The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 183

 

| TBBOTOF | 183

Wei Dong frowned, and after returning to the room with Tang Xu, he asked, "Ah Xu, why are they so distant?"

Tang Xu shrugged. He hadn’t seen what had happened, so he wasn’t sure either.

"Is it because they're not close with their natal family?"

Wei Dong thought for a moment and felt that this might actually be the case.

After all, when a woman marries, she follows her husband. It’s been said that after being married for several years and having children, she would naturally be more inclined towards her husband’s family.

"She didn’t marry someone from our village, so we don't really know what it's like over there. We’ll just do whatever Auntie says."

The two of them washed up and went to sleep. Meanwhile, Wang Cuicui was putting grandchild to bed, but she herself couldn’t sleep.

Her daughter had been married for seven or eight years. When she first got married, she would come back to visit during the New Year.

 But after having children, because she didn’t go to help her daughter, her son-in-law had some complaints. Moreover, the elderly in her family were in poor health, and they frequently had to call for herbal doctors, which cost a lot of money. 

Her daughter couldn’t possibly use her in-laws’ money to support her natal family, and there might have also been some gossip from the in-laws. So, her daughter came back less and less often.

Ever since the time her daughter came back after the passing of the elderly, she hadn’t seen her since. 

Wang Cuicui did send some things over a few times, like a jacket and shoes she made for her grandson, whom she had only seen once, but she never received a response.

She understood that if you don't keep something warm, it will inevitably grow cold. Wang Cuicui could understand why her daughter had grown distant, but in her heart, there was always some lingering regret and sadness. 

Especially when she had just married Tang Erhu, even though she knew that his family was very kind, she still felt anxious deep down. 

As time went on, that fear and unease gradually faded, replaced by love and affection for his entire family.

As the days became busier, she no longer had time to dwell on other things, especially since Tang Xu's three children were so close to her. Gradually, she transferred her feelings of regret about her daughter onto them.

Suddenly, she heard some noise nearby and, upon looking closely, saw that Er Bao, who was sleeping in the middle, had turned over and taken Xiao Bao's blanket.

She quickly and gently pulled the blanket back over to Xiao Bao, then felt each child's little feet. They were warm, so she sighed in relief and lay back down.

The chubby child sat up, eyes closed, and started to climb down from the bed.

"I need to pee, I need to pee~~~"

Wang Cuicui got up again to fetch the small chamber pot. The chubby child, while peeing, half-opened his eyes and called out in a soft, milky voice, "Grandma~"

"Yes, yes, be good, hurry up and finish so we can go back to sleep," Wang Cuicui responded, her heart melting at his sweet voice.

The chubby boy nodded, shook his little birdie after finishing, climbed back onto the kang, and pulled up the blanket by himself. In a soft, sweet voice, he said, "Grandma, goodnight~"

Wang Cuicui emptied the chamber pot, washed her hands, and returned to bed, closing her eyes.

There wasn't much to worry about; just taking care of these three little ones was enough to keep her busy. 

As for everything else, she would deal with it as it came. The last time she saw her daughter, she seemed to be doing well, and that was all that mattered. As long as life was smooth, that was enough.

Wang Cuicui drifted off to sleep but got up twice more during the night to help Er Bao and Xiao Bao go to the bathroom. When she woke up in the morning, she found herself holding Xiao Bao, who had somehow burrowed into her arms during the night, perhaps feeling cold.

The chubby child was lying on the kang, leisurely kicking his feet back and forth, while Er Bao was still fast asleep, drooling so much that his chin was wet.

Wang Cuicui looked down at Xiao Bao sleeping in her arms and gently called out to the chubby boy.

The chubby boy turned over to look at her and grinned, but knowing that his two younger brothers were still asleep, he didn't make a sound.

Every time Wang Cuicui saw his considerate and affectionate behavior, she couldn't help but pull him into her arms and cuddle him. She often thought that this child must be some little immortal reincarnated because he had been so understanding and lovable since he was born.

She raised her hand and pointed to the door, signaling for the chubby boy to get out of bed and ask his father to come over and help him get dressed.

However, she watched as the little chubby boy rolled twice on the kang, then sat up, grabbed the cotton jacket and pants that were placed nearby, and started to put them on by himself.

Since she hadn’t seen him for a while, Wang Cuicui didn’t know that the chubby boy could dress himself. 

To her, the idea of a two-year-old being able to dress independently was almost a joke. Many two-year-olds in other families couldn't even speak well, let alone dress themselves.

But then she watched in amazement as the chubby boy managed to put on his clothes. 

Although he buttoned his jacket incorrectly, he really did manage to put on both his jacket and pants.

Not only that, but he also struggled to pull on his little woolen socks, which his father had knitted for him. After he finished, he proudly wiggled his feet at Wang Cuicui, clearly pleased with himself.

Wang Cuicui snapped out of her surprise and gave him a thumbs up.

The chubby boy grinned and giggled, but realizing he might wake his sleeping brothers, he quickly covered his mouth with his little hands. Then he climbed down from the bed, sticking out his bottom as he did so.

He put on his little boots and ran over to the side of the kang where Wang Cuicui was lying, tiptoeing to whisper in her ear, “Grandma, I’m going out to find Father now~”

Wang Cuicui nodded quickly and pointed to the rabbit fur vest on the chair. "Put on your vest."

The chubby boy grabbed the vest and tried to put it on. He managed to get one arm through, but he couldn’t figure out how to get the other arm in. 

Frustrated, he gave up and left it hanging off one shoulder as he ran out.

In the yard, Wei Dong had just finished washing up and was sweeping the courtyard. The snow on the mountain had been too thick lately for him to go out, so, feeling restless, he had started sweeping both the front and back courtyards.

Wei Dong was using a large broom made of bamboo to sweep the snow from the stone path into the vegetable garden.

After that, he grabbed a shovel and began clearing the snow more thoroughly.

He was working so energetically that despite it being winter, he was only wearing a thin shirt, already sweating heavily.

From a distance, with the steam rising around him, he almost looked like he was becoming an immortal.

“Father!” The chubby boy, with his vest hanging off one shoulder, spotted Wei Dong and ran straight towards him, wrapping his arms around his leg.

Wei Dong set the shovel aside, then fixed the vest on his son before crouching down to ask, "Why are you up so early?"

“I’m done sleeping,” the chubby boy said, pointing to the broom on the ground. “I want to help Father sweep the yard.”

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright."

The chubby boy struggled to lift the large broom, which was much taller than him, and then swung it around with all his might.

If Wei Dong hadn’t moved quickly, that broom would have smacked right into his leg.

Wei Dong sighed, lifted his son up, and gave him a little shake. “Go brush your teeth and wash your face.”

“Father, where’s daddy?” The chubby boy wiggled his legs, completely accustomed to being picked up and shaken by his father, finding it quite amusing.

"He’s still sleeping. Are you hungry?" Wei Dong, always attentive to his son, started to carry him towards the kitchen.

The chubby boy immediately kicked his legs and struggled. "Father, Father, Father! I’m not hungry!"

He didn’t dare eat his father’s cooking!

When he was still too young to know better, there was one day when his dad didn’t wake up, so his father went to the kitchen and made porridge!

That was one of the rare times Wei Dong had cooked since Tang Xu had joined the family.

The result was a silent meal for everyone. The chubby boy, being greedy, insisted on eating, and his father fed him a big spoonful.

Ever since that day, the chubby boy swore that as soon as he could handle a spatula, he would never eat anything his father cooked again!

So, in that moment, the instant he heard his father ask if he was hungry, the chubby boy was immediately on high alert.

He waved his hands frantically, "Not hungry, not hungry, Father, I’m not hungry!"

"Oh," Wei Dong said indifferently, "I was going to heat up a couple of meat buns if you were hungry. Your dad made them last night and said to steam them for breakfast. But if you’re not hungry, then I guess you won’t be getting any."

The chubby boy was speechless: "..."

Ahhhhh, I want to eat!!!!

It was no use; his father was convinced he wasn't hungry. So, despite his struggles, Wei Dong carried him off to wash his face and brush his teeth.

After that, he took him to the pigsty in the backyard to clean up!

The two of them, one big and one small, were busy until the rest of the family was awake. Only then did they wash their hands and head to the kitchen.

Tang Xu noticed the dirt-covered chubby boy and wondered, "How did you get so dirty after getting up?"

The chubby boy pouted, looking up at him with a pitiful expression. "Father took me to clean up poop!"

"Oh, well, that explains it," Tang Xu nodded. "Go change into a clean pair of cotton pants. You smell, and you’ll stink up the whole place if you don’t."

The chubby boy’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his dad.

"Daddy! You dislike me!”

"I’m not just disliking you; I dislike your father too," Tang Xu said, pointing to the room. "Go on, go with your father. Your two little brothers are up now too. Hurry up and get changed so we can eat breakfast."

As soon as the chubby boy heard it was time to eat, he quickly grabbed his father’s hand and tugged, "Hurry, hurry, I’m hungry!"

"Hungry? I thought you said you weren’t," Wei Dong said with a laugh.

The chubby boy huffed, "I’m hungry, really hungry!"

The two of them went to change clothes and then came back to eat. Tang Xu had steamed the buns, made porridge, boiled some eggs, and fried some pickled vegetables.

“What do you want for lunch?” Tang Xu asked, taking a bite of a bun filled with cabbage and pork, which released a burst of juicy filling.

“We just had breakfast and now you're talking about lunch?” Old Wen teased with a smile.

“Oh, well, there’s nothing else to do. If you don’t eat, what can you do all day?” Tang Xu took another bite of the bun, glancing over at Xiao Bao, who was seriously nibbling on a bun almost as big as his face. 

He quickly added, “Blow on it so it doesn’t burn you.”

Xiao Bao obediently pursed his lips and blew on the bun, then took small bites.

He ate very delicately, while the other two were wolfing down their food, each practically devouring a bun in one hand, taking big bites left and right.

“Whose family doesn’t eat two meals a day when they’re not working in the fields? Our family has three meals a day, and we eat meat every day. Even the landlord’s family wouldn’t dare do that,” Old Xu said, finishing half a bun and a bowl of porridge. 

He couldn’t eat any more and added, “Eat something lighter, or you’ll get a heat rash.”

“I’m not afraid. Just drink some chrysanthemum tea to cool down. Besides, in such cold weather, if you don’t fatten up a bit, how will you withstand the chill?” Tang Xu smiled and teased the old man.

Old Xu shot him an irritated look.

Wang Cuicui patted Tang Xu’s shoulder and said, “Don’t mess around with Old Xu. Just eat your food.”

Tang Xu was sipping his porridge, mentally planning the menu for lunch. 

He thought that probably Tang Li would come over to call them for lunch, as his father could only hold out for one night; two nights might be too much to handle.

He suddenly realized that he was actually looking forward to his father admitting his mistake.

Wei Dong nudged his arm, and Tang Xu turned to him, asking, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to eat?"

"I need to go out for a bit," Wei Dong said, looking at him with resignation. "What’s the plan for lunch?"

"Got it all planned," Tang Xu shrugged. "For lunch, we’re having braised goose in a big pot with some flatbreads!"

Wei Dong nodded. "Alright, whatever you make is good."

Previous TOC Next