The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 41

Le-ge’er was playing in the yard, but his eyes kept darting towards the gate. 

Li Amu noticed this and said to him, “Le-ge’er, don’t worry. Uncle and the others will be back soon.”

Le-ge’er nodded, seeming to understand, but his gaze still lingered on the gate. The big crabs are so scary—will Momo be afraid?

Soon, the sound of horse hooves echoed outside the yard. 

Le-ge’er’s eyes lit up, and he stood up, shouting, “Piggy come home home!” He trotted to the gate, but the threshold was too high for his little legs. He could only stand there, peering eagerly out.

It took Tian Xiaoman and Li Wenxuan twice as long to return as it had to come, because Tian Xiaoman was holding the clutch of eggs. If the horse ran too fast, they’d break.

As Tian Xiaoman entered, he waved the egg in his hand, “Le-ge’er, guess who I am? Call me, and I’ll cook eggs for you.”

Le-ge’er’s face lit up, and he shouted happily, “Momo!”

“Eh!” Tian Xiaoman responded, “Le-ge’er, come with me to cook eggs, alright?”

He led the boy forward, while Li Wenxuan followed behind, laughing at the scene. Wasn’t this silly little one supposed to greet him? Yet the promise of food had lured him away at once.

Li Amu, sitting under a tree and doing needlework, watched the scene with a smile. The yard, which had once been quiet and lonely with only him and Le-ge’er, now felt entirely different with the added bustle.

Tian Xiaoman made his way to the kitchen, with Le-ge’er following and walking in through the door. Tian Xiaoman smiled at him and moved a small stool for Le-ge’er to sit on. 

Le-ge’er sat crookedly, his eyes fixed on the eggs, with a few suspicious marks on the corners of his mouth.

Tian Xiaoman placed the eggs in a basin and washed them with some water. Seeing Le-ge’er’s greedy gaze, he decided to make a steamed egg for him to try.

Since wild duck eggs were relatively small, Tian Xiaoman cracked four into a small bowl, added some salt, and beat them with chopsticks. After the eggs were well mixed, he took a bowl of lukewarm water from the stove and slowly poured it into the bowl. When it was nearly full, Tian Xiaoman carefully skimmed off the foam with a small spoon, ensuring the steamed eggs would be smooth.

He placed the eggs on a rack to steam for about fifteen minutes. 

During this time, Tian Xiaoman prepared the other ingredients. He wanted to make braised eggs, and luckily, Li Wenxuan had most of the common condiments at home. 

While waiting, he began preparing spices for braised eggs. Li Wenxuan’s kitchen had most of the basics. Tian Xiaoman wasn’t picky—he knew not everyone was like him, spending pocket money to stock every seasoning, the sort of things even Tian Amu wouldn’t buy.

As he worked, Le-ge’er couldn’t sit still any longer. The delicious scent wafted from the pot, and his little body wobbled as he stood up and tottered toward Tian Xiaoman. He grabbed the corner of Tian Xiaoman’s clothes and looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Le-ge’er’s big, watery eyes stared up at Tian Xiaoman as he said, “Le-ge’er, want egg!”

“It’s not ready yet, don’t rush.” Tian Xiaoman chuckled.

“Belly hungry.” Le-ge’er frowned, rubbing his stomach how starving he was.

Tian Xiaoman was speechless. He clearly remembered feeding the little one a bowl of porridge and a few steamed buns before they left. How could he be hungry so soon?

“Belly hungry,” Le-ge’er repeated, his pleading gaze softening Tian Xiaoman’s heart.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take a look,” Tian Xiaoman finally relented, surprised by how soft-hearted he was with the child.

Le-ge’er’s face immediately brightened, revealing two small dimples.

Tian Xiaoman opened the pot lid, fanned away the rising steam, and pressed down gently on the surface of the egg custard with a spoon. It had set. He covered it with a wet rag and brought it out, dripping a few drops of soy sauce on top, which had been dried by Li Wenxuan’s family and smelled divine. He placed the custard on a nearby table to cool.

When Le-ge’er saw the small bowl being placed on the table, his eyes followed it like a hawk. He stood by the table, hoping it was for him. 

Tian Xiaoman, afraid Le-ge’er would try to snatch it, called out loudly to Li Wenxuan to come and feed Le-ge’er.

Li Wenxuan entered, a wicked grin on his face, took the bowl, and headed outside. Le-ge’er immediately began shouting and hurried after him.

Tian Xiaoman couldn’t help but smile at Li Wenxuan for teasing the child. At least now he could focus on his own meal.

He scooped out the hot water from the pot, added a spoonful of cold water, and placed the washed wild duck eggs inside. Once the water began to boil, Tian Xiaoman pulled the eggs out, laid them on a chopping board, and replaced the water in the pot to boil more eggs. After adding a few bowls of water, he placed the seasonings wrapped in gauze into the pot and poured in some soy sauce. The pot was covered, and Tian Xiaoman let it simmer.

Once the duck eggs had cooled slightly, Tian Xiaoman cracked one and, pressing down on the egg, peeled off the shell effortlessly. He quickly peeled all the eggs.

The water in the pot wasn’t boiling yet, so Tian Xiaoman went outside to check on Li Wenxuan and the others.

Li Wenxuan had already sat down on a stool under the tree with the bowl of egg custard, and Le-ge’er stood next to him, shouting “Le-ge’er’s, Le-ge’er’s!” Le-ge’er opened his mouth wide, signaling that he wanted a bite. 

Li Wenxuan scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, and was about to feed it to Le-ge’er when, out of nowhere, he impulsively put it in his own mouth.

It was so smooth, so tender, and so delicious. 

Le-ge’er, seeing this, immediately tilted his head back, bursting into tears. His red throat was visible as he sobbed, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. “Bad piggy!” he wailed, furious that after waiting so long, his food had been snatched away.

The more he thought about it, the harder he cried, until he wouldn’t even take a spoonful offered to him.

Li Amu watched from the side, seeing the little one becoming more upset. He walked over and patted Li Wenxuan, then turned to Le-ge’er. “Don’t cry, little one, look—Grand-Amu is going to beat uncle!”

“Piggy bad… wu wu… bad!” Le-ge’er’s crying softened as he watched Li Wenxuan’s exaggerated pained expression. Eventually, his sobs subsided, though he was still sniffling, and he continued to complain to Li Amu about his uncle’s evil deed.

Li Amu snatched the bowl from Li Wenxuan and declared, “Grand-Amu will feed you, not that bad uncle!”

Le-ge’er, still a bit upset, huffed and refused to look at Li Wenxuan as he passed by.

Tian Xiaoman, leaning against the kitchen door, laughed so hard. Li Wenxuan’s childish antics were just too amusing. How childish could Li Wenxuan be?

Li Wenxuan, hearing the laughter, turned and saw Tian Xiaoman laughing so heartily. He walked over, putting on a sad expression. “Xiaoman, why are you laughing so much? I only took a small bite! This ungrateful little wolf—how much food do you usually feed him?”

Rolling his eyes, Tian Xiaoman said, “But that was the very first bite. He stood there guarding it all that time, and you stole it. How could he not be upset?”

Li Wenxuan thought about it—true. Just like last time when he snatched Xiaoman’s rabbit meat, Xiaoman had gotten angry too. He concluded: all ger were petty, no matter their age!

Tian Xiaoman suddenly remembered the boiling water in the pot and hurried back to the kitchen. He lifted the pot lid to find the water boiling, releasing a fragrant aroma.

He added the peeled duck eggs to the pot, covered it again, and let it simmer for about a quarter of an hour. For the best taste, though, the eggs needed to soak a little longer in the broth.

When at last the fragrance became irresistible, he doused the fire and lifted one egg out, speared it with chopsticks, and bit down. The savory flavor burst in his mouth. Yes, eating really was the happiest thing in the world.

Still, he didn’t forget the others. He plated several eggs and brought them out for Li Amu and Le-ge’er. As for Li Wenxuan—well, by the time Tian Xiaoman started eating, he’d already helped himself.