The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 45

They soon reached the chestnut tree. 

Li Wenxuan put down the backpack, let Le-ge’er out, and said to Tian Xiaoman and Li Amu, “I’ll go see what my father is doing first!”

Li Amu nodded, and Li Wenxuan left. 

Tian Xiaoman led Le-ge’er to the base of the tree. “Le-ge’er, do you want to eat chestnuts?” he asked, pointing to a large, spiky ball.

Le-ge’er squatted down, stared at the thorny ball for a long time, and shook his head. “No!”

Tian Xiaoman smiled. The child was clever and knew not to touch the spiky ball.

He pulled out scissors from the backpack, cut open the thorn ball, removed the chestnuts inside, and peeled one for him. “Do you want to eat it now?”

The snow-white chestnut meat had a light fragrance that tempted Le-ge’er. “Yes!” he said, nodding this time.

Tian Xiaoman handed him the chestnuts, then took out a large square cloth from the backpack. He laid it on the grass, lifted Le-ge’er onto it, and let him sit to eat.

Li Amu was already gathering chestnuts from the ground. He glanced over at them, smiled, and went back to picking more.

Tian Xiaoman settled Le-ge’er and, seeing Li Amu picking up chestnuts, decided to climb the tree to get some more.

He selected a branch and climbed up, using both his hands and feet. Soon, he reached a spot just below the tree’s top. He couldn’t climb higher as the upper branches looked too fragile, and he feared they wouldn’t support his weight.

“Amu, help me pass a stick up,” he called down.

Li Amu looked up, alarmed. “Xiaoman, why did you climb so high? Come down quickly, be careful not to fall!”

“It’s okay, Amu. I was used to climbing when I was a child. Just hand me the long stick!” Tian Xiaoman reassured him. He had always been fearless when it came to climbing.

Though Li Amu was anxious, he saw how confident Tian Xiaoman was and held his worries in check.

He ran over to where Tian Xiaoman pointed, grabbed a stick, broke off the excess branches, and handed it to him.

“Amu, stand aside. I’m going to start hitting,” Tian Xiaoman called down. Once Li Amu moved away, Tian Xiaoman swung the stick and struck the chestnut branches.

With a rustling sound, the leaves were knocked to the ground, and several chestnut burrs fell along with them.

Tian Xiaoman grew more confident and continued to strike the trunk and branches.

“Xiaoman, come down! It’s almost done. We can’t eat anymore!” Li Amu called out, worried. When he saw the number of chestnuts, he insisted that Tian Xiaoman come down.

Upon hearing his anxious voice, which sounded like he might cry if he didn’t listen, Tian Xiaoman decided it was time to come down. He’d had his fun, after all, so it wasn’t a big deal to stop.

Li Amu breathed a sigh of relief when Tian Xiaoman came down. 

He and Tian Xiaoman gathered the fallen burrs, planning to peel them all before heading back. They didn’t want to waste any space with unpeeled chestnuts.

Le-ge’er had finished his chestnuts and, seeing the activity, climbed off the cloth and walked over to join them. Li Amu took out a bag of cakes from the backpack, gave him a small piece, and also gave Tian Xiaoman one.

Tian Xiaoman thanked him and sat down with Le-ge’er to eat together.

Meanwhile, Li Wenxuan arrived at his father’s spot and saw him crouching behind a bush, staring intently at something.

Quietly, Li Wenxuan approached to see what his father was watching.

A small wild boar was in front of him, munching on fallen fruit, grunting contentedly.

“Father, why don’t you shoot it with an arrow?” Li Wenxuan asked, picking up his bow and arrow, preparing to take a shot.

“Wait!” Father Li stopped him. “This little one isn’t alone. There should be a bigger one nearby. If we scare them, they could charge at us.”

“What’s there to fear? Kill them if they come!” Li Wenxuan said carelessly.

Father Li slapped him on the head. “You little brat! Don’t I know? I’ve been watching for days. This is a big nest. If they all came charging, I’d like to see how capable you are then.”

Li Wenxuan winced, muttering that he could’ve mentioned that earlier.

“Amu, Xiaoman, and Le-ge’er are by the chestnut trees,” Li Wenxuan added.

“Then we shouldn’t provoke them. If they rush over, the animals won’t care whether we’re old or young.”

“Amu wants you to kill a pheasant and bring it back for chestnut chicken tonight,” Li Wenxuan said, remembering his Amu’s request.

“I already have one. I found it in the trap this morning. It’s still alive. Don’t worry about it.” Father Li grinned. “We’ll bring the chicken and deal with it later. Otherwise, it might end up damaging the crops.”

Li Wenxuan nodded, praised his father, and followed him back.

When they arrived, Tian Xiaoman and Li Amu were almost done peeling the chestnuts.

Li Amu looked up, noticing the pheasants in their hands, and smiled. “You caught it so quickly?”

“We caught it this morning. How did you get so many chestnuts?” Father Li asked, puzzled. There hadn’t been strong winds recently to knock so many chestnuts from the tree.

“Xiaoman knocked them down—climbed right up the tree!” Li Amu said.

“Oh-ho! Xiaoman’s impressive. Not many ger can climb trees. He should come hunting with me sometime.” Father Li said, interested.

No sooner had he spoken than Li Amu pinched him hard. “Old fool! Always thinking nonsense. How could you ask Xiaoman to hunt with you?”

Tian Xiaoman smiled but stayed quiet, not wanting to argue. After all, he didn’t mind the idea of hunting with Father Li.

Li Wenxuan noticed Tian Xiaoman’s expression and winked at him, but Tian Xiaoman only glared back, biting his lip in silence.

Suddenly, Le-ge’er stood up, walked over to Li Wenxuan, and stretched out his little fist. “Hit you!” He smacked Li Wenxuan’s calf a few times, then turned back to smile brightly at Tian Xiaoman as if saying, Look, I helped you get revenge.

Tian Xiaoman, surprised, immediately ran over, scooped Le-ge’er into his arms, and kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, Le-ge’er, you’re so considerate! You’re so lovable! I’ll miss you when I go back.”

Li Wenxuan pouted. He had bought so many treats for Le-ge’er, but it was clear who the little one favored now.

In truth, Le-ge’er was quite smart. He knew how to win hearts. Why bother with treats when you could win affection by showing kindness?

Li Amu and Father Li watched the three of them, laughing. 

It was nice to see a real family atmosphere. For years, it had only been the two of them and a baby in the house, and it had always felt quiet and empty.

After the laughter died down, they left the chestnut forest and headed toward another spot, where there was flat land next to a stream.

Since it was still early, they decided to dig for some wild vegetables before heading home.

Tian Xiaoman followed Li Amu and started digging.

They were digging shepherd’s purse, a wild vegetable known by many names: pillow grass, ground vegetable, and more. It’s best enjoyed in the spring, but it was still edible in the autumn. The stream provided plenty of water, and the shepherd’s purse here grew plump and tender.

Li Amu was pleased. Finally, there was someone to help pick wild vegetables. When he asked the men to do it, they would just pull them up carelessly.

As Li Amu and Xiaoman dug, Father Li sat by the stream watching Le-ge’er. Wenxuan tried his luck in the water but found only tiny dark snails.

Soon, they had gathered a full basket of shepherd’s purse. 

Li Wenxuan returned, having found nothing in the clear water except for small black snails.

Li Amu called out that it was time to head back. They had plenty of food to make a hearty lunch, and Tian Xiaoman, with his cooking skills, would help prepare it.

Back at home, Father Li took the pheasant to prepare for the chestnut chicken. Li Wenxuan started a fire and boiled the chestnuts to make the stewing easier later.

Li Amu and Tian Xiaoman washed the shepherd’s purse together. 

Afterward, Li Amu asked, “How do you eat these? We usually stir-fry them.”

“They have a unique aroma. Let’s try something different today. My uncle taught me how to make shepherd’s purse dumplings!” Tian Xiaoman said, his voice carrying a hint of longing as he thought of his uncle, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

Li Amu smiled and quickly changed the subject. “How do you make shepherd’s purse dumplings?”

Tian Xiaoman’s face brightened, “It’s simple. Just watch.”

Xiaoman measured flour into a bowl, added water, kneaded it smooth, and with Li Amu rolled it into dumpling skins.

He blanched the shepherd’s purse, chopped it finely, and seasoned it with oil, salt, chili flakes, and ground spices.

Then he scrambled a few eggs, chopped them into bits, and mixed them with the greens.

Taking a dumpling skin, he spooned in filling, folded and pinched it closed, producing a plump, beautiful dumpling.

“Looks delicious, Xiaoman. You’re really skilled,” Li Amu praised.

“Not at all—I just learned from my Amu,” Xiaoman said, embarrassed.