The Lady Butcher and the Delicate Bride - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The food at Wuwei Shiju was truly delicious. For Zhu-er’s sake, Chu Yu requested a private room. Once the dishes were served, she closed the door and let the little bamboo sprite out.

Zhu-er was too small, so she had to stand on a stool and lean against the table, moving a small spoon to eat the bowl of beancurd flower she had been craving.

“Mother, it’s delicious,” the little bamboo sprite said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Mu Dingxiang.

“I’m the one who bought you the beancurd flower. Why don’t you say something nice to me?” Chu Yu pretended to be displeased.

Zhu-er hurriedly jumped down from the chair, went deng-deng-deng to Chu Yu’s feet, and tugged at her skirt. “Chu Yu is so good, buying Zhu-er delicious things.”

The little bamboo sprite’s face was full of flattery, which Chu Yu enjoyed immensely. With a long reach, she scooped her back onto the chair. “Alright, alright, I know you aren’t an ungrateful little monster. Just eat your fill.”

Zhu-er then continued to slurped the beancurd flower in her bowl with satisfaction.

Watching the warm interaction between the two, Mu Dingxiang couldn’t help but feel envious. In her previous world, the word “warmth” did not exist. Aside from scolding and endless farm labor, there were no extra things to make her happy—only the longing for a life outside that home.

For example, that free and unrestrained figure.

Now, that figure was right before her eyes, yet still did not belong to her.

Mu Dingxiang lowered her head, hiding the emotions in her eyes, and ate her meal in silence.

Seeing her silence, Chu Yu assumed she was still unhappy about yesterday’s events. Following Zhu-er’s example, she flatteringly picked up some of Mu Dingxiang’s favorite dishes and placed them in her bowl.

“Xiangxiang, eat more. When we go back at noon, we won’t be cooking.”

Mu Dingxiang said nothing, silently lowering her head to eat. The food was fragrant, but it made her feel inexplicably melancholy.

After eating, Mu Dingxiang said she still had some things to buy and didn’t want Chu Yu to wait for her, telling her to go back first.

How could Chu Yu leave her alone in Leshan County? Ignoring the girl’s persistence, she went along with her.

Besides buying chicks, they needed to buy a birthday gift. Auntie Ji was going to celebrate her sixtieth birthday. Long ago, when Mu Dingxiang was still at the Mu house, the family never left food for her. She had to find ways to solve it outside—either roasting sweet potatoes and corn in the fields or digging up wild vegetables to boil in a broken small pot herself.

Auntie Ji had seen this and couldn’t help but pity the poor child, giving her something to eat every few days.

However, Mother Mu later caught them, scolding Mu Dingxiang until her head was covered in “dog’s blood,” and Auntie Ji suffered along with her.

Mother Mu and the Ji family had never gotten along, and she squeezed them out both openly and secretly. She didn’t allow the children in the house to play with the Ji family’s children. If she discovered Mu Dingxiang running to the Ji house, there was bound to be a scene. To avoid involving Auntie Ji, Mu Dingxiang didn’t dare to have open contact with the Ji family.

But in private, when Mother Mu wasn’t looking, Auntie Ji would provide whatever help she could. Otherwise, how could Mu Dingxiang have lived so well?

Now that Auntie Ji’s birthday was approaching, Mu Dingxiang had some money of her own, and because of Chu Yu, Mother Mu could no longer control her. So, she thought about buying a birthday gift to send over.

Hearing this, Chu Yu couldn’t help but admire Auntie Ji’s character. She suddenly remembered a daughter of the Ji family who had married out and frequently came to her butcher shop to buy meat.

“Does Auntie Ji have a daughter named Ji Yunniang, who married into the wealthy Liu family in our county?”

“You know Auntie Ji?” Mu Dingxiang asked in surprise.

“We’re from the same village. Though we didn’t have much contact before, she often comes to buy meat. We became familiar over time, and the owner of this restaurant is her husband,” Chu Yu laughed. “Then the gift must be a bit larger. Consider it a token of my appreciation—both to thank a regular customer and to thank Auntie Ji for taking care of my little wife all these years.”

Hearing her suddenly say “little wife,” Mu Dingxiang felt a mix of emotions. If it were before, she would have been shy because of the teasing, but now she felt a bit listless and couldn’t work up the interest. Nevertheless, she kept Auntie Ji’s birthday gift in mind.

She had originally wanted to buy the elderly woman a ready-made outfit, but not knowing her size, she simply bought a bolt of cloth so the woman could find someone to make it herself.

The cloth felt a bit humble, and she didn’t know what else to add. Auntie Ji’s daughter had married well and didn’t lack expensive items. Moreover, Mu Dingxiang and the others weren’t well-off at the moment, so there was no need to “slap one’s face to appear fat” (act beyond one’s means).

Chu Yu thought for a moment and said, “On the birthday, I’ll set aside four large pig trotters to bring over. In the evening, they can stew them for the guests.”

Mu Dingxiang also thought trotters were a good idea, so it was settled.

Next, they went to the place where livestock and poultry were sold and bought a few half-grown chickens—three hens and one rooster—spending over a hundred wen. Previously they had mentioned raising chickens to clear insects; the chicken coop had been built for several days, and only now were they buying them back.

When it came time to mount the horse for the return trip, Mu Dingxiang again became hesitant. After all, when two people ride one horse, it’s inevitable they’ll be very close. Since last night, she hadn’t wanted to be so intimate with Chu Yu.

Chu Yu tied the purchased items to the back of the horse, along with the small basket containing Zhu-er, making the little thing not at all happy.

After mounting the horse, Chu Yu reached out her hand, urging Mu Dingxiang to mount quickly and go home.

Mu Dingxiang hesitated for a moment before grabbing her hand and straddling the horse’s back. The next second, the person behind her swept a long arm around her to fix her in her embrace. With a shake of the reins and a shout, the horse galloped off toward the village.

They spent a few days in this lukewarm manner until Old Lady Ji’s birthday arrived. Her daughter and son-in-law brought their grandchildren early in the morning. A group of women from the village came early to help as laborers, preparing the food and dishes.

What Chu Yu hadn’t expected was that Ji Yunniang actually came to her to order pork to bring to the village for her mother’s birthday. She wanted half a pig, which was a grand gesture.

Ji Yunniang had married into the wealthy Liu family and had a daughter and a son. The daughter was the same age as Mu Dingxiang. Ji Yunniang herself was only thirty-two or thirty-three. She had been a beauty in her youth and was well-preserved now; though she looked a bit wealthy and plump, she was still extremely good-looking.

Chu Yu thought of the gift she and Mu Dingxiang had discussed and added those four pig trotters to the order.

Ji Yunniang saw the extra four large trotters and said, “Sister Chu, is there a mistake? I didn’t order trotters.”

“Ahem, it’s Xiangxiang—the youngest daughter of the Mu family. Auntie Ji always looked after her before. Now that the Auntie is having her birthday, we don’t have any grand gifts, so we’re sending a few trotters to show our appreciation. Please help us tell the Auntie when the time comes, Sister Ji,” Chu Yu said somewhat bashfully.

“San-ya is a pitiful child. People in the village couldn’t stand to watch her suffer. Looking after her a bit was only right. It’s just her mother, I don’t know what kind of madness she possesses, treating her own child poorly and getting upset when others are kind to her. But, how is it your turn to worry about San-ya’s affairs?” Ji Yunniang asked in confusion.

Chu Yu was a bit embarrassed, but Shi Man beside her answered for her: “The Madam probably doesn’t know yet. The Mu couple sold Sister Dingxiang to our Chu Yu. Now Dingxiang is Chu Yu’s little wife. As the husband, naturally, one has to help manage the wife’s affairs.”

Ji Yunniang’s mouth dropped open and she froze for a long while before recovering. Previously, people in the county and village were rumored that Chu Yu liked women; she had thought it was just a joke, not expecting it to be true.

But thinking that the Mu family’s third daughter had suffered for so many years, and following Chu Yu—who had been a soldier and was fierce and terrifying when ruthless—she was someone who could suppress those two “old immortals” of the Mu family.

Immediately, she didn’t think much of it and said with a smile, “It’s our San-ya who has found good fortune. Since you are sincere, I’ll accept it on my mother’s behalf. When you go back this afternoon, bring San-ya over for dinner.”

Chu Yu’s face felt a bit warm as she nodded and gave an “un.”

However, before the afternoon arrived, something happened at Auntie Ji’s house.

The Mu family’s eldest, Mu Kongqing, specifically took a leave of absence from the academy to return to the village and brought a gift to pay his respects to Auntie Ji.

By rights, between neighbors, even if they don’t get along usually, whenever there are weddings, funerals, birthdays, or full-moon celebrations, everyone sets aside past grievances to help out and eat together. But since early morning, not a single person from the Mu family had come to help. The Mu family’s eldest daughter, Mu Yuzhu, had married into the carpenter’s house in the next village; she wouldn’t be the one to help with such a birthday. The remaining Mu elders and the youngest son, Mu Jueming, hadn’t been seen at all from morning till noon.

Thus, Mu Kongqing’s appearance was particularly abrupt.

He was wearing a moon-white long robe and a scholar’s hat, carrying a gift in the manner of a refined gentleman, standing in the Ji family’s courtyard looking a bit lost.

Auntie Ji and Ji Yunniang, mother and daughter, exchanged puzzled glances. However, Ji Dalang hurried forward to greet him. After all, he was a scholar. Even if his mother’s usual behavior was nauseating, leaving a scholar standing in the courtyard was not the way to treat a guest.

But Auntie Ji didn’t dare accept the gift. Given the temperament of Mother Mu next door, if she knew Mu Kongqing had spent money to bring a gift to their door, she would surely cause a scene for three days and three nights without stopping.

So, regardless of Mu Kongqing’s pride, she snatched the gift—which hadn’t even gotten warm yet—from Ji Dalang’s hand and stuffed it back into Mu Kongqing’s embrace. “Mu Dalang, I’ve accepted your kind intentions, but I won’t take the gift. Take it back first and come over later to eat.”

Mu Kongqing had no reason to take the gift back and hurriedly declined, saying, “It’s just a small token, not worth much.”

His eyes, however, kept darting behind Ji Yunniang. Standing there was Ji Yunniang’s eldest daughter, Liu Niannian. Today being her grandmother’s birthday, she had returned with her parents and brother to pay her respects.

The Liu family was a wealthy household in the county. The Wuwei Shiju in the county was a Liu family property; the food was good and the decoration was high-end. Mu Kongqing and other scholars were frequent patrons. Learning that Master Liu was a son-in-law of the Ji family in the village, he couldn’t help but want to curry favor. But Master Liu had no time to deal with such “small fry.”

It wasn’t until the New Year that he saw Ji Yunniang return with her daughter Liu Niannian for New Year greetings. Only then did he realize the Liu family had such a grown daughter who wasn’t bad-looking, and so he began to harbor some ideas.

By rights, Mu Kongqing was a Xiucai; he shouldn’t be twenty-two and still unmarried. It was primarily because of Mother Mu’s antics. Several nearby villages knew of her character treating her daughters like pigs and dogs so no one wanted to marry their daughter into the family to be tormented.

Originally, when Mu Kongqing was seventeen, a marriage had been arranged, but later that family learned of the Mu family’s situation and preferred to spend money to cancel the engagement. Thus, Mu Kongqing’s reputation began to turn poor, and things dragged on until he was twenty-two without any developments.

Ji Yunniang saw his look and knew exactly what schemes he had in mind. She moved forward a couple of steps without a word, blocking his line of sight. “Mu Dalang, you’d better take the gift back. Avoid having your mother see it and come to the door with a scolding; we in the Ji family can’t afford that.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a clamor came from the entrance, followed by a high-pitched voice: “Qing-er, Qing-er, Kongqing. Mother has made dinner! Cooked preserved meat! Come out quickly and go home with Mother!”

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