The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 281

 

| TBBOTOF | 281

Luo Pingping made a bun, wrapped with sweet red bean paste filling inside, soft and sweet, and the taste is really good.

Tang Xu cut it into small pieces and asked Liu Ge’er to take it to the study, also giving some to Old Wen. There was only enough for one piece for them eat.

He was afraid that they ate too much to eat now, they might be too full for dinner later.

Tang Xu was kneading the dough and cutting the meat, while Xu Ze scooped some hot water to thaw the frozen beans.

“Brother Xu, should we make a couple more dishes?” With so many people at home, just eating braised noodles felt a bit plain.

Tang Xu, while kneading the dough, tilted his head and pointed his chin toward the rack not far away, “The pickled cucumbers are just right to eat. Fry some chili oil, and Liu Ge’er can go pick some small mustard greens to make a soup.”

“Ze’er, peel a few potatoes and put them in the noodles, and peel two carrots as well.” 

When he cooks, he always arranges the colors—red, yellow, and green—so it looks appetizing.

While the three were busy in the kitchen cutting noodles, there came a loud clang from the big iron gate in the backyard.

Tang Xu thought he had misheard and didn’t pay attention.

But Liu Ge’er quickly ran over to check. Before long, he came back excited and thrilled, “Brother Xu, Brother Dong is back!”

Tang Xu’s hand wobbled while cutting the noodles, and he almost cut his finger.

He quickly put down the knife, wiped his hands on the apron, and quickly walked outside. “He’s back?”

Liu Ge’er nodded. “He’s back, and there’s someone else with him.”

Tang Xu frowned, then took a step toward the backyard, but his foot stopped halfway. He shouted through the half-open window into the kitchen, “Ze’er, go get those buns and dumplings we froze the other day and steam them. Also, bring the dumplings over to boil for soup dumplings.”

“Got it, Brother Xu,” Xu Ze replied. 

He finished cutting the noodles and put them into the pot, then pulled out the large firewood from the stove and replaced it with small pieces of firewood to simmer over a low heat.

With this pot of vegetable noodles, just remember the time and don’t let it burn.

“Brother Liu, you take a bamboo basket. Let’s go together to get them. Luckily, you thought ahead and froze a lot of buns and dumplings. Otherwise, we’d have to make something else.”

Liu Ge’er said, “It’s not like that. When we were making them the other day, we still had a lot left. We have so much to eat everyday. Looking at it now, it’s still Brother Xu who plans ahead.”

With a well-planned mind, Tang Xu jogged toward the backyard and saw Wei Dong helping someone down from the carriage. 

He thought it was Wei Zhonghong, and just as he was about to call out "Auntie," he saw that the person getting off was an elderly man with a graying beard.

The greeting that was about to come out of his mouth was swallowed back. His first reaction wasn’t to wonder who it was, but rather to think that his home was almost turning into a retirement home.

However, after a second thought, he could roughly guess the person's identity and quickly wiped away the surprised look on his face, replacing it with a warm smile.

“Ah Dong!”

Wei Dong turned his head and saw his husband, whom he hadn’t seen for a few months, running toward him. He quickly let go of Doctor Wu's arm and stepped forward to meet him, then opened his arms and hugged Tang Xu.

Tang Xu, held in his embrace, was swayed a couple of times and quickly said, “Put me down!” 

There were others around; it’s so embarrassing!

Wei Dong chuckled softly and, after putting him down, looked him over. His gaze made Tang Xu's cheeks gradually turn red.

He shot Wei Dong a reproachful glance and, in the process, pinched him on the waist. “Behave yourself!”

He stepped aside to put some distance between them, ignoring the man's suddenly darkened expression, Tang Xu smiled at Old Wu and said, “You must be Doctor Wu. Old Wen mentioned you; he said he has a skilled friend in medicine.”

Old Wu stroked his beard and laughed heartily, “I apologize for the disturbance. I hope you’ll excuse me.”

Wei Dong, standing to the side, sighed in exasperation. “Can I talk now?”

Tang Xu shot him a glare. “Shut up.”

Wei Dong sighed and went off to unload the mule cart.

Old Wu smiled and looked at Tang Xu. "You two make a very good couple."

Tang Xu thanked him and said, “Old sir, let’s go to the front yard. You can rest in the house for a while. I’ll tidy up your room later.”

“I’ll stay with Old Wen. You can take care of the two people who came with me,” Old Wu turned around and gestured, “You’ll call them Uncle Liu and Uncle Qi. Just prepare a room for them.”

“Okay, I’ll take you to Old Wen’s side first,” Tang Xu glanced at the two men helping Wei Dong with the cart. 

Although they appeared old, their build and strength were more powerful than that of middle-aged men.

With some curiosity in his eyes, he looked at Wei Dong. His husband gave him a subtle glance, signaling to wait for later.

Tang Xu didn’t ask any further and led Old Wu from the backyard to the front yard.

The chickens, ducks, and geese in the backyard were all making noise, which caught Old Wu’s attention.

Since the sun was out, Tang Xu asked Liu Ge’er to open the enclosures for the animals, letting them roam the hills to eat bugs and grass, or swim in the water on their own.

“Is the enclosure to keep them warm?” Old Wu curiously pointed to the bamboo fencing surrounding the animals. 

The backyard was divided into several sections, with enclosures within enclosures, looking quite organized. “Is this to keep them from running away?”

“During the winter, I tied straw mats to the fence to block the wind. The large fence here is to keep them enclosed; otherwise, it would be hard to catch them if they run away,” Tang Xu explained, noticing Old Wu’s interest and adding a couple more details. 

“The hillside in the back is also part of my property. These chickens usually go up the mountain, and the sheep are also raised up there.” His family now had three sheep, and the lamb from last year had grown up. 

When the weather got colder, they would slaughter it for mutton.

A while ago, he noticed that one of the sheep seemed to be pregnant again, but since the sheep usually stay on the mountain, Tang Xu didn’t have much contact with them. 

Especially now that the mountain had plenty of grass, it wasn’t like the winter when food was scarce.

When Wei Dong wasn’t around, Tang Xu had been thinking about having his husband build another wall around that side of the mountain. After all, the entire hill belonged to their family, so enclosing it wasn’t an issue.

Old Wu’s gaze shifted to the vegetable garden, where various vegetables were bearing fruit, looking quite pleasing. He was even more surprised when he spotted a small patch of medicinal herbs. 

His eyes widened in amazement. “You’re growing medicinal plants too?”

“Oh, that’s something the children planted. I don’t really know much about it. I have a lot of livestock, so I use quite a bit of herbal medicine. Otherwise, there would be too many flies and insects, and it wouldn’t be good for our health,” Tang Xu explained.

Old Wu nodded as he looked around, praising, “Everything is well taken care of.”

Tang Xu smiled and said, “If my children were to hear that, they would definitely be very happy.”

Old Wu waved his hand with a kindly smile, looking like a grandfather, and said, “Come on, let’s go to see my old friend first.”

In the front yard, the entire family that had returned with Wei Dong was heading to the backyard, from the oldest to the youngest, no one was left behind.

However, as they turned a corner, they didn’t see Wei Dong. Instead, they saw Tang Xu coming with an elderly gentleman whom they didn’t recognize.

Old Wen, seeing them from a distance, paused for a moment, and then his face showed a look of disbelief.

“Great-grandfather?” Xiao Bao, who was being held by Old Wen, looked up at him. Old Wen suddenly squeezed his hand tighter, making Xiao Bao try to pull his hand away. “It hurts!”

Old Wen hurriedly rubbed his little hand, “Great-grandfather didn’t mean to, does it still hurt?”

Xiao Bao shook his head, then smiled sweetly at him, “Great-grandfather, what’s wrong?”

Then, Er Bao shot past them like a little cannonball, running straight toward Tang Xu, “Dad! Where’s father?”

Tang Xu poked his forehead, “Don’t you see there are elders here? Be respectful!”

Er Bao, poked in the forehead, leaned his head back, then obediently stood up straight and cupped his little hands toward Old Wu, greeting, “Hello, Great-grandfather!”

Old Wu had a little grandson, but since they lived far apart, they rarely saw each other. So, when he saw Er Bao greeting him so properly, he couldn’t help but like him.

“Hello~” he unconsciously raised his voice in a tone of affection.

Tang Xu’s eyelid twitched as he glanced at his eldest son now standing next to Er Bao. His eldest son, with a quick glance, also greeted Old Wu, then started chatting away.

Tang Xu didn’t feel like listening to him babbling, so he waved at Xiao Bao. “Your Father’s in the backyard moving things. Do you want to go find him?”

Xiao Bao nodded eagerly—he wanted to find his father!

“Then go ahead, but be careful running.” Tang Xu poked his cheek and reminded him.

Xiao Bao nodded, then ran over to Old Wu, greeted him and dashed off.

The chubby boy and Er Bao quickly followed behind, since their father was the most important—meeting new people could wait.

The three old friends exchanged greetings, and then started chatting with each other. Tang Xu didn’t interrupt their conversation and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

By the time Wei Dong came to the backyard, he was holding Xiao Bao who was clinging to his neck, lunch was almost ready.

“Get down, let your father wash up. Lunch will be ready soon,” Tang Xu said to Xiao Bao, who was acting coquettishly with Wei Dong.

Xiao Bao pouted, unwillingly hummed.

“Hurry up,” Tang Xu gave him a stern look, and Xiao Bao, still pouting, let go of his father.

After Wei Dong put him down, he rubbed the faces of his other two sons and praised, “You’ve grown taller and stronger.”

The chubby boy puffed out his chest proudly, “Dad, I can recognize lots of characters now! My teacher says I’m smart!”

Wei Dong nodded, “Good, keep it up.”

Er Bao also leaned in, “I helped Dad plant crops!”

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow, “Well then, do more of that. The more you do, the more your dad can rest.”

In the kitchen, Xu Ze was laughing quietly as he served the braised noodles from the pot. He stood beside Liu Ge’er, who was putting dumplings into the soup, and gave him a confused look. “What are you laughing at?”

Xu Ze shook his head, not wanting to explain. He was actually amused by how Wei Dong was coaxing the children.

Tang Xu, feeling helpless, waved his hand at Wei Dong. “Go change your clothes. You’re all covered in dirt. Wash your face and come eat.”

“Alright.”

In the main room, because there were too many people, one table wasn’t enough. So, Tang Xu simply set up two tables. 

He placed the steamed buns in large bamboo trays, the soup dumplings in individual bowls, and the braised noodles in small plates, each portioned separately.

If it weren’t for having guests today, they would usually just put the buns in a large basin. Everyone would grab what they wanted, saving trips back and forth to the kitchen.

Since they weren’t very familiar with Old Wu and the others yet, Tang Xu thought it would be better to be a bit more reserved, so as not to scare them off.

Old Wu also knew how much Wei Dong ate during the time he spent with him. He was surprised at first but still remained calm, and accepted it quite well.

Old Wu, who didn’t talk much, usually kept to himself. But today, as he was eating Tang Xu’s braised bean noodles, he couldn’t help but praise, “Delicious, your cooking skills are quite good.”

Wu Qi, holding his bowl of soup dumplings, nodded in agreement, “Fragrant.”

Tang Xu smiled and said, “If Uncle Liu and Uncle Qi like it, I’ll make it more often in the future.”

Old Wu took a bun and drank half a bowl of soup. He then turned to look at Old Wen beside him and said, “It’s been years, but you’ve changed a lot.”

Old Wen blinked, “Where?”

Old Wu pointed at him, “You’ve gained weight, a lot.”

Old Wen, “….”

Suddenly, the braised noodles in his mouth didn’t taste so good anymore!

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