The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 70

After lunch and a short break, Liu Xilin came to find Li Wenxuan, eager to continue his martial arts lessons. It had become a daily routine for him in recent days.

However, today, Li Wenxuan told him he couldn’t teach because Li Amu had given him an errand to run: he needed to buy fish.

Fish and meat were both necessary for the New Year, and although meat was already available, a few fish were still needed. There was a family in a nearby village that raised fish in their pond. The pond was open today, and the fish were being sold for cheaper than at the market. Several surrounding villages were there buying fish, and the prices were 10 or 20 cents cheaper than in the market.

Li Amu had given Li Wenxuan a large wooden barrel and asked him to buy seven or eight fish, with the extra ones to be dried for later.

Tian Xiaoman thought it sounded lively and wanted to go along. Le-ge’er immediately shouted that he wanted to go too, and even pulled Liu Xilin along with him.

Li Wenxuan initially planned to ride there on horseback and bring the fish back directly. But since they wanted to go, he agreed and decided to take the cart instead.

The group climbed aboard quickly, cheering with excitement, which made everyone laugh.

On the ride, Li Wenxuan drove slowly, listening to Le-ge’er’s endless questions from inside the carriage. Sometimes Tian Xiaoman answered, and other times, he made things up, but no one seemed to mind. After all, Tian Xiaoman had grown up being deceived, so he was quite skilled at the art by now.

Upon arriving, they got off the cart and were immediately greeted by a large crowd. 

Tian Xiaoman held onto the two children tightly, afraid they might get lost in the crowd.

Li Wenxuan got off the cart with the wooden barrel and tied Daxia to a tree on the side of the road, keeping an eye on the carriage. Usually, Daxia watched it, but today, Li Wenxuan had to handle both the fish and the children.

The owner of the fish pond was quite smart. Instead of catching the fish one by one, they used a large net to scoop them up, tying the two ends of the net to wooden stakes on either side of the pond. The fish jumped inside, making it easy to catch them.

Li Wenxuan made his way through the crowd, protecting Tian Xiaoman and the children as they squeezed in. 

Most of the people were from the village, and they welcomed the sight of people from neighboring villages. Especially when they saw Li Wenxuan carrying a big wooden barrel, they realized he was a big customer.

Though not many men knew Li Wenxuan, the older gers in the village did. They often came to his shop for a pound or two of meat during festivals.

One ger immediately asked, “Brother Li, are you here to buy fish too?”

“Isn’t that your husband next to you? He’s so handsome!”

“Your child has grown this big? I can’t believe it. You look so young!”

Everyone around them started chatting, but Li Wenxuan wasn’t bothered. As a businessman, he understood the importance of politeness and harmony in such situations. Though he’d only been in this business a short time, he’d quickly learned how to handle it.

After answering their questions with a smile, Li Wenxuan turned to Tian Xiaoman and realized he was already picking out fish.

“Hey, this one! Yes, that big one!” Tian Xiaoman smiled at the fishmonger as he pointed.

With his striking appearance, Tian Xiaoman was often mistaken for someone who could be easily approached, and this was no different.

Boss Jiang, who hadn’t yet married, froze when he saw such a pretty young man smiling at him. His hand slipped, and the fish fell right back into the pond with a splash.

Li Wenxuan’s face instantly darkened. This man dared stare at my husband like that? 

He strode over, gently pulling Xiaoman to his side to block the man’s line of sight. “Xiaoman,” he said calmly, “he’s too clumsy to even catch fish properly. Tell me which one you want, and I’ll get it for you.”

With that, Li Wenxuan confidently took the fishing net from Boss Jiang and started picking out the fish himself.

Tian Xiaoman blinked, a little confused. Can you even do that?

Boss Jiang finally came to his senses. Ah, so that beauty’s already married! And from the look of it, his husband wasn’t someone to mess with. The surrounding villagers, having caught on, chuckled quietly among themselves.

Le-ge’er squatted by the pond, his mouth hanging open as he watched the fish swim, oblivious to what had just happened. 

Liu Xilin, however, noticed everything. He glared fiercely at Boss Jiang. How dare the man look at his master’s wife? As the master’s favorite disciple, it was his duty to stand up for him!

Boss Jiang saw even the boy glaring at him and couldn’t help but laugh. What a petty family—just one look and they’re all bristling! Still, why are all the pretty ones already married?

Under Tian Xiaoman’s direction, Li Wenxuan picked out seven or eight fish, weighed them, and placed them in a bucket of water. He then took out the silver and handed it to Boss Jiang.

Throughout the entire process, Li Wenxuan’s face remained dark, he only calmed down after Boss Jiang apologized.

On the way back, Tian Xiaoman sat beside Li Wenxuan in the front of the carriage, wrapped in a thick blanket.

“Li Wenxuan, were you angry just now?” Tian Xiaoman asked, his voice teasing.

“Xiaoman, call me husband!” Li Wenxuan replied, wanting to correct Tian Xiaoman’s form of address. Otherwise, no one would understand.

“Hahaha, were you jealous just now? Husband?” The last word was spoken softly, right next to Li Wenxuan’s ear, making him feel every nerve in his body tingle.

His expression was tangled, torn between amusement and desire. If he let Tian Xiaoman go tonight, he might never be able to hold his ground as a husband again.

Tian Xiaoman laughed again, enjoying the playful tension between them.