The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 196

 

| TBBOTOF | 196

It was the fourth day of the second month of the lunar calendar, Wei Dong had made arrangements with Tang Xu to return early the next morning to load the cart.

Early the next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Tang Xu got up to make breakfast.

Even though it was already March, the morning temperature was still a bit cold and damp. Tang Xu wrapped himself in a cloak and went to the backyard to check on the cart.

It was The fourth brother from the Pan family, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Fourth Brother Pan," Tang Xu walked over with a smile to greet him.

Fourth brother Pan quickly nodded in response, "Sister-in-law."

Tang Xu's eyes widened instantly. Why was he being called "sister-in-law" now? 

Before, Fourth Pan used to call him "Brother Xu"!

He raised his eyes to look at Wei Dong, signaling with his gaze, ‘What's going on? Why is he suddenly being so polite?’

Wei Dong smiled at him without saying anything and simply said, "I'll leave once the cart is loaded."

"Eat before you go," Tang Xu glared at him. "Who leaves on an empty stomach? I've made dumplings."

"It's too much trouble," Wei Dong lightly brushed the flour off Tang Xu's clothes with his hand and said, "I'll go help load the cart."

Tang Xu shook his head at him, "Go load the cart. Liu Yao is awake, and the two of us will finish making the dumplings in no time. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

"Eat dumplings before setting out, and noodles upon returning. When going on a long journey, you should at least have a meal of dumplings."

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten up at dawn to make the dough and filling.

Liu Yao helped roll out the dumpling wrappers, and Tang Xu was in charge of wrapping them.

He was quick at wrapping—within a few motions, he produced a plump, round dumpling. The dumplings, each chubby and adorable, were arranged on a bamboo mat, waiting for the water in the pot to boil before being cooked.

"Brother," Tang Li lifted the curtain and entered, asking, "Brother-in-law said he finished loading the cart. Can we have breakfast now?"

"Yes, call him over for breakfast," Tang Xu said, serving the dumplings from the pot onto a plate and turning to her. "Take them to the main room."

In the main room, Wei Dong and the others were gathered around the table. They watched as plate after plate of steaming dumplings were brought out. 

They were made of pure white flour, and a stream of soup spurted out when they were bitten. 

The hot dumplings made people gasp for air but were so delicious that they couldn't bear to spit out half of the dumplings in their mouths.

Wei Dong knew Tang Xu well. When they usually had dumplings at home, he remembered the first time he was burned; as long as Tang Xu mixed the filling, the dumplings would always contain soup.

Fourth brother Pan had never tried Tang Xu’s dumplings before, but he had tasted other dishes. Though he was burned, the delicious filling made him squint his eyes in enjoyment. 

The half of his face that wasn’t scarred relaxed considerably, and he savored every bite.

The other two men, similarly well-built, ate more voraciously than Wei Dong. They would pick up a dumpling, blow on it, and then pop it into their mouths in one big bite.

Getting burned wasn’t a big deal; one would get used to it eventually.

As plate after plate of dumplings were brought over, Tang Xu made sure everyone ate their fill, while he and Liu Yao were busy in the kitchen.

“Wait until he gets up, we’ll wrap more dumplings,” Tang Xu said, wiping his hands and glancing at the remaining dough and filling. “I’ll go back to the room and pack up Ah Dong’s things. If they’re still hungry, you can cook some of these dumplings first.”

Liu Yao nodded in agreement.

The packing had mostly been done last night. Tang Xu tied up the bundles and placed them in the carrying basket.

 After some thought, he pulled out a thick quilt from the cabinet, folded it, wrapped it in oil paper, and stuffed it into the basket as well.

The food for the journey had already been packed into boxes, so he didn’t need to do anything further.

Standing in the room and looking around, he thought about what else he might need to bring.

When Wei Dong entered the room, he saw Tang Xu had packed three baskets to the brim.

Tang Xu was currently putting woolen socks and mittens into the fourth basket.

“You don’t need to bring so much,” Wei Dong said, glancing at the contents of the other three baskets. 

Besides the two cotton sleeping bags Tang Xu had prepared earlier, there were also cotton quilts, cotton shoes, and cotton clothes and pants.

“The weather will be warm on the road; we won’t need all this.”

Tang Xu turned and gave him a stern look. “You don’t know what late spring cold is, do you? If you encounter a rain-snow mix and don’t have a place to stay, you’ll freeze to death.”

After saying this, he rolled up the oilcloth tent and shoved it into the basket with all his might, pressing down and muttering, “I told you how to set up this tent before. Make sure to tie those bamboo poles to the cart later.

You don’t want to find yourself without poles when you really need them. Even if you don’t use the bamboo poles, they can help keep the tent off the ground and prevent moisture. Wei Dong, I’ve told you—you're responsible for a family, so when you're out on the road, don’t just rush forward without thinking.”

He had reiterated his safety concerns over and over, yet he still couldn’t feel at ease.

Wei Dong understood his worries. He sat on the edge of the kang and pulled Tang Xu into his lap, holding him close.

Tang Xu pouted and nuzzled his neck, then leaned down to give him a kiss.

Wei Dong pressed his weight against the back of Tang Xu’s neck and held him tightly, returning the kiss.

When they parted, Tang Xu’s eyes were already misty, and his lips were a deep red.

Tang Xu looked at him with a pitiful expression, and Wei Dong kissed his eyes gently. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Mm.” Tang Xu rubbed his face against Wei Dong, then got up from his lap.

There were four carts, one of which was loaded with the belongings of the four of them. Tang Xu had packed a lot of dried goods for Wei Dong to eat on the journey. 

Fourth brother Pan, who was most familiar with Tang Xu, was astonished by all the things he had prepared.

The whole family came out to see them off. Wei Dong kissed each of his three sons and Tang Erhu patted his shoulder, saying, “Be careful and come back soon.”

Wei Dong nodded. “Thanks, Dad. Please take good care of the family.”

Tang Erhu patted his shoulder once more.

“Go on then.”

Old Xu handed over several small porcelain bottles, and Old Wen also gave him a few. 

Wei Dong accepted them and noticed that the bottles were labeled with various contents: wound medicine, hemostatic agents, and treatments for headaches and fevers, among other small pills.

He wasn’t sure when the second family had prepared these. Making such small pills was quite a labor-intensive task.

The three little ones, knowing their father would be away for a long time, clung to him reluctantly.

Tang Xu came over to take the children away and said to Wei Dong, “Go on. Don’t delay.”

No matter how much they wanted to hold on, parting was inevitable.

Tang Xu had asked Wei Dong which direction he planned to go. Wei Dong mentioned that the initial plan was to head north, as the northern region was closer to the imperial city and several major cities. 

The distance wasn’t too far either.

Additionally, the people from the other three families in the caravan were more familiar with the northern routes, so this time he would head north.

Wei Dong brought out the mule cart. Although the cart wasn’t very spacious, it could at least keep their goods and food protected from the wind and rain.

Unexpectedly, within half a day of setting out, the originally clear sky gradually darkened with gathering clouds, and then it started to drizzle.

Spring rain is precious but very cold, and getting drenched in it was far from pleasant.

Tang Xu had packed a bamboo hat and a raincoat for Wei Dong, which he kept in the cart.

Wei Dong took them out, putting on the bamboo hat and draping the raincoat over himself.

Fourth Brother Pan ran up from behind and sat at the front of the cart. He was taken aback when he saw Wei Dong wearing the bamboo hat and raincoat, then asked with a smile, “Did all this come from Sister-in-law?”

“Don’t call him Sister-in-law,” Wei Dong replied with a nod. “He doesn’t like it.”

Fourth brother Pan didn’t mention that the person in question wasn’t there to hear it and directly changed his tone, “Brother Xu is really thoughtful.”

“I just mentioned we were heading north, and he packed all these warm clothes for me. I don’t even wear so many layers at home in winter,” Wei Dong said with a rare interest in casual conversation.

Fourth brother Pan smiled and pointed at him, “Stop showing off. It’s a real blessing to have married Brother Xu.”

Wei Dong nodded, “That’s true.”

Fourth brother Pan wiped the rain off his face with envy. “I wish I could marry someone as considerate as Brother Xu.”

His comment suddenly reminded Wei Dong of the fact that, a few years ago, after making some money from selling the tiger, the Pan family brothers had all received their share. 

They built new houses, and the other three brothers had all married, leaving only Fourth brother Pan still living with his mother.

Curious, Wei Dong asked straightforwardly, “You mentioned wanting to marry, so why didn’t you?”

Fourth brother Pan shook his head and gave a wry smile, pointing at his own face. “Who would dare to marry me? If they were to look at me under an oil lamp, they'd be scared to death.”

“Marry a blind person,” Wei Dong suggested coldly.

Fourth brother Pan’s mouth twitched. He thought to himself that he had considered marrying a blind person, but unfortunately, he hadn’t met anyone suitable.

There were a few times when matchmakers came to propose. There were people who didn’t mind his appearance, as long as he could provide a bride price.

The asking price was around two hundred taels of silver. 

Some families even demanded fifty taels.

At the time, Fourth brother Pan was stunned by the news. Even Granny Pan’s was momentarily dumbfounded. 

Then she sternly told Fourth brother Pan that if there were suitable matches, they should only come together if both parties agreed. 

Otherwise, there would be constant trouble, especially when it came to those who were clearly selling their daughters or sons. Such proposals were not to be entertained.

Fourth brother Pan understood this well himself. After his three brothers got their share of money, they rushed into marriage. 

Even though three years had passed and they now had children, they still argued frequently. 

With their newfound wealth, they no longer needed to work and had enough silver to last a lifetime.

When the four brothers had no money, they supported each other, but once they had money, they drifted apart.

This time, Wei Dong went to the other three for help with the trade, but the three Pan brother’s were unwilling to take the risk and advised Wei Dong to enjoy life and avoid dangerous ventures.

Only Fourth brother Pan, who had told his mother that he wanted to go with Wei Dong to explore and learn more about the trade rather than just living off his savings, was different.

Granny Pan’s  had always been a reasonable woman. Knowing her son had his own plans, she didn’t stop him. Like Tang Xu, she prepared many things for him to take on the journey and wished him a safe return with Wei Dong.

“Let’s leave it to fate,” Fourth brother Pan murmured after a long silence, letting out a low sigh.

Wei Dong glanced at him but said nothing more.

The rain didn’t last long and soon stopped. Wei Dong checked the cart’s boxes wrapped in thick oil paper; they were dry and hadn’t been soaked.

At the big house, Tang Xu was in the backyard with the three children, changing the rabbits' nest.

The big rabbit had had another litter, and there were a dozen tiny, pink baby rabbits. Xiao Bao crouched there, staring at them, making the mother rabbit keep an eye on him.

“Daddy, the rabbits,” Xiao Bao said.

“Mm, they’re rabbits. Wait until they grow up before you touch them. Be careful now, or the big rabbit might bite,” Tang Xu warned, quickly stopping him from reaching out.

On Er Bao’s shoulders sat a plump cat, squatting alongside Xiao Bao. The chubby cat watched the baby rabbits with its big tail swishing behind Er Bao.

Tang Xu seemed to sense something and turned to point at the chubby cat. “Don’t even think about sneaking over to steal the rabbits!”

The chubby cat meowed in response.

“Daddy, when will Father come back?” the chubby boy with two pieces of dry grass in his hands asked, swinging them around. “When I asked him, he said he’d come back when it’s time. What does that mean?”

“It means he’ll come back once the trade is finished,” Tang Xu said, looking at him. “Why? Do you miss him already?”

The chubby boy puffed out his cheeks and nodded vigorously.

Of course, he missed him!

Previous TOC Next