| TBBOTOF | 177
Tang Xu said he was going to make steamed dumplings.
There were a lot of people at home, and one person couldn't handle making all the dumplings alone. He usually steamed buns.
The steamed dumplings could be made a little bigger and tightly sealed. Later, Wei Xi and Tang Yang would come to help. They weren't worried about the dumplings falling apart when boiled.
Wei Dong had strong hands, so he usually handled the task of chopping the meat filling and then frying it in the pot to extract the oil.
For the sauerkraut filling, they used lard, and Tang Xu liked to add some fresh meat to it. This made the filling more cohesive when mixed.
While Wei Dong rolled up his sleeves to chop the beef, Tang Xu scooped the rendered oil into a small bowl.
Turning his head to check, he said, "I'll knead the dough. In a bit, I'll call Xiao Xi and A Yang to help wrap the dumplings."
"Okay," Wei Dong responded as he peeled and washed the carrots, continuing to chop the filling.
The two of them were busy in the kitchen, while Wei Xi and Tang Yang were in the study, where they were nearly exhausted from studying.
Old Scholar Wei had increased the amount of material the two brothers had to memorize, and recently, they had been reciting so much that it left them feeling dizzy and worn out.
Tang Yang, discouraged, slumped onto the table and groaned, "I don't want to take the child exam anymore! I'm not taking it!"
Wei Xi also frowned and looked at Old Scholar Wei, who was sitting behind the desk. "Teacher, why do we have to memorize so much?"
"You both have great talent, so of course, you need to study and memorize more!" Old Scholar Wei stroked his beard, dreaming of producing two high-ranking officials.
Tang Yang didn't care about that. He got up and ran outside immediately.
"Brother! Brother! Help!!!"
Tang Xu was kneading the dough when he heard the shouting and was startled. With one hand covered in flour and the other holding a water scoop, he rushed out. "What's wrong?"
Wei Dong was washing his hands in the courtyard when he heard the commotion and looked up, only to see Tang Yang running towards them, crying out loud.
In the past two years, it was rare to see Tang Yang in tears.
Tang Yang ignored everything else and threw himself into Tang Xu's arms, wrapping his arms around his brother's waist and looking up as he began to wail, "Brother, I'm exhausted! The old scholar makes us memorize texts every day. I've memorized several books already. I'm reciting even with my eyes open and still reciting with them closed. I'm so tired, sob, sob, sob. I don't want to study anymore! Brother, please save me and tell him to stop forcing us to memorize!"
Tang Xu frowned deeply as he listened.
Wei Dong came over, grabbed Tang Yang by the collar, and lifted him away, glaring at him in the process.
Tang Yang pouted and muttered, "Stingy," before looking at his brother with teary eyes.
"Brother, you don't understand. The old scholar has become obsessed, saying we have talent and need to study and memorize more. He won't let us do anything else except eat. When I don't want to memorize, he even hits me with a stick!"
Tang Xu's expression darkened.
He took Tang Yang's hand and led him to the study.
In the study, Wei Xi was quietly reciting his lessons. The old scholar sat there holding a small wooden stick, his body swaying with the rhythm of Wei Xi's recitation, his head nodding as if he was about to fall asleep.
Tang Xu raised his hand and knocked. A voice from inside the room called out, "Come in."
"Old Scholar," Tang Xu greeted politely as he entered, giving a respectful smile while pulling Tang Yang into the room.
The old scholar hadn't called out to Tang Yang when he ran out earlier because he knew Tang Yang would definitely return.
After all, Tang Xu placed great importance on the children's education and would never allow Tang Yang to throw a tantrum over it.
"Ah Yang is still immature and needs to be properly disciplined. He's only just started memorizing..." the old scholar began, but Tang Xu interrupted him.
"Old Scholar," Tang Xu cut him off, his eyes sweeping over the two desks belonging to Tang Yang and Wei in the room.
The desks were piled with several books and a large stack of paper for practicing calligraphy.
"I've always believed that there should be a balance between work and rest. You can't force someone to study relentlessly, nor can you study without understanding it. Even if they manage to memorize everything once, it's pointless if they don't understand the content. It's better for them to learn for fun. They have the motivation and are willing to learn, so how you teach them is up to you. But right now, it's clear they aren't enjoying their studies. If you’re forcing them to study with a stick, that's just unreasonable."
The old scholar was taken aback by Tang Xu's words and widened his eyes in surprise. "If they aren't pushed to study and memorize, it will only delay their progress!"
"What progress are you worried about? They aren't studying for the sake of studying," Tang Xu said as he waved toward Wei Xi. "Come on, Xiao Xi, help me wrap the dumplings."
The old scholar saw that Tang Xu was about to take the two boys away and quickly reached out to stop him. "How can you not understand? They have talent, so they need to study hard. If you let them slack off like this, how will they ever amount to anything?"
"Whether they amount to something is their business. If they're not enjoying their studies, what's the point of forcing it? I never paid for their education expecting them to become high-ranking officials. Besides, it's been cold lately, so let's not push them too hard. We can revisit this in the spring." Tang Xu spoke gently throughout, and at the end, he even gave the old scholar a slight smile.
Then, with a firm yet gentle demeanor, he grabbed both of the boys by the hand and led them out.
The old scholar stood there, staring at the light streaming in through the doorway for quite some time before snapping out of it.
He quickly ran after them and shouted at Tang Xu's retreating figure, "You're spoiling them! What scholar doesn't reflect on themselves daily? If they can't even recite their books, what's the point of taking exams?"
Tang Xu turned back and respectfully cupped his hands toward the old scholar but didn't say a word.
Outside the kitchen, Wei Dong heard the old scholar's shouts and couldn't help but frown.
When Tang Xu brought the two boys over, Wei Dong shot a stern glance in their direction, causing Wei Xi to shrink back in fear.
Tang Xu patted Wei Xi's shoulder, who was now taller than him. "Don't worry about your brother. He doesn't like studying, so he has no right to lecture you. Now, go wash your hands."
Tang Yang grinned broadly, pulled the still-nervous Wei Xi along, and ran into the kitchen.
Wei Dong glanced at the old scholar, who was frustrated to the point of jumping up and down, and then turned to Tang Xu, asking, "So, you're not letting them study anymore?"
"Whether they study or not, let them rest for a couple of days first. Who studies and memorizes every single day like that? Their brains are going numb," Tang Xu replied, giving Wei Dong a look.
In truth, he'd wanted to bring this up earlier.
The old scholar was very diligent in his teaching, but he was also quite rigid. He believed that studying required extreme dedication, like hanging one's hair from the ceiling beam or stabbing one's thigh with a needle to stay awake, relentlessly studying and memorizing, to the point where he wished students could even dream about their lessons while sleeping.
That was how the old scholar had studied himself, and after years of hard work, he had passed the imperial exam and became a scholar.
His accomplishments weren’t exactly extraordinary, but his method of rote memorization might work for some people; however, it definitely didn't suit the two kids in Tang Xu's family.
Initially, the two boys had eagerly expressed their desire to study, and the whole family thought it would be enough if they could just learn to read and understand some basic principles.
But then, when they decided they wanted to take the exam, they thought working hard was fine, but not to the point of being overworked.
Honestly, they were still elementary school age. Why burden them with so much pressure?
Tang Xu didn't know how other families approached their children's education, but he knew his own family didn't need to push so hard. Whether it was Tang Yang and Wei Xi now, or his children like his eldest son in the future, the same principle applied.
Wei Dong didn’t say much, just nodded in agreement.
In another room, two elderly men were sitting on the kang reading medical texts.
Hearing the commotion from the old scholar, they peeked through the crack in the window and saw Tang Xu leading the two children out of the study. They exchanged glances with each other.
Old Xu stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Too impatient."
"Who are you saying is impatient?" Old Wen chuckled as he sat back down and poured himself a cup of jasmine tea.
This jasmine plant was a large one that Wei Dong had bought from a wealthy family in the county.
They brought it back and planted it in the courtyard, where it had been growing for over half a year and produced many flowers. Tang Xu had picked the flowers, dried them, and made them into tea.
Old Wen enjoyed the fragrance of jasmine flowers and brewed a pot of jasmine tea every day. As he took a small sip, his eyes squinted in contentment.
"Do you think Xu Ge'er is someone who acts impatiently?" Old Xu glared at him and picked up his own teacup. "I think Old Scholar Wei is trying to regain his lost pride through those two kids."
"But Xu Ge'er won't allow that," Old Wen leaned back with a smile and yawned. "I've seen quite a few young ger over the years, even those raised in noble families, but none with his temperament."
Old Xu nodded slightly. Some things didn't need to be said too directly. Everyone knew that Tang Xu had a personality that no one could control, let alone allow someone who would try to control his children in front of him.
Yawning, Old Xu pulled a nearby blanket over himself and said, "I'm going to take a nap; I'm feeling tired."
Old Wen responded with a quiet acknowledgment and didn't say anything further.
However, as he watched Old Xu's retreating figure, a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.
Old Xu was getting on in years. Even though he still appeared to be in good health, his body was nonetheless aging. No miracle medicine could restore his youth; they could only manage his condition to delay the inevitable.
But they were all well aware that this was merely prolonging the inevitable. They didn't shy away from discussing this topic, and Old Xu himself knew that with his current health, he probably only had two or three years left.
Old Wen had known him since their youth, although they had eventually chosen different paths in life. It was fortunate that they both survived and could reunite in their later years, living together in such a warm and happy place.
For that, they were truly content.
"I can’t sleep if you’re staring at me," Old Xu, lying on his side with his back to Old Wen, suddenly spoke as if he had eyes on his back.
Old Wen snorted with laughter and lay down as well. "As if anyone enjoys looking at you."
The two of them dozed off in the room, while Tang Xu, with Wei Xi and Tang Yang, busied themselves making dumplings. He sent Wei Dong out to watch over the children. "Bring Ze’er over and take care of the kids."
Wei Dong was obedient. If watching the kids was what was needed, he would watch the kids. After all, his children were well-behaved.
But when he walked into the room, what he saw was Er Bao rolling all over the kang, his eldest son sniffling and wiping his nose with his sleeve, and Xiao Bao sitting in Xu Ze's arms, tilting his head back and imitating his brother by sniffing his nose repeatedly.
"Father!" As soon as Er Bao saw his father lift the curtain and enter, he immediately did a side roll. If Wei Dong hadn't reached out to stop him, he would have rolled right off the kang.
Xu Ze was startled, his reflexes kicking in as he reached out to catch him.
Wei Dong slapped Er Bao on the bottom. "No!"
Er Bao pouted, grumbled, and rubbed his bottom with his back turned to Wei Dong, signaling that he was angry and would ignore him.
The chubby boy, sniffling, reached out to grab Wei Dong.
Wei Dong, finding him dirty, took out a handkerchief to wipe his nose and checked his forehead for a fever.
Xu Ze said, "I checked him earlier. He said he wasn’t feeling unwell, and he didn’t have a fever when I felt his forehead."
Wei Dong nodded and looked down at his eldest son. "You’ve made your clothes so dirty. Your dad will be upset when he sees you like this."
The chubby boy shivered and widened his eyes. "But, but I’m sick," he said while sniffling. "Do I have to wash my clothes myself?"
He couldn't forget the fear of washing his clothes by himself from last time. He really didn’t want to do it again!
Wei Dong chuckled at his reaction and patted his head. "No need to, I will wash them for you."
"Father! I love you the most~~~" The chubby boy spread his little arms to hug Wei Dong around the waist, acting coquettishly and rubbing his face against him, causing his snot to smear on Wei Dong’s belt.
He was dragged away by his father in disdain.
Xiao Bao also reached out to Wei Dong. "Eat!"
"Are you hungry?" Wei Dong picked him up and said to Xu Ze, "Ze’er, go help them make dumplings in the kitchen. Thanks for taking care of the kids."
Xu Ze smiled and waved his hand. "No problem," and hurried off.
Taking care of kids was much more tiring than cooking. He preferred cooking!
1 Comments
thank you for the update.. ❤️🐾
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