The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 175

 

| TBBOTOF | 175

Xu Ze couldn’t even speak properly.

Wei Xi noticed this and said, “Ze’er is still young; it’s too early to bring this up now.”

“He might be young, but you’re not,” Tang Yang said, turning towards Wei Xi.

Wei Xi sighed inwardly and placed the peanuts in the old lady’s hand. Smiling, he said, “We’re focusing on studying for the imperial exam. If we manage to pass, we’ll keep progressing further. Let’s concentrate on our studies for now; we can talk about everything else later.”

“Taking the imperial exam? Good, good, good! If both of you pass, it would really bring honor to our family.” Wu Guizhi patted his hand and smiled with her eyes curved in joy.

Tang Yang handed a peanut to Xu Ze and winked, “Don’t be shy; Grandma just wants to hear good news.”

Xu Ze kept his head down, peeling peanuts, his face still warm.

“When you leave, make sure to bring a melon for Xu Ge’er, and take a bag of chestnuts too. Your brother likes those, so take them all,” Wu Guizhi said.

Tang Yang nodded, “Is there anything else I should take?”

“There are some hickory nuts too, do you want them?” Luo Pingping came in from the outer room, carrying a steaming cup of ginger sugar water. “Your uncle went to the mountains to pick them recently.”

“Yes, of course! My brother loves these. Last time, he even asked Brother-in-law to get him some pine nuts. They’re found deep in the mountains, and Brother-in-law brought back two big bags. They’re delicious, but peeling them is such a hassle.” Tang Yang blew on a cup of ginger sugar water, took a sip, and shivered from the heat.

Wei Xi also said, “Take them. Brother-in-law made some tasty snacks with them, and when they’re ready, we’ll bring some over to Grandma and the rest of you.”

“Hurry and take it all away, don’t bother to send me anything; my teeth are too weak to chew,” the old lady waved her hand, asking Luo Pingping to take it.

When they came out of the old house, there were several bags on the mule cart.

Roasted melon seeds, unpeeled hickory nuts, and chestnuts were packed into several burlap bags.

They were moving them to the storage room when Tang Xu caught sight of them and jumped in surprise. “Where did you get so much?”

“Grandma and Aunt gave them to us. Grandma said she and Grandpa have trouble chewing now, so it’s hard for them to eat these, so they let us take them,” Tang Yang said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, feeling hot from all the work.

Tang Xu opened a bag to take a look; it was quite a bit.

“Peel them all; let’s make some nut cakes.”

“What are nut cakes?”

“Delicious food,” Tang Xu said, waving to Xu Ze. “Ze’er, come help me get the dried meat and the dried fruits.”

The four of them began to get busy.

Wei Dong was in the backyard with his son, cleaning the pen for the livestock. He hurried to shovel the accumulated snow before it melted, or else everything would be muddy.

Xiao Bao was bundled up tightly, sitting on a bench, with a fire basin placed at his feet.

The chubby boy and Er Bao each had a small shovel, squatting there and working away with great enthusiasm. Despite their small size, they were putting in a lot of effort.

“Be gentle, don’t damage the stone slabs,” Wei Dong couldn’t help but remind them when he saw how hard they were working.

Er Bao, completely focused on shoveling with his butt sticking up, ignored his father entirely.

The chubby boy nodded in agreement, but his hands didn’t slow down one bit.

Wei Dong stood by with his arms crossed, watching for a while. He noticed that although they were working hard, the stone slabs underneath were still intact, so he decided not to interfere.

When Tang Xu came over, the two kids were already filthy, covered in dirt. 

Xiao Bao, however, was sitting obediently on the bench, his cheeks flushed red from the warmth of the fire brazier.

Tang Xu walked over and touched his hand—it was warm. He then touched his cheek—also warm.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

Xiao Bao shook his head and held up a half-eaten wild pear, offering it to him. “Eat.”

Tang Xu leaned down, took a small bite, and patted his cheek. “You eat it, Daddy doesn’t want any.”

He then turned to look at the two still working hard and put his hands on his hips, shouting, “You two! Go take a bath!”

They were filthy!

Wei Dong turned to look at Tang Xu, finding his stern, glaring expression rather amusing.

The chubby boy and Er Bao were startled by their dad’s voice. They had been bending over, hard at work, but were so surprised that their legs gave out, and they fell flat on the ground.

Originally, it was just their little pants that were dirty, but after the fall, their small cotton jackets were also covered in mud.

Tang Xu raised his hand to press on the nerve pulsing in his forehead, feeling the urge to scold them.

Wei Dong, noticing that Tang Xu was on the verge of losing his temper, quickly grabbed each of his sons and dashed toward the bathhouse.

By the time the father and sons came out, clean and fresh, Tang Xu had already unmolded and cut the nut cake.

The nut cake he made wasn’t the usual dry kind filled with just nuts and sugar; instead, he made it like a layered Sachima, with a soft, yet crisp texture that was easy to chew and sweet to the taste.

Since Tang Xu was concerned that the elderly at home might not do well with too much sweetness, he specially made two savory-flavored pieces.

 After they cooled, he cut a piece for Old Wu and Old Xu at home to try, and both elders gave it high praise.

“Ah Dong, in a bit, could you take a trip and deliver these two pieces to my grandparents?” Tang Xu said as he handed a piece of nut cake  to the children. 

He pointed to the two other pieces wrapped in oil paper and placed in a basket. “The one with the reddish color is sweet, and the other one is savory. Make sure to explain that to Grandma and the others. I’ve chopped up all the nuts finely, so it should be easy for them to eat.”

Wei Dong nodded, taking a bite out of the piece he was holding. “Got it.”

This stuff was really satisfying to eat, though it could get a bit heavy if you had too much. While Tang Xu liked it, he didn’t eat too much, and after having a small piece, he started preparing dinner.

After dinner, Wei Dong was in the backyard getting the mule cart ready when the chubby boy came running over.

“Father! I want to go too!” 

His loud voice caught Wei Dong’s attention, and as he looked up, he saw that the chubby boy had two more kids following him.

Er Bao was the fastest, dashing ahead of his brother in a flash.

Xiao Bao was slower, bundled up in so many layers that even walking was a challenge, let alone running. He waddled along like a little round duck, swaying as he tried to run.

Wei Dong took a few steps forward and bent down to scoop him up, rubbing his face affectionately. “You’ve been acting up these past two days too.”

Xiao Bao let out a little grunt and pushed his father’s face away. “Mmm!”

"Say 'father,'" Wei Dong urged, teasingly.

Xiao Bao pushed with both hands, pouting as he softly said, "Father~ bad!"

"Hahaha!" Wei Dong laughed heartily, a rare sight, and gave Xiao Bao a playful shake. "What are you running over here for? Where’s your daddy?"

Seeing his father laugh, Xiao Bao started giggling too, pointing around the corner with his tiny hand. "Dad!"

Tang Xu walked over, looking exasperated, and poked Xiao Bao's soft belly. "Why are you running? The more I called you, the more you ran."

Xiao Bao, ticklish, curled up a bit and tried to hide in his father's arms, grinning sweetly as he called out "Dad."

Tang Xu gave him a mock glare, then looked at the two mischievous kids who had already climbed into the cart. He sighed, "Fine, I'll come along too."

"You're coming as well?" Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. "Then wear something warmer, it's cold out."

Tang Xu nodded. "Just a moment, I’ll pack some more things to take over." 

He had originally planned to take the children to visit the elderly once the weather improved, but going tonight would work too.

Wei Dong responded with an "Mm," and placed Xiao Bao in the cart, patting his bottom. "Sit inside properly, or you'll roll out."

Tang Xu brought along a cloak, a quilt, and a basket.

The basket was filled with two dried rabbits and two dried fish.

The fish had been caught by Wei Dong a while back, and Tang Xu had selected the larger ones to dry, saving them for winter meals.

Now was a good time to take some to the old house, as the old lady loved steamed dried fish, saying it was the best when paired with porridge.

“Didn’t you buy new fabric? Didn’t you bring it?” Wei Dong asked as he reached out to help him onto the cart.

“I did, it’s underneath,” Tang Xu replied as he settled in and spread the quilt over the little ones. “You all better fall asleep soon.”

“Dad~~~” 

Tang Xu shot a stern look at the chubby boy and nudged him. “Sit properly, your father’s driving.”

Wei Dong patted the mule on the rump and even handed it a wild pear.

Initially, the mule seemed a bit grumpy about going out so late, but once it had the sweet-and-sour fruit in its mouth, it swished its tail, chewed on the pear, and trotted off contentedly.

Tang Xu leaned back against the cart and chatted with the children, knowing that if they didn’t keep talking, the rocking of the cart would soon lull all three to sleep.

Luckily, the mule was quick, and they arrived in no time.

The gate to the old house was closed, but there was light in the courtyard. Although it was dark out, it wasn’t quite bedtime yet; most households were busy tidying up and washing.

Wei Dong got down from the cart and knocked on the door. 

Luo Pingping heard the noise, and when she opened the gate, she was immediately tackled by the chubby boy hugging her legs.

"Auntie~"

"Oh my little sweetheart, what brings you here at this hour!" Luo Pingping exclaimed in delight, bending down to scoop him up and rubbing her cheek against his. 

When she looked up and saw Tang Xu, along with Er Bao and Xiao Bao, getting down from the cart, she was even more surprised. "Why did all of you come over?"

"I made some nut cakes and was planning to have Ah Dong deliver a couple of pieces to you. But these kids insisted on coming along, so I had to come too," Tang Xu explained as he lifted Xiao Bao off the cart. 

Xiao Bao looked up at Luo Pingping, stretching out his arms, "Hug~"

Luo Pingping quickly set the chubby boy down and picked up Xiao Bao, who nestled softly against her shoulder and let out a little yawn.

“If you're sleepy, you didn’t have to come. Just look at how tired you are, barely able to keep your eyes open.”

"I told them not to come, but they insisted, and they ran over here so fast," Tang Xu said as he reached out to help Er Bao, but Er Bao jumped down by himself. 

Despite his small size, he was quite agile.

Tang Xu grabbed the basket, and Wei Dong tied up the mule and brought the basket inside.

When they entered the house, the elderly couple was equally surprised. The old lady and old man usually went to bed early and were already under the heavy quilt on the kang. Seeing them come in, they quickly threw off the covers to wrap up the kids.

"Why go through all this trouble so late at night? It's not like we're short on food," Wu Guizhi said, though her expression was filled with joy as she hugged Xiao Bao and rocked him gently.

Xiao Bao yawned again.

Er Bao, on the other hand, was full of energy. 

He and the chubby boy surrounded their grandpa, chattering away. 

One of them excitedly described how delicious their dad’s nut cake was—soft and easy to eat, that even their great-grandfather enjoyed it. 

The other one, after listening to his elder brother, nodded in agreement and ran over to their dad to get more snack cake. 

He grabbed a small piece and stuffed it into Tang Guangliang’s mouth.

Tang Guangliang was beaming with joy as his great-grandson's little hand smushed the food into his face.

“Great-grandpa, eat!” Er Bao watched his mouth intently, wanting to make sure he chewed.

The chubby boy also broke off a piece for the old lady and fed it to her. “My dad cut it into small pieces, so Great-grandma will definitely be able to chew it.”

“Auntie, keep this safe. There’s a small bundle at the bottom; it’s some new fabric I bought. When you have time, make a new cotton-padded jacket for Grandma and Grandpa. Do you have any cotton at home? If not, I have some, and I’ll bring it over.” Tang Xu handed over the basket.

Luo Pingping took it and laughed, “You’re too thoughtful, always buying fabric.”

“Well, it’s almost the New Year. I bought new fabric to make new clothes, so they can wear them during the holiday,” Tang Xu replied with a warm smile, sitting down on the kang.

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TL: Thanks to ChubbiestCheeks again for providing more raws! We now have chapters up to 250! Tysm! ⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝