| TBBOTOF | 265
Watching the three children run off to wash their faces and brush their teeth, Tang Xu said to Wei Dong, "I just got provoked."
"How?" Wei Dong asked.
"My auntie bought a bracelet, and she showed it off to me. Then I went to the kitchen and ran into Ah Li.” He said to Wei Dong with a faint glance at his husband, “You haven't given me any surprises!'"
When had he ever created surprises?
Since they got married until now, for so many years, it seemed that whatever Wei Dong did, his husband was always surprised, without any need to go out of his way to create surprises.
Besides, Wei Dong added in confusion, "Haven't I bought so many gold and silver bracelets? Can't you just wear them and show off?"
Tang Xu's expression twitched. "Don't flaunt your wealth! Don't you understand?"
Before his husband started traveling as a merchant, Wei Dong had already given him plenty of gold and silver jewelry. Later, after visiting larger cities, the jewelry he brought back became more exquisite, but Tang Xu never wore any of it.
Originally, Wei Dong's business trips had already made many people envious of the profits involved. If others saw Tang Xu adorned in gold and silver, flaunting wealth, it might stir up certain thoughts, making them target their family.
With young and old members to take care of, Tang Xu dared not invite trouble upon himself.
However, he couldn’t say this to Wei Dong. Saying it would make it seem like he didn’t like those gold and silver ornaments.
“If I wear them while working every day; it would be inconvenient. But when Ah Li gets married, I’ll definitely wear them,” Tang Xu said.
Having lived together for so many years, how could Wei Dong not know what little thoughts were running through Tang Xu’s head?
Wei Dong didn’t expose him, just nodded, folded the quilt he was holding, stood up, put an arm around Tang Xu’s shoulders, and kissed the corner of his lips.
“Maybe we’ve been too idle lately,” Wei Dong said.
Tang Xu blinked. What did that mean? Were they even talking about the same thing?
He was saying he felt like he’d been fed dog food, surrounded by public displays of affection!
What did Wei Dong mean by that?
How was he idle?
He was busy every single day!
Wei Dong wrapped an arm around Tang Xu’s shoulders and led him outside, already thinking to himself that he needed to put that unused plot of land to work soon.
Otherwise, his husband would have too much free time to let his mind wander, which wasn’t good.
“I’ve already talked to Fourth Brother Pan and the others. We’ll start work in three days.”
Tang Xu was a bit stunned by the abrupt shift in conversation but still managed to follow along. He nodded and said, “Alright, do we provide lunch?”
“Yeah, we’ll have Auntie come over to help cook.”
“That’s not great, is it? Auntie has plenty of her own things to handle at home. I’ll just have Ah Li help me with the cooking.”
As soon as Tang Xu said that, he realized it might not be right. Hadn’t Tang Erhu and the others mentioned that they were planning to go back and open their shop after the New Year?
He scratched his head and nodded. “Alright then, I’ll go talk to Auntie. And we can’t have her work for free; we’ll need to pay her.”
Wei Dong gave a small grunt of acknowledgment.
Tang Xu figured that making a big pot of food wouldn’t be too difficult. He could just prepare a hearty stew with meat and serve it alongside big steamed buns—enough for everyone to eat their fill.
Right now, the vegetable plots had just been turned over and sown with seeds. The family was mostly living off their stored winter vegetables—radishes, cabbages, and various dried greens.
Their family had a lot of mouths to feed—not just the people, but also the livestock in the backyard. Every year, Tang Xu would stock the cellar with a large amount of vegetables, enough to last until the fresh produce of summer gradually replaced it.
This time, over a dozen strong men came to their home to help with the construction. Tang Xu wasn’t sure where Wei Dong had found them, but their physiques were clearly built for hard labor.
Not far from the backyard lay a large expanse of open land. It had previously been overgrown with weeds and filled with various trees, but in the past few weeks, Wei Dong and Zhao Ming had worked steadily to clear it out.
Now it was ready for the workers to start digging the foundation and building the house.
Wei Dong wanted to do things properly in one go, so the bricks and stones he purchased were of top quality. He even hired an experienced craftsman from the county who had worked on the homes of wealthy families to oversee the construction.
Tang Xu couldn’t help much with the building, so his role was limited to preparing lunch each day. He wasn’t stingy about it either—since the workers were helping build their home, they deserved good food. Even if it was just a single stew, every meal included meat.
And so, the construction of Wei Dong’s first large house officially began.
Building a house wasn’t something that could be rushed, no matter how many people were involved. Progress was steady but measured.
By early April, on the day after the foundation was completed, Wei Dong took Wu Hong, Wei Zhong, and the two members of the Wu family on a trip out of town.
The night before leaving, Wei Zhonghong came over to talk to Tang Xu about her plans. She thought that since Wu Hong would be with them, it didn't really matter whether she went or not.
But with so many people to cook for, she knew Tang Xu would be overwhelmed without help.
"Auntie, you can go along, it’ll be fine. I can manage," Tang Xu reassured her.
Wei Zhonghong furrowed her brow, clearly torn. She was concerned about her husband’s health and about whether Tang Xu could handle everything by himself. Her expression showed her inner conflict.
Tang Xu quickly added, “How about I ask my cousin? She doesn’t have much to do right now, I’ll ask her to come help.”
At first, Tang Xu hadn’t thought about asking Tang Mei to help, but it was Wei Dong who had suggested it. He mentioned that getting Tang Mei to come over and assist would also help with the situation at her home.
Tang Xu had been quite surprised when he heard that suggestion.
Later, when he visited the Tang family, he saw the state of things at Tang Mei's house and had to admit that his husband was right.
It wasn’t that the Tang family didn’t accept their divorced daughter bringing her child back home—but it was the way they treated her, they were showering her with too much attention.
They wouldn't let her do any work; even washing clothes became an ordeal, with constant nagging and comments. Whenever she got out of bed or moved around, they’d feel the need to say something.
Every day, it was Luo Pingping who cooked the meals, bringing them to the kang table for Tang Mei to eat. Along with the food, she also had to take her medicine three times a day. While it did help her regain some strength and she gained a bit of weight over the past month, Tang Mei was truly uncomfortable.
But she couldn’t say anything!
As soon as she spoke, her mother would cry—heartbroken and full of self-blame.
Tang Mei had no one to turn to, but when she finally saw Tang Xu, she dragged him inside to vent her frustration.
Tang Xu listened with growing discomfort, then he asked her if she would be willing to come help him cook.
Tang Mei’s expression was one of intense emotion, but after her initial excitement, it quickly turned into a bit of hesitation.
Tang Xu understood why she hesitated. It wasn’t just about helping him out; it was because she was worried about what people would say regarding her divorce and how it might reflect poorly on them.
"Cousin, I won’t say much. I’ll just ask one thing: do you really want to spend the rest of your life like this, locked away at home?"
Tang Mei froze and looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Tang Xu gave a small sigh. "You’ve got two sons. I shouldn’t need to spell it out for you, but the atmosphere at home will impact their growth."
He turned and glanced at his nephew, Sun Yang, who was sitting on the kang, holding his younger brother. The child had a curious yet somewhat awkward look in his eyes.
By all rights, he was loved by his grandmother at home, and he should be running around and having fun. However, because of Tang Mei's emotional state, this sensitive child had his natural liveliness suppressed.
When he had stayed at Tang Xu’s house for those few days, the child had been able to play and make noise without restraint.
"You can’t live off thirty taels forever. As the kids grow, there will be plenty of things that will require money. I also know a tutor on my side. It would be beneficial for Xiao Yang to follow him for a while," Tang Xu said.
After thinking it over for a moment, Tang Mei nodded firmly. "Alright, I’ll go!"
Tang Xu then told Wei Zhonghong that Tang Mei would be coming over to help, and Wei Zhonghong felt relieved. She joined Wei Dong’s caravan and left.
Before they left, Tang Xu took a small bundle, filled with silver notes.
His husband, puzzled, asked, "What’s this for?"
"To buy a shop, and also a courtyard. That way, we won’t always have to rent a place to stay," Tang Xu said, patting Wei Dong on the shoulder, a playful glint in his eye. "Let’s work on expanding our family’s business across the land, from the north to the south!"
Wei Dong was taken aback for a moment, then took the bundle and tossed it onto the mule cart. He turned around and pulled Tang Xu into an embrace. "Wait for me to come back."
Tang Xu nodded. "I’ll wait at home. Be sure to be safe."
TL: Sounds like a death flag when Wei Dong said that.
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