The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 50

“Pop-pop-pop!”

Firecrackers crackled outside  the courtyard—Li Wenxuan’s wedding procession had arrived.

A group of children gathered around the carriage, shouting, “Groom, give me candy!” “Groom, give me candy!”

Li Wenxuan, beaming with joy, pulled out a bag from the carriage and let them each grab a handful. 

The kids cheered and ran off to enjoy their sweets elsewhere.

“The new son-in-law is here!” Hearing this, the relatives inside all came out to take a look. 

Tian Xiaoman’s eldest and second brothers stood at the gate, glaring fiercely at Li Wenxuan.

They resented him today—for he was about to take away the treasure they had guarded all these years.

Li Wenxuan stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. “This son-in-law greets Eldest and Second Brother. Please be kind and let me through.”

Tian Fu and Tian Shou each stretched out a hand, said a terse “Hmm,” raised their brows, and gestured for wedding money.

Li Wenxuan took out two purses and handed them over. 

The two men weighed them in their hands and exchanged a glance—This kid’s slick! they thought. Going straight for silver instead of coppers—how can we keep giving him trouble now?

In truth, Li Wenxuan had anticipated this. If he had offered copper coins, they’d definitely have made things hard. He once saw someone forced to hand out money eight times just to pick up a bride. Though those eight gifts didn’t add up to what he’d given in one go, his method saved time.

Sure enough, Tian Fu and Tian Shou tucked the purses away, shot him a look, and let him in.

Li Wenxuan chuckled inwardly but didn’t hold it against them. He understood—if someone came to take Le ge’er away in the future, he probably wouldn’t act any better!

Marriage was like breaking through five gates and slaying six generals. After passing the two brother-in-laws, there were still the seven uncles and eight relatives to get through.

Facing the crowd, Li Wenxuan gave a subtle glance to Niu Jin, who had come along to help pick up the bride. 

Niu Jin nodded, pulled a handful of copper coins from his pouch, and tossed them into the air—it instantly began to rain coins.

The relatives all rushed to grab wedding money. No one blocked Li Wenxuan now. He walked through the crowd proudly—only one more obstacle remained!

He stopped at Tian Xiaoman’s door. “Xiaoman, I’m here to pick you up!”

“Hurry, hide the book!” Tian Xiaoman, who had been reading intently, froze when he heard Wenxuan’s voice and hurriedly stuffed the book back into Liu Sheng’s arms.

“Hide what? I’m giving it to you!” Liu Sheng grinned. “You and your husband can study it together, hehe.” He chuckled as he tucked the book into Tian Xiaoman’s trunk.

Outside, Li Wenxuan knocked again. “Xiaoman, I’m here to pick you up!”

“What’s the rush? You haven’t passed our test yet!” Liu Sheng shouted through the door.

Li Wenxuan rolled his eyes. “Xiaoman, I brought a lot of delicious food. Brother Yang must be in there too—come open the door, and you can all share it!”

Yang Xiaoguo perked up, wanting to open the door, but Liu Sheng grabbed him back. “Not yet. If we wait a bit, we’ll get more!”

He called out again, “Li Wenxuan, no cheating! Each of us will make a request—you can only come in if you do them all. Do you agree?”

Li Wenxuan wasn’t discouraged. “Agreed! Whatever you say, I’ll do it!”

Liu Sheng turned to Tian Xiaoman. “Xiaoman, want to hear him sing?”

“Huh? I don’t think I’ve ever heard him sing.”

“Great,” Liu Sheng grinned. “Li Wenxuan, Xiaoman wants to hear you sing! Go on!”

Li Wenxuan was stunned. He’d already handed over the wedding money, and now they wanted him to sing?

“Hurry up and sing, or you can’t come in!” Liu Sheng shouted.

Flustered, Li Wenxuan glanced at the onlookers waiting to enjoy the show. He cleared his throat. “Then… I’ll begin?”

He started singing a local folk tune:
“Brother misses lover, lover misses brother,
Thinking of me till midnight, tears begin to flow…”

His face turned red, but luckily his dark complexion hid it well. 

The crowd around him cheered.

“Okay, I’ve sung. Is that enough?”

“The first task is cleared,” Liu Sheng said, then turned back. “Xiaoman, what else do you want him to do?”

“Uh… I don’t know! You think of something!”

Liu Sheng looked at An Jing. “What about you? Got any ideas?”

“Hmm…” An Jing thought for a moment. “How about asking him to recite a poem?”

“Oh, that’s a good one!” Liu Sheng grinned. “Li Wenxuan, Xiaoman wants you to recite a poem for him!”

This didn’t trouble Li Wenxuan too much—he’d studied in his youth. 

He paused, then began:
“The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms bright and fair.
The man is getting married, to a match beyond compare…”

(Translator’s Notes: From the “Book of Songs” — “Tao Yao”)

To him, Tian Xiaoman was exactly that—a perfect partner.

Inside, Tian Xiaoman sat smiling sweetly. He didn’t fully understand the poem, but he knew what Li Wenxuan meant.

“Liu Sheng, open the door. I want him to come in,” he said.

Liu Sheng thought about it and decided it was enough. Yang Xiaoguo wouldn’t mess around, and they’d had their fun. He opened the door generously and said, “Come in!”

Li Wenxuan was thrilled—he’d expected more weird challenges. But they just let him in!

He stepped into the room and, naturally, handed out small red pouches to the three “guardians of the groom.” You couldn’t be stingy with your husband’s friends, after all.

Then he walked up to Tian Xiaoman and stared at his red-painted face. Tian Xiaoman thought he’d laugh, but instead, Li Wenxuan praised him.

Xiaoman had never worn makeup in front of him before. Seeing him like this today, Li Wenxuan thought he looked truly beautiful.

Being stared at so intensely, Tian Xiaoman’s heart thumped wildly.

“Xiaoman, I’ve come to take you home.” Li Wenxuan gently took his hand and he led Xiaoman out of the room—the room where Xiaoman had lived for over ten years.

Outside, surrounded by relatives, they proceeded to the main hall for the farewell ceremony.

Xiaoman knelt solemnly before his father and Amu, bowing three times in gratitude for their love and upbringing.

Father and Tian Amu burst into tears the moment they saw him being led in; once he knelt, they cried even harder.

“From now on, live well with Wenxuan. After the wedding, be respectful to your elders, and be kind and loving to the younger ones…” Tian Amu couldn’t stop talking—he suddenly felt like there was so much he still wanted to say.

“Alright, can’t you see the children are waiting? Let them finish the bows and leave quickly,” Father Tian said, wiping his eyes.

Li Wenxuan also knelt and gave his farewell bows alongside Tian Xiaoman. 

After the ceremony, Tian Xiaoman put on a wedding veil—his face beneath already wet with tears.

Tian Xiaoman’s two older brothers escorted him on the journey. 

After the procession left, Tian Xiaoman’s parents cheered up and began greeting the guests. It was a festive day, after all—and the guests were still waiting.

Inside the carriage, Xiaoman kept his head lowered, following his Amu’s teaching—never look back. But his heart ached all the same.

Outside, Wenxuan rode ahead on horseback. When a group tried to playfully block the path, he smiled, said a few kind words, and tossed them candy until they cleared the way.

He could hardly wait for the road to shorten—so he could hurry home, bow to Heaven and Earth, and finally enter the bridal chamber.

The long wedding procession wound through streets and alleys, over hills and ridges, until at last, they arrived at the Li household—just in time for the auspicious hour.