The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 268

 

| TBBOTOF | 268

After dinner, the three little ones were very excited when they heard they could play.

They played so happily. Although Sun Yang had seen some of the toys before, he never snatch them from them. 

In the past, when their great-aunt saw them with something good, she would snatch it away. Although Er Bao would snatch it back later, it was never pleasant.

Not only did he never snatch toys, but he was especially good!

Originally, the three little ones were supposed to be coaxed by their dad to take an afternoon nap, but they directly dragged Sun Yang away, saying that they didn’t need their dad to coax them anymore. 

They would sleep with the older brother!

Tang Xu smiled helplessly as he watched the four of them leave. He turned around and saw Tang Mei, half-opening her mouth, looking like she wanted to speak but hesitated.

Thinking back to when the rooms were arranged, it was supposed to be Tang Mei who would sleep with her two sons. 

But now, his three unruly little ones had dragged her son away. Tang Xu felt a little embarrassed and awkwardly cleared his throat. “Cousin, why don’t you let Xiao Yang sleep with them? This way, you can sleep with Goudan on the kang. Although the weather has warmed up recently, it’s still a bit chilly at night. We don’t want the children to get cold.”

Tang Mei let out a light sigh, her tone filled with gratitude as she said, “Xiao Yang really likes them. At home, at the Sun family’s house, he rarely smiles that happily.”

Tang Xu wasn’t very familiar with the Sun family, only having observed things on the surface. 

However, even from just the surface, it was clear enough for him to understand. The old lady at the Sun family favored her eldest grandson, Tang Mei’s eldest son, so much that everyone in the house had to step back in front of him, regardless of age or gender.

It was a pathological kind of indulgence.

Tang Xu felt that if the child grew up like this, things wouldn't turn out well in the future.

But of course, that was just his personal opinion. Even Wei Dong had mentioned it to him.

"You have already left that family. Don’t dwell on the past. Let’s go into the room, and I’ll tell you what dishes to make each day."

Tang Mei nodded, and the two of them walked into Tang Mei’s room.

Inside, Liu Ge’er had just coaxed the little Goudan to sleep. He gently placed him in the small bed, and when he heard the door open, he turned around quickly and raised his hand to signal for quiet.

Tang Xu and Tang Mei paused in their steps.

"Cousin, let’s go back to the main room," Tang Xu said. 

They had just come out of the main room and had planned to return because they were worried that Liu Ge’er wouldn’t be able to handle the little Goudan, but to their surprise, he had already fallen asleep.

Liu Ge’er followed the two out and whispered, "This child is easy to take care of. He doesn’t cry or make a fuss. After playing for a while, he just fell asleep on his own."

"By the way, I gave him half a bowl of goat milk, and he really liked it."

Tang Mei smiled with joy and thanked him, "Goudan has always been easy to take care of. He doesn’t cry much usually."

Liu Ge’er smiled and nodded. He had also helped look after his younger siblings when he was at home, so he was quite skilled at comforting children.

"If you need anything, I’ll go back to my room first," Liu Ge’er said, understanding that they might have something to discuss.

But Tang Xu stopped him. "Don’t go. I still need to remind you about a few things."

The three of them returned to the main room. The table from dinner had already been cleared by Xu Ze, and the floor had been swept clean.

When Xu Ze saw the two return along with Liu Ge’er, he looked puzzled and asked, "Why are you back again?"

"Goudan is asleep. If we talk in the room, we might wake him up," Tang Xu smiled gently at him. "Ze’er, don't worry about wiping anymore. There's not that much dust."

"I was just cleaning up. By the way, do you want some preserved fruit? I’ll get you some," Xu Ze offered.

Tang Xu nodded, "There's about half a jar left. You can pour it all out; I’m worried it might spoil if it stays."

Xu Ze agreed and went out.

Tang Xu gestured for Tang Mei to sit down and also invited Liu Ge’er to sit.

Once they were all seated, he spoke, "For lunch, we usually have cabbage, potatoes, radishes, and various dried vegetables. We stew them with meat. We keep the meat in the freezer. Tomorrow, I’ll have Liu Ge’er take you to see it."

Tang Mei nodded, then asked, "How do you steam the buns? I noticed you prepared a big bucket of dough today."

"We make the dough the night before, and in the morning, after breakfast, we steam them. Once the buns are steamed, we can prepare the vegetables and stew them. Since I still need to make lunch at home, the time is a bit tight," Tang Xu smiled and looked at Tang Mei. "Cousin, if you think it’s too much trouble to go back and forth, we could set up another stove in the shed. We have plenty of iron pots, so it won’t be a problem."

Tang Mei quickly waved her hand, "No, no, this is fine. Adding another stove would be a waste."

"It’s not a waste. The shed at the back still needs to be torn down and rebuilt into a small room. I plan to make braised duck and other dishes there, so it will all be put to good use." Tang Xu's eyes flickered with an idea. He’ll definitely set up another stove.

Liu Ge’er spoke up, "Brother Xu, do you want to connect the two courtyards?"

Tang Xu was taken aback and turned to look at him. "Connect them?"

"Yes, like those big noble families with grand estates, where the courtyards are all connected. They’re huge!" Liu Ge’er’s eyes glinted with a bit of admiration. 

When he was at the hands of his broker, he had once visited the house of a wealthy landowner. 

The estate was grand, and from far away, you could see the tall rooftops. Though they had entered through the back door, the endless courtyards left a lasting impression on him.

He spoke and gestured enthusiastically, his face full of vivid expression.

Tang Xu silently watched him, and after he finished speaking, he paused for a moment before slowly nodding. "Your idea is actually quite good. I had thought about connecting the two courtyards before, but to do that, we’d need to change the main gate on the other side."

Liu Ge’er blinked, his eyes full of expectation as he looked at him.

At that moment, Xu Ze entered carrying a bamboo tray, which held several types of fruit preserves. These were made from the seasonal fruits Tang Xu had prepared in the autumn, and just the scent was sweet and tangy.

Tang Mei picked up a piece of apricot preserve and popped it into her mouth. It was sour at first, but it made her mouth water, refreshing her taste buds.

Tang Xu picked up a crabapple and handed it over, "This one’s sweeter. The apricots I picked have been sour for some reason. Not sure why."

Tang Mei took it and ate it, enjoying the sweet, pleasant taste.

"Tomorrow, you two can help my cousin with preparing the dishes. You don’t need to worry about anything else," Tang Xu told Xu Ze and Liu Ge’er.

The two nodded obediently. Preparing the vegetables wouldn’t take much time.

However, Tang Mei felt a little embarrassed and said, "Actually, I can manage on my own." 

She felt bad about having help with something as simple as cooking, especially when she was already eating, staying, and receiving money. It didn’t sit well with her to have others washing vegetables and chopping them for her.

"You'd be busy for half the morning doing it all by yourself. If they help out for a bit, it’ll be done quickly. You also have the children to take care of. Don’t feel bad about it— we’re family," Tang Xu said, patting Liu Ge’er on the shoulder. "Liu Ge’er may not be good at cooking, but he can chop vegetables really fast."

Liu Ge’er smiled and nodded vigorously, clearly proud of himself.

Xu Ze leaned forward, "What about me? What could I do?"

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. "You? You wash vegetables so cleanly that it looks like as if you wash each leek leaf individually." 

He raised his hand and gently flicked Xu Ze’s forehead. "Alright, you two go rest in your room."

They nodded and left together, leaving only Tang Xu and Tang Mei in the main room.

"Xu Ge’er, do you have something else to say?" Tang Mei looked at him, puzzled.

"Yes," Tang Xu nodded and poured warm water for them. "Cousin, we’re family, so I won’t beat around the bush. I just wanted to ask if you'd be interested in making braised duck and chicken with me."

Tang Mei's eyes widened in surprise.

For the past month, she had often heard her mother talk about how successful Tang Xu and his family were. They had made a lot of money from their cooking business, and even brought in a decent income for the family. She had even tasted the braised duck before, and it was delicious.

Now that she heard Tang Xu's offer, she didn't hesitate and nodded, "I'll go back and make it with my mother."

"Not that," Tang Xu shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

Tang Xu was someone with ambition, particularly when it came to making money.

Although he was working on the small farm in the village, he was also someone who enjoyed counting his banknotes and savings. 

Whenever he was doing business, he’d take a moment to count and flip through them, and whenever he saw that the stack had grown thicker, it made him happy enough to eat another bowl of rice.

Later, when Tang Erhu and the others left, they mentioned that the braised chicken and duck were selling well in the town, but their shop was too busy to handle it all. Many people from the county came to buy, and they asked Tang Xu if he was interested in opening a branch in the county.

Wei Dong had already bought a shop in the county, but it had been rented out for a long time under a long-term lease. If they wanted to open a shop in the county, they’d have to buy a new shop on the street.

That wasn’t a problem, as they had spare money, and buying a shop or a house was no issue.

The only concern was finding the right staff. It had to be someone trustworthy from their family, not just anyone.

Tang Xu had discussed this idea with Wei Dong before. They spent a long time deliberating and trying to find the right person. It wasn’t until Tang Mei came back to the Tang family that they finally brought it up.

Tang Xu explained the situation to Tang Mei, and he saw her expressions change as he spoke.

He understood that it wasn’t realistic to ask her, a woman with two small children, to take on this task alone, so he said, "I’m actually thinking of asking Uncle and Auntie to help. I trust them more than anyone else. We’ll see whether the shop should be in the town or in the county and discuss it with my father."

He was fairly sure Tang Erhu wouldn’t want to move to the county. It had taken a lot of effort for Tang Erhu to persuade him to give up the well-established shop in the town to start from scratch in the county, so his father was likely to be against it.

Tang Mei sighed after a moment of thinking, "Grandpa and Grandma need someone to look after them. I don’t think Mom and Dad would agree to this." She thought for a moment more and then added, "This may not work."

Tang Xu said, "Grandpa and Grandma are in good health. Their meals don’t take much effort to prepare. Besides, Tang Wei and Tang Zu are both around. It wouldn't take much for their wives to come over and cook a meal for them."

The old lady was never idle at home. Although she didn’t handle the cooking, she was always busy with gardening, feeding the chickens, and other tasks. She was strong and healthy, not to mention Grandpa, who was still working the fields with a hoe.

"Besides, I want to take advantage of the good market and make some extra money. Who knows what the future holds," Tang Xu continued, sharing his thoughts. "We need to think ahead for the children. Even if you eventually find someone else to marry, having some money of your own will ensure the children aren't looked down upon."

Tang Mei was moved by what he said.

Tang Xu added, "There’s no rush. My father and the others won’t be back from town until Ah Dong finishes his business. You can take some time to think it over. Once things calm down here, I’ll also ask Uncle and Auntie. I’m telling you this now so you can think about it and be prepared, so you’re not caught off guard later."

Tang Mei smiled, "Well, I have plenty of time to consider it."

"You need to think about all aspects," Tang Xu said. "The environment in the county is much better than here. If we have money, we could send Xiao Yang to study at a private school, which would be a great opportunity."

"Yes, you’re right," Tang Mei replied.

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