The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 58

Tian Xiaoman was sleeping soundly. It was still dark outside, and a candle flickered softly in the room, casting a warm glow.

Li Wenxuan stood nearby, getting dressed. He had to get up early today; the pig was far away, and if he didn’t leave early, he might not make it to the market in time to sell it.

He moved as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Tian Xiaoman’s sleep. But just as he was about to leave the room, Tian Xiaoman stirred and woke up.

“Wenxuan…” Tian Xiaoman’s voice was sleepy, and he rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the bed.

Li Wenxuan smiled helplessly, yet sweetly. Every time he tried not to wake Xiaoman, Xiaoman always seemed to wake up just in time before he left.

He walked over to Tian Xiaoman, sat down, and gently rested his head on his shoulder, pulling the quilt up to keep him warm. Li Wenxuan softly spoke, “Xiaoman, why are you awake again? Did I wake you? Sleep a little longer, I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Well, it seems earlier today than yesterday…” Tian Xiaoman mumbled, not fully awake.

“Yeah. The client’s house is a bit farther away today, so I have to start early.”

“Next year… let’s raise pigs ourselves, raise a lot, so you can sleep longer…” Tian Xiaoman’s voice trailed off as he fell back asleep, leaning against Li Wenxuan.

Li Wenxuan’s heart fluttered. Xiaoman always cared so much about him.

He gently placed Tian Xiaoman’s head back on the pillow, tucked him back in, and kissed his lips before reluctantly leaving.

When Xiaoman woke again, daylight was already streaming through the windows. He heard a faint rustling sound nearby—soft but impossible to ignore.

Opening his eyes, he saw Le-ge’er standing by the bed, struggling to climb up. The bed was too high, and the little ger was tiptoeing, tugging hard at the blanket but unable to get on.

When Le-ge’er saw Tian Xiaoman wake up, he immediately called out, “Momo, help me up!”

“What are you doing up here?” Tian Xiaoman asked.

“To sleep!” Le-ge’er replied, wanting to sleep with Momo.

“Oh, Momo is getting up now. Do you want to sleep here alone?”

Le-ge’er immediately let go of the quilt and jumped off the bed. “Le-ge’er, eat!” he said, deciding he didn’t want to sleep anymore and was ready to eat.

Tian Xiaoman laughed, which confused Le-ge’er. 

He tilted his head and stared at Momo, unsure of what was so funny.

After a moment, Tian Xiaoman got up, dressed, and took Le-ge’er out of the room. 

Li Amu had already gotten up and was busy making breakfast in the kitchen. Seeing Tian Xiaoman and Le-ge’er come out, he smiled.

“Since you got married, the first thing Le-ge’er does when he wakes up is look for Momo. Look, he ran straight to your room when he didn’t see you!”

Xiaoman was washing up and laughed when he heard this. “Le-ge’er likes Momo so much—how about becoming Momo’s own child, hmm?”

Le-ge’er blinked his big eyes in confusion as Xiaoman wiped his face clean. “Child?” he echoed uncertainly.

“Haha, it’s child, not chile! Say it again—child.”

“Chile?”

“All right, all right,” Xiaoman sighed, amused. “You’ll get it when you’re older.”

Li Amu stirred the porridge in the pot and looked at the two of them, feeling that life was really good.

“Amu, let me cook, you go rest!” Tian Xiaoman said, now acting cute and looking over at Li Amu.

“No, take Le-ge’er outside to play for a bit. It’ll be ready soon!” Li Amu waved him off.

Tian Xiaoman thought for a moment before adding, “Le-ge’er ate too much peanut candy the other day, and his mouth got a little irritated. I’ll make him some egg drop soup!”

Li Amu smiled, pleased by how well Tian Xiaoman cared for Le-ge’er. “Good boy, it’s rare to see you so considerate. Alright, I’ll get you the eggs.”

After Li Amu spoke, he went to a corner of the kitchen and opened a jar containing neatly arranged eggs.

“Amu, do you have duck eggs? Duck eggs are better for clearing heat!” Tian Xiaoman asked.

“Yes, I’ll get them right now.”

Tian Xiaoman turned around and saw Li Amu take out four eggs. “Amu, one egg is enough for the soup. No need for so many!”

“It’s fine, make a bowl for yourself too!” Li Amu said, cracking the eggs into two bowls, two eggs in each.

Tian Xiaoman took the first bowl, held it at the edge, and placed it in the pot, letting the heat of the rice soup cook the egg quickly. The egg quickly took shape. He then used his other hand to scoop some rice soup and added it in. Within moments, the soft, yellow egg flower was ready.

The same process was used for the other bowl, and soon, two bowls of egg drop soup were ready.

Tian Xiaoman added two large spoonfuls of sugar into each bowl, stirring them gently before combining the two bowls into one larger bowl.

“Amu, Le-ge’er, come and eat!” Tian Xiaoman called. 

Le-ge’er, who had been playing with a little grasshopper, immediately ran over when he heard the announcement of food.

Li Amu, seeing the three bowls on the table, felt a warm sensation in his heart. No wonder people want to have children. If everyone was as caring as Xiaoman, having ten or eight children would be no problem!

This wasn’t just egg drop soup; it showed that the child was always thinking of you!

Li Amu smiled and walked over to the table.

Tian Xiaoman took a sip of the soup, smiling as he found it sweet. He then fed Le-ge’er a spoonful, who smiled in delight, mimicking Tian Xiaoman’s expression as if to show how good it tasted.

Li Amu sipped the warm soup, glancing at the two of them with a contented smile on his face.

When Li Wenxuan returned, he found Xiaoman teaching Le-ge’er to play the sandbag toss. 

On the stone table lay five small beanbags shaped like soft buns. Xiaoman tossed them into the air and caught them one by one, his hands moving in quick, graceful rhythm. 

Le-ge’er watched in awe, eyes shining. Momo’s amazing!

“Ahem!” Li Wenxuan deliberately cleared his throat to get their attention.

The two immediately turned and ran over when they saw him.

“Wenxuan!” / “Uncle!”

“Hey!” Li Wenxuan picked up the younger one and hugged the older one. “I brought you some delicious food. Guess what it is? If you guess right, I’ll give it to you!”

Le-ge’er’s eyes widened with excitement, eager to try. 

Tian Xiaoman cast him a glance of mock contempt—coaxing him like a child!

Le-ge’er started guessing eagerly. “Candy?”

“Nope!”

“Cake?”

“No!”

“Fruit?”

“Still no!”

Le-ge’er’s shoulders slumped in defeat, sighing dramatically. Then he turned to look at Xiaoman with shining eyes full of trust—Momo’s the smartest, he’ll guess it for sure!

Tian Xiaoman couldn’t disappoint him. He looked at Li Wenxuan with a sly expression, making Li Wenxuan break out in a cold sweat. Tian Xiaoman’s hand was pinching his waist from below…

While Le-ge’er was guessing, Xiaoman had been doing the same, and every one of his guesses had been shot down too. It was embarrassing to admit defeat in front of the child, so now he was resorting to threats.

Under Xiaoman’s not-so-subtle intimidation, Wenxuan forced a smile. “Momo guessed it! It’s… apples!”

Le-ge’er blinked, confused. But Momo didn’t even say anything? Still, grown-ups were always right, and his Momo was the best. 

His admiration only deepened.

From the side, Li Amu chuckled as he plucked vegetables, shaking his head in amusement. 

Ah, how satisfying. The way Xiaoman teases my son now—it’s exactly how Wenxuan used to torment me back then. Serves him right!