The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 144

 

| TBBOTOF | 144

Due to the heavy snow blocking the roads and the frequent snowfall, Tang's family was cooped up in the front and back courtyards, making the home lively and bustling.

Tang Xu mainly handled the family's three meals a day.

He spent time with the two babies who were drinking milk, while Wei Dong took the opportunity to walk outside.

For a year-and-a-half-old child, even if he's a boy, the thick snow on the ground was perfect for playing. He would stomp around or dive into snow piles as he pleased. 

Wei Dong would pick him up from the snow piles, and shake him off.

At first, Tang Xu tried to stop Wei Dong from letting the child play in the snow, but he soon realized that it was pointless. The child enjoyed it, and Wei Dong was happy to see him having fun.

Even Old Wen commented that sturdy babies like the chubby boy were rare. Royal children raised with utmost care were not allowed outside in the cold for fear of getting sick. 

Yet, Wei Dong let their child enjoy the winter weather without concern.

Wei Junsong was prone to getting sick. He had had fevers before, but he recovered quickly. For instance, if it was hot in the morning and he went out to play wearing two coats, he would sweat so much that he’d take off his outer coat and keep playing. 

If the weather suddenly changed and it became windy, he could catch a cold and his temperature would rise at night.

Tang Xu had been alarmed a couple of times by how quickly the child's temperature could rise. He felt like a little furnace, and you could feel the warmth even when you were near him.

He would call Old Wen for advice, who would suggest cooling him down, which Tang Xu promptly did. Usually, a night’s sleep would help, and wiping him down with warm water would bring his temperature back to normal by the next morning.

The next day, the chubby child was as lively as ever—eating, drinking, running, and jumping—while his tired old father took two days to recover his energy.

Tang Xu had become accustomed to this, like the occasional fever. If it was a high fever, he knew how to handle it.

At that moment, in the back yard, the chubby child was helping his father pick up dry branches halfway up the hill. The cold wind had turned his cheeks red, and he was sniffling as he picked out the straightest branch from those he had collected.

“Dad, look!” The child lifted the branch to show Wei Dong.

Wei Dong turned and saw the child's face covered in snot, and tried not to frown. “If you’re cold, let’s go back inside.”

“I’m cold,” the child replied, wiping his face with his sleeve.

Wei Dong frowned, noting how dirty he was. “Let’s go.”

Wei Dong carried his child inside, where Tang Xu helped him undress and then put him into a warm bath.

Tang Xu looked coldly at the clothes thrown on the floor, covered in ice and snow. “Can’t you at least wear a set of clothes for the whole day when you’re out with your father next time?”

"Also you!" Tang Xu turned and glared at Wei Dong, "On such a cold day, taking him out to break tree branches—what if he gets frostbite?"

The father and son obediently endured the scolding, not daring to say a word.

Wei Dong stood by, ladling hot water to warm his son's body. The little chubby boy’s skin had turned red from the cold, and his nose was running non-stop.

Tang Xu pursed his lips, using a cloth to wipe the boy’s nose, while the chubby boy sat quietly in the hot water.

After soaking, his face was flushed, and his forehead was sweating. Tang Xu took him out of the water, dried him off, wrapped his head with a towel, dressed him in a cotton jacket, and carried him back to the room.

Since having the child, the distance from the bathing room to the main house had become a bit too far, so he had simply built another bathing room in the side room. This one was smaller than the one on the other side of the house and had underground bamboo pipes so that water could flow directly outside.

Tang Xu actually wanted to renovate the room with cement, but the cement was scarce in Wei Dong’s area, and only the prefectural capital had it.

The price wasn’t too expensive, but getting it delivered was troublesome. Plus, with the child being so young, Tang Xu had given up on the idea and settled for a more practical solution.

By the end of January, the preparations for the New Year had already begun in mid-January.

Tang Erhu looked forward to it every day. Even though he was disappointed with his eldest son, he still wanted him to come back.

In the end, Tang Rui arrived on the twenty-fifth of the first lunar month.

He came alone.

The villagers knew about his engagement, so they didn’t find it odd that he came alone. They greeted him warmly when they saw him on the road.

They called him “Scholar,” and Tang Rui politely nodded in response.

After he had walked away, the villagers began to discuss him.

Tang Rui stood in front of the courtyard gate, taking a deep breath.

"Eldest Brother?" Tang Li came from the large house, carrying an empty basket. She was surprised to see him standing at the door and called out in surprise.

Tang Rui turned to look at her. It had been nearly a year since they last saw each other, and they found each other a bit unfamiliar.

Tang Li examined Tang Rui and asked, "Are you not going in? The door isn’t locked."

Tang Rui nodded and pushed open the door and walked inside.

Tang Li followed him, feeling that her older brother seemed a bit different.

Inside the house, Tang Erhu was playing with the two babies on the kang. Tang Xu and Wei Dong had gone to the town, leaving the two little ones in his care for a while.

The twins were born in early July, it was now mid-January, and the two babies were five and a half months old. They could already turn over and sit up on their own, and their movements were quite nimble.

Since Er Bao learned to roll over, he had been quite restless on the kang, constantly rolling around. He was trying to crawl, but his rolling speed was still slower compared to his effort.

The little one, Xiao Bao, only moved when he got tired of lying in one position; otherwise, he just lay still.

Er Bao was more agile. He could roll over and sit up smoothly, leaning forward to pounce towards Tang Erhu to grab the cloth ball in his grandfather's hand.

Wang Cuicui, holding Xiao Bao, watched him and smiled, teasing, "Look at how well your little brother is playing. You should go and grab the ball from him too. The ball made by Grandma is so soft."

Xiao Bao grunted a few times, tilted his head, and fell asleep.

The door was pushed open, and a gust of cold air swept in through the crack in the door curtain.

Wang Cuicui turned around and happened to make eye contact with Tang Rui, who had just entered.

She was momentarily stunned and confirmed, "You... Tang Rui?"

Tang Rui nodded at her and said, "Auntie."

Wang Cuicui quickly got up from the kang, holding Xiao Bao, and said, "Please, sit down. I’ll get you some water."

She started to leave with Xiao Bao in her arms.

Tang Li quickly reached out, "Auntie, let me hold Xiao Bao."

Only then did Wang Cuicui remember she was still holding the child. She handed Xiao Bao over to Tang Li and went outside to get water.

Tang Rui glanced at the little one being held by Tang Li and asked in surprise, "Is this the little ger born from elder brother? He looks so much like him."

Tang Li nodded and pointed to Er Bao rolling around on the kang, "That’s Er Bao."

Tang Rui looked at Er Bao and then was glared at by his father.

Without saying another word, Tang Rui lifted his robe and knelt down on the ground.

Tang Li was taken aback and realized it was time for her to step out with Xiao Bao.

Tang Erhu took Er Bao into his arms, looked coldly at Tang Rui, and asked, "Why did you come alone? Where is your wife?"

Tang Rui licked his lips and replied, "Xiao Die is pregnant. The weather is cold and the road is slippery, so my father-in-law didn’t want her to come with me."

Tang Erhu was so upset that he nearly passed out, his face turning pale.

He was silent for a long time.

Seeing his father’s terrible expression, Tang Li quickly said, "Father, you should calm down."

Tang Erhu glanced around and saw several cloth balls nearby. He threw them in frustration, which caused them to bounce.

Er Bao in his arms, who had been comfortably held, began to cry loudly.

Tang Erhu quickly adjusted his hold on the baby, patting and soothing him, but it was no use; Er Bao kept crying loudly. Wang Cuicui hurried in to take the baby from him.

“Father, I’m sorry,” Tang Rui said, hanging his head and looking at Tang Erhu.

Tang Erhu stared at him for a while and suddenly laughed sarcastically, “You’re not at fault. I was wrong to think you had changed for the better. Fine, you can stay here for a while. We’ll let you live in our small house; and then you can go back to your big house.”

This statement left everyone in the room stunned.

Of course, this excluded the crying Er Bao and the little one who had been sleeping with his eyes closed.

Tang Li thought for a moment and said to Wang Cuicui, “Auntie, they must be hungry. Let’s go heat some milk.”

Wang Cuicui nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, let’s go. They’re hungry. Oh, oh, oh, don’t cry. Grandma will get some warm milk.” She quickly took Er Bao and left, with Tang Li following closely behind.

The room was left with just the father and son. Tang Rui looked up and said to Tang Erhu, “Father, can you at least try to understand me? I have my own difficulties!”

“What difficulties do you have? Your difficulty is becoming a son-in-law! How have we mistreated you? Why are you so eager to marry yourself off?” Tang Erhu couldn’t hold back and threw a cloth ball at him.

The two cloth balls hit Tang Rui, causing some pain and itching, but he didn’t dodge them.

“Father, even though I’ve passed the scholar exams, my ranking isn’t high. To get into a good academy, I need a recommendation from a teacher! My father-in-law has the money but no connections. If he wants to support my studies, why should I refuse?” Tang Rui looked at Tang Erhu seriously, “I want to study in a better place. What’s wrong with that?”

Tang Erhu waved his hand dismissively, “You’re not wrong. Fine, you do what you want. I don’t want to hear it. Just get out of here; I can’t stand seeing you.”

In the courtyard, Tang Li told Wang Cuicui to take the two children to her room while she went to find Tang Yang at the main house. 

However, Tang Yang didn’t react much to the news that his elder brother had arrived and simply followed their father’s instructions.

“Father wants to drive elder brother away,” Tang Li frowned.

Tang Yang, holding a brush and carefully practicing his calligraphy, said, “If he’s driven away, so be it. Father would scold me if I go there. Unfortunately, my elder brother was lucky today. My elder brother and his husband went to town early in the morning and probably won't be here until before dinner. Sister, you don’t have to worry about it. If you have the time, you might as well take the chubby boy to cheer up father. Father is most fond of his eldest grandson.”

Wei Xi, listening nearby, nodded in agreement. Indeed, Uncle Tang especially liked the chubby boy, mainly because of his ability to coax.

“Where is he?” Tang Li looked around the room but didn’t see him.

“He’s playing in the back courtyard,” Tang Yang tilted his head.

Tang Li found the chubby boy in the back courtyard near the rabbit hutch, crouching on the ground with a fat cat in his arms, watching the little rabbits. He was bundled up in a thick cotton jacket and a small cape, which made him look like a ball.

“Ah Song, go with Auntie and cheer up your grandfather.”

The chubby boy turned his head to look at her. The sudden movement caused him to tip over, and he plopped down on the ground.

Tang Li quickly went over to help him.

Hugging the fat cat, the chubby boy smiled and looked up at her with a grin, “Auntie~ hold~”

“Come on, let’s go,” Tang Li helped him up, dusted off his pants, set the fat cat down on the ground, and took his little hand as they headed towards the back door. “Your grandfather is upset right now. When you see him, you should do your best to be adorable and coax him. You need to make him smile.”

The chubby boy blinked with wide, confused eyes but nodded obediently.

Being cute and charming was his specialty; he knew that being the little darling of his grandfather meant he had the best life!

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