The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 61

“Grandmu is sick. Liu Xilin said softly. “I came to get him some medicine.”

He knew this Grandmu well, and he was basically the only one in the village who wouldn’t bully her.

“What a good boy you are, Lin,” Li Amu praised. “It’s getting late now. The village cart should have left long ago. Why don’t you ride back with us?”

“N-no… that’s fine…” Liu Xilin’s voice faltered. Looking at their clean, well-kept clothes, he suddenly felt painfully aware of his own appearance—his torn sleeves, his muddy shoes—and thought, Maybe that man earlier was right. I really do look like a beggar.

“It’s all right,” Amu said again, patient and kind. “Just come along with Grandmu, ride our cart back.”

Liu Xilin was a little tempted, but he suddenly remembered that he had glared at the little ger earlier that morning. What if that little ger told on him? His grandmu would surely beat him!

Liu Xilin hesitated, thanked Li Amu, and then ran off, almost as if there were a dog chasing him. 

Little Le-ge’er—Li Amu’s “puppy cub”—peeked out from behind Amu’s legs, eyes wide as he watched Liu Xilin run off. “That brother is amazing!” he said in awe. “He runs so fast!”

Li Amu shook his head and, as he walked, said to the others, “This Lin kid is the grandson of Madam Liu. Xiaoman, do you remember him? He was the one who stood off to the side and didn’t dare speak when we had that argument last time.”

Xiaoman nodded. “I remember.”

Li Amu sighed and continued. “Madam Liuused to have a good life, but fate was cruel. His husband and son both died unexpectedly. One day, they went up the mountain and got caught in a heavy storm. They tried to find shelter in a cave—but it turned out to be a tiger’s den. Neither of them ever came back.”

Xiaoman’s heart clenched.

“Madam Liu was a kind ger,” Li Amu continued. “but he couldn’t control others. his husband and son died, and before he could even grieve, his son-in-law ran away with another ger, leaving only Liu Xilin, a baby who was still under one year old and crying for food. With no one else to help, he had no choice but to care for Liu Xilin while also grieving.“If it weren’t for that child, he probably would’ve cried himself blind.”

Without a man in the house and with Madam Liu being a person who could never stand up for himself, most people in the village looked down on him.

“I never despised him,” Li Amu admitted, “but I can’t say I liked how he handled things either. He’s gentle to everyone—except his grandson. When that boy gets into fights, he never even asks what happened. He just beats him right away, afraid someone will come complaining later. I’ve tried talking to him before, but he never changed. In the end, it’s his family business. If I kept meddling, it’d only make things awkward.”

Tian Xiaoman sighed a little. If he had grown up with such a grandmu, he would have been beaten to death by now. After all, he was always causing trouble.

As they were talking, Li Wenxuan had already driven the carriage over. 

Once the three of them climbed aboard, Li Wenxuan whipped the horse and they started moving.

Just a mile outside the city gates, Li Wenxuan saw the little guy again. He was fast for his age, but still young and seemed somewhat frail.

Li Wenxuan steered the carriage beside him, then, without a word, lifted him up with one hand and placed him in front of the carriage door.

Liu Xilin screamed in surprise, thinking that he had encountered a thief. But when he saw who it was, he realized it was the man who had helped him earlier.

Stopping his fuss, Liu Xilin muttered a soft thank you, then quietly pressed his little bottom against the door to feel more comfortable.

Seeing his little gesture, Li Wenxuan smiled but didn’t say anything more. He focused on guiding the carriage forward.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xilin came up to him and asked, “Uncle, do you know martial arts?”

Li Wenxuan looked at him. “Why? Want to learn martial arts from me?”

“No, no!” Liu Xilin quickly responded, “I just think you’re so strong!”

Li Wenxuan feigned a sigh and teased, “I was going to teach you martial arts, but it seems like you’re not interested.”

Liu Xilin froze, realizing his mistake. As Li Wenxuan looked at him, he quickly tried to fix his words. “Uncle, if you’re willing to teach me, I really want to learn! I promise!”

Seeing Liu Xilin’s eager face, Li Wenxuan stopped teasing him. He nodded to reassure him, and then, seeing the rough road ahead, told him to get into the carriage to avoid falling off.

Liu Xilin hesitated for a moment, and Li Wenxuan looked at him, saying, “Don’t you want to learn martial arts? Then you need to call me ‘Master.’ Or are you just trying to trick me? Or do you not listen to your master?”

“I’ll listen!” Liu Xilin shouted quickly, then, determined, pushed open the carriage door and climbed inside.

It wasn’t what he had imagined—no scowling adults, no cold stares. Instead, the brothers smiled kindly at him, their eyes full of warmth and sympathy.

For the first time in a long while, Liu Xilin realized—maybe not everyone disliked him after all.