The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 34

Time flies, and late autumn is almost here. The weather grows cooler, and more leaves begin to fall. When the autumn wind blows, the leaves swirl in the air, evoking a melancholic feeling.

Tian Xiaoman emerged from the house, a backpack slung over his shoulders. 

Today, they were going to dig lotus roots together! Their village had a large pond, filled with many lotus plants. This summer, Tian Xiaoman and Xiaoguo had come here to pick lotus pods and went home to cook a big pot of lotus seed porridge. It had tasted amazing!

Yesterday, as the village chief passed the big pond, he noticed the lotus leaves had withered and turned yellow, so he decided to organize a community event to dig lotus roots today. Since the pond was publicly owned by the village, the lotus roots would be divided equally among the households. 

here were 25 households in the village, and each would receive around 50 to 60 kilograms of lotus roots. Of course, if a household didn’t send anyone to dig, they wouldn’t get any roots this year.

Tian Xiaoman walked to the entrance of the village, turned left, and continued on for a while until he reached the pond. Upon approaching, the view was filled with dead branches and fallen leaves, yet it didn’t feel lifeless. There were many people gathered along the shore, all ready to show off their skills.

Tian Xiaoman stood at the shore and scanned the crowd, quickly spotting Yang Xiaoguo’s group. He hurried over and joined them.

“Xiaoman, why are you just getting here?” Yang Xiaoguo asked, puzzled. Usually, Xiaoman would be the first to arrive at these events.

“Don’t even mention it, my Amu almost didn’t let me come out, saying this year my father could go alone!” Tian Xiaoman’s face was full of mock accusation.

Yang Xiaoguo looked at him with sympathy. Staying at home all the time must be so boring!

“Luckily, I kept begging him, and he finally let me go!” Tian Xiaoman said proudly, though he had promised his Amu that after this, he wouldn’t go out for any more activities.

Yang Xiaoguo looked at Tian Xiaoman with admiration. He could never do anything his Amu didn’t approve of.

Everyone chatted for a while, and after some time, the village chief arrived. 

“Fellow villagers, we’ll dig lotus roots the same way as last year. The young and strong men will go to the middle of the pond, while the elderly will stay here on the shore. Don’t go too deep! Oh, and if you find any small fish or shrimp while digging, feel free to take them home for your dishes. No need to share them, haha!”

As soon as the village chief finished speaking, the villagers eagerly agreed and rushed into the water. The young men headed toward the deepest part of the pond, while the others, including Tian Xiaoman’s brothers, removed their shoes and waded in as well.

It was noon, and the sun hung high in the sky, warming the air and dispelling the early morning chill. Though the water felt a little cold at first, they quickly became used to it.

Digging lotus roots was no easy task. Tian Xiaoman thought that if Li Wenxuan had been here, he would never have attempted it. Someone new to lotus root digging might manage to pull one out, but they’d likely break it, and the mud would get into everything.

Tian Xiaoman was skilled at digging lotus roots. He carefully walked to a patch with many lotus leaves, stepped tentatively to test the soil, then slowly extended his foot to feel around. If he stepped on something hard, it was likely a lotus root.

When he found one, he didn’t pull it out immediately, as doing so would break it. Instead, he gently dug along the root, loosening it, and once it was nearly free, he carefully lifted it to the surface. This step was crucial—many beginners broke the roots because they didn’t know how to handle it properly.

Tian Xiaoman smiled with satisfaction as he pulled out a lotus root that was a bit longer than his arm. He placed it in his backpack and continued searching.

Suddenly, he felt something small brush against his instep. The water was murky, but it felt like a fish or something similar. He immediately felt the urge to go fishing.

However, he managed to resist the temptation. If he only dug one lotus root that afternoon, it would be embarrassing. He glanced at the others’ harvests and bent his head to search for more.

Meanwhile, Li Wenxuan had sold all the pork in the morning and was riding back home. As he approached, his elder brother’s little son came running out, eyes lighting up when he saw him.

“Pig!” his younger brother called out.

Li Wenxuan squatted down and corrected him with a smile. “Little fool, it’s uncle, not pig!”

The younger brother frowned, probably realizing he’d been called a fool, and muttered, “Pig stupid.”

Wenxuan burst out laughing. Alright, clearly children never let themselves be outdone! 

Carrying the boy into the kitchen, he saw his Amu preparing lunch. When Li Amu saw him, he said, “Ah, so that’s why Le-ge’er ran out—he heard you coming back!”

“Is that it? Did Le-ge’er miss Uncle so much he came out to greet him?” Li Wenxuan teased.

His Amu laughed. “He doesn’t miss you! He just wants to eat what you brought him!” 

Every time Li Wenxuan returned from the county, he would bring treats for his young nephew. Over time, Le-ge’er had come to expect it, often preferring the snacks to spending time with his father.

“That’s because he missed me!” Li Wenxuan grinned. 

He set his nephew down and pulled out a paper bag with a few pieces of osmanthus cake. Le-ge’er’s face lit up, and he eagerly reached for it.

Li Wenxuan grinned mischievously. “Le-ge’er, give me a kiss, and I’ll give you the cake, okay?”

The boy furrowed his brows and thought for a long moment, then reluctantly leaned over and planted a quick kiss on him, clearly displeased but obliging. 

Li Wenxuan’s mission accomplished, he handed over all the cakes. Inwardly, he thought, If only Tian Xiaoman were this easy to coax. I’d buy him food every day.

His Amu quickly took the packet, gave the boy only one piece, and put the rest away in the cupboard. “Don’t give him too much at once, or he won’t want to eat his meal later!” Small children, if you gave it, they’d eat it all.

Li Wenxuan felt a little embarrassed by his reception but shrugged it off and went outside.

Not long after, his father came back from the mountain, and they sat down to eat. 

As they ate, Li Wenxuan mentioned that he hadn’t seen Tian Xiaoman for a few days. “I’m going to Xiaoman’s house this afternoon and won’t be back until evening. I’ll kill the pig tomorrow and head to the county.”

His Amu’s face darkened at once. “What kind of marriage is this? Looks more like you’re the one marrying into his household!”

“Amu, what do you mean?” Li Wenxuan scratched his head in confusion. After all, it was his Amu who had pressured him into marrying a husband in the first place!

“You go to his house every day, meet his relatives, and spend time with him, but what about him? Your father and I haven’t even met that ger!” His Amu was clearly eager to meet Tian Xiaoman.

“Aren’t we already engaged?” Li Wenxuan tried to reason with him.

“If you’re not married yet, then why are you going? Since that’s how you see it, then don’t go again before the wedding!” his Amu said coolly, giving him a sidelong glance.

LiWenxuan immediately panicked. Their wedding was set for November, but it was only mid-August now. Going three whole months without seeing Tian Xiaoman was unthinkable!

“Don’t worry, Amu. I’ll bring him home in a few days for you to meet.”

“That’s better!” His Amu seemed satisfied and returned to his meal.

Li Wenxuan sat back, scratching his head. 

Now he just needed to figure out how to get Xiaoman to come over.