The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 197

 

| TBBOTOF | 197

After Wei Dong left home, Tang Xu struggled to sleep well every day. He barely managed to eat, and had to force himself to stay mentally sharp and keep up appearances, leaving himself utterly exhausted.

Dark circles had appeared under his eyes.

Over the years, even when he was pregnant, he had never broken out in acne like he had now.

Not only that, but his tongue also felt numb and tingly.

Tang Xu was aware that he was seriously "overheated," suffering from intense internal heat.

His mouth felt dry, and even water tasted bitter.

Old Xu had caught a bit of a cold a couple of days ago and hadn't been feeling well.

He had been resting indoors for a few days, but once he finally recovered enough to come outside and bask in the sun, the sight of Tang Xu, whom he hadn't seen for a few days, almost startled him.

"How did you manage to make yourself look like a ghost?"

The old man was blunt, and his words left Tang Xu momentarily speechless.

Old Xu, who had been lazily reclining in his rocking chair, now sat up straight, his back rigid.

He raised his hand and gestured for Tang Xu to come over and extend his hand so he could check his pulse.

Tang Xu sat down beside him and extended his hand.

The old man remained silent for a long time, and Tang Xu even slowed his breathing, afraid of disturbing him.

After pulling his hand back, the old man first glared at him without saying a word. Tang Xu pouted, knowing that whatever was coming next probably wouldn't be pleasant.

Unsurprisingly, Old Xu immediately scolded him: "Don't think just because you're young you can mess around like this. Look at how bad your internal heat is! What is it, you're missing Dongzi now that he's gone?"

"Who am I missing if not him?" Tang Xu poured himself some herbal tea, took a sip, and found that the dried flowers didn't taste as fragrant as last time. "Old man, make me some herbal medicine to cool down my internal heat. I feel like my whole body is out of sorts."

Old Xu sighed, pointing at him with a raised hand. "You'd better get yourself together. If you collapse, what's going to happen to your three kids?"

"I know, I know. I'll definitely pull myself together." Tang Xu sighed. He was well aware that this couldn't go on. If Wei Dong really came back in two months and found him looking like a ghost, he'd be furious.

Knowing his husband's temper, he could already imagine the scolding he'd get.

Tang Xu shivered at the thought and quickly said, "Old man, hurry up and write me a prescription. I'll have Ze'er make the medicine."

Old Xu gave him a stern look, then slowly stood up, trembling as he took a step forward. "Now you know it's urgent!"

"Well, it's not like I can just act like nothing's wrong as soon as he leaves, and eat and drink as usual. We've never been apart this long. Of course, I'm missing him! Give me some time to adjust." Tang Xu, feeling wronged, reached out to support him and followed the old man back inside.

"You've been 'adjusting' for several days now—you're taking your sweet time with it," Old Xu shot him another glare as he turned his head.

At this point, Tang Xu had already been glared at several times. Once they entered the room where various medicinal herbs were stored, Old Xu personally picked out the herbs and slowly walked back, clearly preparing to make the medicine himself.

"Old man, you shouldn't be doing this," Tang Xu said, nervously watching him carry the small clay pot with trembling hands, even though his grip remained steady. 

Still, Tang Xu was on edge the whole time, worried that if the pot shattered, it wouldn't just be the pot—what if it landed on Old Xu's foot?

Old Xu, who seemed to enjoy glaring at Tang Xu today, gave him yet another sharp look in response.

Tang Xu, by now too drained to argue, followed him to brew the medicine.

It took more than an hour for a bitter bowl of herbal medicine to be ready. During that time, the old man sat still on a small stool, unmoving, as if he had fallen asleep.

Tang Xu couldn't stay there the entire time, so he called Xu Ze to keep an eye on him.

When he finally drank the bitter concoction, it nearly brought him to tears.

"Old man, are you trying to kill me?" Tang Xu grimaced in pain, feeling like the bitterness had soaked into his very soul.

Old Xu chuckled and asked him with a smile, "Will you dare to keep messing around now?"

Tang Xu pouted. "Not anymore. You go rest, I'll make some *suan tangzi* (sour soup noodles) for you later."

Old Xu immediately nodded eagerly; he liked that dish.

At first, when Tang Xu had started fermenting corn kernels, the old man had complained about the strong smell. 

But once the sour noodles were made, he could easily eat two bowls in one sitting.

With the bitter taste still lingering in his mouth, Tang Xu grabbed a piece of dried apricot to suck on and then headed to the freezer to get the dough for the *suan tangzi*.

He liked eating it, though Wei Dong didn’t share the same enthusiasm. He ate it but never with the same appetite as Tang Xu. 

Whenever Tang Xu made it before, Wei Dong would only eat two bowls and then put his chopsticks down, saying he was full.

So, Tang Xu had gotten into the habit of making the dish only when Wei Dong wasn’t around. 

After all, the rest of the family enjoyed it, even if Wei Dong didn’t.

Tang Xu boiled the dough and kneaded the noodle strips into shape.

Nearby, Liu Yao was stir-frying a few small side dishes, occasionally glancing over at Tang Xu.

"Do I have some dirt on my face?" Tang Xu laughed, catching him staring, and turned to ask.

Liu Yao shook his head, a bit concerned. "Are you alright, Brother Xu? You don't seem to have much energy."

"I haven't been sleeping well these past few days," Tang Xu sighed quietly, using a ladle to gently stir the noodles in the pot. "Ever since your Brother Dong left, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep. I keep worrying that something might happen to him."

"It won't. Brother Dong went north, right? The route he’s taking shouldn’t be dangerous, right?" Liu Yao speculated, trying to reassure him.

Tang Xu gently shook his head, not saying much more.

Worry isn’t something that just disappears because you want it to.

…

At that moment, Wei Dong and his caravan were just entering Jiyang City.

They had traveled day and night for eight days, and it was getting colder the farther north they went. 

When they first set off, Wei Dong had complained about the padded winter clothes Tang Xu had packed for him, thinking they were unnecessary. 

But after just three days, he was fully bundled up in them.

Who could have predicted that it would snow in March— and not just a little, but a full-on blizzard?

Sitting on the driver's seat of the cart, Wei Dong looked up at the large snowflakes drifting down from the sky and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Fourth brother Pan, who was huddled in the back of the cart, tightly wrapped in his cotton-padded jacket, shivered as he heard Wei Dong’s sound of annoyance. 

He poked his head out and asked, "What's the matter?"

"It's snowing again. At this time of year, the fields are already planted," Wei Dong remarked.

After entering the city and finding a place to stay, the caravan leader immediately went to the residential area and rented a courtyard for the next few days. It was a more convenient option than staying at an inn or guesthouse.

Jiyang City served as a transit hub, with many caravans stopping here to rest, whether they were heading north or south. 

Although the city wasn’t originally large or populous, it had become quite prosperous and chaotic.

Even though it was technically under the jurisdiction of three counties, the place was rife with con artists, thieves, robbers, and gamblers. 

So, despite having a capable local magistrate in charge, it was still not the safest place to be.

Especially the caravans that stopped here to rest were often targeted by the various local gangs. They didn't necessarily steal your goods; most of the time, they just wanted money.

With Wei Dong's temper, he wasn’t one to tolerate people causing trouble. He had originally planned to sell some of his braised ducks in this area—since it was nearby, if he ever needed to, he or someone like Wu Hong or Fourth brother Pan could lead the team without having to travel too far.

Speaking of which, Wu Hong had fallen ill shortly after they set off and had been bedridden in the cart for days. 

Upon arriving in the city, they saw a doctor, and after some herbal medicine, he was now resting in the room.

Wei Dong, remembering that Wu Hong was his cousin, checked in on him as he lay down to rest. "Feeling any better?" he asked.

"I've come back to life," Wu Hong croaked, his voice so hoarse that it surprised them both when he spoke.

Wei Dong sighed, patting him on the shoulder. "Just rest well. Make sure to take your medicine over the next few days. We'll stay here a while longer before heading out."

Wu Hong pouted, then asked pitifully, "Brother Dong, am I really that useless?"

"What are you talking about?" Wei Dong asked, confused.

Wu Hong, feeling dejected, continued, "I just left home, and I already fell ill. I haven’t been able to help with anything."

"Get better first, then we'll see," Wei Dong said, not one for comforting words. It was true that Wu Hong had fallen ill right after they left, but saying he was useless was a bit harsh. 

Still, it wasn’t like he had been much help either.

After leaving the room, Wei Dong found Fourth brother Pan in the courtyard, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, sniffling as he waited for him. Curiosity getting the better of him, Wei Dong asked, "Why aren't you inside by the fire? What are you doing out here?"

Fourth brother Pan chuckled and sidled up to Wei Dong. "Are you thinking of heading out for a walk? I’ve heard the people here are pretty wealthy, but there are a lot of gangs too, there’s all sorts of folks. The officials don’t bother much—anything that happens on the streets is 'street business,' as long as no one causes too much trouble in the city."

Wei Dong nodded. They had gathered some information before coming, and it was well-known that Jiyang City had the most problems along this route.

In business, they had already prepared for various scenarios, so there was no reason to feel nervous.

"I’ll go with you," Fourth brother Pan said, knowing Wei Dong for many years and being familiar with some of his habits.

Wei Dong nodded again. "Alright."

Instead of wandering aimlessly around the streets, Wei Dong headed straight for the casino.

Fourth brother Pan wasn’t the type to get intimidated easily. After all, he’d been with Wei Dong on a mountain when they caught a tiger and once had a bear lick his face. 

To him, even if a situation seemed dangerous, there wasn’t much to be afraid of.

Besides, with Wei Dong's height and broad, muscular build, he was usually the one people feared.

So, when the two of them entered the casino, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Wei Dong in unison.

Wei Dong casually swung the money pouch in his hand, scanned the room, and headed directly to the dice table.

Fourth brother Pan followed closely behind Wei Dong. When Wei Dong sat down, Fourth brother Pan stood just behind him, hands clasped behind his back, looking every bit the bodyguard with his expressionless face.

Wei Dong barely glanced at the game, casually throwing a silver ingot worth five taels onto the table as he leaned on his chin, his eyes half-closed with a lazy, uninterested demeanor.

The other gamblers at the table stared at him in disbelief. Seeing him toss a five-tael ingot so carelessly, they burst into laughter, mocking his apparent naivety and lack of understanding of the stakes. 

Yet, their mockery quickly turned to excitement at what they saw as easy money.

But to their shock, Wei Dong’s luck seemed unbelievable. He barely paid attention, tossing his money without even touching the dice, and yet he won round after round, amassing a pile of small silver pieces in front of him.

The other gamblers' eyes turned red with envy, but none dared to make a move. It wasn’t just about the money—Wei Dong's imposing appearance made it clear he was not someone to be trifled with.

Wei Dong glanced at the pile of silver in front of him, roughly around a hundred taels.

Without a second thought, he began stuffing the silver into his money pouch, and when one pouch was full, he casually took out another empty one and continued loading it up.

Fourth brother Pan, standing behind, nearly burst out laughing. He was just as surprised by Wei Dong’s uncanny luck, but he hadn't expected him to be this brazen, sweeping up every last coin as if he owned the place.

Now, with all that silver, he figured they’d definitely get surrounded when they tried to leave.

Sure enough, as soon as they turned a corner after leaving the casino, a group of thugs armed with clubs rushed towards them.

There was no need to ask; it was obvious they were from the casino.

Wei Dong, having been sleepless and irritable for days from missing his husband and children, had been holding back his temper while leading the group. 

He couldn’t very well vent on his own people, so now that someone was offering themselves up, it was exactly what he needed.

Fourth brother Pan glanced at Wei Dong’s expression and immediately stepped aside, making a gesture as if to say, "Be my guest."

Wei Dong cracked his neck from side to side, then beckoned to the group of menacing thugs with a casual wave of his hand.

He preferred a quick fight.

Wei Dong had spent years battling wolves, tigers, black bears, and wild boars in the mountains—he was far more vicious and deadly than humans.

So, even though these thugs were armed with clubs, to Wei Dong, it was no challenge. He threw punches straight to their faces, and each one went down with a single hit.

Fourth brother Pan whistled in admiration. Impressive.

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