The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 132

 

| TBBOTOF | 132

On the baby's hundredth day, Tang Xu discussed with Wei Dong about hosting a lively gathering at the Tang family's place.

During the gathering, Tang Erhu agreed to consider finding a new spouse, but with one condition: they couldn't just pick anyone; they had to have good character.

The old lady cuddled the chubby baby in her arms, scrutinizing his appearance. She muttered, "If he marries someone who stirs up trouble in the family, our days won't be peaceful." Wu Guizhi snorted fiercely.

Tang Xu, perplexed, peeled a handful of flowers. "What's going on?"

"It's your third uncle, he's really getting on my nerves." The old lady glanced toward the door, not hearing any movement of someone coming over, despite the lively commotion in the courtyard.

Family matters shouldn't be aired in public, even though they were all family. Wu Guizhi didn't want too many people to overhear.

She handed the squirming chubby baby back to Tang Xu. Seeing him place the child on the kang, she asked, "Did you invite your third uncle over?"

"I did, Ah Dong did so. I've been busy with the stewed meat, so I didn't accompany him." Tang Xu looked bewildered. Besides other matters, he was sure he had handled the matters of face correctly. It wasn't important whether the other party came or not.

When he was holding the chubby baby earlier, he saw his third uncle's son, Tang Qi, come over with his two sisters.

"I saw Ah Qi and them."

"They came over?" Wu Guizhi was in the room earlier and didn't see anyone.

Tang Xu nodded and helped his chubby son who was struggling to flip over. He let him lie on the heated brick bed, continuing to pell the flowers shells. 

He placed a small pile of flower petals in his palm, rubbed them, then pursed his lips to blow away the extracted flower husks. He handed the yellow-white flower kernels to the old lady, saying, "I didn't see Third Uncle and Third Aunt."

"If you didn't see them, that's okay," Wu Guizhi grabbed the flower kernels and chewed them. The roasted flower kernels were fragrant, and the old lady's teeth were still good enough to chew them. "Dongzi came over and said he wanted to celebrate our kid's hundredth day, but he they didn’t listen to him. He didn’t want to come, his wife also didn't want to come."

Tang Xu acknowledged with an "oh," but then realized something wasn't right, "How did Ah Qi and them come then?"

"They probably felt embarrassed not to come," the old lady scoffed and hummed, "Tang Qi is much better than his father, at least his brain hasn't gone bad."

Tang Xu sighed lightly and didn't respond.

After all, he really wasn't familiar with Tang Qi. The original Xu Ge'er had not seen Tang Qi a few times, let alone him. The only impression was that the kid was still able to get along with people.

At mealtime, there were four tables in the yard. Wei Zhonghong came with her family, and they brought a lot of things, mostly for children to wear and use, made by herself.

Tang Xu held her hand and thanked her repeatedly, then said, "Auntie, you know a lot of people around here. Is there anyone suitable for my dad? Please give me some advice."

Wei Zhonghong turned her head to glance at Tang Erhu, who was drinking with her man, and nodded. "There are several good widows in our village. What kind of woman does your dad want?"

Tang Xu shrugged and passed her some dishes. "As long as their temperaments match, he'd prefer someone gentle, who doesn't argue with him all the time."

Wei Zhonghong pondered for a moment. She originally thought about introducing Wang Cuicui to Tang Erhu. After all, she had raised her daughter alone for several years after her husband's death and had also taken care of two elderly fathers-in-law, showing her filial piety.

But Wang Cuicui's temperament wasn't suitable. Generally speaking, widows with good temperaments are hard to find. If their temper is too soft, they might be taken advantage of by some men in the village.

After struggling for a while, she concluded that there were no suitable widows.

Should they consider finding a daughter instead?

After dinner, everyone gradually returned to their own homes. Wei Dong first sent Tang Erhu and Old Tang back, while the old lady and aunt stayed behind to wait for the second trip.

Wei Zhonghong also stayed behind, letting her three sons take care of their father.

Tang Li and Liu Yao, along with Xu Ze, Tang Yang, and Wei Xi, cleaned up the tables. Tang Xu glanced at his chubby son, who was half-asleep and murmuring, and then carried him to bed to soothe him to sleep.

When he came back out, he saw the old lady and the two aunties sitting in the main hall, each with a bowl of ginger and brown sugar water, sipping sweet water and cracking melon seeds while chatting.

The three of them, speaking in lowered voices, saw him come out and unconsciously glanced towards the room.

Tang Xu grinned, "He's asleep."

He pulled up a chair and casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds. "What are you talking about? Grandma, why do you look so worried?"

Wu Guizhi threw a melon seed shell at him and glared, "Mind your manners!"

"How am I not minding my manners?" Tang Xu shrugged helplessly. "You three seem to be discussing finding a stepmother for us?"

With just that sentence, all three seemed a bit uncomfortable.

Even though that's what they were discussing, why did it sound so harsh when put into words?

Tang Xu looked at their stunned expressions, savored his words for a moment, and then chuckled softly.

Auntie patted his shoulder lightly and scoffed, "Speak properly."

"Alright, alright," Tang Xu grinned, cracking melon seeds. "I was thinking, maybe we can't go by my dad's idea. Finding someone gentle like he wants, well, it's not easy. Let's not even talk about it. Among the girls raised in the village, how many are genuinely gentle? My mom was pretty gentle with my dad at first."

The old lady nodded repeatedly, "That's right. Liu Xiangxiang knew how to coax people back then, she had your dad wrapped around her finger."

Luo Pingping sighed, "Yeah, Liu Xiu was gentle with Sanhu too. Look how she had him wrapped around her finger."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Wei Zhonghong sitting beside her.

Family matters shouldn't be aired in public, and criticizing someone directly in front of others could lead to the old lady reprimanding her.

Wei Zhonghong also had a mother-in-law, so how could she not notice her discomfort? She didn't respond, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Tang Xu changed the subject, saying, "In fact, for my dad's temperament, he just needs someone who understands him, cares about him, and can support the family. Ah Li can already take care of herself, it's just Ah Yang left. I think if this news gets out, there will definitely be matchmakers coming forward. We can decide then."

Wei Zhonghong thought for a moment, but couldn't resist asking, "Actually, I know someone who's pretty good. It's just her temperament, how should I put it, she's quite bold. Should we introduce her?"

Tang Xu was taken aback.

Bold temperament... This was somewhat different from what he had expected.

Luo Pingping looked at her and asked, "Bold in what way?"

"Let me put it this way, her husband passed away five or six years ago, and there has never been a rumor in the village about anyone climbing over her wall," 

Wei Zhonghong rubbed her chin, remembering how Wang Cuicui swung a water-carrying pole and beat up those men who had been trying to take advantage of her, making them cry out in pain. 

She laughed, "She's filial and efficient in her work. She can manage both field and household chores. Her two elderly fathers-in-law are not in good health and can't work in the fields anymore. She's like this. Her relationship with her maternal family isn't good. She made it clear when she married that she wouldn't be taken advantage of, and after her husband passed away, she took care of her child and filially served her fathers-in-law. She's grown older and is most concerned that she only has one daughter, who's already of marriageable age."

Tang Xu's eyes lit up.

"This... sounds really good," he said, turning to look at Wu Guizhi. "Auntie, what do you think?"

"It sounds promising. With such good conditions, why hasn't she remarried all this time?" Wu Guizhi looked puzzled.

Wei Zhonghong took a sip of water. She had actually asked Wang Cuicui this question before. Since they could talk openly and share their grievances when feeling down, it wasn't unusual.

So she had specifically asked, and Wang Cuicui had been straightforward about it.

"She said her two fathers-in-law are in poor health. If she remarries, they might struggle even to have meals. She's definitely a good person, but she probably thinks it would be difficult to marry while taking care of both fathers-in-law," Wei Zhonghong didn't delve deeper into the details; that was exactly how Wang Cuicui had put it.

When she had married into the family, they hadn't had much. Her family had asked for just two taels of silver, likening it to selling her off. 

Initially, the family's conditions were quite good, with both her father-in-law and husband having considerable strength for field work. Even though her first child was a daughter, her in-laws didn't mind. 

Later, her husband injured himself working in the winter, making it difficult for him to work again. 

Then he fell ill, and the medical expenses depleted what little money they had left. Wei Zhonghong finished her story and glanced at the old lady, noticing her displeased expression, understanding that she was being judgmental, she added, "I can just mention it casually to her. She might not necessarily agree."

Tang Xu didn't see any problem with it. This kind of virtuous person seemed suitable for his father, willing to serve her late husband's two fathers-in-law.

He quickly glanced at Wei Zhonghong and signaled with his eyes, meaning for her to help him inquire if there was any interest.

Wei Zhonghong hesitated, glanced at the old lady, and understood that she didn't approve.

Tang Xu lowered his gaze, unconcerned about whether the old lady agreed or not; ultimately, it would depend on his father's decision.

After chatting for a while longer, Wei Dong arrived and escorted them away.

As Tang Xu saw Wei Zhonghong off, he once again signaled to her, reminding her not to forget.

Wei Zhonghong didn't forget, but there were several times later on when she didn't see Wang Cuicui. It wasn't until November that they met again.

After the first snow of the winter had fallen, white lanterns hung outside the Sun family's door.

When Wei Zhonghong heard about the incident, she was still busy slicing sour cabbage, planning to stew it for lunch. Suddenly, she heard her youngest son running in from outside, urgently calling for her, letting her know something had happened.

She hurried over, and by then, a simple mourning hall had been set up. Wang Cuicui, dressed in mourning clothes and kneeling before the coffin, was burning paper offerings with tears on her face.

"What happened? Why so sudden?" Wei Zhonghong squatted down beside her, turning her head to look.

"My father-in-law had been complaining of chest discomfort for the past couple of days. I asked him to see Doctor Xu, but yesterday afternoon, he said he was tired and wanted to rest for a while. He never woke up." Wang Cuicui's voice was heavy with emotion. She covered her chest and exhaled deeply. "My father-in-law cried all night and passed out several times. Sister, what should I do?"

Wei Zhonghong furrowed her brow and glanced over at the two middle-aged men bustling about on the other side, recognizing them as nephews from the Sun family's side. She reached out and helped Wang Cuicui to her feet, asking, "When did they arrive?"

"They came early this morning, handling all these arrangements," Wang Cuicui replied as she was pulled up, her knees sore from kneeling. She stumbled slightly, and Wei Zhonghong steadied her. "Take a rest for a while."

Wang Cuicui thanked her softly and led Wei Zhonghong into her room.

As soon as they were alone, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Wei Zhonghong sighed, patting her hand gently. "Stop crying for now. Your family is watching."

Wang Cuicui understood her implication well. Even if she caused a scene, what could she really achieve? She and her father-in-law were outsiders in this matter, outnumbered and with little chance to influence the outcome.

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TL: To clear up any misunderstandings WC has two father-in-laws, one of them is a ger.