The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 302

 

| TBBOTOF | 302

After breakfast, the four younger ones followed Wei Xi and Tang Yang to handle hygiene matters. Then they went to the study to read and practice calligraphy for an hour and a half.

Generally, Tang Xu wouldn’t go over to disturb them. He certainly wouldn’t repeatedly deliver food and drinks to them.

As for the children, the six of them were all taught together. Whether they understood or not, he didn’t bother too much. They were simply focused on talking about the content of the books. 

Additionally, they would listen to various ancient and modern stories. Every time, the chubby boy listened with great interest and could remember quite a lot of what he heard.

Er Bao and Xiao Bao were too young to follow along with the writing lessons. Fortunately, they didn’t make a fuss. Instead, they watched Old Sun eagerly, their soft and adorable expressions making them especially endearing.

Don’t be fooled by Er Bao, who normally behaves like a wild little horse running around everywhere. When you ask him to sit, he can stay put and won’t fidget, unlike those children who can't sit still for more than three seconds.

As for Sun Yang, there was no need to even mention him. This child cherished the opportunity to read and write more than anything. He was always very focused and serious. If he came across something he didn’t understand, he wouldn’t interrupt the elder’s lecture. 

Instead, he would first ask Wei Xi or Tang Yang. If neither of his little uncles could help, only then would he go to Old Sun for clarification.

When Old Sun chatted with Old Wen and Old Wu, he often remarked, “Don’t underestimate these kids just because of their humble background. Their temperaments are truly outstanding. They’re bound to achieve great things in the future.”

But as soon as he said this, Old Wen would immediately shoot him down.

“Do you think everyone wants their kids to take the imperial examinations and become high-ranking officials? You came out of that wretched place yourself. Was it really such a great place to be?”

Old Wu nodded with a smile, “Exactly. What kind of good place is it? You have to think through every word carefully. Say the wrong thing, and you could lose your head.”

Old Sun sighed helplessly and fell silent.

Old Wen patted his shoulder and stood up. “You should stop thinking of Da Bao as a genius who would be wasted if not properly taught. Xu Ge’er and Dongzi aren’t in a hurry, so why are you? Teach him as you see fit. In the end, the path ahead is his to walk.”

Old Wu also stood up, following behind Old Wen. “I’ve been thinking that Ze’er is quite sharp. I’m planning to start teaching him to identify medicinal herbs. What do you think?”

“When Old Xu was around, that child was already learning with him. After Old Xu passed, I continued teaching him, though I specialize in gynecology, so I’m not proficient in other areas. If you’re willing to teach him, that’s ideal. The boy does have talent,” Old Wen replied. 

After thinking about it, he added, “Wei Xi also seems interested in this. His health used to be very poor—he was practically living on medicine.”

Old Wu wasn’t aware of this. Thinking of Wei Xi’s lively and energetic state now, he found it hard to reconcile that with the image of a sickly child.

“Was it Old Xu who nursed him back to health?” As he asked, Old Wu suddenly remembered something from years ago. 

Old Xu had once written to him, asking for help revising a prescription. “The frail child Old Xu mentioned back then—was that Wei Xi?”

"That should be the case. I even had other imperial physicians revise the prescription a few times, but Wei Xi's current good health is mostly thanks to Xu Ge’er," Old Wen replied, having been here longer and knowing the situation better.

Old Wu nodded. "That child is truly remarkable. Even when I casually mention something, he remembers it all."

Old Wen chuckled lightly, and the two of them left the room one after the other.

Outside the kitchen, in the shade, Tang Xu was seated, washing eggplants. He planned to steam them, then season them with vinegar, salt, and garlic paste before placing them in a jar to pickle. If he started now, they’d be ready to eat by the evening.

Seeing the elders come out of the house, Tang Xu greeted them.

Curious, Old Wen approached to see what Tang Xu was doing. "What are you up to now?"

"Pickling garlic eggplants, making a small jar to pair with porridge," Tang Xu replied with a gentle, obedient smile. "Doesn't Old Wu enjoy eggplants? If I pickle them now, they'll be ready by tonight. I’ve also made some spicy cabbage."

Old Wen raised an eyebrow. "It’s been a while since you’ve made that." Spicy cabbage, with its refreshing crunch and salty, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy taste, was one of his favorites.

"There’s so much fresh produce at home, we can’t even finish eating it all. How could I still pickle side dishes?" Tang Xu sighed. "But I noticed you all enjoy having pickles with porridge. Last time, you weren’t too fond of the pickled vegetables I made, so I decided to try something else."

Pickled vegetables had a tangy and spicy flavor, but the elderly men had sensitive stomachs, and eating too much would make them uncomfortable. 

While they loved the taste of the small pickled radish slices, they were a bit tough on the teeth. Having them occasionally was fine, but eating them frequently left their teeth feeling strained.

At this moment, Old Wu came over, sniffing lightly, and looked at the garlic cloves set aside. “Are you peeling them?”

“Yes,” Tang Xu replied with a grin. “What’s this? Do you want to help?”

“Didn’t they say that food you prepare yourself always tastes better? I want to give it a try,” said Old Sun, who had probably never done such a task in his long life. He clumsily peeled the garlic, his nails leaving dents and scratches all over the cloves.

Despite his inefficiency, Old Sun was thoroughly enjoying himself, stubbornly sitting on a small stool and refusing to be persuaded otherwise.

Old Fu came over from the backyard and saw his master peeling garlic. Alarmed, he rushed to help but was immediately shooed away.

Old Sun waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t get in the way. Can’t you see I’m helping Xu Ge’er here?”

Old Fu glanced at the mangled garlic cloves Old Sun had peeled. He was too embarrassed to say out loud that this wasn’t help—it was making a mess. Even the kids could peel garlic faster and better than this.

Tang Xu didn’t mind. After all, the garlic would be mashed into a paste later, so as long as the skins were removed, that was all that mattered.

With everyone helping, the task was finished quickly. Tang Xu took a large basin to wash the eggplants, then placed them whole into the big steamer.

Once the eggplants were steamed, he laid them out on a large bamboo tray to cool.

Then, he split them open and stuffed them with the garlic paste mixed with salt, pressing them one by one into a small jar. 

Finally, he poured rice vinegar into the jar, sealed it, and placed it in a cool, shaded spot for a few hours. It would be ready to eat later.

“No wonder Dongzi bought such a huge barrel of vinegar,” Old Wen chuckled as he looked at the sealed jars. “This jar uses quite a bit.”

“The rice vinegar he bought isn’t as sour, so I can use more. If it were the stronger, more acidic kind, I’d have to use less, or the eggplants would be too sour to taste good,” Tang Xu explained, putting the remaining eggplants into another small jar. 

He planned to send it to the old house before dinner—his grandparents would definitely enjoy it.

At that moment, Wei Dong walked over from the backyard. Noticing the two jars and the strong garlic scent in the air, he asked, “What are you making?”

“Pickled garlic eggplants. Later, we’ll go to the old house and take a small jar to Grandpa and Grandma,” Tang Xu replied. He stood up to wash his hands and then cleaned the bamboo tray and wooden basin before putting them away.

In the kitchen, Liu Ge’er was chopping vegetables, with Xu Ze standing nearby, helping him.

Liu Ge’er glanced around, making sure no one else was nearby, and then stepped a little closer to Xu Ze, speaking in a soft voice, “Could you teach me to recognize some characters?”

Xu Ze was taken aback, looking at him in surprise. “I asked you before if you wanted to learn to read, and you said it was too difficult and you couldn’t do it. Why the sudden change?”

Liu Ge’er sighed softly, clearly feeling helpless.

“You all can read, and when you’re reading books, you can talk about things. But I don’t understand anything, so I can only sit there and listen and not be able to join the conversation.”

Xu Ze couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t look down on Liu Ge’er, but he understood his feelings. 

He nodded and agreed, “Alright, after we eat, I’ll teach you. Actually, you could join Da Bao and the others—they’re learning with Old Sun, he knows a lot.”

Liu Ge’er immediately shook his head. “No, no, no! I can’t do that. Just teach me, please.”

Xu Ze couldn’t really say anything to argue with his stubbornness, so he just said, “Okay, I’ll teach you.”

“What are you two talking about?” Tang Xu entered, holding a small jar. He noticed Liu Ge’er and Xu Ze standing close together, whispering, and asked with a smile, “What’s going on?”

“Brother Liu wants me to teach him to recognize characters,” Xu Ze replied.

Liu Ge’er looked awkwardly at Tang Xu, nervously explaining, “I was just thinking that everyone in the family can read, but I’m the only one who can’t...”

He lowered his head, feeling embarrassed to say more.

Before, neither Tang Li nor Liu Yao could read, but later on, Tang Xu pushed both of them to learn. 

After all, they were planning to open a shop and deal with business transactions.

How could they manage without knowing how to read a contract? 

What if they were tricked?

Tang Xu himself had learned quite a few traditional Chinese characters while studying with Wei Dong, and the children followed Old Sun’s lessons as well. When looking at it this way, it turned out that Liu Ge’er was the only one who couldn’t read.

Tang Xu, feeling a bit awkward, reached over and patted Liu Ge’er’s arm with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you after dinner. Let’s not trouble Xu Ze; he already has two students to teach.”

Xu Ze was suddenly flustered by Tang Xu’s words. His face turned red as he hurriedly nodded, saying that it wasn’t troublesome at all and that he was very happy to help.

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