The Beautiful Brother of the Orion’s Family (Wearing Book) - 323

 

| TBBOTOF | 323

The mule was fast, so the trip back and forth didn’t take too long. Wei Dong even brought some things back.

Tang Xu went to check on the old man and found that his grandfather wasn’t in great spirits either. Understandably, he was worried about his wife, which made it hard for him to sleep well or enjoy his meals.

"Grandpa, you’ve got to take care of yourself," Tang Xu said as he poured the old man a cup of hot water, noticing his lips were dry and chapped.

"Your grandma is just too stubborn," the old man sighed.

Tang Xu didn’t respond to that. After watching his grandfather finish the water, he poured him another half a cup. "Ah Dong went home to grab some medicine. Don’t worry, Grandpa. Old Wu said Grandma isn’t in serious trouble—she just needs time to recover."

Tang Guangliang didn’t say much, only nodded gently.

Old Wu gave the elderly lady a pill. Not long after she swallowed it, her complexion became rosy, and her energy seemed to return somewhat.

Tang Xu sat on the edge of the kang bed, watching curiously but refraining from asking questions.

It was obvious that this was something special—a life-saving elixir!

Old Wu turned his head and met Tang Xu’s lively, curious eyes. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What? Got something you want to ask?"

"Old man, was that a magical pill you gave my grandma?" Tang Xu pointed at the porcelain bottle Old Wu was packing back into his medicine chest.

Wei Xi, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh quietly. He said softly, "Brother-in-law, that’s not a magical pill. That’s a ginseng pill Master Wu made—it’s good at keeping you healthy."

Tang Xu raised an eyebrow. “It’s not much different from a magical pill, though.”

Old Wu glared at him, then took another porcelain bottle out of his medicine chest and handed it to Luo Pingping. “Take one pill every night before bed. As for the herbal decoction, drink it one or two times a day after meals.”

Luo Pingping quickly nodded. “Okay, I’ve got it.”

As it was nearing lunchtime, Luo Pingping wouldn’t let anyone leave. She insisted they stay for a meal, saying that with Tang Li and Liu Yao back at home, someone was cooking, so there was no fear of them going hungry.

Tang Xu didn’t refuse. He invited Old Wu to rest in Tang Dahu’s room for a while, suggesting that the two old men have a chat.

Though their lives were vastly different, they actually got along quite well.

Mainly because Old Wu enjoyed tending his herb garden, and Tang Guangliang had spent his whole life farming. They found a lot of common ground despite their different focuses.

Meanwhile, Tang Dahu had been sent off by his wife to buy meat.

When Tang Xu made a move to help in the kitchen, Luo Pingping stopped him. She called over the courtyard wall for two of the younger wives to handle the cooking and then firmly seated Tang Xu on the kang bed, clearly intending to talk to him about something.

Wei Dong, not wanting to stay in the room, told Tang Xu he’d go for a walk in the yard and then stepped outside.

The old lady’s herbal medicine still needed some time to finish brewing, but she was in relatively good spirits at the moment. She had been helped into a seated position, propped up comfortably.

“Auntie, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Tang Xu asked as he reached out to adjust the quilt over the old lady’s legs.

Luo Pingping nodded. There was nothing to hide from her own nephew, so she got straight to the point.

She was mainly worried about her daughter’s future!

Even though Tang Mei seemed to be doing well now, as a mother, Luo Pingping couldn’t help but fret over how hard it would be for her daughter to raise two children alone in the long run. 

Not long ago, during a visit, she had even suggested that Tang Mei consider remarrying if the right person came along.

Mothers tend to worry endlessly, and Luo Pingping now grabbed hold of Tang Xu to talk about it.

“It’s your elder cousin—she’s the one making me worry. The last time I introduced someone to her, she didn’t like him. She said Goudan is still young, and Xiao Yang is studying too, so she doesn’t have the time or energy for this,” Luo Pingping said, her face full of frustration. 

Her brows were tightly furrowed as she continued, “But why doesn’t she think about how hard it is to raise two children on her own!”

Tang Xu thought there was some truth to her words, but not entirely. The thing was, Tang Mei had started earning her own money now. She made two taels of silver a month, which was a significant income—not just for a rural woman, but even for many men.

Still, in a mother’s eyes, it wasn’t just about hardship. There were also the incessant gossip and judgment from others, which could wear a person down.

Tang Xu scratched his head. This whole situation seemed simple enough to him.

His aunt probably wanted him to persuade Tang Mei to remarry while she was still young and had options.

The problem was, he didn’t want to do that.

"Auntie, how about waiting until my cousin comes back and then you talk to her properly?"

"What’s there to talk about? I’ve said everything that needed to be said. She doesn’t listen to me at all anymore. Xu Ge’er, you understand me best, don’t you? Can you please help me talk some sense into her?" Luo Pingping's eyes were full of sincerity as she tightly gripped Tang Xu’s hand. "I truly worry about her!"

Tang Xu sighed. "Alright, when she comes back next time, I’ll talk to her."

Luo Pingping visibly relaxed, gently patting Tang Xu’s hand as she said, "I’m just doing this for her sake."

For her sake.

At the mention of those three words, Tang Xu couldn’t hold back any longer. He spoke up, "Auntie, there are a few things I want to say. You might not like hearing them, but if I don’t say them, I won’t feel right."

Luo Pingping looked at him in surprise. "What is it? Go ahead."

Tang Xu helped her sit down in a nearby chair, poured her a glass of water, and then said, "Auntie, I know you’re worried about how my cousin might struggle in the future, but right now she’s busy with her work, and she’s making money. She’s got a good, obedient child. She’s definitely not going to raise her child poorly. The only real problem is the gossip from outsiders."

Luo Pingping opened her mouth, as though she was going to say something, but Tang Xu raised his hand to stop her, signaling that he hadn’t finished speaking.

"Has our family ever been free from gossip? After all these years, Auntie, don’t you understand by now? You can’t stop people from talking, no matter what. Our family’s doing well now. Do you think those people are just going to stop talking? They’re probably hoping for our business to fail behind our backs!"

Luo Pingping nodded. She occasionally overheard people saying unkind things about their family.

"But what if my cousin remarries and doesn’t find happiness? What if the two children suffer with her?"

This question was a soul-searching one.

Everyone knew being a single mother was difficult, but did that mean remarriage would automatically bring happiness?

What if she jumped from the frying pan into the fire? 

There was no guarantee that she would have the courage to leave again if things didn’t work out. And even if she did, people would be quick to criticize her, spewing venomous words that could destroy her.

"Auntie, I understand your concern and care for her, but you need to look at things more broadly. It’s not easy for my cousin to get through what she’s been through," Tang Xu said, his voice soft but firm.

After he finished, he sighed lightly, stood up, and said, "I’ll go help in the kitchen."

Luo Pingping didn’t respond immediately. She sat there for a while before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

After lunch, they didn’t stay too long and left, as there were still things to be done back at home.

However, before leaving, Tang Xu made sure to remind the old lady to speak up if she wasn’t feeling well and not to push herself too hard.

Old Wu’s medical skills were exceptional. After drinking just three doses of medicine, Wu Guizhi’s spirits had returned. 

However, after everything she had gone through, while her mental state was much better, her body remained weak. Even walking a lap around the courtyard left her completely exhausted.

"Good thing it’s winter," she remarked, sitting on the edge of the kang and rubbing her sore legs. "If it weren’t, how would we manage all the work at home?"

Lifting her gaze, she spotted her eldest daughter-in-law, who seemed distracted.

"What's going on with you lately, eldest daughter-in-law? You’ve been so absent-minded these past few days," she asked.

Luo Pingping thought for a moment, then sat down next to her on the kang and spoke.

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