| TBBOTOF | 313
A new child staying with them didn't really cause much of a problem, but it was a bit difficult when arranging a room for him.
Now there are many people in the family, and one room isn't enough for him to live with the three children. On the other hand, Xu Ze directly suggested that Yue Ge'er live with him.
Xu Ze is also ten years old this year, steady and reliable, with a thoughtful way of doing things, praised by Old Wen and others.
Yue Ge'er had a tough childhood, starving and begging for food for a couple of years. He has met all kinds of people, and earned good karma in his life.
This child may look timid, but he actually is a bit bold. Otherwise, he wouldn't have clung to Wei Dong, insisting on following him.
However, no matter how you say it, he's still just a child. Sitting on a stool, holding a bowl of white rice and eating soft, fragrant braised pork, he couldn't hold back his tears, which fell into the bowl in a steady stream.
The whole family saw it, but no one said anything.
At first, Yue Ge'er was a little reserved, following behind Xiao Bao and not daring to reach out to touch him.
He thought Xiao Bao was so beautiful, like a fairy child, and was afraid he might accidentally hurt him.
Later, Xiao Bao took the initiative to hold his hand and softly called him "Brother Yue.”
Yue Ge'er had been called all sorts of harsh names before—little beggar, little bastard, wild child, stinky beggar—but he had never been called "brother."
When Xiao Bao called him "brother," he was stunned for a while, and then the tears fell even more fiercely.
Seeing him cry, his body trembling, Xiao Bao also panicked.
He was at a loss and turned to Tang Xu, calling out softly, "Dad, Brother Yue is crying!"
Tang Xu glanced at the remaining food in his bowl, poked his finger on his cheek, and said, "If you finish your food, Your brother won't cry anymore."
Xiao Bao opened his mouth and looked up at his dad, then lowered his head to the remaining rice in his bowl. He turned back to Yue Ge'er, who was crying miserably, and murmured while holding his bowl, "So much... I can't finish it all..."
Xiao Bao pushed his bowl towards Yue Ge'er, trying to do it quietly, but his dad saw everything.
"Eat your own food," Tang Xu said, glaring. "Xiao Bao, if you don’t eat your meals properly every day, you won't get any delicious food that Dad makes in the future."
Tang Xu gave both of them a stern look.
Recently, Xiao Bao had been eating his meals half-heartedly and was especially fond of snacking in the afternoons.
The house had a lot of snacks, and Tang Xu liked to make little biscuits and cakes for the elderly for afternoon tea, and he would also make treats for the others.
Everyone ate snacks in moderation, but only Xiao Bao treated snacks as meals.
When he wasn't hungry, snacking took the place of proper meals, which made him eat even less during regular meal times.
Tang Xu had been observing him for several days. Every time Xiao Bao couldn’t finish his meal, he would leave the remaining rice for his older brother.
Er Bao didn’t mind at all, even though his brother had messed up half of his meal.
After Tang Xu gave him a stern look, Xiao Bao pouted even more, holding his little bowl with one hand and gripping his small spoon with the other.
He reluctantly pressed his mouth against the edge of the bowl and took a bite, puffing up his cheeks as he looked at his dad.
"Chew!" Tang Xu said with a serious face.
Xiao Bao sniffled, chewed, and swallowed, then opened his mouth to show his dad.
It was his way of saying, "I swallowed it! I ate it!"
Tang Xu pointed at Yue Ge'er and asked Xiao Bao, "Do you know why Yue Ge'er is crying?"
Xiao Bao shook his head.
"Because he’s never had food this delicious before," Tang Xu said, glancing at Yue Ge'er.
Yue Ge’er, who had stopped crying, nodded vigorously upon hearing Tang Xu’s words.
"I—I’ve never eaten such fragrant rice, I’ve never tasted meat so delicious... If only Grandma were still here... Wuwuwu," he began to sob again.
Tang Xu sighed, and Xiao Bao, startled by the boy’s crying, looked at him in surprise.
He lowered his head to look at the rice and meat in his bowl. After thinking for a moment, he took his small spoon and scooped a piece of braised meat into Yue Ge'er’s bowl, saying, "Don’t cry anymore, I’ll give you some to eat."
Once the chubby boy finished his meal, he turned to Xiao Bao and said, "Xiao Bao, eat your food quickly, or Dad really might make you go hungry for a few meals!"
Xiao Bao gave a reluctant "Okay" and continued to eat his rice.
Tang Xu didn’t keep staring at him, but still managed to say, "If I catch you not eating properly again, I won’t serve you any food next time, and no snacks either. You won’t know the suffering of hunger until you miss a few meals."
"I know, Dad," Xiao Bao said, holding his bowl and obediently eating, though he didn’t really take his dad’s words to heart.
He slowly finished his meal, but there was still quite a bit left in his bowl.
When Tang Xu wasn’t in the living room, Wei Dong propped his chin up and looked at Xiao Bao who snuggled up to him, coquettishly saying, "Father~ I’m all full~"
He jumped toward Wei Dong and patted his own stomach, trying to prove that he wasn’t lying and that his stomach was full.
Wei Dong looked down and smiled, gently rubbing his belly. It felt soft and nice.
"Your dad isn’t joking this time. If you don’t eat properly, he really might make you skip a couple of meals."
Xiao Bao lay in his arms and whined, "I can’t eat anymore, I’m full~~~"
Wei Dong sighed. He really had no way of dealing with his younger son. He took the bowl with the leftover rice and finished it in one bite.
He originally thought that this matter would not be discovered without anyone noticing, and Tang Xu would definitely not find it, but to his surprise, just as he was finishing, the curtain was lifted, and Tang Xu walked in.
And of course, the first thing Tang Xu noticed was the small bowl in Wei Dong’s hand.
The bowl was so much smaller than Wei Dong’s hand, and he was holding it with just one hand, making it look even smaller.
Tang Xu’s face immediately darkened. "What are you doing?!"
Wei Dong: "..." He silently set the bowl down and lowered his head, holding Xiao Bao in his arms, too afraid to lift his eyes.
Xiao Bao’s face was tightly pressed against his father’s chest, unmoving.
He tried to hide in this position, hoping to avoid his dad’s cold gaze.
He was scared.
"Wei Baobei!" Tang Xu called out his name directly.
Xiao Bao shuddered, feeling nervous, scared, and anxious all at once.
Wei Dong could feel his little heart beating faster against his chest.
He gently patted Xiao Bao’s back and said to Tang Xu, "Give him another chance."
"I’ve given him plenty of chances!" Tang Xu was really angry. "Xiao Bao, I’m telling you, starting tomorrow, you won’t get any food. You’ll eat when you realize what you did wrong!"
Xiao Bao pouted and suddenly burst into tears.
He cried loudly, the kind of crying that shook his whole body.
Wei Dong quickly tried to comfort him, saying, "Don’t cry, don’t cry, your dad is just scaring you."
"I’m not scaring him," Tang Xu frowned, "A lenient father spoils his child. You keep spoiling him every day!"
Wei Dong’s lips twitched. There was no need for him to share in the blame.
Xiao Bao was crying heartbreakingly, sobbing and hiccupping.
Tang Xu turned around, no longer paying attention to him.
After Wei Dong had finished comforting his son, cleaning his face, and getting him to sleep, he went to find Tang Xu.
He found him sitting on the kang, angrily folding clothes.
Wei Dong sighed and sat beside him, putting his arm around Tang Xu’s shoulder. "I talked to him."
"Heh," Tang Xu scoffed. "What can you say? You can’t even say a single harsh word to our youngest son. Have you seen his behavior lately? He leaves food on his plate every meal. How many times have I told him, but he still doesn’t listen?" Tang Xu tossed the clothes aside and pushed Wei Dong.
"I’m teaching him a lesson! I’m telling you, don’t sneak food to him tomorrow. If you do, then you two can cook for yourselves. I won’t serve you!"
Wei Dong: "..." It’s over, he’s really angry.
0 Comments
Post a Comment