The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 293

 

| TBBOTOF | 293

It was sudden, and Wei Dong didn’t think about picking anyone up when he left. It was really a last-minute decision.

In front of Tang Xu, a fifteen-year-old girl stood tall and beautiful, with a bright smile on her face, full of excitement. She rushed over and hugged Tang Xu, acting coquettishly, "Brother!"

Since the last time Tang Yue saw her, Tang Li’s face was flushed red. "I was just talking to Auntie the other day, saying it would be nice to go home and avoid the heat."

Tang Xu looked her up and down and gently said, "It feels cooler here, have you grown taller?"

Tang Li smiled, biting her lip. "Ah Yao also said I’ve grown taller."

"Has your wedding dress been made?" Tang Xu asked casually.

Tang Li and Liu Yao’s wedding was set for the second half of the year, on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month. It was an auspicious day for weddings, moving, and construction.

Although it gets colder after that, and people wear thicker clothes, not as cool or beautiful as in summer, at that time, the villagers would be free, and a wedding could have a flowing feast for guests.

The Tang family was a prominent family in the village, with many branches and relatives—seven aunts and eight uncles.

Tang Erhu had mentioned before that his daughter’s wedding would have a flowing feast for three days, so that all relatives and friends could come and eat.

Usually, only wealthy families would host such a feast, but Tang Erhu had earned a lot of money in the past two years and was willing to spend it on his daughter.

With four months left before the wedding, there was enough time to prepare everything that was needed.

Tang Li blushed and nodded. "I want Auntie to help me show off some designs, but she said that both of our wedding outfits must be made by me to show that I am very virtuous."

Tang Xu twitched his mouth, thinking to himself, making a piece of clothing makes someone virtuous? 

Normally, his sister is quick with her work, beautiful, kind-hearted, filial, and has money in her hands.

However, it was a matter for the young couple, so he didn’t want to interfere too much.

The three children were excited to see their grandparents after such a long time. Er Bao simply climbed onto Tang Erhu’s lap and refused to let go, causing Tang Erhu to laugh heartily, repeatedly saying how Er Bao was so close to him.

Xiao Bao was already being held by Wang Cuicui, who was rubbing her cheek against his and pinching his hands, showing a lot of affection.

Xiao Bao hugged Wang Cuicui's neck, calling in a sticky voice, "Grandma~~ I missed you so much~~~"

"Grandma missed you too. Oh my, it’s only been a few months, and our little treasure has grown taller and is even more beautiful," Wang Cuicui said, admiring Xiao Bao, her eyes curving into a smile.

The chubby boy was even busier, first bringing his grandfather a glass of cool water to drink, and then running out to grab a bamboo fan to fan Wang Cuicui.

Wang Cuicui smiled happily as she took the fan from his hands and fanned them both, saying, "Grandma isn’t hot. You sit over there and rest for a bit. You’re all sweaty from running around."

"Grandma, how long are you staying?" The chubby boy looked at Wang Cuicui with bright eyes and gestured with both hands, "Our yard is really big, it's so beautiful!"

Earlier, when they passed by, he vaguely saw a high courtyard wall, but couldn't see anything inside.

Wang Cuicui, curious, asked him, "How big is it?"

"Really, really big! Dad said he’s going to enclose the mountain!" The chubby boy made circles with both arms.

Wang Cuicui was surprised. She had seen the rough sketch that Tang Xu had drawn before, and there was no mention of enclosing the mountain.

Tang Erhu, who was nearby, also widened his eyes in surprise and turned to look at Erbao, "Are you really enclosing the mountain?"

Er Bao nodded eagerly, "They’re digging a pond! It's huge!"

"Digging a pond?" Tang Erhu was puzzled.

"Dad said he’s going to dig a big pond to grow lotus flowers. Grandpa, what are lotus flowers? Are they pretty?" The chubby boy asked.

Tang Erhu scratched his head. He had heard of lotus flowers but had never seen one. They were typically grown by wealthy families, though his family had eaten lotus roots before. "What did your dad say?"

"He said you can look at the flowers and eat the lotus roots." The chubby boy tilted his head. "My dad is really happy. He said that when the house is bigger, he’ll build a small yard for each of us, and we’ll live separately."

Tang Erhu nodded, thinking to himself that he would go see it later.

Outside, Tang Xu was helping Tang Li put things away and saw that a bunch of rabbits were crammed into a bamboo basket. He couldn’t help but ask, "Why did you bring them all back again?"

"We had to bring them back. If we leave them there, they’ll starve to death. Dad said he’s going to stay home for a month, and he wants to go work in the fields." Tang Li carried the bamboo basket toward the backyard.

Tang Xu sighed. His father really always comes up with these sudden ideas.

After thinking for a moment, he followed her to the backyard. "Ah Li, when are Liu Yao's parents coming over?"

"Huh?" Tang Li looked back, confused. "Coming over for what?"

"You’ve already had the engagement banquet, but the bride price hasn't been paid yet. What's going on? You two are getting ready to get married, and his family hasn’t even made an appearance?" Tang Xu wasn’t fond of such irresponsible parents. 

The last time, they had only briefly met, and the whole family hadn't even recognized each other properly.

"There’s no bride price," Tang Li said nonchalantly. "No bride price, no dowry."

Tang Xu frowned. "Is this something you two decided?"

"Ah, anyway, I won’t be living there. He said he would cover the bride price himself. The money he earned has already been given to me, so it’s the same." Tang Li pouted and said in a low voice, "Brother, do you think Dad will allow it?"

Tang Xu sneered, "You two are really something. What’s there to allow? Have you ever heard of a family where the eldest daughter gets married without a bride price? Don’t worry about whether the money is in your hands now. Not having a bride price is impossible."

Liu Yao was feeding hay to the yellow cow when he saw them approaching. He quickly raised his hand to greet, "Brother Xu!"

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and asked, "I heard you're planning to marry Ah Li without a bride price?"

Liu Yao was taken aback and quickly shook his head, "No, I’ve given all the money I earned to Ah Li. I thought it would definitely be more than the bride price..." He stopped speaking when he saw Tang Xu’s serious expression.

The two of them exchanged glances, then looked at Tang Xu together.

Tang Xu sighed and said, "On the day you two get married, both our relatives and Liu’s relatives will be there. At that time, your bride price and Ah Li’s dowry will be displayed in the yard for everyone to see. It’s not about showing off; it’s about letting people see how much you value Ah Li, and also showing that our Tang family values you as a son-in-law. Understand?"

They both nodded, understanding.

"By that time, the house you two will live in should at least have a full set of furniture. You should display the furniture for everyone to see. You’ll also need to prepare several sets of bedding, with Ah Li’s clothes and jewelry. These things must be ready." 

Tang Xu stroked his chin and thought for a moment before adding, "Ah Yao, don’t think I’m making a fuss. It’s just proper etiquette. You two are getting married seriously, and everything should be in place."

The two of them continued to nod, understanding.

"Alright, you two go ahead and tidy up, I’ll cook," Tang Xu waved his hand, feeling there was nothing more to say.

As the sun was about to set and dinner hadn’t been prepared yet, Tang Mei, along with Liu Ge’er and Xu Ze, were already busy in the kitchen. 

Seeing Tang Xu enter, Tang Mei smiled and asked, "I think Ah Li’s fiancé seems pretty reliable." 

It was the first time she had met Liu Yao, and after greeting him, she had a good impression.

Tang Xu snorted and laughed lightly, "The two kids think marriage is simple. No bride price, no dowry. Is that how it works now? I had to lecture them."

Tang Mei was taken aback and then laughed, "Their situation isn’t that complicated."

Although Liu Yao wasn’t an in-house son-in-law, he was clearly closer to the Tang family, and the fact that no one from the Liu family was causing trouble was already pretty good.

"Anyway, it’s their business. If the left pocket and right pocket are the same, their attitude has to be clear. We can’t let outsiders laugh at us." Tang Xu thought to himself that when he married, if it weren’t for Wei Dong’s support, the villagers would have definitely laughed at him. 

So now, with his sister, he had to make sure everything was done right!

That evening, Tang Xu brought up the matter with Wei Dong. He listened in silence and then pulled Tang Xu into his arms. "Sleep."

Tang Xu flailed and pushed him away in disgust, "It’s so hot, stay away from me, I’m talking about something important."

Wei Dong sighed, "What’s so important? Didn’t you just talk about them?"

"The dowry for Ah Li," Tang Xu turned to face him, "Should I discuss it with Dad?"

Wei Dong nodded, "Hmm, ask your dad what he thinks."

Tang Xu yawned, "Alright, I’ll ask him tomorrow. We need to get the furniture and everything ready."

"Mm-hmm, tomorrow I'll take Liu Yao to find a carpenter," Wei Dong said, not giving up, and reached his hand over again.

Tang Xu blinked and, in the end, didn't push him away.

After a moment, although it was a bit sticky, getting some exercise and then taking a bath would help him sleep.

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