The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 30

Tian Amu took the past two days to go to the county town to have a pair of small silver bracelets made, spending two taels of silver. After all, Brother Wang’s newborn son was the Shen family’s first grandson of this generation, their only one, so naturally they had to show proper regard.

In addition to the silver bracelets, he also cut a piece of fine cotton cloth to make clothes for the newborn and brought two old hens from his family to nourish Brother Wang.

As a newly appointed uncle-in-law, this gift was substantial. Even Brother Wang’s biological Amu might not necessarily be able to bring so many things.

While Tian Amu was in the county, he also visited Li Wenxuan and told him about this. Since he was engaged to Tian Xiaoman, he naturally had the right to meet these relatives. 

Last time, during Xiaoman’s engagement, his two uncles happened to be away from home, so they hadn’t been able to attend. But they later made up for it by sending generous gifts. Tian Amu didn’t mind much, as the real highlight was yet to come.

Li Wenxuan hadn’t met these relatives yet, but this time, he would have the chance on the third day after the baby’s birth.

Li Wenxuan naturally agreed. How could he refuse the chance to officially enter Tian Xiaoman’s circle of relatives? 

Afterward, Tian Amu prepared to leave, but Li Wenxuan wanted to cut some meat for him to take home, to add to their meals. Tian Amu declined, explaining that he would visit relatives tomorrow, so he could just eat something simple today. They had some pickled meat at home.

Li Wenxuan thought a moment, then asked about the monkey. He wanted to use that as an excuse to probe for news about Tian Xiaoman. His Amu-in-law was too sharp, making him a little hesitant around him.

Unexpectedly, Tian Amu laughed when he heard it. “We brought the monkey back yesterday afternoon, but it ran away last night. That child was heartbroken!”

Li Wenxuan secretly smiled. It was good that the ugly monkey had run away—he wouldn’t need to worry about how to attract Tian Xiaoman’s attention now.

Tian Amu casually asked, “That monkey must have cost a lot, right? Quite a bit of silver, I imagine?” He didn’t believe Tian Xiaoman’s story that someone had given it to them. He knew his ger better than anyone, after all!

Fortunately, Li Wenxuan didn’t really tell that over twenty taels of silver had been spent on the monkey. Hearing Tian Amu’s tone was a little off, he carefully considered how Xiaoman might have explained it at home, and then replied, “No, it was a street performer who gave it to us. The monkey wasn’t very obedient.”

This matched Tian Xiaoman’s story exactly, with the exception of the part about the monkey being disobedient! 

Tian Amu was a bit puzzled. Could it really be true? Or had he misunderstood Xiaoman after all?

But it wasn’t worth overthinking. The monkey had already run away, and there were still other matters to attend to at home, so Tian Amu was ready to head back.

Since the journey was far, Li Wenxuan decided to drive the carriage. After asking Tian Amu’s opinion, he planned to pick them up at dawn the next morning, so they wouldn’t be late.

The next morning, before dawn, the quiet mountain village was faintly shrouded in mist. It was early autumn, and the crisp morning air made people feel a bit chilly. 

Father Tian, Tian Amu, and Tian Xiaoman quickly packed up their things and walked to the village entrance. They moved briskly, careful not to wake any neighbors still asleep. The three of them waited for a while under the large tree at the entrance, and then the sound of hooves and wheels rolling in the distance reached their ears.

“It must be Li Wenxuan!” Tian Xiaoman tiptoed to look, surprised to find Li Wenxuan sitting in the carriage.

“Whoa—” Li Wenxuan also saw them and stopped with a tug of the reins. “Father, Amu, Xiaoman, why are you waiting here? I was planning to pick you up at the house, the weather’s a bit chilly, hurry up and get in the carriage!”

Li Wenxuan jumped out of the carriage and helped Tian Amu and Father Tian in first. After they were settled, he reached for Tian Xiaoman, but Tian Xiaoman hesitated at the door of the carriage and didn’t go inside.

“Xiaoman, why don’t you come in?” Tian Amu called out, eager for Tian Xiaoman to join them.

“Oh, Amu, I just want to sit out here and enjoy the view! It’s a bit stuffy inside!” Tian Xiaoman replied, but when he turned around and saw Li Wenxuan smiling, he couldn’t help but scold, “Why are you laughing? I’m not here to keep you company!”

The words were as much a confession as a denial, and Li Wenxuan’s smile only grew wider. 

Tian Amu seemed to guess what was going on and simply told Xiaoman to go inside if he felt cold, then let it be.

Tian Xiaoman sat at the front contentedly. Li Wenxuan, pulling the reins on the other side to turn the carriage around, quickly jumped back in and sat beside Tian Xiaoman.

“Hyah!” With a command, the carriage began to move, the sound of hooves echoing in the air.

“Xiaoman, are you cold?” Li Wenxuan noticed Tian Xiaoman looking away from him, and tried to strike up a conversation. He knew his earlier smile had embarrassed Xiaoman, so this was a way to give him an easy step down.

“I’m fine.” Tian Xiaoman replied softly. 

Li Wenxuan, holding the reins with one hand, reached out with his other hand to gently hold Tian Xiaoman’s hand.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Tian Xiaoman quickly pulled his hand away. His parents were right inside!

“I was just checking if your hands were cold,” Li Wenxuan said innocently, his voice almost sounding wronged. “Your hands feel pretty cold. Amu, could you help me open the box under the seat? There’s a cloak inside!” he shouted inside.

Tian Amu opened the box as asked, took out the cloak, and handed it out through the door curtain. Li Wenxuan took it, thanked him, and wrapped it around Tian Xiaoman. 

Tian Amu smiled and sat back down inside.

Tian Xiaoman awkwardly adjusted the cloak, feeling guilty about his earlier outburst. “Aren’t you… cold?” he asked in a low voice, glancing up.

Li Wenxuan paused for a moment before laughing. “I’m strong, I don’t get cold. Don’t worry about me, Xiaoman.”

“I’m not worried about you,” Tian Xiaoman muttered under his breath. “I just touched your hand, and it felt cold. How about we share the cloak? It’s big enough for both of us!” he added, his face flushing.

Li Wenxuan saw his reaction and chose not to comment further. Instead, he quietly spread the cloak so that both of them could share it. Though the cloak was large, it was still a bit small for two people, so they had to sit close.

Tian Xiaoman felt the warmth from Li Wenxuan and started to get sleepy again, the early morning having taken its toll on him.

Li Wenxuan, feeling the perfect atmosphere, was about to say something to Tian Xiaoman when he saw Tian Xiaoman’s head slowly drooping, the sound of his breathing softening.

Li Wenxuan quietly watched him fall asleep, a soft feeling blooming in his chest. He gently shifted Tian Xiaoman’s head, letting him lean on his shoulder to sleep peacefully.

Tian Amu, hearing no noise from the front for a while, peeked through the door curtain. When he saw Tian Xiaoman sleeping soundly on Li Wenxuan’s shoulder, he smiled with relief. 

This hastily arranged marriage had its mistakes, but the couple still seemed to be well-matched.

He lowered the curtain and was about to share his thoughts with Father Tian when he saw the old man had fallen asleep, his head tilted against the carriage. Tian Amu sighed in amusement, propped him up, let Father Tian lie on his legs, covered him with the clothes next to him, and then closed his eyes to rest.

The Shen family’s eldest uncle lived in Xiahe Village, in Qingyang County, a neighboring county. Li Wenxuan knew where Qingyang was, but outside the county town, he had no idea where Xiahe Village lay.

By now, the sun had risen, and the autumn sun shone on the carriage, warming it. Though not as scorching as summer, it still brought a pleasant warmth.

Just when Li Wenxuan felt uncertain about waking everyone to ask for directions, Tian Xiaoman, wrapped in the cloak, woke up, feeling the heat building up.

“Mm…” Tian Xiaoman rubbed his eyes, stretched, and removed the cloak. He’d slept so well!

Li Wenxuan quietly shifted his numb right shoulder. After having had it leaned on by Tian Xiaoman for over an hour, it was starting to feel a little stiff. 

Sigh, marrying a husband is both tormenting and sweet! Though they weren’t married yet, Li Wenxuan already sighed like a man who had been married for years.

Tian Xiaoman noticed Li Wenxuan’s discomfort and realized that he had been leaning on him for a while. Embarrassed, he looked around, then placed his hand on Li Wenxuan’s shoulder to massage it.

As the soft hands massaged his shoulder evenly, Li Wenxuan felt all his fatigue melt away instantly.

No! Li Wenxuan thought. He had been wrong earlier—marrying a husband is a very sweet thing! Not tiring at all!