The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 28

After the two of them stored the horse, they headed toward East Street, since only East Street had cooked food.

“Sesame cakes! Crispy and fragrant sesame cakes!”

“Candied hawthorn sticks!”

“Delicious big meat buns!”

Before they even reached East Street, they could already hear the noisy hawking and smell the aroma of food from afar. 

Tian Xiaoman, who had only eaten three eggs, couldn’t help but feel his stomach growl.

“Xiaoman, what do you want to eat?” Li Wenxuan looked down at Tian Xiaoman.

“Hmm…” Tian Xiaoman’s eyes rolled around as he looked around from time to time, as if seriously considering what to eat first. “Let’s go eat Chenji noodle soup!” 

After making up his mind, Tian Xiaoman felt relieved. It was just too hard to choose from so many delicacies!

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Li Wenxuan followed Tian Xiaoman to a shop. The sign above read Chenji Soup Noodles and looked quite old. The shop wasn’t very big, with four or five tables inside. The rest were set outside on the open space at the entrance.

Chen’s Noodle Soup was famous throughout Anyang County—everyone knew of it! No one seemed to know exactly when the shop had opened, but men in their thirties or forties all claimed they had grown up eating noodles from this place.

Fortunately, breakfast rush was over, or there wouldn’t have been any seats. 

Tian Xiaoman and Li Wenxuan looked around and finally spotted an empty table on the edge. They quickly made their way over and sat down.

“Xiaoman, you sit here. I’ll go order. What kind of noodles do you want?” There were several kinds on the menu, and all were tasty. Li Wenxuan used this opportunity to ask about Tian Xiaoman’s preferences.

“I want the potato minced meat noodles!” Tian Xiaoman decided firmly, without hesitation.

“All right!” Li Wenxuan entered the shop and told the owner, “Two bowls of potato minced meat noodles, please!”

The boss turned toward the kitchen and yelled, “Two bowls of potato minced meat noodles!” Then he turned back, “Sir, do you want any side dishes?”

Li Wenxuan glanced at the sign on the wall. “Some peanuts soaked in vinegar, braised tofu, garlic eggplant, and sweet-and-sour pickled cucumbers.”

“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll have someone bring them out!” The boss beamed. He had only asked casually, but didn’t expect such a generous customer.

Li Wenxuan returned to sit next to Tian Xiaoman. 

Tian Xiaoman frowned, “Why’s it taking so long?” They were just noodles—why the wait? Could it be…

He peeked into the shop suspiciously, but didn’t seem to spot any handsome guys.

“Xiaoman, what are you looking at?” Li Wenxuan asked curiously. Was he just too hungry?

“Just looking around!” Tian Xiaoman replied awkwardly.

A waiter soon brought out the dishes. He was a baby-faced young boy who looked about eleven or twelve.

“Sir, here are your noodles and side dishes.”

“Thanks. Go on with your work.” Li Wenxuan placed a few coins on the tray as a tip. 

The boy grinned so wide his teeth didn’t even show and quickly left.

“You ordered so many side dishes? And they’re all my favorites!” Tian Xiaoman smiled sweetly at him—for the dishes, and for that little moment he couldn’t quite put into words.

“Really? Then eat more!” Li Wenxuan was delighted that Tian Xiaoman liked his choices.

They began eating, picking at the side dishes from time to time. 

Li Wenxuan noticed Tian Xiaoman’s habit of eating—he first removed ingredients he didn’t like, then slowly ate the parts he enjoyed. 

From the way he ate, it seemed his favorite was the red sausage in the noodles, so Li Wenxuan put all the red sausage into Tian Xiaoman’s bowl, earning him another big smile.

Li Wenxuan realized he should pay more attention to food preferences in the future.

“Huff… I’m so full!” Tian Xiaoman finished a large bowl of noodles and a bunch of side dishes. His stomach was now round and full, and he couldn’t move an inch.

Li Wenxuan sat with him to help him digest. 

When Tian Xiaoman looked better, he stood up to go pay the bill. 

Tian Xiaoman called him back, pulled out a small purse from his pocket, and handed it over. “Here, this is what my Amu gave me. Use this to pay.”

Li Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Xiaoman, how could I use your money? Don’t worry, your husband has plenty of money!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Xiaoman twisted his arm, “I told you not to talk nonsense! Quit bragging! I said to use it, so use it! Do you hear me?”

“I hear you, I hear you. How dare I not listen!” Li Wenxuan took the purse, though whether he’d actually use it was another matter.

Tian Xiaoman nodded in satisfaction. 

Sure enough, gers should be tougher. Then men would be obedient. He’d learned this from his Amu.

After paying, the two strolled through the street casually. Li Wenxuan saw a vendor selling candied haws and bought a skewer for Tian Xiaoman, pretending to beg for a bite as they joked and played.

“Clang clang clang!” Suddenly, a gong and drum sounded under a large tree by the street. 

Tian Xiaoman, who loved joining in on the fun, rushed over immediately. Li Wenxuan followed.

Under the tree was a man preparing to perform. A little monkey was tied beside his luggage. Tian Xiaoman got excited right away, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Dear villagers, I’ve just arrived in your fine place. I have little money, so I’ve come to perform to earn a living. If you have money, support me with it. If not, support me with your presence!” the man announced.

Then he picked up a red-tasseled spear and started twirling it vigorously. The crowd cheered, and Tian Xiaoman shouted along, fascinated.

Seeing Tian Xiaoman fixated on the strong performer, Li Wenxuan got jealous. “Xiaoman, I can dance better than him. I can play with swords and shoot arrows too. Want me to dance for you when we get back?”

Tian Xiaoman impatiently pushed away Li Wenxuan’s big face. He wasn’t watching the man—he was looking at the monkey!

After a while, the man stopped, went to his luggage, and untied the monkey for its part of the performance. But the monkey wouldn’t cooperate. It just sat there, unmoving.

The man flushed with embarrassment. 

The monkey still didn’t move. The crowd began to “tsk” and slowly dispersed. The man’s face fell in disappointment.

Tian Xiaoman looked anxious. He hadn’t seen juggling in a long time!

Seeing this, Li Wenxuan stepped forward and asked, “Brother, could your monkey do a little trick? My husband wants to see it. We’ll pay, of course.”

The man smiled bitterly. “To be honest, I don’t know how to train monkeys. I’m just trying to survive. I saw people using monkeys to perform and thought I could earn something too, so I caught one. But I didn’t expect it to ignore me completely. I’ve failed.”

Li Wenxuan saw the man spoke clearly and didn’t seem like the type to wander and lie. He said sincerely, “Brother, you seem to be going through something. Why don’t we sit at that teahouse over there and talk? Maybe there’s something I can help with.”

The man looked at him and nodded. “Alright.”

Tian Xiaoman, meanwhile, had latched onto the important bit—the man didn’t know how to make the monkey do tricks! 

But it was still nice to have such a cute little monkey nearby. Just thinking about it made him happy again.

At the teahouse, the man introduced himself as Tan Shan. He came from a remote area and was heading to the capital for the martial arts exam. His family was poor, and he couldn’t afford the journey, so he tried performing. But since he couldn’t earn enough, he caught a monkey, though he had no idea how to train it.

Li Wenxuan sighed. People said the poor learn literature, the rich learn martial arts. If his own family hadn’t known martial arts, he wouldn’t have had a chance either.

Seeing that Tan Shan was decent and honest, Li Wenxuan took out all the silver he had—about twenty taels. Keeping only the purse Tian Amu gave, he pushed the rest over. “Brother Tan, take this. I don’t have much power, but I can at least help for now.”

Tan Shan was moved but shook his head. “This is too much. I appreciate your kindness, but I can’t take it. We’re all just common folk.”

Seeing his refusal, Li Wenxuan changed tactics. “My husband really likes your monkey. If you’re willing to give it to him, consider this payment for that. It’ll also make up for taking your means of livelihood.”

Realizing Li Wenxuan wouldn’t back down, and knowing he needed the money to reach the capital on time, Tan Shan clasped his hands and said, “Brother, I accept your kindness. I’ll remember it always.”

Li Wenxuan was relieved. If he could help, why not? Money could be earned again, but some people only had one shot.

Tian Xiaoman was busy playing with the monkey. He didn’t know what they talked about, only that Li Wenxuan said goodbye to the man and told him the little monkey was his now. 

He was thrilled.

“Let’s go buy something for the little monkey!” Tian Xiaoman said cheerfully.

Li Wenxuan smiled bitterly. Looks like he’d really have to use the purse from Tian Amu now.