The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 176

 

| TBBOTOF | 176

The original plan was to leave after delivering the items, but the bed was too warm and Xiao Bao was with the old lady.

Everyone was enthusiastic, and the old man was happily listening too. The innocent words of children warmed everyone's hearts.

Hearing the sound, Luo Pingping got up to take a look outside and then returned, saying, "It's snowing again. You two should leave soon."

Tang Xu frowned, "Let's go. We still need to carry the kids home. The snow has just started, so we should head back quickly."

"It's so cold, why bother? It's not like you don't have a place to sleep here," the old lady said as she reached out to take Xiao Bao back into her arms. "The child is already asleep."

Tang Xu waved his hand and shook out the cloak they brought, "We really can't stay. If we had everything we needed, we could stay, but we didn't even bring a change of clothes for the three of us. We can't let them sleep in their outer clothes, and we don't even have the little urinal they use at night. These three always get up during the night."

He then called to his two sons in the bed, "Let's go. We'll come back tomorrow during the day to play with your great-grandfather."

The chubby one and Er Bao obediently went over, hugged the old man's shoulders, and sweetly said, "Great-grandfather, we're going home. You should come to our house to play when you have time."

"Great-grandfather will come and play~~"

Tang Guangliang hugged the two and repeatedly agreed, "Alright, alright, great-grandfather will come visit and play with you in a few days."

Wei Dong waved to the two of them and then wrapped them in cloaks.

Xiao Bao was also wrapped in a cloak by Tang Xu. Xiao Bao, with rosy cheeks from sleep, was cradled in his father's arms, eyes still closed, sleeping soundly.

The old lady put on her shoes and got out of bed. She couldn't help but give Tang Xu a light pat on the back, muttering, "You just have to make a fuss. Why can't you just stay for one night? You're going to freeze the child."

"We have blankets in the carriage, so it won't be cold," Tang Xu said as he carried Xiao Bao outside.

The old lady took a couple of steps to follow them, then turned back to grab the quilt she had been using. She chased after them, saying, "Xu Ge’er, take this one. Your blanket is cold as ice; this one is warm."

Tang Xu took the quilt and covered the three children with it. He handed his own blanket to the old lady, saying, "Grandma, you use mine. We're leaving now. Hurry up and get inside before you catch a cold."

Luo Pingping, holding the quilt with one hand and supporting the old lady with the other, watched as the mule cart left the courtyard. Then the two of them went back inside.

As soon as they entered, the old lady took off her cotton-padded jacket, folded it neatly, and placed it at the edge of the bed. 

She wanted it to stay warm so that it would be cozy to wear in the morning. She then turned around and asked her daughter-in-law for a quilt, "Bring it here and put it on the bed to warm up. It's too chilly to use as it is."

"Xu Ge're quilt is quite thick, Mother. You should use it. Didn't he say for you to use it?"

"No need to use it. He'll come by tomorrow to take it back. Just pull one out of the bed cabinet for me," Wu Guizhi said, waving her hand as she took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

Luo Pingping didn't argue. She quickly pulled out a quilt and spread it out, then picked up the basket that had been placed in the corner. "Mother, you and Father should get some rest. I'll go put this away."

"They must have gotten damp, but they're still good things!"

"I know."

On the other side, back at home, Xiao Bao in Tang Xu's arms still hadn’t woken up. When they changed his clothes, he let out a couple of sleepy murmurs, but a gentle pat from his dad put him back to sleep.

Er Bao and the chubby one were holding hands. The two brothers were so tired that their eyes were barely open, yet they managed to walk steadily—though not in a straight line. 

Wei Dong had to reach out from time to time to stop them, otherwise, they might have stepped right into the vegetable garden.

Wei Dong took the two boys to wash up. They were so sleepy that they were brushing their teeth with their eyes closed, wobbling dangerously close to dipping their heads into the washbasin.

Wei Dong had to rinse their feet directly with water, and once done, he carried them both under his arms, like he was carrying sacks of grain, and brought them back to the room.

Tang Xu had just put Xiao Bao into the small bed when he turned around and saw Wei Dong coming in with the two boys under his arms. A quick glance showed that the kids were already asleep with their eyes closed.

Tang Xu found it both amusing and exasperating. He quickly reached out to take Er Bao, undressing him and placing him on the small bed.

The chubby one, feeling uncomfortable with how Wei Dong was handling him, tried to tug at his own clothes. Tang Xu hurried over to help.

After getting all three of them settled in the small bed and covering them with a blanket, Tang Xu stood nearby with his hands on his hips, then sighed as he gestured with his hands, "Looks like we'll need to get them a bigger bed."

Wei Dong nodded in agreement. "Once we do that, we can even give them their own rooms."

Living with the kids all the time was making things a bit less harmonious between the two of them as a couple.

Tang Xu shot him a sideways glance, then after thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's make a wooden bunk bed. The eldest and the second one can sleep on the bottom, and the youngest can sleep on the top."

"Hmm?" Wei Dong was puzzled.

Tang Xu recalled the bunk beds he had seen before and got excited. He quickly grabbed some paper and a pen, set up the table on the bed, and started sketching.

Using a charcoal pencil he had made himself, he drew quickly. In no time, he had sketched out a basic bunk bed for children. 

Then, he drew two other versions on the side, with slight variations between them, but all with minor differences.

After finishing, he handed the sketches to Wei Dong, saying, "Here, take a look. What do you think?"

Wei Dong took the sketches and examined them. If they made the bed according to this design, several children could sleep in one room. It would save space compared to a traditional bed and offer more privacy.

Although he didn't fully understand the technical aspects, he thought the idea was pretty good.

"But if we can't heat the bed, won't it be too cold?" he asked with concern.

Tang Xu was momentarily stunned but then smiled, "No, it won't be. The small bed they're sleeping in now doesn't have a heated bed underneath either. Our room is warm enough, and kids have higher body temperatures and are naturally warm. If they sleep on a heated bed, they might actually get overheated."

Wei Dong, still not entirely sure, nodded and shook the paper in his hand. "Shall we make one according to this design and see how it works?"

"Yeah. Er Bao will probably want to climb to the top, but since they're all still small, we can let the chubby one and Xiao Bao sleep on the bottom layer." Tang Xu pointed to one of the designs, 

"This one can even be made into three separate beds, with a divider in the middle. That way, the two on the bottom can sleep separately. Er Bao moves around a lot in his sleep; if there's no barrier, he might roll off the bed."

"We can move the wardrobe over there and put the bed here. It'll be more convenient for us to move around too." Wei Dong pointed to the standing wardrobe in the corner, "We can have the carpenter come and take measurements so that when it's built, it can fit right in and block this area."

"We shouldn't place it directly against the wall, though. It's cold. It's best to put something in between." Tang Xu yawned, then tucked the small blanket around Xiao Bao, who had kicked off the covers, and adjusted Er Bao, who had shifted in his sleep. 

"Let's sleep for now. When the carpenter comes to take measurements, we can ask if they have any materials we can use."

"I heard there's a type of jade that's warm in winter and cool in summer. We could use that against the wall." Wei Dong said as he lifted the blanket and climbed onto the bed.

Tang Xu shot him a sideways glance, "What kind of place do you think we are, using jade to line the walls? Do you really think you've got a chest full of gold lying around?"

Wei Dong chuckled, pulled him into his arms, and whispered in his ear, "Just tell me if you want it or not."

"No, I don't," Tang Xu replied, rolling his eyes and pushing him aside. "Get up, you're squishing me."

Wei Dong laughed and rolled over, pressing down on him playfully. "Then let me squish you a little more."

…

The next morning, after they woke up, Tang Xu dressed the three kids and took them to wash up, while Wei Dong brought the village carpenter over.

Earlier, Wei Dong had taken the sketches Tang Xu drew of the bunk bed to the carpenter. The carpenter had looked them over and nodded, saying that it was easy to make, though it would use up quite a bit of wood.

Hearing that, Wei Dong decided to bring the carpenter over to measure the room. Following their plan from the previous day, they would move the wardrobe and place the bed against the wall near the kang, which would make it easier to lift the kids down from the upper bunk.

When the carpenter walked in and saw Tang Xu, he paused for a moment. Although everyone in the village knew that Tang Xu was quite handsome, he rarely left the house, so few people had actually seen him.

The carpenter, who spent most of his time working at home, had never met Tang Xu before. 

This was his first time seeing him, and he was struck by his stunning appearance. Then, noticing the three children beside him, the carpenter was even more surprised.

Wei Dong patted the carpenter on the shoulder, bringing him back to his senses. "Let's go inside and take the measurements."

Tang Xu nodded with a smile to greet the carpenter, then took the three children by the hand and led them to the kitchen to have breakfast.

After the children finished eating, the carpenter had already taken his measurements and left.

Wei Dong walked him out of the courtyard and then headed back to the kitchen, where he saw Tang Xu washing dishes. The children were nowhere to be seen, leaving Tang Xu alone in the kitchen.

Wei Dong came up behind Tang Xu, wrapped his arms around him, and let out a soft hum.

Tang Xu turned his head slightly, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"He was staring at you just now," Wei Dong grumbled, looking a bit sulky.

Tang Xu's mouth twitched as he suppressed a laugh, giving Wei Dong a gentle nudge with his elbow. "How about we have dumplings for lunch? With vinegar for dipping."

Wei Dong playfully nipped at Tang Xu's cheek, not too hard but enough to be affectionate.

Tang Xu, not in the mood to fuss over it, waved his hand to shoo him away. "You wash the dishes; I'll go chop the filling."

"I'll do the chopping," Wei Dong interjected, blocking his way. "What filling do you want?"

"How about beef?" Before the snow, Wei Dong had managed to hunt a wild ox on the mountain. They had stewed one leg and sent another to the town, with the rest stored in the freezer.

"Beef with wild onions?" Wei Dong suggested as he grabbed a basin.

Tang Xu waved his hand dismissively, "We'll use yellow carrots and sauerkraut. I'll also render some pork lard cracklings. We'll make two types of steamed dumplings."

After finishing the dishes, he glanced over at the three children playing with Xu Ze and reminded them not to step into the snow piles.

"Ze'er, make sure they put on their jackets when they go outside."

Xu Ze nodded obediently, "Brother Xu, are you making something? Do you need my help?"

"Just keeping an eye on these three is the biggest help you can give me," Tang Xu said, patting Xu Ze on the head. 

"I'm making mixed-grain steamed dumplings, with beef and yellow carrot filling, and sauerkraut with pork lard cracklings. Do you like that?"

"I love it!" Xu Ze's eyes lit up; his favorite was the sauerkraut and pork lard crackling dumplings—they were incredibly delicious!

"I'll also make you a bowl of sugar-coated pork lard cracklings to snack on. Is there anything else you'd like?" Tang Xu asked as he caught Xiao Bao, who had run over and was clinging to him. 

He wiped off the ink smudges on Xiao Bao's hands, turned him around, and gently pushed him back to play.

Xiao Bao toddled off on his short legs, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the room.

In no time, he came running back again, ready to jump into Tang Xu's arms.

Tang Xu repeated the same actions as before, gently guiding him back to play.

Xu Ze said, "That should be enough. I'll help you wrap them later."

"No need," Tang Xu replied as he got up to head outside. "Steamed dumplings are easy to wrap. The two of us can finish them quickly."

As Tang Xu stepped out the door, Xiao Bao tried to follow him, but Xu Ze quickly stopped him, coaxing, "Your dad is making food for you, Bao'er. He'll make something delicious, so let's stay inside and play. No going out."

Xiao Bao pouted, blowing a little spit bubble with a "pfft."

The chubby boy quickly ran over and, faster than Xu Ze, wiped his little brother's mouth.

Xu Ze grinned wryly, "Ah Song, use a handkerchief to wipe your brother's mouth, not your sleeve."

The chubby boy sniffed and wiped his nose with his hand, "It's convenient!"

Xu Ze: "..."

Xu Ze thought to himself, Oh boy, you're in trouble, little rascal. You may find it convenient, but your dad's going to blow a fuse!

Previous TOC Next