The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 251

 

| TBBOTOF | 251

At the beginning of the year, the mule cart had not yet reached the entrance of the old Tang family home when Luo Pingping, who was waiting outside, greeted with a cheerful smile.

A few women who were chatting with Luo Pingping turned their heads upon hearing the cart and, seeing it, teasingly said: 

"Look at you, you're so popular, we're all envious of you."

Luo Pingping glared at them playfully and laughed, "Well, we've earned some money too. As long as we raise the chickens and ducks well, we’ll make a profit!"

These two women were close to Luo Pingping. Usually, when there was no work to do, they liked to gather and gossip about the village. Seeing that Old Tang had earned some money, of course, they were envious and asked if she could share some advice.

Luo Pingping responded, "What advice? It's just about raising chickens and ducks. I mentioned it casually and told them they could try it too, but they must feed them medicine, or else if the chicken dies, he won’t take them; he only takes the healthy ones."

Tang Xu got out of the cart, lifted the three children down, and as soon as he turned around, he saw Luo Pingping talking to some people.

He didn't recognize them but they looked familiar.

Smiling, he greeted, "Auntie, happy new year!" 

The three boys stood by the side and simultaneously wished them a sweet New Year greeting.

The three good-looking children greeted politely, and not only did Luo Pingping, who already adored them, feel delighted, but the two women were also filled with joy and smiles.

"Oh my, we've finally seen them! This must be the little immortal child! They look absolutely stunning!"

"Xu Ge'er looks amazing too. Not only does he look good, but he also knows how to make money and have children. In this whole area, which young ger is better at having kids than you?"

Tang Xu couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, thinking to himself that these comments weren’t exactly pleasant to hear.

However, he still politely smiled, then turned to Luo Pingping and said, "Auntie, let’s go inside. I brought some oil pastries for you."

He had already delivered gifts before the New Year, but this time he was just coming to offer New Year greetings. Nevertheless, Tang Xu never came empty-handed. 

The night before, he had made some oil pastries—both savory and sweet.

The old lady and the old man liked the savory ones, while others preferred the sweet ones.

He had made plenty, intending them as today’s gift, and they were perfect for a snack before the meal.

Luo Pingping smiled brightly as she took the small bamboo basket from him, holding it in one hand while guiding Er Bao over. She then said to the two women, "Alright, we’ll go in now, we can chat some other time."

After saying that, she turned to Wei Dong and said, "Dongzi, park the cart in the yard."

Wei Dong nodded and went over to open both gates of the courtyard, driving the mule cart in.

Once the gate was closed, the two women outside exchanged looks, each with something on their minds.

"Are you going to raise them? I’m thinking of buying ten ducklings after the New Year. If we buy it together, it’ll be cheaper."

"I haven’t discussed it with my family yet. You know how my mother-in-law is, if she doesn’t let me, I can’t raise them."

"Your mother-in-law is really strict for her age."

The two of them left together, and soon their voices faded away.

Tang Xu had Xiao Bao follow the chubby boy inside, took the basket from Luo Pingping, and then slipped his arm around her shoulders, smiling as he asked, "I thought you two were going to be out longer. Why are you back so soon?"

"Who told you that?" Luo Pingping looked at him in surprise.

"My dad. He mentioned it yesterday, and said you two went to your eldest daughter’s place." Tang Xu’s face softened with a gentle smile. "How is her health?" 

Tang Xu remembered his cousin, Tang Mei, as a carefree and cheerful girl who always loved to laugh. She was four or five years older than him and had married early. It had been years since he last saw her.

Luo Pingping sighed, watching Er Bao run off before speaking, "Don’t even mention it. My daughter has lost a lot of weight, and she doesn’t look as energetic anymore."

Tang Xu’s smile faded, his expression becoming serious as he asked, "What happened?"

Luo Pingping shook her head. "She says she can’t eat, can’t sleep well. She even went to see a doctor, but the medicine they prescribed hasn’t helped."

Tang Xu's mind immediately started racing with various suspicions, wondering if perhaps Tang Mei’s mother-in-law was behind it.

But then he thought, since his uncle and aunt had already seen her, there probably wasn’t anything too serious going on.

After a moment, he asked, "Did you mention raising chickens and ducks to her?"

"I didn’t," Luo Pingping replied, her tone rising in frustration as she continued, "Her mother-in-law treats us like we're beggars. She guards every word we say, and I even suggested making money by raising chickens and ducks. She said how cheap we were. Besides, with my daughter’s health right now, how could she possibly take care of chickens and ducks? I wouldn’t want to add more trouble for her."

Tang Xu sighed as they reached the front of the main house. Luo Pingping pulled him aside, lowering her voice as she cautioned, "Don’t let the old lady know about this. She dotes on my eldest daughter. If she finds out how poorly she is doing, she’ll definitely get upset."

Tang Xu frowned slightly. "But if we don’t do anything, nothing will change. If her health is really bad, then the medicine the doctor prescribed might not be right for her. It might be better to bring her here for a while during the New Year. That way, we can help her get better."

Luo Pingping’s expression shifted a little, clearly surprised by this suggestion as she hadn’t considered it before.

However, she slowly shook her head and said, "But her husband wouldn’t agree to that. And with three children to take care of, she might not want to come either."

Tang Xu didn’t think that was an issue. His eyes sparkled with an idea, and he leaned a little closer to Luo Pingping, whispering in her ear, "You could pretend to be sick and trick her into coming back."

Luo Pingping froze for a moment, uncertain. "Do you think that will work?"

"Of course it will," Tang Xu replied with a sly grin. "It’s not like she’s so tough that she wouldn’t let her mother come to visit. And even if she’s a bit overbearing, would she really keep her from coming back to take care of you when you’re sick?" 

He lifted the curtain and winked at her. "Auntie, you should go discuss it with Uncle. If you’re sick, don’t make up any other excuses. Just say that seeing your daughter like that really broke your heart, and you couldn’t eat or drink, and then you fell ill. If your son-in-law wants to come too, let him, but if not, that’s fine."

Tang Xu paused, then added, “And the three kids should come too. You could say you miss the children so much that you can’t sleep, and that it’ll make your illness worse if you don’t see them.”

Knowing how people around here tend to be superstitious and dislike pretending to be sick, he asked carefully, “Are you okay with saying you’re seriously ill, Auntie?”

Luo Pingping shook her head. “There’s no need to be so particular. We’ll do it your way. Tomorrow, I’ll have my eldest make a trip.”

The old lady had already heard some commotion and, after waiting for a while without seeing anyone come in, stepped out from the inner room. She saw the two of them standing outside, seemingly deep in conversation.

Her expression immediately darkened, her smile vanishing as she frowned and asked, “What are you two talking about?” 

It seemed she had caught a bit of their conversation about someone being seriously ill.

Tang Xu smiled, took the old lady’s arm, and guided her into the room, giving Luo Pingping a quick look that said, Just go along with it, and I’ll explain.

There was no way to completely hide this from the old lady. As soon as Tang Mei came back, she would surely notice if something was wrong. 

After all, Tang Mei was her beloved eldest granddaughter, and she hadn’t seen her in over two years. If she suddenly saw her so thin and frail, she’d be heartbroken, and it might ruin the New Year if she got too upset.

It was better to prepare the old lady for the situation, at least a little, so she’d be somewhat ready.

Tang Xu, thinking this through, led the old lady back inside, then called over the three little ones to keep her company. 

The boys began chatting with their great-grandmother, quickly bringing smiles to her face, and with their playful distraction, she seemed to have forgotten about the conversation from earlier.

The chubby boy, sharp as always, had caught bits of his father and aunt’s conversation and immediately understood his father’s plan to cheer up the old lady. 

Determined to make her happy, he proudly mentioned how he had received several red envelopes over the past couple of days and even took out two from his pocket.

"Great-Grandma, this one is for you," he said, handing one over with a smile, and then passed the other to Tang Guangliang, saying, "And this one is for Great-Grandpa."

The elderly couple was astonished, not expecting this thoughtful gesture from their great-grandson. 

Usually, it was their sons who offered red envelopes as a sign of respect; their grandchildren had never given them any, let alone the great-grandchildren.

Tang Guangliang, delighted, hugged the chubby boy and asked, "Who taught you to do this?" 

Normally, gestures like this would be Tang Xu's idea.

The chubby boy proudly puffed out his little chest and said, "My dad taught me to honor my elders and be kind to my younger siblings. I’ve received a good number of coins these past two days, so I asked Dad if I could give some to you both. He said since these coins were given to me, they’re mine to do with as I like." 

The chubby boy spoke clearly, quickly explaining his thoughts in an organized way.

"Great-Grandma made clothes for us. That was a lot of work, so we should show her respect," he said earnestly.

With a warm laugh, Wu Guizhi hugged Xiao Bao and asked, “Your great-grandpa didn’t make any clothes for you, though. Why did you give him one too?”

Xiao Bao tilted his head, watching as Er Bao scurried around on the floor. Then, with a little finger pointed at him, he said softly, “Freeze!”

Instantly, Er Bao stopped in his tracks, looking around with a confused expression.

Xiao Bao burst into giggles at his brother’s reaction, unable to hold back his laughter.

Hearing his brother laugh, Er Bao immediately started darting around again.

Xiao Bao pointed again and said, “Freeze!”

Once again, Er Bao stopped dead in his tracks.

The two of them continued playing their little game, while the chubby boy turned to his great-grandparents and said, “Great-Grandpa, that…spider? Support? That long thing? Don’t forget!”

Wu Guizhi and Tang Guangliang burst into laughter, finding his mispronunciation endearing.

The chubby boy smiled sweetly and went on, “I’m still little and can’t earn money yet, but when I grow up, I’ll make money to build a big house for Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma.”

Hearing these heartfelt words, the old lady’s eyes turned misty, and she nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, yes, Grandma will definitely live to see that day!”

Outside, Tang Xu listened to the laughter coming from inside, let out a breath, and relaxed his tense nerves.

Luo Pingping, standing next to him, gave him a thumbs-up and said, “You really know how to teach your children. My two little ones only think about food and play.”

“I didn’t even teach him intentionally; Da Bao has always been a bit mature for his age,” Tang Xu replied, though he felt it was important to guide his eldest carefully, knowing his intelligence. 

“Auntie, you’d better head inside to discuss things with Uncle. I’ll go to the kitchen and help with the cooking.”

“Alright.” Luo Pingping, with a quick nod, hurried into the house, not bothering with formalities.

Tang Dahu had been chatting with Wei Dong, but when he saw Luo Pingping rushing in, he waved her over. “Why the rush? What’s going on?”

Luo Pingping sighed and, right in front of Wei Dong, recounted Tang Xu’s plan. Tang Dahu frowned as he listened, deep in thought.

Wei Dong, on the other hand, didn’t show much of a reaction—he thought it was exactly the kind of simple and direct plan Tang Xu would come up with. 

If Tang Mei’s husband didn’t allow her to return to care for her sick mother, that would clearly show a lack of filial piety, and they could even bring the matter to the authorities if necessary. 

If her mother-in-law tried to prevent her from coming back—they could make a scene, and no one would say they were in the wrong.

After a long silence, Tang Dahu still seemed stunned by the idea.

Growing impatient, Luo Pingping nudged him. “Say something!”

Tang Dahu’s mouth twitched as he thought, What more can he say? Haven’t the two already planned everything out perfectly?

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