The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 155

 

| TBBOTOF | 155

Tang Xu handed the baby back to Liu Qiaoniang and placed the small jar on a nearby table. He turned and said to the midwife, “You’ve worked hard.”

The midwife shook her head and replied, “I didn’t do much.”

“Thank you for your efforts,” Tang Xu said as he handed her a reward. 

The midwife took the money, feeling surprised by the generous amount, which was several dozen copper coins. Her smile widened even more, and she cheerfully spoke a string of auspicious phrases before leaving happily.

Tang Xu glanced at Liu Qiaoniang, who was dazedly holding the baby, then opened the jar and scooped out some soup. He brought it to her and said in a calm tone, “Drink this to help your body recover and to ensure you have enough milk for the baby.”

Liu Qiaoniang looked at her quiet baby and took the bowl with a grateful “Thank you.”

Tang Xu, with nothing more to say, waited until she finished the soup, then took the bowl back to the table. “I’ll head back now,” he said.

“Wait,” Liu Qiaoniang said, biting her lip and nervously asking, “Why did you come today?”

Tang Xu sighed, “Since you are my little aunt, I should at least check on you. I will always hope that you are well.”

Liu Qiaoniang’s eyes reddened, and she wanted to say more, but Tang Xu, having no interest in listening further, smiled at her and said, “Take good care of yourself. I’ll head back now.”

He left the room and went to the side room, where he sat down to wait, as he hadn’t finished eating yet.

Liu San, who ate quickly while anxiously thinking about his wife in the other room, saw Tang Xu coming and asked, “How is she?”

"She’s fine, I gave a red envelope to the midwife. Auntie just drank a bowl of soup and she looked fine. "Tang Xu told what he knew.

When Liu San heard that Tang Xu had already given a red envelope, he was stunned.

“How can I let you give it? It’s not enough; I need to repay you,” Liu San quickly got up to go back into the house and fetch his money pouch.

“No need,” Tang Xu stopped him and said with a smile, “When Auntie made those little clothes for my baby, the craftsmanship was excellent. Now that her son was born, I’m not skilled enough to offer anything in return, so consider this as my advance red envelope.”

Liu San looked at him with some confusion.

Tang Xu didn’t say more. He glanced at the table and, after Liu San put down his chopsticks, he began collecting the bowls and chopsticks into the basket. 

Then, with the help of Wei Dong, they all left.

Liu San went back into the room to find Liu Qiaoniang nursing the baby. Even though she was a new mother, some things were instinctive.

With a loving gaze, she looked down at her nursing son. Hearing the footsteps, she looked up and saw her husband. She asked, “Where’s Xu Ge’er?”

“He left,” Liu San said, noticing the small jar on the table. He sat down at the edge of the bed, looked at their son struggling to nurse, and hesitated before finally mentioning, “Xu Ge’er said that he gave a red envelope to the midwife was actually for the baby. I wanted to pay him back but he wouldn’t take any money from me.”

Liu Qiaoniang softly acknowledged with a “Mm,” and didn’t say anything else.

Liu San frowned and asked, "Is there something you're not telling me? We don't know them well, so why is he being so enthusiastic?"

Their parents and relatives didn’t come over immediately, and an outsider not only brought food but also money. It didn’t make sense.

Liu Qiaoniang didn’t say anything for a while.

Liu San sighed and muttered, "Last time when I asked why you made clothes for someone else's child, you couldn’t explain it either. If we’re supposed to be together, we should be able to be honest with each other."

It was because he felt uneasy. His own family was distant, and he cherished having a wife, but it seemed like there was a barrier between them.

For a moment, Liu San felt quite defeated.

Liu Qiaoniang quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's just that I don’t know how to explain it."

"Why can’t you explain? I’m not someone who can’t handle the truth. Just tell me; I can’t keep guessing," Liu San said, gently brushing the sweat-soaked hair from her face back behind her ear. "Tell me, I’m listening."

Liu Qiaoniang softly recounted the situation, including how she had previously disturbed Tang Xu’s current life and how, even though they were now acquainted, they weren’t close.

Liu San listened with his brow furrowed, remaining silent for a long time.

Liu Qiaoniang gently patted the child in her arms and said, “I didn’t expect him to come over.”

Liu San nodded, thinking to himself that Tang Xu truly had a good temperament. If it were him in this situation, no matter if it was the Liu family or the Tang family. He wouldn’t want anything to do with them. So as to avoid all kinds of people coming to them.

But now, it seemed that Tang Xu had a really good relationship with his family. He had helped his father build a new house, and recently, the whole family had gone to the town to open a shop, all thanks to Tang Xu's guidance.

On the other hand, Liu San sighed and said, “After the confinement period, let’s invite them over for a meal.”

Liu Qiaoniang nodded nervously, she wanted to repair the relationship with Tang Xu but was unsure how to go about it.

“Don’t worry too much. Let’s just treat them like ordinary relatives. Don’t bring up matters from the maternal family; he doesn’t like to hear about that. Even I can see that.” Liu San was clear-headed.

 The fact that Tang Xu came over today proved that he wasn’t dissatisfied with them. They should just maintain a regular relationship, visiting each other during festivals and special occasions, without causing any trouble to his daily life.

Liu Qiaoniang nodded in agreement.

…

As time passed, the routine of daily life continued. Tang Xu had sent a batch of chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits to the town with Wei Dong, along with a lot of eggs. 

Wei Dong was also asked to inquire about the business situation there.

When the man returned, he didn’t say much and handed over a money box.

When opened, it was filled with strings of copper coins, which made Tang Xu's head spin.

“Why don’t you take the money to the bank and exchange it for silver?” Tang Xu asked. “Just looking at this box, there are at least ten strings of coins. If exchanged for silver, it would be about ten taels.”

“Dad said to keep the copper coins and that they’d exchanged the rest.” Wei Dong also felt helpless; the box was incredibly heavy.

Tang Xu frowned and sighed, “Where did he say to put it?”

“He said to dig a hole and bury it,” Wei Dong replied, sounding equally puzzled, unsure of Tang Erhu’s reasoning.

Tang Xu thought for a moment, then waved his hand, “Just put it in the room for now. When he comes back, ask him when he plans to return. It’s been a month already; isn’t he planning to come back and take a break?”

“I asked him to rest for a few days, but Dad said there’s no time to rest, he’s busy making money,” Wei Dong said expressionlessly, then shrugged. “He scolded me for it.”

"Puff." Tang Xu couldn't help laughing out loud.

Wei Dong sighed, putting his arm around Tang Xu’s shoulder and carrying the money box back. “Where are the kids? Are Er Bao and Xiao Bao asleep?”

“Auntie took the eldest out to play. The two little ones are still in the house; Xiao Xi and Ah Yang are watching them. Er Bao just started walking while holding onto the wall; he’s nine months old, isn’t that a bit early?” Tang Xu thought of his son, noting how strong he was. 

Although Da Bao started walking early too, it wasn’t at the point of walking steadily while holding onto the wall at eight or nine months.

"Didn’t Old Xu say it was fine?" Wei Dong turned his face to look at him.

Tang Xu pursed his lips, thinking that his concern might have been misplaced.

The next morning, right after breakfast, Tang Xu was strolling around the yard with a small stroller. 

The weather was warmer, and it was better for the two kids to bask in the sun than to be cooped up indoors. His eldest son ran off to play on his own. 

"Is Xu Ge’er at home?" A male voice called from outside the gate.

"I’m here!" Tang Xu raised his voice to respond.

Sometimes, he felt quite helpless. The yard was large, and it was exhausting to shout back whenever someone outside called out.

A person entered through the gate, and Tang Xu was quite surprised to see him. "Uncle Liu."

It was Liu San.

A month had passed, and Liu San’s son was turning one the next day. Liu San had come to invite Tang Xu and Wei Dong to the celebration.

Although their meeting was a bit awkward, Liu San still came over.

"Is there something you need from me?" Tang Xu led Liu San into the main room and poured him a glass of water.

Liu San looked at the twins in the small cart. Although they were twins, they didn’t look alike at all. The little ger was very beautiful, and Liu San couldn’t help but stare for a moment.

"I’m inviting you all to a feast," Liu San said with a smile. "Qiaoniang explained your relationship with her, and said we should just treat each other as ordinary relatives. She’s been thinking about it for a while."

Tang Xu nodded, "Alright. Is it at noon tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes. We’ve had a son, so we should celebrate with a few tables of guests," Liu San said, delighted. He had been anxious about the invitation and was relieved when Tang Xu agreed.

Tang Xu thought for a moment and decided that if he went to Liu’s house, there might be some unpleasantness with the Liu family. Therefore, he planned not to bring all three kids along.

Liu San had made the invitation but didn’t stay long. When he left, he ran into Wei Dong coming down the mountain, and he reiterated the invitation to him.

Wei Dong nodded. When he returned home, he saw Tang Xu sitting in a chair, gently rocking the cart to soothe their two sons. Wei Dong placed the basket he was carrying on the ground. 

Inside were various wild vegetables.

"The harvest looks good," Tang Xu commented. Although the vegetables grown at home were sufficient, the wild vegetables from the mountains were also very flavorful. Since the wild vegetables had just begun to sprout, Tang Xu and Wei Dong enjoyed them. 

Nowadays, with no one else around to watch the children, Wei Dong went up the mountain by himself to pick wild vegetables. He also checked the traps he had set; if he caught any prey, he would sell it, and if not, he would reset the traps.

"Liu San said that there’s a celebration for the baby’s full month tomorrow. I’ve agreed to go," Wei Dong said as he sat down next to Tang Xu and took a sip of water. "Are we going?"

"Let’s go. It’ll be just the two of us, and we won’t bring the kids," Tang Xu replied. He wasn’t interested in forming closer ties but appreciated Liu San’s gesture of making clothes and giving a red envelope for his son. 

At least it showed a good attitude, especially since Liu Qiaoniang hadn’t mentioned her maternal family again. 

Tang Xu was a friendly person and didn’t harbor any ill will towards Liu Qiaoniang herself. "However, the Liu family might recognize me. What should I do? ”

He was somewhat conflicted.

Wei Dong shrugged, "So what if they recognize you? You’re already a father yourself. They can’t force you to go back. Besides, if you don’t want to be recognized, no one can force you."

Tang Xu thought about it and agreed. He nodded, "Alright, we’ll go tomorrow. We’ll leave the kids with Xiao Xi and Ah Yang for a while and come back after the meal."

"Okay, sounds good."

Previous TOC Next