Xu reminded him. He turned around and poured the cleaned offal into the pot to blanch, adding some sorghum liquor and throwing in chopped green onions and ginger. 

By the time Liu Yao returned after delivering everything, the large pot in the kitchen was already simmering with the offal.

Tang Xu was meticulously plucking feathers from the chicken heads, focusing intently.

Liu Yao washed his hands and brought a bowl, sitting at the small table, asking, "Do you need me to beat the eggs, Brother Xu?"

"Not now, we'll talk about it later," Tang Xu replied. After just having eaten the fried meatballs, they didn't need to eat until lunchtime, when they would make egg tarts.

Tang Xu watched him eat the meatballs with relish and asked, "Are they good?"

"They're delicious," Liu Yao nodded.

Tang Xu served him a small bowl of tomato sauce, not sweet and sour but garlicky. "Dip them in this," he instructed.

Liu Yao nodded, "Okay."

Tang Xu turned back to continue preparing lunch: buns for breakfast, steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, and soup for lunch.

Meanwhile, Wei Dong, pushing the chubby boy's stroller, attracted a crowd.

It was the first time Wei Dong’s son had shown his face in front of the village women, who surrounded them with their idle carts, making it impossible for Wei Dong to move an inch.

He sighed, suddenly realizing that his cold demeanor might not be effective every time.

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