The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 94

Tian Xiaoman was dragged back to the room by Li Wenxuan, feeling uneasy. 

Even though Li Wenxuan did not look very happy, he still restrained himself for Tian Xiaoman’s sake.

“What are you doing!” Tian Xiaoman protested with a timid voice. “I haven’t finished my work yet!”

“You still think you can work like this?” Li Wenxuan’s face was stern.

“I can. Of course I can…” Tian Xiaoman mumbled.

“Then raise your hand. Lift it over your head.”

“…”  Tian Xiaoman stayed silent. He couldn’t even raise it level, let alone overhead.

“You can’t even lift it…” Li Wenxuan pushed him gently onto the bed, picked up his right hand, and began rubbing it.

The soreness in Tian Xiaoman’s arm eased noticeably under Wenxuan’s massage, and he couldn’t help but sigh. He glanced up at Li Wenxuan’s still-serious face, but there was no hiding the heartache in his eyes.

Tian Xiaoman leaned in and wrapped his left arm around Wenxuan’s neck. “Husband, you’re too good to me!”

“You better start being obedient now,” Li Wenxuan replied, trying to stay serious—but his body had already softened.

“Hey, I’ve always been obedient!” Tian Xiaoman immediately turned playful again when he saw Wenxuan’s expression relax.

“Then don’t touch the rest. I’ll return them for you tomorrow. Who did you get the soles from?”

“No way! I just got them today and I’ve only finished one pair. If I return them now, what’ll people think of me?” Tian Xiaoman got anxious and immediately refused.

Li Wenxuan stopped rubbing and put his hand down. “Does your hand still hurt?”

“It’s fine. It won’t hurt tomorrow.”

“Why are you so stubborn? It’s just a few cents. Is it worth hurting yourself to the point you can’t even lift your hand?” Li Wenxuan suddenly stood up, frustration written all over his face. He felt guilty too—Xiaoman was spoiled back at the Tian family, yet now had to work so hard here.

“Oh, so now you’re standing up to hit me? Go ahead, hit me! If you lay a finger on me, I’ll go home! You just think I’m useless, right? That I can only earn this little bit of money!” Tian Xiaoman shouted, used to being pampered and unwilling to accept Wenxuan’s attitude.

Li Wenxuan looked at his stubborn little face, his mouth twitched… then he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Hmph! Tian Xiaoman also flopped onto the bed, yanked the quilt over his head, and buried himself in it. Why was he being scolded just for trying to earn some money? It was his own hand that hurt—what was he getting mad for? And giving him that look! Jerk! Tian Xiaoman muttered and cursed under the covers, but tears streamed down his face.

Li Wenxuan didn’t come back to coax him. He just left. He didn’t even want to stay in the room anymore. He must really hate him. That thought made Tian Xiaoman feel awful. It turned out he couldn’t bear the idea of Wenxuan hating him.

If only… if only Wenxuan came back to coax him right now, he swore he’d never mess around again…

But Tian Xiaoman waited until he fell asleep, and Li Wenxuan never came. 

As he drifted off, the only thought in his mind was: It’s over.

The next morning, he didn’t wake up until the sun was already high in the sky. His eyes were dry and swollen from crying the night before.

He glanced around the room—no sign of Wenxuan. He really hadn’t come back last night.

Tian Xiaoman’s worry turned into anger. Fine! If Wenxuan didn’t want to see him, he’d just go home today. Even if Wenxuan begged him, he wouldn’t come back!

He tried to sit up and pushed himself up with both hands. His left was steady, but the moment he leaned on his right, pain shot through it—it felt weak and sore, like it might break under pressure.

This was all Wenxuan’s fault! If he hadn’t stormed off last night, Xiaoman wouldn’t be like this today! 

Moving slowly, he got dressed and washed up like an old man, causing Le Ge’er to look at him strangely.

Xiaoman waved him over and, after checking that no one else was around, asked in a low voice, “Is your uncle out?”

“He went to buy candied haws~” Le Ge’er beamed—clearly still holding onto that promise.

Perfect. While he was out, Tian Xiaoman would go home and drive him crazy with worry. Let him panic! …Well, hopefully he’d be panicked…

But what about Le Ge’er? 

Looking at his innocent face, Tian Xiaoman clenched his teeth. Fine, he’d take Le Ge’er with him. Even if Wenxuan didn’t come looking for him, he’d definitely come looking for the child.

Back in the room, he packed his things and also reached for the “culprit” basket—he figured he’d take it home and ask his Amu for help. 

But no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find it.

Then he suddenly remembered—Wenxuan said he’d return it!

Tian Xiaoman was furious. He tossed his things on the bed and stormed out. He was going to get those soles back. He was going to sew them. He was going to finish the job!

Le Ge’er had just run out to greet Liu Xilin when he saw Xiaoman storming out. The two kids exchanged puzzled looks.

Tian Xiaoman went straight to the Wu family’s house and found a crowd already gathered, returning their work from the day before. Embarrassed, he walked up. “Mr. Wu, I—”

“Xiaoman! Are you here to collect your wages?” Mr. Wu greeted him with a warm smile. “You’re really fast—I thought you’d been working for days!”

Tian Xiaoman froze. Wait… finishing one pair counted as fast?

“Here, this is your pay. You took five pairs, three cents each—fifteen cents total, right?” Mr. Wu counted out the coins and handed them to him.

Xiaoman stared at the money in disbelief. “Mr. Wu, do you mind if I ask… who brought the work in?”

“Who else? Your family’s butcher,” a quick-tongued youth nearby piped up, his tone tinged with envy.

“Can I take a look?”

Mr. Wu nodded and pulled out the first basket. 

Tian Xiaoman saw several pairs of soles sewn together. The stitches were dense but uneven—definitely not done by someone experienced.

“You did a solid job with this one,” Mr. Wu smiled. “You’ve got strength, I’ll give you that—just need a little more practice with the stitching.”

“Mr. Wu, I’ve got something to do, I’ll take my leave now.” Tian Xiaoman turned and hurried away. If he didn’t leave now, he’d start crying again