| TBBOTOF | 333
Seeing Wei Zhonghong arrive, Tang Xu quickly stepped out of the bucket, looking slightly uneasy. He smiled at her and said, "Auntie, what good things have you brought over this time?"
Wei Zhonghong showed him the basket and smiled. "Nothing much, just came over to check on you all."
Tang Xu took the basket from her and said, "After taking a bath, there's always sand at the bottom of the bucket. Since the sun is good today, I'll scrub it and let it dry."
Then he added, "Auntie, let's go to the front. I steamed some sticky bean buns yesterday."
Hearing this, Wei Zhonghong nodded. "Alright then, I'll go inside and rest for a bit."
In the front yard, a few children were covered in mud. Tang Xu glanced at them and reminded, "Make sure you wash your aprons later. Don't splash water everywhere."
The chubby boy was the first to respond, "Got it, Dad!"
After entering the main house, Tang Xu set down the basket Wei Zhonghong brought, then poured some dried chrysanthemum tea. "Auntie, try this. I dried a lot of it in autumn. If you like it, I'll pack some for you. It's good for clearing heat and reducing internal fire."
"We country folks don't fuss over such things. You're always making extra efforts. Even plain water can clear the heat," Wei Zhonghong said.
She took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea—it was fragrant, but she really couldn't get used to it. It always left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth.
Since she didn’t like it, there was no need to insist. Tang Xu didn't bring it up again.
"Why do you still let them play with mud? It’s so dirty, and washing clothes in this cold weather is such a hassle." After chatting idly for a bit, Wei Zhonghong couldn’t hold back and brought it up.
Tang Xu looked helpless. He explained how it started with only the chubby boy playing with mud, then gradually his two sons joined in, and eventually, all the kids got into it.
In the end, he could only shrug and smile bitterly. "At first, they were just rolling mud balls, competing to see whose was the smoothest and hardest. That made the whole place a mess. Now, at least they can actually shape things with it. It’s good for training their finger dexterity. Ah Dong even made them little aprons, so their outer pants stay relatively clean. If they like playing with mud, let them. It’s easier to deal with than having them run wild all over the yard."
Wei Zhonghong looked at him in confusion. "Did something happen?"
Normally, the kids ran around in the yard all the time, and she’d never seen him this exhausted over it.
Tang Xu sighed. "Er Bao went crazy running around in the backyard and accidentally trampled Old Wu’s herb garden. Luckily, there weren’t any winter herbs planted, or everything would have been ruined. Then the kids ran wild again and stomped all over the winter vegetable seedlings. Ah Dong almost beat them up."
"That deserved a beating," Wei Zhonghong frowned. "Winter vegetable seedlings are so precious. How much did they trample?"
Tang Xu raised his hand and pointed outside. "Right by the fence near the entrance. That whole patch of half-grown autumn cabbage seedlings—all crushed."
Wei Zhonghong walked to the window and glanced outside. She saw a small empty patch in the yard, while the rest of the area was covered in half-grown cabbages that would soon be ready for harvest.
But that one spot was bare with nothing growing at all.
She was shocked and turned back to Tang Xu. "That entire patch was ruined?"
If her own grandkids had trampled the winter vegetables while playing, she’d be heartbroken. She would’ve grabbed a broom and chased after them to give their butts a good beating.
Seeing Tang Xu nod, Wei Zhonghong frowned. "You didn’t hit him?"
She knew Tang Xu well enough to guess that he probably let the troublemaking kid off without much punishment.
Tang Xu sipped his warm chrysanthemum tea, shook his head, and smiled. "No, but Ah Dong smacked him twice on the butt. He howled so loud, and then the three old men scolded him too. Ah Dong hit hard enough that Er Bao’s butt got swollen."
"Is Er Bao okay?" Wei Zhonghong’s heart clenched. She was mad, but hearing that the child’s butt had swollen still made her feel sorry for him.
"He’s fine. He just wailed dramatically at the time, making such a fuss that the three old men came out. After that, he stopped crying. He had tears all over his face and kept sniffling, swearing he’d never step on the vegetable seedlings again. And guess what? A few days later, he didn’t step on the vegetables—but he went and trampled the herb garden instead." Tang Xu laughed.
"That little rascal needs a proper lesson, or he’ll never learn," Wei Zhonghong scolded.
"It’s just that there’s nothing much for them to do in winter. Now that they’re busy playing with mud, at least they stay quiet for a while instead of running around causing trouble." Tang Xu sighed.
His second son was like a wild monkey, he could never sit still—climbing, jumping, teasing cats and dogs.
Even the fat cat, which used to adore him, now avoided him. So the fact that Er Bao could settle down for a few days to play with mud felt like a small blessing to Tang Xu.
Wei Zhonghong could only sigh as well. Er Bao had always been mischievous, and now that he was growing up, he was even more of a handful. It felt like the house could barely contain his energy anymore.
After chatting a bit more, Wei Zhonghong suddenly changed the subject. "Xu Ge’er, I heard that after the new year, when Dongzi leaves again, Ah Li and her husband are planning to go with him?"
Tang Xu nodded.
It wasn’t a secret, so he simply replied, "The shop in Yongcheng was originally meant for the two of them to manage. After discussing it, Ah Li and Liu Yao decided to rent another place to open a second shop. Yongcheng is a big city, so having two stores won’t cause any conflict. Ah Dong didn’t mind, so he agreed. Why do you ask, Auntie?"
Wei Zhonghong waved her hand and smiled. "Oh, nothing much. Just thinking that they only recently got married, and now they have to move far away. It won’t be easy for them."
Tang Xu tilted his head slightly, sensing there was more to her words.
"Auntie, if you have something to say, just say it. We’re family, there’s no need to hold back."
Wei Zhonghong awkwardly brushed her hair behind her ear before speaking. "You know the situation at home. My fourth son has been really upset because of his two useless brothers, and now he’s been thinking about staying outside and not coming back."
Tang Xu blinked, surprised. "Stay outside? Auntie, you really want him to? If he stays there, it’ll be hard to see him even once, it’s a lot different from when he’s traveling for business."
Wei Zhonghong gave a wry smile. "It’s not that I want him to. It’s just... If he could settle down and start a family, he might calm down. But right now, he’s just running wild."
Tang Xu blinked, slowly realizing what she meant. She wasn’t asking for his help to convince her son to stay, but instead wanted him to help find a potential partner!
He scratched his head. This wasn’t really something he could help with.
Wei Zhonghong started venting her frustrations. "What’s the use of having so many sons? One’s ungrateful, another won’t come home. And just when I thought I finally had one who was making progress, now he wants to run off too."
"All of them are already married and settled down, and my fourth son’s made a lot of money, but he still won’t get married! It’s frustrating! Xu Ge’er, you know a lot of people. Could you help me find someone? Find a good, sensible girl for hom, someone who can make him settle down."
Tang Xu: "..."
At that moment, he really wished he could turn back time and stop himself from asking that question in the first place.
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