The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 142

 

| TBBOTOF | 142

Tang Xu suspected something about his child at home, but after some observation, it turned out to be nothing.

Let's put it this way: Er Bao is the kind of child who is very cute and has a strong personality.

When he’s called by name, he’ll cry, but he can understand the tone when his family calls him, so he doesn’t cry endlessly. Mostly, he’s just clingy and cries when picked up by his father.

During feeding, Xiao Bao is very relaxed. When Er Bao finishes a small bottle of goat milk, he’s only halfway done. He eats slowly, turning his eyes curiously around while eating, and the warm milk always ends up turning cold.

Tang Xu has scolded him a few times about this, but it didn’t help; he does things at his own pace.

Old Wen said that if the child isn’t sick, there’s no need to correct some habits. At such a young age, they don’t understand much, and curiosity is normal.

At the hundred-day mark for the Wei family’s twins, the size difference between the two babies was quite large.

Er Bao was much taller than Xiao Bao. Tang Xu estimated a difference of seven or eight centimeters, which especially showed how quickly his second son was growing.

The problem is that this little rascal not only grows quickly but also gains weight fast. He’s nearly as chubby as his older brother. He eats, sleeps, poops, and pees well and cries loudly. His cries can be heard at Tang Erhu’s place even in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, Wang Cuicui helped with taking care of and comforting the child. Otherwise, Tang Xu’s recovery and rest would have been uncertain, and his rest would definitely have been affected.

Wei Junsong’s growth was incredibly fast. Since he started walking, he wobbled around the yard with his grandfather and great-grandfather, and it wasn’t long before he could run!

Once the child could run, he really made a mess in the yard, jumping up and down, playing with cats, teasing the mule, and even running up the hill to catch chickens.

Luckily, as the weather cooled down, the chickens all returned to their coop, and none were chased out by the plump little rascal.

Wei Junsong was also chased around the yard by a large goose flapping its wings after trying to catch a gosling, he fell and rolled in the mud, with his face scratched up with two bloodied streaks.

But this little guy didn’t cry; he was quite resilient, he wiped his face after getting up to continue running.

After being pecked by the goose three times, he remembered not to approach the cute yellow goslings anymore. 

Instead, he chased after ducks and ended up slipping into a small water lake because he stepped on the wet mud by the lake’s edge. 

Fortunately, Xu Ze was watching him closely and prevented him from drowning.

Xu Ze still blamed himself and cried.

The plump little rascal didn’t notice any of this; after receiving a spanking from his father, he felt the weight of paternal love.

Without needing additional reminders, the plump little rascal understood that the backyard was a dangerous place and decided not to go there anymore!

Thus, Wei Junsong’s adventures in the backyard came to an end at the age of one year and one month.

After the weather cooled down, Tang Xu noticed that his older son’s daily activities had shifted from the backyard to the front yard. He also enjoyed running to the room where Wei Xi and Tang Yang read books. 

He didn’t make a fuss, just shook his head and listened to Scholar Wei’s lectures with a dazed expression.

Scholar Wei praised his eagerness to learn, repeatedly calling him a potential top scholar.

Tang Xu thought this was impossible—his son couldn’t possibly be so interested in studying.

Later, Tang Xu saw it for himself. For seven consecutive days, from morning to night, his plump little rascal indeed kept going to that room whenever he had free time.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Tang Xu asked about it.

What did the plump little rascal say?

“In Uncle’s room, there’s a lot of food. I like to eat it.”

Although he was small, he was clear and fluent in his speech, without stuttering.

Tang Xu suddenly understood.

The two young boys were preparing for the imperial examinations next year and were undergoing intense cramming with Scholar Wei. 

They had almost no time for play, and since they were at the age of rapid growth, three meals a day were simply not enough. 

Tang Xu often prepared some snacks and treats for them in that room, so when they were tired from studying, they could have something to eat.

The plump little rascal was only a little over a year old. Tang Xu usually didn’t give him snacks, because he was worried that he might eat them and be too full to eat his meals, which could lead to digestive problems.

But now, in order to get snacks, he stayed in that room all day.

"I just asked the scholar; he said the little rascal could chew on a piece of beef jerky for quite a while. He sits quietly, not making a fuss, just focused on eating. He may be young, but he can sit still very well."

Wei Dong chuckled and cleaned up Er Bao, who had just soiled his diaper.

"He can go over there if he wants; it won’t disturb their studying."

"He might pick up some things just by listening. Anyway, with the weather cooling down, he shouldn’t always be outside," Tang Xu said, then looked absentmindedly at the baby in his arms. 

The pretty little one was sleeping with his eyes closed, occasionally moving his mouth as if dreaming about some delicious food.

Wei Dong nodded and asked, "Any news from Tang Rui?"

Tang Xu shook his head. "Father said he was taking the exam in September. I asked if they needed anything prepared from home, but he said no. Father sent twenty liang of silver. It’s already November, so there should be some results by now, right?"

Tang Rui was taking the scholar’s exam. To be honest, Tang Xu hadn’t paid much attention to this matter. He had only asked a couple of times, and there hadn’t been any news from Tang Erhu. With the addition of the two new babies at home, he paid even less attention to the situation there.

But he did remember the general timing of the exam. It was in September, so the results should be out by November. Regardless of whether he passed or failed, he should at least be informed.

While they were chatting, Liu Yao knocked and came in, looking quite pleased.

"Brother Xu, Uncle Tang said Tang Rui has sent a letter saying he passed the scholar exam and will be celebrating with a feast!" Liu Yao had never met Tang Rui, but he had heard about him from Tang Li. 

Even though he didn’t know him personally, he wasn’t a stranger.

Tang Xu was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed in delight, "He passed?"

"Yes, it’s said that he passed. He’ll be coming back in a few days." Liu Yao didn’t get too close, afraid of the cold air affecting the child, but he couldn’t help but smile at the baby who had woken up and was now looking at him.

"Brother Xu, Xiao Bao is really beautiful."

Tang Xu was almost numb to the constant praise of his child’s looks; it happened almost every day.

"Did he say the specific date of his return?" Tang Xu calculated the days and figured he should be home before the heavy snow blocked the roads. Considering the usual cold weather, it shouldn’t be long now.

Preparing for the feast would require a lot of things, and the current supplies at home might not be enough.

Tang Xu took this seriously, and so did Tang Erhu.

To put it this way, going back to his grandfather’s generation, no one in the Tang family had passed the scholar exam, and there weren’t many who pursued education. If Tang Rui managed to pass, Grandfather Tang would probably invite the clan leader to hold a special ceremony.

But this wasn’t directly related to Tang Xu’s concerns. Right now, he was focused on helping his father with the preparations for the feast.

Liu Yao shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.

Tang Xu didn’t ask further. He instructed Liu Yao to go to the storage room and inventory all the supplies at home, making a list to replenish anything needed.

After Liu Yao left, Tang Xu turned to Wei Dong, who was soothing Er Bao to sleep, and said, “I really didn’t expect Ah Rui to pass.”

“I’ve seen him reading continuously after he returned, so he must have studied well,” Wei Dong said, placing the sleeping Er Bao in his crib and glanced at the baby in Tang Xu’s arms.

Tang Xu looked down to see Xiao Bao wide awake, staring at him. He smiled, gently rubbed the baby’s forehead with his chin, and rocked him softly. 

Before long, Xiao Bao’s eyes closed again as he fell asleep.

Tang Xu placed the baby in the crib as well, and the two siblings lay side by side.

The two of them quietly left the room and happened to meet the plump little rascal, running back with his short legs.

Seeing his dad, the little rascal quickened his pace and dashed into Tang Xu’s legs.

Tang Xu bent down to catch him, squatting and holding him close, asking with a smile, “What are you running for?” He patted his little tummy, which was round and soft, indicating he was full.

The little rascal snuggled up to him with a grin, acting cute: “Daddy~~ Hug me~ I miss you so much~~~”

Tang Xu twitched his lips. It’s only been an hour, and he already misses him so much.

Nevertheless, Tang Xu held the child close and rubbed his face against him.

Wei Dong looked down, showing no particular emotion.

After the little rascal had finished being cute with his dad, he looked up and called out, “Father~~~”

Wei Dong bent down to pick him up, supporting him with one arm. “Are you full?”

Although it was a question, it was said with certainty.

The little rascal nodded and patted his tummy, saying, “Full.”

Tang Xu found it quite surreal to hear the conversations between the little rascal and Wei Dong. 

The child’s intelligence was astonishing—at just under a year and a half, he could speak simple sentences clearly and had a high emotional intelligence, making him a master of balancing emotions.

“So you came back after eating?” Tang Xu poked his son’s soft belly.

The little rascal nodded and pointed towards the room, saying, “I want to see my little brothers.”

“Your  little brothers are asleep. Do you want to go to sleep too?” Tang Xu poked him again.

The little rascal wriggled and giggled when Tang Xu poked him, laughing, "I’m not sleeping, I’m not tired!"

"Then you can come with Daddy to see Grandpa. Daddy needs to talk to Grandpa," Tang Xu said, reaching out to pick up his son.

The little rascal was quite heavy; Tang Xu had to hold him carefully to avoid dropping him.

Wei Dong was heading off to handle other matters, so he didn’t accompany them.

Tang Erhu was discussing the preparations for the feast with Wang Cuicui. Although Tang Rui knew about the wedding, he wasn’t there in person, but he had sent two jars of wine from the county town.

Now that Tang Rui had passed the scholar exam and was coming home, Wang Cuicui was quite nervous.

After all, he was a scholar, which meant he would be receiving official rations every month!

"Let’s invite everyone we know and have a two-day banquet!" Tang Erhu declared grandly with a wave of his hand, showing his enthusiasm.

When Tang Xu lifted the curtain and walked in, he heard this and couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

The little rascal in his arms wiggled to get down, so Tang Xu quickly set him on the ground to prevent dropping him.

The little rascal steadied his feet and immediately lunged toward Tang Erhu's legs.

The older man quickly steadied him and looked up at Tang Xu, asking, “Why are you here?”

“Liu Yao told me that Ah Rui passed the scholar exam and that a feast is to be arranged,” Tang Xu said, sitting by the kang and turning to Wang Cuicui. “Auntie, don’t be nervous. My younger brother has a good temperament. The fact that he sent two jars of wine means he supports my father remarrying. I mentioned this before—our family will be one in the future, so there’s no need for formality.”

Wang Cuicui sighed and handed him some dried fruit, placing it on the kang table. “Your father wants a two-day banquet. I was thinking we might need to hire a chef to help out; we can’t manage it all by ourselves.”

Tang Xu looked at her, surprised. “Auntie, are you serious?”

Wang Cuicui looked confused. “Yes, your father said so.”

Tang Xu replied, “You're spoiling him!”

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TL: Major good news guys! We now have raws up to 200, Thank you again ChubbiestCheeks! o(≧∇≦)o !