The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 66

A few days before the New Year, Tian Xiaoman finally met his “brother-in-law”—that was, Le-ge’er’s Amu.

As the saying went, “On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth month, sweep the dust and clean the house.”

On this day, Li Wenxuan and his father nearly everything out into the courtyard. The sun shone brightly outside, and soon the yard was crowded with furniture and household goods laid out to dry.

Afterward, they went inside with brooms to clean. If they came across any spider webs high up, they used a stick to help a small broom sweep them away.

Meanwhile, Tian Xiaoman and Li Amu wiped down every surface—the bed frames, cabinets, cupboards—leaving nothing untouched. Quilts and clothing were hung from bamboo poles to air under the sun.

The big blankets hung across the yard divided it into sections. Le-ge’er and Liu Xilin played hide-and-seek within it, and their laughter echoed throughout the yard.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the gate. Li Amu listened closely and recognized the voice of Li Yiran. He hurried to open the door.

“Eldest, you’re back! Come in, come in!” Li Amu greeted him warmly.

After exchanging greetings, Li Yiran walked to the carriage and said, “The door’s open now—come down.”

Li Amu felt slightly put off, his face immediately darkened. So high and mighty, are we? Do you need to even wait for the door to open before getting down? Still, remembering that this ger-in-law spouse was pregnant, Li Amu swallowed his irritation.

“Meng ge’er is back. It’s been a rough journey. Come in and sit down!” Li Amu led them into the house.

As they entered the yard, Lian Meng frowned. From his perspective, there was nowhere to sit. It was wet everywhere, and things were piled up everywhere. What if he accidentally bumped into something?

Li Yiran quickly noticed his discomfort and, fearing any unpleasant comments, suggested, “Let’s go to the kitchen to sit for a while.”

“The kitchen? I won’t go there!” Lian Meng sneered. 

Back when his family wasn’t well-off, he had to manage the kitchen for every meal. Now, with his new status, he couldn’t bear the idea of stepping into a kitchen. 

He turned to leave, planning to wait in the carriage until they were done tidying. 

Li Yiran sighed and followed him out to straighten things in the cart.

At that moment, Le-ge’er and Liu Xilin, still playing hide-and-seek, ran out and accidentally stepped into a pit. The pit had become muddy from washing the things in the yard.

The mud splashed directly at Lian Meng, covering his shirt with stains.

“You little brats! Can’t you watch where you’re going?” Lian Meng yelled angrily. The shirt was made from fabric given by his uncle, which was supposedly a tribute from an imperial merchant and used by the emperor himself. He had only worn it once or twice, and now it was ruined!

“I’m sorry!” Liu Xilin immediately apologized.

“What’s the point of saying sorry? You look like you can’t even afford a ten-cent coin! Hurry up and get your parents. I want to see which family raised such blind children!” Lian Meng was relentless, showing no sympathy for the young boy’s mistake.

Before Liu Xilin could respond, Le-ge’er stood up, “You’re bad!” 

Having spent more than ten days playing with Liu Xilin, he had become quite protective of him. Now, seeing someone scolding his friend in his own house made him very upset.

“I haven’t even taught you a lesson yet! How dare you speak up—who’s kid are you?” Lian Meng shouted.

“Shut up!” Li Yiran’s voice came from behind. He had just walked into the yard and immediately heard Lian Meng’s harsh words. 

Li Amu and Tian Xiaoman were still in another corner, covered by the quilt, so they didn’t know what had happened.

“You want me to shut up?” Lian Meng turned to look at Li Yiran, shocked.

“Do you even know who he is?” Yiran asked.

“I don’t care if he’s the emperor himself!”

“He’s our ger—Le-ge’er!” Li Yiran explained weakly. He couldn’t believe Lian Meng hadn’t recognized him.

Lian Meng paused, stunned. He glanced at Le-ge’er again, who was glaring at him, and then realized the resemblance to the rest of the family.

“Le-ge’er!, come to Father!” Li Yiran squatted down, opened his arms, and beckoned to Le-ge’er.

Le-ge’er recognized him from his recent visit but hesitated. He stammered, “Father…”

“Hey, good boy! Come here, Father bought you a lot of things!” Li Yiran smiled and pulled out a small bell. The sweet, melodic sound of the bell was inviting.

Le-ge’er didn’t immediately say anything, but his feet unconsciously moved toward Li Yiran. 

He finally made his way over, crushing the dirt beneath his feet, and stopped near Li Yiran, still uncertain.

Li Yiran smiled and handed him the bell. “Le-ge’er, Amu also bought you a lot of things.”

Unexpectedly, Le-ge’er’s face changed. He shoved the bell back into Li Yiran’s hand and retreated to Liu Xilin’s side. “Bad! I don’t want it!” 

He didn’t want anything from the “bad people.”

Liu Xilin, who had been watching silently, felt sympathy for Le-ge’er. He too thought this Amu wasn’t good, so he shielded Le-ge’er behind him and stared warily at the two strangers. Although he was only a child, Liu Xilin had learned how to do the horse stance, so he wasn’t intimidated.

Li Yiran chuckled but didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had never expected Le-ge’er to be so vindictive. 

Lian Meng, on the other hand, was visibly upset, his expression sour as he smiled thinly.

“Le-ge’er, don’t be afraid. I’m really your Amu. I wasn’t scolding you just now,” Lian Meng tried to smooth things over, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. 

Le-ge’er wasn’t fooled. He pointed at Lian Meng and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Grandmu! Grandpa! Uncle! Help!”

Li Amu and Tian Xiaoman, who were busy with the quilts, heard the shout and hurried to see what was going on. 

As they pushed through the quilts, they found Le-ge’er standing there, pointing at Lian Meng and saying, ““E-evil… momo! Grandmu!”

The adults burst into laughter, except for Lian Meng, who was clearly furious.

His face darkened. He was already furious—Yiran had dragged him here to spend the New Year in this backwater, where there wasn’t even a clean place to stand. Now his clothes were filthy, and the child he had given birth to called him “evil momo.” And these people—he’d seen them trying not to laugh!

“What did you just say?” Lian Meng shouted, unable to contain his anger. 

His outburst made Le-ge’er flinch, and he immediately began to cry.

Li Amu rushed to comfort him, holding him in his arms, “How could you be so cruel to a child you haven’t seen in so long? You scare him, and now you’ve upset him!”

Le-ge’er had been raised entirely by Amu—he couldn’t bear to see him upset. But Lian Meng felt wronged too. “Amu, you didn’t even hear what he called me! Amu, why don’t you hear me out? That boy dirtied my clothes first, so I just said a few words!”

“Le-ge’er wouldn’t insult anyone for no reason,” Amu retorted. “He’s always been such a good-tempered boy.”

Xiaoman, standing nearby, pulled Liu Xilin close. “Lin boy, what happened just now?”

“Master’s husband, it was like this…” Xilin recounted everything from start to finish, mimicking Lian Meng’s tone so perfectly that all the adults grew angrier the more they listened. 

Even Li Yiran felt deeply ashamed.

But Lian Meng, oblivious, protested, “See, Amu? They were the ones who dirtied my clothes first. I only said a few words!”

“Oh? So your clothes are more precious than a person’s face?” Amu said coldly.

“Of course! This is a gift from my uncle. It was said to be for the royal family!” Lian Meng answered, showing off his expensive shirt.

“Oh, then maybe this dress shouldn’t stay in our countryside for long!” Li Amu’s temper flared. “What if something gets spilled on it? Wouldn’t that be a waste?”

Li Yiran could see his Amu’s frustration and quickly pulled Lian Meng away, guiding him out of the yard and into the carriage to cool off. 

He then returned to apologize to Li Amu and Liu Xilin.

“What happened to Meng ge’er? He wasn’t like this when they first got married,” Li Amu fumed. “He used to be so humble. Now, he’s become someone completely different!”

Li Yiran didn’t know how to respond. 

Perhaps, he thought bitterly, it was because his uncle’s official rank kept rising—and with it, Lian Meng’s arrogance.