The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 21

Several people carried the basket into the yard and placed it on the stone table. Tian Amu came out of the kitchen when he heard the commotion.

“Xiaoman, you’re back!” Tian Amu wiped his hands with a rag. “Wenxuan, come in, come in! Old man, why aren’t you welcoming Wenxuan properly?” He frowned at Father Tian, who was resting in the yard.

“Yes, yes, Wenxuan, come and have a seat.” Father Tian grinned. “Your two brothers brought back a jar of good wine from the capital this time. I’ve been saving it. Since you’re here today, let’s open it and drink!”

He was already thinking about the wine. With Li Wenxuan around, he knew Tian Amu wouldn’t stop him. Even if he wanted to scold him later, it wouldn’t be a big deal!

“You only ever think about drinking!” Tian Amu glared at him, then turned to Li Wenxuan with a smile. “Wenxuan, come in. And this little brother Niu, you too! Come eat at uncle’s house today and try your brother-in-law’s cooking!”

Niu Jin smiled and followed Li Wenxuan into the main hall.

“Xiaoman, go help Amu in the kitchen!” Tian Amu gave the restless Tian Xiaoman a suspicious look. The boy hadn’t said a word since he got back, just stood there dazed.

“Huh?” Tian Xiaoman snapped out of it when he heard his name. “Oh—okay, Amu!” 

Catching his curious gaze, he quickly picked up the basket of meat and ran into the kitchen.

By then, Tian Amu had already finished frying the peanuts. Tian Xiaoman picked up a handful, tossed one in his mouth, and chewed.

“Mmm? It’s so soft, crispy, and fragrant! Amu, this is delicious!” He kept popping them into his mouth, the crunch echoing through the room.

“Of course it tastes good—I used more oil this time.” Tian Amu gave a small sigh. If it weren’t for hisson-in-law, the old man wouldn’t be getting such good treatment. “Alright, eat less. Take them to your father first!”

“Amu, you’re playing favorites!” Tian Xiaoman stuffed a few more in his mouth, grumbling. “Ever since Li Wenxuan showed up, you don’t love me anymore! All the good food goes to him!”

“Oh, you little brat with no conscience! Who do you think I’m doing this for?” He flicked him on the forehead. “Quit whining! Take it to them and stop eating!”

Tian Xiaoman muttered to himself as he carried the bowl to the main hall, dropped it off, and came back. He saw Tian Amu preparing small fish—cutting open their bellies and pulling out the guts. These river fish were small, tender, and scale-free, so they were easy to clean.

They had been caught earlier today by Tian Fu. He wasn’t in the village often, so he took a stroll. When he passed by the small river, he spotted a round-faced boy squatting by the bank, using a dustpan to scoop through the water while muttering, “Fish, fish, come up! Fish, fish, come up! There’s good food here!”

Tian Fu chuckled to himself. There wasn’t any good food waiting for the fish—but there was certainly good food waiting for him!

The boy was Yang Xiaoguo, his younger brother’s good friend. The two had been eating at each other’s homes since they were small. Tian Fu had seen him at their dinner table many times before. He hadn’t been back in a while, so it was a rare sight.

Tian Fu walked over, squatted beside him, and asked, “Xiaoguo, catch anything yet?”

Startled, Yang Xiaoguo lost his balance and nearly fell forward. Fortunately, Tian Fu caught him in time, though the dustpan floated away down the stream.

“You have to compensate me for my fish!” Yang Xiaoguo huffed, not even realizing he hadn’t caught anything yet.

Tian Fu gave a helpless laugh. Fair enough. It was his fault for sneaking up. “Alright, Xiaoguo. How about I help you catch a few?”

“You’ll have to catch lots and lots!” Yang Xiaoguo demanded, before finally taking a good look at who had startled him.

“Brother Tian Fu?” The last time he’d seen him was when Tian Xiaoman got engaged, but back then he’d been with Xiaoman inside the room and hadn’t noticed Tian Fu. Counting the days, it had been nearly half a year since they met. No wonder he hadn’t recognized him right away.

“Well now, Xiaoguo, finally recognize me?” Tian Fu grinned. “So, should I still pay you back with fish or not?”

Yang Xiaoguo hesitated. He often ate the pastries Tian Fu sent home, and now he wanted fish too? How could he ask for more?

“I was joking.” Tian Fu couldn’t bear to tease him anymore after seeing his conflicted face.

Yang Xiaoguo immediately broke into a bright, happy grin.

Tian Fu used a stick to retrieve the drifting dustpan, then built a small dam with stones by the shore. He asked Xiaoguo to stir up the water upstream, rolled up his pants, took off his shoes, and waded into the river.

Soon enough, he’d caught quite a lot of fish, earning himself an admiring look from Yang Xiaoguo. 

Tian Fu was secretly proud—this was a man’s job after all!

The two fished for over half an hour, nearly filling the bamboo basket. Yang Xiaoguo was thrilled. Usually, it took him and Xiaoman a long time just to catch a bowlful. He generously gave a bowl to Tian Fu to bring home for Xiaoman to try.

Tian Xiaoman loved these fish. Every time he caught them, he asked his mom to stir-fry them with pickled vegetables—spicy, fresh, and perfect with rice!

Seeing his mom cleaning the fish, he opened the large vat nearby. “Mom, there’s no pickled vegetables left! What now?”

“We’re not using that today,” Tian Amu replied without looking up. He rinsed the cleaned fish, marinated them with salt, rice wine, soy sauce, and pepper, then stirred them with chopsticks to speed up the process.

“Oh, okay.” Even if he couldn’t eat the pickled version, he didn’t mind—he loved anything his Amu made.

“Go chop some ginger and garlic. We need lots of garlic. And don’t forget the chili peppers. Chop them all.”

“Okay!” Tian Xiaoman obeyed.

Once the fish were marinated, Tian Amu started the fire, heated the peanut oil he had just used, drained the fish, and fried them until crispy. Then he took them out.

“Done chopping?” he asked.

“Yup!” Tian Xiaoman answered cheerfully and brought over the chopped ingredients.

Tian Amu poured out the excess oil into a bowl, added the fried fish back to the pot, stir-fried a few times, then threw in the minced garlic, ginger, and chilies. Instantly, the rich aroma filled the air.

He added a splash of vinegar, poured in some water, and let it boil until the sauce thickened.

When the dish was ready, Tian Xiaoman was already waiting with chopsticks in hand. The moment he took a bite, the crispy, fragrant, spicy, and slightly sour flavors exploded on his tongue. He closed his eyes and nodded in bliss.

Tian Amu stared at him, speechless. This child—just look at the way he acts when eating. What will happen when he gets married in the future?

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. He warned him, “Only three pieces! Then you take it to the table!”

Tian Xiaoman reluctantly agreed, secretly thinking he’d sneak a few more when he wasn’t looking.

Tian Amu pretended not to notice his scheming and quickly whipped up a few more simple dishes.

By the time everything was served, the men were already drinking and munching on peanuts and the garlic fish.

He rolled his eyes. That old man just couldn’t wait! He was definitely getting scolded later!