The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 42

In the evening, Tian Xiaoman finally ate the big crab. It was his first time, so he didn’t know how to cook it, and Li Amu’s cooking skills weren’t very good, so Li Wenxuan decided to steam them all.

The fire under the stove blazed vigorously, and eight large crabs were tied up in a big steamer and placed over it. Tian Xiaoman had never seen crabs cooked like this before, and he found it very novel.

Li Wenxuan explained that he had tied them up to prevent the crabs from running around inside. Tian Xiaoman was surprised.

As for why he didn’t kill them before cooking, Li Wenxuan explained that if the crabs were killed, they would lose their freshness and might also carry certain toxins.

As time passed, the crabs in the pot gradually released a pleasant fragrance, which made Tian Xiaoman’s nose twitch in delight.

While the crabs were steaming, Tian Xiaoman volunteered to make the dipping sauce. He often made sauces, so preparing one for crabs wasn’t difficult for him. 

Since crabs are cold in nature, he added a lot of vinegar and ginger. He chopped a small bowl of ginger, poured in some vinegar, and added a little soy sauce.

Since crab is a cold-natured food, the sauce needed plenty of vinegar and ginger. Tian Xiaoman minced a small bowl of ginger, added another small bowl of vinegar, then poured in soy sauce.

To make it even tastier, he stirred in some rock sugar. Not knowing whether Li Wenxuan’s family liked spicy food, he cautiously left out chili peppers.

After steaming for over a quarter of an hour, the crabs were finally ready. 

Li Amu picked up a basket and took the first batch out, leaving the rest in the pot to keep warm.

Tian Xiaoman had only eaten small crabs before, not these large ones, so he wasn’t sure how to handle the crab in his hands.

Li Wenxuan noticed his confusion and quickly took the crab from him, breaking it open and handing it back. “Xiaoman, eat the crab roe first. It’s delicious and a bit like egg yolk. Eat it quickly, or it’ll get fishy and lose its taste.”

Tian Xiaoman picked up a bit of crab roe with his chopsticks, tasted it, and found it okay. He then picked up a larger piece, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth.

A strong sour taste combined with the freshness of the crab roe and a hint of ginger swirled in Tian Xiaoman’s mouth. It was hard to describe, but it made him feel very happy.

After finishing the crab roe, he moved on to the crab meat. 

Li Wenxuan had already cracked all of Tian Xiaoman’s crabs and placed the pieces on a plate.

Tian Xiaoman picked up a crab leg, revealing the tender white meat inside. He dipped it in the sauce and tasted it. It was a different flavor, but just as delicious.

Tian Xiaoman ate two crabs in a row, and when he was about to eat more, Li Wenxuan stopped him. “Crabs are cold in nature, Xiaoman. It’s your first time eating them, so two is enough. If you eat more, you might get diarrhea.”

After hearing this, Tian Xiaoman stopped, as he had already eaten two crabs.

Le-ge’er, the greedy cat, wasn’t interested in the crabs. He didn’t fight for any when the adults were eating. Everyone thought it was because he had already eaten egg custard and boiled eggs, so his stomach was full.

In reality, Le-ge’er simply thought crabs were too ugly.

After dinner, Tian Xiaoman and Li Wenxuan went out for a walk to digest their food, and Le-ge’er wanted to join them.

Tian Xiaoman hadn’t taken him crab fishing in the afternoon, but he thought a walk would be a good idea. 

Li Wenxuan and Tian Xiaoman each reached out a hand to lead Le-ge’er out.

Li Amu and Father Li watched from behind, and both felt that, although the young couple wasn’t married, they really seemed like an old couple, especially with a child.

Le-ge’er was cheerful, constantly looking up at Tian Xiaoman, then at Li Wenxuan, and babbling in his own little way.

Tian Xiaoman was curious. Could this be Le-ge’er’s first time going out?

Li Wenxuan noticed Tian Xiaoman’s confusion and explained, “After Le-ge’er was born, my brother-in-law wasn’t in good health, so my Amu took care of Le-ge’er. When brother-in-law was better and wanted to take him back, he became pregnant again, and Le-ge’er has been with Li Amu and Father Li since then. My eldest brother is more focused on official duties, and it’s rare for him to be close to children. So Le-ge’er has never really gone out with them.”

Tian Xiaoman understood. So perhaps in his little heart, Le-ge’er thought of them as his Father and Amu?

Le-ge’er did feel something like that. When he first learned to talk, Li Amu carried him into the village to play. Hearing other children call “father” and “Amu” he came home and called the same to his grandparents. The adults, though, felt sad hearing it, and stopped taking him out.

Still, Le-ge’er knew in his own way: others had Grandfathers and GrandAmus, and also fathers and Amus. He had only Grandfather and GrandAmu.

When his uncle came back, Le-ge’er was obviously happier, seeing him as tall as other children’s fathers. 

Now, there was also Momo, who made delicious food for him like other Amus.

Now that they were going out together again, Le-ge’er felt very satisfied.

Tian Xiaoman and Li Wenxuan chatted as they walked, with Le-ge’er occasionally adding his own childish words, making them both laugh.

By the time they returned, it was fully dark. 

At home, Le-ge’er immediately went to find his grandAmu. Whoever cared for him during the day was fine, but at night, he insisted on being with him.

Tian Xiaoman couldn’t sleep at first, but after a while he drifted off.

The next morning, still dark outside, Li Wenxuan got up early. He was going to kill a pig and then transport it to the county town to sell.

When he looked at Tian Xiaoman’s room, he hesitated but decided not to wake him. He noticed the candle in Tian Xiaoman’s room had burned late last night, so he figured it would be fine to let him sleep a little longer. Selling in the county wouldn’t take all day.

Li Amu also got up at this time. Seeing Li Wenxuan’s hesitation, he understood his worry. “Don’t worry, when Xiaoman wakes, I’ll tell him.”

“Alright, Amu. Then I’ll head out. Don’t call him—he slept late yesterday.”

Li Amu’s eyes suddenly took on an ambiguous look, as if to say, And how do you know he slept late?

Li Wenxuan hurried to explain, “I got up in the night and saw his candle still burning. Amu, what are you thinking!”

Li Amu gave him an innocent look, “I’m not thinking about anything.”

Li Wenxuan was helpless, “Amu, I’m leaving.”

“Hurry up, hurry up! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late,” he waved him off.

Soon, soft light began to shine over the earth as the sun rose.

Tian Xiaoman opened his eyes, disoriented at first, not knowing where he was. After a moment, he realized he had slept late on his first day at someone else’s house!

Tian Xiaoman quickly dressed and went outside.

Li Amu was preparing breakfast. Because there were guests today, he not only made porridge but also pancakes.

Seeing Tian Xiaoman up, Li Amu smiled kindly. “Xiaoman, did you sleep well? Go wash up, and we’ll have something delicious for breakfast.”

Tian Xiaoman blushed slightly. Just then, Le-ge’er saw him. Sitting on his little stool, the boy rubbed his cheeks with his fingers and chanted, “Shy, shy!”

Tian Xiaoman grinned, “Oh, you’re laughing at me, huh?” He pretended to chase Le-ge’er, who immediately stood up, giggling and hiding behind Li Amu. 

The two ran around in circles. When Le-ge’er got closer, he stopped and waited, clearly playing a game.

Tian Xiaoman saw that Le-ge’er had grown tired of running, so he stopped chasing him and went to wash up. 

Li Amu stopped to hug Le-ge’er and prepared to feed him. He smiled, thinking how lively his future son-in-law was.

After washing up, Tian Xiaoman sat at the table. He looked around and asked, “Amu, is it just us three? Where are Li Wenxuan and Father Li?”

“Wenxuan went to the county town to sell pork, and Father Li went to the mountains to set traps. Let’s eat.” Li Amu smiled, picked up a piece of pancake, and offered it to Tian Xiaoman, urging him to eat more.

After breakfast, Tian Xiaoman immediately went to wash the dishes. He didn’t like to sit idle.

Li Amu carried a bucket of clothes and prepared to go out. In their village, it was cold and people didn’t need to bathe every day, but men who worked outdoors got dirty and needed to clean up.

Seeing this, Le-ge’er wanted to go with them. 

Tian Xiaoman thought for a moment and decided to go too. He didn’t want to stay alone, and he could help take care of Le-ge’er.

Li Amu agreed to let them go. There was a small river near their home, not far from the village, with clear water flowing down from the mountains. People in the village loved to wash their clothes there.

Since Li Amu was late today, there weren’t many people around. They found a good spot, and Tian Xiaoman and Le-ge’er played while he washed clothes.

An elderly Amu asked Li Amu, “That little ge’er looks unfamiliar. Who is he?”

Li Amu smiled and explained, “My Wenxuan is betrothed, you know? This is his ge’er, here to visit us. His name is Xiaoman.”

“Really? He looks good, healthy, and his pregnancy mole is so red!”

The two were chatting happily when suddenly, a voice interrupted them, saying sarcastically, “What good is looking fine on the outside? Who knows what kind of filthy thoughts are hidden inside!”