The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 221

 

| TBBOTOF | 221

Sun Zhengren arrived at the house that was prepared for him. Although it seemed a bit simple, it was still quite comfortable.

Old Fu walked around the room and said, "Master, the kang is soft and warm."

Not only that, the room was cozy and warm.

Tang Xu came in from outside, carrying a pot of jasmine tea. After placing it on the table, he smiled and said to the two, "These things are all used by Old Xu, but Mr. Sun, you can have Ah Dong buy new ones to replace them. The mattress on the kang is newly made, and the stove outside is connected to the kang, so it doesn't go out easily. The room won't be smoky and won't choke you."

"Mr. Xu? Is he the renowned doctor Xu that has good medical skills?" Sun Zhengren had been corresponding with Old Wen and had some understanding of the people here through the letters.

Tang Xu nodded and, without any reservations, said directly, "Old Xu passed away a while ago."

"Passed away?" Sun Zhengren was taken aback, thinking he wanted to meet the old friend he had heard about in the letters, who was known for his straightforward personality.

"Yes, Old Xu was sent back to his hometown recently, and he passed away just a few days later. He lived to be ninety years old, a long life," Tang Xu mentioned specifically to avoid any taboo.

Ninety years old is considered a long life in any world.

Originally, Old Fu felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that the previous occupant of this house had passed away, but upon hearing that the person lived to be ninety, he perked up completely.

Ninety years old! He must have eaten ginseng and ganoderma every day! If this were the case for that person in the palace, wouldn’t they be laughing all the time!

"I must soak up some good fortune by staying here longer."

"This room isn’t big, and Old Fu’s room is in the back. Why don’t we go check it out together?" Tang Xu asked, looking at Old Fu.

Old Sun looked a bit younger than Old Wen, exuding an air of an immortal with a scholarly demeanor. The old servant was about the same age but looked a bit older.

"Are there any foods that you two avoid? I usually pay attention to the meals I cook," Tang Xu said as he led Old Fu to the room that had been prepared. He turned his head to ask as he pushed the door open.

Old Fu shook his head, saying, "Master prefers light food, and I can eat anything."

Tang Xu nodded in acknowledgment.

The furnishings in this room were the same as those in the other room, and the mattress on the kang was also newly made. He pointed outside and said, "That’s the bathing area, and the toilet is at the back."

Old Fu nodded. Although the courtyard wasn’t large, it was well-equipped. From the sounds, it seemed they were raising quite a few livestock in the back, but there was no foul smell. This indicated that this person was someone who valued cleanliness.

"You may feel hot when you cover yourself tonight, so I’ve prepared some thinner blankets that can be swapped out," Tang Xu pointed to the down comforters and two thin quilts stacked nearby.

Old Fu thanked him and found himself liking Tang Xu more.

In the east wing room, Old Sun sat by the kang, and looked at Xiao Bao, surprise flashing in his eyes. "Old Wen, is this the handsome boy you mentioned with an enchanting appearance?"

"I was talking about his father," Old Wen shot him a glare and bent down to pick up Xiao Bao, smiling as he asked, "Why did you come over without wearing a coat?"

Xiao Bao wrapped his arms around Old Man Wen's neck, and curiously glanced at Old Sun, who was smiling gently. He leaned closer to Old Wen’s ear and quietly asked, "Who is he?"

"He’s a friend of your great-grandfather, and you should call him great-grandfather too," Old Wen said as he sat down, holding Xiao Bao and checking his pulse. 

The pulse was steady, and the previous issues had passed. "You mustn’t run outside without your cotton coat. Didn’t your dad have a rabbit fur vest made for you? You should wear it when going in and out; otherwise, you’ll end up coughing again."

After saying a lot, Xiao Bao listened obediently, nodding along.

Old Sun found the serious and obedient little boy amusing and asked, "Do you understand?"

Xiao Bao looked up with wide, confused eyes and shook his head obediently. 

He didn’t understand, but he knew it was for his own good!

"Hahaha!" Old Sun laughed heartily, stroking his beard.

"Great-grandfather~ My dad said to call you to the main room; he’s making ginger sugar tea!" 

The chubby boy rushed in from outside. Seeing the unfamiliar Old Sun, he paused for a moment, then sweetly smiled and greeted, "Hello, great-grandfather! Are you the person who will be living with us from now on? My father said we have guests coming today!"

Hearing him speak, Sun Zhengren's eyes brightened more and more. He asked, "How old are you, and what’s your name?"

"I’m three and a half years old, my name is Wei Junsong, but my nickname is Da Bao. You can call me that as well, great-grandfather~" 

The chubby boy was particularly polite. Seeing Sun Zhengren sitting by the kang, he reached out to help him up. "I’ll take you to the main room; the ginger sugar tea my father makes is delicious! It can ward off the cold!"

Sun Zhengren repeatedly said it sounded great and turned to look at his old friend, "This child is perceptive and intelligent; he’s quite rare!"

Old Wen chuckled lightly and replied, "Isn’t that right? This child seems quite clever for his age and stable-minded."

"I didn’t call you here just for a visit. There are two children studying here; they’re also good seedlings."

Old Sun raised an eyebrow and stroked his beard, smiling, "I’ll have to see for myself."

Old Wen didn’t say much else; he lifted Xiao Bao off the kang and let him walk, wrapping himself in his cloak.

The chubby boy came over to hold his little brother’s hand and tilted his head, saying, "You need to wear your fluffy coat before coming out; it’s cold, that’s what dad said."

Xiao Bao widened his eyes and shook his little hand, saying in a soft voice, "Brother~ Get it for me~"

The chubby boy nodded and called out, "Er Bao! Bring Xiao Bao's fluffy coat!"

The "fluffy coat" referred to the rabbit fur vest.

There were many rabbits in the area, and after collecting various rabbit skins, Tang Xu specially invited someone to make these vests, cloaks, and hand warmers.

Da Bao’s vest was brown, Er Bao's was black and gray, while Xiao Bao's was white.

Er Bao ran into the room and handed Xiao Bao’s white rabbit fur vest, helping him put it on snugly. He patted his own black fur vest and grinned, "It’s so warm!"

"Right, if you don’t wear your coat, at least wear the fluffy one, or else Dad will scold you!" The chubby boy said seriously, putting on a stern little face as he spoke to Xiao Bao.

Xiao Bao obediently nodded, "I’ll remember, brother~~"

The chubby boy immediately broke into a wide smile, wrapping his arms around Xiao Bao and rubbing his face against him. "So good, so good! After we finish eating, I’ll take you to play!"

Xiao Bao nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks turning red from the affection, and asked softly, "What are we going to play?"

There were only a few things to play with around, and they had mostly played with everything already.

"My Dad told Father build a snow slide!" The chubby boy pulled Xiao Bao with one hand and grabbed Er Bao with the other to prevent his little brother from suddenly running and bumping into their great-grandfathers behind them. 

"Dad said there’s thick snow on the back mountain, so we can fix it up to make a slide. He said we can do it after dinner."

After saying that, he turned to Old Wen and asked, "Great-grandfather~ What’s a snow slide like?"

Old Wen shook his head, "It’s something your dad thought of; I don’t know about it."

Old Fu came over from the back room and noticed that Old Sun had already stepped outside, and quickly rushed to greet him.

"Master, why aren’t you wearing your great coat? Be careful of the cold wind," he said.

"I’m not walking far, so I don’t need to wear it," Sun Zhengren replied. He turned to Old Wen and reached out to pinch the strange-looking clothing he was wearing. 

The soft texture felt new and interesting, and he couldn't help but pinch it a couple more times.

Old Wen turned to look and asked with a smile, "What’s up? Want to try it on?"

Sun Zhengren nodded, "Is it warm?"

"It is warm," Old Wen extended his hand for Sun Zhengren to feel his palm's warmth. "It’s really warm. When I sleep at night, I cover myself with that down comforter. I don’t dare heat the kang too much; otherwise, I’ll be too hot to sleep."

Old Sun blinked his eyes, feeling a bit envious.

"Later, I’ll have Xu Ge'er bring some for you. I remember he mentioned making some for all of you as well," Old Wen said. 

What he liked most about Tang Xu was that he always arranged for the good things to be available for the elderly and the children. Everything was taken care of properly.

Ever since he learned that Sun Zhengren and his old servant would be coming over, he had been preparing. The down comforters and cotton mattresses were all newly made, the rooms were cleaned thoroughly, and every day they would heat the kang to keep the room warm and free of dampness.

He understood that Tang Xu did all this to ensure the elderly could live more comfortably, without any intention of flattering or currying favor.

So, he was happy to chat a bit more with his old friend, "Since you’ve decided to stay, don’t hold back; just be as comfortable as you like." 

He thought back to when he first moved in; initially, he was quite reserved about everything, but later realized that no one cared about appearances, so he just did whatever felt comfortable.

Old Sun nodded deeply, understanding.

In the main room, Tang Xu placed a small clay stove on the ground and added a couple of pieces of black charcoal inside. This charcoal was made by Wei Dong; not much had been produced, and it was usually used for cooking in the pot.

At this moment, the small clay stove in the room was put to good use. Tang Xu placed a small clay pot on the stove, in which he was brewing ginger sugar tea.

The weather was cold, so drinking some ginger sugar tea would help ward off the chill, especially for the two elderly men who had just arrived after a long journey, to prevent them from catching a cold.

"Ah Dong, bring over some of the sweet potato chips and sticky rice sticks I made earlier. Let them have something to snack on while I finish preparing the braised meat and cook the noodles," Tang Xu called out through the curtain toward the outside. 

When he saw the young and old walking over, he smiled and waved, "Hurry up and walk faster, it’s cold out there!"

The three little ones quickly ran over with their short legs.

Sun Zhengren asked, "Are all three children his?"

"Yes, the eldest and the twins are a year apart," Old Wen knew what he wanted to ask and answered directly, "His body is special. If it weren't for me and Old Xu being cautious, they probably wouldn't have been born."

Sun Zhengren stroked his beard, and after a long pause, he finally said, "If this were in the palace, at the very least, he’d be considered noble concubines." 

With such good luck in childbearing, even women couldn’t compete, let alone men.

Old Wen chuckled twice, "Living a peaceful life is what matters. Not everyone wants to enter a place like that, where people are eaten alive."

Old Sun nodded and didn’t continue the topic, following him into the main room.

The main room was warm and had a sweet smell of brown sugar and ginger.

"Da Bao, bring some snacks for your great-grandfathers. Dad is going to cook now, and soon your uncles will come over, so help introduce them," Tang Xu assigned his eldest son a task.

The chubby boy puffed out his chest and nodded vigorously, "I’ll remember!"

Not long after Tang Xu left, Wei Dong came over with a tray of snacks, followed by Tang Yang and Wei Xi.

Upon entering, they first greeted Old Wen, then bowed respectfully to Old Sun.

Wei Xi explained, "We were just practicing our writing; it was rude of us not to come greet Mr. Sun."

Sun Zhengren waved his hand dismissively, smiling at the two, "What were you practicing?"

Tang Yang and Wei Xi exchanged glances; Wei Xi spoke first, followed by Tang Yang.

Previous TOC Next