The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 148

 

| TBBOTOF | 148

Tang Rui’s situation was already serious, but if it became public, the Tang family’s reputation would be completely tarnished.

Though Tang Xu wanted to keep it under wraps, the matter could no longer be concealed.

Despite his usual quiet demeanor, Tang Xu was not foolish and was clearly in charge. He had called everyone over, and even Tang Rui was dragged back by Tang Dahu.

By that time it was dark outside. When the children came home and were about to go home. Just before they were about to leave, the old man called them over. They could all listen in and there was no need for secrecy.

Tang Rui stood with his head lowered, silent. Tang Xu glanced at him, then went to sit on the side, with Wei Dong sitting beside him.

The old man, sitting on the kang and leaning against the wall, had a pale face and looked exhausted. He waited until everyone had gathered before speaking, "Erhu, on the fifth day, you go to the clan leader's house and ask him to bring out the family register and expel Tang Rui from it."

Everyone in the room—young and old—was stunned into silence.

Tang Xu was also very surprised. What was going on?

He thought they were just dividing the family, but the old man was actually talking about expelling Tang Rui from the Tang family altogether.

This was not merely a family separation; this was being cast out.

Tang Rui was equally shocked to hear this from his grandfather. In a somewhat panicked tone, he looked up and said, "Grandpa, why are you being so harsh? What have I done wrong? I’ve been trying hard to make things better for the family. My efforts were meant to ensure a good life for everyone!"

"Your so-called good life won’t be enjoyed here. This is non-negotiable," Tang Guangliang said, not giving him any room for discussion. He waved his hand dismissively, "You don’t need to worry about these poor relatives dragging you down, and you don't need to worry about us not having enough to eat or sleep. Go your own way and we won’t interfere."

Tang Rui stood there stunned, as if the words from Tang Guangliang had shocked him.

However, when Tang Xu looked at him from the side, he noticed that Tang Rui's eyes were not filled with despair, pain, or panic. They were calm.

Clearly, Tang Rui didn’t seem to care much about being expelled from the Tang family register.

Tang Xu didn’t understand. Aren’t those who aspire to hold official positions usually very concerned about their reputation? If their personal morality is in question, it could affect their chances even if they passed the exams.

He didn’t ask, nor did he feel the need to. Since Tang Rui himself didn’t care, Tang Xu decided not to worry about it.

The old man, having finished speaking, lay back down and closed his eyes, ignoring everyone.

Tang Dahu sighed and patted his younger brother's shoulder, "Go out first, let Dad rest."

Tang Erhu looked at the two younger children in Wei Dong’s arms and the chubby boy in Tang Xu’s embrace. The three children were already asleep.

He then looked back at Tang Rui, his gaze lingering for a moment before moving to Tang Yang and Tang Li, and finally meeting Tang Xu’s eyes.

The two locked eyes.

Tang Erhu turned to Tang Rui and said, "You’re grown up now, and you can make your own decisions. As your father, I can’t manage you and don’t want to. Let’s end it here."

After Tang Erhu finished speaking, he waved his hand and turned to leave.

Tang Rui stood there for a while, lost in thought. Suddenly, he knelt down and knocked his head three times towards the old man and old lady in the room before standing up and walking out.

His demeanor was so solemn that it seemed as if he was about to go off to war.

Tang Xu watched his retreating figure, then went to the side of the kang and gently said to the silent and serious old lady, "Grandma, you should get some rest. We’ll handle things tomorrow."

Wu Guizhi waved her hand dismissively. "Go on, go on. You all should head back."

Tang Xu and Wei Dong took the three children home, and no one spoke on the way back. Their steps were hurried.

Early the next morning, Tang Rui had already left. He didn’t inform his father but came to find Tang Xu at the big house.

Tang Xu, who was still sore and aching from the previous day, felt dizzy and unwell when he woke up. It seemed he might be coming down with something.

After dressing, he heard Wei Dong calling him from outside. When he found out it was Tang Rui, Tang Xu wasn’t surprised at all.

Seeing the bundle Tang Rui was carrying, Tang Xu sighed, went inside, and took out a small money pouch. He handed it to Tang Rui, saying, "Here’s some money for you. I don’t know what you might need or want, so it’s best to just give you some silver."

Tang Rui accepted the pouch, which felt light in his hand.

Tang Xu hadn’t put much in the pouch, but he waved his hand and said, “I can roughly guess what you might need. Father will take care of things, and the family will be alright. But Tang Rui, I need to tell you something you might not want to hear. You shouldn’t lose sight of your principles. If your desires become too great, you might end up losing a lot. I don’t know if you understand this, but I want to tell you that things won’t always go as you plan. There will be many unexpected events. If you make a wrong move, it could truly be the end.”

He emphasized his words, looking up at Tang Rui, who was now a head taller than him. Their eyes met as Tang Xu continued, “Tang Rui, what makes a person human is the ability to think and discern right from wrong. If you become blinded by certain desires, you will no longer be truly human.”

Tang Rui pressed his lips together and lowered his head.

“If you become an official, I hope you will be a good one who truly serves the people,” Tang Xu added. “It doesn’t matter if you are known as a virtuous official or not, as long as you do real work and serve well.”

Tang Rui nodded again, “Alright.”

Tang Xu then looked at Tang Li, who was approaching with a basket.

She walked over and handed the basket to Tang Rui without a word, then turned and left.

Tang Rui lifted the cloth covering the basket to find it filled with warm buns, some of Tang Li’s homemade snacks, and a wrapped package that looked like preserved meat.

These were prepared for him to eat on the road.

Tang Rui clenched his teeth and took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment.

He looked up, and Tang Xu noticed the slightly reddened eyes of Tang Rui.

He patted Tang Rui on the shoulder and said softly, “I wish you well.”

If he succeeded, at least he wouldn’t bring disaster to the family.

Tang Rui bit his lip, unable to hold back, and wrapped his arms around Tang Xu, his voice choked, “Brother.”

Tang Xu didn’t say much. He patted his shoulder and said, “Go on, think carefully when you’re doing things.”

Tang Rui nodded, then picked up the basket and slung the bundle over his shoulder before leaving.

On the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, Tang Rui left home.

This year, the Tang family no longer had any festive spirit. The elderly couple returned home and closed the door, cutting off all visits from relatives. The lively atmosphere was gone, and no one could guess what had happened.

By the fifth day of the new year, Tang Erhu went to the clan leader’s house with gifts. A few days later, rumors began circulating in the village that the talented scholar of the Tang family had been removed from the clan records. 

The exact reason was unclear, and the information from that side was also vague.

When people came to visit, some familiar faces came to the house to inquire about Tang Rui’s removal from the clan records.

Tang Erhu didn’t elaborate much, simply saying that Tang Rui was aiming for higher studies and that the family didn’t want to be a burden to him.

No one believed that at that time, they were all busy with the New Year festivities, and their own matters were quite numerous. They planned to ask about it later, but by then, something new had come up with Tang Erhu, and Tang Rui was no longer in the village. 

Even if they wanted to gossip, they had no place to go.

More importantly, something new had happened with Tang Erhu.

As the three children grew up day by day, and with the New Year past and March arriving, spring was here and farm work started to get busy. Tang Erhu was once again preparing to work the fields when Tang Xu stopped him.

“Dad, there’s something I need to discuss with you.” Tang Xu, holding the lazy Xiao Bao, and the big and small beautiful faces were facing Tang Erhu. The middle-aged man couldn't help but reach out to take the little grandson and hold him.

Xiao Bao was also not weak; he had a small frame but was soft and chubby.

At eight months old, the little ger had fair, smooth skin, rosy red lips, big eyes with long eyelashes, and a small nose that was already beginning to develop a high bridge. Every time Tang Xu looked at his son, he thought he looked like a doll, and his hair was naturally wavy, soft, and shiny brown.

To be honest, Tang Xu thought his son was better looking than himself. The naturally curly brown hair looked golden under the sunlight, quite stylish.

Xiao Bao clutched at Tang Erhu’s clothing, turned his face to look at his other father, and pouted, unwilling to let go.

He wanted his other father to hold him!

Tang Erhu poked his soft cheek and laughed, “What’s wrong? Don’t you want Grandpa to hold you?” 

Xiao Bao pouted and gently rubbed his cheek against Tang Erhu’s face, snuggling up to him.

Even though Grandpa’s face was clean-shaven, Xiao Bao didn’t want to stay close for too long.

Tang Erhu was amused and laughed heartily, holding the child. He then asked his son, “What’s up? What do you need to discuss?”

Tang Xu pulled him back into the house and had him sit down, saying, “Before the New Year, Liu Yao and Ah Li were selling that marinated food and made some money. The prices in the village were much lower. Although there were many buyers, it’s tiring to carry the load every day. I was thinking, now that the weather is warmer, you should tidy up and try selling at the town shop. You won’t lose money.”

Tang Erhu was stunned and silent after hearing this.

Tang Xu knew his father’s concerns and added, “The shop was bought and rented out for two years. We just got it back at the beginning of the year. The previous tenant ran a food business too, but the taste wasn’t good, and the shop closed. Liu Yao and Ah Li’s skills are well known, so they should be able to revive the shop. Otherwise, if someone else takes it, we don’t know what they might do and might end up damaging the shop’s reputation, which would be a huge loss.”

Tang Li, hiding outside the door, peeked in.

Tang Xu noticed her out of the corner of his eye, smiled, and waved her over.

Tang Li, a bit nervous, entered the room and stood beside Tang Xu.

Tang Erhu looked at her and asked, “You heard what your brother said. What do you think?”

Tang Li, a bit nervous, clenched her hands, glanced at her father and then at her brother, took a deep breath, and said, “Dad, I want to go to the town.”

Tang Erhu lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment before asking, “Do you want to marry Liu Yao?”

Tang Li was taken aback and immediately turned red.

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Why are you blushing? Liu Yao seems to treat you well when he’s around. Dad probably thinks you’re old enough now and is considering arranging a marriage for you.”

Tang Erhu, with a serious face, added, “If you live together in his home, you’ll be moving outside with a man to open a shop. How will others see it?” He clearly wasn’t pleased about his daughter getting married, even though Liu Yao was indeed a good person and Tang Erhu had seen his efforts. That’s why he asked.

The thirteen-year-old girl blushed deeply but didn’t refuse.

Tang Xu thought she was too young, and after a moment, said, “Let’s ask Liu Yao what he thinks first. We can arrange the engagement now, and delay the marriage for another two years until you’re sixteen.”

Tang Li nodded at this, and Tang Erhu’s expression softened a bit.

Meanwhile, Liu Yao, busy frying meatballs in the kitchen, sneezed and rubbed his nose.

Did he catch a cold?

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TL: Sorry for the late update today, I have a busy weekend ahead. I've been helping my family with moving and also looking for a new template for my blogger website     (´• ω •`)