The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 210

 

| TBBOTOF | 210

Wei Dong returned unexpectedly. They had estimated that he wouldn’t be back until the end of May, so who would have thought...

Tang Yang shouted out loud, calling everyone over.

“Oh my goodness, Dongzi, you’re finally back! You must be exhausted from the trip.” Wang Cuicui wanted to help him carry his luggage.

Wei Dong stopped them from helping and unloaded all the boxes from the car himself. He only brought back two boxes; the rest were taken by Fourth brother Pan. Once the cured ducks were ready on his end, they would be delivered directly, saving the hassle of making extra trips.

Not seeing Tang Xu, Wei Dong was puzzled, "Is Ah Xu still asleep with the kids?"

"No way, he just went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, he left not long ago," Wang Cuicui waved her hand. "The kids are still asleep. Ah Yang, go boil water so your brother-in-law can freshen up."

Tang Yang nodded and ran off.

Wei Dong didn’t wait for the water to boil; he just washed his face and brushed his teeth with cold water, didn’t change his clothes, and headed up the mountain.

Wang Cuicui glanced at the thin porridge in the pot. She had just pulled out a couple of logs from the stove, and when she came out, she realized Wei Dong had already left.

Wei Xi smiled and said, "He went up the mountain to find my brother-in-law."

Wang Cuicui commented, "He's in such a hurry."

"Of course he's in a hurry, they haven’t seen each other for nearly three months," Wei Xi agreed.

Tang Xu was picking some fiddlehead ferns. After straightening up, he glanced at the distance between himself and Wei Zhonghong, realizing they were heading in opposite directions and were quite far apart.

As his eyes scanned the distant undergrowth, he noticed a patch of lamb’s quarters (a type of wild edible green) and quickly reached out to pick them. However, he didn’t have a firm footing and slipped.

Wei Zhonghong heard Tang Xu cry out in surprise and turned her head, only to find that he had disappeared.

Startled, she dropped her basket and ran towards the spot, shouting as she went, "Xu Ge’er! Where are you? Xu Ge’er???"

Tang Xu had fallen flat on his back into the underbrush, luckily avoiding any traps or worse injuries. 

But he felt a sharp pain in his right ankle and knew he must have twisted it.

"Auntie, I’m fine," he called out, raising his hand to indicate his location to Wei Zhonghong. "I’m over here."

Wei Zhonghong pushed aside the branches blocking her way and saw him sitting on the ground, with the grass around him flattened. She frowned as she approached and helped him up, asking, "Where did you hurt yourself?"

Tang Xu squeezed his ankle; the pain was sharp but not too severe. He replied, "I twisted it a bit, it’s no big deal. I didn’t see the wet mud underneath this patch, and I slipped."

Wei Zhonghong looked at him with concern, asking, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Help me up, Aunite," he reached out his hand.

Wei Zhonghong used her strength to pull him up. Tang Xu took a few steps. Although it hurt a little, it didn't affect his walking, so he smiled and said, "I'm fine." 

He was afraid that Wei Zhonghong would worry, so he walked a few more steps to show her that he was indeed okay.

"Don't pick any more. Go home and rub some medicated oil on it. If you delay too long, it'll swell up," Wei Zhonghong advised when she saw that he still wanted to pick more.

Tang Xu waved his hand. The patch of amaranth he had been picking was flattened when he fell, and many of the leaves were crushed together, so they were no longer usable. 

But there were still some on the other side, and he felt like he had to pick them, otherwise, it would make him anxious.

Seeing that her advice was not working, Wei Zhonghong simply brought over a basket and started picking with him. But she stayed close, just in case he twisted his ankle again.

Tang Xu felt a sharp pain in his ankle with every step he took, and he was walking on tiptoe, as it seemed to hurt more than before.

However, he didn't show it on his face. He and Wei Zhonghong picked all the wild vegetables around, including some fresh and tender bitter greens.

"These are good. The tender leaves are so fresh that they ooze juice when you pinch them," he said, plucking a leaf and turning around to show it to Wei Zhonghong, but then he froze.

Wei Zhonghong looked up at him, confused, and asked, "What's wrong?" 

As she spoke, she turned around and was also stunned.

Then, with surprise, she exclaimed, "Dongzi? When did you come back?"

Tang Xu looked at the tall figure that had just come up the mountain path he had walked earlier, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Wei Dong smiled at him, a gentle and warm smile.

Tang Xu sniffled, raised his head, and walked toward the man, muttering, "You didn’t even tell me you were coming back!"

"I just got back. I dropped off the things I bought at home and heard that you went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables, so I came over," Wei Dong replied, glancing at the basket in Wei Zhonghong's hand. 

He then asked her, "Auntie, why did you come up here too?"

"I just wanted to change up the flavor a bit. These wild vegetables are tender and tasty," Wei Zhonghong replied.

 A moment ago, she had been worried about how Tang Xu would manage walking back down the mountain, but now that Wei Dong was here, her worries were instantly relieved. 

She waved her hand at the two of them with a cheerful smile and said, "I saw a patch over there earlier; you two take your time." With that, she turned and hurried off.

It was clear she didn't want to get in the way of the couple's reunion.

"Auntie, be careful. The ground is slippery," Wei Dong called out.

"I know, I know. Call me when you two are heading down," Wei Zhonghong responded without turning back, her smile broad. Seeing her nephew and his partner getting along so well filled her heart with contentment.

Wei Dong gazed intently at Tang Xu's face, examining it inch by inch, his eyes carrying a subtle but intense pressure.

Tang Xu's ears reddened under his gaze, and he glared at him fiercely, lifting his eyelids just enough to give him a defiant look. "What are you staring at? It’s been three months and you don't recognize me anymore?"

Wei Dong chuckled softly, reached out to pull him into his arms, and kissed him on the forehead.

Tang Xu sniffled and held his man tightly.

"I missed you so much."

They held each other for a long time before finally letting go. Tang Xu had been standing on tiptoe to kiss Wei Dong, and now that his feet were back on the ground, he took a sharp breath of the cool air.

"Did you sprain your ankle?"

Tang Xu forced a smile and pointed to the spot where he had fallen earlier. "The ground was slippery, and I fell over there. You must have seen it when you came up." Knowing how observant his man was, he was sure Wei Dong had already noticed.

Wei Dong nodded, squatted down, and gently pressed around Tang Xu's ankle, then looked up at him. "Want to head back now?"

"Not yet. We're almost done, and my ankle's already swollen anyway. A few more minutes won't make a difference," Tang Xu shook his head. "Were the three of them awake when you left?"

"I didn't go into the house. I came straight here to find you," Wei Dong replied, supporting him with one hand. "What are you picking?"

Tang Xu pointed to a patch of wild greens. "You know what to look for, just pick those." 

Once they got back, they'd sort them out—some could be washed and eaten as a cold dish, while others needed to be blanched before eating.

Wei Dong nodded, picked up the sickle that Tang Xu had left in the basket, and bent down to work. With swift, precise movements, he cut down a mix of wild vegetables and weeds, tossing them at Tang Xu's feet.

Tang Xu was momentarily stunned, then heard his man speak.

"You sit there and sort through them, I'll do the cutting."

Tang Xu's mouth twitched, and he took a deep breath.

Fine, I'll tolerate it. It's my own man, so I’ll spoil him.

Wei Dong continued swinging the sickle with the same vigor as if he were harvesting wheat, cutting down the wild greens—and yes, weeds too.

The patch of greens that Tang Xu had pointed out earlier was soon completely cleared by Wei Dong.

A pile of assorted plants had grown tall at Tang Xu's feet. He patiently sorted through them while chatting with Wei Dong.

"How was this trip? Did you run into any trouble?"

"No, it went pretty smoothly," Wei Dong replied. 

For him, it had indeed gone well.

Tang Xu was surprised. "You guys are a new caravan. Didn't anyone in the big cities give you a hard time?"

"We kept to ourselves, we honestly sold our goods. We’re not the type to cause trouble, so there weren't many people bothering us." Wei Dong tossed another bundle of weeds next to Tang Xu and glanced around. There wasn’t much left to cut in that area.

Wei Dong sat down next to Tang Xu and started sorting through the pile with him.

"The unwanted weeds can go over here. I'll come back up later to collect them for the mules to eat."

Tang Xu nodded. "How did the sales go?"

"Pretty well. I followed your suggestion and cut up a few samples to let people try, then set up a stove nearby and stewed a couple more. The aroma spread far with the wind, and a lot of people came over just because it smelled so good." Wei Dong looked at him with a playful glint in his eye. "Guess how much a single duck sold for in Yongzhou?"

Tang Xu thought for a moment. "I wouldn't know for sure, but it should be cheaper, right?"

Wei Dong nodded and spread his fingers out, showing five.

"Five hundred wen? Half a tael of silver for one wind-dried marinated duck?" Tang Xu's eyes widened slightly. "Did they sell quickly?"

Wei Dong nodded, "Yes, they did."

Tang Xu quickly did the math in his head, and his eyes sparkled. "So if we make more, could we sell a lot?"

"Yes, we sold about a thousand ducks in just five days. A lot of people wanted more, and your sorghum wine sold out too. I settled accounts with the crew and bought some fabric and seeds, along with fruit tree saplings from Yongzhou. We still have five hundred taels left, which I've deposited with the government bank." Wei Dong explained everything in detail, something he would only do with Tang Xu.

Tang Xu looked at him with a beaming smile, full of admiration.

Even though making five hundred taels in a month seemed like less compared to the thousands that Wei Dong had made on previous trips up the mountain, this was a steady business. 

If the caravan continued to run smoothly, eventually Wei Dong wouldn’t have to lead it himself. They could simply ship the goods from home.

Not only would their family earn money, but their relatives and friends could profit as well. It was, in essence, a very promising business.

Tang Xu sat up straighter, a bit excited as he asked, "So, does that mean next time you won’t have to go with them?"

As soon as he said it, he realized he had spoken too hastily. It was just one trip—there’s no way he could stay home so soon.

Wei Dong’s smile froze for a moment, and Tang Xu's expression quickly turned to one of disappointment. 

He lifted his hand to brush Tang Xu's face gently. "I’ll need to go on a few more trips to find someone trustworthy to take over the route. Only then can I be at ease."

For now, Wei Dong thought Wu Hong was a good candidate, but it wasn't something that could be decided just yet. More observation was needed.

Tang Xu understood what he meant and nodded, not pressing the topic further. Instead, he said, "I've already arranged for Liu Qiaoniang to work with us. Next time, we should have around two thousand ducks ready to sell. Do you have any brothers in the village that you trust? Maybe you could bring them along."

Wei Dong really did think it over carefully. There were a few brothers he got along well with, but they weren’t from the village—they were from the town.

Setting up a wind-dried marinated duck business in town would be convenient in many ways, but the main challenge was space. The drying process required a large area, and most ordinary families in town didn’t have big enough courtyards to build a separate room just for drying ducks.

As they finished sorting, the sky was already fully bright. Tang Xu glanced up at the sky, stood up, and brushed the bits of grass off his clothes. “Let’s head back. There’s no need to rush on this.”

Wei Dong picked up the basket and slung it over his chest, then bent down in front of Tang Xu.

No words were needed—Tang Xu immediately understood that his man was worried about him walking down the mountain and aggravating his ankle injury. So, he was offering to carry him down.

There was no need for formalities with his own man. Tang Xu simply climbed onto Wei Dong’s broad back and wrapped his arms around his neck.

With both hands supporting Tang Xu’s legs, Wei Dong said in a calm voice, “It’s been hard on you these past few days.”

“It wasn’t too bad. Auntie helped me out a lot at home, and Grandma came to stay for a while too. Oh, by the way, let me tell you, my uncle…” 

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