The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 233

 

| TBBOTOF | 233

The snow in the courtyard had already been cleared, creating a clean path. Even the snow on the roof was cleaned up, and the house itself had been tidied up.

“It must be Brother Xu who did all this, but the kang is still warm. The house isn’t cold at all, it’s cozy.”

Tang Erhu smiled and nodded, “It’s only Xu Ge’er who could warm up the kang like this.” He took off his boots and stretched his legs, saying, “It’s still the best at home.”

“Put your stinky feet back in, quickly! What’s with that smell?”

Tang Erhu grinned and chuckled twice, obediently putting his feet back into his boots while complaining, “These leather boots are warm, but they make my feet sweat and stink.”

“Yeah, right! Even when you wear cloth shoes, your feet stink. Xu Ge’er and the others all wear boots too, but theirs don’t stink—yours is a foot problem. Let me tell you, you either wash your feet or keep those shoes on all the time,” Wang Cuicui muttered as she put the bundle she brought back onto the bed without opening it, grumbling as she walked out.

Tang Erhu sat on the bed, pouting and humming in displeasure.

Liu Yao fed the old cow in the courtyard and only returned to his own room after watching it eat.

His room was also clean, and the bed was warm.

Liu Yao’s heart was filled with warmth. Every time he came home, it was always clean, and when it was cold, the room was warm. This silent care moved him the most.

Sniffling a bit, Liu Yao placed the bundle he was holding on the kang. When he stepped out, he saw Wang Cuicui coming out to fetch water, so he quickly went over to help carry the bucket. “Auntie, what are you doing? Brother Xu definitely called us over for a meal, you don’t need to cook.”

“Your father-in-law needs water to wash his feet. He should wash his feet first—the smell is too strong,” Wang Cuicui explained. 

She knew there was no need to cook since the stove was heated by the same fire as the bed, and there was hot water available. However, the water tank at home was empty, and if they left water in the tank while they were away, it could freeze and crack.

Liu Yao held back his laughter and ran off to fetch the water.

Outside the main gate, Wei Dong arrived and, seeing Wang Cuicui, greeted her, “Auntie, Ah Xu is calling you all over for breakfast.”

Wang Cuicui smiled and nodded, “Alright, we’ll head over in a bit.”

Wei Dong went into the house and saw Tang Erhu sitting on the bed. He greeted him again, “Dad, Ah Xu is calling you all over to eat.”

Tang Erhu, happy to see Wei Dong, waved him over to sit. “What did Xu Ge’er cook? We’re really hungry after coming back.”

“Steamed buns and fried fish. Dad, I’m heading back first to grab the salted fish. You all tidy up and come quickly, the meal is almost ready,” Wei Dong said, greeting them before heading out. 

As he stepped out the door, he wrinkled his nose slightly—his father-in-law’s foot odor was really a bit overwhelming.

Liu Yao came over with the water bucket and, seeing Wei Dong's expression, couldn’t help but laugh. He asked, “Brother-in-law, did you get a whiff of it?”

Wei Dong nodded with a serious face. He had just seen his father-in-law still wearing his boots, and yet the smell managed to seep through—how could it be this strong?

Liu Yao completely understood. Previously, when Tang Erhu was tired and wanted to relax his feet, even in the courtyard, the moment he took off his shoes, that smell would spread quickly. 

Once, it drifted faintly all the way to the front of the house, almost leading customers sitting at the shop to mistakenly think something had gone bad in the house.

Luckily, a donkey cart passed by at the time, and the donkey was hauling dung. The customers thought the smell came from the donkey and didn't pursue it further.

Since then, Tang Erhu was strictly forbidden from taking off his shoes in the courtyard, lest it affect business!

When Tang Erhu used to wear cloth shoes, the odor from his feet wasn’t as overpowering. 

Although it was still unpleasant, it remained within tolerable limits. But now, no one knew what was going on for it to have become this intense.

If Tang Xu were here, he could probably explain it. After all, with athlete's foot, the more it’s enclosed, the worse it gets, and the stronger the smell becomes.

“My dad’s soaking his feet now, and we’ll head over soon. Brother-in-law, you go on ahead,” Liu Yao waved at him.

Wei Dong went back to get the salted fish. He washed it by the well before taking it to the kitchen. Tang Xu was already steaming the buns. He cut the salted fish into small pieces, soaked them in water for a bit, and then placed them in the pan to fry.

“Have my dad and the others come over yet?” Tang Xu asked, wearing a homemade mask over his mouth. He had a bit of a cough and didn’t want to start coughing from the oil smoke.

Wei Dong shook his head, picking up a green radish to peel. He was silent for a while, but eventually couldn’t hold back and said, “You should ask Old Wen to mix some medicinal powder for your dad’s smelly feet. His foot odor is way too strong, and he’s washing his feet right now.”

“Huh?” 

The pan was sizzling and popping with oil, and Tang Xu didn’t quite catch what Wei Dong said. 

He turned his head and asked, “What smell is too strong? Salted fish always has a bit of a stinky smell, but it tastes great!”

Wei Dong’s eyelid twitched. He glanced at the oily, sizzling salted fish in the pan and sniffed the air, which carried a mix of both the fishy aroma and the lingering foot odor. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so hungry anymore.

Letting out a sigh, he leaned closer to his husband’s ear and whispered, “It’s your dad’s feet!”

Tang Xu: “…”

“Ask Old Wen to make some medicinal powder for soaking,” Wei Dong repeated.

Tang Xu nodded. “Got it. After we finish eating, I’ll go ask. But there’s no guarantee it’ll work.”

For minor cases of athlete’s foot, most people didn’t really think of using herbal remedies for foot baths. After all, in the eyes of most folks, herbal medicine was something serious and valuable—who would use it just to soak their feet?

However, in Tang Xu's family, herbs had been ground into spice packets that were regularly used in cooking and stewing meat, so the family didn’t consider herbal medicine to be something precious.

Of course, they didn’t know exactly what herbs were in the spice packets; they just thought they were ordinary and common. 

Tang Xu's spice packets for stewing meat contained not only common herbs but also some valuable ingredients. As for what those were, that was a secret known only to him and Wei Dong—no one else had any idea.

“Brother Xu, I’ve finished feeding the pigs, but the goats don’t seem full,” Liu Ge’er peeked through the curtain and, upon seeing Wei Dong, nervously greeted him, “Brother Dong.”

Wei Dong nodded at him, setting the radish down and slicing it into strips.

“There’s no need to worry about that. Just open the gate to the pen; if they’re hungry, they’ll go up the mountain to graze on their own,” Tang Xu said as he picked up the fried fish and placed it on a plate. 

He gestured toward the steaming pot nearby, “Ah Dong, the steamed buns are ready; turn the heat down.”

Wei Dong took a piece of radish, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew. “It’s a bit spicy.”

“That’s okay. Just blanch it in water, and it won’t be so spicy. Move the buns over to the side; just heat them in the warm water for a bit,” Tang Xu instructed, pointing to the hot water in the pot. “Just pour it in.”

Wei Dong followed each instruction with precision, and he was doing quite well.

Originally intending to help, Liu Ge’er peered in for a while but then quietly withdrew his foot that was about to step inside.

He decided against going in; there was no room for him in the kitchen.

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