The Lady Butcher and the Delicate Bride - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

When Shi Man went back and spoke to Wang Xiaoxi, the Wang family was overjoyed. Their family conditions were poor, and since Xiaoxi was to be married out at the end of the year, they needed money to prepare her dowry and other necessities despite the substantial bride price Shi Man had provided. Any bit they could earn now was a blessing.

Shi Man had previously suggested giving her a dozen or so wen, as Xiaoxi earned no more than ten wen a day doing embroidery at home. But Chu Yu disagreed, stating that since she was family, they shouldn’t shortchange her. Moreover, it was only for two months; Xiaoxi was coming to help, so they couldn’t skimp on her wages.

Xiaoxi was thrilled. The next day, she followed Shi Man to slaughter the pig. Chu Yu saw that the girl had a hardworking spirit similar to her own little lady and couldn’t help but feel a fondness for her, speaking to her with a gentle tone.

Wang Xiaoxi had only met Chu Yu three times. The last time was when she followed Shi Man to Furong Village to help with the harvest. Rumors said this female butcher was fierce and terrifying, and although she hadn’t seen her be cruel during these few meetings, Xiaoxi had been somewhat afraid to get close. Now that Chu Yu was so mild-mannered and generous with the wages, her favorability toward her surged, and she no longer found her frightening.

After the slaughter, Shi Man drove the ox cart with the pork and Wang Xiaoxi toward the meat stall in the county. Chu Yu rode her horse directly back home.

When she arrived, it was just past the hour of the Rabbit (5:00 AM – 7:00 AM), and the sun was just beginning to rise.

Chu Yu was rarely home at this hour unless Shi Man had business and they were resting together. However, her biological clock was set; she woke at the first cockcrow without fail. When home, she would simply tease Zhu-er or chop wood on the nearby hills.

Back when she lived in the county, if she wasn’t slaughtering pigs, she was ordered around by the Bai family. Now that she was back, she felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.

The little girl was also up working, clearing the stalks left in the fields from the harvest. She weeded where needed and loosened the soil. Zhu-er followed behind her, occasionally picking a small flower to stick on her head or nibbling a piece of foxtail grass, lying on the ground whispering heaven-knows-what to the blossoms and blades of grass.

As the breeze brushed past, it was a scene of pure serenity.

Chu Yu dismounted from a distance and approached the two stealthily. However, Zhu-er had a sharp nose and mumbled, “Eh, Chu Yu is back~”

Mu Dingxiang looked up to see the tall, slender figure standing behind her. Who else could it be but Chu Yu? She patted the dirt from her hands and asked, “How come you’re back so early today?”

Chu Yu plucked a stalk of foxtail grass and tapped Zhu-er on the bottom. “Look at you two, no respect for elders. You’re not calling me ‘Mother’ anymore.”

“And you,” Chu Yu turned to Mu Dingxiang, “What’s with all the ‘you, you, you’? You don’t call me ‘Sister,’ nor ‘Husband.’ As the head of the household returning home, I feel like I’m nothing at all.”

Mu Dingxiang burst out laughing. “What’s the use of fighting for those titles at home? You haven’t said yet—why are you back so early?”

“Isn’t it because we’re about to build the house? I won’t be able to look after the stall then, so Shi Man had Xiaoxi come to help sell the meat. I can come back as soon as the slaughter is done in the morning. That way, I won’t have to leave you home alone with a bunch of workmen around.”

Hearing that the house-building was settled, Mu Dingxiang felt a surge of excitement. “When did Auntie Ji and Uncle pick the lucky day for?”

“The ninth of this month. Just a few days away. He might bring the contractor over to take a look today. Once we contract the whole thing out, I can just stay and supervise the work.”

Chu Yu actually cared a great deal about the house. It represented her own territory. She had grown up in the Bai Manor, and her father was the housekeeper. Although she wasn’t a “home-born” servant and held her own deed of indenture, she had always lived as a long-term worker in someone else’s house. She couldn’t arrange things as she pleased, had no privacy, and couldn’t host her own guests or friends. There was a sense of stifling restriction in that.

Now that she was back on her own ground, she felt free and easy even living in a cave. But now with Dingxiang and Zhu-er, she couldn’t just live like a wild person driftng wherever she landed. Furthermore, she had more friends now, and there would be even more in the future. Dingxiang would also have her own friends. It would be a breach of etiquette to have no place to host guests.

Moreover, the grain planting was going well, and they needed space to store and dry the harvest. With a courtyard, they could settle down like any other family and live and work in peace.

Thinking this, she was filled with anticipation just like Mu Dingxiang.

In the afternoon, several horses and a carriage indeed traveled from the direction of the county toward the end of Furong Village. Chu Yu was loosening the soil in the dry fields; hearing the ta-ta of hooves, she knew Liu Heng was bringing people over. She dropped her work and walked toward the road.

A man about fifty years old sat atop a horse, surveying the entire valley.

Liu Heng stepped down from the carriage, and to Chu Yu’s surprise, Ji Yunniang had come along as well.

The man on the horse was Boss He, whom Liu Heng had mentioned yesterday. He specialized in building houses. He was here today to inspect the foundation and listen to the owner’s requirements.

Mu Dingxiang followed behind. Seeing Ji Yunniang, she went to meet her and gave her a sweet greeting: “Auntie Ji.”

Ji Yunniang’s heart almost melted at the sound. Suppressing the sting in her nose, she stroked the girl’s head. “I happened to come back to see my mother and brother today. Your Uncle said you were building a house here, so we came by. What kind of house does Xiang-er want to live in?”

Having already discussed the layout with Chu Yu, Mu Dingxiang explained their plan for the courtyard to her. Ji Yunniang saw the longing in her eyes and listened patiently without interrupting.

Mu Dingxiang realized she might be talking too much as Auntie Ji kept staring at her. Back at the Mu house, they only exchanged timid greetings. If Mother Mu was nearby, she would have to slip away as if they were strangers.

But since the grain collection, they had interacted more, and the relationship was growing warmer, which made her feel a bit overwhelmed.

“Why have you stopped? Auntie is listening,” Ji Yunniang said, wishing she could pour all her tenderness and pity onto the girl.

“Heh, that’s all. A courtyard, a place to sleep and eat—that’s about it.” Mu Dingxiang scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. Auntie Ji was a city person; she felt her country-born views might be laughable.

Ji Yunniang knew she hadn’t been loved in her early years and had low expectations, which made her heart ache more. She touched her head. “Silly child, you have money now and can afford a big house. You don’t have to live so frugally. If you want a two-entry courtyard, build a two-entry one. If you’re short on silver, Auntie has more here.”

Mu Dingxiang didn’t know why Ji Yunniang’s family was being so eager, but the layout was already settled with Chu Yu, so she declined with a smile.

On the other side, Chu Yu had already taken Liu Heng and Boss He to see the foundation. They were discussing the quantities of stone and blue bricks, the orientation of the courtyard, and the design of the rooms.

The sun was strong outside. Seeing there was nothing for her to do, Mu Dingxiang led Ji Yunniang into the cave.

Ji Yunniang sat by the stone table, sipping tea while surveying the small cave. It was early autumn and hot outside, but the cave was cool. She felt comfortable the moment she entered and didn’t want to get up.

The items in the cave were simple and neatly arranged, with a faint floral scent. Seeing Zhu-er’s little nest, she couldn’t help but ask, “What is this used for?”

Mu Dingxiang hurriedly said, “It’s for a little kitten I raised. I made this nest for it, but the little thing is very wild. It runs around all day and only comes back at night. It’s nowhere to be seen right now.”

Ji Yunniang nodded. Her eyes swept over the stone bed. The gauze curtains were pinned up, and the quilts were folded neatly. For some reason, her expression became a bit unnatural, and she gave a light cough. “Do you… sleep here together at night?”

When Mu Dingxiang saw Ji Yunniang staring at their bed, she somehow thought of yesterday afternoon when Chu Yu massaged her abdomen and accidentally touched her chest. Her face turned beet red instantly.

With Ji Yunniang asking such a suggestive question, the tips of her ears turned a blood-red.

“…There’s only one bed, so we sleep together…”

Ji Yunniang was a woman of experience. Seeing Mu Dingxiang like this, she knew the child was innocent and inexperienced. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what kind of feelings Chu Yu had for her.

Though Ji Yunniang didn’t understand relationships between women, she figured emotions were largely the same. There shouldn’t be a huge difference between a man and woman or two women. If Chu Yu truly liked women and Dingxiang had been her wife for over half a year yet nothing had happened between them, would it ever work out?

Thinking of this, she grew a bit anxious.

In Ji Yunniang’s eyes, setting aside her gender, Chu Yu was undoubtedly an excellent “son-in-law” candidate. She was handsome, tall, hardworking, well-mannered, and protective. That Chu Yu could run a successful business in Leshan County for so many years despite her beauty meant she had the brains to back it up.

Even Ji Yunniang herself had suffered harassment due to her looks. In her early years, all sorts of foul rumors were cast upon her. It would have been impossible for her to clear her name alone; fortunately, she had a husband who loved and cherished her. With the restaurant thriving and Liu Heng joining the ranks of the wealthy in Leshan, her life had gradually improved.

But Chu Yu was alone with no one to back her up, yet she lived with such integrity that no one dared speak ill of her.

This showed that Chu Yu’s methods were more formidable than the average woman’s. Of course, her methods were plain for all to see—simple and brutal. It was her ruthlessness; she carried a murderous aura that no one dared provoke.

But such ferocity was only directed at those with ill intentions. From the way she rescued Mu Dingxiang from the Mu family to the way she trapped Mother Mu in jail, and looking at the scenes of their daily life, one could see she was “cold on the outside, warm on the inside,” fiercely protective, and sincere toward Dingxiang.

But at the moment, Ji Yunniang was confused as to whether this sincerity was simple sisterly affection or the love between a couple.

Looking at her own girl, she seemed to really like Chu Yu. She wondered how the girl would react if she were asked to find a man to marry instead.

Ji Yunniang couldn’t help but ask, “Dingxiang, do you plan to follow Chu Yu for the rest of your life like this?”

Mu Dingxiang looked up at her, somewhat puzzled.

“Just two women relying on each other, with no children… People will point and stare wherever you go.”

Before she could finish, Mu Dingxiang’s face instantly darkened.

“If Auntie has come to persuade me to leave Chu Yu, then there is no need to speak further. From the day she took me from the Mu family, I decided I would only follow her for this lifetime. I’m going nowhere, regardless of what others say.”

Ji Yunniang felt a flare of frustration. She didn’t dare meddle in Mu Dingxiang’s life; she wanted to compensate for all the missing years overnight, but that wasn’t possible. All she could do now was give Dingxiang whatever she wanted by any means necessary.

If she liked Chu Yu, then she would help her get Chu Yu.

Support