The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 192

 

| TBBOTOF | 192

Tang Erhu coughed for a long time before spitting out the seed.

"Come, Dad, have some tea."

“...” Tang Erhu waved him away, "Go, go, go, stay away from me!"

He was angry out of embarrassment!

Tang Xu clicked his tongue, sat back down, and thought for a while.

These sweet potato chips weren’t the kind that were dried rock hard; they were semi-dried, and made from small-skinned sweet potatoes. 

Each one was round and plump. The outer skin was dry, but biting into it revealed a soft inside.

"Why did you make so much dried food?" Old Wen picked one up. His teeth were still okay, so he could bite off a small piece and hold it in his mouth, waiting for it to soften before slowly chewing it. 

Old Xu, however, could only watch helplessly. He couldn’t eat it at all since most of his teeth had fallen out, and a few more were loose recently. 

Old Wen had already been urging him to get them pulled, saying that if he didn’t, they would continue to hurt from time to time.

But Old Xu refused, saying that as long as the teeth hadn’t fallen out on their own, there was a reason for them to remain. He said he’d only deal with it once they fell out naturally.

Old Wen teased him, warning him to be careful while sleeping, lest one of his teeth fall out and get stuck in his throat.

Sorry for going off-topic, let's get back to the present.

Tang Xu, hearing Old Wen’s question, responded, "Da Bao and the other two need something to chew on. Plus, I need to send some with Ah Dong when he leaves. He said he’d probably leave on the seventh or eighth day after the New Year. I can’t just give him meat; this stuff counts as dry food. I’m also thinking of baking some biscuits and cakes in the next few days. They don’t have water, so they’ll keep for a long time."

"That egg tart you made last time, was it the one? Bake a few someday," Old Xu said.

It was rare for the old man to have a craving, so Tang Xu promised to arrange it for tomorrow.

Tang Erhu, sitting there and listening to the increasingly off-topic conversation, couldn't hold it in anymore and coughed loudly.

Tang Xu immediately asked with concern, "Dad, did something scratch your throat? Why are you coughing so much?"

Tang Erhu shot him a sharp glare, deciding not to argue with him, and turned to look at the two elders.

Old Wen had a slightly twisted expression at that moment; the sweet potato chips had stuck to his teeth, and he was working hard with his tongue to dislodge them.

Old Xu, on the other hand, was calmly sipping flower tea, squinting his eyes in a sleepy, relaxed state.

Tang Erhu sighed and asked, "About Cuicui's condition—if I don’t want her to keep the child, is that possible?"

Old Xu put down his tea cup and looked at him, "Not keep it?"

"Yeah, we're both this old, and there’s no real need to keep it." After saying this, Tang Erhu glanced at Tang Xu. "If you're worried about her not having a son to take care of her in old age, I can't speak for my other children, but Xu Ge’er would never abandon her. If I leave before her, she won't have a hard life."

Old Wen raised an eyebrow. "But what if it's a boy?"

"I don't lack sons, do I? I already have three grandchildren," Tang Erhu said as he drank water.

Old Wen chuckled. "You don’t lack, but does she?"

"Well, whether it's a son or not, we don't know. Like I said, we have to consider her health. What if her health takes a turn for the worse?" He didn’t dare mention the worst-case scenario—what if the baby survives, but the mother doesn’t?

Old Wen understood as well. Tang Erhu's main concern was Wang Cuicui's health, and whether or not to keep this unexpected child wasn’t the priority.

Old Xu thought for a moment and said, "Actually, her health has been quite good in recent years. If you really want to keep the child, there shouldn’t be a big issue for her. But who knows if something unexpected might happen?"

"We’re family, so let’s be straightforward. You two old gentlemen, give me a clear answer. Is it best not to keep the child?" Tang Erhu decided not to dwell on it and asked directly.

Tang Xu crunched on a peanut, watching his father.

Old Wen nodded.

Old Xu also nodded.

To put it bluntly, she’s in her forties. There's no need to keep the child, especially when there’s already someone to take care of her in her old age. There’s no point in risking such a late pregnancy.

"I'll be straightforward, if you're hoping to have a biological son to care for you in old age, but in the process, the baby survives and the mother doesn't, well, that’s truly a tragic way to 'see her off.'"

Tang Xu nodded gently and said, "I just told Auntie earlier that if she really wants to keep the baby, she shouldn't let other people's gossip influence her decision. But it's most important to consider her health, and I suggest it's best not to keep it."

Tang Erhu looked at him. 

Tang Xu shrugged. "Dad, at the end of the day, it's you two living your lives together. If something happened to Auntie because she's carrying your child, would you still be able to live with yourself?"

"Yeah, that’s how I feel too." Tang Erhu had been worried that suggesting not keeping the child might make him seem heartless, but after hearing what Tang Xu said, he felt reassured. "What about her?"

"I think Auntie is conflicted," Tang Xu said, taking a sip of water to ease his throat after eating too many peanuts. "She seems to want the child, but also doesn’t. I didn’t ask too many details, but she mentioned she was afraid of people gossiping."

"Gossip about what?" Tang Erhu was puzzled.

"About 'an old clam still producing pearls,' or 'still being strong at this age.' What else would they gossip about?" Tang Xu shot him a sly glance, full of mischief.

Tang Erhu froze for a moment, then raised his hand and lightly slapped him. "Don’t talk nonsense!"

His face had turned a little red.

Tang Xu rubbed his arm with a grin. "How am I talking nonsense? It’s the truth."

Old Wen chuckled and nodded. "Her health is indeed quite good."

Tang Erhu's face turned red with embarrassment. He stood up abruptly and said, "I'm heading back. You all should rest early too." 

Then he hurriedly left.

Tang Xu couldn't help but burst out laughing and continued for a while before stopping.

The two elders also chuckled, clearly satisfied with Tang Erhu’s attitude.

When Tang Xu returned to the main house, the three little ones had already been brought back by Wei Dong. Somehow, Wei Dong managed to bathe all three children quickly. 

If Tang Xu were doing it, it would have taken at least an hour to get them out of the bathhouse.

His three sons, their cheeks rosy from the warmth, were sitting obediently on the kang. Xiao Bao and Er Bao were wrapped in thick blankets, while Wei Dong was in the middle of helping Da Bao into his pajamas.

Tang Xu walked over and helped dress Xiao Bao and Er Bao. Their wooden beds had already been made, but since it was still winter and they were concerned about the cold, they hadn't brought the bunk beds back yet. 

They had arranged with the carpenter to deliver and set them up once spring arrived.

For now, the kids were still sleeping on the kang with them. However, there was no situation where the children slept between the parents. 

Tang Xu and Wei Dong slept next to each other, and the three children slept next to each other.

Xiao Bao let out a yawn, his little face flushed, and his big eyes blinked slowly, showing he was getting sleepy.

Tang Xu quickly dressed Xiao Bao, dried his hair, and then tucked him into the warm kang.

Xiao Bao covered his face and snuggled into the pillow, giving Tang Xu a soft, sweet smile. "Night-night, Daddy~~"

Tang Xu smiled, bent down to kiss his forehead, and tucked the blanket around him snugly.

Xiao Bao obediently closed his eyes, his little hands placed by his sides, lying flat and ready for sleep.

Seeing that both his older brother and younger brother were already lying down, Er Bao pulled off his blanket, bare-bottomed, and was about to dive into the bed. 

Wei Dong, quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught him mid-air, dressed him in his pajamas, and gave his bottom a light pat. "Go pee!"

Er Bao pouted. "No~"

Meaning he didn't need to go.

"How could you not? You drank a lot of water during dinner. If you don't go now, you'll end up peeing the bed." Wei Dong, when dealing with his own children, was unusually patient and full of reasoning.

Tang Xu didn't pay attention to the father and son duo. He grabbed his change of clothes and went to take a bath. 

By the time he returned, the three children were already fast asleep, and Wei Dong was tidying up the clothes the kids had changed out of.

"What did Dad say?" Wei Dong asked, turning to look at him.

Tang Xu sat in the chair drying his hair. His hair was long, and every time he washed it, it took forever to dry. 

His arms were sore from drying it, yet it was still only half-dry. He sighed deeply, missing highly absorbent towels and a blow dryer more than anything!

“Dad asked the two elders if Aunt’s health was suitable for pregnancy and if she could choose not to keep the baby. I think Dad made the right decision.”

He glanced up at the man. Wei Dong walked over and grabbed another dry towel to help him dry the other half of his hair.

"What would you do?"

Wei Dong didn’t respond immediately. After a moment of thought, he nodded and said, "If you were the one pregnant right now, I definitely wouldn’t let you keep it."

Tang Xu gave him a sharp look. "What, are you getting tired of having too many sons?"

"You’ve already had three. Isn’t that enough? Besides, didn’t Old Wu say that while you’ve recovered well, it’s best to wait five or six more years before trying again? Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for either you or the child." Wei Dong lightly poked his puffed-up cheek. "I was talking about your dad, not us."

Tang Xu huffed. "I’m just worried Auntie might want the child."

Wei Dong thought about it, then shook his head. "Not necessarily."

Tang Xu shot him a helpless glance. "That’s as good as saying nothing."

When Tang Erhu returned to the room, Wang Cuicui was still awake. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she looked up at him.

The two of them made eye contact.

Tang Erhu cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. "I’ll go add some firewood to the stove."

"I already did," Wang Cuicui, noticing his unease, lifted the blanket and got up to scoop some hot water for him to wash his face and feet.

Tang Erhu reached out to stop her. "You don't need to, just rest. I can take care of it myself."

He turned and went out to wash up, only returning after he was done.

He took off his clothes, got into bed, and lay down.

Wang Cuicui also lay down. 

For a while, neither of them said anything.

After quite some time, Tang Erhu let out a deep breath and hesitantly started to speak. "Cuicui, about that... maybe we should..."

"Erhu, I know what you want to say." Wang Cuicui, placing her hand on her belly, interrupted his stammering. "But let’s not keep this child."

Tang Erhu quickly sat up and looked at her. "What?"

"Let's not keep it," Wang Cuicui shook her head and exhaled lightly. 

She had been thinking about it a lot. Even though she usually felt full of energy when helping Tang Xu take care of the children, having her own child to raise from infancy would be a different kind of exhaustion. 

Plus, what Tang Xu said was true: being pregnant and giving birth at her age carried significant risks. 

There had been several similar cases in the village, and she decided to be selfish for once. "You already have children. Let’s treat this as an accident. Don’t be upset, okay?" She assumed Tang Erhu wanted to keep the baby.

"No, no, not at all," Tang Erhu quickly took her hand. "I was actually thinking we shouldn't keep it. I don’t want your health to suffer. I talked to the elders, and they said it’s best for you not to keep it."

Wang Cuicui looked at him in surprise. "You don’t want the baby?"

"It’s not that I don’t want it," Tang Erhu started scratching his head again, something he’d been doing a lot that day. 

"I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Whether we want it or not isn’t important. Tomorrow, let Old Wen give you the medicine. Don’t delay it—if something happens to you, what will I do? And besides, we don’t lack someone to care for us in old age. Even if Tang Li or Tang Yang don’t show us filial piety, Xu Ge’er will definitely take care of you."

Wang Cuicui nodded. "I know, the kids in this family all have good hearts."

"So, how about we not keep it, alright? I just want to live a good life with you," Tang Erhu, rarely one to say such tender words, said awkwardly. Wang Cuicui felt just as awkward hearing it.

After talking it out, they finally reached an agreement. The next morning, they went to Old Wen and got the medicine.

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TL: Pls remember that this is just a story and I hope nobody feels uncomfortable reading this...