The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 284

 

| TBBOTOF | 284

"I redrew the blueprints, and after the craftsmen looked at them, they made some changes” Tang Xu intended for Wei Dong to understand the plan. “The back side is the rear gate, enclosing the whole thing."

At the end, Wei Dong said, "Just follow your own ideas. You could even build a palace if you wanted to."

Tang Xu felt a vein twitch at his temple and helplessly said, “Why is everyone saying that?"

"Who else said that?"

"Old Wen and Old Sun, of course. When they heard I was planning to expand, they said I was building something that looked like a mini palace." Tang Xu pursed his lips and gave a light snort. 

"I'm just trying to make it so the whole family can live more comfortably. At first, they said the yard was spacious enough to fit everyone. Looking at it now—thank goodness I cleared out that row of rooms in the back ahead of time. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t even have space for guests."

Wei Dong looked at him but said nothing.

The meaning was very clear—a silent question.

Because of who?

So many people moved into the house; it had nothing to do with him.

Tang Xu gave an awkward laugh and rubbed his finger against the bridge of his nose.

When they walked to the outside of the courtyard wall, Wei Dong looked up at the top of the wall and couldn't help but chuckle. "The courtyard wall is tall enough." 

It was a bit taller than the walls compared to others; anyone wanting to peek over would need a ladder.

Tang Xu said, "I plan to add some wooden spikes on top. It’ll help guard against thieves."

For now, the wall was only roughly enclosed, but later, wooden spikes would definitely be installed along the top. After all, their home was too large, and even with dogs in both the front and back yards, it might not be enough to keep everything secure.

"Exactly," he turned to look at the man. "I’m thinking, once we move over here, we’ll have to buy some staff."

With such a large area, just the few of them might not be able to handle all the work in the courtyard. Besides, in the future, they’d definitely raise more livestock and poultry. 

At that point, they couldn’t afford to have any ill-intentioned people eyeing their home.

Wei Dong raised an eyebrow, surprised at his words.

Back when the idea of buying people was first brought up, Tang Xu’s husband hadn’t said anything like this.

Tang Xu sighed. "Let’s just say I’ve thought it through." He spread his hands and smiled brightly at Wei Dong. "Guards and workers—at least ten people."

He had considered hiring people instead, but since their family business involved selling food, there were concerns. 

For instance, if someone managed to take one of their seasoning packets to a skilled herbalist, they might not understand it, but if multiple people tried, someone might figure it out. So relying solely on hired labor wasn’t feasible.

To put it bluntly, in times like these, even household slaves bound by contracts could betray you, but they were still more reliable than hired workers.

He shared his thoughts with Wei Dong. In the future, there would be even more work, both inside and outside the home. He was also planning to plant various fruit trees on a nearby hillside, which would make things even busier.

Wei Dong couldn’t quite understand Tang Xu’s desire to settle down in the village, so he asked.

“If we go to the city, what would I do? Sit around doing nothing and let people serve me all day? I’m not some high-ranking official! Having you buy people is just to help me get the work done. Do you think I’d just sit there watching others work while I laze around?” Tang Xu shot him a sideways glance.

As the two spoke, they walked into the walled area. The construction site had already been divided into what would become the front courtyard. 

The design included covered walkways and small pavilions, but there was still plenty of open space, which could be used for planting flowers and vegetables. Tang Xu planned to arrange it all himself later.

“The rear courtyard will be divided into several smaller courtyards. I figure when the kids grow up, it won’t be appropriate for everyone to live together. Might as well convert it into smaller yards so they can have their own space,” Tang Xu explained, pointing ahead. 

“We’ll build a few more connected courtyards. That way, our family can all live on one side, and guests can stay on the other. The first and second courtyards will be completely separated.”

Wei Dong nodded. He had delivered prey to wealthy families before and had seen how their homes were designed. He understood how this sort of setup worked. “Alright, go ahead and plan it however you like.”

“When the new house is finished, we won’t raise chickens, ducks, or other livestock near it. Instead, we’ll plant some vegetables. I’ll have them dig a large pond and plant lotuses. Lotus seeds and roots are great things to have.” Tang Xu thought about how he always had to rely on luck to buy lotus roots—sometimes they weren’t even available at the market, no matter how much money you had. 

So he decided to grow them himself.

Wei Dong wrapped an arm around his shoulders, listening as Tang Xu spoke, occasionally chiming in with a word or two of agreement.

The men working on the construction were all familiar to Wei Dong, and when they saw him return, they greeted him warmly.

Tang Xu patted Wei Dong’s arm, signaling for him to go over and say a few words.

Meanwhile, Tang Xu wandered around the covered walkway, talking to himself. “Let’s put a stone table in this pavilion, with four stone stools.”

“Maybe slide? That’d be nice for the kids to play on.” Tang Xu spun around a couple of times in the open space, but then shook his head. 

Forget it—his three little troublemakers didn’t need a slide to wreak havoc; they could already turn the house upside down without it. “A martial arts training ground might be a better idea.”

Thinking of his second son, Tang Xu felt that having a training ground might really help turn the boy into a martial arts champion.

At the thought, he chuckled to himself.

A martial arts champion—just imagining it felt so impressive!

After chatting briefly with the workers, Wei Dong came over to find him. Seeing Tang Xu grinning foolishly, he asked in confusion, “What are you laughing about?”

“I was saying we should build a martial arts training ground here. Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up raising a martial arts champion.” Tang Xu’s eyes curved into crescents, his expression brimming with excitement.

Wei Dong didn’t say much. He just nodded and responded with a simple “Alright.”

“Let’s head back. Those three little ones of ours are probably awake by now.” Tang Xu tugged at Wei Dong’s hand, swinging it slightly. 

Then, after a glance, he rubbed Wei Dong’s hand, commenting, “Why do I feel like your hands have gotten softer lately?”

Wei Dong chuckled. “I haven’t done much work recently. I’m being well fed.”

"Well then, now that you’re back, you’ll have to help out with the work, and your hands will get rough again." Tang Xu joked, swinging their clasped hands. "Old Wen made several jars of ointment for the kids to use on their faces. I’ll get one for you to use too."

Wei Dong smiled and nodded. "Alright."

When they got home, the three little ones were already awake. The chubby eldest was leading the youngest, Xiao Bao, around the front and back courtyards, searching for their two dads.

Xiao Bao was already pouting, about to cry, when the back courtyard door opened.

Seeing the two of them walk in, Xiao Bao let go of his big brother’s hand and dashed toward Wei Dong.

Tang Xu squinted at the sight, raising his hand to pinch his youngest son’s cheek. "What’s this? You see your dad and don’t even want to kiss me?"

Xiao Bao giggled and reached out to Tang Xu, leaning over to plant a kiss on his dad’s face. 

Then, just as quickly, he turned back and wrapped his arms around Wei Dong’s neck.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Tang Xu muttered under his breath.

Wei Dong adjusted Xiao Bao in his arms and, looking at his son’s soft, chubby cheeks, leaned in to nuzzle him. "The next time I leave, I’ll take you all along so you can have a little adventure too."

Before Tang Xu could respond, the chubby eldest overheard and leapt up excitedly. "Father, really? Can we really go with you? But Dad said the places you go are so far away, and it takes forever to get there!"

Wei Dong nodded, holding Xiao Bao in one arm and reaching out with the other to grab his eldest son’s hand as they headed toward the front courtyard. "Yes, next time when I go trading, I’ll take you all with me. It’ll be good for you to see more of the world."

Tang Xu followed behind them, letting out a sigh.

What kind of three-and-a-half-year-old kid goes along on a trading trip? Their father must have lost his mind!

That said, it wouldn’t hurt to let them tag along and see the world.

Previous TOC Next