The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 289

 

| TBBOTOF | 289

Tang Yang falling into the water was something no one had expected. A huge splash flew everywhere, and those nearby who had been close to him were caught off guard.

Everyone jumped back in alarm, avoiding the splash of water.

Er Bao leapt almost half a meter high in fright. Losing his balance, he toppled straight into the muddy ground.

Covered in mud himself, Sun Yang, who was standing not far away, was splashed..

Er Bao scrambled to his feet, glanced at his now muddy hands, touched his soaking wet clothes, pursed his lips, and tilted his head back to let out a loud wail.

“Dirty~~ Dirty~~~ Daddy will hit~~~ Waaahhhhh~~~ Daddy will hit me!!!”

No one had expected Er Bao to suddenly burst into tears, and everyone was momentarily startled.

The chubby boy saw his younger brother's dirty state and remembered how, the last time Er Bao had rolled on the ground and dirtied his clothes, their dad had spanked him. 

He couldn't help but shudder and hurriedly tried to comfort Er Bao: “Don’t cry, Er Bao. Once it dries, it won’t be dirty anymore.”

Wei Dong, who had been tying a fishing net to a low tree branch on the riverbank, strode over. 

First, he fished Tang Yang out of the water and then headed to his crying, mud-covered son. 

Grabbing Er Bao by the armpits, he lifted him out of the muddy puddle and set him down nearby.

Looking at his son’s half-messy state, Wei Dong sighed. “You just got cleaned up, and now you’ve managed to cover yourself in mud again. And you still have the nerve to cry?”

Upon hearing this, Er Bao immediately raised his hand to point at Tang Yang. "Uncle, dirty!"

Tang Yang, looking like a drowned rat, glared at him while wringing out his wet clothes. "You're not much better."

Er Bao pouted, and just as he was about to burst into tears again, Wei Xi gave Tang Yang a light slap on the arm. 

Although he felt a little guilty for accidentally pushing Tang Yang into the water, he couldn’t stand Tang Yang picking on his little nephew.

Tang Yang waved it off, deciding to leave his wet clothes as they were since there was no point in changing. Luckily, the weather was warm, and the wind would dry them soon enough.

After crying for a few more wails, Er Bao realized there wasn’t much to be upset about and quieted down.

Even so, he still looked up at Wei Dong with a pitiful expression.

Wei Dong wiped the tears off his little face and said, “It’s alright. When you go out to play, your clothes are bound to get dirty. Your dad won’t punish you for that.”

Er Bao looked at Wei Dong nervously. "Really?"

Seeing Wei Dong nod, his mood instantly brightened. His expression changed in a split second as he pointed to the shallow water by the riverbank and shouted, "Catch fish!"

Wei Dong nodded. "Alright." 

After all, they were already dirty, so getting a little dirtier didn’t matter.

With his permission, not only did Er Bao cheer, but the chubby boy and Xiao Bao also started bouncing around happily. 

Even Sun Yang, though slightly more reserved, couldn’t hide the excitement sparkling in his eyes.

Xu Ze glanced at the bundle in his hand and thought to himself that Brother Xu had been thoughtful as always. Knowing that it was impossible to stay clean by the river, he had stuffed a bundle of clothes for each child before they left, saying they could change later.

When in the water, the chill wasn’t noticeable, but once their clothes were soaked and they came out, the breeze made it hard to bear.

Tang Xu had not only packed them clean clothes but also a bamboo tube of ginger sugar water, which he had boiled during breakfast to keep them warm.

Worried that the children might scare the fish away with too much splashing, Wei Dong led them to a different spot, not far from the first. The water there was clearer and shallower.

In the shallow area, they could see clusters of small black tadpoles darting about.

Xu Ze hung the bundle on a tree branch, picked up a flat stone from the ground, and began digging for earthworms in the muddy riverbank to use as bait.

Earthworms, called "ground dragons," were plentiful in the muddy soil. By lifting the top layer of mud, one could easily spot large clumps of writhing earthworms tangled together. 

There was no need to separate them individually; they could simply scoop up the wet mud along with the worms and toss it into a bamboo basket. 

Then, rinsing the basket in the river water would wash away most of the mud and sand, leaving a bit of wet soil and the worms at the bottom. That would suffice to carry back.

“Uncle Ze!” The chubby boy, barefoot and leaving a trail of footprints in the mud, called out excitedly. “There are little shrimp over there!”

He reached out to tug Xu Ze along. Xu Ze stood up and, holding hands with the boy, walked over to the riverbank. Staring at the water for a moment, he indeed spotted small shrimp darting back and forth among the water plants.

“Uncle, let’s catch these!” The chubby boy held up a small net he was gripping and waved it enthusiastically. “Xiao Bao is catching fish, Er Bao and Brother Yang are digging for loaches.”

Wei Xi and Tang Yang kept an eye on the other three children, while the chubby boy and Xu Ze busied themselves catching shrimp. The shrimp were tiny, only about the size of a finger, and even after catching a pile, there wouldn’t be much. 

Still, bringing them back to release into the small pond at home for the ducks and geese to catch later would be quite amusing.

“There are snails!” Xu Ze pointed to a rock nearby. “Go for them.”

The chubby boy turned to look, then waded over to feel around for snails. He managed to collect three.

The two of them alternated between scooping shrimp and picking snails, walking along the riverbank as they worked. Once they’d caught enough, they crouched down to dig into the mud, flipping over clumps to find more earthworms, all while slowly making their way back.

The group had a thoroughly enjoyable time by the river. The children kept up their cheerful racket, their innocent chatter bringing smiles and occasional laughter to Wei Dong as he watched over them.

Standing on the riverbank, Wei Dong's gaze swept over the scene. He spotted waterbirds swooping down to catch fish on the surface of the water and amused himself by tossing stones to scare them off.

As the sun climbed higher, the temperature rose steadily. Wei Dong called out to the children, telling them it was time to come ashore and head back.

No one argued, and though some were reluctant to leave, they obediently made their way out of the water.

Wei Dong went to retrieve the fishing net, which felt heavy as he pulled it. That weight was a good sign—it meant there was a catch.

The sound of splashing water filled the air as the large net was dragged onto the shore. Inside, there was a lively commotion of fish of all sizes flopping about, along with crabs and shrimp. 

To their surprise, there were even some sizable crayfish! The crabs and crayfish clung tightly to the pig lungs and intestines used as bait, their pincers refusing to let go even after being hauled ashore.

This was Wei Dong’s first time using this type of net. Previously, he had used large-mesh nets that only caught bigger fish, letting smaller fish escape through the holes. Small crayfish and crabs would also slip away with those nets, making this the first time he had successfully caught crayfish in one.

Crabs, on the other hand, he’d caught before using a different kind of trap. Tang Xu loved eating crabs, so Wei Dong often went out of his way to catch some for him.

Placing a large bamboo basket under the net, Wei Dong lifted the heavy catch and tipped the fish, shrimp, and crabs into the basket. They filled three bamboo tubs.

He didn’t waste the remaining catch, instead dividing it among the children to place in the small baskets they carried on their backs.

The group packed up their haul, with the children chattering excitedly about the day’s catch as they prepared to head home.

"Brother-in-law, Brother Xu said to change them into clean clothes before heading back," Xu Ze called out to Wei Dong, seeing him busy.

Wei Dong nodded. "Alright."

The children stripped off their dirty, wet clothes, dried themselves with cloth towels, and put on clean outfits. They washed their muddy feet in the river, wiped them dry, and slipped on their little shoes.

Once all the children were tidied up, they looked fresh and clean.

In contrast, the three older boys were still a mess, their clothes stained with mud and water—especially Tang Yang, whose clothes were beyond salvaging.

He didn’t seem to care, though. Picking up a bamboo basket, he swung it over his shoulder and gave Er Bao a playful nod. "Come on, race me!"

With that, he took off running.

Er Bao was momentarily stunned but quickly snapped out of it, shouting, "Uncle no fair!!!" as he chased after him with all his might.

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