Mi Niang had also awakened early, but due to the embarrassing situation from the previous night, she stayed in bed until she heard the voice of Second Uncle before getting dressed and heading out.
“Second Uncle, are you up?” Pushing open the door of the felt bag, raised Mi Niang her eyes and met the gaze of the man. She hurriedly lowered her head, not noticing the instant reddening of the man’s ears.
“I’ll make breakfast. Does the Second Uncle and cousin have any dietary restrictions?” Mi Niang walked towards the felt bag where she cooked, scooped water to wash her face, and a person walked in from outside.
“This is a face towel for you. Do you prefer to brush your teeth with salt or tea leaves?” Bahu entered in a muffled voice, poked the stove, placed the iron kettle filled with water on the rack, and noisily lifted the lid and stirred the meat soup. He seemed quite busy.
Mi Niang glanced at him, silently pinched a bit of salt, and listened to the continuous pounding outside. She glanced out and saw that Second Uncle had taken over the task of churning butter.
Both of them remained silent, occasionally their eyes met, and then hastily shifted away. After a while, their eyes couldn’t help but meet again. The air became increasingly sticky, and the temperature inside the felt bag skyrocketed with the roaring fire in the pit.
Both of them sweated profusely, but neither of them moved towards the door.
“The butter is ready. Is the water boiling?” A loud voice broke the silence inside the felt bag. Second Uncle, holding a palm-sized lump of butter, pushed the door open, his eyes casually scanning the two people inside. With flushed cheeks and sweaty temples, he didn’t seem to be doing anything serious.
“Uh, we have to hurry back after eating. You two, get on with your business, and don’t delay the important matters.” The middle-aged man, experienced in matters of the heart, reminded them and tactfully exited the scene. He always said, young lads with vigor and energy, how could they not indulge in pleasures?
“Once the butter tea is made, can we start the meal? Has Bagen and the others all gotten up?” Bahu broke off a piece of tea cake and threw it into the boiling water kettle. He cut some butter and tossed it into a dark wooden barrel. Then, he poured the strong tea into the barrel and used a wooden pestle to stir it dozens of times until the butter and strong tea thoroughly blended.
“Should we bring these out?” This was the first time Mi Niang had seen the local herders having breakfast. On the stove, there were stir-fried rice, milk tofu, milk dumplings, and two pots of beef and mutton. The amount of meat consumed in one meal exceeded what she had bought in a month.
“You take care of those. I’ll handle the meat and butter tea.” This morning, he only said these two sentences seriously.
A bowl of butter tea, a bowl of beef and mutton, and Mi Niang found her throat a bit greasy. But the other four men just ate meat and drank milk, occasionally cutting a piece of milk tofu. They forcefully finished the two pots of meat and a bucket of milk. In the end, only some stir-fried rice was left on the table.
“Second Uncle, cousin, would you like some tea?” Mi Niang was worried that they might feel overwhelmed and wanted to make a pot of clear tea to refresh their throats.
“Can’t drink anymore. After drinking so much butter tea, where can we fit in more tea?” Second Uncle looked outside, whistled, threw a piece of lamb bone out, and when the dog didn’t eat, he couldn’t help but say, “What’s wrong, not enough meat?”
“It doesn’t eat food given by strangers. Da Huang, come here.” Bahu threw a piece of bone out, and the dog immediately wagged its tail, picked it up, and ran to the wall to gnaw.
“It was brought by Mi Niang from Dakang. It’s clever and knows what’s good. It only eats what the two of us feed it.” Bahu couldn’t help but look at Mi Niang while speaking.
“Then you’ve gained an advantage, marrying a wife and getting a dog for free.” Second Uncle had some thoughts, squinted, and looked at him, “It’s a female dog, huh? When the puppies are born later, leave me two clever ones.”
Bagen gave his father a disdainful look. He seemed to be the one responsible for everything, whether it was good or bad. Last night, he even complained about the refugees from the north, saying they didn’t come with dowries or relatives, acting as if Bahu had suffered a loss. This morning, he claimed someone took advantage of him because of a small dog.
“Okay, then send it to Second Uncle when the time comes,” Mi Niang responded. She got up, tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, and prepared to take them to the kitchen. When Bahu tried to help, she pushed away his hands, saying, “You talk to Second Uncle and cousin. I’ll go feed Da Huang first so it doesn’t keep staring at the table while eating.”
As Mi Niang left, Bagen followed with sighs, expressing his concerns, “It’s still better to marry a wife.” After saying that, he stared at Bahu with expectant eyes.
“Well, it’s not easy for anyone to get married.” Bahu didn’t quite understand.
“We should also leave. Bahu, when you go back in winter, bring Mi Niang to our house to meet the family. Your eldest uncle is looking forward to it,” interrupted Bahu’s second uncle, signaling his eldest son to take Bagen away. If he had known that such trouble would arise from this trip, he would have come alone.
“We’re leaving, Bahu Just finished eating, taking a break before hitting the road wouldn’t hurt,” Mi Niang heard the commotion and wiped her hands, walking out, with Da Huang following behind, joining the crowd.
“No, the sooner, the better,” he said as he mounted his horse. “Bahu’s wife, when you’re free, let Bahu take you to our second uncle’s house to meet the family. There are other sisters at home, and you can have a good chat together.”
“Sure, these past few days, thank you to Second Uncle and cousin for making such a long trip for our sake. If nothing is going on in the future, bring Aunt and the sisters to visit when you have time.”
“We’re all family, no need for polite words,” Bahu’s second uncle raised his hand. “Alright, we’re leaving. No need to see us off.”
As they departed, only two people remained in front of the door. They exchanged a glance, laughed, and turned away, avoiding each other’s gaze.
“Let’s go, we’re heading back too,” Bahu kicked a stone on the roadside, struggling to find words. “When Mandu Ratu brings my sister-in-law back to Dakang with the caravan, we’ll move to the summer pasture.”
“I’ll pack up my things in the next two days and then go tell Granny Zhao and Pandi that we’re leaving.”
Bahu’s gaze involuntarily moved to a pair of lips, vibrant red and still glistening with moisture. His throat rolled, the multiple folds of his eyelids covering his deep eyes. “I’m going to check on the cattle and sheep.”
Although he said he was checking on the cattle and sheep, he only glanced at them briefly. Then, he circled upstream along the river, behaving like a thief wandering back and forth. Wherever there were more men, he would head in that direction.
“Bahu, it’s your first day as a newlywed. Why aren’t you staying at home with your beautiful wife? What are you doing here?” someone asked loudly, and not only was Bahu awkward, but others also felt uncomfortable watching his strange behavior.
“I’m here to find Wuri.” Bahu walked over with stiff steps, making it clear with a purposeful hint: “You guys can talk about your matters; you don’t need to pay attention to me.” He once overheard them discussing that matter as he passed by, found it distasteful at the time, and now wished he had paid more attention back then.
Wuri was puzzled, standing up and then sitting back down. Wasn’t he here to find him? Why did he sit down and stop moving? He exchanged glances with the others and awkwardly engaged in dry and sparse conversation.
With Bahu, this serious man, standing there and listening attentively, it made the speaker feel extremely awkward. Before long, each of them found an excuse to disperse.
“Bahu, were you here to find me?” Wuri stared at him, scrutinizing him.
“Excuse,” Bahu candidly admitted without any guilt. “I just wanted to hear what you guys were talking about while having such animated discussions.”
Wuri “…”
“So, what were you guys talking about earlier?” Bahu asked.
“Get lost. If you come to disturb us again next time, be careful I’ll beat you up.” Wuri clenched his fist and raised it, a well-fed man not understanding the hunger of a starving man. In his view, Bahu was just showing off blatantly.
“Ah…” Bahu watched as Wuri angrily left, swallowing the words he wanted to say. He really didn’t want people to know about his inadequacy in that aspect.
Throughout the day, after saying goodbye to Wuri, Bahu coincidentally encountered the county magistrate, Chaolu, and three other servants who had settled down. However, he didn’t find the right words to bring up the topic.
As night fell, Bahu drove the cattle and sheep back to the sheepfold not far from home. After washing his hands in the river, he turned around and saw a person and a dog standing outside the door, looking towards him. His heart warmed, and he hurriedly walked back.
“Dinner is ready, waiting for your return.” There were still plenty of leftovers from the wedding banquet yesterday, all heated up by Mi Niang. She also cooked vegetable and meat porridge. The bowls and chopsticks were already set.
“If I come back late next time, just go ahead and eat without waiting for me.” Bahu glanced at the dishes on the table. He had been too busy last night and forgot to have Chaolu and the others take the leftovers back.
“Eat.” He didn’t say anything else, but after dinner, he brewed another half bucket of butter tea, moved the table outside, and sat on the felt bag, listening to Mi Niang talk.
After swatting several mosquitoes in a row, Mi Niang couldn’t hold on any longer and took the initiative to say, “It’s getting late, it’s time to sleep.”
“You go in first; I’ll bring water for you.” Bahu poured the remaining butter tea from the milk pot into the dog’s basin. Seeing Mi Niang staring at him, he explained, “That’s how we fatten up Bala and Alse wolves.”
“Too fat is not good; they run and pant heavily.” Even when her parents were still alive, Mi Niang had never lived so extravagantly. Three meals a day, each meal with meat and milk, and the bones the dog chewed were scattered on the ground, tripping over them.
“Yeah, it shouldn’t be too fat.” Bahu followed her words, not planning to make her adopt his eating habits in just a day or two. He had seen the six of them sharing a pound of meat and calling it a good day.
After rinsing the milk pot and pouring foot-washing water, the two lay on the bed like logs, with only the not-so-calm sounds of breathing indicating the unrest within.
“Where did you go?” Bahu asked as Mi Niang got up, and he also sat up.
Avoiding Bahu’s eyes, Mi Niang said, “Extinguishing the candle. I want to sleep.” As she spoke, she moved to get off the bed.
The man grabbed the woman’s arm, imprisoning her. The flickering candlelight reflected in his dark eyes was quite compelling.
“Let’s try again.”
“It hurts, and it’s uncomfortable.” Mi Niang wasn’t very willing, and she would break into a sweat, making it uncomfortable to sleep. However, in response to the man’s promise of “not going in,” she lay back down.
Whether it was from embarrassment or itchiness, the two, like stranded fish, breathed rapidly through their mouths.
“You go to sleep first; I’ll go outside for a bath.” Bahu draped a robe, hastily opened the door, and cursed his father while soaking in the water. He was angry that his father only cared about giving birth and not raising the children. He, as a grown man, had married a wife but still couldn’t enter the house.
Mi Niang, curled up in the quilt, was still waiting for Bahu to return to the room. When he got into bed, she asked with difficulty, “Why don’t you understand these things?”
“No one ever told me. At the age of fourteen, I brought an old servant and over a hundred livestock to make a living. I didn’t know much, and there was much to learn. Like you guys back then, busy during the day, sleeping with the flock at night. It’s only a bit more leisurely this year.” Because he had seen the obscene and eager face of him, which appeared particularly ugly, Bahu was very taboo about that matter. Sometimes when he had such thoughts, he would go take a bath or do some work to endure it.
While his peers were playing, he was working. When his peers started working, his livestock increased, and he had to do more work with a bigger heart.
“It doesn’t work for us like this, right? How about you go ask your brother before he leaves?” Mi Niang said in a low voice.
“I won’t ask him.” A man understands another man the best. When it came to those vulgar matters, the first thing that came to his mind was a woman’s body. He didn’t want other men to fantasize about Mi Niang’s body under her clothes.
“How about you go ask Granny Zhao then?” Bahu nudged Mi Niang’s arm.
“I won’t ask.” Mi Niang covered her face with the blanket. It was too embarrassing, and she couldn’t open her mouth no matter what.
“Then forget it. When we go to the summer pasture, I’ll ride far away, find a place where nobody knows us, and the doctor in the clinic should know about this.” Bahu stared at the felt roof illuminated by the starlight, looking forward to the arrival of the caravan.
The next morning, when the man opened his eyes, the felt tent was still dim. He felt something below and silently moved his inappropriate hand away. Resignedly, he got out of bed and went to wash his undergarments while there were fewer people around.
“Mi Niang, Mi Niang the caravan is coming. I’ll go inform Mandu Ratu to get ready to leave. If I don’t come back tonight, go to sleep earlier,” Bahu excitedly woke up Mi Niang. While airing his clothes, he heard the camel bells from the caravan, and the gloominess of the morning instantly dissipated.
“Okay, if you can’t make it back tonight, just sleep over there.” It would give her some peace for a night.
