The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 55

After dinner, Tian Amu pulled Tian Xiaoman into the room to talk privately. He asked carefully about the past three days. After hearing that he had been very happy, he finally felt relieved.

At home, Xiaoman was his precious child, cherished in every way. But once married into another household, things were different—if a ge’er wasn’t well-liked, even a good one might not be treated kindly. That was the hardship of being born a ger—parents constantly had to fret over things like this.

Tian Xiaoman hugged his waist and buried his head in his arms. “Amu, don’t worry about me. I’m doing well! Li Wenxuan treats me very well—it feels just like being at home.”

“Then I can relax. Oh, right, Xiaoman, I have something to tell you.” Tian Amu’s tone was mysterious, which immediately excited Tian Xiaoman.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to propose marriage for your two brothers!”

“Huh? That’s great! So which ger have you set your eyes on?” Tian Xiaoman asked warily—he didn’t want his parents to bring home someone too fierce and disrupt the peace at home.

“What do you think of Xiaoguo?” he asked for his opinion.

“Yang Xiaoguo? No way. I’d have to call him brother-in-law? Then I wouldn’t be able to bully him anymore, or my brother would take his side.”

“You silly boy,” Amu chuckled. “It’s just a title. I’m asking what you think of him as a person.”

Tian Xiaoman thought about it. Other than being a bit greedy, Yang Xiaoguo was diligent and kind-hearted. Xiaoguo wouldn’t bully his Amu in the future.

“Xiaoguo’s fine… it’s just a little awkward.”

“Awkward?”

“Yeah, I grew up playing with him. If he suddenly becomes my brother-in-law, it’ll feel weird.”

Amu laughed. “So which brother do you think suits him better?”

“Of course your eldest brother,” Amu said decisively. “He’s a cook, Xiaoguo loves to eat, and while he’s not as good at cooking as you are, with a chef for a husband, that’s a perfect match, isn’t it?”

“That’s true! He’ll be so happy—he’ll get to eat good food every day!”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Besides, I’m a little worried that your second brother’s marriage will be decided by his master.”

“Huh? Uncle An? Why would he make decisions about my second brother’s marriage?” Tian Xiaoman was puzzled. Wasn’t marriage something parents decided?

“Your Uncle An doesn’t have any sons, so he took in several apprentices, hoping to find one to pass his skills on to. But most of them either went their own way or weren’t very talented. None of them were close in age to An Jing either. Then he took in your second brother. That boy usually can’t sit still, but when it comes to carpentry, he can focus for an entire afternoon. He’s full of ideas, and your Uncle An is really pleased with him. It just so happened that during your wedding feast, when he came to celebrate, he brought it up with your father. Your father had no objections, and I think An Jing’s a good ger too, so we agreed in principle—but we haven’t told them yet. We’ll let them get to know each other a bit first.”

Tian Xiaoman suddenly understood. No wonder his Amu had kept looking at An Jing that day! He’d thought he was just greeting an old acquaintance—it turned out he was scouting for a ger-in-law!

He felt much more at ease now, knowing there was so much good news waiting at home. Even if he couldn’t return often, at least there would be someone to accompany his parents.

Le-ge’er, who had been leaning sleepily against his side, was about to nod off. Xiaoman gently undressed him and coaxed him to sleep.

Tian Amu stood up. “I’ll go check on your father and Wenxuan—don’t let them drink too much!”

“I’ll come too!” Tian Xiaoman wanted to pull Li Wenxuan away before he got too drunk. That kind of habit mustn’t be encouraged.

When they entered the room, both men were clearly drunk. 

Tian Amu immediately got angry and dragged Father Tian away. Tian Xiaoman helped Li Wenxuan back to their room.

Just as he went to get a cloth to wipe his face, he turned to see Li Wenxuan sitting upright, staring at him without blinking.

“You scared me! You’re not drunk?” Tian Xiaoman scolded.

“Xiaoman, I like you so much… Xiaoman, I really like you so much…” 

Li Wenxuan kept repeating the words, making Tian Xiaoman blush. Why did he keep saying “like” all day long?

“Okay, okay, I get it—you like me. Now come let me wipe your face.” Tian Xiaoman grabbed the cloth, turned back—and saw that Li Wenxuan had already collapsed, snoring.  “Tch, acting all tough,” he muttered as he wiped his face and tucked him under the quilt.

After sitting quietly for a bit, he heard Le-ge’er whimpering softly in his sleep. The child seemed restless, so Xiaoman decided to take him outside for a walk.

He thought for a moment and decided to take Le-ge’er to Yang Xiaoguo’s house. 

Holding his hand, the two of them set out.

As they passed a small river, Tian Xiaoman noticed someone squatting there, washing clothes in the cold weather. 

Looking closely, he realized it was Tian Xiu’er.

He pouted and was about to leave, but unexpectedly, Tian Xiu’er called out to him.

“What do you want?” Tian Xiaoman stopped and stood at a distance, wary of being falsely accused again.

“I heard you married a butcher. So you’re a butcher’s husband now?” Tian Xiu’er sneered, his red, chapped hands tightly clutching the wet clothes.

“So what? What does it have to do with you?” Tian Xiaoman replied impatiently. 

He had long grown immune to such comments. So what if he was a butcher’s husband? They had meat to eat every day. Let them be jealous!

“What’s wrong with being a butcher’s husband, you ask?” Tian Xiu’er scoffed. “Someone used to act all high and mighty, dreaming of becoming an official’s spouse. Now look how far you’ve fallen.”

Tian Xiaoman’s patience snapped. He regretted even walking down this path—but he wasn’t one to swallow his anger. “Sure, I’m not worth much. But at least I didn’t throw myself at a scholar to become his second husband. Tell me, isn’t your husband’s first spouse rich? So why are you still washing clothes by the river? I thought you’d be lying on a soft bed with servants waiting on you!”

His words struck deep, making Tian Xiu’er tremble with anger. He couldn’t think of a comeback. Then his gaze fell on Le-ge’er beside Tian Xiaoman.

Le-ge’er shrank back under his stare—how scary!

“I was wondering how that butcher could like you. Turns out you married him as a second husband, didn’t you? Bringing along a child this big?” Tian Xiu’er looked disgusted, as if discovering something scandalous.

Le-ge’er shrank back, frightened. This momo is scary!

Xiuer’s bitterness festered. Since they were young, the villagers always compared the two of them. In almost every aspect, he had better grades, more skill, and worked harder. Tian Xiu’er was considered better—except in looks.

People in the village always pitied him. They said that if Xiu’er had a prettier face, even a government official might marry him. What a shame…

But when they talked about Tian Xiaoman, their tone changed. The Tian family raised such a beautiful child—he’d never have to worry in life. If a landlord ever favored him, the whole family would be set!

Every time Tian Xiu’er heard such comments, his heart twisted with bitterness. Why did Tian Xiaoman get everything just for being pretty, while he had to fight so hard for scraps?

So he deliberately spread gossip to ruin Tian Xiaoman’s reputation, trying to make everyone dislike him.

And it worked—for a while. The village aunties favored him over Tian Xiaoman. 

But then Zhang Bin appeared—and everything changed. 

They both fell for him, but it was Xiaoman’s laughter that captured Zhang Bin’s heart.

Xiu’er couldn’t accept it. He schemed and plotted, but in the end, Xiaoman let go so easily it made his own desperation seem pathetic. “No feelings left” was all Xiaoman had said, and he walked away.

Xiu’er, on the other hand, had poured everything into that man—sewing his clothes, saving every coin for him—and what did he get? Zhang Bin married someone else anyway.

After he did something unforgivable, he finally forced things to happen his way and became Zhang Bin’s spouse, he thought Xiaoman would regret losing him. Instead, Xiaoman married happily and moved on—while the villagers pitied Xiu’er and praised Xiaoman.

The villagers were still the same. When they talked about him, it was always with pity and contempt. But when they mentioned Tian Xiaoman, it was with envy! 

So what if his husband was a butcher? He gave a generous betrothal gift, he was handsome, treated him well, and had an older brother who was an official in the capital!

Why is it always like this? Tian Xiaoman always gets everything he dreams of so easily! 

Look at the kind of life he is living now. His own life was miserable—his family despised him for bringing shame and never gives him a good face when he visited. His husband’s family has a male demon who works him to the bone every day. And what about Zhang Bin? That unfaithful man doesn’t care about him at all!

It’s all Tian Xiaoman’s fault, all because of him! If it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t have gone so far in his obsession and done such things. Back then, there were even people who came to his house to propose marriage!

“If you don’t know how to talk, just shut up! No one will treat you like a mute for keeping quiet,” Tian Xiaoman snapped. “You always pick up the dirtiest things and stuff them into your mouth! No wonder your words stink so much. Worry about your own life first! You hang around other people’s walls all day long, running your mouth. Look at you now—you’re still young, but you look like one of those old village grannies who gossip all day. Oh, and when you get a chance, clean yourself up a little! I remember you used to be very tidy. If you keep walking around like this, people will think you’re in your thirties. And you still have time to worry about other people’s business!”

Tian Xiaoman really couldn’t understand what he had ever done to offend him. Since childhood, Xiu’er had always targeted him—pretending to be good and pitiful, but people believed it! 

Now, Tian Xiu’er seemed completely deranged. Like a vicious dog, he latched on and wouldn’t let go. 

Tian Xiaoman decided it was best to stay far away from him.

As Tian Xiaoman held Le-ge’er’s hand and walked farther away, Tian Xiu’er just stood there. He looked down at his once slender fingers, now swollen and rough like carrots. He glanced at his reflection in the water—haggard, worn, and bitter-looking. He looked just like that widowed old ger in their village with no children and no joy left.

Suddenly, he let out a scream and threw all his clothes and mallets into the river, as if he wanted to smash himself to pieces so no one could see him. Then, he sat on a rock and cried bitterly.

Tian Xiaoman didn’t hear any of it. He had already walked away with Le-ge’er and was warning him, “You must stay away from momos like that in the future.”

He arrived at Yang Xiaoguo’s house and knocked on the door. 

A moment later, Yang Xiaoguo opened it and exclaimed, “Xiaoman! Why are you here? I thought I wouldn’t see you again until New Year!”

“I came to visit you today. Did you forget?”

“I didn’t forget! But my Amu wouldn’t let me go to your house. He said it’s a big day when people return to visit their parents after marriage, so others shouldn’t bother you.”

“What do you mean by ‘others’? You’re obviously—” My brother-in-law! Tian Xiaoman caught himself and swallowed the rest of his sentence.

“What is it?” Yang Xiaoguo asked, puzzled. Then he looked down and noticed Le-ge’er. “Ah, Xiaoman, who’s this? Why is there a baby with you?”

Tian Xiaoman proudly said, “This is my nephew. Isn’t he cute?” He lifted Le-ge’er up and showed him off.

Le-ge’er blinked in confusion but curiously looked at the momo in front of him.

“Wow, so cute! Xiaoman, come in quickly. I’ve got peanut candy—it’s really good. Come have some with the baby!”

“His name is Le-ge’er. Le-ge’er, say hi to your Eldest Momo!”

“Hello, Eldest Momo!” Le-ge’er shouted loudly. 

Good boy—he had learned a new term today.

Before, when he first learned to say “father” and “Amu,” he called everyone by those names. Later, he learned “grandpa” and “Grandmu,” and then called everyone that. After momo entered his vocabulary, everyone became momo…

“Good boy!” Yang Xiaoguo responded instinctively. Then he paused. “Wait, Xiaoman, isn’t it weird? Should he really call me ‘Eldest Momo’? Feels like I just lost something here.”

“Oh, don’t overthink it!! Hurry up and bring out the peanut candy. Le-ge’er is getting impatient!” Tian Xiaoman plopped down on the bed, picked up Le-ge’er, and urged him.

Sure enough, Yang Xiaoguo forgot what he was going to say and rushed off to get the candy. The peanut candy was homemade by his Amu—fried peanuts coated in brown sugar. Sweet and crunchy, they were absolutely delicious.

As they were munching, Tian Xiaoman suddenly asked, “Xiaoguo, would you like to eat delicious food every day in the future?”

“Of course I would!” Yang Xiaoguo replied without hesitation.

“Well then, what if you can’t cook?”

“Then…” Yang Xiaoguo thought for a bit. “I’ll have my Amu cook for me!”

“What if you get married?”

“Then I’ll eat what his Amu cooks!”

“And if you two live separately?” Xiaoman pressed, amused.

“Then… I’ll learn to cook!” Yang Xiaoguo finally sighed. The idea of cooking made him depressed. He was fine with most things, but cooking was torture. If only he didn’t love eating so much!

“What are you learning for? No need to learn! I have an idea that’ll let you eat good food every day. Want to hear it?” Tian Xiaoman coaxed.

Yang Xiaoguo’s eyes lit up. “Tell me, Xiaoman!”

“Just find a man who can cook! You’ll be with him for life, right? If you can’t cook, he’ll cook for you. Isn’t that great?”

“Yes! Xiaoman, you’re a genius!” Yang Xiaoguo’s face brightened as if the food was already in front of him. Then he paused, worried. “But where can I find someone like that?” 

He imagined the pudgy chef from local weddings and funerals and shuddered. Was he really supposed to marry someone like that just for good food?

Seeing his troubled face, Tian Xiaoman asked what was wrong. After hearing the reason, he burst out laughing. “Who told you to go after him! He’s so old!”

“Then who should I look for?”

Tian Xiaoman rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, but Xiaoguo, my elder brother is coming back soon! He’s been learning to cook for three or four years now—he’s practically a master. And he’s thinking about opening a restaurant back here in the county!”

Brother Tian Fu? Yang Xiaoguo immediately pictured the time Brother Tian Fu helped him catch little fish…

Tian Xiaoman didn’t say anything else. If he said one more word, this silly Xiaoguo might figure it out! 

He stood up, picked up Le-ge’er, and said, “We’ve played long enough. Time to head home. Le-ge’er, let’s go home with Eldest Momo, okay?”

“Okay!” Le-ge’er answered sweetly, though his eyes were still glued to the bowl of peanut candy.

Seeing this, Tian Xiaoman grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into Le-ge’er’s little pocket before carrying him off. 

They left  behind a dazed Xiaoguo, sitting on his bed, lost in thought.