People living by the river could see Bahu carrying a basket to the west bank of the river every morning to deliver meals. After that, he would take a dog and lead the cattle and sheep to graze. By noon, he would be carrying a heavy basket again, with a fluffy mixed-breed dog trotting behind him. As dusk approached, the dog would herd the cattle and sheep back first. When night fell, Bahu, carrying a basket over his shoulder and a milk pot in his hand, hurriedly headed towards the west bank of the river, exuding a fragrant scent.
“Bahu seems to be in for some good luck. Apart from beating his father, these days he walks with an air of confidence.”
“He’s also quite capable and knows how to charm the little girls. It’s probably because he saved Mi Niang that he got the chance to take advantage of her vulnerability.” The herders in the nearby mountains all thought that Mi Niang suffered a loss by following Bahu. The young lady was beautiful, bold, and had plans. She was willing to endure hardships. Following a man like Bahu, who raised his fists against his own father, would probably lead to suffering.
But the refugees from the West envied them. Bahu had over a thousand head of cattle and sheep, and he even had servants at home. In any other place, he would be considered a wealthy landlord. As for Mi Niang, she was a nearly ruined girl from a bereaved family. She might be a bit attractive, but she wasn’t worth serving like a mistress.
“You’ve been quite honest these days, anything bothering your conscience?” Mu Xiang noticed Lan Niang staring eagerly at the two people outside, so she lightly kicked her as a reminder, fearing Lan Niang might let saliva drool out.
“What could I have done to bother my conscience?” Lan Niang raised her voice, discontentedly saying, “When I talk, you find fault; when I shut up, you’re still unhappy. Mind your own business.”
Mu Xiang was startled by her loud voice, feeling uneasy.
“There’s something off about you.” Lan Niang’s character was well known to those living in the felt tent, and Mu Xiang had even caught her eavesdropping outside while Wan’er talked to her grandmother. Whenever there was something going on, Lan Niang would genuinely inquire about it. In the past few days, while Mi Niang and Bahu were having a passionate affair like palace concubines, waiting for the little eunuchs to bring them meals three times a day, Lan Niang, unusually, didn’t mention or get close to those two.
“Have you changed your personality? Haven’t seen you plotting your marriage strategy for a few days.” Mu Xiang exchanged a glance with Pandi, a spark igniting in their minds. She exclaimed, “Since Mi Niang was abducted by him, you’ve been acting like this, avoiding her!”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I’ll tear your mouth apart if you keep blabbering.” Before Mu Xiang could make sense of anything, Lan Niang exploded. Her emotions were unusually intense, and her gaze flickered unpredictably. However, when her eyes met the thoughtful gaze of Pandi, there was a momentary pause in her expression, followed by an immediate return to calmness. She sat down, composed.
“I was frightened. I always thought he was a good person, but he’s insanely planning to harm Mi Niang. I feel like I can’t understand people’s hearts, so how can I dare to consider marriage.” She explained anxiously.
“I remember that night it was supposed to be your turn to bring back the sheep. Why did Mi Niang go instead?” If Mu Xiang hadn’t suddenly brought up this matter, Pandi would have forgotten about it.
“I exchanged with Mi Niang. My stomach was hurting, and I needed to find a place to relieve myself, so I asked her to switch with me.” Speaking of this, Lan Niang looked both scared and relieved, “Fortunately, Da Huang was closely following Mi Niang. If it were me who went over, he might have killed me, and you might not have found me.”
“No, if you didn’t know in advance, he wouldn’t harm you even if you found out later. Lan Niang, you slipped up. Think about how you explained it to Mu Xiang just now.” Mi Niang suddenly spoke up, frightening Lan Niang, who immediately jumped up. Her gaze was frantic and forcefully composed, but she couldn’t recall what special words she had said to Mu Xiang.
“You said: ‘I always thought he was a good person, but he’s insanely planning to harm Mi Niang. I feel like I can’t understand people’s hearts.'” Mi Niang repeated her words exactly, asking, “Who told you that he is plotting against me? Do you know, Pandi? What about Mu Xiang? Has anyone mentioned that he is targeting me?”
Mi Niang remembered that when she asked Bahu, there were no other people around. After that, aside from mentioning it to Zhao’s Grandma, no one knew that he had abducted her for revenge against Bahu.
“I don’t know. Is he targeting you? Did he follow you or go ahead and wait for you?” Pandi couldn’t help but rub her arms, just thinking about someone secretly monitoring you in broad daylight made her hair stand on end.
“That’s a question for Lan Niang.” Mi Niang crossed the threshold and walked to Lan Niang’s side, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. “Did you conspire with him to harm me? Are you trying to kill me?”
“No, I didn’t. Mi Niang, believe me, I really didn’t.” Lan Niang was scared to the point of tears streaming down, “I may be simple-minded, but I truly don’t have malicious intentions. I lack cleverness, but I’m not evil. I was deceived too.”
Lan Niang sat on the ground in a daze, and only then did she mention his finding her. It happened on the evening before Mi Niang was abducted, he came over and called her away in a grand manner.
“At that time, you were all there. When he called me aside to talk, he was just asking about what tasks we were going to do the next day. When he learned that it was my turn to bring back the sheep, he begged me to switch with Mi Niang. He said he wanted to know why Mi Niang chose Bahu over him.”
Without a doubt, Lan Niang was persuaded by his earnest words. A man with deep affection, even if the object of his affection was not her, she would be moved by his sincerity.
“I never thought he would harm you. Before you were found by Bahu, I was still thinking that he might save you. He’s too good at disguising himself. He went out with us to herd sheep and dig vegetables more than once. How could I have expected him to have such intentions?” Lan Niang’s body softened as she cried. These days, she had also been scared half to death, and in her heart, she was grateful that Mi Niang was safe. Otherwise, she would have had half a life on her conscience.
In the felt tent, not a single person spoke, only the sound of Lan Niang sobbing. Mi Niang stood up, another unintentional mistake, or perhaps she was once again manipulated. She glanced at Bahu, his expression equally dark as if it could squeeze out water.
“You’re unbelievably foolish. We’ve shared meals and slept together for over two months, and you can’t even compare to a smooth-talking man. He made you keep secrets from me, and you went along with it?” Mi Niang knew in her heart that there was no perpetual thief, only one who could guard against thieves for a thousand days. She couldn’t do anything about Lan Niang, except scold her and keep her distance.
“Our friendship ends here, and I don’t want to deal with someone as muddled as you in the future.” No regret medicine could be taken, but it wasn’t too late to mend the sheep pen after losing the sheep.
“Didn’t you say to bring a felt tent over for me? Bring it, I’ll move out.” Mi Niang said to Bahu. Her belongings were only added these past two days, and with each of them carrying a bedding roll, they quickly moved out.
“Let her move out. Mi Niang, you stay.” Pandi spoke up. “We’re also afraid of being stabbed in the back by someone like her. Let her move out.”
“You can’t do this. I was deceived too. I didn’t want this. Mi Niang was abducted, and I almost became an accomplice. Whom did I offend?” Lan Niang cried loudly. If she moved out in this way, who would dare to associate with her in the future? Her reputation would be worse than Mi Niang’s.
“Whether she moves out or not doesn’t concern Mi Niang. Anyway, Mi Niang is moving out. I’ve long wanted her to live separately.” Bahu spoke up, stopping Pandi from persuading. It would be much more convenient for him to find Mi Niang if she moved out.
“And Mi Niang will move out sooner or later. We can’t have her living here after we get married.”
“Getting married?” Pandi didn’t look at Bahu, but she also understood. As long as Mi Niang didn’t agree, no amount of persuasion would work.
“Soon. When the time comes, I’ll invite all of you to the wedding banquet.” Bahu quickly added.
“I’ll come for the wedding banquet.” Mi Niang responded to the latter part.
“Okay, I’ll definitely come then.” Pandi didn’t linger. “I’ll go inside first to see how to handle this matter. I won’t disturb you.”
“Move to the house across from mine. It’s just across the river. When the meal is ready, I’ll call you, and you can come over. When I’m at home, you don’t have to bother with lighting a fire.” Bahu openly tempted her.
“Why not just let me move into your house?” Mi Niang didn’t agree. If he wanted to get close, he could bring a matchmaker to propose formally. She wouldn’t play secretive games of hidden affection.
The felt tent was set up not far from where Pandi and the others were. When Bahu was setting up the felt tent, Mi Niang handed him ropes and wooden stakes. When it came time to put the felt cloth on the top, she couldn’t exert enough force. Bahu did it all by himself, carrying the felt cloth up and down effortlessly.
Mi Niang, with discerning eyes, served the man tea and water, sweet-talking him, praising his strength, robust physique, and competence. Occasionally, she used a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat. Bahu didn’t call male servants for help, and Mi Niang pretended not to notice, showering him with compliments as if they were free.
As time passed, Bahu couldn’t handle the excessive praise. Hearing Mi Niang’s admiring words was a pleasure to the bones, but he was an honest person. The more he listened, the more uneasy he felt inside. Unwilling to admit that he wasn’t as impressive as she described, he could only change the subject and said, “I’ll be leaving for three or five days in a couple of days. Tomorrow, I’ll have the cooking utensils from my place moved to yours, and I’ll have Chaolu watch over the cattle and sheep for you.”
“Where are you going?”
Just waiting for you to ask, “I plan to visit my two uncles, and see who has time to help me propose a marriage. Is that okay?”
“That’s okay.” Mi Niang felt she was shameless, deciding on her marriage herself, but she nodded quite quickly. She should have hesitated a bit, mumbled a bit, and reluctantly agreed a bit.
Now, both of them fell silent, busy with their heads down in a distracted manner. Bahu only snapped back to reality after he ran out of the rope. However, upon closer inspection, he realized all the ropes were tied to a single pole.
Bahu’s two uncles lived near the ancient river in the grazing field. It would take about two days of riding on a fast horse to reach there. He wanted to ask his uncle for help mainly to prevent any trouble caused by his father. If the old man got drunk and created a scene, it would make Mi Niang’s face unsightly.
“Mi Niang, the master told me to come and take care of the cattle and sheep for you.” Bahu had just left, and Chaolu came over.
“Tonight, you help me watch over the cattle and sheep. During the day, I’ll do it myself.” Mi Niang held a bunch of ropes in her hands. Two days ago, she had noticed that the ropes used to tie the sheep’s horns were too tight, causing discomfort to the sheep as they rubbed against the stones. Today, she planned to replace them with new ones.
“That’s fine too. I won’t be polite to you. If you need my help, just let me know.” Seeing Mi Niang about to become the mistress of the household, Chaolu felt a bit uneasy.
Mi Niang nodded, and after Chaolu left, she untied the live knot on one sheep’s horn and quickly replaced it with a red rope. However, when she was about to untie the rope on the second sheep, she paused. This wasn’t her knotting technique!
To avoid making a mistake, she brought two more sheep. Indeed, all of them had two loops and a live knot, except for that one sheep, which had three loops and a dead knot.
“Come here, Da Huang. Let me ask you, why did you chase it away before? Did you recognize that it wasn’t our family’s sheep?” Mi Niang held the sheep’s horn with one hand and placed the other on the dog’s head. If the dog recognized it, did the person not recognize it?
