The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 43

Tian Xiaoman had been happily playing with Le-ge’er up on the bank, weaving him a crown from wildflowers, when a spiteful remark reached his ears.

“Zhu San, who are you talking about?” Li Amu frowned, puzzled by the sudden jab.

“I wasn’t talking about anyone, just making conversation.” Zhu San gave a mocking laugh. “Liu Amu, you’ve lived half your life already, and you still don’t know how to judge people?”

“If you have something to say, just say it outright, don’t hide behind sarcasm!” Li Amu snapped. Liu Amu was a soft, gentle person, and never one to stir conflict. To have someone speak to him this way, especially a junior, angered him.

Tian Xiaoman, sensing the tension, led Le-ge’er down to see what was happening. He didn’t know whom they were talking about earlier, but it quickly became clear—it was him they were gossiping about!

“Hmph, I’ll just say it outright.” Zhu San Momo gave Tian Xiaoman a slow once-over. “Everyone in the village knows that Wenxuan’s fiancé is scheming and two-faced. He spoke a few words to someone and then pushed him into the river. With someone like that coming into our village, won’t he disgrace us all?”

“Bah! What nonsense are you spouting? You can’t even handle your own affairs, yet you listen to rumors all day!” Li Amu spat angrily, his voice rising. “And now you bring those rumors in front of Xiaoman!”

“Who says it’s a rumor? The victim is my relative,” Zhu San retorted. “I’ve been wanting to say it for a while—your son-in-law is nothing but a troublemaker!”

Tian Xiaoman stood there, stunned. Was he seriously still bringing up the incident from before? What was wrong with him? Do they have nothing better to do?

At last, he understood why a tarnished reputation could keep someone from marrying—no one would want to marry him with all this gossip!

In truth, Zhu San hostility wasn’t just about Tian Xiu’er’s incident. 

When Li Wenxuan had first returned, he had entertained thoughts of matching him with his own ger. But Li Wenxuan pulled that trick, and his ger absolutely refused. So the idea was abandoned.

Soon after, Li Wenxuan quickly became engaged to someone else, sending meat and delicacies to his fiancé’s household. Aside from that one episode, Li Wenxuan’s conduct was proper, and the more people looked, the more handsome he seemed. A bit of jealousy and regret over his ger’s initial refusal was fueling his resentment.

His ge’er even showed signs of regret, muttering about it in front of him. That made it worse. If only they had matched, all that meat would have come to their house!

He even wondered if Li Amu had seen through his intentions and deliberately urged Li Wenxuan to play that trick, just to make him give up. 

From then on, bitterness festered in his heart, and most of the rumors began with him.

Li Amu seldom went out, so no one brought such gossip to his ears. Today, with Tian Xiaoman appearing at the wash place, Zhu San took his chance to strike.

“You there,” Tian Xiaoman burst out, furious. “You say the wronged one is your relative. Do you even know your relative is already married? Do you know what role he took in that marriage? Do you know how he got himself married off?”

“I… I… how am I supposed to know?” Zhu San stuttered. He and that relative were only distant kin. How could he know the details?

“You don’t know your own family’s affairs, but you claim to know mine so clearly? Then tell me—what words did I supposedly say, and how exactly did I push him into the river? Did he tell you himself?” Tian Xiaoman’s voice was steady, his anger building.

Tian Xiaoman knew Tian Xiuer’s sly ways. He’d never say such things outright—he would only weep, letting others assume the worst. And when the truth came out, he could simply say, I never said that, and wash himself clean.

“Everyone says so! If it weren’t true, why would everyone be talking about it? Do you think we’re all fools?” Zhu San blustered, shifting the blame to the crowd. If Tian Xiaoman argued further, he could just hide behind “everyone.”

“You’re Zhu San Momo, right?” Tian Xiaoman’s face hardened. 

Zhu San squirmed under Tian Xiaoman’s gaze. “Yes… yes, that’s me. What’s it to you?”

Tian Xiaoman leaned in closer. “I heard people say you keep a lover outside and even want to cast your husband aside to give that lover his place. Is that true?” Tian Xiaoman dragged out his words deliberately.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhu San’s face turned red, a flash of guilt crossing his features. “Who spread those lies? Don’t they have anything better to do?”

The sudden outburst caught everyone’s attention. Zhu San’s angry reaction seemed to confirm Tian Xiaoman’s words, causing the others to look at him in a new light.

Tian Xiaoman smirked. “But Zhu San Momo, everyone says so. By your logic, if everyone says it, it must be true. Isn’t that right?”

“You—you sharp-tongued ger! We’ll see about this!” Zhu San Momo hurled his laundry into the basin, spat out his threat, and stormed off in a huff.

As he left, Tian Xiaoman let out a relieved sigh, his anger dissipating. He’d won this round. 

When the tension eased, the others began to pack up and leave. The son-in-law of the Li family had shown he wasn’t someone to be easily bullied.

Li Amu watched, a satisfied smile on his face. This is the sort of person who can stand his ground, not someone to be bullied. Better a sharp ger than one who only cries. After all, I’m not someone who insists on controlling everything myself.

Then, as if the tension had never happened, Li Amu asked, “Xiaoman, how do you know about Zhu San’s family? I don’t think anyone from our village has talked about it…”

Tian Xiaoman grinned. “Amu, I just made that up. Didn’t he say what everyone says must be true, so I just gave him one. Who knew his reaction would show it was real?”

He hadn’t actually known—he’d only once heard of someone in his own village with a similar case, so he threw it out casually. By chance, he hit the mark.

Li Amu laughed. “Well, serves him right for running his mouth. Don’t worry—there are only a few gossips in the village. As long as he keeps to himself for a while and doesn’t spread more rumors, no one else will bother with him.”

“Mm.” Tian Xiaoman smiled, realizing how complicated village life could be. Before, he had never thought much about things like this. 

He looked down at Le-ge’er, who was happily playing with a flower. Children really are fortunate. The child’s innocence made everything else seem unimportant.

Not long after, Li Wenxuan came back. 

At the village entrance, he had caught a few snippets of the conversation but didn’t think much of it. As long as his Amu and Xiaoman weren’t put at a disadvantage, that was all that mattered.