| TBBOTOF | 321
The villagers eagerly discussed the matter, with nearly half of them coming over to take part.
Later, when the dishes were served, some people even went home to gossip with their families, talking about how the bride's family had brought in a live-in son-in-law.
What business was it of theirs whether someone chose to marry into a family or bring in a son-in-law?
Those who liked to talk just talked.
At least there weren’t any overly extreme comments, and Liu Yao himself didn’t care much.
On the wedding night, after dinner, his parents were sent back home. There simply weren’t enough rooms to accommodate the entire extended family, so they weren’t asked to stay.
However, before leaving, Liu Yao’s mother called him aside and said a few words.
At the time, Liu Yao didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until a few days later, when he mulled it over, that he realized something wasn’t quite right.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, almost making himself sick with frustration.
Why hadn’t he picked up on the implied meaning of her words at the time?
It was probably because he was too thrilled about getting married. For those few days, all his thoughts were focused on his new wife, leaving no room to think about anything else.
So, when his wife, Tang Li, finally got annoyed and kicked him, sternly telling him that if he kept clinging to her, they’d sleep in separate rooms, Liu Yao’s previously sluggish brain finally started working again.
And then, he got furious over what his mother had said before.
In truth, his mother hadn’t said much. She had simply reminded him to maintain the relationship, emphasizing that the Wei family had money and that the Tang family doted on their daughter.
She told him to take good care of his wife, rein in his temper, and make sure not to upset her.
Liu Yao stood in front of the house, his expression momentarily twisted, startling Tang Yang, who was just about to greet him.
"Brother-in-law, what’s wrong with you?" Since their marriage, the younger members of the family had started calling him "brother-in-law," and hearing this address always put Liu Yao in a good mood.
Liu Yao raised a hand and vigorously rubbed his face. Then, with a flex of his arm to show off his biceps, he raised his eyebrows at the bewildered Tang Yang and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Tang Yang looked confused. He stared at Liu Yao’s face for a while, then glanced at his body, still not understanding.
"What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’?" He reached out to pat Liu Yao’s arm, grinning cheekily. "Brother-in-law, are you tired?"
Liu Yao’s face darkened, and he slapped Tang Yang on the arm. "What nonsense are you talking about at your age? I’m asking you if I look strong!"
"You?" Tang Yang raised an eyebrow, let out a dismissive snort, and gave Liu Yao a once-over.
Shaking his head, he replied with disdain, "You’re nothing compared to my other brother-in-law."
Liu Yao was momentarily speechless, then quickly locked an arm around Tang Yang’s neck, pulling him into a tight hold.
Gritting his teeth, he muttered, "Who can compare to your other brother-in-law? You won’t find a second guy as strong as him in this entire village."
Tang Yang shrank his neck from being squeezed and struggled to stretch his hand toward Wei Xi, who was standing nearby watching the commotion. “Help, help, help me!”
Wei Xi laughed, shook his head, and spread his hands in mock helplessness, indicating he was too weak to intervene.
Tang Yang froze for a second, realizing their friendship was now in shambles!
Just then, Tang Xu walked out, carrying a basin of water and casually splashed it outside.
Luckily, the direction was away from them; otherwise, half a basin of water would’ve drenched the two of them.
When Tang Xu turned back, he jumped in surprise.
“What are you two doing standing here?”
“Brother-in-law was asking me if he looks strong. I told him he’s not as strong as my other brother-in-law,” Tang Yang finally broke free from Liu Yao’s hold, rubbing the red marks on his neck. “I don’t even know why he’s asking about this.”
Liu Yao glared at him, and Tang Yang quickly darted behind Tang Xu for cover. Now that he had a shield, he felt emboldened and raised his voice with newfound confidence.
“Brother-in-law, you’re only a few years older than me. Once I grow a bit taller, you won’t even be as sturdy as me!”
Liu Yao: “...” He had no good rebuttal for that.
The men in the Tang family seemed to have some genetic advantage. They were all tall and robust, and even his father-in-law, who was nearly ten years older, still had a body full of solid, toned muscles.
“Why’d you suddenly start talking about physique?” Tang Xu gave Liu Yao a once-over, looking puzzled. “You’re not skinny or weak. You look just fine.”
Although Tang Xu preferred muscular men, he knew that his younger sister, Tang Li, must have married Liu Yao because she liked that type. If Liu Yao hadn’t worked out and developed a strong, muscular body, Tang Li probably wouldn’t have been happy.
Liu Yao pouted and said with a gloomy expression, “When my mom left the other day, she pulled me aside and went on about how I need to take good care of Ah Li, so she won’t kick me out.” He paused and clicked his tongue. “Something like that, anyway.”
Tang Xu looked bewildered, and Tang Yang stood there with his mouth half-open. Even Wei Xi, who had walked over and overheard the conversation, stopped in his tracks.
What was going on?
Take care of who?
Seeing their surprised faces, Liu Yao felt a bit helpless.
He shrugged and said, “I was so excited that day I didn’t pick up on what she meant, but now it’s dawning on me. I’m wondering, what was my mom even thinking?”
Tang Xu flicked the remaining water from the basin and asked uncertainly, “Did your parents ever say they wouldn’t host a wedding banquet because they thought you were marrying in?”
Liu Yao blinked. “Huh?”
Tang Xu sighed. “Did they not mention it? After all, you’ve been living here for the past few years, and even if you were not married to Tang Li yet, you haven’t gone back to your parents’ place. I can understand their attitude toward you now.”
How should he put it?
It had been years since he had properly lived with his parents. Every six months, Liu Yao would send a small sum of money as a tribute, though it wasn’t much.
Over the years, it had accumulated into a decent amount. So, when it came to his marriage to Tang Li, his parents probably saw it as him marrying in.
Liu Yao frowned. “Actually, my sister-in-law mentioned once that there’s no difference between me marrying in and being adopted; I eat and drink here, and don’t even care about the family’s affairs. At the time, my parents didn’t say anything, but my brother did say something to her.”
This was all from a long time ago, back when he and Tang Li had just become engaged.
“What does that mean? Are they treating me like I’m married off?” Liu Yao laughed and sighed helplessly.
Tang Xu found this interesting and patted him on the shoulder with one hand. “Don’t worry about what your mom said. You and Ah Li just need to live your life together.”
Liu Yao sighed lightly. “Ah, brother-in-law, if you need anything, just let me know, I’ll help.”
"Make some steamed dumplings with cornmeal, I just peeled some radishes. Come over and help me chop the meat for the filling." Tang Xu turned to Wei Xi and added, "You and Tang Yang should help those kids wash their clothes. They insisted on washing them themselves, but I’m worried they won’t do a good job."
Wei Xi and Tang Yang nodded in response and headed toward the backyard.
The children were all in the room for their bath, and given the weather, washing clothes required hot water.
Since the kids insisted on washing them themselves, using cold water was out of the question.
So, they were all brought to the other side of the house by Wei Dong, where there was plenty of hot water.
However, since Tang Mei was cooking with Liu Ge’er in the new house, Xu Ze was helping Old Wu with the herbs, and Wang Cuicui and Tang Erhu hadn’t arrived yet, Tang Li was busy tidying up things in their room.
Therefore, the task of looking after the children was left to Wei Dong.
The problem was, he couldn’t manage several children on his own, so Tang Xu had assigned Wei Xi and Tang Yang to help.
For lunch, they were making large steamed dumplings, as the cornmeal dough had been prepared the night before, and now they only needed to chop the filling.
Liu Yao rolled up his sleeves and swung his arms, wielding two knives, one in each hand, moving with impressive speed and precision.
Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!
"Brother Xu, did Brother-in-law say when he’ll be going on his next trip?" Tang Xu asked, while lifting the shredded radishes out of the pot and placing them into a large bowl without stopping his work.
"After the New Year, sometime in the spring," Tang Xu replied, his voice steady. "Didn’t Wu Hong just return? He said everything is set and ready over there."
Liu Yao’s eyes lit up a bit more than before, eager with anticipation. "That’s great! I’ve been wanting to learn how they make the braised meats in the capital city."
Liu Yao rubbed his hands together, smiling as he asked, "So after we’re married, will we run the same shop, or should we open a new one?"
Tang Xu raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.
Liu Yao felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze, and with a dry laugh, he said, "Zhao Ming can manage the shop, he’s got the brains for it. If we took over, we’d probably outdo him. The capital city is bigger than the county, after all. Since we’re doing this braised meat business anyway, I thought it might be better to open another shop on the other side. That way, we’d have two stores that could support each other and both make money."
Tang Xu had actually discussed this with Wei Dong a couple of days ago. He’d heard the men talk about it. Yongcheng City was a big place, three times the size of a county, and its population was large, making it a thriving city.
He thought that even opening five stores would be profitable, not just two.
So, hearing Liu Yao bring it up now, he thought it sounded quite reasonable.
Zhao Ming was someone Wei Dong had bought, and it had already been decided that he’d be in charge of the braised meat shop.
If Liu Yao and Tang Li moved over and took it over, he wasn’t sure how Zhao Ming would feel, but he knew he wouldn’t be too happy about it.
Especially since Zhao Ming was doing a good job, and with those three helping him run the shop smoothly, Tang Xu wasn’t planning on taking the store back.
Seeing that Tang Xu wasn’t saying anything, Liu Yao added, "I’ve saved up a bit over the past couple of years. I definitely can’t afford to buy a shop in the capital, but I could rent one. Ah Li and I have discussed it, and we agreed that whatever we make from the braised meat shop, after covering expenses, we’ll split it with you. We can’t keep taking advantage of you forever."
Tang Xu nodded. "If it helps me make more money, of course I’m happy about it."
Liu Yao chuckled with satisfaction.
Tang Li finished tidying up the room and came over to help with the cooking.
As she pushed the door open, she saw the two of them talking. With her hair already styled in a woman’s bun, Tang Li’s cheeks were flushed, a clear sign that life after marriage was going well.
"Brother, what are you two talking about?" she asked.
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