The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 288

 

| TBBOTOF | 288

For children, getting up early is an adventure!

At the sound of people calling and roosters crowing, they turned over in bed, hastily threw on their clothes, and ran to the main house to call Wei Dong.

Tang Xu groggily opened his eyes and saw his two sons. He barely held back a yawn, rubbed his eyes, and asked, “Why are you awake so early, when the sky’s just turning bright?”

The chubby boy pounced on Tang Xu, almost knocking the wind out of him. Tang Xu quickly pushed him aside a little.

“Father said he’s taking us to catch fish!”

Tang Xu took a deep breath and shot a glance at his man sitting up and putting on his clothes.

The man’s back was broad, with well-defined muscles. It was as if he had eyes on the back of his head because he turned around and smiled at Tang Xu, saying, “That’s right. While it’s still cool in the morning, we’ll go to the river and set a net to try our luck.”

Er Bao obediently handed his father his trousers, his eyes fixed on Wei Dong’s lower body. Suddenly, he pointed and exclaimed loudly, “Father’s hiding something!”

His voice was so clear and loud that it startled Tang Xu wide awake.

“Hiding what?” Tang Xu propped himself up and looked over.

Wei Dong helplessly raised his hand to rub his younger son’s head and gave a low chuckle without saying anything.

Er Bao pouted and looked at Tang Xu, poking at Wei Dong with his little hand. "This!"

Wei Dong sidestepped his son's hand, then pinched his cheek. "When you grow up, you’ll have one too."

"Have what? I don’t have one!" Er Bao looked down at his own body.

Tang Xu realized what the two were talking about and burst out laughing. He quickly tried to stop but ended up shaking with laughter, lying on the bed.

Wei Dong wanted to answer his son's question but went to put on his shoes to wash up.

Er Bao turned to look at Tang Xu, confused. "Dad, why are you laughing?"

The chubby boy, not understanding the situation, focused on something else and asked, "Dad, can we bring Xiao Bao along? We also want to bring Brother Yang."

"Sure, we can bring your two little uncles and Uncle Ze as well." Since they were all going out, it seemed better to take all the young boys with them. 

No need for them to stay at home studying all the time; their brains might get too dull.

Since everyone was already awake, Tang Xu got dressed and went outside. After washing up, he went to the stove to make breakfast.

Wei Dong was in the yard untangling the fishing nets. Wei Xi and Tang Yang, summoned by the chubby boy and the younger son, were also helping in the yard. Xu Ze went into the house to wake up Xiao Bao.

Xiao Bao was deeply asleep on the bed. After calling him a few times with no response, Xu Ze had to gently nudge him. Xiao Bao grunted a few times, turning over and facing the other way.

Xu Ze patted his little bottom and gently called, "Xieo  Bao~~ time to get up, or we’ll head to the river without you!"

Xiao Bao wasn’t fully awake and, irritated by the disturbance, let out a few whines before finally opening his eyes. He rubbed his eyes for a while.

"Sleepy~~"

Xu Ze pulled his little hand away from his eyes, cupped his face with both hands, and gently rubbed it. "Stop sleeping, your father is taking us to catch fish! There are fish!"

Xiao Bao, his body swaying from the rubbing, slowly registered the words, his eyes half-closed as he slowly opened them fully, mumbling, "Fish!"

"Yes, fish! Quickly, hurry and get dressed. They’ve already gone to set the nets." Xu Ze grabbed Xiao Bao’s clothes from the shelf and began putting them on him.

After a moment, Xiao Bao, still sleepy, stretched out his legs and lifted his feet, cooperating.

Once dressed, he jumped off the bed and shouted, "Uncle, hurry~ Uncle, hurry up!"

In his hurry, Xiao Bao got his pronunciation right.

Xu Ze was afraid he would run and fall, so he quickly bent down and picked him up. "Don’t rush, don’t rush. Wait a minute. Your dad’s making breakfast. We’ll eat and then go."

Xiao Bao hugged him around the neck and nodded, "Okay~"

Since the family had a ice celler, Tang Xu liked to freeze some buns and dumplings for when he needed them. 

In the morning, when he figured out what to make, he could simply take them out, steam them, and serve them with porridge and pickled vegetables for a satisfying meal.

Today was no different. Tang Xu knew what he wanted to make, so he went to the freezer, took out some frozen buns, and added some frozen dumplings. He planned to make a soup with the dumplings and cook some porridge.

Three pots were boiling on the stove, steam rising in the air. Before long, Tang Xu felt drenched in sweat, his face growing hot from the heat.

He wiped his forehead with his hand and called out to the yard, "Ah Dong! This afternoon, clear out the stoves outside and set up a shed. I’ll cook outside in there now on—the house is too hot."

Wei Dong, standing outside by the stove, looked around. The stoves used for heating the kang in winter were now idle. 

The stove pits still had dust in them and needed to be cleaned out. If they were to be used again, they would need to be cleared, and the yellow mud on the outside would have to be patched up. 

After a winter of use, it had cracked from the wind and rain.

"Alright, I’ll rebuild the stoves this afternoon."

"Cut some bamboo and set up a shed. I’ll use the two stoves outside." Tang Xu pointed to the two stoves outside.

"Alright." Wei Dong nodded, thinking about the house design. Originally, the plan was for the kang to warm the room, but the outdoor stoves would now be used as well, making it more convenient to gather everything together.

This way, the stove room would be modified, and the windows would be adjusted for better ventilation—four-sided ventilation, so that the wind could circulate and make the room cooler.

"Go  see if they’re done washing up. Breakfast is ready," Tang Xu said, glancing at the dumplings bubbling in the pot and adding some seasoning.

Wei Dong went to call the children to come eat. The elderly folks hadn’t woken up yet, so Tang Xu followed him to make sure there was enough food for everyone. They’d make another round of breakfast for them once they got up.

Xiao Bao, who usually took his time eating, was surprisingly quick today, and didn’t need help from others. 

Holding a small spoon in one hand and a bun in the other, he stuffed his cheeks full, constantly glancing at Wei Dong as if afraid his father would finish and leave without him.

Wei Dong, amused by his stare, looked at him and said, "Eat properly, don’t rush. We’ll wait for you to finish, then we will go together."

Xiao Bao nodded eagerly, "Mhm!" and then took a big bite of his bun, making his cheeks puff out even more.

Er Bao, sitting next to him, grabbed a third bun. The buns were made by Tang Xu, and the one in his hands was almost as big as his face. He took a huge bite, then slurped up some soup.

Having already eaten the five dumplings in his bowl, Er Bao finished up, and Tang Xu added more soup for him, but didn’t serve any more dumplings.

Sun Yang had seen others catch fish and shrimp in the small river before, but he had never properly fished with a net.

 So, when he heard that they were going to catch fish, he was extremely excited.

Tang Mei was holding the Goudan in her arms, sitting at the table, feeding her son egg custard with a small bowl.

"Maybe Xiao Yang shouldn’t go with you," she said.

As soon as she spoke, both Sun Yang, who was sitting next to her, and Tang Yang, who was across from her, looked up at her.

"Hey, cousin, why can’t I go?" Tang Yang, who didn’t have many memories of his cousin, responded. 

He was still too young when Tang Mei got married, and they hadn't seen each other much in the past. Now that she was staying with them and helping with the cooking, they were getting more familiar, but still, his tone was somewhat distant.

Tang Xu, sitting beside Tang Yang, raised his hand and gave him a light slap on the back of his neck. "Speak properly!"

Tang Yang pouted, took a bite of his bun, and mumbled, "I’m just saying, I didn’t say anything wrong."

Tang Mei smiled awkwardly and explained, "I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about Xiao Yang."

Ever since Sun Yang had grown a bit older, they started calling him "Ah Xe" as a nickname, thinking it sounded nice, but they still had to use his proper name when calling him.

Tang Xu never quite understood why younger generations and elders would share the same name. Even if they had the same surname and identical names, it felt so awkward to call each other the same way.

Sun Yang opened his eyes and quickly shook his head. "I want to go! Mom, you just promised me I could go!"

Tang Mei sighed, wanting to tell him not to go just to make a fuss. But then she remembered how he had been helping take care of his younger brothers ever since they came here, how he wanted to learn to read, and how he hadn't had much fun outside for a long time. 

She felt too guilty to refuse him.

Tang Xu spoke up, "Let them go play. We’ll get some work done at home. They’re always trailing behind us, asking questions, and it’s a bit distracting."

He wasn’t just saying this offhand—it was the truth.

Now that Wei Dong was home, the three kids were especially clingy to Tang Xu. When Wei Dong was around, they would call him "Dad" every few steps, even if he was just a few meters away. 

"Dad, I want this! Dad, I want that! “

“Dad, look at this!”

“Dad, where are you going? Dad, Dad, Dad..." All day long, it was nothing but "Dad" from the three of them, constantly hugging his legs and making it impossible for him to move.

If they could get all the kids out of the house, it would feel like the sky was clearer for Tang Xu.

Tang Mei found it amusing. She looked down at the Goudan, who was opening its mouth to eat, then turned to Sun Yang. "Be obedient. Don’t run around or go near the water, alright?"

Sun Yang nodded earnestly. "I know! I won’t run around!"

Tang Xu nodded toward Wei Xi and Tang Yang. "They'll go with them to watch the kids. Don't worry."

Wei Xi and Tang Yang nodded in agreement.

After breakfast, Wei Dong rolled up the fishing nets and slung them over his shoulder, while Wei Xi and Tang Yang each carried a bamboo basket. The kids had small bamboo baskets as well, all excited as they set off.

As the weather warmed, there were fewer children fishing by the river. Most were boys from the local families, with only a few girls scattered here and there.

Back in Shanghe Village, Tang Yang used to love running to the river to catch fish and shrimp. 

However, after moving to Xihe Village, he hadn’t gone to the river as often.

Wei Xi, on the other hand, rarely went near the river because of his health. The cool river breeze would make him sick, and just a couple of gusts of cold wind would leave him bedridden.

Once his health improved, he still had no opportunity to go back.

So, except for Wei Dong, everyone else was a bit excited about the outing.

"Brother, where should we set the net? Do we just throw it from the shore?" Wei Xi asked, holding Er Bao’s hand tightly. 

Er Bao was running around like a duck released from its cage as soon as they stepped outside, and if Wei Xi didn’t hold on tight, Er Bao would have run off far ahead.

Wei Dong nodded, holding Xiao Bao with one arm. "Yeah, throw it further out." 

In fact, they should have set the net the night before and come back to collect it early in the morning for a better catch. 

But today, it was more about spending time with the kids—their happiness was the priority.

The riverbank they were heading to was a bit far, and they wanted the kids to get some exercise, so they didn’t take the mule cart.

Xiao Bao didn’t want to walk at all. With his father right in front of him, he made a fuss and wanted to be carried. If Wei Dong didn’t pick him up, he pouted.

If Tang Xu had been there, Xiao Bao would have still walked on his own even if he pouted, knowing his dad wouldn’t spoil him.

 But with Wei Dong, as soon as Xiao Bao pouted or acted spoiled, he would pick him up immediately.

If Tang Xu had seen this, he would have scolded him for spoiling the child.

They chattered all the way, passing by a few men working with hoes in the fields. Some of them greeted Wei Dong, noticing the fishing nets on his back. One asked if they planned to sell the fish they caught.

"We’ll keep them for the family," Wei Dong replied.

Catching enough fish to sell wasn’t easy, so there wasn’t much point in it.

Not long after they left, a few of the elderly men came out of the house. Old Wen, after washing up, strolled to the stove room and peeked in through the window. He saw Tang Xu cutting vegetables.

"Did they go fishing? They really made a lot of noise this morning," Old Wen commented.

Tang Xu looked up and smiled as he stopped chopping, "I told them to walk behind the house so they wouldn’t disturb your sleep."

Old Wen chuckled and stretched his arms, loosening his back. "The rooster crows and it woke me up. I'm old, so there’s no need to sleep so much, I’m just lazy." He took a deep breath, feeling the stretch. "Is the food ready? I'm going to feed the ducks."

Tang Xu nodded and quickly finished cutting the cabbage. He swept it into the nearby bran bin, mixed it with a wooden spoon, and then filled a small basin. "Just pour it into the feeding trough outside."

Old Wen nodded happily, took the basin, and wandered off toward the backyard.

Soon after, Old Wu came by, asking for a basin of food, and went off to the backyard as well.

Tang Xu thought for a moment, then decided to pour the remaining food into another basin. 

As expected, not long after, Old Sun came over. Without needing to ask, Tang Xu handed the basin to him through the window. "Old Wen and Old Wu have gone to feed the chickens and ducks. Could you help feed the geese?"

Old Sun glanced at the basin in his hands and nodded.

He had actually wanted to help feed the pigs, as it was quite amusing to watch them nudge around for food.

At that moment, Liu Ge’er came from the backyard, holding the cleaned pig food bucket. When he saw the three old men standing by the poultry and livestock pens, he froze for a moment, holding back a laugh, and quickly walked toward the front yard.

Tang Xu broke up some soybean cakes and tossed them into the bucket, then added some chopped melon, potatoes, and five cabbages.

The cabbages were all from last autumn's harvest. The ones from the garden were already ready to eat, but the stored ones were mostly used to feed the livestock in the backyard. They all loved it.

"Liu Ge’er, there’s nothing else to do, so after a while, let’s go cut some grass. We can let the animals eat some grass for the next couple of days to ease up on the vegetables, so they don’t get picky."

Liu Ge’er agreed, and together, they took the bucket out of the kitchen to the backyard to cook the pig food.

Feeding the five pigs well enough to fatten them up couldn’t be done lazily. Every once in a while, they would cut back on the feed, but for the most part, they tried to feed them well.

So, Tang Xu usually saved all the leftover bones from meals, dried them, and crushed them. He would add some to the pig food when cooking to help nourish them.

As Liu Ge’er cooked the pig food in the backyard, Tang Xu returned to the kitchen to make breakfast for the old men. 

Meanwhile, by the river, Wei Dong, along with a group of children, was getting ready to cast the fishing nets.

The net was large, and Wei Dong swung his arm in a wide circle to throw it. If the throw wasn’t strong enough, the net might get caught on the rocks by the shore and get damaged.

Even though the children were eager to try casting the net, Wei Dong didn’t let them. He just allowed them to feel the weight of the net. Xiao Bao couldn’t even lift it, while Er Bao tried his hardest, his little face turning red.

When Wei Dong threw the net expertly, the others couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, "Wow~ Oh~~!"

Wei Dong had chosen a spot that was technically away from the main river channel. Due to the recent rain, the area was a low-lying pond, but there was still fresh water flowing nearby, keeping it relatively clean.

"Are there fish here?" Tang Yang stood by the bank, his eyes fixed on the water. The water, which had been clear, now appeared muddy because of the stir caused by the net just thrown.

"There!" Wei Xi excitedly slapped Tang Yang on the shoulder.

Tang Yang was startled. His body, which had been leaning forward, lost its balance, and he slipped, falling directly into the water with a splash.

The water splashed loudly and sprayed up high.

Wei Xi: "..." 

Did he get stronger?

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