The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 86

The Lian brothers naturally listened to Lian Amu, so after crying for a while, they went to buy funeral supplies. When asked what happened, they told the truth.

By the time the news reached Li Wenxuan and the others, it was already completely dark.

“What?” Li Yiran felt like he was dreaming. He was still here in the morning—how could he be gone by nightfall? He was stunned, the whole thing felt absurd, and he even wondered if it was some sort of scam.

The others were also shocked. But Li Wenxuan recalled the bowl of bird’s nest soup that Lian Meng had brought for Xiaoman that day. Although Lian Meng had been fine after drinking it, the timing felt too coincidental.

Before Lian Meng finished it, Wenxuan had taken some out, just in case he tried to destroy the evidence. 

He brought the remaining bird’s nest soup to Doctor Zhou’s house and knocked on the door. Luckily, they were still awake. 

After Li Wenxuan entered, he handed them the bowl and asked if they could identify the herbs in it.

Doctor Zhou sniffed the bowl carefully, dipped a fingertip into the soup, and tasted it. His expression turned serious as he passed the bowl to Doctor Tang, who barely sniffed it before pushing it away in disgust.

“Doctors, is it poisoned?” Li Wenxuan asked as he observed their expressions.

“It is not poison. But… your husband is pregnant, is he not? Was this for him to eat?” Doctor Zhou asked solemnly.

Li Wenxuan waved his hands quickly. “No, no—Xiaoman didn’t eat it.”

“It’s good that he didn’t. This contains strychnos seeds, raw arisaema, raw Sichuan aconite, raw caowu, croton, atractylodes, motherwort, and other herbs. Their purpose is to activate blood flow and disperse stasis.” Doctor Tang named a long list of medicinal ingredients. 

Li Wenxuan didn’t recognize them, but he understood the final part. “Promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis? Isn’t that good for the body?”

Doctor Tang glared at him. “It might be okay for healthy people, but for a pregnant ger, this is essentially an abortion drug. With such a strong dosage, someone with poor health could die from internal bleeding.”

Li Wenxuan’s hands trembled. Thank goodness he had stopped Xiaoman from eating it. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

He thought of something else. “Would ordinary people get sick from this?”

“They might get some diarrhea at most,” Doctor Tang replied.

“Then it wasn’t this that caused his death? So why did he suddenly die?” Wenxuan muttered to himself.

“Who ate this? Bring them here—I’ll prescribe medicine,” Doctor Tang offered kindly.

“There is no need.” Li Wenxuan shook his head. “He is already dead. What would happen if a sick person drank it?”

“What kind of sick person?” Doctor Zhou asked with a frown.

“The same kind of condition my brother-in-law has. If he drank this…”

“It’s not a pregnancy, it’s a tumor. But tumors are also made of flesh and blood. If you give someone with such a condition strong medicine like this, it can cause hemorrhaging—just like in a pregnant person.”

After hearing Doctor Zhou’s explanation, Li Wenxuan seemed to understand. 

He put the bowl down and ran out the door, shouting as he left, “Thank you, doctors! I’ll come thank you properly tomorrow!”

Doctor Tang and Doctor Zhou looked at each other, confused by his sudden exit.

By the time Li Wenxuan returned home, Li Yiran was preparing to take Le-ge’er to the Lian household. 

Li Wenxuan hitched up the carriage. “Brother, I’ll come with you. Let’s talk on the way.”

Li Yiran hadn’t shown any emotion since hearing the news. He simply nodded.

“Should we leave Le-ge’er behind?” someone asked uncertainly.

“No,” Li Yiran shook his head. “That’s his birth Amu.”

If Le-ge’er didn’t go now, it could cause damage to his reputation in the future.

Li Wenxuan climbed into the carriage. 

Tian Xiaoman came out holding a quilt. “It’s cold at night—wrap this around you.” He couldn’t say anything else. So much had happened that day, he was completely overwhelmed.

Li Wenxuan nodded, took the quilt, and left.

“Did you find anything?” Li Yiran asked once the carriage left the village.

Li Wenxuan hesitated, then told him everything the doctors had said.

Li Yiran didn’t respond. Who was truly at fault for all this? And why did Lian Meng harbor such hatred for Xiaoman?

It was the same question bothering Li Wenxuan. Neither he nor Xiaoman had ever wronged Lian Meng. Why target them?

The brothers remained silent, lost in thought. Only Le-ge’er slept peacefully in Li Yiran’s arms.

When they arrived at the Lian household, the red New Year lanterns had already been taken down and replaced with white ones. Mournful cries echoed from within, unsettling to hear.

Le-ge’er stirred in Li Yiran’s arms, looking outside nervously. It was dark, people were crying, and he didn’t understand what was happening. But with his father and uncle beside him, he wasn’t as scared.

Lian Meng’s body had been cleaned and placed on the bed. His death had come quickly, but his face showed no signs of pain. 

Li Yiran noticed that the once swollen belly now looked flatter.

Though he couldn’t understand Lian Meng’s actions, Li Yiran couldn’t help but feel sorrow at the sight of the lifeless body. He held back tears and set Le-ge’er down.

“Le-ge’er, your Amu is asleep now. Go kowtow to him and call him once.”

Since Lian Meng was a junior, there was no one kneeling by the bed burning paper. His nephew did not dare do any of it.

Le-ge’er didn’t want to go—he was scared. But seeing the pale face on the bed, so still and quiet, he felt a bit of pity.

He followed Li Yiran’s instructions, went over, called out “Amu,” and kowtowed. When he got up and saw no response, he asked, “Is Amu sick?”

He looked up at Li Yiran with round, innocent eyes, full of curiosity.

Li Yiran couldn’t hold it in any longer. He hugged Le-ge’er tightly as tears rolled down his face. “Amu is tired. He’s going to sleep for a very, very long time.”

Outside, the incense table had been set up. The coffin had been delivered, and someone was painting it. Lian Amu was supported by others as he cried out, “Yiran, you’re here. Let Le-ge’er keep vigil for his Amu. He died so young, with no one to depend on…”

Li Yiran pulled himself together and stood. He looked straight at Lian Amu. “Amu, how did Meng Ge’er die?”

Lian Amu’s eyes flickered. “He… he died of illness. He’s been sick for so long, and today he finally…” He trailed off, covering his face and crying.

Li Yiran didn’t believe it. “He’s been sick, yes, but not to the point of suddenly dying. He came to our place today. Did you know that?”

“What? He… he went to your place? I didn’t know. He’s grown up. Why would he tell me where he’s going?” Lian Amu avoided his gaze.

“Amu, Meng Ge’er just passed. He might still be here, in this very room. If he knew his own Amu was lying and wouldn’t seek the truth for him, would he rest easy?” Li Yiran said in a low voice, staring straight at him.

Lian Amu felt a chill down his spine. his whole body turned cold. He suddenly collapsed and cried out, “Meng Ge’er! Meng Ge’er was killed by the dead fetus in his belly!”

“What fetus? That was a tumor!” Li Yiran didn’t understand.

Lian Amu stammered through the story. “He came back that day saying you wanted to kill him, saying the baby inside him wasn’t human. I said I’d take him to Daoist Zhang… That man gave us a talisman, told us to dissolve it in water to exorcise the demon. But Meng Ge’er drank it himself—and then the dead fetus crawled out!”

He remembered finding Lian Meng lying in a pool of blood, a scene like a demon from hell. He shuddered.

Li Yiran almost laughed. So Wenxuan had been right—he’d died from hemorrhage. There was no mystery, just tragedy. All because of some charlatan’s words, Lian Meng tried to harm others, but ended up harming himself.

Lian Amu saw Li Yiran’s twisted expression and panicked. “This wasn’t my fault! He drank it himself! You forced him! You killed him—it’s not my fault!” he screamed and ran out.

Li Wenxuan, who had been waiting outside, saw his run out in a panic and rushed in, worried something had happened. 

He found Li Yiran holding Le-ge’er, expression dark, while the child looked frightened.

“Brother, what happened?” he asked in concern.

“Wenxuan, go back. He’s not worth staying for,” Li Yiran said coldly. 

If Lian Meng’s plan had succeeded, Xiaoman would be dead by now.

“What are you talking about?” Wenxuan asked, then seemed to realize something and fell silent.

Li Yiran patted his shoulder. “Go home. Le-ge’er and I will stay here. If Amu or the others want to come, let them—but don’t let Xiaoman come.”

Their divorce hadn’t been registered yet, so Lian Meng was still legally his husband. He had hoped for change, but it never came…

Wenxuan didn’t know what to say and turned to leave, but Li Yiran stopped him.

“Also, check on that Daoist Zhang outside the city. He’s the one who put the idea in Lian Meng’s head. I think something’s going on.”

Wenxuan nodded, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Li Yiran held Le-ge’er and sat beside Lian Meng’s bed.

“Tonight, our family can finally spend one peaceful night together. You’re already gone—let go of all the rest…”