Mi Niang drove the sheep back to the felt bag and received gazes coming from all directions. She lowered her eyes and smiled, “Why is everyone looking at me?”
“Your sheep are growing quite fast,” Pandi ambiguously remarked.
Mu Xiang, upon hearing this, glanced at the sheep. Indeed, they had grown considerably, almost catching up with her sheep. Initially, when she first acquired them, Mi Niang sheep were the smallest and weakest, with a relatively small size.
“They graze on night grass when left in the wild at night, and eating more leads to faster growth,” Mi Niang explained as she herded the four sheep into the flock. She noticed that her sheep had indeed grown quite a bit now that they were placed with the others. She had entrusted her sheep to Bahu’s flock, and she hadn’t paid much attention to them.
“Mi Niang, I heard that someone has implicated you with your employer in some dubious relationship. Is there any truth to this?” Mu Xiang couldn’t hold back and asked the question.
“Half true, half false. Someone is spreading rumors, the true part is the gossip, and the dubious relationship is false,” Mi Niang stopped in her tracks, shrugged helplessly, and said, “It’s one thing if others believe these rumors, but how could you? During the day, I’m with a group of twenty people, shearing sheep together. After work, I come back, eat, and sleep. When do I have time to flirt with men?”
“If you hadn’t said those words yesterday, why would I have doubted? Bahu has a prosperous family business, and he looks good too. It wouldn’t be surprising if you were attracted to him,” Mu Xiang seemed to feel wronged first, despite her good relationship with Pandi. Among the people in the felt bag, she had the most trust in Mi Niang’s character. For half a month straight, she shared half of her food with the dog, even drinking water wildly in the middle of the night when hungry. This was not something just anyone could do. Even for the sake of bringing Da Huang along on the journey, she gave up riding the ox cart. Why did Mi Niang not have spare clothes and shoes? It was because the soles of her shoes were worn out from walking, and her clothes were torn by branches. By the time they reached the desert in the north, she had only one set of clothes left that she could wear.
“You’re overthinking it,” Mi Niang replied.
“That’s good then. Let me tell you, Bahu is not someone you should marry. He’s extremely fierce. At the age of fourteen, he dared to pick up a knife and cut his father. After that, he frequently got into fights with his father. According to Uncle AoGa, the wounds Bahu suffered at the age of fourteen or fifteen have never fully healed. His father is the same, often going out with a swollen face and black eyes, after drinking heavily,” Mu Xiang deliberately inquired about Mi Niang during the noon, “He dares to fight with his father. In the future, he’ll be even more ruthless towards his wife and children.
“What Mu Xiang said is true. She got close to the employer on purpose to find out about it for you,” Pandi said with a hint of bitterness in her heart.
“Thank you, Mu Xiang,” Mi Niang felt a warmth in her heart. “Don’t listen to those few malicious people spreading rumors. Bahu has no such intentions towards me, and I don’t have plans to get married in the short term.”
“What are you talking about? Who is getting married?” Lan Niang and Ying Niang returned after eating, and they only heard the last two words, “Is it Mi Niang?”
“You misunderstood. No one is getting married,” Mi Niang saw Ying Niang holding a bunch of garlic chives and asked, “Why did you pick so many garlic chives?”
“I’m making garlic chive sauce. It helps cut through the grease when eating meat. Sister Mi Niang, if you have time, go pick some more. My employer’s family makes a lot of garlic chive sauce. They say it’s indispensable throughout the year. If you’re busy, I’ll pick some for you tomorrow.”
“I have time. I’ll pick some tomorrow while tending to the sheep,” she told Chaolu as they were finishing work. Tomorrow, she would only hire male workers to dig trenches, and the day after tomorrow, she would start selecting and washing the sheep wool.
“Mi Niang, do you know him?” Suddenly, Lan Niang asked.
“Who is that? I haven’t heard of this person.”
“So, he inquired about you to me? Is it true about you and Bahu?” Lan Niang looked at Mi Niang with suspicion.
“Do you believe the gossip from those sharp-tongued busybodies outside?” Mu Xiang interrupted Mi Niang and rolled her eyes, saying, “Mi Niang said she hadn’t heard of him. If he likes to inquire, let him inquire. What does it have to do with Mi Niang? Instead, you should keep your mouth shut and stop gossiping outside.”
“Am I talking to you? Why are you so annoying? I can’t be bothered with you.” Lan Niang felt embarrassed. She had already avoided Mu Xiang’s sharp tongue, but unexpectedly, Mu Xiang was still trying to provoke her.
While the two were arguing, Mi Niang quietly slipped away with her dirty clothes. Ying Niang also went with her. “Do you know who She is, as mentioned by Lan Niang?”
“He’s the one who runs a meat shop, my employer’s third younger brother. He came to help our employer this afternoon when we were collecting sheep wool from the water. We had dinner together at the same table tonight,” Ying Niang replied in a composed manner.
Him!
“He is frivolous and talks without a clear point. Pay him no mind,” instructed Mi Niang.
“Oh, okay,” Ying Niang obediently responded without asking for further details.
The next day, while others were busy working, only Mi Niang had some free time. She took the initiative to take on the task of herding sheep, driving twenty-four sheep to a distant place. The grass there was lush, and the sheep could graze to their heart’s content.
From a distance, Da Huang wagged its tail and barked a couple of times towards the silhouette on the backlit horse. Mi Niang raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun and finally saw a figure on horseback.
She looked down at Da Huang, loosened the leash in her hand, and it immediately glanced back at her before dashing away with the rope trailing behind.
“Good dog, not in vain that I fed you.” Bahu jumped off the horse, glanced at the riverbank, picked up Da Huang, and asked, “Haven’t ridden a horse yet? Today, I’ll let you have some fun.” He effortlessly lifted Da Haung onto the horse, then mounted himself, scooping up the dog’s waist and placing it on the horse. With a gentle squeeze of his legs, the docile black horse trotted towards the riverbank.
Da Huang, frightened, had its tail hanging down between its hind legs. Once dismounted, it collapsed on the ground, sticking its tongue out, crawling towards Mi Niang’s legs, afraid of disturbing anyone.
Mi Niang saw the comical sight and couldn’t help but smile. She asked the man who walked over, “Are you racing horses?”
“No, I came out to find the herds of horses and camels. Once they are branded, they are left to graze freely on the grassland. Checking their movements every three to five days is enough,” explained Bahu. When alone, Bahu was a bit awkward, and after a few words, he didn’t know what else to say. Glancing at the grazing sheep, he asked an obvious question, “Herding sheep?”
“Yeah,” Mi Niang lowered her eyes. “You go about your business; I won’t disturb you.”
“Ah.” Bahu turned to lead the horse, wanting to say something but didn’t know where to start.
“I’m leaving then,” hesitated Bahu before giving a nod.
“Yeah.” After Bahu left, Mi Niang snapped back to reality, and Da Huang, having recovered from its initial fright, swaggered off toward the flock, asserting its dominance once again.
On the grasslands of the northern desert, there were many wildflowers that Mi Niang had never seen before. Most of these flowers were only as big as the pad of a thumb, crowded and floating above the green grass. In what should be a busy summer for bees, there was an unusual absence of their buzzing presence.
With this curiosity in mind, while washing the sheep’s wool, Mi Niang asked Chaolu where there were more bees in the northern desert.
“Bees? They’re everywhere.”
“I’ve been here for a while, but I rarely see them. There are plenty of flowers near the mountains,” Mi Niang subtly observed over a considerable period.
“There are many people and livestock here. If you go a bit further, you’ll see them, preferably in places without human habitation. We burn cow dung in our daily lives, and the smoke and ash drive away insects. Any insect doesn’t like this smell,” Chaolu said. Seeing Bahu approaching, he stopped his work. “Leaving? Can you make it back before the caravan returns?”
“If I can’t make it back, you and Uncle Muren can decide to sell them. If the price is too low, sell less. Pick out the top-quality wool and leave it behind. When it gets colder, I’ll make felt.” Bahu spoke about this matter as soon as he arrived and instructed, “Pay the hired workers promptly; don’t delay it overnight.”
“Ah, I understand,” Chaolu replied after Bahu left, praising the others, “Have you ever seen such a good employer? He never delays paying wages.”
Good? Did everyone close their mouths and not dare to speak when he came? Who wouldn’t be afraid of being labeled as spreading gossip and getting driven away? But outwardly, they all continued to praise the employer for their generosity and kindness.
“Where is the employer going?” Someone curiously asked as they watched Bahu riding away on his horse.
“Migrating the sheep flock, it’s midsummer, time to change pastures. Not just him, all herders will drive their livestock to a new pasture when the seasons change, finding a place to graze before the grass is entirely consumed,” Chaolu pointed to the noticeable grass scraps in the wool, “Whenever you see grass leaves or sheep dung, pick them out opportunistically. Soak them in water, the grass leaves decay, and the sheep dung dissolves. It makes washing during the wool cleaning process even more challenging.”
“To where are they migrating? Does that mean we have to move as well?”
“We don’t migrate. The place we currently inhabit is a crucial route for caravans to and from, and after drying the wool, we sell it to the merchants in the caravan. In autumn, we also sell sheepskins, cowhides, and wolf pelts. As for the destination where the livestock migrates, it’s not far from here; you can reach it in a day if you ride a fast horse,” Chaolu noticed the confusion on the faces of the newcomers and kindly explained, “The caravan from Dakang passes through here, heading west to the capital. Usually, around the beginning of each month, they pass by Lingshan, selling goods along the way. On the return journey, they buy cattle and sheep, hides and furs, mare’s milk, and medicinal herbs from the herders. The wolf hairbrushes and wool brushes from the capital are finely crafted and not expensive. Merchants buy a batch every month to sell in Dakang.”
“Our capital is in Guchuan, the fief of Qinggele’s Dajuzhi. In the early autumn, the capital sends an army to pay tribute to Dakang. When they return in late autumn, we hitch a ride with the army back to Guchuan. After the thaw at the end of spring, we migrate with the livestock to Lingshan. People stay put during the change of seasons, but the livestock moves.”
“The capital is where the Khan resides? Is it far from here?” Mi Niang asked.
“It’s quite far. It takes about half a month to ride a fast horse, and even walking without getting lost would still take one or two months. Lingshan is also about half a month away from Guchuan because the cattle and sheep slow us down,” Chaolu took a wooden board, pressed the wool floating on the water’s surface into the water, and continued, “The prosperity of the Northern Desert only started about thirty years ago. Before I turned ten, I remember… oh, you know, right? Our Datan Qinggele was the Kangning Princess of Dakang. Before she married the Khan, we had no dealings with Dakang. It was only after Kangning Princess became Datan Qinggele that the Northern Desert flourished. She established private schools and formed the royal caravan. After that, the caravans from Dakang began frequenting the Northern Desert.”
“After growing up, the Dajuzhi received the fief of Guchuan, and the Datanjiji presides over Youzhou. After collecting grains each year, most of the rice and grains from Youzhou are transported to the Northern Desert. When autumn comes, you will be able to see carts of grain passing through Lingshan.”
“That’s wonderful.” Hearing the sighs from the people around her, Mi Niang couldn’t help but agree. Indeed, just listening to Chaolu’s description made it sound wonderful.
