| TBBOTOF | 335
Tang Xu and Wei Dong were both action-oriented people. On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, Wei Dong came back with a load of goods.
As expected, the mule and the people had to walk back—there was no more room to sit.
Wei Dong sighed as he looked at the scene and said, "Next time, don’t buy so much. We have everything at home."
Without even lifting his gaze, Tang Erhu's hands kept moving as he replied, "You two have what you need, but we have so many relatives. If we don’t buy anything, won’t we be laughed at? When we go visit relatives next year, we’ll be giving away part of these anyway. It may look like a lot now..."
Wei Dong was speechless. Ever since his father-in-law started making money, he had become much more confident in spending.
Wang Cuicui placed the bundle she was carrying into a gap in the cart's frame, patted it to make sure it wouldn’t fall, then turned to Wei Dong with a smile and said, "Your father bought sugar figurines for all the kids. They’re stored in a box like little treasures."
Although the family never lacked food or drink, sugar figurines were a handcrafted treat that Tang Xu couldn’t make himself.
The best he could manage was some simple sugar paintings, and making three-dimensional sugar figurines was beyond his skills. That’s why Tang Erhu’s little gift had won over the hearts of the children.
Luckily, the weather was cold now, so the sugar figurines could last for a few days without melting. Otherwise, they would have been gone in no time.
Tang Li whispered from the side, "Dad can’t even bear to throw away furnace ash."
He hated wasting anything. If it weren’t for Brother’s warning that food businesses had to stay clean, their small courtyard would have been packed to the brim with all sorts of things.
Tang Erhu raised his hand, about to give his daughter a playful smack on the head, but Liu Yao quickly stopped him. "Dad, you can’t hit her! If that big hand of yours comes down, you’ll knock my wife silly."
Tang Erhu smacked the back of Liu Yao’s neck in return and huffed, “You just spoil her too much!”
Liu Yao rubbed his sore neck, grinning through the pain. In his heart, he thought—of course, that’s my wife, I should spoil her.
"Alright, alright, the child isn’t wrong either. Look at all that junk you’ve piled up. We are lucky that the weather is cold; if it were summer, it would have started growing mold by now." Wang Cuicui reached out to pull Tang Erhu away, her face full of disdain as she grumbled.
Wei Dong looked puzzled. His eyes scanned over the cow cart until they landed on a dusty bundle.
That bundle was bulging, stuffed full of something, and looked quite heavy.
He had a gut feeling that if they brought that thing home, Tang Xu would blow up.
So he hesitated and asked, "What’s in there?"
From the shape, it looked like a big bag of old clothes.
Wang Cuicui curled her lips in distaste. "Just some old clothes the neighbors didn’t want. They were going to cut them up for rags, but your father saw that they were still wearable and brought them back."
Wei Dong frowned. "Dad, if Ah Xu finds out about this, he’s definitely going to be mad at you."
"I'm not wearing them myself," Tang Erhu patted the bundle and, seeing his son-in-law's disapproving look, explained, "I brought them back for the chicken and duck pens at home. If I had told the neighbors that, they wouldn’t have given them to me—they’d assume I was taking them for poor relatives to wear."
Although their neighbors were all shopkeepers and business owners, even patched-up old clothes that could no longer be worn could still be reused. If it weren’t for his good relationships with them, he wouldn’t have been able to get a bundle like this.
Tang Erhu then added smugly, "You heat that stone slab and waste so much firewood. You all don’t mind, but we do."
Wang Cuicui raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when did you become so particular? You never used to care about these things."
Tang Erhu huffed, "Before we left last time, Mother specifically reminded me that she wants to raise more chickens and ducks in the spring. Those little chicks and ducklings are afraid of the cold, and these old clothes will be perfect for lining the floor." He scowled. "It's just a few worn-out clothes, and you’re making such a fuss over it."
"Then why didn’t you just say that from the start?" Wang Cuicui rolled her eyes at him.
Thinking back to how she had nagged at him when she first saw the pile of rags, her face heated up.
Even though they were a remarried couple, after living together for the past two years, Wang Cuicui knew that Tang Erhu was a good man. So now, remembering how she had scolded him that day, she felt a little guilty.
She rubbed her hands together and tugged at Tang Erhu’s arm, pulling him aside slightly. With a flushed face, she whispered, "Dear, I was wrong. Next time, I won’t nag you like that."
Tang Erhu snorted, thinking to himself, I haven't even said anything yet, and you've already scolded me enough. What else is there to say?
Since his wife had already admitted she was wrong, as the head of the household, he wouldn't hold it against her. But still, he kept a stern face and said seriously, "From now on, don’t nag me anymore!"
"Alright, alright, no nagging," Wang Cuicui replied with a grin, agreeing verbally.
Whether she'd actually stop in the future was another matter entirely.
Tang Li, watching her father’s expression, couldn't help but curl her lips in amusement. She turned to Liu Yao and said, "Look at our dad—he listens to Auntie so well now."
Liu Yao grinned and leaned in close, making a show of loyalty. "I listen to my wife, too! I earn money, and you spend it!"
Tang Li, satisfied, pinched his cheek and smiled. "If you ever betray me, I’ll ask my Brother-in-law to break your legs!"
Liu Yao's eyelid twitched. "No way! I’m not that kind of person!"
By then, Wei Dong had already finished securing everything on the cart with thick hemp rope.
He turned his head and called out, "Ah Yao!"
Liu Yao jolted upright and quickly responded, "Coming, Brother-in-law!" Then, like a well-trained lackey, he sprinted over obediently.
Tang Li found his eagerness amusing. She turned back into the courtyard to grab the last few remaining items.
"Brother must have made lots of delicious food at home. I miss him already," she said as they started their journey back.
Carrying her bundle, she walked alongside Wang Cuicui between the two carts—one led by a mule in the front, and the other a cow cart in the back.
Wang Cuicui gave a slight nod. "Xu Ge’er is very thoughtful," she said, before continuing, "Have you both already decided to leave after the New Year?"
Tang Li nodded, linking her arm with Wang Cuicui’s. "I haven't discussed it with Dad yet, but it seems like he doesn’t want us to open a shop."
Tang Mei, holding Goudan, laughed as she walked alongside them. "Which parent wants to see their children go so far away? They’re just reluctant to let go."
"I know that's the case," Tang Li replied, "but we can't just watch a good money-making opportunity slip away. Elder cousin, if it were you, would you go?"
She turned to look at Tang Mei, her expression serious.
Tang Mei thought for a moment and then said, "It depends on the situation. If it were me now, I’d definitely go. But if it were the old me, I wouldn’t have."
Tang Li raised an eyebrow. "You’re really living easy now, aren’t you?"
Tang Mei smiled and shook her head, pulling Goudan closer in her arms. "If I didn’t live well, what would happen to my two children?"
After being separated for two years, her eldest son only ever looked for her when he needed money.
As for her spoiled eldest son, she had no feelings left for him—just thinking about him upset her.
Wang Cuicui, knowing that Tang Mei had recently seen her son, sighed and said, "Don’t dwell on those things. It’s better to live a peaceful life than to worry about the past."
Tang Mei nodded. "You're right. I’m not thinking about anything else now. I’m just focused on saving some silver so I don’t cause my parents any more trouble."
Tang Li didn’t say anything and was deep in thought. She was planning to discuss with her brother when they got home how to get their stubborn father to agree to the idea.
Her brother would definitely have a solution!
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