The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 181

 

| TBBOTOF | 181

The snow on the road showed no signs of melting. Tang Erhu and the others didn't delay. 

On New Year's Day,

"I was about to say that if you didn’t come back soon, I’d have Ah Dong help unload the cart," Tang Xu said and then turning his head to look at Tang Li and whispering, "What's wrong with dad?"

Tang Li glanced at the two of them, then at Wang Cuicui, and whispered to Tang Xu, "Dad and Auntie had a fight."

Wang Cuicui's expression seemed fine, and she was packing things up quickly.

Tang Erhu snorted, looking displeased, and his movements became much more forceful.

Wang Cuicui glanced at him with a hint of awkwardness in her eyes.

"What’s going on?" Tang Xu looked at Tang Li.

Liu Yao, standing by, chuckled and said, "A while ago, a steward from a wealthy family started coming to the shop almost every day. He'd come over for a bowl of noodles at lunchtime and chat for a bit. He’s quite nice and didn’t have that haughty attitude."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow, full of curiosity, and asked, "No matter how good the braised noodle soup is, it shouldn’t be worth eating every day, right? A steward from a rich family must have had all sorts of good food; could there be another reason?"

Liu Yao nodded with a smile, glancing at Tang Erhu and Wang Cuicui who were entering the door one after the other. "You know, Dad rarely goes to the shop. We usually call Aunt, not Mom, so many people have asked us about it."

He then turned to look at Tang Li, who nodded and said, "Yes, quite a few uncles have asked me about Aunt. I told them that she is my Dad’s second wife."

"I mentioned it, but some people just have loose lips and will always make a few jabs. That day, someone drank a couple of glasses of wine and spoke disrespectfully to Auntie. Auntie ended up giving him two slaps across the face. I was quite shocked," Liu Yao said, his tone a bit agitated and rising in pitch.

Wang Cuicui turned to look at him.

Liu Yao quickly chuckled and moved closer to Tang Xu.

Tang Xu patted him on the back, "Speak properly."

"After that, Auntie scolded the troublemaker away. But before he left, he bumped into the steward and knocked over his bowl of noodles. Auntie couldn't stand it, so she had another bowl brought out for him," Tang Li added.

Tang Xu nodded; it was only right. It wouldn’t be fair for the customer to bear the loss due to someone else's misbehavior.

"Afterward, the steward seemed to have a good impression of Auntie. He came by every day. Sometimes he didn’t eat, just came to sit and chat with Auntie. Auntie told him she already had a man and if he had any other intentions, he shouldn’t come anymore. The steward said he had no other intentions, just enjoyed seeing Auntie and found her efficient and pleasant," Tang Li said, then shrugged, "Brother, if he really has no other intentions, why does he come every day?"

Tang Xu stroked his chin, considering. It did seem that the steward might genuinely just be coming to relax and enjoy himself. While many people might have ulterior motives, the steward had said he had none.

"What did Auntie say about it?"

"Auntie can’t really say much. The steward comes in, pays for his meals, and leaves. We can't exactly ask him to leave just because he occasionally chats with Aunt. Besides, he doesn’t bother her excessively—just a few words here and there when there aren’t many customers. Honestly, it’s not a big deal," Liu Yao yawned. 

"But Dad couldn’t handle it. He saw them talking the other day when he was delivering the braised offal, and then he kept seeing them together for several days, and that set him off."

"They had an argument. Dad said he wouldn’t let Auntie go up front anymore to embarrass herself!" Tang Li frowned and complained, "Brother, you should talk to Dad. He shouldn’t speak like that. I even saw Auntie crying alone."

"We tried to persuade Dad, but we just got scolded instead," Liu Yao added.

Tang Xu’s brow furrowed, "Did Dad say anything else outrageous?"

"Well, when he's angry, he tends to say things without thinking. It was just the usual stuff. You can probably guess," Liu Yao said, gesturing vaguely towards his head and making a mumbling sound with his eyes.

Tang Xu’s expression darkened, "Alright, I understand. Dad’s gotten too comfortable and is looking for trouble. I’ll go talk to him." He quickened his pace to catch up with Wang Cuicui.

"Auntie," Tang Xu said, grabbing her arm, "I need your help with something."

Wang Cuicui turned to look at him, "What’s wrong?"

“Oh, with all this snow recently, the three of them are out every day and their winter clothes are no longer enough. Ah Dong bought new fabric and cotton, and I was hoping Auntie could help make a few more sets for them to wear in rotation,” Tang Xu said. 

He wasn’t really making an excuse; it was something he had planned to do anyway.

Tang Li quickly stepped forward and took the two bundles from Wang Cuicui’s hands. “Auntie, come with my brother. I’ll call you back once I’ve finished cooking, or you might as well stay over there and eat. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the kids; I miss them terribly.”

Tang Xu nodded in agreement. “Yes, the house is cold and needs tidying up. Ah Li and Liu Yao will come over once they finish up. I’ll take care of dinner.”

“Alright,” Tang Li agreed, giving Tang Xu a meaningful look. When she got a smile in return, she turned and went inside.

Wang Cuicui sighed and followed Tang Xu towards the big house.

On the way, she rubbed her hands together, looked at Tang Xu with some apprehension, and asked, “Did you hear what happened?”

“Yeah,” Tang Xu nodded, smiling at her. “Don’t let what my father said bother you. After all these years, you know what kind of person he is.”

“I’m not mad at him, but sometimes your father can be too overbearing. He even told me not to go up front,” Wang Cuicui sighed again. 

She was relieved that this issue happened around the time of the New Year; otherwise, if she had disappeared suddenly, people might have made a fuss about it.

“I’ll talk to him,” Tang Xu said, putting his arm around Wang Cuicui in a comforting gesture. 

“You’re not leaving after this visit, right? With the New Year coming up and the weather being so bad, it’s a hassle to come and go. A few days of business won’t make a difference.”

“Your father said he’s not going back and will stay at home,” Wang Cuicui said with a bitter expression. She was frustrated that they had returned so early, and it was clear she was still upset.

Tang Xu couldn't help but smile wryly. It was impressive how jealous middle-aged men could be, even to the point of ignoring business.

“Don’t let him bother you. If you’re upset and want to teach him a lesson, just stay here for a few days. The kids keep talking about wanting to see their grandparents, so you can spend time with them, and Ah Dong and I will have a little break.”

Wang Cuicui’s face softened at the thought of her young grandchildren, and she agreed, “Alright, I’ll stay here for a few days to avoid making your father more upset.”

“Well, if you don’t share a room with him for two nights, he’ll definitely come looking for you,” Tang Xu teased with a smile.

After dinner, when Wang Cuicui mentioned staying to spend time with the children, Tang Erhu’s face darkened. He huffed and walked away, his back stiff with anger.

Tang Xu handed Xiao Bao he was holding to Wang Cuicui, exchanged a knowing glance with Wei Dong, and followed Tang Erhu outside.

Wei Dong had a feeling that his father-in-law might be in for a scolding. After all, Tang Xu’s expression had been quite serious when discussing the situation.

Wei Dong’s intuition proved correct.

As Tang Erhu and Tang Xu entered the house one after the other, Tang Erhu angrily plopped down on the kang, while Tang Xu stood by the door with his arms crossed. 

Both of them had dark expressions, and the atmosphere was tense.

“What are you following me for?” Tang Erhu glared at him.

Tang Xu sneered and said, “Dad, you’ve lived with Auntie for quite a while now. Don’t you know what kind of person she is? How can you just lash out and attack her vulnerabilities like that? You know very well that hurtful words can be damaging.”

Tang Erhu fumed, “You’re even trying to lecture your elders now!”

“Why not? If you, as a father, are in the wrong, shouldn’t I point it out?” Tang Xu retorted. “You acted out of jealousy, said the wrong things, and hurt Auntie’s feelings. If she ends up leaving because of this, are you planning to find another wife and find us a stepmother?”

Tang Xu wasn’t intimidated by his father’s anger. Seeing Tang Erhu’s stubborn glare, he straightened up and continued to argue.

Tang Erhu was never good with words, and facing Tang Xu, he struggled even more to respond, simply fuming and glaring.

If this had been any other child, they might have been scared and tried to placate their angry father. 

But Tang Xu wasn’t the type to back down. “Dad, don’t you think you’re being too overbearing? Auntie is working fine at the shop. When customers come in, she just chats with them a little. What’s wrong with that? He’s there to spend money and chat with the boss’s wife. How can you be so petty about it?”

“He’s got ulterior motives!” Tang Erhu snapped.

“How would you know? Did he tell you? Is he trying to steal your wife?” Tang Xu shot back.

Tang Erhu slapped the table with a bang, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

“So he didn’t say anything, then why are you so angry?” Tang Xu was puzzled.

Tang Erhu fell silent, his face dark.

“Dad, this is not right. You argued with Auntie based on your own unfounded suspicions, hurt her feelings, and now you’re just sitting there feeling nothing? If you don’t apologize, I’m telling you, I won’t back you up. I’ll support Auntie,” Tang Xu decided it was time to teach his spoiled father a lesson, making it clear that not everyone would tolerate his behavior.

Tang Erhu remained silent.

Tang Xu snorted, “Dad, you can stay stubborn, but I think Aunt is a good person. If she decides to leave because of this, I’ll keep her at home to help take care of the kids. You can go to the town with Tang Li and Liu Yao, and stay out of sight. You can remarry if you want. It might be for the best.”

Tang Erhu’s face darkened. “What’s good about that?”

“Why, Dad, if you think it’s so bad, why are you treating her like this?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Originally, you didn’t. You could have just told Auntie that you felt uncomfortable seeing her chat and laugh with other men, expressed your feelings, and asked her to be more considerate. 

Auntie cares about you and would have avoided those situations to make you feel better. But instead, you started by yelling at her and saying all sorts of things. Do you really think Auntie is interested in that man and would want to leave you for him?" Tang Xu’s words hit hard, without any hint of mercy.

“And besides, when do you ever see a woman greeting other men on the street? How many of them do you actually talk to? Did Auntie ever cause a scene because of that?”

Tang Erhu stayed silent.

Tang Xu continued, “Anyway, think about it yourself. If you don't plan to live a good life with Auntie then don't delay her from finding a rich man! "

Tang Erhu raised his hand as if to strike him.

Tang Xu quickly turned and ran, knowing better than to wait around to be hit.

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