| TBBOTOF | 336
Goudan is almost two years old now. Over the past year, he has eaten well, slept soundly, and grown strong. He likes being held.
Although Goudan isn't very good at speaking yet, he's excellent at expressing himself. "Down, down, down!"
He wanted to get down and run around.
Unfortunately, they were outside on an official road, where the snow mixed with sand, making the path difficult to walk on. Tang Mei held him a little tighter and said, "Stay in my arms; it's easier to walk this way."
But little children don’t care about whether the road is easy to walk on or not. Seeing the ground covered in a mix of black, white, and sticky slush only made him more curious.
When he heard his mother refuse to let him down, he immediately started wailing.
Tang Mei frowned and tried to soothe him gently, but it didn’t work.
At an age where he couldn't even control his bodily functions properly, how could he possibly understand the reasoning of an adult?
Realizing that his mother was holding him tightly and wouldn't let him down, Goudan did what any ordinary child would do—he threw his head back, opened his mouth, and wailed loudly, "Waaahhhh~~~~~"
It's often said that a child's crying can be ear-piercing. Tang Mei was nearly deafened by her own son's scream.
They were all in a hurry to get home, so it was impossible to put the child down and let him run around.
Just as Tang Mei's expression darkened, ready to scold him, Wei Dong called out to her, "Why don't you sit by the side of the cart with him? We can make some space so he can stand for a bit."
With three mischievous kids of his own, Wei Dong completely understood why Goudan, after waking up, just wanted to get down and move around.
Tang Mei smiled at him somewhat apologetically and shook her head, intending to refuse.
Wang Cuicui said, “Just let him stand for a while, so he doesn’t cry and make a fuss.”
Tang Mei sighed. In the end, she still placed Goudan, who was kicking around wildly in her arms, onto the cart.
Afraid that he might jump around too much, she had to sit sideways beside him, half-twisting her body to hold onto her son.
The position was extremely uncomfortable. Before long, her back ached, and her legs felt sore and cramped. But Tang Mei gritted her teeth and endured it without making a sound.
They walked at a fast pace. Although the road was cold, the thought of returning home kept them feeling warm inside. By the time they arrived, it was already late afternoon—just in time for Tang Xu to start preparing dinner.
Ever since Wei Dong left, Tang Xu had been glancing outside from time to time, estimating that they should be back before dinner. He had planned to start cooking early, but just as he pulled out some dried potatoes from the storage room, he heard noise coming from the courtyard entrance.
With a small basin in his hand, Tang Xu smiled brightly and walked over quickly, calling out, “I was just thinking you’d be here soon! I was about to cook some braised pork with dried potatoes. How was the journey? Dad, did you miss me? It’s been over two months since we last saw each other!”
Tang Erhu squinted happily as he sized up Tang Xu. Nodding, he raised his hand and gave his son’s thin shoulder a firm pat. “You look even better now!”
Tang Xu winced at the pat and, upon being complimented, couldn't help but roll his eyes. With a forced smile, he said, “Dad, you’ve had a hard journey. Go inside, freshen up, and rest for a bit. I’ll go cook the meat.”
“You brat!” Seeing his son turn and run off, Tang Erhu clicked his tongue and turned to Wang Cuicui, asking, “Other families’ gers would be over the moon when they’re told they look good, but ours doesn’t even like hearing it.”
Tang Xu walked away, pouting. He didn't see what was so exciting about being called "good-looking"—being praised as "handsome" or "dashing" would be much better.
Tang Li and Liu Yao quickly went inside to put away their belongings before heading to the kitchen to help Tang Xu with dinner.
Tang Mei also came over, but Goudan was cranky and crying in the house, refusing to be soothed. Sun Yang ran to the kitchen to call Tang Mei back to calm the child down.
In the kitchen, Tang Xu tossed the soaked potato slices into the large pot. Glancing at Liu Yao, who was cutting dried tofu, he asked, "Did you two bring it up to Dad yet?"
Liu Yao was momentarily stunned, not immediately grasping what he meant. "Bring up what?"
Tang Li rolled her eyes at him. "Brother is asking if we told Dad about leaving after the new year."
Tang Xu nodded—yes, that’s exactly what he meant.
Realization dawned on Liu Yao. He let out an "Oh" before shaking his head.
"The shop has been so busy lately that we've barely had time to breathe. Dad's been in a terrible mood—how would I dare bring it up? The last time we mentioned it at home, he was already unhappy about it and scolded both of us," he said helplessly.
Tang Xu looked surprised. “He scolded you? What did he say?”
When he had casually mentioned it to Tang Erhu before, their father had just waved it off, saying they were being ridiculous, but he hadn’t made a big deal out of it.
Tang Li chimed in, “What else could he say? He said the two of us have nothing better to do than make trouble. If we have so much free time, why not have a kid instead? The family isn’t short on money, and if we go so far away, we won’t be able to see each other for a long time. If something happens, they won’t be there to help.”
She pouted and muttered softly, “I don’t dare bring it up to him again. Brother, can you help me out?”
Tang Xu’s eyes flickered with thought before he nodded. “Alright, I’ll talk to him.”
With so many people at the dinner table, the meal was lively. Wei Dong and Liu Yao accompanied Tang Erhu for a few drinks, making their father quite happy.
After dinner, once everything was cleaned up and everyone had gone to rest, Tang Xu greeted Wei Dong before grabbing a pot of hangover tea and heading off to find Tang Erhu.
Just as he entered the courtyard, Wang Cuicui stepped out of the house, planning to fetch hot water from the kitchen so Tang Erhu could wash up. Seeing Tang Xu approaching, she was puzzled. “Why aren’t you resting? What are you doing here?”
Tang Xu lifted the teapot slightly for her to see and grinned. “I saw my dad drank quite a bit, so I brought him some hangover tea. Auntie, it’s freezing—go back inside and put on a coat.”
“I was just going to get him some hot water to soak his feet. It’s only a few steps away, no need to make a fuss,” Wang Cuicui said, waving him off as she hurried toward the kitchen with a large basin.
Tang Xu sighed, lifted the thick cotton door curtain, and stepped into the main room. “Dad!” he called out.
Tang Erhu was lying on the heated brick bed, sobering up. When he heard his son call, he responded, “Come in!”
Tang Xu pushed open the door to the main room, and a strong, stuffy smell of alcohol wafted out, making him frown. “Dad, did you throw up?”
“No, I didn’t.” Tang Erhu propped himself up and sat against the headboard, turning his head to look at his son. “What are you doing here instead of sleeping?”
“I brought you some hangover tea. Here, drink this, and I’ve got something to talk to you about.” Tang Xu poured the tea into a cup on the table and handed it to his father.
Tang Erhu downed two large bowls of the sour, slightly bitter hangover tea that immediately spread through his mouth. His whole face twisted in an instant.
“What the hell is this?! Yuck—”
He almost spat it out.
“Don’t spit it out! Old Wu said this tea works wonders—it wakes you up and clears your mind instantly,” Tang Xu said, his eyes sparkling as he blinked at his father. He poured another half bowl and coaxed, “Come on, Dad, drink a little more.”
“What are you up to?” Tang Erhu waved his hand to avoid the tea pot, exhaling cool, minty air. Now, not only was his head buzzing, but his throat also felt icy cold—chilled straight through.
“The matter of Ah Li and Ah Yao going to Yongcheng after the New Year—what do you think, Dad?” Tang Xu asked directly, wasting no time and giving his father no chance to react.
Tang Erhu was stunned for a moment before his face darkened.
“You’re all grown up now, huh? I said no! They’re not going anywhere!”
Just as Wang Cuicui stepped into the room, she was met with his furious shout. Startled, her hands trembled, and she nearly spilled the basin of hot water she was carrying.
0 Comments
Post a Comment