The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 231

 

| TBBOTOF | 231

"Why are you two here so late?" Luo Pingping said, both surprised and delighted.

She reached out to pull Tang Xu inside. Tang Xu entered with a smile, patting the mule as he came in.

"Don't worry, we'll be out in a moment."

The mule neighed twice, shook its neck, and then trotted a few steps forward to find a spot to stand still.

Wei Dong took the bamboo basket filled with meat from the carriage and followed Tang Xu into the courtyard.

"I asked you a question, why are you coming by so late?" Luo Pingping glanced at Wei Dong and noticed the basket he was holding, guessing that he had brought something over again.

Tang Xu, smiling, linked his arm with hers and said proudly, "This morning, Ah Dong went up the mountain with Zhao Ming and brought back a wild buffalo. It was a big one, and I brought some meat over, but the meat's a bit tough, so it needs to be cooked a little longer. We made some tonight, and it turned out quite tasty."

"You always bring good stuff over here," Luo Pingping playfully tapped his forehead, affectionately.

The two of them went straight to the old lady's room. The elderly couple had already washed up and were lying on the heated brick bed. When they heard the knocking earlier, Wu Guizhi had said that it was probably Xu Ge'er coming at this hour.

Tang Guangliang said that was impossible, wondering what could be so urgent that they had to come over at night instead of waiting until daytime.

Wu Guizhi had said at that moment that she would bet on it—it must be their dear grandson, Xu Ge'er, coming over.

After that, the two of them vaguely heard voices in the courtyard. Wu Guizhi, full of smugness, gave the old man a few playful slaps on the arm, saying, "See? I told you, it's really Xu Ge'er who's here!"

After being slapped several times, Tang Guangliang sat up, grimacing, "Alright, alright, how come you’ve got such a strong arm for an old lady!"

Wu Guizhi ignored him, threw on her small padded jacket, stepped off the kang, and slipped into her shoes, quickly making her way outside despite her short steps.

Tang Xu and Luo Pingping had just reached the door and were about to knock when the door was pulled open from the inside. Wu Guizhi stood there smiling, holding an oil lamp and waving them in, "Come in quickly; it's cold outside."

Tang Xu greeted her with a cheerful "Alright," then turned to wave at Wei Dong, "Hurry up, Ah Dong."

Wei Dong quickened his pace and followed them into the house.

Wu Guizhi put the oil lamp on the table and then lit two candles, brightening up the room so everyone could see each other clearly.

"Why did you come over so late? You should have come when it was still light out; now it's already dark," Wu Guizhi said, pulling Tang Xu onto the heated bed while pushing Tang Guangliang aside, "Move over there, make some room for Xu Ge'er and Dongzi to sit."

Tang Xu held the old lady’s hand with a smile and said, "We’re not staying; we just came over to bring you some wild buffalo meat."

"Why aren't you staying? Don’t go yet; I was just about to ask you to take some roasted melon seeds over to your uncle. I roasted them at noon, made a whole bag of them, and your three little ones at home love them. I made extra this time," Wu Guizhi insisted.

"Grandma, you shouldn’t make them next time—it’s too tiring," Tang Xu said, glancing at Wei Dong. Wei Dong handed the basket he was carrying to Luo Pingping, "Auntie, please remember to cook this for a while longer."

Luo Pingping nodded, looking at the heavy pieces of meat inside the basket.

"You’ve brought so much again. Our family doesn’t really lack anything these days. If you have something good, you should keep it for yourselves," Wu Guizhi said, although her face was full of smiles.

Luo Pingping agreed, "You always bring so much every time. You know, you shouldn't bring anything over for the New Year this time, alright?"

With about ten days left until the New Year, it wasn't too early to be giving New Year gifts, but this wild buffalo meat clearly wasn't meant for that purpose; Tang Xu had other plans for the holiday.

"We haven't slaughtered the New Year's pig yet. This doesn't count as a New Year's gift. In a few days, when the pig is butchered, I’ll bring over half of it. That will be the real gift. This year, I won’t be bringing you any fabric; Ah Dong brought some over last time, didn't he? There's no need for more—you won’t be able to wear it all."

"I still say, don’t send any more fabric. We’re just working people and don’t get to make many new clothes all year round. The fabric you sent over the last couple of years hasn’t even been used up!" Luo Pingping said, feeling a bit troubled. 

Every time Tang Xu brought fabric, the family would make a couple of sets of clothes, but they didn’t need to change clothes every season; they weren't a wealthy family.

With too much fabric being sent over, they had accumulated a lot at home, and new fabric wouldn’t stay good for long if stored. So Luo Pingping truly didn't want him to send any more fabric.

Tang Xu smiled and replied, "That’s fine. I didn’t buy any fabric this year either. A while ago, my aunt sent back three red jackets from town to make new clothes for the kids, so I thought I wouldn't make any other robes for them."

"With the New Year approaching, why haven’t your father and the others come back yet?" Wu Guizhi asked as she took off her shoes and got onto the heated kang. 

She brought over a small box, the one Wei Dong had brought back from Yongzhou last time, which was used for storing flaky pastries. The box was quite beautiful, and even after the pastries were finished, Wu Guizhi hadn’t wanted to throw it away.

Now, she opened the box and filled it with melon seeds and peanuts. She grabbed a handful of melon seeds and stuffed them into Tang Xu’s hands, "Eat, go ahead and eat."

"Grandma, I think my dad and the others should be back in the next couple of days. They helped my aunt bring back some things, and that young man said the store is doing particularly well. My aunt told him to let me know that once they finish their orders, they’ll pack up and come back. They should be back around the 21st or 22nd," Tang Xu replied.

Because his family hadn't returned yet, he wasn’t in a rush to slaughter pigs or chickens. After all, even if the meat was frozen, it wouldn’t be as fresh as meat that was slaughtered on the spot.

Wu Guizhi nodded and watched him crack open the melon seeds, her eyes curved with a smile. "How are those three little ones doing recently?"

Tang Xu chuckled softly and divided the melon seeds in his hand, giving half to Wei Dong. 

Seeing this, the old lady quickly grabbed another handful of melon seeds for Wei Dong, urging him to sit and eat over there.

"This afternoon, Er Bao cut his hand and cried for a while. Ah Dong was cutting meat, and he insisted on playing with a small knife, which ended up slicing a line on his palm," Tang Xu explained, illustrating the cut on his own hand. 

Noticing Wu Guizhi's frown and pained expression, he added, "He really needs to learn a lesson before he ends up cutting off his fingers someday."

Wu Guizhi disapproved and gave him a light slap, "He’s just a little kid; you should talk to him nicely."

"But he doesn't listen even when I talk nicely! I really think Ah Dong didn’t do anything wrong," Tang Xu replied, shaking his leg and tossing the melon seed shells into a nearby bucket. 

Then he reached down to feel under the bedding on the kang. "Grandma, your and Grandpa’s kang isn’t warm at all. The room isn’t too cold, but it’s freezing outside right now, and if the bed doesn’t get warm enough, it’ll get damp."

"It’s warm enough! At night when we sleep, we cover up the fire. We’re not cold at all; that duck down quilt you brought is too warm! Your grandpa says we don’t even need the bed to be hot to keep warm," Wu Guizhi insisted. 

To make her point, she nodded toward Tang Guangliang, “If you don’t believe me, ask him if it’s too warm.”

Tang Guangliang, who had been chatting with Wei Dong about business matters, turned his head to look over after Wu Guizhi nudged him with her foot. "What’s wrong?" he asked.

“I’m asking you a question! Isn’t the duck down quilt really too warm to cover with?” Wu Guizhi glared at him.

Tang Guangliang nodded, patting the duck down quilt spread on the bed. “How did you get the idea that duck feathers can make such a good quilt! It’s so comfortable to cover with—it’s light and soft, way better than those thick cotton quilts!”

Tang Xu smiled brightly and said, “I’ll save up for a while and make two more quilts for Grandpa and Grandma.”

“Don’t bother with that; it’s such a hassle to make one quilt,” Wu Guizhi replied, lightly patting Tang Xu's hand. 

When she saw he had finished the melon seeds, she offered him another handful, but Tang Xu waved his hand to decline, “Grandma, Ah Dong and I are going back. We’ll come by again in a couple of days.”

“Alright, it’s getting late, so I won’t keep you two. Just take some melon seeds back with you.” Wu Guizhi nodded and got off the bed to see them out.

Luo Pingping had already gone to grab the bag of roasted melon seeds. Wu Guizhi had roasted nearly twenty jin of them.

Tang Xu was not polite and thanked her and let Wei Dong carry the bag. He waved goodbye, “Grandma, you don’t need to see us off; it’s too cold outside.”

Wu Guizhi wasn’t having it and pulled him along as they walked out, saying, “It’s just a short walk; how cold can it be? You two should have dressed a bit warmer for coming out.”

Tang Xu patted his thick cotton jacket, saying, "I’m warm enough. I brought a copper hand warmer on the cart. Grandma, you should head back; we’re leaving now."

Wei Dong whistled, and the mule came trotting over, standing in front of the two men.

Wei Dong helped Tang Xu onto the cart, and Luo Pingping said to Wu Guizhi, "Mom, you should go back; it’ll be hard for them to leave if you stay."

Wu Guizhi nodded and waved her hand at the two of them, saying, "Alright, you two be careful on the way."

Tang Xu waved back at the old lady and Luo Pingping. Once they had entered the courtyard, Wei Dong gave the mule a light slap on the rear, signaling that it was time to go.

When they arrived home, the three little ones had just fallen asleep. Tang Xu went over to take a look and noticed Xu Ze dozing off in a chair, his head bobbing sleepily.

He gently touched Xu Ze’s shoulder, causing him to turn his head suddenly.

Seeing that it was Tang Xu, Xu Ze rubbed his face with his hand, then turned to glance at the three children who had already fallen asleep on the bed. He planned to pick up the chubby one and put him on the upper bed, but Tang Xu stopped him.

“Just let them sleep like this; they’ll go back up on their own when they need to go to the bathroom,” Tang Xu whispered to him. “You should head back and get some rest; you’ve worked hard.”

Xu Ze rubbed his eyes and smiled softly at him, “I’m not tired at all, Brother. I’ll head back to my room now.”

Just as he stood up to leave, he paused and turned back.

Tang Xu had just finished covering the three children with their blankets when he noticed Xu Ze looking at him with a conflicted expression. He felt a bit puzzled. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Xu Ze scratched his head and pointed outside, indicating that he wanted to talk outside.

Tang Xu blew out the oil lamp, and as they stepped outside, Xu Ze said, "Just now, Da Bao told me that he heard his father asking if Zhao Ming wanted to marry me."

"Ah?" Tang Xu was taken aback, looking at him with a confused expression.

What? That’s not what he heard at all! Why are there two versions of this story?

Xu Ze repeated what the chubby kid had said, then, with a flushed face, added, "Brother, I’m still young; I’m not thinking about those things."

Tang Xu couldn’t help but laugh and shook his head, “No, no, you misunderstood. Ah Dong didn’t mean it that way.”

Xu Ze looked at him in confusion, "Misunderstood?"

"Yeah, Zhao Ming just came to our home recently, but he’s quite honest and steady. Ah Dong thinks highly of him. He just noticed that Zhao Ming seems to pay attention to you and asked about it. Don’t worry; we won’t meddle in your matters. Your marriage will be up to you, and we absolutely won’t interfere,” Tang Xu assured him, adding that he would definitely clarify things with his son tomorrow.

He couldn't say anything, especially when the content of the message was not very accurate. Wouldn't it cause misunderstanding!

Xu Ze nodded, his face still flushed. “Brother, I know you all mean well for me.”

Tang Xu sighed, “You don’t interact much with outsiders. In a couple of years, when you’re a bit older, you’ll definitely need to find a suitable family to marry into. Even if I wanted to keep you here, your father wouldn’t agree.”

Xu Ze understood what he meant and pulled at the corners of his mouth in a half-smile. “Brother, I’m not in a hurry for all that. I’ll think about it when I’m older.”

Tang Xu smiled back at him, “That’s right.”

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TL: I almost forgot Xu Ze has an actual father but he’s just nonexistent.