| TBBOTOF | 316
Wei Dong decided to head up the mountain on a whim. The rope he needed was handmade, and he had mentioned to Tang Xu that the rope was nearly finished.
This man is a man of action. Before dawn, even before the roosters crowed, he was already up and moving.
Tang Xu, still half-asleep, opened his eyes, yawned, and groggily asked, “Isn’t it a bit too early? How many days are you planning to stay up there?”
As he spoke, he climbed out of bed, stifling a few more yawns. “I don’t even know why you’re so excited.”
Wei Dong leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “It’s been a while since I’ve gone up the mountain. I’m just a little excited.”
Tang Xu sighed helplessly and steadied himself on Wei Dong’s shoulder as he climbed down from the bed. “Still, you can’t just skip breakfast and head straight up. Did you pack the sleeping bag and the little tent? Take the mule cart with you. It’s used to trekking through the mountains with you.”
Wei Dong listened attentively, nodding as Tang Xu spoke. “Got it. Everything’s ready. I’m only planning to stay a couple of days. If it snows tomorrow, I’ll come right back.”
Tang Xu snorted and shot him a sideways glance. “You really expect me to believe that? Because I don’t. Sounds like the same nonsense you use to coax your three sons.”
Wei Dong laughed, slinging an arm around Tang Xu’s shoulder as they headed off to wash up together.
It was so early that Tang Xu couldn’t stop yawning while making flatbreads, mostly because he hadn’t slept well the night before.
Knowing Wei Dong couldn’t just eat dry flatbread on the mountain, Tang Xu packed a few small jars of pickles in bamboo containers and added a few boiled salted duck eggs.
“You can’t just live off flatbread,” Tang Xu said, glaring slightly at Wei Dong, who was sitting at the table sipping porridge. “If you’d told me earlier, I could’ve prepared better. At least I’d have made some jerky. Oh, and take three or five braised ducks with you—they’re fine to eat cold. Pack a few more steamed buns, too.”
Wei Dong held a bowl in one hand and a flatbread in the other, the smile in his eyes unmistakable.
Tang Xu met his gaze and pursed his lips.
Fine, maybe he was overthinking things a little.
"Alright, just eat," Tang Xu said, getting up and heading to the stove.
He fished out all ten salted duck eggs from the pot. "These aren’t too salty, so you can eat them plain. If you don’t want them cold, just tuck them into your flatbread. I’ll pack you a small bag of salt and a spice mix. The fire starter is in your small bag, too. Keep a couple in your pocket, so you can boil some hot water if needed.”
Wei Dong nodded, finishing the porridge in his bowl in one gulp before going to scoop himself another serving.
Tang Xu hesitated, then turned to look at him. “Want me to come with you?”
Wei Dong froze, looking up at him.
Tang Xu pressed his lips together, his expression betraying his worry as clearly as daylight.
Wei Dong put down his bowl and beckoned him over.
Tang Xu put down the salted duck eggs he was holding and walked over to Wei Dong. Wei Dong shifted to make room for him to sit on his lap and then wrapped an arm around his waist.
“I promise I won’t head deep into the mountains without you. I’ll just stay nearby and look around,” Wei Dong said.
Tang Xu knew his suggestion to accompany Wei Dong wasn’t likely to be accepted. Resigned, he nodded reluctantly. “Alright then.”
The two didn’t linger any longer. After finishing breakfast, Wei Dong went to the backyard to harness the mule to the cart, carefully tying everything he needed for the mountain trip securely onto the cart with thick hemp rope.
Meanwhile, Tang Xu stayed in the kitchen, making a large stack of flatbreads. He wrapped them neatly in oiled paper and placed them in the bamboo basket for Wei Dong to carry.
By then, everyone in the household was awake and aware that Wei Dong was heading up the mountain to hunt. Most of them weren’t particularly interested, only reminding him to stay safe and return early.
However, the two men tasked with protecting the household, Wu Liu and Wu Qi, who had come with Old Wu, showed quite a bit of interest.
Despite their enthusiasm, they hadn’t prepared for an overnight stay in the mountains and couldn’t join Wei Dong this time.
The two followed Wei Dong around the backyard several times as he prepared. When it was time to see him off, they looked a little disappointed.
“Next time, we should tag along too. It’s been so many years since we’ve been up the mountains,” Wu Liu said cheerfully, clasping his hands behind his back as he strolled back towards the house.
“It’s been nearly thirty years,” Wu Qi replied, holding half a flatbread in his hand and munching as he walked. “Xu Ge’re’s flatbreads are something else—crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Even when it’s plain, they’re delicious.”
“You’ve already had two, haven’t you? How are you still eating?” Wu Liu exclaimed, looking at him in astonishment. “Your appetite’s really grown since you came here!”
Wu Qi chuckled and nodded. “Xu Ge’er’s cooking is better than the chefs back home. I can’t help but love it.”
Meanwhile, Old Wu was busy winterizing the roots of the medicinal herbs in the field. He laid down thick layers of straw to insulate the roots from freezing during the snowy months. Once spring came and the snow melted, the straw could simply be removed.
Initially, Tang Yang and Wei Xi were helping out, but the old man dismissed them, complaining that they were too slow.
When Wu Liu and Wu Qi walked over, Old Wu waved them down immediately. “Come here! Lay the straw over there.” He pointed to a section of the field.
The two sighed but went over to help.
“Master, at your age, shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”
“Yeah, your messing with all this stuff every day—aren’t you tired?”
“You two sure talk a lot of nonsense. Get to work!” Old Wu glared at them.
As it turned out, the one who ended up helping the most was Tang Erhu, who was passing by.
Skilled in farm work, he couldn’t resist stepping in when he saw the three older men struggling to lay the straw evenly.
Old Wu later praised Tang Xu about it for ages, saying, “Your dad must’ve been amazing at farming. Just look at how smooth and tidy he’s laid this straw!”
Tang Xu couldn’t help but laugh. He looked over at his father, who stood by the herb field with a pitchfork in hand, still brimming with energy.
Tang Xu walked over and asked, “Dad, are you tired?”
“Tired? Nah, this is nothing,” Tang Erhu replied, tilting his head toward Tang Xu. “Where’s Dongzi? Why did he go out so early?”
When he’d arrived earlier, Tang Erhu hadn’t seen the mule cart and assumed Wei Dong had gone to town to buy supplies.
Tang Xu shrugged, sighed, and said helplessly, “He’s gone up the mountain to hunt, saying he wants to hunt some prey for the wedding banquet.”
Tang Erhu widened his eyes in surprise. “How long has it been since he last went up the mountain? And now, in this freezing weather with the wind howling, what’s the point? It’s not like our family is short on meat.”
“Ah Dong usually takes the kids up the mountain too. He’s going a bit farther this time. How can I stop him if he insists?” Tang Xu, despite his own worries, couldn’t help but chuckle at his father’s words and defended his man. “If he brings back a deer, the feast will make the whole village jealous!”
Tang Erhu glared at him, clearly unimpressed. “Can’t you people ever just take it easy?”
Tang Xu huffed and didn’t respond, thinking to himself, I’d be the one taking it easy if I went with him up the mountain!
Frustrated, Tang Xu stormed off, muttering under his breath.
In the study, Old Sun was entertaining the younger children with stories from a book. Tang Yang and Wei Xi weren’t there; only the younger ones were gathered around him.
Tang Xu peeked in through the window, then turned and headed to Old Wen’s room.
Sure enough, the two teenage boys were in there, helping Old Wen grind medicinal herbs.
Tang Xu walked into the room and lightly smacked each of them on the head. “Why aren’t you two in class studying?”
"Master Sun said we needed to clear our heads a bit; we were getting a little stuck," Wei Xi looked up at Tang Xu and then asked, "Did my brother go up the mountain?"
Tang Xu nodded. "He left just as you two were getting up."
"I wonder what he’ll bring back this time," Wei Xi mused. He remembered how, when they were younger, his brother never came back from the mountain empty-handed.
He was genuinely looking forward to what his brother might bring home.
Tang Xu understood the sentiment. He, too, was curious about what Wei Dong might catch.
0 Comments
Post a Comment