The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 149

 

| TBBOTOF | 149

At that time, Liu Yao had mentioned to his family that he wanted to marry a girl from the Tang family.

Although the two families were not from the same village, Liu Yao’s parents were aware of the situation back then. They knew that supporting their family was already challenging.

Even though their son was away from them, they were still worried and concerned.

To put it plainly, having many sons added a lot of pressure.

When they first married, not only the couple but also the family had high hopes. However, as their first child was followed by more sons, the family’s responsibilities increased. With more land, there was also more work to be done.

Before their sons reached adulthood, the parents were exhausted from the daily grind, even if they rented out some of the land.

So, when Liu Yao expressed his desire to learn cooking from Chef Liu and to pursue other work instead of farming, his parents were not reluctant. Especially since Chef Liu’s restaurant was making a lot of money, they were quite happy about it.

They didn’t show favoritism. They prepared the dowry for their son, which was five taels of silver, but no house.

Liu Yao knew very well that he was neither the eldest son who carried his parents' expectations nor the youngest who received their affection. He was somewhere in between, not particularly favored or memorable. 

It wasn’t that his parents deliberately ignored him; it was just that with so many children and so much work, there were inevitably things that couldn’t be attended to.

Liu Yao, being steady and intelligent, had felt that his parents were biased when he was younger. However, as he grew older, he began to understand them. Despite this understanding, he couldn’t stay at home forever, so he decided to leave.

After coming to the Tang family and spending more time there, he developed feelings for the family and became fond of the Tang family’s daughter.

But Liu Yao didn’t dare to express his feelings openly. He planned to wait another two years, until Tang Li was older and he had saved enough money to propose!

Liu Yao was full of determination and didn’t mind the hard work. His goal was clear: save money and marry Tang Li!

However, out of the blue, a big opportunity fell directly on his head.

When he heard Tang Xu’s proposal about whether he was willing to get engaged to Tang Li, Liu Yao was stunned for a long time. He looked like a fool, mouth agape, and was completely frozen.

Tang Xu, holding a cup of water, saw him in a daze and didn’t rush him, waiting for him to come to his senses.

Even after finishing a cup of hot water slowly, Liu Yao still hadn’t given a response.

Tang Xu lifted his eyelids and was startled by the sight. Liu Yao’s face was flushed red, his eyes wide open, and his body was slightly trembling, clearly too excited.

“Breathe in, breathe out. Don’t suffocate yourself; catch your breath quickly.”

Liu Yao’s body jolted, and he exhaled the breath he had been holding.

“Brother Xu, are you serious?”

Tang Xu nodded, “I mentioned before that I wanted you to go to the county with us. However, I later thought it might be better to try the town shop first, since it’s closer to home. If anything happens, we can help out quickly. Ah Dong’s reputation in the town is quite good; and no one should cause trouble for you.”

Liu Yao pursed his lips and stayed silent.

Seeing that Liu Yao didn’t seem to want to refuse, Tang Xu was puzzled by his hesitation and said, “If you have any thoughts, just say them. Don’t be afraid; let’s communicate properly.”

Liu Yao sat across from the table, poured some water for Tang Xu, and also served himself a cup. “I do like Ah Li.”

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, “And?”

Liu Yao took a sip of water, thought for a moment, and then shared his plans.

“Ah Li is still young, so there’s no need to rush for marriage. I was thinking of saving more money, acquiring some assets, and then proposing to her,” he scratched his head, smiling a bit embarrassedly, “I feel like Ah Li is also interested in me.”

Tang Xu nodded, “So? Just answer me—do you want to get engaged or not?”

“Engage, definitely,” Liu Yao quickly nodded and, after thinking for a moment, said, “Brother Xu, wait for me. I’ll go get something.”

He hurried out the door, and Tang Xu realized that Liu Yao must be going back to his room to get the money he had saved.

In a short while, hurried footsteps approached again. Tang Xu looked towards the door, and Liu Yao entered, holding a bag.

The bulging bag of money seemed to contain quite a lot.

Tang Xu was surprised, as he hadn’t expected Liu Yao to have saved up so much.

“You didn’t leave any money for your parents when you went back for the New Year?”

Liu Yao shook his head, “I did leave some, but they didn’t accept it. They said I should save it for myself to use for marrying a wife. I have over forty taels here, this is all that I saved up recently.”

The money bag contained a mix of silver coins and copper coins, indicating that a lot had been saved over time.

“I wasn’t sure what to buy for Ah Li, so I just saved all my money. We don’t usually spend much at home, so I thought I’d save up more and marry Ah Li as soon as possible.” Liu Yao said, becoming a bit shy and blushing.

Tang Xu placed the money bag on the table and smiled at him, “Are you thinking of giving the entire money bag to Ah Li?”

Liu Yao nodded with a flushed face, “Yes, that’s my plan. If she has the money, she can buy whatever she wants herself. I won’t have to worry about buying something she doesn’t like.”

Tang Xu nodded, quite satisfied with his response.

“Go and give it to her. Make sure to explain everything clearly.”

Liu Yao’s face turned even redder.

His hand trembled slightly as he took the money bag back, both excited and nervous.

Tang Xu smiled and waved him off. 

Liu Yao took a deep breath, turned, and hurried out the door, his steps quick and slightly flustered.

He wasn’t sure how things would go, but by lunchtime the next day, Tang Erhu had asked Tang Li to call Tang Xu over and told him that the matter was settled.

The engagement between Tang Li and Liu Yao was more or less expected. Not only did it seem to others that they had feelings for each other, but there had already been talk that Liu Yao was likely to become a son-in-law to the Tang family.

However, these discussions were kept away from the Tang family. When the engagement was officially arranged, there were two tables set for the occasion. 

Chef Liu came as Liu Yao’s family member because it was the spring plowing season, and people from afar couldn’t travel easily, so Chef Liu came in his parent’s place.

The Tang family had no particular objections. The arrangements were made hastily, which was understandable.

In early April, Wei Dong, along with Tang Xu and the three children, as well as Tang Erhu and others, left for the town.

In Yongning Town, the shop that Tang Xu bought was not far from the Fuyun Restaurant. 

Although it was not located on the bustling East Main Street, it was still a decent spot, with several small eateries nearby, though none were as large as his shop.

When he bought the shop, he specifically chose it for the small courtyard in the back. Although it wasn’t very large, it was convenient to live there.

With one mule cart and one ox cart, the whole family, except for Tang Yang and Wei Xi and the two elderly men, set off.

The chubby child, who was visiting the town for the first time, was fascinated by everything. He leaned out of the cart window, waving at anyone who looked his way, drawing exclamations of how cute the chubby child was from passersby.

The second and youngest children, who were held in Tang Xu’s arms, were lulled into a daze by the cart’s swaying. The youngest had already fallen asleep, while the second child’s initial excitement gradually slowed, and drowsy nodding off. 

The chubby child, however, was full of energy.

He even wanted to move from the cart window to the front of the cart to ride with his father.

But he was firmly pushed back by Wei Dong, who refused him with a stern hand.

The chubby child, with his little arms crossed over his chest and his lips pouting, whined in a babyish voice, “Father is so mean!”

Tang Xu poked his soft little belly and laughed, “Why aren’t you sleepy? Your two little brothers are already asleep.”

The second child had already succumbed to sleep, closing his eyes right away.

The chubby child disdainfully glanced at his sleeping brothers and said, “I’m not sleepy. Grandfather said I’m spirited!”

“…… Grandfather said you have a lot of energy, not that you’re ‘spirited’,” Tang Xu chuckled lightly.

The chubby child tilted his head, thinking they were the same thing.

He wasn’t sleepy and wanted to play.

However, there wasn’t much room to play in the cart, and the ride was quick.

The cow cart was much slower than the mule cart. Wei Dong had reduced the pace of the cow cart. Tang Xu didn’t pay much attention to the chubby child, letting him entertain himself as long as he was careful not to fall out of the window.

On the other cow cart, there were no sides, and the passengers were seated on wooden planks that swayed back and forth. The weather wasn’t cold, making it quite pleasant.

Liu Yao was driving the cart while Tang Erhu sat beside him. They didn’t talk much, focusing on driving, with Tang Erhu half-closed his eyes as if resting.

Wang Cuicui, who rarely went to the town, had long outgrown her curiosity, so she remained silent throughout the trip. 

However, Tang Li, who sat beside her, was quite excited. Although she appeared calm, her constantly shifting feet revealed her nervousness.

She had been to the town many times, but this time was different—she was going to work in their shop. Her anxiety couldn’t be suppressed no matter what.

What if she disappointed her brother’s expectations?

What if they didn’t make any money?

Would the people in the town like the food she made?

What if she made too much every day and couldn’t sell it?

Her mind was full of worries, and the more she thought, the more anxious she became.

“Ah Li,” Wang Cuicui called softly, noticing the young girl’s unease.

Tang Li looked up, meeting her gaze. “Auntie, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry. Your small food stall sold so well before; everyone in the village loves it,” Wang Cuicui said, patting her hand. She felt the chill in Tang Li’s hands and held them gently. “Your braised food tastes great too. Didn’t Xu Ge’er say that after moving into the town, you’ll not only sell the braised food but also offer other items? He’ll help you with the shop for a while before he goes back to the village.”

Tang Li took a deep breath and nodded, trying to reassure herself. Yes, this was her brother’s plan.

The shop had already been tidied up a bit. It wasn’t very big, with four wooden tables, a small counter, and an empty kitchen. They needed to buy kitchen equipment and ingredients.

Tang Xu asked Wang Cuicui to settle the three children in the backyard first. He and Wei Dong, along with Liu Yao and Tang Li, tidied up the shop. They wrote down the missing items in a notebook and then went shopping.

By the time they finished, it was already dark. They didn’t cook dinner but went straight to Fuyun Restaurant.

Boss Wu, who had heard about Tang Xu’s visit, greeted them cheerfully as soon as he saw them.

“I was wondering when you’d arrive. Did you just get here?” He personally led them to the second floor, glancing at the few people behind him.

Liu Yao greeted Boss Wu with a respectful bow.

Boss Wu smiled and nodded, greeting Tang Erhu.

“I arrived in the morning; I’ve already tidied up the place and bought everything needed,” 

Tang Xu replied with a smile. “This time, we’ll need more support from Boss Wu for the shop.”

Boss Wu was taken aback and then looked surprised. “You’re not running the shop?”

Tang Xu nodded. Of course not. He wasn’t the type to get up at dawn to prepare and only close the shop when it was dark.

Although he wasn’t lazy, he didn’t want to work that hard.

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