The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 15

More than ten days had passed since the engagement, but Tian Xiaoman still couldn’t calm down. Sometimes, he found himself thinking of that man and the feeling of his arms around him that day.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it, as the villagers were busy preparing for the summer harvest. They grew rice in two seasons here, unlike the north, where there were large stretches of land. To ensure enough food, farmers had to focus on the fields. The first season of rice typically matured in July, and the second season around October.

Tian Xiaoman’s family didn’t have much land—only six acres of paddy fields and two acres of dry land. The dry land was used to grow vegetables, while the paddy fields were for rice. Two days ago, Father Tian had gone to release water into the fields. There was a lot of water in their fields, and if it wasn’t released in advance, even the strongest would struggle to pull the plants out.

Seeing that the work in the fields was almost done, that morning, Father Tian and Tian Amu each took a sickle and headed out. Originally, Tian Xiaoman had planned to go as well, but his parents wouldn’t let him. They only asked him to stay home and cook.

Tian Fu and Tian Shou, his two older brothers, had wanted to ask for leave to help, but were stopped by Father Tian. He thought they had already done enough to take care of their younger brother. People should follow their conscience, not push their luck. Last time, they had already asked for leave twice because of Tian Xiaoman’s matter, and asking again would cause trouble for others.

What’s more, there were only six acres of land, and a few days of hard work would be enough. Father Tian hadn’t even planned to let Tian Xiaoman go to the fields, but Xiaoman had felt sorry for him and insisted it would be good to have someone to talk to. So, he went with him.

Seeing his father and Amu growing thinner from overwork, Tian Xiaoman’s heart ached. The only thing he could do was make their meals tastier to help replenish their energy. Vegetables could be picked from the garden, but the summer harvest was more exhausting than the autumn harvest. At least autumn wasn’t as hot! They couldn’t live on vegetables alone. The bacon from last year was already gone. Tian Xiaoman decided he would go to the county tomorrow to buy some, pickle it with salt, and hang it in a basket in the well. That way, they could eat it for several days, even in the heat of summer.

That day, as Tian Xiaoman was preparing lunch to send to his father and Amu, he heard a knock on the door. Wiping his hands, he ran to open it, only to find Lao Ma from the village standing outside.

He was puzzled. Lao Ma, the ox cart driver, usually headed to the county town every day and returned by noon. But today, the cart hadn’t been unloaded yet, and instead, he had come to their house.

“Grandpa Ma, what can I do for you?” Tian Xiaoman greeted the old man politely. “Come in and have a drink of water. It’s so hot!”

“No, no,” Lao Ma waved his hand and smiled. “Xiaoman, your marriage really turned out well. In all my years, I’ve never seen a son-in-law so filial. Look, this is from Li Wenxuan over in Willow Tree Slope. He asked me to bring something back every day during the summer harvest!”

It turned out that ever since Li Wenxuan had scared off the villagers with that dead pig, he realized that being a butcher was actually a decent trade. All it required was physical strength, and if he sold pork in the mornings, half the day’s work was enough.

He used to sell meat in the village, but the villagers didn’t know him, so they bought from the local butcher. However, that butcher was known to be dishonest. He took advantage of being from the county town and would shortchange people or sell poor-quality meat as good. The villagers were upset but afraid to speak out. They had heard that the butcher’s family had connections to gangsters, and they feared retaliation. Someone suggested simply not buying from him, but there was only one butcher in the county town, and he had a monopoly on the business. Could they really go a whole year without pork? Moreover, Xingtian Village was fairly well-off, and they could afford to buy meat from time to time.

When Li Wenxuan started selling pork, the local butcher targeted him. One day, after selling pork, the butcher sent several men to block him on the road. However, with Li Wenxuan’s skills, the men were easily beaten. The butcher, unwilling to back down, sought help from a well-connected relative to teach Li Wenxuan a lesson. However, when the relative learned that Li Wenxuan had been practicing martial arts since childhood and had an elder brother who was a legal advisor to the prefect of the city, the relative dropped the idea and warned the butcher to leave him alone.

Since then, Li Wenxuan had firmly established himself in the county. As for the villagers, they trusted him and bought from him every time. They knew the son-in-law from Xingtian Village wouldn’t cheat them. 

In those days, people were simple and trusting, and bonds between them were strong.

In recent days, many villagers have come to buy pork. When Li Wenxuan learned it was the start of the summer harvest and people needed to replenish their energy with some meat, he wondered why Tian Xiaoman’s family hadn’t come to buy any. 

The villagers explained that his parents were working in the fields, and Tian Xiaoman was cooking at home. They might come in a couple of days.

Though Li Wenxuan wanted to see Tian Xiaoman, he didn’t want him to travel back and forth in the summer heat. So, he asked Lao Ma, who went to the county town every day, to bring some meat back for Tian Xiaoman each day. He even promised to give Lao Ma a pair of kidneys and some pork intestines as a thank-you.

Old Man Ma refused at first, but after Wenxuan insisted several times, he finally accepted. Wenxuan understood that while help was a favor, proper courtesy still had to be shown—otherwise, next time, it might not be so easy to ask.

Tian Xiaoman stood at the door, holding a basket, watching Lao Ma drive away. A mix of emotions filled him: joy, shyness, and a bit of embarrassment. He had always been harsh with Li Wenxuan, either scolding or beating him, but now Li Wenxuan was being so kind to him.

He carried the basket to the kitchen, lifted the cloth covering it, and found pork and a large bone inside. There was even a note asking Xiaoman to cook it for this meal, and tomorrow he’d send more.

Blushing, Tian Xiaoman muttered to himself, “What a wasteful man!” He vowed that Li Wenxuan could never be in charge of the household, or they’d never have anything left.

After standing in the kitchen for a while, he looked at the sky and decided to start cooking. He skillfully cleaned the pork and bones, cutting the meat into pieces for braising. The bones would be used to make soup with winter melon, though it wouldn’t be ready until evening.

He placed the large bones in a small pot to simmer, then began braising the pork. He quickly prepared a fried egg with peppers, a smashed cucumber, and stir-fried bitter gourd. After everything was ready, he packed it all into a basket, along with rice and vegetables, and headed to the fields.

The weather was too hot, and the fields were far from home, so Tian Xiaoman volunteered to deliver meals to his parents every day. His Amu, worried about him getting sunburned, insisted he wear a straw hat before leaving.

When Tian Xiaoman reached the edge of the field, he found his parents sitting under a tree, resting while waiting for dinner.

“Xiaoman, you must be hot from the walk,” Tian Amu said, handing him a big bowl of water. “Drink some water quickly!”

Tian Xiaoman gulped it down, feeling extremely thirsty. 

His father, Father Tian, immediately opened the basket and saw the braised pork. He picked up a piece and took a bite. “Mm, delicious! Xiaoman, your cooking is getting better and better!”

Tian Amu had many thoughts on his mind. The bacon had been eaten, and this meat was so fresh. Where did it come from?

“Xiaoman, did you go to the county to buy this meat?”

“No,” Tian Xiaoman shook his head.

“Where did the meat come from, then? It didn’t fall from the sky, did it?” Tian Amu joked.

“No, Li Wenxuan had someone bring it.” Tian Xiaoman blushed again. “He said he’d send some every day during the summer harvest.”

“That kid is so thoughtful!” Tian Amu praised. 

The marriage was truly a good match. He felt thankful to those who had spread rumors—otherwise, he would never have agreed to his Xiaoman marrying so far away.

Just as he was about to share his thoughts with Father Tian, he noticed he was too busy shoveling rice into his mouth to listen. Tian Amu shook his head and began eating himself.

As they ate happily, Yang Xiaoguo arrived. Yang Xiaoguo’s fields were some distance away, so they didn’t usually eat together.

“Uncles, Xiaoman, what’s that smell? It’s so good!” Yang Xiaoguo sniffed the air and followed the scent to their spot.

Tian Xiaoman rolled his eyes. What a nose! He sighed, knowing the meat would be gone in no time. 

As he watched his Amu invite Yang Xiaoguo over, he couldn’t help but speed up his own eating.

Tian Amu laughed at his ger’s greedy expression. Silly child—hadn’t he eaten his fair share from the Yang family before? Now he was fussing over food like this.