| TBBOTOF | 220
The story takes place on the third day of the twelfth lunar month at Wei Dong's home.
Because it was too cold at the school, they simply took a break. Tang Yang and Wei Xi, who usually followed Old Wen to study and recite books, had been able to broaden his horizons considerably.
The three little ones listened to their great-grandfather tell stories. It was so cold outside that even the most mischievous of them, Er Bao, didn’t want to go out to play. They all preferred to stay cozy indoors.
At first, the three little ones played in their own room or their father's room. However, Tang Xu told them not to disturb their uncles who were studying and writing, so they were scolded and redirected.
After that, the three children shifted their base and ran to their great-grandfather's room.
Their great-grandfather's room had a faint medicinal smell—not too strong, just a light, somewhat pleasant fragrance.
Xiao Bao sat in the soft down-filled blanket, his cheeks flushed. He yawned and, with his big, watery eyes, looked at Old Wen, asking in a sweet, childish voice, "Grandpa~ what happened to the concubine?"
Old Wen was telling them about an incident he encountered back when he was in the palace.
He was telling the story in a simple way, intending to teach the children early on not to be too naive or overly trusting of others.
He had just mentioned that a certain concubine fell into the water and lost her child when the old man paused to take a sip of water.
Xiao Bao, excited by the story, noticed that his great-grandfather had stopped talking. He wriggled closer and asked, "Grandpa~ what happened next?"
"Next? Well, she was rescued, but her body caught a chill," the old man replied with a smile, gently patting Xiao Bao's head. His soft hair had grown to shoulder length, and Tang Xu had tied it into two little buns with ribbons.
Xiao Bao grinned widely, looking up at Old Master Wen, and scooted even closer. "Grandpa~ tell another story."
He loved listening to his great-grandfather's stories!
Just then, a chubby boy ran in from outside, carrying a small basket.
Er Bao, hearing the commotion, turned his head to look at what his older brother was holding in the basket and quickly asked, "What's that? Brother, what is it?"
The chubby boy glanced at him and said, "Dad just made some small cakes and oil tea flour."
"What’s oil tea flour?" Er Bao asked, leaning over the basket, full of curiosity.
Old Wen held Xiao Bao in his arms and smiled as he asked the chubby boy, “Where’s your dad?”
“Our dad said we’ll have noodles for dinner, and he’s having Father roll out the dough. Lots and lots of dough!” The chubby boy placed the big bowl of oil tea flour on the kang table and looked up at Old Wen. “Grandpa, Dad said you need to mix this with hot water, then add more water to make it either thick and sticky or thin and smooth to drink.”
Old Wen nodded, “Alright, Grandpa will mix a bowl for you to try.”
The yellow flour was filled with ingredients like sesame seeds, pine nuts, chopped walnuts, and crushed peanuts. The smell was especially fragrant.
“Dad said you can add sugar or salt. Grandpa, we want sugar!” The chubby boy followed Old Wen like a little shadow, talking nonstop.
Old Wen glanced down at him.
The chubby boy blinked his big eyes and put his hands together in a pleading gesture, “Just a little bit~~ We all brushed our teeth properly. Dad said we could have a little bit of sugar~~”
Old Wen chuckled, pinching the boy’s soft cheeks, “Your mouth sure talks a lot. If you study well, you could become a big official one day.”
The chubby boy grinned from ear to ear, clearly pleased.
Once the oil tea flour was mixed with hot water, its aroma became even richer. Old Wen took a deep breath and nodded slightly, “Your dad sure knows his way around food.”
“He said he should have made this earlier, but he forgot.” This was indeed something Tang Xu had said.
Xiao Bao scooped a spoonful from the bowl, puckering his lips to blow on it before sticking out his little tongue to taste. It was sweet.
His eyes widened with delight—he liked it!
With small cakes paired alongside the oil tea flour, the three little ones and Old Wen enjoyed a cozy afternoon tea, leaving them all feeling warm and comfortable.
Just then, Liu Ge’er called from outside, lifting the door curtain and peeking in. He saw them lounging lazily on the kang, all looking content and relaxed.
“Elder Wen, there are two elderly gentlemen outside. They say they are your friends.”
Old Wen, who had been resting with his eyes half-closed, opened them and responded, “I’ll be right there.”
He climbed down from the kang, put on his thick padded shoes, and donned his long down coat. With a spring in his step, he headed outside.
At the front gate, two elderly men, both with white hair and beards, had just stepped down from their carriage. One of them glanced around and stroked his beard, remarking lightly, “This is a good place.”
“Master has a discerning eye,” replied the old servant with a slight bow, not particularly impressed by the rural surroundings.
Inside the gate, hurried footsteps approached. Tang Xu, still wearing an apron dusted with flour, came out, followed by Wei Dong dressed similarly.
Earlier, Zhao Ming had informed them that two elderly visitors had knocked on the door. Neither of them had expected them to be Old Wen's old friends, so they quickly rushed out to greet them, not bothering with how unpresentable they might look.
“Please, come inside, gentlemen.” Tang Xu gestured respectfully to the two elderly men. “Ah Dong, go ahead and move the carriage to the back door.”
Wei Dong nodded and looked at Zhao Ming. “Go take the carriage to the backyard.”
Zhao Ming acknowledged with a nod, supported the shaft of the carriage, and pulled the reins to drive the carriage to the backyard.
At that moment, Old Wen also arrived. The two elderly men paused for a moment at the sight of him, taking in his attire.
The leading elder stroked his beard and asked with a smile, “Old friend, what are you wearing?”
“It’s warm. I’ll get you one when I’m done. It’s much warmer and lighter than that great coat you’re wearing,” Old Wen replied, approaching and examining him.
Then he turned to Tang Xu and Wei Dong, saying, “This is Lord Sun Zhengren, who used to teach a prince.”
Tang Xu inhaled sharply, a chill running down his spine as he began to cough from the surprise.
Why is such a high-ranking official here?!
What are they supposed to do now? Should they kneel and bow to him?
Old Sun Zhengren waved his hand and smiled at the somewhat awkward Tang Xu, saying, “That was many years ago. Now, I’m just an old wanderer. You can call me Old Sun. This is Old Fu.”
Old Fu nodded politely at the two young men.
Tang Xu quickly returned the greeting, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he looked at Old Wen. “How about we head inside? It’s quite cold standing out here. We tidied up the house recently; perhaps Old Sun can take a look and see if we’re missing anything.”
Sun Zhengren nodded and smiled in agreement.
Tang Xu then pushed Wei Dong gently, prompting him to help carry two large boxes inside.
“Dad~ when are we eating?” Er Bao suddenly came running down the corridor, wrapping his arms around Tang Xu’s leg and looking up at him with a face full of anticipation. “I’m hungry.”
“Didn’t you just eat some small cakes and oil tea flour?” Tang Xu looked down at him, pinching his cheeks. “You’ve still got some on your face!”
“I’m still not full~ Grandpa didn’t let me eat much!” Er Bao rubbed his face, clearly not satisfied with the half bowl of oil tea flour he had.
Old Wen walked over and took his hand, saying, “You’re the one who eats the most.”
“Not really~ I only had three cakes!” Er Bao raised his little finger and grinned widely.
Sun Zhengren observed Er Bao closely and nodded, saying, “This child has extraordinary potential; he’s a good candidate for martial arts training.”
Tang Xu couldn’t help but twitch his mouth in response. Martial arts? Does he want to be a hero?
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