The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 37

Very quickly, the whole pig was sold out, and the people in front of the stall left with satisfaction. 

Just as Tian Xiaoman thought he could close the stall, an elderly ger ran over from the other side. Seeing the empty chopping board, he sighed in disappointment, “Little Li, didn’t you say you’d leave me half a pig’s head today? How come it’s all sold out!”

Li Wenxuan smiled, and with a slight flourish, pulled out half a pig’s head from under the chopping board, strung it with a straw rope, and handed it to Grand Amu Zhou. “Grandmu Zhou, how could I forget your request? I remember Brother Zhou liked the braised pig’s head you gave him. It’s perfect with wine!”

Grandmu Zhou instantly brightened. “I knew I could count on you, Little Li! I talk about you every day!” He then added, “By the way, it’s still twenty-five copper coins, isn’t it?”

Li Wenxuan nodded, and Grandmu Zhou handed him a string of copper coins, counting out 25. Li Wenxuan then noticed the pig’s tail and handed it to him. “I heard Uncle likes pig tails. You can take this back for him!”

“Oh, thank you on his behalf! It’s wonderful that you remember him!” Grandmu Zhou said happily, before glancing at Tian Xiaoman. He changed the subject, “This must be your little husband-to-be, right? How handsome he is!”

“Grandmu Zhou, this is Xiaoman. Xiaoman, this is Grand Amu Zhou; you can just call him Grandmu Zhou.”

“Hello, Grandmu Zhou!” Tian Xiaoman greeted politely, and Grandmu Zhou responded with a warm smile. He then left to stew the pig’s head, telling them to visit his house next time. 

After he left, Tian Xiaoman turned to Li Wenxuan. “Is he your relative?”

Li Wenxuan shook his head, and Tian Xiaoman was puzzled. 

If Grandmu Zhou wasn’t family, why was Li Wenxuan so kind and generous? He left gifts and even gave things away!

Li Wenxuan explained, “This grandmu has a son named Zhou Da. He’s the constable of our county. I happened to befriend him, so of course I have to take a bit more care.”

“Wow, he’s a county official!” It was the first time Tian Xiaoman had met the family of an official. He suddenly felt that Grandmu Zhou seemed more impressive. “Then why did you charge money? That’s food for a constable’s family!”

Tian Xiaoman, an ordinary citizen whose family had been farmers for generations, had a natural awe for officials. To please them, wouldn’t it be better not to charge at all?

Li Wenxuan explained, “You have to take money. You can’t let them get used to it and think it’s only natural. If you do, they’ll just see you as easy to bully, not someone worth having ties with. Now look—though I don’t give them free meat, I often add a little extra. They feel like they’ve gotten a bargain, and so they naturally stay close to me.”

Tian Xiaoman stared at Li Wenxuan with wide eyes. He thought, How cunning he is! “You’ve got a lot of schemes. You won’t use them on me, will you?”

“How would I dare? Xiaoman, with you I’m absolutely sincere!” Li Wenxuan quickly declared.

“Let’s talk about that later. By the way, can we leave now?” Tian Xiaoman asked. He wanted to leave while it was still early, to avoid getting caught up in any delays.

“Okay,” Li Wenxuan agreed, handing the task of closing the stall to Niu Jin before leading Tian Xiaoman out.

Riding on the horse, Tian Xiaoman looked around at the unfamiliar scenery. He felt uneasy, worrying about not performing well and making Li Wenxuan’s Amu unhappy. The elders around them didn’t seem to like him much.

But there was no use worrying now. 

Tian Xiaoman tried to focus on the scenery, making an effort to relax. 

Li Wenxuan, in fact, had been watching him the whole time. Though he ached for Xiaoman’s conflicted feelings, Xiaoman was destined to come to his home eventually. Better that he start adapting now so when he married in, he wouldn’t miss home so badly. 

Seeing Xiaoman gradually relax, Li Wenxuan also felt relieved.

No matter how long the road is, it eventually comes to an end. Before long, they arrived at Willow Tree Slope. 

Tian Xiaoman noticed many willow trees at the entrance of the village, their leaves yellowing, a far cry from spring. He thought to himself that Xingtian Village was better—after all, the apricots were delicious, and the willows were pretty useless!

Li Wenxuan’s house sat a little higher than Willow Tree Slope, with a large bamboo forest behind it. A small path led up to the mountain, which was convenient for Li Wenxuan’s father, who was a hunter.

The yard was quite large, surrounded by a high wall. They lived at the foot of the mountain, and during winter, wild beasts sometimes came down to search for food. If it weren’t for the high wall, they would’ve been in danger long ago.

Li Wenxuan dismounted and pushed open the courtyard door, helping Tian Xiaoman off the horse before leading the animal inside. 

“Xiaoman, come in quickly!” He locked the horse in the stable, then walked over to guide Tian Xiaoman inside.

Just as they reached the main house, Li Wenxuan’s Amu, Li Amu, came out after hearing the noise. He immediately spotted the ger following his son. His round, rosy face looked healthy, and the pregnancy mole on his cheek was bright red, making him smile with satisfaction. He wasn’t too tall or short, and seemed to be a perfect match standing behind his son. 

He thought to himself, No wonder her son had been absent from home ever since the betrothal!

“This is Xiaoman, right? I’m Wenxuan’s Amu. Just call me Li Amu!” He walked over, taking Tian Xiaoman’s hand from Li Wenxuan’s, leading him inside. “Come in and sit down!”

At first, Tian Xiaoman froze when he saw Li Amu. He wanted to smile, but his face wouldn’t move. However, despite his warm demeanor, Li Wenxuan’s Amu didn’t seem at all like the harsh Amus he had encountered in the village.

As Li Amu took Tian Xiaoman’s hand, he noticed his stiffness. He thought to himself, What an honest child! I don’t know how people can spread such ugly rumors about him.. Still, Tian Xiaoman slowly relaxed, his discomfort fading under his kind smile. “Hello, Amu!” he greeted sweetly.

Li Amu smiled warmly. Although it wasn’t the first time he had heard his son’s fiancée call him “Amu,” this boy was different. Unlike the distant relationship he had with his eldest son’s spouse, this ger was simple and honest, just like he was.

Li Wenxuan smiled, pleased with his Amu’s reaction. The more he liked Tian Xiaoman, the happier he felt!

Li Amu and Tian Xiaoman chatted for a while, with him asking questions and him answering cautiously. 

At some point, Tian Xiaoman remembered his Amu’s instructions. He handed the basket that Li Wenxuan had helped him carry to Li Amu. “uncle, my Amu asked me to give you this. He said it’s my first time visiting.”

Li Amu took the basket and looked inside. There was a pound of frosting sugar, half a pound of preserved fruit, a jar of honey, and some homemade dried vegetables. He smiled, thinking, this in-law is quite thoughtful! Usually it’s only the man’s family who brings gifts to the ger’s home. Rarely does a ger’s family send things back to the husband’s side.

He set the basket down, his smile growing warmer. “Thank my in-laws for me! Xiaoman, are you hungry? Amu will cook right away! By the way, I’ve cleaned up the room for you. I’ll let Wenxuan take you to see it!”

Tian Xiaoman followed Li Wenxuan obediently, heading toward the guest room next to his bedroom. 

It was clean and neat, with fresh bedding that smelled faintly of sunshine. The room also contained several new clothes, which made Tian Xiaoman feel more at ease. It was clear that Li Amu truly welcomed him.

Meanwhile, Li Wenxuan opened the wardrobe, intending to put Xiaoman’s clothes inside. Xiaoman suddenly realized and rushed over to snatch them back, but it was too late—Wenxuan had already glimpsed some smaller undergarments. He froze, staring at Xiaoman’s bright red face, and suddenly couldn’t help imagining Xiaoman wearing only those. With a muffled groan, he clutched his nose and bolted out of the room without a word.

Watching his retreating figure, Xiaoman eventually burst into laughter. It looked like Wenxuan had gotten a nosebleed. But when he thought about the reason why, he fell silent again, quietly hanging up his clothes.

After a while, Tian Xiaoman went out to look for him. As he passed a room, he heard the faint sound of a child crying inside. Curious, he entered to find a fair, tender little boy lying on the bed, his eyes closed, but crying loudly, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks.

Tian Xiaoman walked over and softly asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Upon hearing his voice, the boy opened his eyes, reached out his hands, and cried, “Hold me! Quick!”

Xiaoman understood the first word—he wanted to be held. So he lifted him out of the blanket. But the second word confused him. “Quick? Quick what?”

As soon as the boy, Le Ge’er, was in his arms, he pointed outside. “Take me outside!” Le Ge’er cried.

Tian Xiaoman understood now and carried him outside to the tree where the nanny usually helped him pee. 

Le Ge’er pointed to the corner and said, “Pee!”

Finally, Xiaoman understood. He had thought the child liked him, but it turned out he was just desperate to pee! 

He rushed to the tree and helped Le Ge’er relieve himself. Once finished, the little ge’er let out a sigh of relief. 

Li Amu had heard the noise from the kitchen but had wanted to see what Tian Xiaoman would do. He was satisfied to see that even without the family around, Tian Xiaoman had taken care of Le Ge’er’s needs. He returned to the kitchen, allowing the two of them to bond.

Once Le Ge’er was finished, he calmed down and looked up at Tian Xiaoman. But when he realized he was being held by a stranger, he opened his mouth to cry again and struggled to get down.

But Xiaoman didn’t dare put him down—he had no shoes on and was barely dressed. Yet if he held him, the boy cried harder. 

At that moment, Li Amu peeked out from the kitchen and said, “Xiaoman, I’m busy right now. Could you help put on Le Ge’er’s clothes? His clothes are on his bed.”

Helpless, Xiaoman agreed, carrying the squirming little boy—like holding a slippery mudfish—back into the room. 

Le Ge’er had heard his Grandmu’s voice talking to Xiaoman, so he wasn’t as scared but still eyed Xiaoman warily. 

The moment he was set down on the bed, he immediately wriggled into the blanket, leaving only his eyes poking out, and mumbled, “Who?”

Tian Xiaoman tried to reassure him, “It’s okay, Le Ge’er. The Grandmu is cooking. Can I help you get dressed?”

The boy shook his head and asked again, more clearly, “Who?”

Now Xiaoman understood—he was asking who he was! But what should he say? After thinking a moment, he said, “I’m your uncle’s husband. That makes me your gugu.”

The boy didn’t really understand, only catching the word “uncle.” Suspiciously, he said, “Pig-pig?” as though wondering why his uncle had turned into this.

Xiaoman was utterly helpless. Where on earth did Li Wenxuan go? Why hasn’t he come back? He wasn’t sure how to communicate with the child at all.

(Translator’s Notes: When Xiaoman tries to introduce himself to the little boy, he explains that as the uncle’s husband, his role is similar to that of a  (gugu, auntie).” However, the toddler doesn’t fully understand and instead latches onto the sound of the words. To his ears, “gugu” sounds like (zhūzhū),” which means “piggy” in Chinese.)