| TBBOTOF | 214
Old Xu was going back to his hometown. Not only were Tang Xu and the others surprised, but even Xu Ze was completely bewildered.
It was as only a few had already known about his plans.
Tang Xu picked up the chopsticks that had fallen, then turned his head to Wang Cuicui and said, “Auntie, would you mind taking a walk? We’ve finished eating.”
Wang Cuicui acknowledged with a sound and left.
Tang Xu glanced at Tang Yang and Wei Xi, and the two young men shuddered, standing up at the same time. One grabbed the bowls, and the other picked up the plates, saying, “We’ll go wash the dishes.”
They also left the room.
Now, only Tang Xu, Wei Dong, Xu Ze, and the two old men remained in the room.
Old Xu sighed, but a smile appeared on his aged face. "Why are you all looking like that? I’m at this age now, I’ve been away for years, living freely and happily, and I thought it was time to come home for a visit."
Tang Xu remained silent, not saying a word.
Xu Ze looked at Old Xu with some concern and asked, "Great-grandfather, are you feeling unwell?"
If it weren’t for some reason like that, why would he suddenly decide to go home?
After all, he’d been away for so many years that he already considered this place his home, where he had close family and brothers with whom he could laugh and talk freely.
That distant home felt very unfamiliar to him now.
Old Xu gently patted Xu Ze on the head, full of affection, and said, "You don’t need to come back with me. Xu Ge’er still has things he needs help with here."
Xu Ze frowned, his eyes turning red.
Old Wen sighed and said, "At his age, you never know when something might suddenly go wrong. Going back is only right; the younger generation back home should at least have the chance to show their filial piety."
For years, Tang Xu had been doing business with the Xu family, primarily purchasing medicinal herbs. He knew that the people over there didn’t have a strong emotional attachment to the old man, but Old Wen had a point—it wasn’t reasonable for him never to go back at all.
However, this trip back might be the last one. The thought of a final farewell made Tang Xu feel an overwhelming sense of heaviness in his heart. He lowered his eyes and took a deep breath.
Wei Dong, on the other hand, appeared indifferent. Glancing at Old Xu, he said, "You can’t just leave on a whim. We’re busy for the next couple of days, so you’ll have to wait until things settle down."
Old Xu shot him a glare.
Wei Dong calmly let him glare, leaning back against the chair as he said, "You should also inform the Xu family ahead of time. You’ve been away for so long, and if you suddenly show up and there’s no place for you to stay, what will you do then?"
Old Xu angrily slapped the table. "They wouldn’t dare!"
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, Whether they dare or not, I’ve seen firsthand that they haven’t exactly been the most unfilial to you.
Tang Xu chimed in from the side, “Exactly, if you’re going back, I’ll need to prepare some daily necessities for you. After all, the things you’ve been using here for years won’t be available over there, and that could be inconvenient.”
In reality, there wasn’t much to prepare—most of the things were just small, everyday items. But since Tang Xu said so, Old Xu didn’t argue further.
Still, despite their reluctance to let him go, when the old man made up his mind, there was no changing it.
So, half a month later, Wei Dong and Tang Xu took Xu Ze and accompanied Old Xu back to Xu Family Village.
Since they had informed the Xu family ahead of time, they weren’t too surprised when the group arrived. They had even cleaned up the old man’s former living quarters, lighting the stove in the room for two days to get rid of the dampness, and airing out the bedding.
Tang Xu, with his critical eye, surveyed the room. It was decent enough. Aside from the minimal furnishings, the place felt a bit cold and lifeless—lacking the warmth of daily living.
After helping to make the bed, Tang Xu stepped outside and saw the people gathered in the courtyard.
Not only had the Xu family members come back from the fields to greet Old Xu, but even some of the elderly from the surrounding area had come to see him.
Old Xu was sitting with them, chatting away.
Even though they didn’t get to see each other often, some of the older folks were still familiar faces.
“Look at you! You’re in great spirits after all these years, still full of energy!” one of the elders remarked.
"Why did you suddenly decide to come back? Weren't you living comfortably over there?" one of the elders asked.
Old Xu stroked his beard with a smile and replied, "Falling leaves return to their roots. No matter how comfortable it is out there, I can't stay away forever."
He said it openly and without hesitation, but the people around him frowned at his words.
An elderly man, who looked just as old as Old Xu, laughed and nodded in agreement, “Exactly, no matter how nice it is outside, you can’t forget where you come from.”
Tang Xu glanced at this old man, who looked even skinnier than Old Xu—almost skin and bones. However, likely due to years of farm work, his muscles were still defined, and he seemed full of vitality.
“You’ve taken good care of this old man. You’ve been very attentive,” the elderly man said, his cloudy but sharp eyes meeting Tang Xu’s.
Tang Xu smiled at the remark. "It’s the least I could do. Old Xu is no different from my own grandfather, and we’ve been lucky to have him live with us for these years."
After exchanging a few more words with the villagers, Old Xu seemed to grow tired. He waved his hand, indicating that he wanted to head back inside to rest. Tang Xu reached out to help him up.
Lately, Old Xu’s health had clearly declined. Tang Xu could sense that the old man didn’t have the same energy he used to, and this worried him. Keeping his concern hidden, Tang Xu helped the old man back into the house, guiding him onto the heated bed.
Turning to Wei Dong, Tang Xu said, "I noticed some wood outside in the courtyard. Can you make a step stool for the bed? The bed here is higher than the one at home, and it's a bit hard for the old man to climb up."
As people age, their legs and feet become less agile, and even shifting on the heated bed becomes more difficult. If there were a small step to use for support, it would make getting onto the bed much easier.
Sitting on the bed, Old Xu looked at Tang Xu with a smile and said, "No need to trouble yourself that much. With my health, I probably don’t have many days left."
Tang Xu sat at the edge of the bed, his head lowered, avoiding Old Xu’s gaze.
Old Xu gently patted Tang Xu on the shoulder, speaking softly, "That day will come for everyone. I’ve been fortunate to spend these last years with you all. As for Ze, I’m at ease leaving him in your care. His father..." Old Xu sighed before patting Tang Xu’s shoulder again.
"Don’t be sad, Xu Ge’er. Birth, aging, illness, and death are all part of life. For me, this is a good farewell."
Tang Xu pressed his lips tightly together as silent tears rolled down his face.
Wei Dong, standing across from Tang Xu, saw him crying and reached over to wipe away his tears. Turning to Old Xu, he asked, "Is there anything else you want?"
Old Xu shook his head, gazing at Wei Dong with affection.
He had watched this young man grow up. In the past, Wei Dong was like a fierce lone wolf, but over the years, his temper had softened. Seeing him grow, finding love, and building a family, Old Xu’s feelings toward Wei Dong were special.
Especially in these past few years of living together, Old Xu had come to see him as one of his own grandchildren.
With trembling hands, Old Xu reached into a small bundle he had kept close, pulling out a small object wrapped in red cloth. He handed it to Tang Xu.
Tang Xu lowered his head and looked at the small object. Unwrapping the red cloth, he found a piece of emerald-green jade inside. He stared at it in a daze.
The jade had been carved into the shape of a flower, though it was hard to tell exactly what type. The craftsmanship wasn’t particularly refined.
He raised his head to look at Old Xu, his eyes filled with some confusion.
Old Xu, with shaky hands, gently patted Tang Xu’s head and said in a warm voice, "This is a medicinal jade passed down from my grandfather. It’s been soaked in various medicinal herbs over the years. Take it back and let Xiao Bao wear it. That child is a bit weaker than his two brothers. Let him wear it for a while, then soak it in herbs again before having him wear it again."
Tang Xu nodded vigorously, taking a deep breath to try and steady himself, but tears kept falling down his face.
Wei Dong, too, had a heavy expression, feeling deeply uncomfortable in his heart.
Old Xu turned to Wei Dong and said, "You must take good care of your husband. He is more important than anything else, understand?"
Wei Dong, feeling stifled, gave a low murmur of agreement.
"Now, you two should head back. I don’t need anything. Don’t stay too late and end up traveling in the dark—it’ll worry me," Old Xu said, visibly tired, as he gently waved his hand and nudged Tang Xu to go.
Tang Xu held the medicinal jade tightly in his hand, stood up, and bowed deeply to Old Xu. Then, he walked over and gave him a hug.
“Go on now, go,” Old Xu patted Tang Xu’s back gently, repeating the words softly.
After leaving the house, Tang Xu exchanged a few words with the Xu family, emphasizing that if anything happened, they must inform him immediately. The Xu family members all agreed, promising to take good care of the old man.
As they were about to leave, Tang Xu, still worried, added a few more reminders. "He doesn’t have many teeth now, so make sure he eats soft foods. He likes steamed buns, and when you make dishes with meat, cook it longer. If you don’t like eating it so soft, take some out for him and add more water to stew it a bit longer. Don’t skip it just because you think it’s too much trouble or exhausting. And his bedding, make sure to air it out every few days. Keep the heated bed warm too; at his age, he doesn’t stay warm like before. If the bed’s cold, he won’t be able to handle it.”
As he spoke, the elders of the Xu family listened quietly, nodding in agreement.
Tang Xu wiped his eyes quickly and continued, "Don’t find it too much trouble to keep the stove going. Make him bone broth or meat soup often. I’ve arranged with Dong to have big bones delivered from the village butcher, so it’s not difficult. Just put a pot on the stove while you’re heating the bed, and it’ll simmer on its own. Also, tofu—he likes soft tofu. Cut some up when you’re making soup.”
The more Tang Xu spoke, the more he felt that Old Xu might not get the care he truly needed here. A strong urge to go back in and take the old man home with him welled up inside him.
But Tang Xu knew deep down that it was impossible to bring Old Xu back with them.
Wei Dong, understanding his feelings, gently put his arm around Tang Xu's shoulders and nodded slightly to the Xu family. “Take good care of Old Xu. We’ll be heading back.”
As Wei Dong held him and led him out, Tang Xu turned his head and reiterated to the Xu family, “If anything happens, make sure to let us know right away!”
After the couple left, the Xu family members looked at each other and let out a collective sigh of relief.
“I’ll go make some soup for Old Xu.”
“Right, right, I’ll go heat the bed. I’ll ask him how warm he wants it—it can’t be too hot, or it’ll be uncomfortable.”
“By the way, Wei Dong gave me a small pouch of silver. There's two taels of loose silver in it! We should spend that money on Old Xu. Let’s bring him the new cotton quilt we made last year.”
“No need for that. The quilt they brought with them is thick, soft, and light—it’s much better than ours.”
“Whether it's needed or not, just ask Old Xu! It’s not much trouble.”
Old Xu listened to the conversations outside the window, his wrinkled, age-spotted hands gently stroking the down comforter that Tang Xu had made for him. The fabric was smooth, the quilt was soft and especially warm.
Tang Xu had made this comforter specifically for both him and Old Wen, he was worried that they might get cold during the night.
Closing his eyes, a faint smile appeared on Old Xu's face. Everything was just right—everything felt perfect.
Three days later, Tang Xu received two pieces of news.
The first was from the school, announcing that both Tang Yang and Wei Xi had passed their exams and earned the rank of tongsheng (scholar’s apprentice).
The second piece of news was far more devastating—Old Xu had passed away. He had gone peacefully in his sleep, with a smile on his face.
When Tang Xu first received the news, he was stunned for a long time. Eventually, he clung to Wei Dong, biting his lip hard to keep from wailing aloud.
He couldn’t allow himself to cry out, fearing that he might wake up the three children.
Wei Dong exhaled deeply, holding Tang Xu’s trembling body tightly, his own eyes reddening with grief.
The two of them, along with Xu Ze, went to the Xu family home to pay their respects. They knelt and bowed before Old Xu’s body, offering their final farewells.
Afterward, they burned all of Old Xu’s personal belongings, letting him take them with him on his final journey.
TL: I was tearing up tl’s this chapter. Old Xu (╯︵╰,) we will miss you
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