After finishing the beef, Da Huang wanted to run, but Bahu grabbed its dog leg, saying, ‘Come to my house for lunch. I’ll slaughter a sheep, and in the evening, I’ll take you back.’
Da Huang struggled with its dog leg, and its name was grabbed again. Reluctantly, it followed the man, glancing back at the flock of sheep from time to time.
When migrating the cattle and sheep, Bahu left five castrated rams for the male servant guarding the house. He directly took Da Huang to the nearby pasture.
“Master, you haven’t left yet?” The male servant was surprised when he heard footsteps.
“I’ll leave tomorrow morning.” Even if unwilling, Bahu couldn’t delay any longer. He couldn’t trust the male servant to take care of over a thousand heads of cattle and sheep. Without the help of his parents and siblings, he had to work hard on his own.
“Do your thing; I’m going to drive the lead sheep back to slaughter.” Bahu chose the largest sheep, and when his eyes touched the sharp sheep horns, something stirred in his heart.
Da Huang understood Bahu’s actions and excitedly wagged its tail, following behind the sheep, jumping and running back.
“This dog is a bit small, but it looks quite useful.” The male servant smacked his lips.
“Indeed, it’s clever.” Bahu glanced at him satisfied, as if his dog had just been praised.
Handing the sheep over to Da Huang, Bahu returned to the felt tent and took out two knives. Before the sheep could react, he pierced its heart with a knife. The bright red blood flowed down the rough and powerful hand, and the powerless sheep fell to the ground without making a single whimper.”
Bahu carried the sheep leg to a new location to start skinning. Da Huang skillfully walked over to lick the sheep’s blood, clearly showing the cooperation between the man and the dog.
Skinning a sheep is a skilled job. If the skin is too thin, it will affect the price, and if it’s too thick, kneading it during processing makes the stench nauseating. Bahu narrowed his eyes, holding a thin-bladed knife in his right hand. His left hand, covered in fresh blood, rolled the sheepskin, cutting it down with precise strokes along the seams. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice someone approaching.
“Master, not long after you left in the morning, Sir Agula came over, said nothing, and left,” said Chaolu, waiting for Bahu to finish peeling off the entire sheepskin before daring to speak.
“Did he come to the house?” Bahu stood up, carrying the sheepskin to the riverside to wash his hands. He soaked the sheepskin in the water to wet it. Only after hearing Agula’s name did he recall his elder brother. “Have you heard any news from Mandu Ratu?”
“No, Sir Agula didn’t come to the house. I saw him on the road. He spoke a few words to someone, then turned his horse’s head and left. I thought of coming to tell you as soon as I saw you,” replied Chaolu, taking over Bahu’s work. He cut open the sheep’s belly, removed the internal organs, and prepared a pot of mutton offal soup with the heart, liver, and lungs. The sheep’s stomach and intestines, filled with fresh mutton, were hung to air-dry for some time.
“Master, why are you chopping off the sheep horns?” Chaolu, after removing the four sheep legs, noticed Bahu using a knife to chop off the sheep horns. He wondered what use it had since they couldn’t be used as firewood and chopping them was a strenuous effort.
Bahu impatiently raised his eyes to look at Chaolu. “Can’t I have the itch to do something in my free time?”
Sure, why not? Not only his hands but his mouth itched too. It might be time for a little scolding.
“I’ll go cook the meat,” Chaolu quickly walked away.
With a crisp sound, the sheep horn broke. The knife, unable to contain its force, sank halfway into the soil. Bahu looked at the half-palm-sized sheep horn in his hand and switched to a more delicate knife to trim away the bone fragments. After lunch, he took out a saw blade and continued to sharpen it, not moving for half a day. As the sun set, a conical sheep horn, sharp at the front and rounded at the back, was completed.
“Looks quite intimidating; I’m going to sharpen one too.” Chaolu saw Bahu tossing the sheep horn in his hand and couldn’t help feeling envious.
Da Huang was still lying in its original spot. Upon hearing its owner’s voice, it immediately stood up, wagging its tail. Bahu, noticing its movement, casually straightened his back. As the group led by MI Niang approached to herd the sheep, he spoke, “Today, I slaughtered a fat sheep. Come to me to buy mutton.”
“But we’ve already made a deal with him. He’ll save us some knife-cut meat,” Mi Niang politely declined.
“I’ll send someone to tell him to sell to others. Buy from me. The mutton will go bad if it’s not finished overnight,” Bahu said calmly, flicking the warm sheep horn from his sleeve. “Take mine; the remaining meat is not much.”
“But, we only planned to buy a pound of meat,” Mi Niang glanced at her friends. Seeing them avoiding her gaze, she knew it was not feasible. “Or you can use salt to preserve it. You can still eat it tomorrow morning.”
It was the first time Bahu felt frustrated for not being able to sell the meat, but having come this far, he gritted his teeth and continued, “There’s not much left.”
To avoid an awkward situation, Mi Niang decided, “Today, I want an extra meal with more meat. I won’t buy in with you guys. You go ahead; help me drive the sheep back. I’ll be back later.”
“Okay.” Pandi took the basket of vegetables from Mi Niang’s hand and continued walking back.
“Hey, do you think Bahu has feelings for Mi Niang?” Lan Niang winked and gestured with her head.
This time, Mu Xiang, surprisingly, didn’t go against Lan Niang. She turned her head and glanced back, saying, “Men are like that, they love the meat they can’t reach. If someone competes for it, they become even more obsessed.”
“Well…”
“For heaven’s sake.” Mu Xiang rolled her eyes at Lan Niang, expressing her frustration, “Are there only two men left in Lingshan? Is it worth your intense attention just because one is a butcher? This is the extent of your insight.”
“I wasn’t trying to say that.” Lan Niang’s face flushed with anger. What did Mu Xiang mean by “this is the extent of your insight”? She just wanted to enjoy eating meat, have an easy life, and have someone pleasingly chasing after her—what’s wrong with that?
“What do you want to say? Speak, I’m listening.” Mu Xiang looked disdainful, “With your little scheming, who do you think you can fool? Just by wagging your tail, I know what shit you’re up to.”
Pandi gave a calm order to Ying Niang to go and buy meat with the money, indifferent to the bickering between the two behind her. She was used to it; these two could skip a meal in a day but never a quarrel.
“Don’t mention what happened just now to him. If he asks, say you don’t know,” Pandi instructed Ying Niang.
“I know, I won’t say a word.”
…
A month later, Mi Niang stepped into Bahu’s territory again. She stood outside waiting for Bahu to cut the meat for her. The enticing aroma of meat wafted from the courtyard, and Da Huang casually entered a felt bag, where a few words could be heard.
“Da Huang, come out, it’s time to go back,” Mi Niang called out. Seeing the lump of meat in Bahu’s hand, she frowned and swallowed saliva, “How much?”
“Let’s call it ten cents, anyway, it won’t sell.” Bahu threaded the meat with a rope and handed the clean end to her.
“It’s more than three catches, right?” Mi Niang didn’t take it and took a step back. “Forty cents, I’m getting a good deal.” Forty cents would be enough for her to eat for ten days.
“Take it back and eat. Da Huang has had more than this for two meals.” Bahu didn’t accept the copper coin she handed over.
Since the man didn’t take it, Mi Niang withdrew her hand. Listening to the conversations of varying volumes from the felt bag not far away, she asked with a smile, “You like feeding meat to Da Huang because you like it. What about sending meat to me, which one is it for?”
“There seemed to be a momentary pause in the surroundings; both the voices and chewing sounds disappeared. Bahu’s mind went blank, and a buzzing sound filled his ears. He felt dizzy, his eyes blurred to the point where he couldn’t see a person two steps away. Taking advantage of this, he lowered his head.
Mi Niang waited and waited, seeing that he still didn’t speak with his head down. She shouted towards the well-lit felt bag, ‘Da Huang, come out, we’re going back.’
‘Meat.’
‘I can afford to buy meat to eat. If one day I can’t afford meat, I won’t eat meat of unclear origin.’ Mi Niang, with Da Huang, was about to leave. She felt frustrated and turned back to the man. Under his gaze, she took the meat and asked, ‘Explain to me clearly, what’s the intention behind giving me lamb?’
Bahu’s breath was rapid, his chest rising and falling unevenly, but he kept his lips tightly closed.
‘Don’t play dumb. You hired me to work on an exception, feeding my dog for free, and staying up for two nights to treat my sheep without saying a word. You warned me that He is not a good person, and in the evening, you intercepted me and gave me lamb. Explain to me clearly, do you have feelings for me?’ Mi Niang pressed on step by step.
Bahu panicked. He panicked because Mi Niang found out about his feelings, and he panicked because of her clever mouth. Pressed against the felt bag, he even found himself worrying about whether she would nag him every day after getting married.”
“Get lost! If you dare to harass me again, I’ll slap you across the face.” Mi Niang, seeing the man still silent, was so angry that her lips trembled. She threw the meat she was holding at his face, saying, “Da Huang, you’re not allowed to come out. If you dare to secretly go find it, I’ll report you to the authorities for dog theft.”
“Da Huang, let’s go. Don’t come back again.” Mi Niang ran out as if escaping.
Bahu was hit back to his senses by the meat, and he hurriedly chased after her, saying to the people crossing the river, “Give me some time. I need to think about it.”
“Who cares about you? Just go far away.” Mi Niang walked quickly, spitting as she walked, “I’m going to get married, don’t come and ruin my reputation.”
In the felt bag, the five people waited until the footsteps were all gone before they started cutting and eating the meat. They looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Interesting, this girl is interesting.”
Uncle Muren laughed uncontrollably, “Usually, she’s fierce to us, but today she silenced the mute, deserved it.”
“Someone is coming back.” Chaolu heard the footsteps and whispered a reminder. He cut a large piece of meat, stood up when Bahu entered dejectedly, and said, “I’m done eating. I’ll go back first.”
“I’ve almost finished eating too. Chaolu, wait for me.”
One after another, people left one after another, and in the felt bag, only Uncle Muren, who was too late to stand up, and the black-faced man standing at the door remained.
“You’ve eaten enough too, go out with them,” Bahu urged.
Presumptuous, did you think I stayed behind to accompany you on purpose? Uncle Muren leisurely got up and walked out, seeing the meat covered in dust. He deliberately said loudly, “It’s a good piece of meat, what a waste.”
Bahu ignored him, sitting by the fragrant pot without appetite. He had feelings for Mi Niang; he couldn’t deceive others or himself about that. However, his sudden emotional turmoil left him feeling empty inside. He was afraid to express his feelings. What if both parties communicated openly? Marriage proposal? Marriage? Having children and living together?
He dared not. He didn’t know how to be a husband, or how to be a father.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, accompanied by a woman’s voice. Bahu stood up and went outside. Once out of the felt bag, he realized it was already late at night. He had lost track of time in contemplation.
“Master, your big brother and sister-in-law have arrived,” Uncle Muren put down the chopping knife in his hand, thinking it was thieves.
