The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 60

It was almost 10:00 p.m., and Li Wenxuan had finally sold out all the meat. 

They were getting bored of staying there, especially Le-ge’er, who asked every once in a while, “Can we go home now?”

If the candied haws seller hadn’t come over and bought him a string of candied haws, who knows how long the fuss would have lasted! Tian Xiaoman didn’t ask for any, as he wasn’t fond of sweet food lately.

After packing up their things, Li Wenxuan carried everything on his back and walked out.

After walking for a while, they suddenly saw a large group of people gathered ahead. 

Tian Xiaoman loved to join in the fun, so he said something to the two of them and squeezed in to see what was going on.

He thought it was another street performance, but he didn’t expect to see a man chasing and beating a child.

The man chased the child, trying to catch him with his hands or kick him with his feet, but always missed. He was so angry that his face twisted with fury. Finally, he used his huge body to lunge at the child. If he had caught him, the child would surely have been hurt!

At that moment, a strong hand grabbed the child’s collar and pulled him toward Tian Xiaoman. 

The fat man lost his target and was no longer able to control his own momentum. He fell to the ground with a loud “plop,” groaning, “Ouch, ouch, ouch.”

After getting up, he pointed at Li Wenxuan and Tian Xiaoman, cursing, “Who are you? Mind your own business! This little beggar stole the medicinal herbs from our shop. Are you going to pay for him?”

It turned out that the strong hand belonged to Li Wenxuan. He had practiced martial arts for many years and couldn’t stand such bullying of the weak. But after hearing what the fat man said, Li Wenxuan frowned. The child had clear eyes and a stubborn face. Could he really be a thief?

However, how could such a big child choose to steal things from a herbal medicine shop?

To confirm his suspicion, the child shouted at the fat man, “You’re lying! It was you who deceived me! I just want my own things back!” His voice was sharp, typical of a child.

“Hey? Listen, everyone! This little beggar says the things are his own? How could a little beggar like him afford herbs! Isn’t this a lie to deceive us?” The fat man laughed cruelly.

When the crowd heard this, they agreed, mainly because the child looked too pitiful. He was wearing a tattered jacket with cotton poking out from the inside, and his cloth shoes were worn, with a little toe sticking out.

“You’re lying!” The child was furious and proceeded to explain the situation.

That morning, he had taken a cart from the village to get medicine for his grandmu, who had been coughing for many days and hadn’t gotten better. When he arrived at the herbal shop, he took out the few copper coins he had and asked the shopkeeper, the fat man, if he could buy the medicine, even if it wasn’t the best quality.

The fat man’s master had gone out to see patients, leaving him alone in the shop. At first, he wanted to chase the beggar away, but seeing there were still things to do in the shop, he came up with an idea. “Kid, if you help me with those tasks, I’ll give you the medicine for free, okay?”

The child was overjoyed. “Okay! What should I do?” But he was still cautious. “What if you don’t give it to me after I do it?”

The fat man, surprised by the child’s cunning, snorted. “You’re a sly little brat, aren’t you?” But faced with the child’s stubborn look, he finally relented. “Fine, I’ll wrap up the medicine first and leave it here, all right?”

Satisfied, the boy followed him to the back courtyard and worked in the freezing cold, washing a huge basin of herbs until his small hands were red and swollen. When he finished and went to claim his promised medicine, the fat man immediately denied everything. “Who said I’d give you that? You volunteered to help, didn’t you?”

Angry and anxious, the child grabbed the medicine from the counter, stuffed it into his arms, and ran away. That’s when the chase began.

After hearing the child’s story, the crowd grew angry. The fat man had clearly wronged the child. Didn’t he see how cold the child was, and yet he made him work in such conditions, breaking his promise?

The fat man, surprised by the child’s sharpness in recounting the story, became anxious. His face turned blue and white. He knew it would be trouble if his master found out.

As if on cue, the sound of a voice came from outside, “What’s going on outside Liu’s shop? Is there an emergency?”

A few onlookers smiled and said, “It’s to save someone. Your apprentice is bullying this child. Go save him!”

Dr. Liu sensed something was off and squeezed through the crowd. Upon seeing the confrontation between his apprentice and a couple with a child, he quickly approached them. Bowing respectfully, he said, “My apologies, my apprentice is mischievous and must have disturbed you. Please forgive him.”

Tian Xiaoman and the others stepped aside, as the doctor was older. Seeing his respectful attitude, Tian Xiaoman explained what had happened.

Dr. Liu was furious upon hearing the story. They say that doctors have kind hearts, but this apprentice had no compassion and was bullying a weak child. He glared at the fat man, who immediately became stiff, his body shaking uncontrollably, which made everyone chuckle.

“Go and get the prescription right now!” Dr. Liu scolded, his anger evident. “This child is the relative of my husband, and he’s been studying medicine with me for two years. Usually, he only knows how to get herbs. He’s lazy and greedy, and I’ve scolded him many times. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. It’s better to send him home quickly, or this will keep happening and ruin the reputation of our Qingyutang!” Dr. Liu handed the medicine to the child. “Don’t be upset. Take this medicine back quickly. I’ll teach him a lesson.” Dr. Liu recognized the herbs were for treating a cough and also recommended a folk remedy involving Houttuynia cordata boiled with eggs, which helps clear heat and relieve cough.

The crowd applauded Dr. Liu’s behavior. He had been a neighbor for years, and everyone knew he was a real good person, not a hypocrite. While the fat man’s conduct was poor, they knew better than to escalate things further.

The crowd began to disperse, and Dr. Liu took his apprentice inside to give him a proper lesson. 

Li Wenxuan, Tian Xiaoman, and the child remained outside the shop.

“Thank you for helping me!” The child lowered his head, a little shy now, his voice soft, no longer as sharp.

Li Amu was waiting with Le-ge’er, who had noticed the child and immediately recognized him as the boy who had glared at him earlier. He shrank behind Li Amu, peeking out to look at him. 

Xiaoman hadn’t recognized him before; when they first met, the boy had kept his head down.

Amu frowned. “What’s taking you so long? If we don’t head home soon, your Father will be down from the mountain already. Eh? Lin boy, why are you here too? Where’s your grand-amu?”

Li Wenxuan and Tian Xiaoman exchanged looks. How did Amu know this child? And from the tone of his voice, was he from their village?