The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 119

It was already September, but the weather was still scorching hot. The sky remained cloudless, though it wasn’t the kind of day the villagers had been hoping for.

The river had been under construction for nearly a month, and by now, it had been significantly widened in the villages surrounding Anyang County. The excavated soil was used to build up the earthen embankments on both sides to prevent flooding next year, protecting the fields and crops.

Young men, bare-chested and holding hoes and shovels, worked hard under the sun. Sweat poured down their dark, glistening backs, drying quickly into white salt stains.

But no one complained. Despite how tough the year had been, the court had sent aid. The elderly and children didn’t have to go hungry, and everyone received extra rations for their corvée labor. So really, what was there to complain about?

“Everyone, come drink some water! It’s ready!” Li Amu pushed a wheelbarrow carrying a large wooden barrel of herbal tea, made from honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, and other herbs. It was cooling and soothing—things he’d collected in past years that turned out to be quite useful now.

The men clambered up from the riverbed, laughing, casually wiping their faces with the clothes hung nearby. They took the bowls from Li Amu and drank it all in one go. 

The herbal tea soothed their overheated bodies, making the intense heat much more bearable.

This year, Li Wenxuan didn’t spend money to avoid corvée labor. He was down there working with everyone else. After all, they were digging this river for their own benefit—it would’ve felt like a waste not to join in. Besides, there wasn’t much else to do; everyone’s attention was focused on the river.

Even Li Amu had been boiling tea and delivering it. 

Tian Xiaoman couldn’t leave home, so he took care of Little Tuanzi and Le Ge’er. With the refugee threat dealt with, most villagers had moved back near the village entrance, and Grandmu Liu brought Liu Xilin home too.

Most of the other counties had finished their sections. In the next few days, the rivers between counties would be connected, allowing water from the main river to flow into them.

Even the provincial capital had teams digging. Once the channels were joined, they’d divert water from the main river.

The court had spent a great deal of money on this project, but if it succeeded, it would be a tremendous benefit for the entire nation. Not only would it help prevent disasters in both regions, but it would also open a trade route between the north and south.

Little Tuanzi had been living a carefree life lately. With his uncle’s food and supplies coming from other areas, his Amu used them to make all sorts of delicious things. He was no longer the little country bumpkin who had never tasted white melon.

With so much good food, Little Tuanzi’s chubby body grew rounder, and soon, he even had a double chin. But thanks to his parents’ good genes, his chubbiness was cute rather than clumsy. 

According to his father: Our Tuanzi just looks plump, not fat at all!

Once the danger outside passed, his Amu allowed him to go out and play. The first time he stepped out, he drew many curious and envious stares.

“Wow, he’s so chubby! His Amu must feed him really well!”

“His cheeks are round, and his belly’s round too!”

Little Tuanzi blinked at the skinny, dark-skinned children. They looked nothing like his family. Their eyes were strange too. 

Little Tuanzi’s anus tightened in fear. He grabbed Le Ge’er and whispered, “Brother, Jiajia!” He wanted to go home!

“No, Little Tuanzi, let’s go play with Brother Lin!” Le Ge’er held his hand tightly, ignoring the others.

As they walked away, Little Tuanzi looked back. Those eyes were still locked onto him… or rather, the glutinous rice cake in his hand! 

Terrified, he stuffed the snack into his pocket and showed his empty hands: Nothing here, I swear!

When they got to Liu Xilin’s house, Le Ge’er made Little Tuanzi sit on a small stool while he and Liu Xilin played house. One was the father, one the Amu, and the other the baby.

Little Tuanzi kept trying to join, but he either knocked over the wild vegetables used as pretend dishes or stepped on the mud meant to be rice. Angry, Le Ge’er turned him over, laid him across the stool, and gave him a little spanking—just like momo did. 

But Little Tuanzi thought it was hilarious and kept turning to laugh at Le Ge’er.

That was when Le Ge’er finally understood why momo was always mad at Tuanzi. He decided: I’m never bringing him out to play again!

…

That day, Tian Xiaoman was cooking. The weather had cooled, so he set a brazier outside. Le Ge’er and Little Tuanzi were playing nearby while Li Amu kept an eye on them to prevent accidents.

Little Tuanzi was a mischievous one. He’d promise not to touch something, then sneak a hand over as soon as no one was watching. 

Once, Li Wenxuan brought home a small hedgehog. Tian Xiaoman turned his back for a second, and the kid reached right out to grab it. Of course, the little hedgehog wasn’t having that—and the resulting crying nearly pierced the heavens.

Tian Xiaoman’s heart ached seeing the blood spots on his soft little hand, but all he could do was clean the wounds and apply medicine. Though deep down, he found it a bit funny. 

Let’s see if he dares grab random things again!

That entire day, Little Tuanzi pouted, showing off his bandaged hand to everyone and making sad little “woo woo” sounds. 

Everyone comforted him on the spot… but laughed behind his back. They all knew what kind of troublemaker he was.

Once dinner was ready, Tian Xiaoman served two bowls of egg custard to the children. 

Le Ge’er could eat by himself now, but Little Tuanzi still needed to be fed.

Suddenly, a loud cheer came from outside:

“The water’s coming! The water’s coming! Come see!”

Startled, Tian Xiaoman dropped the spoon and ran out, leaving only Le Ge’er and Little Tuanzi behind, staring at each other.

At the river, a thin stream of muddy water flowed in from upstream. At first, it soaked into the dry riverbed, but it gradually grew stronger, pooling and flowing together.

Tian Xiaoman stared at the water—still murky, not yet abundant—and felt his eyes welling up. What beautiful water!

Someone nearby had already started crying. The waterless days had been so hard, no one could even remember the last time they’d had a proper drink.

In that moment, a powerful sense of hope surged through everyone’s hearts. The hard days were over. Things would only get better from here.

Li Amu wiped his tears and turned to Tian Xiaoman. “Xiaoman, where’s Little Tuanzi?”

He stood on tiptoe, still watching the stream, and casually pointed behind him. “Isn’t he right…?” Wait—he hadn’t brought him out at all!

The two of them rushed back home and found Le Ge’er and Little Tuanzi sitting in a row, quietly eating egg custard. 

When they looked up, both their cheeks were puffed out like squirrels.

“Little Tuanzi is feeding himself?” Tian Xiaoman was stunned. When did he learn that? Did Li Wenxuan teach him in secret?

But there was no answer—because Little Tuanzi had been forced to learn.

After Tian Xiaoman ran out, no one was left to feed him. Watching his cousin eat so happily, he opened his mouth and shouted “Ahhh,” hoping to get fed. But Le Ge’er was too focused on eating to notice.

Little Tuanzi was panicking and drooling. He tried to reach his cousin, but his Amu had put him in the feeding cart, and he couldn’t get out. He even tried lowering his face into the bowl, but it didn’t fit. The custard was slippery and hard to grab with his hands.

In desperation, he picked up a spoon. Though two out of three scoops spilled, he finally managed to get it into his mouth…

Meanwhile, Li Wenxuan was on his way home, hoe slung over his shoulder. Listening to the rushing water and the cheers from the villagers, his heart was full.

This year, they survived.

As for next year—what was there to be afraid of?

He strode home with long, steady steps. 

His father, Amu, wife, and children were there waiting.

That was his home.