The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 245

 

| TBBOTOF | 245

A rash had broken out on his skin, forming tiny, dense bumps. Originally, if he hadn’t touched it, it might not have been so bad. But just now, feeling itchy, he rubbed it a few times with his clothes.

Tang Li went to look for Wen, but the old man didn’t give her any ointment. Instead, he lifted Tang Xu's chin and asked, "Did you put anything on your face?"

Tang Xu shook his head. "No, I haven’t. I was busy all day in the kitchen and didn’t go out, I only was only cooking."

Old Wen furrowed his brow, rummaged through the medicine box, and took something out. "Try putting this on. If it stops itching, don’t apply any more."

Tang Xu took it, thanked him, and washed his hands before applying the medicine.

There was likely mint in it—he could smell a faint mint fragrance as soon as he pulled out the stopper. He scooped out a bit of the light green ointment with his fingertip and applied it to his chin.

He couldn’t see exactly where, so he just applied it wherever it itched.

Tang Li frowned as she watched, taking the small porcelain bottle from him. “Brother, lift your head. I’ll put it on for you.”

Tang Xu made a sound of agreement. Once the ointment was applied, there was a cool, tingling sensation, and it really did relieve the itching from before.

Observing his complexion beside him, Old Wen nodded slightly. “Our house is warm, and some little bugs always find their way in. With your delicate skin, it’s easy to get bitten by bugs if you’re not careful.”

Tang Xu was left a bit bewildered. Was that really the case?

However, he hadn’t noticed any rashes or itching on other parts of his body, so it was probably just as Old Wen had said—a bug had crawled across his chin when he wasn’t paying attention.

Thinking about it, he shivered.

Tomorrow, he’d definitely have to spray some insect repellent around the house to keep the bugs away.

This little episode soon passed, and the three of them went back to making dumplings. The two women rolled out dumpling wrappers to supply Tang Xu, who was the sole dumpling-wrapper. 

The round, plump dumplings he made, shaped like little ingots, were arranged on bamboo mats. 

Meanwhile, a large pot nearby was filled with hot water, ready for the dumplings to be boiled once it came to a boil.

Seeing him wrapping a few coins into the dumplings, Wang Cuicui chuckled, “The coins are too big; just put in a couple of peanuts instead.”

"The peanuts might go unnoticed if you're not paying attention, but the coins are more solid. Our dumplings are already quite big," Tang Xu said, holding up a round-bellied dumpling with a coin inside and giving it a shake toward her. "It won’t break while cooking."

"Brother Tang, the way you make dumplings is really nice. I could never wrap them like this," Tang Li said, glancing over at the bamboo mat already filled with dumplings. The dumplings were all nearly the same size, white, plump, and rather cute.

After putting the dumplings into the pot, Wang Cuicui nodded in agreement and praised, "They’re not only pretty to look at, but you make them so quickly too. You handle everything, inside and out. Dongzi is truly blessed to have married you—It must be luck he saved up from his past life!"

Tang Xu laughed and, after washing his hands, brushed the flour off his apron. "Auntie, don’t say that. I’m the one lucky to have married Ah Dong. Besides, as a married couple, we’re meant to support each other and make life more and more prosperous."

His husband was educated and skilled in fighting, could earn money, and was quick-witted. 

Even if Tang Xu wasn’t busy in the home, his husband would still manage to keep things running smoothly.

In the years since their marriage, people said that Wei Dong had only been able to freely venture out and build his career because he had Tang Xu by his side. But the truth was, Tang Xu was the one who couldn’t do without his husband.

Seeing their happy life, Wang Cuicui felt genuine happiness for them. Since marrying Tang Erhu, she herself had enjoyed a rich and fulfilling life.

Wang Cuicui thought about how Ah Li would soon be married, and she hoped that she would have a happy life.

With that thought, she glanced over at Tang Li, smiling as she said, “Ah Li is getting married soon too. Maybe next year, our family will have a little baby.”

Tang Li blushed deeply at her words, feeling quite shy.

Tang Xu also chuckled lightly and asked, “Auntie, has my father discussed it with you? Ah Li and Liu Yao’s marriage need to be cleared up with the Liu family. After all, Liu Yao hasn’t lived with them for many years, and once Ah Li is married, she definitely won’t be looking after her in-laws.”

Wang Cuicui nodded, gently stirring the dumplings in the pot with a strainer. The plump dumplings floated in the water, swirling around.

She covered the pot, stood up straight, and said, “Your father thinks the two families should meet and have a meal together, talk about the wedding process. We’ve never married off a daughter before, so there are a lot of things we don’t know.”

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. “What did Liu Yao say?” 

He had been so busy preparing for the New Year and sorting things out that he hadn’t had time to talk to Liu Yao.

“I’m not sure, I haven’t asked. Your father brought it up with him, but from the look of it, they’ve probably discussed things pretty well,” Wang Cuicui replied. 

She lifted the lid of the pot, gave the dumplings another stir with the strainer, then fished one out and placed it in a bowl, offering it to Tang Li. “Try it and see if it’s cooked through.”

Tang Li picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, broke it in half, and looked at the filling inside. She blew on it to cool it down, then took a bite and chewed. "It's cooked."

Wang Cuicui quickly started scooping out the dumplings. "Xu Ge'er, help me pass me two plates."

In the main room, after a short break, everyone sat back down. Although they had just eaten a meal with wine and meat, seeing the dumplings now, they eagerly picked up their chopsticks.

The three little ones, usually hard to get to sleep with repeated calls, were now struggling to keep their eyes open because it was New Year’s Eve and they weren’t allowed to sleep. They were so tired that their eyes could barely stay open.

Xiao Bao was lying in Wei Dong’s arms, eyes closed, with his little mouth half open, already half asleep.

Er Bao was using a small spoon to scoop out dumplings from his bowl, but after several tries, he still couldn’t get any. His eyes were barely open, and he was so tired they had lost their focus.

Da Bao, the oldest, was a bit more alert than his brothers. He poked at a dumpling with his chopsticks and tried to put it in his mouth, but probably because he was extremely tired, the dumpling ended up smashing into his nose. 

This startled him, and his big round eyes widened in confusion as he reached up to touch his wet nose, unsure of what had just happened.

The adults couldn’t help but laugh as they watched the three little ones. Tang Erhu, a bit tipsy, playfully teased his eldest grandson, saying, "Grandpa will feed you!"

The chubby boy turned his head toward the other side, stubbornly replying, "I can eat myself!"

He then picked up his small bowl, brought it close to his mouth, and used his chopsticks to push a dumpling into his mouth. While chewing, he proudly puffed out his little chest. "Grandpa, look, I ate it!"

Tang Erhu laughed heartily and gently patted him on the head. "You're really amazing!"

The second batch of dumplings was soon brought to the table, and Tang Xu smiled as he said, "There's five coins inside. Let’s see who gets one."

Everyone eagerly reached for the hot dumplings, hoping for good luck.

In the end, it was Wei Dong, with his remarkable appetite, who claimed first place, eating three of the dumplings with coins. The remaining two coins were eaten by Old Wen and Tang Xu.

The three little ones were no longer awake to the adults’ chatter and laughter; they were simply too exhausted to stay awake. Xiao Bao had already fallen asleep and couldn’t be roused no matter how much they tried to wake him up.

Er Bao was lying across Wang Cuicui’s and Tang Yang’s laps, eyes closed, softly snoring.

"Let them sleep; it’s already past midnight, and they don’t need to stay up any longer," Old Wen said.

Tang Xu nodded and spoke to the three elderly men, who were just as tired. "You should go rest too. It's enough just to show your face. No need to stay up with us."

In their village, people traditionally stayed up for the New Year's Eve celebration, waiting for the rooster to crow before returning to their rooms to rest. However, they wouldn’t sleep long before having to get up again to prepare for the first day of the new year and start visiting relatives.

Tang Xu had prepared a set of wooden Mahjong tiles. A few years ago, during the New Year’s celebration, the whole family had stayed up together, but it had been so boring with everyone just staring at each other. 

So, in his free time, Tang Xu had carved a set of Mahjong tiles.

After sending the elders back to their rooms, he called his family to gather in the living room to play a couple of rounds.

One table was playing Mahjong, while the other had Go pieces for a game of Five-in-a-Row, along with some leaf cards. The leaf cards were also popular in the village, but Tang Xu wasn’t particularly interested in them.

With a smile, Tang Xu set up the Mahjong game and explained the rules to Liu Yao, Wei Dong, and Wang Cuicui.

For the first four rounds, the three of them were completely lost and confused. But by the fifth round, they began to understand the game, and after that, they couldn’t stop playing.

The four of them clattered away, getting more and more spirited as they played.

The people at the other table, who had been watching, slowly gathered behind the Mahjong players. At first, they didn’t understand what was going on, but once they figured it out, they found it quite fun.

“Auntie, Auntie, play here, this one!”

“No, you can’t play that one, play this one instead!”

“No, you can’t, if you play that, Brother will take it!”

Tang Xu, seeing Tang Li, Tang Yang, and Wei Xi watching, couldn’t help but laugh and say, “A true gentleman keeps silent while watching a game. You three, can you just watch and not comment? Tang Yang, what’s with you looking at both sides of the tiles? Are you helping them cheat?”

Tang Yang quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth, flashing a grin at his older brother.

Tang Xu gave him a side-eye before turning to Wang Cuicui. "Auntie, it's your turn to play."

Wang Cuicui picked up the tile that Wei Dong had played, and Liu Yao, sitting opposite her, raised his hand. "Pong!"

"Ah! I told you not to play that!" Tang Yang exclaimed.

"You can't just hold on to it; it's useless," Liu Yao replied.

Tang Xu sighed, then turned to Tang Li and Wei Xi. "Quiet down! If you keep chatting, I'll start disciplining people."

Tang Li and Wei Xi bit their lips, suppressing their laughter, and quickly promised they wouldn't say another word.

But the problem was, they simply couldn't help it!

Tang Xu, feeling a headache from their constant chatter, finished the round, stretched his back, and glanced outside where the first light of dawn was starting to show. "Alright, no more playing, it's getting light. Let's go to bed."

Everyone turned to look, and sure enough, the sky had already turned a faint blue.

Just then, the rooster in the backyard let out its first crow.

"Time really flies when you're playing cards," Liu Yao said with a stretch of his neck. "This Mahjong game is quite fun. Let’s play again this afternoon!"

As he stood up, he realized that he was a bit sore from sitting so long.

Tang Xu gave Liu Yao a disapproving look, unable to hide his frustration. "Today is the first day of the New Year. No matter the reason, you should go home for a visit. Even if you're a son-in-law, you still need to go back!"

Liu Yao’s mouth twitched, and his eyelids flickered a few times. "Brother, I already went back and gave them gifts before the New Year."

Tang Xu narrowed his eyes. "What, so just going back before the New Year is enough? Do you still want to marry Ah Li or not?"

Liu Yao quickly replied, "Of course I want to! But I have nowhere to stay if I go back. What’s the point of going home?" 

He scratched his head in frustration. "You know, Brother, they haven’t really accepted me these years, so there’s no need for me to go back. I can handle everything myself for my marriage with Ah Li."

Tang Xu slapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Stop making excuses. I’m not telling you to stay at their house. Just take the New Year gifts back, mention the marriage, and discuss a wedding date. If they have time, they should come over. The two families should at least meet and have a talk."

Liu Yao sighed in resignation. It was clear he was reluctant to go back.

But Tang Xu didn’t care how much he resisted. He stuck to his point. "Even if you're the son-in-law, you can’t just ignore your parents. People will talk behind your back if you do!"

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