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Wei Xi managed to get out of bed after five days, but his whole body was so weak that his legs felt like jelly.
During those five days, Wei Dong had been by his brother’s side constantly. Though he didn’t say much, his worry was evident.
Wei Xi was usually in good health, with only the occasional minor illness. To suddenly be bedridden like this was naturally a cause for concern for Wei Dong.
Fortunately, it was nothing serious. As long as he took his medicine on time and got proper rest, he would recover.
Another ten days passed, and Wei Xi finally regained his strength and vitality. At least now he could walk steadily without swaying.
By this time, the year was drawing to a close. The weather had grown colder and snow fell frequently, accumulating in thick layers over the vegetable patches in the front and back yards.
The sight of snow made the children excited. At first, they all ran outside to play, one after another. Tang Xu didn’t stop them, simply bundling them up in thick coats and small capes before letting them out.
Everything was fine initially, but Xiao Bao couldn’t handle the cold. After just a quarter of an hour, his little hands turned bright red from the chill, so he stopped playing.
He stopped playing, his companion, Yue Ge’er, also decided to stop.
The two of them returned to the warm indoors, where they happily ate the sweet pastries Xiao Bao’s dad had made for them, accompanied by some goat milk. They couldn’t have been more content.
Hearing the laughter and commotion outside, Xiao Bao tiptoed to peek out the window.
However, the thickly pasted paper on the window blocked his view, and he couldn’t see a thing.
Yue Ge’er noticed Xiao Bao’s curiosity and came over to help him push open the window, letting him look outside. He reminded him, "You can look for a little while, but not too long, or you’ll catch a cold from the wind."
Xiao Bao nodded obediently, still clutching half a piece of jujube cake in his little hand, which had visible bite marks. Waving it towards the outside, he called out in a soft, milk-like voice, “Brother~ Brother, have some~!”
Er Bao was holding a small shovel, originally using it to scoop up snow and toss it away. But hearing Xiao Bao’s voice, he turned his head and caught sight of the cake in his younger brother’s little hand.
Er Bao dropped the shovel immediately, he darted over, opened his mouth wide, and bit the whole piece of cake into his mouth in one go. His cheeks puffed up instantly.
Xiao Bao pouted unhappily and pulled his hand back with a look of disdain. He wiped the hand his brother had just touched with his mouth on his clothes.
“Xiao Bao, get me another piece!” Er Bao quickly swallowed the jujube cake in his mouth and called to his little brother inside the window.
Although Xiao Bao was annoyed about his brother’s saliva getting on his hand, he was still very obedient. Twisting his body, he reached for the plate of pastries on the small table.
Yue Ge’er, worried he might fall, hurriedly picked up the plate and handed it to him.
When Tang Xu finished his work inside and came out, the first thing he saw was Xiao Bao leaning over the bed, half his body sticking out, and Er Bao standing under the window with his cheeks bulging as he chewed furiously.
“What are you two doing?!” Tang Xu shouted.
The two kids were startled. Xiao Bao slid right off the windowsill, and if it hadn’t been for Yue Ge’er catching him from behind, he would’ve landed flat on the floor.
Er Bao, meanwhile, dropped the half-eaten piece of cake from his mouth onto the ground.
Turning to look at Tang Xu, he blinked his big eyes and called out, “Dad~”
Tang Xu reached out to wipe the sugar stuck to Er Bao’s face and pinched his chubby cheek. “If you’re going to eat, do it properly inside the house. Don’t stand here in the wind unless you want a stomachache.”
Er Bao nodded obediently and softly replied, “Okay,” before running back into the house.
Tang Xu glanced through the window again and saw Xiao Bao sitting properly on a small stool, holding another piece of jujube cake in his hand.
At that moment, Xiao Bao tilted his head up to look at his dad, appearing extremely well-behaved.
Tang Xu sighed and wagged his finger at Xiao Bao from a distance. “No more leaning on the window, or you’ll catch a cold.”
Xiao Bao quickly nodded, flashing a sweet smile at his dad.
Tang Xu turned his attention to the chubby boy, Sun Yang, who was busy building a snowman. “You guys can play for a little longer, then head back inside,” he said.
The chubby boy responded with an earnest “Mm-hmm” without even looking up at his dad. He was entirely focused on using his small shovel to pat the snowman’s belly into a perfectly round shape.
Sun Yang obediently straightened up and responded to Tang Xu, saying, "Okay." He added that they would finish giving the snowman its eyes and then head back inside.
Tang Xu chuckled and ruffled his hair. “I made jujube cake. Don’t you want some?”
Sun Yang’s eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously.
He loved jujube cake—it was sweet and fragrant!
The chubby boy straightened his posture, puffed out his cheeks, and looked at his dad with a hint of indignation.
“Dad, go back inside! My brother Yang and I will finish soon, and then we’ll eat!”
“Alright, but hurry up.” Tang Xu gave them a once-over, checking their faces and touching their hands to make sure they weren’t too cold, before heading back to the kitchen.
Earlier, he had steamed the jujube cake and left it to cool on the stove. By now, it was mostly cooled down.
He cut it into small pieces and arranged them on plates, planning to send some to each room later. Paired with floral tea, it would make for a pretty decent afternoon snack.
In the countryside, there wasn’t much emphasis on fancy pastries. As long as the family enjoyed it, that was enough.
Tang Li lifted the curtain and stepped in. Spotting the plates of jujube cake, she smiled and asked, “Brother, should I help you deliver these?”
“Take those three plates of sweetened ones to the three elder’s rooms. The rest are for us. Are you hungry? Have a piece. Dinner will be a little later today because I’m making stew.”
Tang Li looked at him strangely. They typically made a big meat stew every three days or so, so she didn’t see why her brother would mention it specifically this time.
Tang Xu grinned and said, “Your brother-in-law said we’re slaughtering a sheep. It’s been a while since winter started, and this will be the first time we’re making mutton stew.”
There were four sheep in the backyard. A few days ago, Wei Dong had taken a trip to the mountains and spotted a wild sheep herd.
Since they had their own sheep, it was more convenient to slaughter one of them for meat rather than go hunting.
Mutton wasn’t commonly eaten around here, and the town butcher shops rarely have it. The only exception was when hunters deliberately went into the mountains to catch wild sheep.
Wealthy landowners and affluent families in the town would hire hunters to capture sheep once winter began. If they were lucky, they’d catch one or two.
The town did have businesses that raised dairy sheep specifically for rich households, but not in the village.
Wei Dong had been talking about going into the mountains to catch wild sheep for a while. It had been nearly a year since they’d last had mutton, and he was craving it badly.
But then Wei Xi got sick, and with so many things going on in the household, the plan had to be put on hold.
By the time everything settled, the wild sheep herd had long moved deep into the forest. Unless Wei Dong stayed in the mountains for a few days, there was no chance of catching one.
Unfortunately, after the last incident where Wei Dong got injured during a mountain trip, Tang Xu was firmly against him staying in the mountains for days.
As a result, Wei Dong turned his attention to the sheep in their backyard.
The ewes were kept for breeding and milk production, so Wei Dong slaughtered the ram. He was already planning that once the weather warmed up, he’d head back to the mountains to catch another ram.
That way, the three ewes left in the backyard could be bred, and their flock would grow steadily over time. It was a good plan.
With thoughts of a hearty meal in mind, Wei Dong worked quickly. When Liu Yao came over, intending to lend a hand, he was promptly turned away.
“Clean the offal with ash and get it ready for soup,” Wei Dong said, his eyes lighting up. “Once it’s done, send it over to Ah Xu.”
On such a freezing day, sipping fresh mutton soup, eating large chunks of tender mutton, and pairing it with some flatbread—that would be pure bliss!
Wei Dong couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva as his hands moved faster, stripping bones and trimming meat.
Liu Yao blinked and turned to the stove, scooping up some plant ash to clean the offal. He was good at this kind of work since he often did it at the shop.
Tang Xu came over to check and saw that Liu Yao had already washed the intestines and stomach thoroughly. He carried the basin to the large stove in the front yard, where hot water was already boiling.
Mutton offal had a strong odor, so cooking it outside ensured the whole house wouldn’t reek of gaminess.
In the kitchen, Tang Li followed Tang Xu’s instructions to make white flour flatbreads. These palm-sized leavened flatbreads were round and fluffy, delicious even on their own.
In the yard, the large cauldrons were steaming furiously. One was simmering the cleaned offal, while the other was filled with small chunks of mutton and bones.
The rich aroma wafted through the air, carried by the wind to far-off places.
Every kid in the house would come out now and then to take a peek. Every single one of them was especially excited about the mutton stew.
By the time dusk settled in, Tang Xu sprinkled a handful of finely chopped frozen cilantro into the milky-white offal soup and waved his hand.
“Dinner’s ready!”
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