Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 50
On New Year’s Eve, the couple slept at Aunt Liu’s house. They slept in the room that Song Shi’an had lived in. Aunt Liu had cleaned it up and bought new cotton and bedding to put on it. She told Song Shi’an that this was his own home, and he could live in it whenever he wanted.
There was a need to keep vigil on New Year’s Eve. Xu Zhongyue was afraid Song Shi’an’s body wouldn’t bear it, so he coaxed him to take off his shoes and socks and go to bed early. Even Lao Liu moved into the house and slept on the floor beside the bed, with human and dog bodies, tucked in warm room filled with a small pot of heater—one for the dog, two for the people, one at the feet, and one in the arms.
From time to time, Song Shi’an would see bright red, blue, and purple lights reflected on the solid window paper. Those were fireworks being set off by other families. Xu Zhongyue’s tall figure would wander in to check how well he was covered with the quilt and if his feet were covered. Whether it was warm or not.
The red candle as thick as an arm, lit during the vigil, had only burned out for a short while. Xu Zhongyue entered the room again and saw Song Shi’an sleeping soundly. The wife’s face was blushing, his tender lips were slightly open, and he let out a little breath.
He couldn’t hold back at the sight and kissed him several times, almost waking his wife up, before quickly closing the door and went out.
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The days in the new year were very lively every day. The red lanterns hanging in every house would not be extinguished easily. After all, no matter how difficult the family was, when the Chinese New Year came, no one would save money on candles and lamps.
Every night in the town was bright, the same as daytime. Red light spread on the snow, and there were sounds of laughter everywhere.
Since the beginning of the new year, every household had been sending New Year greetings. The people who wished the couple, Happy New Year greetings were all peers, and there was no rule of giving red envelopes to whom.
Everyone had prepared gift boxes in advance, containing the richest food that the family could afford, such as bacon, fish, walnuts, peanuts, and chestnuts. For women, there were also handkerchiefs and bracelets for the ladies. For the wealthy, there were pieces of cloth. For the men, there were mostly good wines.
Song Shi’an was at home waiting for those who came to wish New Year’s greetings, so Xu Zhongyue picked up the gift box and walked around. During the New Year’s Eve, all the merchants had left, and there were all familiar faces coming and going.
So, it was strange to see strangers at first sight.
Blocking Xu Zhongyue’s path was a young man with fine features, dressed in brocade clothes and a plain fox fur collar. He got off the dark carriage and walked straight towards Xu Zhongyue. She was crying, and the tears were frozen on her face, which looked very pitiful.
“Big Brother!”
Xu Zhongyue didn’t know him, so he walked away when he saw him chattering.
The young man chased after him, holding Xu Zhongyue’s hand tightly.
Snowflakes fell from the sky again, forming groups and blocking the shadows of people.
Except for the dirty footprints on the road, no one else was rushing at this time. They were all talking and joking at home.
“Big Brother, don’t you recognize me?” the young man cried sadly.
Xu Zhongyue wanted to go back home after delivering the New Year’s gifts and said impatiently: “You admitted the wrong person.”
“I wasn’t wrong, Xu Zhongyue, my good big brother! I am your biological little brother!”
Xu Zhongyue was slightly stunned. Seeing this weak young man, there was no resemblance to himself at all, but he suddenly appeared in Qingjiang Town, could say his name, and cried so much with tears and runny nose, he had no choice but to get on the carriage and listen to what this man wanted to say.
This man claimed to be Xu Zhongyue’s younger brother, his name was Xu Shuqing, and he had just turned twenty this year.
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After inviting Xu Zhongyue to get on the carriage, he went through a very complicated procedure, and then prostrated himself at Xu Zhongyue’s feet in the carriage. He said that an elder brother was like a father, and he wanted to kneel to Xu Zhongyue.
Xu Zhongyue said with a dark face: “I’m not dead yet, so you can’t wait for a while. There is no need to kneel down to me in a hurry.”
Xu Shuqing stopped his pretentiousness.
After all this trouble, he wanted to burn incense again.
Xu Zhongyue waited patiently for him to burn the scent of wood and said: “If you dare to take a bath again, I will leave.”
“No, no, no, brother, I have already taken a bath on the way. Oh! Brother, I’ve had such a hard time finding you. I thought you were dead! Have you really forgotten everything in the past? Let me tell you in detail from the beginning -”
Seeing Xu Zhongyue, Xu Shuqing started to talk endlessly.
Xu Zhongyue stretched out his finger and said: “Stop, let’s make a long story short.”
“How could this be short?”
“I will get off the car if you couldn’t finish in three sentences.”
Xu Shuqing looked at Xu Zhong Yue aggrievedly. Seeing that the man really had an iron heart, he had no choice but to say: “Big brother, you were originally a brave general. You disappeared after quelling the rebellion for the emperor. Now that the emperor knows that you are still alive, he is eagerly looking forward to your return to the court! You come with me quickly, you and I. My parents died young. Brother, you raised me all alone, I was pooping and peeing—”
Tsk… Xu Zhongyue frowned.
Xu Shuqing was afraid that Xu Zhongyue wouldn’t believe him, so he took out a lot of evidence, even the diapers Xu Zhongyue used when taking care of him.
“Brother, when you took care of me, you were still a half-grown child, and your breath is still on this diaper…”
Xu Zhongyue covered his eyes and did not want to speak.
“Brother, the emperor has given you a thousand acres of fertile land and an excellent mansion in the capital. You bravely defended the country and received a reward of ten thousand taels of gold… Come with me to the capital, why bother to stay here? Are you a butcher in this shabby town?”
As he said that, he asked the driver to drive quickly.
Xu Zhongyue raised his eyebrows and said, “Stop, I don’t care about these things.”
“Of course, you can transport the reward of ten thousand taels of gold if it’s convenient for you. It’s okay if it’s inconvenient. Since our parents have long gone, no elders in the Beijing to serve, and you don’t have to go back.”
“I have married a wife in Qingjiang Town, and your sister-in-law is pregnant…” Looking at Xu Shuqing’s tearful face, Xu Zhongyue felt weak for a while, and he doubted the past. How could he raise such a weak brother.
With such a soft temper, he bursted into tears whenever something happened. Whenever he encountered trouble, he always bothered the big brother.