The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 81

The lunch was very sumptuous. Tian Xiaoman sat at the table and ate without raising his head.

This entire meal was cooked by Tian Fu. As soon as Tian Amu washed the pot, he rushed over. 

Tian Amu was happy to take a break and talk to Li Wenxuan about how to prepare the New Year gifts. He patted his butt and left. Father Tian had to stay behind to make a fire.

Looking at his son’s smooth movements, he couldn’t help but think of his good buddies. The three of them hadn’t been able to get together for a good drink and chat for many years. The young and energetic young man back then had now grown into an old man. It made people sigh at how time causes people to grow old!

Tian Amu took Li Wenxuan back to the front hall and told him about his family. 

“My Xiaoman’s grandparents died early, and now he only has two uncles left. The last time it was his eldest uncle who hosted the wedding, and you’ve also met the second uncle. They will come back to our house tomorrow to get together, and it will be a good chance for you to pay your New Year’s greetings while you’re here, saving you from making two more trips. We are not a family that is too formal.”

Li Wenxuan nodded. This was great. He didn’t want Xiaoman to travel back and forth.

“About the New Year’s gift, do you have a clear idea?” Tian Amu asked. The couple had prepared a good gift for their family.

Li Wenxuan chuckled, “Amu, please teach me. I don’t know what my two uncles like.” 

Tian Amu didn’t make it difficult for him and said, “Your uncle and second uncle both like to drink a little, but your uncle likes wine and your second uncle likes tea. In addition to the most basic four-color cakes and four kinds of dried fruits, you can prepare some wine and tea for them, and a piece of cloth for each person. By the way, they also smoke yellow cigarettes like your father, so each person can have a pack of tobacco.” 

Since Li Wenxuan was a new son-in-law, the first year’s gift should be a little heavier, and it wouldn’t be as much in the second year.

Li Wenxuan nodded. Fortunately, he hadn’t bought other things on his own initiative. When giving gifts, no matter the price, the most important thing is to give with sincerity.

After dinner, Tian Xiaoman leaned back in his chair, his belly bulging, looking like he was full. 

Tian Amu couldn’t stand it and asked him to get up and walk around. 

Li Wenxuan saw this and asked Tian Xiaoman if he wanted to go shopping with him to help digest the food. Tian Xiaoman was lazy and just waved his hand, letting him go by himself.

Li Wenxuan didn’t force it.

 Just as he was about to leave, Tian Fu stopped him. “Brother-in-law, I’ll go with you.” Although Tian Fu didn’t say what he was going to do, Li Wenxuan knew immediately that his words in the morning must have worked, and his brother-in-law wanted to look for a shop.

After arriving in the county town, Li Wenxuan went to buy everything first, and Tian Fu walked around alone. 

Once Li Wenxuan finished buying everything, he went to find Tian Fu.

Tian Fu was looking at a shop on the main street of Dongda Street under the guidance of a broker. The original owners of the shop were an old couple. This year, their son had made a fortune elsewhere, and their son-in-law had just had a baby. The two old people planned to sell the shop and move to live with their son.

Tian Fu carefully inspected the shop. The original owner had taken good care of things. Even though it had been open for several years, it was still clean and tidy, and it made people feel comfortable.

“If you really want to buy, I’ll tell you the truth. The seller is asking for at least 240 taels. Look at this shop—although it’s at the end of East Street, it’s next to South Street, where there are the most merchants. If you open a restaurant here, it’ll definitely be crowded with customers. Another thing is that it’s not far from West Street, so it’s convenient for you to buy vegetables, right?” The broker saw Tian Fu’s satisfied expression and felt that it was just a matter of time, so he continued, “You look like you should be getting married, right? Oh, you are getting married soon. When the time comes, won’t your husband be coming with you? Look at this shop—it has two bedrooms at the back, so when the time comes, your husband and children can live here together. How convenient!”

Tian Fu was really satisfied with this place. Just as he was about to be persuaded by the broker, Li Wenxuan came. He had actually been listening outside for a while, and just when Tian Fu was about to be persuaded, he came out to interrupt.

“Ya Lang, what you said is wrong! It is close to South Street, but not many people come here regularly. There’s a fork in the middle, and people just go directly to the other street.”

Suddenly, someone interrupted him, and the broker was about to get angry. He turned around and saw that it was Li Wenxuan. His face changed immediately. He was familiar with Zheng the butcher, so he knew how powerful Li Wenxuan was. “Hey, Master Li, what you’re saying isn’t true. There are many people here, usually!”

“Also, the bedroom at the back is close to West Street, where they sell all kinds of things, and the smell is very strong. Can you live with it in the summer?”

The broker started sweating profusely. How could this house sound so bad in Li Wenxuan’s words? 

Seeing Tian Fu frown at what Li Wenxuan said, the broker gritted his teeth and said, “This shop does have a few flaws, but we can negotiate the price.”

That was exactly what Wenxuan wanted. In fact, the asking price was two hundred forty taels, but the seller would be lucky to get one hundred ninety. Brokers always inflated prices by twenty or thirty percent. If they met someone who bargained, they still profited. If they met someone who didn’t, even better.

“Then let’s do this. My brother-in-law sincerely wants it. If 200 taels will work, we’ll take it. If not, we’ll wait and see.” Li Wenxuan made the decision for Tian Fu, and Tian Fu naturally didn’t object. He knew his brother-in-law was helping him bargain!

“This… this is too much. You’ve cut 40 taels off at once. Can you do better? Otherwise, we won’t even make enough for tea this time.”

“We are sincere buyers. If even such a small request cannot be met, then forget it.” Wenxuan did not care about the broker’s theatrics. Ten out of ten brokers used the same trick.

The broker looked at the determination in Li Wenxuan’s face and Tian Fu’s trust in him, secretly complaining in his heart. He had thought a fat sheep had come over, but didn’t expect a tiger was behind it. 

Fine, the location of this house really wasn’t great, so he decided to sell it.

“Master Li, don’t leave yet. This trip is a gift from me to you. The price is 200 taels. You must come to me next time if you need anything!”

Li Wenxuan arched his hands at him. “Haha, of course. Let’s do this. We’ll pay in three days. Please notify the seller.” He took out half a tael of money from his pocket and handed it to the broker. 

The broker took the money, and his resentment toward him was reduced by more than half. After all, Wenxuan was not the only one who bargained, and other buyers never tipped. Besides, Wenxuan seemed like someone who would achieve great things. Giving him face was worthwhile.

Walking out of the shop, Tian Fu approached Li Wenxuan and whispered, “You’re really amazing; you cut forty taels just like that.”

“It’s because they quoted too high that I got cheated by the butcher shop last time.” Li Wenxuan only learned the rules of bargaining after becoming good friends with Captain Zhou. Naturally, he couldn’t let his brother-in-law be cheated again.

Tian Fu had learned from his master before and had saved some money. Their shopkeeper was pretty good, and there were rewards for developing new dishes every month. He had won several times. As for the shortfall, he borrowed from his family and paid it back as soon as the restaurant was opened.

Li Wenxuan was walking when he suddenly smelled a fragrance. He looked around and found that it came from Shiweiju. He said something to Tian Fu and went inside. When he came out, he was holding a large bag of stewed food, like chicken feet and duck heads. It smelled so good.

“I didn’t expect that you like to nibble on these, brother-in-law?” Tian Fu usually didn’t like eating the corners here. It tasted good, but it was also tough. He preferred eating meat in big mouthfuls.

Li Wenxuan smiled, “I don’t like these much, but Xiaoman likes them. When we go back, he’ll probably be hungry again. I’ll let him fill his stomach first.”

Tian Fu gave him an appreciative look. 

Yes, he always thinks about his Xiaoman. It seems that Xiaoman is also a fool with luck. He didn’t choose the wrong husband!