Early the next morning, Mi Niang didn’t go out with Da Huang as usual. Today, she had to wait for Ying Niang and Lan Niang, who were still cleaning sheep dung. Her sheep were not kept in the felt bag, so she didn’t get involved in cleaning it.
“Alright, we can go now.” Lan Niang and Ying Niang walked over with their sheep. Seeing Mi Niang pulling leeks, Lan Niang sighed with a headache, “Once leeks flower, they become tough. Stir-frying them results in a hard texture that’s tough on the teeth, and if you chew them too much, they get stuck in your teeth. I’ve seen someone learning from the eastern pastoralists, digging and planting vegetables. We should borrow a hoe and cultivate a piece too. There are only a few wild vegetables we can eat on the grassland. I’m fed up with them from tender to old.”
“It’s already much better than the time when we were fleeing. Before we crossed the mountains, you even fought with someone over a chopstick of vegetables.” Ying Niang couldn’t help but reveal her old stories. Lan Niang dared to talk nonsense in front of Mi Niang; on the road, she did many dirty things.
Hearing this, Mi Niang raised her eyes and glanced at her. She inserted the leek flowers into Da Huang’s fur and stood up, saying, “Let’s go. I have to go to work after I bring you.”
Lan Niang, walking behind, poked Ying Niang’s head with her finger, lowered her voice, and said, “Mu Xiang is not a good person. Don’t learn from her. She’s not likable.” That dead girl Mu Xiang always interrupted her, and other people also didn’t hesitate to contradict her.
Ying Niang slapped away her hand with a slap, humming, “You talk like you’re a good person. Sister Mi Niang doesn’t know that you laughed at her for being silly when she was walking with the dog, right? I remember you also said you wanted to slaughter Da Huang for meat.”
“You…” Lan Niang turned around in panic. Seeing that Mi Niang seemed to have not heard her, she breathed a sigh of relief. “At that time, I was just talking nonsense without understanding. I’ve changed now. Ying Niang, please let it go. Don’t mention it again.” Lan Niang quickly admitted her mistake, adopting a pitiful look and looking at Ying Niang with pleading eyes.
Ying Niang had never seen her like this, and considering her young age, unable to resist begging, she softened her stance after a while, “Alright, but you can’t speak ill of Sister Mi Niang in the future.”
“I promise.” Lan Niang raised two fingers as she swore. She had fallen to the point of begging Mi Niang for work, and only a lunatic would speak ill of her. As for what happened before, it was because she wanted to please the escorting officer who didn’t like Mi Niang. She just wanted to say a few words to curry favor.
“Hurry up, why are you dilly-dallying?” Seeing the two of them talking without moving their feet, Mi Niang couldn’t help but urge.
“Coming, coming.” Lan Niang pulled Ying Niang, and they ran over with small steps.
“Uncle, I’ve brought someone.” When they arrived, Mi Niang saw Big Beard pouring something into the water with a bucket. She hooked Ying Niang’s shoulder and said, “Ying Niang, this is your employer. If they hire you, it’s out of kindness. You mustn’t be lazy or deceitful.”
“Hello, Uncle.” Ying Niang, understanding the situation, directly took off her shoes, rolled up her pants, and waded through the water. “Don’t be deceived by my young age. I’m obedient and capable. I will do whatever you instruct me to do honestly. If I don’t do well, you can scold or punish me.”
“The little girl is quite articulate. Okay, you can work with me. I don’t scold or beat children, so don’t be afraid.” Big Beard looked at Mi Niang. “Yesterday I was in a hurry, and some things weren’t explained clearly. Your little sister is still young, and I can’t pay her an adult’s wage…”
“No problem, no problem. You decide on the wage.” Ying Niang hastily reassured. She had been in the northern desert for almost a month and hadn’t earned a single coin. Finally, someone was willing to hire her, and she was willing to work for three to five cents a day.
“Let’s split it. Ten cents a day, including two meals.” Feeling sorry for her, Big Beard couldn’t bear to deduct from her wage. He added, “If you do well in the future, I’ll add a bit more.”
“Okay.” Without waiting for Mi Niang to speak, Ying Niang quickly agreed.
“Uncle, do you need more help here? Do you think I’m suitable? Ying Niang is young and not very strong, but I can handle things she can’t.” Seeing that the situation was almost settled with just a few words, Lan Niang spoke up, giving Mi Niang a meaningful look to get her to say a few good words.
“This is…”
Before Mi Niang could introduce her, Big Beard frowned and said, “I’ve seen you before. Weren’t you cleaning the sheepfold at Old Aogā’s house yesterday? Didn’t you work there?”
Lan Niang was taken aback, not expecting this twist. Nervously picking at her nails, she quickly came up with an excuse, “Old man’s sheepfold can be cleaned by three people. It wouldn’t be right to ask him to pay for an extra person. I just wanted to come out and find some work.”
“The wages for washing wool are not as high as those for cleaning sheep pens. Think about it again,” the big-bearded man said, not stating whether he believed her excuse but looking displeased.
“Uncle, you two can talk. It’s time for me to go to work.” The big-bearded man clearly had a close relationship with Old Ao Ga, and he knew all the hired helpers. Lan Niang’s excuses might work for now, but Mi Niang didn’t want to get involved. After today’s experience, she also realized that Lan Niang was not a simple and kind person.
Mi Niang felt a bit uncomfortable. Lan Niang, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, could find work much more easily than Ying Niang. Why did she have to kick Ying Niang while trying to get this job? Although Ying Niang was not very strong, the employer didn’t mind, and Lan Niang blatantly pointed it out.
“Alright, I won’t keep you. If you have something to do, go ahead,” the big-bearded man nodded. After Mi Niang walked away, he said to Lan Niang, “You’re not too old, and your strength is probably not much more than Ying Niang’s. Moreover, I don’t have any strenuous work for you. If you stay, I’ll only pay you fifteen cents.”
Cleaning the sheep pen is worth thirty-five cents, but it doesn’t include meals. Lan Niang thought about the lamb that Mi Niang brought back last night, courtesy of the big-bearded man. Their household probably doesn’t lack meat.
“Okay, boss, tell us sisters what kind of work we need to do,” Lan Niang said, letting a few sheep roam around nibbling grass. She imitated Ying Niang by taking off her shoes and wading across the river.
Mi Niang took Da Huang to Bahu’s house and coincidentally ran into Chaolu driving a cattle cart. She asked, “Uncle Chaolu, did you bring the shoe patterns for Auntie?” She still had this matter on her mind.
“Oh, I forgot. But it’s not urgent. You can make them when you have free time,” Chaolu said casually. However, he noticed something by the riverbank amidst the water grass with a hint of pale green and white. He chuckled, “Girl, you were talking about raising chickens last night, and now, naturally raised wild pheasants have come to lay eggs.”
“There are quite a few, four of them.” Chaolu leaned over the riverbank, rummaging through the water grass, “It seems there’s a wild pheasant nest here. I’ve passed by many times before, but I didn’t notice.”
“In that case, let’s leave one egg. Hens can’t count, so when it comes back and sees eggs in the nest, it’ll lay more here.” Since she wasn’t going to ride the cattle cart, Mi Niang walked along the riverbank, wielding the cattle whip in her hand, poking around in the grass, hoping to find other chicken nests.
Chaolu held up a chicken egg against the sunlight, shaking his head, “The hen was probably caught and eaten by an eagle. These eggs have been here for a while. I’ll give you two; bring them back and add some vegetables at noon.”
“Don’t say no again; two eggs aren’t worth much.”
“Alright, I’ll accept them.” Mi Niang smiled, took the two wild chicken eggs, and asked Chaolu about the usual places where wild chickens liked to make nests and lay eggs.
Bahu had been waiting for Mi Niang early in the morning. Usually, she was one of the first to arrive, but today, most of the workers had already come, and she still hadn’t shown up. He couldn’t sit still, thinking about whether he should go to where she lived and check if she was sick, like her sheep.
Who would have thought that he was worrying for nothing? Mi Niang arrived by cattle cart, looking excited as she talked to Chaolu. There was no sign of illness whatsoever.
“Mi Niang, come over here!” Bahu shouted. What could a nearly fifty-year-old man have to talk about with her?
This time, not only Mi Niang but everyone present turned to look at him upon hearing the shout. They saw the swollen and bruised face of the employer, which had already sagged down. His eyes drooped, lips tightly pursed, presenting a fierce appearance.
“Mi Niang, did you offend the employer?” Someone quietly asked her as she walked towards the hill. She was puzzled, but feeling uneasy, she replied, “I don’t think so?” She discreetly looked around. With so many sheep, she couldn’t find where her sheep had gone.
“Employer, are you looking for me?” Mi Niang walked over and quietly assessed Bahu’s expression. His face was dark and bruised, and his lips had a hint of purple.
“Employer, did you not sleep last night? Your complexion doesn’t look right. Do you want to go back and get some rest?” She was worried that her sheep had been discovered. Despite feeling extremely uneasy, she didn’t mind if the employer was giving her a hard time and immediately started saying good things.
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep last night.” Bahu’s expression improved. Last night, he had fed medicinal herbs to the sheep showing signs of illness, and afterward, he had gone through the flock to ensure that it wasn’t a contagious disease. At the break of dawn, he had checked on the lambs again. The time was too short to know if it had been effective. He hurried back, took a rope, and tied up the sick sheep separately in one place, burning the area where it had lain, including the grass and soil.
“You should go back and get some rest,” Mi Niang reached into her pocket, took out two eggs, and handed them to him, “When I was a child and had bruises, my mother would boil an egg for me. When you cook, boil the egg until it’s well done and roll it over the bruised area. It helps the healing process go faster.”
Bahu stared at the eggs with his eyes, his throat rolling. He looked away and asked, “Did you pick these up? Take them back and eat them yourself. As a grown man, I don’t need them. I’ll be fine in two or three days.” His tone softened considerably.
Mi Niang glanced at his cheekbones. Yesterday, they were still purple, and today they had turned dark. There was no way they would heal in just two or three days.
“Uncle Chaolu gave me a jug of sheep’s milk last night, so I’m not lacking eggs to eat.” Mi Niang explained and glanced at the man, placing the eggs beside him.
Bahu felt a bit uneasy when Mi Niang crouched down close to him. He subtly moved his body backward, “There’s still milk at home. I’ll squeeze a jug for you in the afternoon.”
“No need to go out of your way. If there’s any leftovers just give it to me.”
Bahu didn’t respond to her. He stood up and crouched back down to pick up two more eggs. Holding them in his hand, he turned around and said, “Follow me. One of the sheep you’re raising has diarrhea. I’m not sure if it ate the wrong grass or if it’s sick.”
“What?” Mi Niang was surprised, followed him, and said awkwardly, “You found out, huh? There’s no one watching at night, so we just drive the sheep into the felt tent. There are too many sheep, and the smell inside is not pleasant. So, I took a shortcut and didn’t cause you any trouble, did I?”
“What if you did?”
“Oh, your flock also has diarrhea?” Mi Niang’s heart sank, feeling defeated, “Then I’ll have to sell myself to you as a servant.”
“Not really,” Bahu couldn’t help but smile. Hearing a sigh behind him, he added, “I stayed up last night to watch over your sheep. Isn’t that a trouble?”
“If they were bitten and dragged away by wolves, I didn’t plan on seeking compensation from you,” Mi Niang said seriously. “Just treat them as four random weeds mixed in the flock. You don’t need to pay special attention to them.”
Dream on, he did pay special attention. Bahu turned and walked around a bend. Under a crooked-neck tree ahead, he had tied up a sheep. The sheep lay on the ground, chewing grass with every mouthful. Bahu took a quick look and knew that this sheep’s fate was sealed. He had fed it medicine for diarrhea twice last night and this morning, but it looked worse than yesterday and seemed lethargic.
“It can still eat grass; it should be fine in a couple of days, right?” Mi Niang recalled her childhood when she picked up a cat with a broken leg. Even with a festering wound, it still had an appetite and bounced back to life after enduring for half a month.
“Maybe,” Bahu swallowed the ominous words and said, “I’ll feed it more medicinal herbs, and I’ll bring a jug of sheep’s milk for it to drink later. I’m worried it might affect the other sheep, so I’ve kept it tied up here until it gets better.”
“Can you tell me what the medicinal herbs look like? I’ll go find and pick them,” Mi Niang said, worried about the sheep that had grown attached to her over time. “Can I take two days off? I want to take care of it.”
“Worried it might die?” Bahu glanced at the sheep’s backside, his suspicions becoming clearer.
“Of course, why else would I come to the Northern Wastes if not to be a servant?” After being away for so long, in a place with few women, Mi Niang wanted to leave. She asked again, “What do the medicinal herbs look like? Or should I go buy them from the pharmacy?”
“Go back and shear the sheep, and I’ll watch over it for you.” Seeing Mi Niang about to refuse, Bahu added disdainfully, “I also need to guard my flock. If my sheep get infected, it’ll be a problem.”
Mi Niang had nothing to say. She rubbed her hands together and said with embarrassment, “I’ve caused you trouble.”
“It could also be that it ate the wrong grass.”
However, things took a turn for the worse. Bahu went back to sleep for a while, and when he came to check, the sheep couldn’t stand up anymore. By nightfall, it had stiffened, catching everyone off guard.
