The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 18

With Li Wenxuan‘s help, the Tian family finished the harvest three days ahead of schedule. Now, the rice is being tied in bundles and placed on the village threshing ground to dry.

The process here is quite specific: both the rice and the straw need to be thoroughly dried before they are placed in a large stone mortar and beaten. The rice grains will then roll down to the bottom of the mortar one by one.

It’s a strenuous task. In previous years, Father Tian and his two sons took turns doing it, while Tian Amu couldn’t help at all. This year, however, neither of his sons could come home, so Father Tian gritted his teeth and prepared to do it alone.

But would Li Wenxuan really let his father-in-law work so hard? Of course not! So, on the morning of that day, Li Wenxuan rode his horse to deliver the slaughtered pig to the county town and then rushed back.

Instead of going home, he went directly to the threshing ground. 

Tian Xiaoman was there, keeping an eye on small animals like chickens and birds to prevent them from eating the rice.

Tian Xiaoman was a little surprised when he saw Li Wenxuan arrive. “Did you deliver it right away? Don’t you usually stay to help for a while?”

“Xiaoman, has our rice dried yet?” Li Wenxuan asked, nodding at him.

“Hmm?” Tian Xiaoman didn’t quite understand why he was asking but answered honestly, “Not quite yet. It was cloudy for a while yesterday, so it’s not too dry yet.”

“It’s okay. Just tell me where the mortar is. I’ll drag it out, and we can start threshing today!”

“Thresh today? It’s not dry yet; I’m afraid it will be difficult to thresh,” Tian Xiaoman said. “Li Wenxuan, let my father handle it. You haven’t been home for days.” He was worried that if Li Wenxuan stayed all day helping, his future father-in-law might begin to feel uncomfortable. After all, no family would want a man to stay and work before marriage.

“It’s okay,” Li Wenxuan said with a smile. “I told my parents before I came. They asked me to help for a few more days.”

Tian Xiaoman felt embarrassed by the way Li Wenxuan was looking at him. 

Logically, since Li Wenxuan was addressing him so familiarly, he should have done the same, but he felt shy, and each time he blurted out the awkward words “Li Wenxuan.”

“Well, then I’ll take you to pull the mortar!” Tian Xiaoman said softly and started running ahead. Li Wenxuan quickly caught up.

The stone mortar in their village was for communal use, with each household contributing money toward it. It was placed in the ancestral hall and was quite large, able to hold about three or four hundred kilograms. 

When they reached it, Tian Xiaoman found himself in trouble. In the past, his father and two brothers had carried it together, and they were exhausted afterward. Now, with only him and Li Wenxuan, how could they possibly lift it?

“I’ll go get someone to help!” Tian Xiaoman said, looking around to see if any free men were nearby.

“No need,” Li Wenxuan said casually. And, to Tian Xiaoman’s disbelief, he effortlessly lifted the entire stone mortar.

Tian Xiaoman stood frozen, watching Li Wenxuan pick up the heavy stone mortar that normally required two or three men. 

Li Wenxuan was incredibly strong! From now on, Tian Xiaoman decided never to mess with him again—he might even be able to kill him with just a finger!

Li Wenxuan, unaware of the fear he had sparked in Tian Xiaoman, walked toward the threshing ground with the mortar. Along the way, he received numerous compliments, even a child asking if he was a general.

He placed the mortar on the ground, grabbed a bundle of straw, lifted it high, and threw it down with force. The rice grains fell like raindrops, gathering at the bottom of the mortar.

The onlookers were stunned. It only took one hit to clear it up! How could this young man be so strong? He must be a natural farmer!

Li Wenxuan continued working, grabbing handfuls of rice and tossing them into the mortar. Soon, the ground was covered with rice. He turned to Tian Xiaoman, who was watching closely, and smiled. “Xiaoman, go get something to hold the rice. We can’t hold any more!”

“Oh, right!” Tian Xiaoman was startled, as if suddenly waking up. He grabbed the basket prepared earlier and began scooping the rice into it with a large ladle.

As the sun rose higher, it grew even hotter. The people watching could no longer bear the heat and went home. 

Li Wenxuan, sweating profusely, stopped for a moment. He took off his shirt and tossed it to Tian Xiaoman, shouting, “Catch it!”

Tian Xiaoman reflexively caught the clothes, and the masculine scent from them hit him immediately. It made his legs feel weak. He suddenly realized how different men were from gers.

Looking at Li Wenxuan’s strong, dark body, beads of sweat rolling down his face, veins bulging on his muscular arms, and the deep furrow between his brows, Tian Xiaoman couldn’t help but stare, his face flushing.

“Wenxuan, you must be tired! Stop now, let my father take over for a while…” 

Tian Xiaoman’s parents had gone to the fields earlier that day. Although the rice had been harvested, there was still follow-up work to be done. 

On their way home, a neighbor saw them and said, “You’re so lucky! Your two sons are working in the city, and now you’ve got a son-in-law like this. You won’t have to worry about your old age!”

The two were puzzled, so the neighbor explained, “Your son-in-law is threshing grain at the threshing ground. He’s doing an amazing job!”

The neighbor spoke with a touch of envy. It wasn’t just that their sons were successful—their son-in-law was also so filial, delivering meat daily, helping with labor, and working so hard. If only his own son-in-law could manage even a fraction of that, he’d count it a blessing.

The couple quickly said goodbye to the neighbor and hurried to the threshing ground, where they saw Li Wenxuan working tirelessly.

“Amu, don’t worry. This little job can’t tire me out!” Wenxuan wiped his sweat. Even if he were exhausted, he couldn’t admit it—and truthfully, he wasn’t, especially with Xiaoman by his side.

“Xiaoman, you stupid child,” Tian Amu chided as he pointed at him. “Look at how much Wenxuan is sweating, and you’re not even helping wipe it off!”

Xiaoman felt wronged—why was he always the one being scolded? Did they forget that without him, there would be no son-in-law? 

Under Wenxuan’s constant presence, he had long since acknowledged him as a husband. It was just that he was stubborn with words and, being an unmarried ger, still a little shy. But when Wenxuan reached for his hand. However, he never refused Li Wenxuan’s attempts to hold his hand.

“Amu, don’t blame him. I told Xiaoman to stay under the tree because the sun was too hot. It’s not a big deal,” Li Wenxuan immediately explained when he saw Tian Xiaoman being scolded.

Tian Amu secretly smiled, just wanting Li Wenxuan to feel a bit of sympathy for him. Still, he maintained his mock-serious expression as he looked at Tian Xiaoman. 

With no choice, Tian Xiaoman stepped forward, took out the handkerchief he carried, and began to wipe Li Wenxuan’s face.

Feeling the warmth of Li Wenxuan’s gaze, Tian Xiaoman shyly lowered his head.

Tian Amu, seeing the affection between the couple, called out, “It’s getting late. Xiaoman, go home with Amu and cook!”

Tian Xiaoman felt as though he had been electrocuted. He quickly retracted his hand and, embarrassed, pressed the handkerchief against Li Wenxuan’s chest with a “snap” before running off. 

Li Wenxuan looked down at the cloth on his chest and couldn’t help grinning like a fool. His cool image was ruined in an instant.