| TBBOTOF | 164
The Chubby boy walked towards the backyard and, looking up, saw Er Bao rushing over from the opposite direction.
Wei Junsong nervously stretched out his arms to shield Xiao Bao behind him and called out to Er Bao.
Er Bao came to a sudden stop, but because he had been running too fast, he ended up right in front of them.
Fortunately, the impact was softened, and the chubby little guy retracted his outstretched arms, pouted, and crossed his hands over his chest, saying, "I’ve told you so many times, no pouncing!"
Er Bao tilted his little face slightly and crossed his arms over his chest like his brother, "I didn’t pounce!"
In his mind, he hadn’t succeeded in pouncing.
Xiao Bao peeked out from behind the chubby one, glanced at his second brother, then at his eldest brother. He reached out with both hands, holding one of each of his brothers' hands, and said in a soft, babyish voice, "Week~"
The chubby one held his little brother’s soft hand, looked down seriously, and corrected his pronunciation, "It’s walk, not week."
Xiao Bao turned his face away, listening intently. "It’s walk~ It’s walk~."
"Brother!" Er Bao called out to the chubby boy.
The chubby boy corrected him again, "It’s Elder brother, not brother!"
"Brother! Bunny!" Er Bao pointed excitedly towards the backyard.
The chubby boy thought for a moment. Dad said he was very articulate when he was little, so why can’t his younger brother’s speak clearly?
But it’s okay; he can teach him slowly!
The three little kids went to the backyard to see the rabbits. The family originally had so many rabbits that there was hardly any space to keep them. Later, as the nearby town frequently served stewed rabbit, the number of rabbits at home decreased.
Tang Xu kept three pairs of adult rabbits as breeding stock. When the baby rabbits were raised to adulthood, they were sent to town.
Tang Xu had also saved quite a few rabbit pelts, planning to take them to the tailor’s shop soon to have clothes and cloaks made for the three little ones.
Several baby rabbits, each with different colored fur, hopped around. Xiao Bao squatted down, touching each one affectionately, his eyes filled with delight. The rabbits liked him too, several of them gathering around him.
Er Bao wasn’t as lucky; he moved too abruptly, causing the rabbits to avoid him. As soon as he got close, they would scatter.
The chubby boy leaned on the fence, swaying back and forth on his tiptoes. His interest in the rabbits had already waned; now, he preferred riding Grandpa’s old yellow cow!
Actually, he really wanted to ride the family’s big mule, but his dad wouldn’t let him. The mule didn’t like it either, it even swatted at him with its tail.
Pouting, he suddenly caught sight of a chubby cat leaping down from the roof. The cat raised its tail and trotted over to him, “Ah Mi!”
The chubby cat stopped and let out a soft meow at the chubby one, even flicking the tip of its tail.
Hearing the cat, Er Bao rushed over. The chubby cat saw him and similarly sprinted towards him at full speed.
It was a mutual rush to meet each other.
Er Bao stretched out his hands, catching the flying chubby cat as it jumped into his arms.
The sturdy little boy stood there so firmly that not even a wobble could be detected.
The chubby boy stifled a sigh, watching his brother run around the yard with the cat on his shoulder. He then glanced at the chubby cat, lounging comfortably on his brother’s back, occasionally flicking its tail.
He touched his own soft, chubby chin and murmured to himself, “No wonder Ah Mi likes Er Bao.”
Xiao Bao had already sat down on the ground, but since the ground was covered with grass, it wasn’t cold. He cradled a little rabbit in his arms, which obediently stayed still, letting him gently stroke its fur.
Er Bao walked back with the chubby cat on his shoulder, looking quite proud of himself, “I have a cat~”
In his mind, even though the rabbits didn’t like him, the cat did.
Xiao Bao looked up at his second brother, eyes fixed on the fat cat.
The chubby cat looked down at him, twitching its whiskers and flicking its tail before letting out a soft meow.
“Mi~” Xiaobao reached out, his eyes sparkling.
The chubby cat jumped down from Erbao’s shoulder and rubbed up against Xiao Bao, even wrapping its long tail around his arm.
Er Bao snorted and tried to grab the cat’s tail.
The chubby boy hurried over to stop him, saying, “Dad said not to pull the tail, or it’ll bite you.”
He emphasized the word "bite" by raising his arm and spreading his fingers wide, making a fierce face.
Er Bao wasn’t scared at all. He bent down and wrapped his arms around the chubby cat’s belly, lifting it up.
The chubby cat didn’t struggle, allowing itself to be held. But as the grip tightened around its belly, it started to wriggle uncomfortably.
Er Bao quickly tightened his grip, and the chubby cat meowed several times in protest.
The chubby boy furrowed his brows and reached out to gently pull on Er Bao’s arm, coaxing him softly, "Er Bao, let go. The cat’s uncomfortable, it might run away."
Er Bao looked down at the cat and loosened his grip slightly, but he still held the cat close to his chest.
Xiao Bao reached out to grab the chubby cat’s hind paw, and the chubby boy quickly intervened again, "Don’t grab it! Dad said if you grab the cat, it’ll scratch you."
Xiaobao quickly withdrew his hand and nodded obediently.
"Kids! Where are you?" came a shout from the front yard.
The chubby boy straightened up and called back, "Watching~ the~ rabbits~"
Tang Yang came over from the front yard, and seeing all three kids together, he quickly waved them over, "Come on, let’s go have some cake with Uncle."
"What kind of cake?" the chubby boy asked, sniffing the air.
But no matter how much he sniffed, he couldn’t catch the scent of any cake. The backyard, despite being kept clean, still had the smell of all the animals they kept.
What smell?
The smell of poop.
The chubby boy wrinkled his nose and covered it with his little hand.
Tang Yang put the rabbit back on the ground and then pulled Xiao Bao to stand .
Xiao Bao reached out his arms toward him, asking to be carried.
Tang Yang bent down to pick up Xiao Bao, then turned to the other kids and said, “The cakes your dad made are really sweet.”
With a whoosh, Er Bao, still carrying the chubby cat, dashed out ahead.
The chubby boy waited until Tang Yang carried Xiao Bao out and then went to close the gate back up before bouncing along to catch up.
Tang Xu took a tray of freshly baked egg tarts out of the oven, and a sweet, fragrant aroma spread through the room.
Tang Qi looked at the golden egg tarts on the plate with some confusion and pointed, “These look like egg custard.”
“Hmm, kind of,” Tang Xu said, handing him one to try.
Tang Qi took a small bite.
It was both hot and sweet, with a hint of milk flavor.
“Let them cool a bit; the crust will be crispier. Later, take a few back for your wife,” Tang Xu said, grabbing a small basket and placing six tarts inside.
Er Bao burst through the door carrying the chubby cat, but before Tang Xu could call him, he turned and ran back outside.
A short while later, Er Bao returned, his hands still damp, and raised them to show Tang Xu.
It seemed he had washed his hands.
Tang Xu dried his hands, then had him sit on a small stool. He placed an egg tart in front of him and handed him a small spoon.
Er Bao grabbed the spoon and started eating the egg tart, blowing on it since it was still warm.
“Don’t burn yourself; eat slowly.”
Tang Xu placed a cup of warm water next to Er Bao and gently poked his round cheek, “Drink some water after a while.”
Tang Qi, seeing how focused Er Bao was on eating, smiled and complimented, “Er Bao is really great.”
The chubby boy held Xiao Bao’s hand and guided him over the door railing. After Tang Xu asked them to wash their hands, they both sat in a row and enjoyed their egg tarts.
“Brother Xu, when you mentioned doing business earlier, did you mean selling this?” Tang Qi asked. They had briefly discussed it before, and he appreciated Tang Xu’s willingness to help, though he wasn’t sure what he could contribute.
“Selling this,” Tang Xu waved his hand. “You don’t have an oven there, and although you can cook, it would be too much trouble to make these.”
Tang Qi considered mentioning that his wife could make them, but then thought about the recent birth and the bustling household. Running a food business at home would be quite challenging.
It wasn’t that he doubted his mother’s ability, but her temperament made her prone to extreme actions.
“The only feasible idea is to start a food business. There is something similar you could do there, though it would be a bit tiring,” Tang Xu continued. He wanted to introduce spicy strips, which they could make themselves.
He figured if others could make them, they definitely could too, and if they got started, even Tang Sanhu would probably come by to help out.
Tang Qi waited for him to elaborate.
“Spicy strips, you know, it’s made from deep-fried tofu skins mixed with seasonings. The flavor is also very distinct. The cost is low, but because it’s deep-fried, it can still sell for a good price.”
Tang Xu took out some spicy strips he had prepared yesterday from the cabinet and placed them on the table. “Here, give it a try.”
The spicy strips, glistening with a rich red hue and a tantalizing aroma, made his mouth water just by looking at them.
Tang Qi held back, took the chopsticks Tang Xu handed him, and picked up a piece to taste.
He chewed, swallowed, and remained silent for a long while.
Tang Xu, smiling, handed him a steaming hot multigrain bun. "Have it with this."
Tang Qi paired the spicy strips with the bun, finishing it off quickly, but had to pound his chest to help it go down.
Tang Xu chuckled, gesturing for him to drink some water. "Why are you eating so fast?"
“It’s spicy, but once you start, you just can’t stop,” Tang Qi said, downing a bowl of cool boiled water and finally relaxing as he leaned back in his chair. With a wry smile, he added, “It’s been days since I’ve had a proper meal.”
“What happened? No one’s cooking at home?” Tang Xu imagined the chaos with two women who just gave birth at home and figured it must be quite a scene.
“Hua'er and Cao'er have been cooking, and they do okay, and sometimes Mom can manage a meal, but lately, she says she doesn’t even have the energy to get out of bed, and that little one cries more than any baby I’ve ever seen,” Tang Qi complained, sharing how chaotic things had been at home, with never a moment of peace from morning till night.
Tang Xu patted his shoulder, not sure what to say to comfort him, and instead pointed to the now-empty bowl in front of him. “So, what do you think? Could you sell this?”
“Sure, Dad knows how to make tofu, and I’ve seen him working with tofu skins before,” Tang Qi recalled how his parents used to sell tofu when he was a child. However, his mom eventually gave up because she couldn’t handle getting up so early every day to make soy milk.
“Well, that makes it easier,” Tang Xu said, his face brightening instantly. “We’ll provide the seasonings, and you sell it yourselves. We’ll split the profits sixty-forty—you take forty, we take sixty.”
He wanted to be fair and upfront about the terms to avoid any misunderstandings later.
Tang Qi fell silent for a moment, watching Er Bao, who had already finished one egg tart and was reaching for a second. He slowly nodded, "Alright."
Tang Xu continued, "Get things organized on your end. Once everything’s ready, I'll come over and teach you how to make it. After that, you'll take the seasonings back, and I'll tell you how much to use. Make a few batches first to test the taste."
He wiped Xiao Bao's mouth before turning to Tang Qi, adding, "Make sure to explain things clearly to your third uncle. This business is yours to run. To be honest, I don't fully trust him."
Tang Qi nodded, "I know. Don’t worry."
As he was leaving, Tang Qi ran into Wei Dong, who had just come down from the mountain, carrying three wild chickens, already dead.
Seeing him, Wei Dong handed him one without hesitation. Tang Qi accepted it without any fuss, thanked him, and headed home with the wild chicken.
"We'll have stewed wild chicken tonight," Wei Dong said as he placed the chickens in a basin and began washing his hands and picking vegetables. "Are you going to town with me tomorrow?"
Tang Xu thought for a moment and nodded, "Sure, I'll take the three of them along. It’ll be a good chance to check on the store."
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