The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 19

After helping the Tian family harvest the millet, Li Wenxuan finally said goodbye to Tian Xiaoman with reluctance. He needed to return because Mid-July was approaching in just a few days.

As the saying went, “On the Ghost Festival, spirits run wild.”

But in the eyes of simple rural folk, it was also an important day to honor their ancestors.

On this day, Tian Fu and Tian Shou returned home early. Since the next day was a holiday, both of their stores were closed for two days in preparation.

This would be the last Mid-July that Tian Xiaoman would spend at home, so they cherished it greatly.

Early in the morning, Tian Xiaoman accompanied his Amu to the street to buy festival items. They rode on Uncle Ma’s ox cart along with other villagers.

Tian Xiaoman watched his Amu excitedly discussing the purchases with the elderly matrons sitting beside them. He, in turn, gazed out at the roadside scenery, bored.

Later, when they arrived at the county town, he would see Li Wenxuan, and they would definitely buy some meat. He wondered if Li Wenxuan would be happy to see him.

Over the past few days, Li Wenxuan had stayed at their house, and Tian Xiaoman had gotten used to having him around, keeping him company and making him laugh.

Now, with Li Wenxuan gone only two days, he already felt uneasy, listless no matter what he did. He blushed at his own thoughts but reassured himself—it was nothing strange to miss one’s own husband; it wasn’t as if he was thinking of someone else!

His Amu had noticed his mood and suggested they go out together that day.

Tian Xiaoman secretly brought along a purse he had made himself. It was plain, with nothing embroidered. He felt a bit self-conscious, wondering if Li Wenxuan would think it was shabby. But then he grew smug again—would Li Wenxuan dare despise him? If he did, who else would marry him?

Tian Amu noticed every shift in Tian Xiaoman’s emotions. He smiled to himself, thinking, Youth was a wonderful thing! The feelings of a young man were always like poetry—so carefree and so simple, with only one person in his heart.

The ox cart rocked steadily for an hour before they finally arrived at the county town. The villagers disembarked one by one, saying their goodbyes and heading off to buy their goods.

“Amu, where are we going now?” Tian Xiaoman asked.

“Let’s buy some incense, candles, paper money, and other things first, then leave them at Wenxuan’s store so you don’t have to carry them while buying groceries later.”

“Okay,” he responded obediently, following his Amu toward North Street.

North Street was lined with vendors selling gold ingot candles, incense burners, paper money, wreaths, paper figurines, and, of course, coffins.

Though no one wanted to walk this street, everyone had to. It was essential for birth, aging, sickness, and death. People also had to come here to buy sacrificial supplies for festivals.

The Tian family usually bought these supplies from a store called Yuanbao Store, run by someone related by marriage to a villager.

They bought a stack of yellow paper and white paper, some incense, candles, and gold ingots, and finally a string of firecrackers.

With everything ready, Tian Xiaoman packed it into his own basket.

Tian Amu watched him and smiled, feeling relieved. His children might not do anything extraordinary, but they were all very filial.

“Xiaoman, you don’t know where Wenxuan’s shop is, right? Let me take you to find it…”

The two of them walked and talked, heading toward Li Wenxuan.

The markets in Anyang County were organized into specific areas. North Street was occupied entirely by funeral businesses. Li Wenxuan’s butcher shop was located on West Street, the vegetable market. South Street was lined with shops selling various groceries, and East Street was filled with inns, restaurants, and clothing stores, always bustling with people.

As they approached West Street, they could hear the hawking of vendors.

Tian Xiaoman looked around at the fruits and vegetables for sale, many of which were unfamiliar to him. Further down was the seafood section, filled with long kelp, clumps of seaweed, and oddly shaped fish. The biggest attraction was the large lobsters waving their giant claws.

Beyond this, a bit further ahead, was Li Wenxuan’s pork shop.

With the festival coming up, Li Wenxuan had been slaughtering three or four pigs each day, but even so, demand still outstripped supply. A crowd was gathered around the butcher shop, shouting:

“Give me a pound of pork belly!”
“And two kidneys, give them all to me!”
“Do you have any more large intestines? Large intestines?”

Tian Xiaoman stared at the scene in front of him, amazed, feeling there was no way he and his Amu could squeeze through.

Li Wenxuan, busy inside, spotted them immediately and waved them over, signaling to come in through the back door.

They made their way around the crowd and reached the back door, where someone opened it for them.

Tian Amu and Tian Xiaoman walked in, feeling as though they had just escaped from a dangerous situation. “Oh my goodness, why are there so many people?” Tian Amu exclaimed.

“Uncle, cousin-in-law, you may not know,” said a friendly young man with a dimple on one side of his face. “A few days ago, the butcher Zheng Da passed off bad pork as good, and everyone who bought from him got sick. They filed a joint complaint. The magistrate had no choice but to punish him, make him pay medical fees, and forbid him from selling meat again!”

The young man was Niu Jin, the grandson of Old Niu.

By seniority, Li Wenxuan should technically have called him “uncle,” but the youth stubbornly refused and insisted on calling Wenxuan “big brother,” unwilling to acknowledge seniority.

He had followed Li Wenxuan to propose marriage last time, so he knew Tian Xiaoman and his family.

“No wonder! So the whole county’s buying here now. No wonder there’s such a crowd!” Tian Amu laughed, eyes crinkling. With her son-in-law’s business thriving, how could she not be happy?

As they spoke, Li Wenxuan approached. He handed the business over to others and made his way to the back to meet his Amu-in-law and fiancé.

He wiped his hands with a cloth and walked over to Tian Xiaoman, taking his backpack. “Amu, Xiaoman, why are you only here now? I saw a group from the village already came by.”

“We went to buy paper money first, then after getting the food, we left the items with you!” Tian Amu explained. He looked at Li Wenxuan and Tian Xiaoman and smiled. “Xiaoman, don’t go with me later. There are too many people here. Just wait in Wenxuan’s shop for a while, and I’ll call you when we’re ready!”

“Ah, right!” Li Wenxuan slapped his forehead and pulled out a basket from the front. Inside was some meat prepared for Tian Xiaoman’s family for the festival, along with a big pig’s head. “Amu, take it back!”

Tian Amu was very pleased with his thoughtfulness but still insisted on paying. After all, these items were for ancestor worship, and he couldn’t accept them for free, lest his ancestors be offended.

The two of them went back and forth, but Tian Xiaoman, growing impatient, grabbed the silver from Tian Amu’s hand and put it into his own purse. “The money’s been paid, Amu, go buy vegetables before the good ones are gone!”

“Yes, Amu, go ahead!” Li Wenxuan echoed from the side. He liked Tian Xiaoman’s casual attitude.

Tian Amu was amused by their playful banter and reluctantly went off. Before leaving, he exchanged a knowing glance with Tian Xiaoman.

Xiaoman caught it and nodded.

“Xiaoman, do you want to rest here in the back, or come with me to the front to take a look?”

“I’ll go with you to the front,” Tian Xiaoman answered. He didn’t enjoy being alone and preferred a livelier environment.

“Alright, Xiaoman, you can help me collect the money. This way, I can free up my hands to help with cutting the meat.”

“Okay!” Tian Xiaoman was confident in his math skills and figured he could keep track of the money for the meat.

Li Wenxuan led him to a seat by the meat stall, where a mahogany box was filled with copper coins and small change. “Just sit here. I’ll tell you how much it is. You just need to give me the change,” he said, worried that Tian Xiaoman might not understand.

“Okay, okay, just go ahead. They’re too busy!” Tian Xiaoman rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by his constant instructions.

Li Wenxuan smiled, walked to the stall, and began helping customers.

Tian Xiaoman handled the money while Li Wenxuan worked, and they found a rhythm. It was busy but enjoyable.

Li Wenxuan couldn’t help but steal glances at Tian Xiaoman, noticing how he took the money from earlier out of his pockets and put it into the box. He didn’t mind—after all, it was just moving money from one pocket to the other. Sooner or later, everything—people, money—would belong to Tian Xiaoman.

Tian Xiaoman, unaware that he was being watched, felt secretly proud of his actions. By the time Wenxuan discovered the extra money, they would already be home. Let’s see if he could still refuse then.