Husband Is Not Obedient - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I am a Butcher Woman.

One swing of my knife, and a life is over.

Men from miles around keep a respectful distance from me.

That day at the market, I saw a slave trader hawking male slaves.

A thought suddenly struck me.

If men could buy wives to bring home and serve them…

Then why couldn’t I buy a husband to bring home and serve me?

Back then, He Changqing was covered in blood and filth, and he didn’t even have a deed of ownership.

His back was pressed against the iron cage, a collar fastened around his neck.

His eyes were closed, his lips as pale as his face.

Only his lashes trembled faintly-long and thick.

The line of his profile was cold, fragile, and sharply beautiful.

He was caked in mud, yet he looked like a proud winter plum blooming against the snow.

Among all those healthy, strong male slaves with complete papers,

I took a liking to him at first sight.

Fortunately, he was half-dead.

No one wanted him.

So he was cheap.

I spent two taels of silver to buy him.

Then, gritting my teeth, I dug into my savings to have him treated.

He was tall and strong.

While he was recovering, he never listened.

So I didn’t take the collar off his neck.

It was a good way to make him learn some obedience.

Later, once his injuries healed, he became even more disobedient.

Out of spite, I simply kept him locked up.

But he was just so handsome.

Like the bright moon in the sky, veiled by mist, fallen into the mortal world.

I had suspected his identity was no ordinary one.

His temper was proud and stubborn.

There was a defiant spine in him that no beating could bend.

He always wore a sour expression and rarely spoke.

And whenever he did speak, he kept referring to himself as “Gu” this and “Gu” that.

At first, I even laughed at him and said he must have been a chicken in his last life, since he loved going gu-gu so much.

I never imagined he would turn out to be the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

I straightened my clothes.

Then I went to town to set up my stall and sell meat.

Those subtitles kept scrolling nonstop too:

[I’m so mad! How dare the female supporting character treat the male lead like this? When is our precious female lead finally going to appear?!]

[Ladies, don’t worry. The female supporting character only gets to gloat until today. Our precious female lead has already come looking! In a bit, she’ll find the female supporting character and question her. The second the female supporting character hears there’s a reward, she’ll immediately spill the male lead’s whereabouts.]

[The female supporting character is stupid and evil, and then her whole household gets seized~ After they find the Crown Prince male lead imprisoned, she even throws a public tantrum, clinging to the Crown Prince male lead and refusing to let him leave, screaming that His Highness the Crown Prince is her husband.]

[The Butcher Woman wants to be the Crown Princess? That’s hilarious. The female lead is the male lead’s fiancée, okay? The female supporting character goes crazy and even tries to shove the female lead down. Thankfully, the male lead protects our precious female lead, and orders the supporting character to be beaten fifty strokes on the spot. Her legs get smashed to a pulp. Talk about doting~]

[She even gets collared and made to crawl and bark like a dog. Everyone from miles around sees it. Serves her right for imprisoning the male lead and training him like a dog. It’s so satisfying!]

My heart pounded wildly.

I was just comforting myself that these heavenly writings could not be fully trusted,

when a procession appeared on the street.

They were dressed in fine clothes, with luxurious carriages and horses.

At last, they stopped in front of my butcher stall.

The carriage curtain lifted, revealing a fair, delicate face. Every bit of her appearance and bearing was noble.

She looked down at me with a pair of almond eyes, sizing me up from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes.

“So you’re the famous Pork Beauty of this town?”

The moment she appeared,

those subtitles began flashing excitedly:

[Ahhh! Our precious female lead has finally appeared! Female supporting character, back off, back off, back off!]

[Oh my god, our darling daughter is way too gorgeous. I’m going to faint!]

[Soon, soon! The female lead will find the male lead right away, and then the sweet, doting romance can begin!]

I said nothing.

From the subtitles, I already knew her name was Su Wanqing, the eldest young lady of the Prime Minister’s Residence.

The little maid beside her shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Hey! Our young lady is asking you a question!”

Thunk!

I brought the cleaver in my hand down onto the table.

Then I curled my lips in a smile.

“Miss, are you here to buy meat?”

Su Wanqing flinched.

She covered her lips with a handkerchief and frowned in disgust.

“No. I came to ask you something. If you answer truthfully, I’ll give you this as a reward.”

She slipped a gold bangle from her wrist and handed it to me.

“I heard you bought a male slave and took him home some time ago. Is that true?”

The subtitles grew excited again:

[The female supporting character is so stupid. This is the token of love the male lead gave the female lead. How could she possibly give it away for real? She sees money and loses all sense, believing whatever she’s told. I’m dying laughing!]

[Exactly. Once the female supporting character wears it home, the male lead will notice it. Our precious female lead really is clever as ice and snow~!]

[Later, she even refuses to return it to the female lead no matter what, insisting the female lead gave it to her. Doesn’t she still get her hand broken before giving it back? Talk about trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. Serves her right!]

I held the bangle and carefully rubbed it between my fingers.

The carving was exquisite, and it shimmered beautifully.

Pure gold.

Truly pretty.

Su Wanqing curled her lips in mockery, her eyes full of contempt.

“A crude Butcher Woman like you has probably never seen anything this fine in your entire life, have you?”

I set the bangle down, sighed, and said faintly,

“You’re right, miss. I did buy a male slave at the market.”

“But he didn’t survive three days. He died.”

Su Wanqing’s eyes widened, and her voice instantly turned sharp.

“What did you say?!”

I returned the gold bangle to her, my tone full of regret.

“He was terribly injured at the time. I wasted two taels of silver on him for nothing. It was inauspicious to keep a dead man around, so I had to throw him into the mass grave on the back mountain.”

“Miss, you can go look for him there. And if you manage to find that slave trader, please help me get my two taels of silver back.”

Su Wanqing’s face turned ugly.

But she couldn’t say a word.

All she could do was slink away in disgrace.

The subtitles exploded too:

[What is she saying? How can she lie? And she doesn’t even want the gold bangle! How is the female lead supposed to find the male lead now?]

[What a vicious female supporting character! She actually tricked our precious female lead by saying the male lead is dead. Our good daughter must be so heartbroken, sob sob sob.]

[Don’t worry, don’t worry. The male lead dotes on our precious female lead so much. He definitely won’t bear to let her be sad. The worse she acts now, the harsher her retribution will be later!]

I packed up my stall.

I only found it laughable.

Why was the so-called “female lead” in their mouths allowed to use a gold bangle to trick me for the sake of their so-called love,

but I wasn’t allowed to lie in order to save my own life?