Uxorious Husband?

"What are you doing?!" Mu Yunsheng walked in with disbelief pouring out of his face. Earlier he went to the lotus waterfall to fetch bathwater for his wife. Last night's rainfall had churned up the riverbanks, causing the muddy slosh to drip into the river. The water there was pretty much turbid. Knowing her, she would resent it for sure. The fall, on the contrary, cascading down the rockface, was a big provider of transparent clean water. He wanted to collect ten big buckets for her for the day, before he went out for his job. "Come out, you don't have to do this!" He immediately squatted before the chicken coop, and propelled his hand for her; worries printed all over his handsome face.

Tang Yu paused at her action; she didn't see Mu Yunsheng coming. "I'm about halfway through the cleaning, gotta finish it all."

"You don't have to, this isn't meant for you!" Mu Yunsheng pressed his eyebrows together, his voice giving away a note of seriousness. "I'll do the rest. Come out this instant." He exhorted. His brain drew blank for a split second, catching her sight in a poop-y coop a few seconds back. She was cleaning a coop?! Hard to believe, but she was! Infact, his wife had been behaving strangely since yesterday! Yes, he was cognizant of the offering he had promised to Buddha, had the latter stuffed good senses in his 'little immature' wife's head. Buddha turned out to be a rather doer — like an instant one! Should he spin with his arms out from utter bliss?!

"Who is this work meant for then, Ah Sheng?!" Song Huan entered the scene. The bamboo woven wall in the kitchen featured a plethora of tiny little holes which had a vague view into the backyard. Thanks to them, she was able to take action in the nick of time. "Your sisters and I do this chore. Also my other two daughter-in-laws do it frequently. If we can do it, why can't your wife? Are you suggesting that she is to be treated superior to us?" She arched an inquisitive brow at her son, clearly pissed off.

Mu Yunsheng's gaze snapped in his mother's direction. "Mother, I didn't imply that. I can clean the chicken coop." He was brisk to offer.

However, things didn't pan out the way he expected. On the contrary, his something of a benevolent offer ended up transforming Song Huan's annoyance into anger. "No man in the house does this sort of girly job! It hasn't even been a week, and you've already become uxorious?!" Her booming voice invited the other women out of the kitchen, who seemed very much ready to weigh in on their matron's comment. Males already left for the field.

"Uxorious...?" Waves of heat crawled into Mu Yunsheng's ears, turning them beetroot.

Tang Yu pushed the heavy bucket out, before duck-walking outside. Her husband wasn't only a ten, but also a gentleman. An added plus. But, this case wasn't a worthy pursuit to fight over. She knew what she wanted. Hence, she needed to bring the gavel down on her own decision. "Husband, you are worrying for no reason." Her words brought the man's gaze on her which sent an unknown nervousness down her spine. His eyes, damn! Why were they so fucking beautiful? Hopefully, this guy wouldn't turn her into a cradle robber!

Tang Yu pushed her thoughts down, and turned her feminist mode on. "Women are like water, no matter where we are placed, we will always take the shape. As much as I'm a county magistrate's daughter, I'm also a farmer household's daughter-in-law. And, I can be both." The stern aura she exuded was majestic in its own unique way. It wasn't oppressive, but rather charming. It had roped in everyone to value her every utterance. They did want to question her all previous statements but couldn't bring themselves to do it.

"I already cleaned half of the chicken coop, and can do the rest. You guys can go back to your work." Saying her piece, Tang Yu carried the bucket behind the coop to throw the poop.

"Won't you have breakfast?" Song Huan broke Mu Yunsheng's gaze from Tang Yu's back. "Sun has begun sending all its rays, soon it will go overhead. Don't you have to go to the school today? Come quickly, you have to eat!" She grabbed a hold of her golden child's wrist, almost dragging him to the kitchen. "You must be hungry…"

"Mother, has she eaten?" Mu Yunsheng couldn't help but ask.

Song Huan's eyes responded first with a glare before her voice could. "None of the females has eaten yet! You finish your fill then go to work! She is staying home, so she can eat at any time. Or, do you think your mother will starve her to death?" She posed the question with a dose of fury.

Mu Yunsheng heaved out a sigh, after gathering his thoughts. "Don't you say that sons change after they get married. But, I say mothers change too after their sons bring home wives." Song Huan dilated her eyes, however, it wasn't enough to construct a speed breaker in front of her son's fast-moving vehicle of a tongue. "You were austere but not a shrew, Mother. I don't like this latest version of you. I want my kind mother back." He took a sip of his tea, his gaze going outside over the rim of the clay cup. In search of her. He didn't really want her to have such heavy chores down…

Song Huan screwed her face, pushing a clay plate of fried dough, and dumplings with steaming hot soy milk before her son. "Such a henpecked husband you have become! I never imagined it even in my wildest dream."

Mu Yunsheng grimaced at the word, then grinned mischievously. "Like father, like son."

Song Huan was angry but looking at her son's smiling face, her anger faded. She decided to brush it off, since she was very much used to Mu Yunsheng being politely straightforward since forever. "Don't expect me to baby her! Your grandmother never did that to me! Mind you, I also came from a well-off family. Tang Yu must learn how to perform all the household chores. They should become her second nature. If not, I'll reconsider your marriage! Qiao family's daughter isn't bad—"

"Has Jiayi cooked again?" Mu Yunsheng drove the topic in another direction, hating it from his heart.

"Yes, why?" Song Huan winced, picking up a fried dough for herself. It was soggy and greasy. Despite not being out of oil for more than ten minutes, it was stone cold. Had her dumb daughter, Mu Jiayi, left it in the air?! She picked up another one and tore a small piece of it. This one was doughy inside. She shouldn't have left the idiot alone with the fried dough! But, what else could she do, everyone else had their hands full with work. And, she had to peek through the holes of kitchen walls, inspecting Tang Yu's doing. The brat used a nice method though! Spading the hardened poop would've been more tough. Had she not witnessed it herself, perhaps she would've thought that her son lent a hand. "Don't eat the fried dough, manage with the dumplings. Mother will send you lunch sooner today…"

….

By the time Tang Yu finished removing all the shit, her eyes fell on another trough in the stable. The perfectionist in her wasn't complacent yet. She wanted the floor neat and clean; for that she needed to mop it. But, doing it with her hands? Nope, not an option! Her eyes started casting about for something handy. Soon, it caught a novel thing! "What is this thing?" Tang Yu murmured, lifting up a coconut broom, and eyeing it curiously from every angle. Then, the host's memories resurfaced. She saw it being used in swiping the earthen floor. It was made with the midriffs extracted from the coconut leaflets, a small piece of jute rope tying them together tightly at one end. Energy bubbled within her with rushing excitement.

She could tell that the broom reached its old ripe age of a few months from the bristles which pretty much broke at the ends making the floor brush shorter and firmer. Perfect for her agenda. Without any further ado, she emptied out the other manger as well. Brooming the coop floor with water took away all the remainders of dirt.

"Done?" Mu Yunsheng asked, leaning against a mango trunk. His face revealed a hint of heartache.

Caught slightly off guard, Tang Yu was late to produce a response. "Oh, yeah. How does it look now?" She asked, eyes eager for his opinion waited on him.

"Never seen a coop cleaner than this one, not even the new ones." He said with all honesty which she received with a grain of salt. How could that be? She was a newbie in this type of cleaning department. He must be being sweet.

Mu Yunsheng came towards her, standing taller than her. "Does your wrists hurt?" He took her hands in the square of his large ones, scrutinizing for any signs of injury.