After Mi Niang helped Zhaolu unload the things from the ox cart, she walked away while leading Da Huang. Just as she was about to cross the river, Zhaolu stopped her.
“Mi Niang, wait a moment. I’ll get something for you,” Zhaolu’s words fell, and in no time, he emerged with a half-arm-long jug. “This is the sheep’s milk we squeezed today. Take it back and boil it for drinking.”
“No, Uncle Zhaolu, I can’t accept it. You take it back for the children at home,” Mi Niang waved her hands repeatedly. “I’ve already taken advantage of having Da Huang eat at the master’s house. I can’t ask for more.”
Zhaolu decided to give it to her because he appreciated her modest nature. It was evident to discerning eyes that the master treated her differently, but she’s always worked diligently and was willing to endure hardship, whether it was being kicked by sheep or accidentally stabbed by scissors—she never complained.
“Take it and rest assured. You’re too skinny; you should take care of yourself. When you’re young, you only feel tired and think a good sleep will fix everything. But when you get older, these injuries will come back to haunt you,” Zhaolu handed her the milk jug and said, “The master has many livestock, and he can’t finish all the milk squeezed every day. We laborers have always taken away the surplus. Take it, he won’t say anything if he knows.”
After a moment of hesitation, under the watchful gaze of Da Huang, Mi Niang accepted it. “Thank you, Uncle Zhaolu. I’ll make a pair of shoes for your wife. I’m good at needlework.” She should have thanked Bahu, but after the way he avoided her just now, she didn’t have the chance.
“That’s fine. Another day, I’ll bring you a shoe pattern,” Zhaolu knew that when someone showed kindness, it had to be repaid. “I won’t say more. I will back to pack up, and you should also hurry back. I can see you’re not lightly tired.”
“It’s okay; I’m used to it,” Mi Niang, holding the milk jug in one hand and leading the dog with the other, walked lightly along the riverbank back home. Halfway there, she saw three long trenches dug on the opposite riverbank, and in the trenches floated sheep wool. Four people squatted beside the trench, pressing the wool into the water.
“Uncle, has all the wool at home been sheared? Are you starting to wash the wool?” Mi Niang glanced at the three children. They didn’t have enough strength, so they rolled up their trousers and went into the water to soak the wool. Strangely, as they entered the water, no muddy water stirred up from the bottom.
“No, it’ll probably take another three to five days. I’ll soak the sheep wool first.” The bearded man had a large belly, and he couldn’t squat for long. While talking, he stood up, pounded his waist, and asked, “Has Bahu’s sheep at home been sheared yet?”
“Probably another three to five days.” Mi Niang put down the milk jug, took off her shoes, rolled up her pants, and waded through the shallow water. “Uncle, take a break. I’ll borrow your things to practice for a bit. Don’t want the master to dismiss me later for being too slow.”
“You child! Aren’t you tired after a whole day of work?” The bearded man was surprised. He didn’t expect this girl to be so enthusiastic and clever with her words, making it hard for him to refuse.
“Saying I’m not tired is definitely a lie, but I’m also dirty. I’ll need to change when I go back. I’ll help you soak the sheep wool. You won’t have to make another trip later.” Mi Niang stepped into the long trench, almost slipping into the water. The ground beneath her feet wasn’t muddy but smooth.
“Be careful; the trench is lined with cowhide, very slippery.” A young girl held onto her when she saw her.
“No wonder I didn’t see any mud when you guys stepped down.” Mi Niang rolled up her sleeves, imitating the three children to press down the floating sheep wool in the water, and asked, “I don’t usually see you here when I pass by. Are you still studying?”
“Yeah, we just returned from Xushui.”
“After soaking in water, how do you wash it? Do you need to turn it over every day? And do you have to dry it after washing?” Mi Niang didn’t pay much attention to the bearded man going back; she continued to chat with the shy girl. “Is this all the wool from your family this year?”
“We’ll wash it tomorrow. After washing, we need to sort it, then spread it out to dry. After picking it up, we’ll drain the water, pour in fresh water, and then put the sheep wool back in.”
Having received the answers she wanted, Mi Niang stopped talking. Bending over, she used both hands to press the wool bundles into the water, then pulled them apart at the bottom of the water, ensuring all the wool was soaked before the bearded man came over.
“You’re quite nimble, girl.” After Mi Niang came ashore, the bearded man handed her the lamb in his hand. “This is freshly butchered today. Take it home and eat it. Look at how thin you are; you probably don’t weigh as much as my little niece at home.”
“Uncle, no, I didn’t mean to ask for your meat…” She felt embarrassed to continue speaking after the situation took an unexpected turn.
“If I give it to you, just take it. I’m least accustomed to the courtesy of you Central Plains folks. It makes my scalp tingle.” The bearded man directly clasped Mi Niang’s wrist and stuffed the meat into her hands. “It’s nothing special, just take it home and eat.”
“Then I’ll shamelessly accept it.” Mi Niang scratched her head, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she asked, “Uncle, do you still need help washing the wool? I have a seven-year-old sister at home, about the same height as Xiaoni. It’s the right time for her to bend down effortlessly.”
“Sure, bring her tomorrow. Xiaoni and the others aren’t at home during the day,” the bearded man readily agreed. Both sisters were nimble and hardworking; it seemed like a good arrangement.
Carrying the milk jug and the meat, with Yellow trotting happily around, Mi Niang felt joyful. Just half an hour ago, she was worrying about not having eggs to nourish her body, and now she had milk to drink.
However, her good mood diminished by half the moment she stepped into the felt bag. Lan Niang, with a sour face, looked annoyed and unfriendly to everyone, squatting by the water barrel, continuously scooping water and washing her hands. She muttered about smelly hair, and her nail crevices were also smelly.
“What a good day it is today, with both lamb and sheep’s milk. Mi Niang, did you strike it rich?” Pandi, both surprised and pleased, took a piece of meat, asking quietly, “Shall we eat together?” She meant that she bought it herself and could cook separately.
“It was given by a big uncle. Let’s eat together. Oh, there’s also a jug of sheep’s milk left from the host’s house. We can drink it together tonight after boiling it.” Mi Niang beckoned to the little maid who was burning the fire, “Yingniang, I found a job for you. The people in the host’s house are pretty good. Tomorrow, go with me to meet them.”
“What’s the job?” Lan Niang, ignoring her dirty hands, rushed over and hugged Mi Niang, “Good Mi Niang, help me find a job too. You don’t know, the smell in the sheep pen is too strong, a mixture of sheep urine and dung, especially attractive to bugs. I have many red welts from being bitten.” She pulled out a strand of hair and handed it to Mi Niang’s face, “Smell it, smell it. My hair has absorbed the odor.”
“Making a fuss. When it comes to this point, still being picky, truly acting like a young lady while being a servant.” Mu Xiang snorted. She was straightforward, and anyone she didn’t like, she confronted openly. “Tonight, I washed the vegetables, Pandi washed the rice, and both got the smell of sheep dung. Don’t you dare eat it?”
Lan Niang ignored her, eagerly watching Mi Niang.
“Washing wool, sorting wool, drying wool, getting wet, and bending down.” Mi Niang didn’t stop her, “I told them I would only bring a seven-year-old girl. If you want to go, ask tomorrow and see if the host family agrees.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow.” Lan Niang couldn’t help but grin, patting Ying Niang’s head, “From now on, we’ll be companions.”
Ying Niang rolled her eyes at her, walked to the other side of Mi Niang, and said, “Thanks, Sister Mi Niang, for thinking of me. If you need anything in the future, just ask. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it.”
“If I didn’t ask you to do it, don’t think too much with such a young age.” Mi Niang only had the energy to help her when she had taken care of her own situation.
A piece of lamb weighed about two or three catties. After it was cooked, they first ate the meat, and the lamb soup was left in the clay pot to blanch the vegetables. On this night with a slightly cool breeze, the six people ate until they were sweaty, and after drinking the sheep’s milk, they were so full that they couldn’t straighten their waists.
While Mi Niang was strolling around the felt bag after the meal, Bahu was lying on the back of a cow in the wilderness, hungry and staring blankly. He had only eaten breakfast that day, and at noon, he was almost angry, and he didn’t have the mood to eat.
The man rolled off the cow’s back and walked to the flock, intending to catch a lamb, skin it, and roast it. However, his expression darkened when he heard the rapid breathing of a small lamb.
Bahu lit a torch, stood in the pile of sheep, and searched for the lamb with abnormal breathing. The head of the lamb was green, it was Mi Niang’s lamb, and the smallest one among the four sheep had fallen ill tonight.
The lamb’s backside was still clean, indicating that the illness had just occurred.
