| TBBOTOF | 301
At the crack of dawn, as soon as the rooster crowed, Tang Xu shot up from the kang, still groggy.
He threw on an outer garment and got off the kang to put on his shoes.
Hearing the commotion, Wei Dong opened his eyes and, in a hoarse voice, Tang Xu said:
"You have to leave early, I'll get up first to..." He paused to put on his shoes and glanced back at the still-sleepy man. "You go back to sleep for a bit."
Wei Dong responded with a hum, pulled the blanket up higher, turned over, and went back to sleep.
Tang Xu opened the door, and a light breeze blew in, making him shiver involuntarily.
The air carried the moist scent of soil, and the stone tiles on the ground looked darker, with some water pooled in the cracks.
Did it rain during the night?
Tang Xu tilted his head to look at the sky. It was overcast and gloomy, likely to rain again soon.
He frowned slightly and skipped the kitchen for now, heading instead to the storage room to grab a few sets of straw raincoats and hats before returning to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Last night, he had made some dough to steam two batches of meat buns for them to take along.
That way, when they reached town, they could just reheat the buns instead of having to fuss with cooking.
There were a lot of members in the family and they ate a lot, so he had prepared a good amount of dough. Tang Xu went to the main room and uncovered the lids on three large basins to check the rising of the dough.
Now that the weather was warm, the dough had risen well overnight, unlike in the winter when it required placing the dough next to a heated wall or covering it with a thick quilt on the kang.
The proofed dough needed kneading and resting. While waiting for that, Tang Xu got to chopping meat and vegetables to make fillings. He planned to make two kinds of buns: pork with cabbage and pork with celery.
As the rhythmic duang duang duang sound of chopping filled the room, the creak of a door opening came from behind him.
Tang Xu turned his head and smiled. “Why are you up so early?”
Tang Li stepped in, letting down the beaded curtain hanging on the wall to air out the kitchen.
Hearing her brother’s question, she rubbed her face and said, “I figured you’d be up early making breakfast, so I came to lend a hand.”
Tang Xu gestured toward a nearby basin. “Cook some white rice porridge. Make enough for three pots— one to eat and the other two for them.”
Tang Li looked at him in surprise. “Huh? Isn’t that too much?”
“It’s not. Your brother-in-law alone can eat ten of these buns. Driving the cart all the way there will probably leave them hungry. They can heat them up and eat right away, saving Auntie and our eldest cousin the hassle of cooking. They’ve got a month’s worth of catching up to do at the shop—everything will need tidying up. This will make things easier for them.” Tang Xu handed her the cleaver. “You chop the meat filling, and I’ll blanch the celery.”
Tang Li quickly nodded and agreed to help.
The two of them had barely been busy for a while when Tang Mei arrived, followed closely by Liu Yao and Liu Ge’er.
With more hands on deck, the work went faster, and soon three large trays of buns were steaming away.
“Should we freeze the remaining dough and filling?” Tang Mei asked.
Tang Xu shook his head. “You all eat first. We’ll use the rest to make another batch and steam them later. The elders are still sleeping; there’s no rush to cook for them just yet.”
Tang Mei nodded. “Alright, I’ll head back to my room. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Sure.”
By the time Wei Dong got up, the buns were fresh out of the steamer. Tang Xu had Liu Yao take a batch over to his father’s side, suggesting they eat there and leave directly afterward.
That way, they wouldn’t disturb everyone else in the house and avoid waking up the young and elders alike, which would turn into a lively commotion.
After washing up, Wei Dong carried a basin of white rice porridge toward the backyard. Tang Xu followed behind him, talking as they walked. “We moved the chickens and ducks over there yesterday. Make sure to bring them along when you leave. When you get there, help out with the slaughtering. Otherwise, if it’s just my dad, he might not be able to handle it all.”
Wei Dong nodded, striding ahead with large steps.
“Pick up some sugar on the way back; we’re running low. Also, get a barrel of vinegar,” Tang Xu added.
“Anything else?”
“No, we’re good on everything else. I was thinking of pickling some sweet garlic. Old Wu asked last time if we ever pickled any—he said he likes it,” Tang Xu said with a small chuckle. “Ever since Old Wu and his servants came to stay with us, our variety of pickled vegetables has really expanded.”
Back in the day, meals at their house typically consisted of pickled radishes, cucumbers, or some sliced sauerkraut. However, ever since Old Wu arrived, Tang Xu had been pulling out all the stops with his pickling skills.
Just recently, they had finished a small jar of pickled eggplants, and Tang Xu was already planning to replenish their stock to ensure they wouldn’t run out of side dishes.
“If you’re passing by the potter’s place on your way back this afternoon, pick up a few jars. I want to make pickled vegetables and sour bamboo shoots,” Tang Xu said.
“Sure.”
By this point, the two of them had reached Tang Erhu’s house. The courtyard gate was open, and Wang Cuicui came out to greet them as soon as she saw them.
“Hurry up, wash your hands, and come inside to eat. You’ve been busy since early morning—why not just make do with something simple?” Wang Cuicui said, taking the basin of rice porridge from Wei Dong.
Seeing the contents, she gave Tang Xu a sharp look. “The new rice hasn’t even come in yet, and you’re already being so extravagant.”
Family farmers usually ate coarse grains for their meals. Only when the new rice was freshly harvested would they indulge in one or two meals to satisfy their cravings. It was rare for anyone to cook white rice porridge or even plain white rice on a regular basis like Tang Xu did.
“We’re not short on food,” Tang Xu said with a laugh. He knew their family could easily afford to eat white rice and wheat-based foods every day, so there was no need to skimp.
He also knew Wang Cuicui’s grumbling was just casual and didn’t take it to heart.
Tang Xu didn’t stay to eat at their house. Once he saw them settled, he hurried back to his own place. He didn’t want the little ones to wake up and cause a fuss if they didn’t see him.
It was fortunate he returned when he did. Er Bao, who had just woken up and needed to pee, couldn’t find his father or Tang Xu. Carrying his little chamber pot, Er Bao wandered the courtyard looking for them.
If Tang Xu had been even a moment later, Er Bao would have likely started crying at the top of his lungs.
“What’s the matter? Can’t sleep anymore?” Tang Xu asked as he took the small chamber pot from Er Bao’s hands to prevent any spills.
Still groggy, Er Bao leaned against Tang Xu’s leg, hugged it, and rubbed his face against him. “Dad, where did you go?”
“I went to bring buns to your grandpa and the others. Now hurry back to bed. When I finish making breakfast, I’ll call you all to eat,” Tang Xu replied, guiding him back into the house.
He muttered to himself as he glanced at the nearly full chamber pot, thinking he’d need to get a bigger one for Er Bao.
Er Bao rubbed his eyes and gave a soft “Oh,” then flopped face-down onto the bed without even taking off his shoes and went straight back to sleep.
Amused, Tang Xu took off the child’s shoes and pulled a blanket over him.
Xiao Bao had rolled toward the wall on the inner side of the bed, likely feeling warm and enjoying the coolness of the wall. He was sleeping soundly.
From the upper bunk, the chubby boy poked his head down, yawned, and greeted him sleepily, “Dad, morning~”
“Are you going back to sleep?” Tang Xu looked up at him.
Yawning repeatedly, the chubby boy replied with a groggy hum, turned over, and went back to sleep.
It wasn’t yet time for the three kids to wake up. Letting them sleep longer meant they’d have the energy to avoid getting fussy before naptime. Keeping their routine intact was always a win for everyone involved.
Seeing that all three kids were sound asleep, Tang Xu took the small chamber pot to empty it, then placed it back in the room.
After washing his hands, he returned to the kitchen to continue making buns. He also cooked white rice porridge and steamed a small bowl of egg custard.
Gradually, the rest of the family began to wake up and went about their morning routines, washing up and getting ready for the day.
Tang Xu peeked out of the kitchen and spotted Tang Li coming over. Waving her over, he asked, “Did Dad and the others leave yet?”
“They just left. Brother-in-law took the straw hats and raincoats you put on the cart,” Tang Li replied, knowing exactly what he wanted to ask.
Tang Xu nodded in relief and waved his hand. “Let’s eat!”
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