| TBBOTOF | 178
The sky grew overcast again, and as expected, it started snowing once more.
"This year's snow has been quite frequent," Xu Ze said as he rolled out dumpling skins, glancing outside. "Brother, do you think next year will be..."
"Auspicious snow means a good harvest, but I'm afraid it will snow too much," Tang Xu replied, chatting casually while making dumplings.
Tang Yang clumsily pinched the dumplings beside him. Though he managed to seal them, it still didn't look as good as those made by Wei Xi.
"You two have made dumplings several times already, so why haven't you gotten the hang of it?" Xu Ze remarked with disdain as he noticed the oddly shaped, unevenly sized dumplings they had made. "Go on, go roll out the skins. I'll make the dumplings with Brother Xu."
Wei Xi handed the dough skin to him and then picked up a rolling pin. "Alright, I'll roll out the skins then."
Tang Yang also put down the dough skin, dusted the flour off his hands, and grabbed another rolling pin. "Brother, you two make the dumplings, and I'll help roll out the skins."
Tang Xu nodded. With the strength they had, they could roll out the dough, but they struggled to control the pressure while making dumplings; too much filling would cause the dumplings to burst.
The four of them worked together efficiently, and before it got dark, they managed to steam two batches of dumplings.
Tang Xu washed his hands and took off his apron, waving to Xu Ze. "I'm heading back to the room to drink some water. Don't worry about the fire; they'll be ready in fifteen minutes once the steam comes up."
Xu Ze nodded, thought for a moment, and then ran to the elders' room to inform them that it was time to eat.
Tang Xu entered the room and saw Wei Dong changing the clothes of the three children on the kang.
Thinking that they had probably gotten their clothes dirty while playing in the snow, he reached out to pick up the dirty clothes that had been tossed on the bed.
After taking a closer look, he was puzzled. "They're not even dirty; why are you changing them?"
Wei Dong glanced down at the chubby child he was buttoning up. The chubby child looked up nervously.
Seeing the two of them staying silent, Tang Xu looked over curiously. Er Bao met his gaze, pointed at his brother, and then wiped his nose with his sleeve.
Tang Xu narrowed his eyes. "Wei Junsong!"
The chubby child shivered and tried to burrow into Wei Dong's arms.
Tang Xu flipped the jacket in his hand and checked the sleeves. Sure enough, there was a shiny, sticky substance reflecting light, with some parts already hardened.
Realizing it was smeared snot, Tang Xu's face instantly darkened.
Er Bao one tilted his head to look at his dad, then reached out to show him the sleeve of his own clothes, which was clean.
Tang Xu pinched his cheek gently and glared at him. "You’re pretty clever, huh? You know how to tattle."
Er Bao grinned widely, then pointed to Xiao Bao sitting nearby and said, "Eat."
"Your little brother is hungry and wants to eat?" Tang Xu, amused by his mischievous behavior, patted his own stomach. "Are you hungry too?"
Er Bao quickly nodded—he was hungry.
As the chubby child finished putting on his clothes, he scooted closer to Tang Xu, only to be met with another stern glare.
Pouting with a look of grievance, the chubby one explained, "Both my brother and I had runny noses. I didn’t have anything to use, so I used my sleeve—it’s convenient!"
He was trying hard to justify his less-than-ideal method of wiping his nose.
Tang Xu snorted softly. "Next time, keep a handkerchief in your sleeve pocket. When you need it, pull it out and don’t use your sleeve."
The chubby one quickly nodded, patting his chest. "I’ll remember!"
Whether he would actually remember was uncertain, but one thing was clear—the two brothers both had runny noses right now.
Tang Xu held Xiao Bao, touched his forehead to check his temperature, and found nothing to worry about, just a little sniffle.
“It's definitely from playing in the snow and catching a chill,” Tang Xu frowned, worried that both kids might end up with fevers during the night. That would be quite a hassle.
He reached out to check Er Bao's temperature. This little guy was strong and healthy, more so than his brothers, and was still full of energy with no signs of illness.
The chubby one suddenly sneezed, sending two streams of clear snot shooting out from his nostrils.
Tang Xu was nearly grossed out, quickly grabbing a handkerchief to wipe it away. “Blow your nose!”
The chubby child obediently blew his nose, then raised a hand to touch his own forehead, mumbling, “Dad, I’m sleepy~”
Tang Xu felt his temperature again—it was higher than before.
“Ah Dong, go call Old Wen. Ah Song needs some medicine.”
Wei Dong nodded and turned to leave.
Old Wen came over, checked the child’s pulse, and examined his tongue. He told Tang Xu, “He’s got a bit of a cold and a bit of indigestion. Don’t give him anything greasy for now, just let him have some porridge for a couple of days. I’ll prepare some medicine for him.”
“I can go take care of it. Just help me gather the ingredients,” Wei Dong offered, stopping him.
Old Wen gently patted him and scolded, “What, you’re afraid this old man will spill the medicine pot? You take care of him, and let Xu Ge’er cook some porridge. After he drinks the porridge, he can have the medicine.”
As soon as the chubby one heard he had to drink medicine, his round, plump face scrunched up. He buried himself in his dad's arms, whining, "No, no~ I don’t want it~ It’s bitter~"
“Good medicine is bitter but necessary. If you don’t take it, how will you get better? I told you not to eat so much, but you just wouldn’t listen,” Tang Xu scolded him lightly, giving him a couple of pats on the bottom.
The chubby one squirmed, still whining in protest.
Seeing how listless and lacking in energy he was, Tang Xu couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.
Just then, Tang Yang came in to call them for dinner, so Tang Xu had Wei Dong take the other two kids to eat first.
“I’ll handle this,” Tang Xu said, noticing the worry in Wei Dong’s eyes. “Ah Dong, have Ze’er help make some plain rice porridge—make sure it’s not too thick.”
“Alright.” Wei Dong nodded, then picked up the two younger boys and took them to eat.
Inside the room, the chubby one lay limply against Tang Xu’s chest, his body temperature gradually rising.
When it comes to children, they can’t hide when they’re unwell; even a slight discomfort makes them completely quiet and still.
Feeling the warmth in his arms, Tang Xu sighed inwardly. He laid the chubby one down flat and went to the big pot on the kang to scoop some hot water.
After mixing it with some cool water to make it lukewarm, he used it to wipe down the chubby one's body to help reduce his fever.
By the time Old Wen came back with the brewed medicine, Tang Xu had already wiped the chubby one's body twice, and his temperature had gone down a bit.
Hearing the sound of movement, Tang Xu turned around and saw Old Wen lifting the curtain as he entered. He quickly reached out to take the bowl of medicine. "Thank you."
"No need to be so polite. Hurry and give him the medicine before it cools," Old Wen said as he gently patted the chubby one’s cheek. Seeing that he had fallen asleep, he gave him a light tap. "Come on, Da Bao, wake up and drink your medicine."
After a few pats, the chubby one groggily opened his eyes, but as soon as his mouth opened, he started to wail.
He rarely cried this hard, but now, with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open, he was sobbing loudly.
Tang Xu picked him up and propped him up against his chest, holding the bowl in one hand and pinching his face with the other, carefully pouring the medicine into his mouth.
As soon as the bitter liquid touched his tongue, the chubby one’s eyes snapped open in shock.
Fortunately, Tang Xu didn’t pour too much medicine into his mouth at once, or he would have choked.
The chubby one whimpered and struggled, but Tang Xu held firm. “Drink the medicine, and you’ll feel better.”
“Did he eat anything?” Old Wen asked, reaching out to stop him for a moment.
“He had a couple of spoonfuls of porridge before he fell asleep,” Tang Xu said as he gently pinched the chubby one’s cheek, coaxing him softly.
“If you don’t drink the medicine and your fever doesn’t go down, what will we do? What if you get so sick you turn into a little fool? That would be terrible.”
The chubby one whimpered, covering his mouth with his chubby hand.
It’s so bitter, I don’t want it, he seemed to be expressing.
Tang Xu shot him a stern look, and the chubby one pouted but reluctantly lowered his hand, biting the rim of the bowl without letting go.
“If you keep this up, I’ll have your father come over and make you take the medicine,” Tang Xu threatened, his face stern.
The chubby one’s eyes filled with tears again, but he finally gave in, letting go of the bowl’s rim and pinching his nose as he reluctantly drank the medicine.
Thankfully, Old Wen had taken pity on the little guy and made the medicine extra concentrated, so it only took two small sips.
After swallowing the bitter liquid, the chubby one grimaced, sticking out his tongue in disgust. Tang Xu quickly gave him a sip of warm water to help wash away the taste.
Old Wen chuckled and praised him, “You did great, little guy! Even your dad can’t drink it that fast—you’re stronger than he is!”
Tang Xu nodded in agreement. The smell of the medicine alone was strong enough to make his head spin; he wasn’t sure he could have swallowed it either.
The chubby one, with tears in his eyes, wiped his mouth and sniffled, "Bitter!"
"It’ll be sweet soon; it has a lingering sweetness," Old Wen reassured him, patting his back. "You’ll start sweating soon, and then everything will be fine. Don’t worry."
Tang Xu nodded. "Old Wen, go have dinner. I’ll keep an eye on him."
"Have Wei Dong come and take over for you; you shouldn’t go hungry either."
"It’s just for a little while. I had some porridge earlier, so I’m not hungry yet. You go ahead and eat."
Once the old man went off to eat, Tang Xu laid the chubby one back down and then lay beside him. He gently patted him and continued the story he had been telling earlier about Sun Wukong causing havoc in Heaven.
The chubby one listened drowsily as the medicine took effect. His body started to sweat, and he kicked off the covers from the heat.
Tang Xu didn’t cover him back up but instead switched to a lighter blanket. He continued telling the story in a soft voice until the child finally drifted off to sleep, at which point he stopped.
When Wei Dong came in, Tang Xu had just gotten off the kang to drink some water. His throat was a bit dry from talking so much.
"Is he asleep?" Wei Dong asked, walking over to the bed but refraining from touching the child.
Tang Xu finished the warm water in his cup and nodded. "He’s fine now. He drank the medicine, started sweating, and his fever’s gone down."
Wei Dong reached out to feel the chubby one's forehead. It was cool, but his head was covered in sweat. He gently wiped it off with a handkerchief, then turned to Tang Xu and said, "Go eat. I’ll stay here and watch over him."
"Alright. If he wakes up, make sure he drinks more water. What about the other two? Have they eaten?" Tang Xu asked as he picked up his cloak.
"I had Xiao Xi take them over to the other side. Let’s keep them away from here for now. The old man said he’s worried about them catching a cold too. I noticed Xiao Bao also has a runny nose," Wei Dong replied, his hands busy as he tied the cloak's straps for Tang Xu.
"Go eat first. If it gets worse tonight, I’ll take the two of them over to the other side to stay."
Tang Xu nodded, understanding that if all three kids got sick, it would be exhausting for everyone. He quickly agreed to Wei Dong’s suggestion.
The chubby one was sick for three days. Every afternoon, his fever would spike again.
Fortunately, since he managed to take the bitter medicine, his condition improved quickly, though he still had a runny nose, and the sound of him sniffing constantly could be heard.
Xiao Bao, on the other hand, didn’t catch a fever but instead developed a cough. The cough wasn’t too concerning, but his throat became irritated, and he started to get fussy.
He refused to eat, and no matter how much they coaxed him, he wouldn’t take a sip of medicine.
In the end, Tang Xu had to steel himself and force the medicine down.
That’s when Xiao Bao completely lost it, crying so hard it broke everyone's heart, causing such a commotion that even Old Xu had an argument with Old Wen.
Old Xu pointed at Old Wen’s nose, shouting that he didn’t care about the kids and didn’t even think to add some licorice to the medicine to at least make it taste a little sweet.
Old Wen was so angry that he nearly threw the leftover dregs of the medicine at Old Xu’s face.
Tang Xu had to step in to mediate, trying to calm both sides down, but it left him utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Fortunately, after being forced to take medicine for two days, Xiao Bao finally understood. No matter how much he cried, he realized he had no choice but to drink the medicine.
So, he became more obedient, though he still insisted that his dad drink it with him.
If his dad took a sip, he’d take a sip.
If his dad had a spoonful, he’d have a spoonful.
Tang Xu, grimacing from the bitterness and could barely stand it, while Xiao Bao cheerfully clapped his hands, seemingly amused by his dad’s suffering.
For seven long days, Tang Xu endured this ritual. When Old Wen finally announced that Xiao Bao didn’t need to take any more medicine, no one was more relieved than Tang Xu.
Heaven knows that everything tasted bitter lately, and it felt like the bitterness had seeped into the root of his tongue.
“If anyone ever tells me again that I’ve been blessed to have given birth to a sweet child, I’ll have a bone to pick with them!” Tang Xu muttered, lying on the kang and watching his youngest son sleep soundly, still irritated by the ordeal.
Wei Dong chuckled and patted him on the back. “Alright, get some sleep too.”
After all the chaos of the past few days, they could finally sleep peacefully together as a family.
1 Comments
thank you for the update.. ❤️🐾
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