After leaving the Xiaochun Hall, Bahu stood outside for quite a while. Once the warmth had subsided from his face, he bought a bunch of things in large and small packages before riding his horse back. When he returned to the Xia Ranch, it was still early in the day.
In the grassy field, Mi Niang drove away two fighting sheep, while Da Huang lay half-squinting on the hill, sleeping. Suddenly, he perked up his ears, lifted his head, and looked towards home. Seeing this, Mi Niang’s heart tightened; it must be Bahu returning. Sure enough, after a short while, Da Huang stretched lazily, wagged his tail, and ran down the hill. The sound of horse hooves also came from the north.
“I’m back and bought some things for you.” Bahu arrived home, but seeing that she wasn’t there, he didn’t even dismount the horse and rushed to the grassy field with the packages.
Mi Niang uttered a sound, discreetly examining the man’s facial expression and actions. She noticed a slight blush creeping onto his face and neck. His eyes flickered uncertainly, and he unconsciously covered his chest with his hand, observing the contours of his robe, which still contained something inside.
Absently, she took the bundle from him. Inside were miscellaneous items, including colored wooden figures and a horn comb all things she used.
After a while, Mi Niang lifted her eyelids and asked softly, “How did it go?” When their eyes met, Bahu looked away first. She saw his ears, which had turned from a dark red to a deep crimson.
“Um,” Bahu hesitated.
“What does ‘Um’ mean?”
The man ruffled his hair and pursed his lips as if wanting to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he couldn’t hold back a bold yet somewhat shy smile. He patted his chest and said, “Learned it all. I’ll definitely take good care of you tonight.”
Mi Niang was somewhat skeptical but also relieved. She placed the bundle on the ground and hastily said, “I’ll go check on the flock to make sure nothing’s amiss.”
“Last night, I didn’t go to the wrong place.” Whenever Mi Niang showed a hint of vulnerability, Bahu couldn’t resist teasing and pursuing her aggressively. He followed slowly behind the woman, holding his head high, and said with a dignified tone, “I figured it out.” He did have a knack for it.
Ignoring him, Mi Niang lifted her eyelids and stared at him, reaching out her hand towards his chest, “What are you hiding there?”
Indeed, he was hiding something good. Bahu skillfully dodged her hand, unable to show her now, and certainly not open it. He was afraid he couldn’t contain himself.
“I’ll go back and make dinner. Lamb soup with flatbread?” Bahu asked.
“Stir-fried lamb slices. I want something more flavorful,” Mi Niang swallowed, craving a stronger taste after eating too much meat.
“Alright.” Bahu picked up the bundle, mounted his horse, and rode back. Once home, he lit the stove, filled the pot with water, and when it boiled, he added wide noodles. After the noodles were cooked, he blanched lamb slices and splashed hot oil over them with a lump of garlic chive sauce. He only ate a small bowl to satisfy his hunger, giving the rest to Mong En, instructing him to finish it, and then taking Bala and Alse wolves to guard the night.
“Bring the bow and arrows,” Bahu handed all the weapons to Mong En, implying that if the wolves come, don’t bother coming back to him.
Mong En coughed, his mouth moved, but he didn’t say anything. Carrying the bow and arrows and holding the knife, accompanied by the two well-fed dogs, he headed towards the grassy field.
Both of them were well aware of what was going to happen tonight. They felt nervous and eager inside, and when they sat face to face eating dinner, they were too anxious to find words to say. After silently finishing their meal and washing the dishes, Bahu carried a bath bucket into the felt tent. While Mi Niang was busy bathing, he hid next to the stove, took out an erotic illustration, and leisurely reviewed it.
Tonight, the moonlight was hazy, and the wind blew wispy clouds, covering the stars in the sky. Mi Niang grabbed Bahu’s hair, feeling as if she had sunk into a thick cloud—soft and powerless, unable and unwilling to escape.
The doctor was overly anxious; Mi Niang was quite spirited. Of course, Bahu smugly thought it was because of his nimble mouth and fingers. If there were visible wet traces on the first night of the wedding, he was sure to smoothly proceed.
“If you’re uncomfortable, just let me know,” Bahu continued to advise.
“Um…” a nasal sound emerged, startling both of them. Mi Niang covered her face, unwilling to admit that it was her voice.
The intimate encounter was dominant and forceful. Mi Niang bit her lower lip and fiercely scratched him with her nails. She thought of the green bamboo in her hometown, a place usually dominated by bamboo leaves. But now, a giant python had intruded, and the dry bamboo tube, already suffering from severe dehydration, was likely to burst.
But aside from the initial pain, she surprisingly adapted.
Inside the felt tent, the wind stopped, and the rain ceased. Yet, the grassland outside was swept by strong winds. Cool air blew in through the gap at the bottom of the felt tent, taking away the warmth of sweat from both of them.
“Is it going to rain?” Mi Niang half-lay on the bed, listening to the sound of the wind. She pulled the blanket over herself. “Go heat some water for me. I want to take a bath.”
The man responded but didn’t get up immediately. He lay on the bed, stroking Mi Niang’s hair. If he had known this feeling earlier, he should have consulted the doctor on the second day of the wedding.
“Hurry up,” Mi Niang kicked him, her eyes gleaming through the candlelight. When Bahu got off the bed wearing his robe, he reached out and touched the bite marks that hadn’t faded yet on her upper lip. Just as he was about to say not to endure it next time, his hand received another slap.
“So dirty, don’t touch me,” Mi Niang scorned. He didn’t know where his fingers had touched.
“Are you disgusted by your own scent?” Bahu wore a mischievous smile on his face. “Fine, if you find yours unpleasant, I don’t mind.” He had prepared himself to kiss her even before.
The sound of the wind grew stronger, and smoke from the pipe was blown back in by the wind. Bahu struggled for a while with a kettle of hot water. By the time he brought it in, the person under the blanket was already asleep. Bahu stood by the bed for a while, then happily brought the hot water to clean her.
Saying that Mi Niang had a shallow sleep was a lie. After Bahu cleaned her, he put on his clothes and went outside. He locked the door behind him, leaving Da Huang to guard Mi Niang inside the felt tent. Carrying two woolen raincoats, he headed to the grassy field.
“Is it the master?” Mong En heard the footsteps, and since the dogs didn’t bark, he guessed who it was.
“It’s me.” Bahu held a torch and went to the sheepfold with Mong En. The sheep inside the pen were fine; they couldn’t run out. The main concern was the sheep grazing freely in the grassy field; they might get scared and scatter.
It started raining, and the torch was extinguished. Both of them put on raincoats that covered their legs and stood guard in the sheepfold. When the sheep seemed to want to move, they shouted, and if any sheep strayed from the flock, they herded it back.
Rain on the grassland usually doesn’t last long, and this night was no exception. However, even after the rain stopped, Bahu didn’t return. He stayed up until dawn, waiting for the sun to come out before finally heading back with the two dogs. Whistles occasionally sounded from the nearby grassy field, indicating that some sheep had indeed scattered last night.
Inside the felt tent, Mi Niang heard the heavy footsteps. Da Huang guarded alertly at the door, tail stiff, and she stood up, asking, “Who is it?”
“It’s me. Are you awake?” Bahu unlocked the door. Seeing Bala deliberately poking its head through the crack in the door, Da Huang immediately threatened, baring its teeth.
“Enough, it’s scared of you two. Stop teasing it and go sleep in the back room.” Bahu kicked Bala’s thick backside, the raincoat hung outside the tent. He entered and said, “It rained last night, and I went to guard the sheep without waking you up. When did you wake up?”
“It’s been a while. I woke up when it was still dark. Take off your clothes and get some rest in bed. I’ll go make breakfast.” Mi Niang saw that his clothes were dry and wondered, “Did you change your clothes when the rain stopped? I didn’t wake up even when you came in and out. I wasn’t sleeping that soundly, was I?”
“No, I have a raincoat with me,” Bahu didn’t sleep, and followed Mi Niang out to prepare breakfast. Outside the felt bag, he patted the hanging felt raincoat, “In a few days, I’ll make one for you according to your figure. It not only blocks the rain but also keeps you warm. When the weather gets colder, wear it in the morning and evening when there’s no sun.”
“You sewed it?” Mi Niang carefully examined it. The most difficult part of this raincoat should be the pattern, especially the hat. The lines are smooth, narrow in the front, and loose in the back, without any visible patches.
“Yes, it’s me. My sewing skills aren’t bad, right?” Bahu had seen the shoes that Mi Niang made for Chaolu’s wife. He could tell at a glance that her needlework was excellent. He was not inferior either; he could knead fur, make boots with leather, raincoats with felt, and even do carpentry work. The buckets and barrels at home were all made by him from chopping wood.
“Not bad. You make a raincoat for me, and I’ll make two pairs of shoes for you.” The two continued talking non-stop. They discussed how long it rained last night, how the cattle and sheep were, whether they would get sick if their fur got wet, and how the rain would make the grass grow taller. But no matter how much they talked, there were times when there was nothing to say, and silence enveloped them. The events of last night inevitably surged into their minds.
The fire in the stove had dwindled, and Mi Niang moved the pot aside and added a few clumps of dry cow dung.
“It rained last night, and the almost dry cow dung got wet again.” Mi Niang found something to say in a somewhat dry tone.
“Yes, there’s a lot piled up at home. Even if it rains for the next half month, the fire won’t go out.” During the day, they would guard the cattle and sheep. In their free time, they would carry bags and pick up dry cow dung, dig wild vegetables, and sun-dry them to make dried vegetables.
“Tomorrow we can go pick mushrooms. Didn’t you say the mushroom soup from your hometown is delicious? Cook a pot for me to taste tomorrow.” Bahu had a piece of milk tofu in his hand, and he rubbed it until bits of it fell all over the ground.
“A whole pot? Are we taking a mushroom soup bath or something?” Mi Niang didn’t respond; she thought, I can’t just keep making awkward conversation like this. When Bahu came in this morning, his face was calm. She was still puzzled; on the second morning after getting married, he blushed when he met her eyes. Last night was more intimate than usual, but he acted as if nothing had happened.
“Well… how do you feel?” It was daylight, and the man’s face was a bit thin-skinned. He walked over, blushing, and asked, “I noticed you seemed a bit uncomfortable walking. Did you get hurt last night?” It was only this morning that he thought of Yinshi when he saw Mi Niang leaving. He had foolishly asked her in front of everyone if she had scraped her legs while riding a horse. Now thinking back, he wondered how much ridicule was hidden in Fuluo Tuo’s mind at that time.
“It does hurt a bit.” After all, the bamboo tube was injured, and there was still some bleeding last night, so she instinctively wanted to keep her legs apart when walking.
“You rest at home today. After eating, just lie down in bed.” The man was at a loss, and he wanted to say he could take a look, but he only had a thought that made his nasal cavity feel sore and warm.
“Bahu? Is anyone at home?”
“Yes, yes, someone is at home.” The man got up as if fleeing and walked outside. It was old AoGa; he closed the door behind him and asked, “Do you have a moment? I need your help finding my lost sheep. They scattered last night, and I was hoping you could help me locate them.” The old man’s words were somewhat hesitant; Bahu had a bad temper, and if it weren’t for his son helping Bahu catch someone earlier, he wouldn’t have come today.
“Sure, I’ll come over after I eat.”
“You didn’t sleep at all last night.” Mi Niang waited for Bahu to come in, and then she frowned, saying, “Can you handle it? I just told you to sleep, but you refused. Now, you can’t even sleep if you want to.”
“It’s fine. I can go two days and nights without closing my eyes at the longest. When you’re young and strong, you don’t need much sleep.” Bahu poured a bowl of butter tea, and there was still leftover pan-fried lamb from last night. He sandwiched it between two pastries and ate it in three or two bites, finishing it off, “I’m leaving. You stay at home. I’ll ask Mong En to come back for a meal when I pass by later. He can watch for another day, and I’ll come back tonight to sleep.”
However, Mong En coming back to sleep at night meant that Bahu’s plan was for him to take over the night watch. After Mong En returned and had his meal, Mi Niang asked him to rest at home, while she took Da Huang to check on the cows and sheep. It was the mating season for the cattle and sheep, and the number of fights between them each day was countless. A wrong glance, and they could use their horns to puncture each other’s bellies.
“The master said for me to watch over.” Mong En’s eyes were currently dark, and even during the meal, he couldn’t help but yawn.
“I’ll take care of it. You sleep during the day, and I’ll take over the night watch in the evening. You’re in charge of making lunch and dinner today, and bringing them to me when they’re ready.”
Seeing him yawning incessantly, Mi Niang couldn’t help but yawn as well. In this comparison, Bahu’s body was much stronger than Mong En’s. He had been restless last night, yet during the day, he still had the energy to look for the sheep.
“My cooking is far worse than the master’s. Don’t complain if you don’t like it when I bring it over.” Mong En rubbed his teeth at the mention of cooking; he couldn’t even eat the meals he made.
“I won’t mind. I’ve eaten much worse meals before. When I was beekeeping, my hand swelled up from a bee sting, but I still insisted on harvesting the honey. On the way to the Northern Desert, I had blisters on my feet, but it didn’t affect our journey. The little blood I shed last night was probably just a few drops, and who knows, it might have already scabbed over. I’m just trying to act a bit weak and coax some clumsy comforting words from Bahu.”
