During the migration of livestock to the grazing area, Bahu brought only one male servant. They took turns watching over the cattle and sheep. He claimed to be busy but was often found lying in the grass enjoying the breeze, claiming to be free yet unable to be alone. After a month of dragging on, there were two consecutive days of substantial rain. The temperature dropped significantly at night. Bahu used this as an excuse to find a reason to return.
By the time he reached Lingshan, it was already night. The old man, Muren, who was sleeping in the felt tent at the entrance, heard the sound of hooves and sat up, saying, “The master is not at home. Come back during the day if you have something.”
“It’s me. You continue sleeping.” Bahu threw the reins and let the horse go to the river to drink. He walked briskly towards the felt tent where they cooked.
“Why are you back? Is something wrong?” Uncle Muren still got up from the felt tent. In previous years, Bahu would only bring the cattle and sheep back after they had grazed in the summer pasture until autumn.
“The weather changed. I came back to get a mattress. It’s cold at night.”
“In a few days, the temperature will rise again. You know the weather in Lingshan.” Uncle Muren realized he misspoke only after the words were out. With a quick turn of his old eyes, he corrected himself, “But these nights have indeed been cold. Many people in the three big camps to the west have caught a chill.”
“Oh, you don’t know yet. County magistrate Hu divided the nearly two thousand people to the west into three big camps and appointed people to manage them.”
By now, the fire under the pot had also ignited. Bahu added a ladle of water to the pot and leaned against the table, casting a sidelong glance at the old man outside the door. “Has my mother sent any messages during this time?”
Uncle Muren immediately fell silent, his eyes flickering as he hesitated for a moment. “I’m old and can’t endure it. I should go back to sleep.”
Bahu snorted, watching the hunched old man step over the threshold. He spoke in a deep voice, “Don’t mention my matters to my mother. I will say what needs to be said when the time comes.”
“Ah.” Uncle Muren replied in a muffled voice.
Stir-fried rice and air-dried beef were ready-made. After the water boiled, Bahu cut a lump of butter and threw it in. The butter melted and stirred evenly. The beef was shredded and poured into the pot for a quick boil. When it was ready to be served, it was poured over the stir-fried rice. A large bowl of steaming meat soup soaked with rice was ready to be eaten.
He said he came back to get a mattress, and the next day, Bahu didn’t mention leaving either. When asked by several people, he simply said he had some things to attend to.
“How’s the wool price this year?” Bahu occasionally glanced at the people picking mushrooms in the grassland to the west, but no matter how he looked, it seemed like he didn’t see the girl with the dog.
“It’s two cents lower than last year, and they have more requirements. They won’t even accept wool with bad color. The refugees to the west want to buy, so I discussed it with Muren and sold it to them at a low price.” Chaolu noticed that Bahu was absent-minded. Without thinking, he knew what was on his mind. He brought up Mi Niang on his own. “Speaking of the caravan, when it left half a month ago, Mi Niang asked a young man to help her pay attention to some beehives. She even foolishly said that as long as they were brought over to sell, she would buy them at a higher price.”
“What’s that?” Bahu turned to look at him.
Chaolu shrugged. How would he know? If you want to know, go ask her yourself.
Bahu was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, Chaolu had already gone to attend to something. Sneakily looking around, he took a few steps to the other side of the river. After walking a few steps, he turned back and cut a piece of air-dried beef from the storeroom.
At this time, Mi Niang must not be at home. Holding the piece of meat, he wandered around, looking for the figure of Da Huang, the big yellow dog.
“Bahu? You’re back?” Wuri was pulled out by his sister to pick wild mushrooms and was extremely surprised when he suddenly looked up and saw Bahu.
“Yeah, I have something to attend to.” Bahu stopped, a bit awkwardly revealing the meat he was holding. “Do you remember the yellow-haired dog that came with the caravan from Dakang?”
“Mi Niang’s big yellow dog, right? It’s famous lately. That dog herds sheep, taking them to graze in the morning and bringing them back in the evening.” Wuri was urged by his sister to go get the basket, pointing randomly, “Go south, it often herds sheep downstream by the river.”
With a direction in mind, Bahu quickened his pace. The further south he went, the fewer people there were. He first saw a group of dyed sheep, and then, on the top of a hill, he saw the yellow dog staring at him.
“Da Huang!” Bahu shook the meat in his hand and shouted loudly, “Come and eat meat.”
Da Huang glanced down the slope, then opened its legs, mouth agape, and rushed forward. It ran to Bahu and swayed its big tail in a flattering manner.
“You’ve gotten fatter. What delicious food has your owner been feeding you?”
“Da Huang seems quite close to Bahu,” She squinted and said to the girl beside her.
“I ate at Bahu’s house for quite a long time. Back then, its food was much better than mine.” Mi Niang said to the people still searching for mushrooms, “I’ll come over in a while to say hello to the former host.”
“I’ll go with you; it’s been a while since I last saw Bahu too,” She followed closely behind Mi Niang.
As the two walked away, Lan Niang sat on the grass that hadn’t completely dried yet, grabbing Ying Niang and asking, “Little girl, who do you think looks better, me or Mi Niang?”
“Both are good.” Ying Niang didn’t lie; Lan Niang indeed didn’t look bad.
“Then why is she still clinging to Mi Niang? Any clear-eyed person can see that Mi Niang isn’t interested in him at all, she practically wants to avoid him.” Lan Niang felt frustrated; she had seen her more times than Mi Niang.
“You don’t appeal to him, that’s all. Mi Niang’s face looks sweet, and she’s still a bit thin now. Wait until she gains a bit more weight, then see how it goes. It’s a different taste.” Mu Xiang glanced at Lan Niang and spoke frankly, “Men are just fickle, always wanting what they can’t easily have. The more you pursue them, the less they care.”
“What’s good about her? Isn’t he just a butcher? Every herdsman in Lingshan knows how to slaughter cattle and sheep. I think he’s just lazy. If Mi Niang isn’t interested, you shouldn’t be bothered either,” Wan’er also offered some casual advice.
Mi Niang and she had approached Bahu. Bahu looked up, recognizing her first. He placed the meat in his hand on the ground for Da Huang to continue eating, stood up, frowned, and glanced at her. Only then did he notice the somewhat familiar girl next to her, and he looked at her a bit more but still couldn’t recognize her.
“Did you specifically come over to see Da Huang?” Mi Niang spoke first. “When did you come back?”
Bahu recognized her voice. He was shocked and repeatedly examined Mi Niang, lingering a bit longer on her face, which a month ago had sunken cheeks, wax-yellow skin, and the only bright spot being those dark eyes.
“I wouldn’t have recognized you if you didn’t speak. You’ve gained some weight,” Bahu blurted out.
“Got some meat and milk to replenish. It would be a waste not to gain some weight,” Mi Niang smiled, her bright, lively eyes forming crescents.
“Sure, I sell you good, well-fatted meat. Although it might be a bit greasy, it’s nourishing.” She took the opportunity to interject, glancing at Bahu and asking, “When are you leaving?”
“Who are you?” As soon as she spoke, Bahu knew he had ill intentions. His mood instantly soured, showing no courtesy and retorting sternly, “Whether I stay or leave is none of your damn business.”
“You’re still so hot-tempered. We’ve known each other since childhood. Can’t you remember who I am?” He smiled tolerantly and said to Mi Niang, “My brother here has a temper. I’ve seen him being chased and beaten by his dad when we were kids, and then…”
“Sure!” Bahu was genuinely angry this time, his tiger eyes narrowing, teeth clenched, pointing at her and scolding, “If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll drown you by holding your legs underwater.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t say it.” He shrugged at Mi Niang, not daring to provoke Bahu again. “Do you two have something else to talk about? I’ll go over there and wait for you.” He was afraid that Bahu, this impulsive fellow, would start a fight if provoked.
“You can go ahead and pick mushrooms, or if you have something to do, you can go back first.” Although Mi Niang was startled by Bahu’s sudden change of demeanor, she didn’t develop any bias against him because of his words.
“Why are you walking together with him?” Bahu relaxed a bit, but there was still a hint of anger in his words.
“We live together, and a few of us pool a few coins each day to buy a pound of lamb from his shop to stew soup. After doing it several times, we became familiar.” Mi Niang looked at him. “Do you two have a conflict?”
“He’s not a good person. From a young age, he bullied little girls in the private school group and even enjoyed tattling when he grew up. He’s not straightforward in speech, and he likes to play tricks.” Bahu thought for a moment and finally muttered, “What he just said isn’t entirely false, but he intentionally took advantage of my dad getting drunk to provoke a conflict. While I was being beaten by my dad, he just watched from outside.”
“He’s not a good person. Stay away from him,” Bahu emphasized this statement.
“I don’t want to deal with him either, but he often comes over to find us.” Mi Niang frowned in distress. Despite she’s acting like he’s interested in her, she feels that he has no real affection for her.
“He’s a troublesome person, shameless, and vengeful,” Bahu spoke ill of her without hesitation, lifting his eyelids to look at Mi Niang. “If you ever want to buy meat in the future, come to my place?”
“You also sell meat?”
“…Have you ever eaten air-dried beef? Whether stewed or eaten raw, it’s delicious.” Bahu pointed at Da Huang, but Da Huang had already finished eating the meat. “I’ll bring you a piece later to try.”
“No need, I don’t buy much meat. It’s Ying Niang who runs errands for us.” Mi Niang restrained the smile on her face. Bahu’s gesture gave her the impression that he might be interested in her. “I need to go find mushrooms. If you miss Da Huang, you can take it for a day of fun. It will come back on its own in the evening.”
“Ah…”
“Is there anything else?”
“He is not a good person; don’t believe what he says,” Bahu said seriously.
“Thank you for the reminder; I’ll be able to distinguish.” Mi Niang nodded. This time, she didn’t look back until they crossed over the hill.
Mi Niang’s words made Bahu even more anxious. He knew better than anyone how malicious he could be, and he was skilled at concealing it. Would Mi Niang be deceived by him?
He was extremely uneasy.
“What did Bahu say to you?” He couldn’t help but inquire as Mi Niang approached. He smiled bitterly and added, “I guess he must have bad-mouthed me. He thinks I reported him to his father, causing him to get beaten. He has misunderstood me ever since, no matter how much I explain.”
“You guessed right. He said you’re not a good person.” Mi Niang stared at his face as she spoke. Therefore, he couldn’t hide the resentment that flashed in his eyes.
“He’s still so stubborn. It’s because of his personality that his relationship with his father has worsened. His father…”
“Sure.” Mi Niang interrupted him. “I don’t want to talk behind people’s backs, and I don’t want to hear about Bahu’s past. I’m going to pick mushrooms. What about you?”
“I’ll accompany you.” He took three or four steps to get in front of Mi Niang, walked backward, and stared at her, asking, “When Bahu bad-mouthed me, did you tell him this?”
“I told him I could judge for myself.”
She paused for a moment before realizing what she meant. He laughed heartily, stumbled a bit under his feet, and said, “MiNiang, take your time walking. Watch out for the grass on the ground; don’t fall.”
“Jerk,” Lan Niang muttered under her breath.
“Laugh all you want, you evil spirit,” Bahu heard the arrogant laughter and felt even more frustrated.
