The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 11

Tian Xiaoman wore a sour face as he scooped the rabbit meat from the pot into a large bowl. Still sulking, he scrubbed the pot clean, added oil, minced garlic, dried chilies, and other seasonings to stir-fry until fragrant. With the same scowl, he poured the hot oil over the smashed cucumbers and mixed them. After that, still scowling, he cut some cured meat from the beam, stir-fried it with chilies and bitter melon, and plated it.

Tian Amu couldn’t help but laugh when he saw him like this. 

“What’s the matter? He just ate a piece of your meat. Why are you acting like this? How long are you going to stay mad?”

Tian Xiaoman pouted and ignored him. This was no longer the Amu who loved him most—he’d been bribed by the bad guy, Li Wenxuan. 

Since the moment Wenxuan arrived today, his Amu had been siding with him again and again. Just now, it was clearly Wenxuan’s fault, but Amu actually took his side!

Earlier, when Tian Xiaoman was chasing Li Wenxuan playfully, Tian Amu, who had come back with sour plum soup, saw them and immediately stopped Tian Xiaoman, thinking he was causing trouble again. 

When Tian Xiaoman explained the situation with a wronged expression, Tian Amu couldn’t help but laugh. He really was his ger, no one else would go to such lengths over a piece of meat. It wasn’t like there wasn’t a whole pot of it!

Tian Amu smiled and asked the embarrassed Li Wenxuan to go to the main room to chat with his husband, then turned around to scold Tian Xiaoman, “Kid, I’ve told you many times not to be so protective of your food. Not to mention that the meat was brought by Wenxuan, but even if he had come empty-handed, we can’t leave him without a piece of meat.”

“There’s still some left in the pot, but he insisted on snatching it from me!” Tian Xiaoman was adamant that it was Li Wenxuan’s fault.

“He’s just teasing you! Do you really think they’re short of your piece of meat?” Tian Amu looked at him coldly. 

Li Wenxuan had feelings for Tian Xiaoman. His eyes always held affection and patience, but Tian Amu was worried that his spoiled child might drive Li Wenxuan away with all his antics. After all, they were going to live together for the rest of their lives, and if Tian Xiaoman didn’t temper his temper, Li Wenxuan might like him at first but soon get tired of it, growing indifferent. If that happened, it would only hurt Tian Xiaoman.

Tian Xiaoman didn’t understand his Amu’s concerns, though. He only thought Amu was taking Wenxuan’s side. So while cooking, he kept his face dark the whole time. Fortunately, his cooking skills weren’t affected—perhaps because of how deeply he loved food itself.

Tian Amu brought the dishes Tian Xiaoman prepared to the table one by one. The last one was a big pot of rabbit meat and wolfberry soup. 

The wolfberries were discovered by Tian Xiaoman and Yang Xiaoguo during a mountain trip earlier that year. After picking and drying them, they had some left, so they added them to the soup today. Rabbit meat is highly nutritious, and the addition of the wolfberries made it even more nourishing.

“Tian Amu, go bring that wine we made a few days ago. I want to drink a good glass with Wenxuan!” Tian Dali had already made up his mind. Usually, his husband only allowed him a small cup, but today they had a guest, and not just any guest, so he was sure he’d be allowed to drink freely.

Tian Amu didn’t disappoint. He turned around and fetched a small jar of wine from the room. 

Father Tian snatched it and, grinning, filled glasses for himself and Li Wenxuan. “Wenxuan, drink up. This wine’s great. My eldest son brought it from the capital. It tastes fantastic!”

“Father, I want to drink too!” Tian Xiaoman pouted. Why should Wenxuan get all the good stuff?

“Go away, go away. Why would you drink like me?” Father Tian waved his hand, refusing mercilessly. 

Tian Xiaoman pouted, feeling unjustly treated. 

Father I not your most beloved ger? 

He lowered his head, picking the best pieces of meat from the rabbit to put into his bowl. Since they were having wine, he might as well eat more meat! He cleaned out his bowl, leaving nothing behind, though he did remember to add a few pieces for Tian Amu. But the truth was, with such a huge pot of meat, how much could he really eat?

Li Wenxuan glanced at Tian Xiaoman’s expressive face and wanted to tease him again, but for now, he should focus on his father-in-law…

The four of them had great appetites, and soon, the entire table of food was finished. However, one large bowl of rabbit meat soup remained in front of each person. 

Li Wenxuan, feeling full, rubbed his stomach. If his father-in-law hadn’t kept urging him to drink, he could have eaten another bowl of rice. His little husband wasn’t only handsome, but had a  cute personality, and an excellent cook—his food was especially to his liking. 

He never knew he could eat so much spicy food. Even though his mouth felt like it was burning, he couldn’t stop shoveling it in. The soup was incredibly delicious, a gentle, smooth feeling that seeped into his body, relieving the fiery sensation from the chili and leaving only the delightful taste.

Father Tian did his best to persuade others to drink and, of course, drank as much as he could himself, as though there would be no next meal. Because after today, he didn’t know when he’d be allowed to drink again. 

When Tian Amu saw him like this, he was furious. 

This man, did he look like he abused his man like this every day? Drinking as much as he could in front of guests, making a fool of himself. Just wait and see how he’d be dealt with when they returned to the room! 

In fact, Tian Amu was wrong. Father Tian had drunk a whole bowl of nourishing rabbit meat soup today. Who knew  who would be dealing with whom!

Compared to Father Tian, Wenxuan held his liquor much better. He was still sober, though he didn’t realize how hotly he was looking at Tian Xiaoman.

Tian Xiaoman, meanwhile, didn’t understand the meaning behind Li Wenxuan’s gaze. He just felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, as though he were standing in front of Li Wenxuan without clothes on. 

Shocked by his own thoughts, he flushed deeply and ran back to his room.

Wenxuan stared blankly after his retreating back, lost in a daze for a long time.

That night, not only did Tian Amu and Father Tian regain the happiness of their wedding night, but the two young people also had quite a long night. 

Tian Xiaoman was confused by his feelings for Li Wenxuan. It was obviously the first time they met, but Li Wenxuan’s gaze made him feel as though they’d known each other for a long time—like a deeply affectionate pair of betrothed already. 

As for Li Wenxuan, he didn’t think too much. He just liked Xiaoman! How could a ger be so shy? It was mostly because he had eaten a lot of nourishing rabbit meat. He was full of energy, with nowhere to vent it. 

So, he secretly practiced martial arts in the mountains behind Tian Xiaoman’s house for most of the night, hoping to calm his excitement.

Early the next morning, Li Wenxuan said his goodbyes and headed home. He wanted to prepare everything for the betrothal as soon as possible. The tenth of July was a good day, and his family planned to propose on that day. 

Initially, he had a casual attitude toward the marriage, thinking it was just something to ease his Amu’s mind. But after meeting Tian Xiaoman, he decided he would put more effort into making the marriage work. After all, it was important for the couple to be sweet and harmonious.

In this region, there weren’t too many strict rules for betrothal. Family background was the primary consideration. The betrothal gift typically included some gold jewelry, like necklaces and earrings. But if you couldn’t afford gold, silver would do, and if you didn’t have silver, you could go without. However, there were some necessities: a bucket of rice, dragon and phoenix candles, four-color candies (tangerine cake, winter melon candy, rock candy, and sugar), and a pair of male and female roosters. If you couldn’t prepare these, the ger wouldn’t marry you—unless he truly loved you and was willing to follow you regardless.

The Li family was relatively well-off, and Li Wenxuan had earned some money as a private guard over the years. So, he planned to prepare the betrothal gifts according to the highest standards. He wanted to make sure his young husband would marry him with honor. 

Everything else was easy to procure—just buy it. However, obtaining a pair of live geese was another matter. Li Wenxuan knew he would have to catch them himself. This wasn’t too difficult for him; he was skilled in hunting. The problem was that wild geese had been scarce on their mountain for the past two years. The last time his eldest brother got married, it had been a struggle to catch even two.

Li Wenxuan reluctantly decided to go to other mountains in search of the geese. 

After securing them and gathering everything else, the day for the engagement finally arrived.