In the Northern Desert, the weather was unpredictable, with alternating bursts of rain and coolness. During the day, when the sun was out, it was bearable, and the wind carried some warmth. However, by evening, as the sun set in the west, the wind picked up, and it became cold.
Bahu helped old AoGa search for the lost sheep at his place, and he stayed there for dinner. In the evening, when the sun had set and the wind had become brisk and chilly, Mi Niang, Mong En, along with Bala and Alse wolves, came to join him. They tightened their collars and started walking back with Da Huang. The grassland was vast with few people around. Within a radius of ten miles, they were the only family – three people and three dogs guarding over a thousand livestock. The night wind whistled across the grassland, and the rustling sound of the grass leaves resembled footsteps. Mi Niang looked back several times in succession but saw nothing.
“Da Huang, don’t run too fast. Walk with me.” Mi Niang called out to the exuberant Da Huang, who was running around freely. Da Huang had also become a bit plump, with its belly sticking out and a round and chubby face, looking much cuter.
Mi Niang spoke to Da Huang one-sidedly to bolster her courage. When she saw the felt bag, she breathed a sigh of relief. After entering the felt bag, she brought Da Huang inside and secured the latch from inside. After experiencing the earthquake, Mi Niang had seen many unrecognizable dead bodies. On the journey of escape, some died of hunger, and those who died in fights. After that, she was not afraid of anything – not the dark, not ghosts, and not even villains. However, after escaping from his hands, she feared the half-dark, dusk hours and was wary of footsteps behind her.
Steamy heat emanated from the stove. Mi Niang took a piece of butter and rubbed it on the iron plate. The aroma of half-inch thick lamb loin, fresh mushrooms with a hint of grassy fragrance, and firm milk tofu filled the air as they roasted. Mi Niang first fed a piece of milk tofu to Da Huang before starting to feed herself.
She started to fear the dark and fear death because she wanted to live.
When Bahu returned, Mi Niang was soaking her feet. As he approached the felt bag, he heard scratching at the door and the muffled sound of a tail hitting something.
“Just a moment, I’ll be right there,” Mi Niang wiped her feet and opened the door. As she passed by Da Huang, she rubbed its head. It recognized its master quickly, remembering both Bahu’s footsteps and the sound of his horse’s hooves.
“Da Huang is afraid I’ll keep you outside and not let you in.” When Bahu returned, Da Huang could go outside. The two, man and dog, walked past, and suddenly, the man turned and followed the dog outside.
“Did you drink?” Mi Niang asked as she followed, “Where are you going?”
“I brought a lamb leg bone for Da Huang to chew on. Don’t come out; I’ll be back in a moment.” The ground outside the felt bag was still wet, and it would dirty her shoes.
Mi Niang leaned against the door and watched. When Bahu walked back, she leaned in and sniffed him no smell of alcohol.
“Did you bring a lamb leg bone back specifically? Won’t old AoGa laugh at you?”
Mi Niang suddenly approached, and the man held his breath, catching a whiff of a scent unique to her. It was an indescribable fragrance that made one feel like sinking into a cozy quilt for a lazy nap.
“Hey, daydreaming? I’m asking you a question.” Mi Niang poked him.
“I don’t know if he laughed or not. Anyway, when I said I was bringing bones back to feed the dog, he gave me all four lamb leg bones.” Bahu leaned against the door for a while before preparing to take the thick felt to keep watch. “Where’s Mong En? Still, guarding the pasture? I’ll go relieve him.”
“He slept all day during the day, and he’ll guard at night. You go fetch water, take a bath, and come back to sleep.” Mi Niang provided him with clean clothes. “I watched during the day and I asked him to come back and sleep.”
“Aren’t you feeling unwell?”
“I’m not that delicate; just scraped off a layer of skin. Go wash up quickly; don’t dilly-dally.” Mi Niang pushed him out the door. In the morning, he bragged about being young and strong, not needing much sleep, and now his eyelids were sticking together.
“I’ll check on you later.” When Bahu mentioned this, he immediately perked up, walking briskly to the riverbank for a cold-water bath.
What the heck, Mi Niang didn’t pay him any attention when he returned. When he sat on the bed, she immediately leaned over and blew out the oil lamp. “Sleep quickly; I want to sleep too.”
“Really nothing wrong?” Bahu insisted with a forced sense of alertness.
Mi Niang turned over, facing away from him, and after two breaths, the sound of her breathing on the side of her body became steady. She then turned back to face him. Just as she lay down, the man’s hand reached over and expertly pulled her into his arms, his right hand confidently landing on a soft spot.
Ah, he even rubbed it a couple of times.
“Bahu, you’re pretending to sleep!” Mi Niang pressed down his hand, but honestly, after a while, it came back to its old place.
“Bahu?” Mi Niang softly called out to his ear. His ears were the most sensitive; even blowing air on them could make them blush.
No response; he was asleep. Mi Niang corrected him five times, but each time, shortly afterward, his hand returned to its old place. Like a dog, he liked to claim territory. Well, let him sleep.
As August arrived, the temperature difference between morning and evening increased significantly. Mi Niang couldn’t take off the felt raincoat with small legs both in the morning and at night. The felt used for making raincoats was made from the fluff of merino wool – fine, dense, and thick. It consumed a lot of wool, but it was impervious to rain and provided warmth.
Most of the cattle and sheep had finished their mating season, and the phenomenon of group fights in the herds had decreased. People also relaxed accordingly. However, Bahu’s energy remained as abundant as ever, entirely focused on Mi Niang, which she found overwhelming. She even thought about driving him out to keep watch.
“You continue sleeping; I’ll bring your meal to the bed later.” Bahu, trying to be careful, had a satisfied look in his eyes.
Mi Niang closed her eyes and ignored him. She wasn’t hungry. Last night, he tossed and turned until midnight, woke up early in the morning, fumbled around, woke her up, took advantage of her in a vulnerable state, and then acted like a submissive servant, enduring beatings, scolding, and punishments.
With her eyes closed, Mi Niang heard him open the door to leave. Just as she was starting to feel drowsy, he pushed the door open again, followed by the sound of water hitting a wooden basin.
Bahu could tell from the movement of Mi Niang’s eyeballs under her closed eyelids that she was still awake. He didn’t expose her, he quietly wiped her face and neck, smoothly continuing down, and as he was about to be kicked, he seized her foot and also wiped it a couple of times.
“You’ve dirtied the quilt.”
“I’ll wash it.” Bahu promptly responded.
“I don’t like it in the morning like that.” Mi Niang opened her eyes. Once disturbed in the morning, she would wake up late. Mong En would instantly know what the two of them had been up to. If she didn’t get enough sleep like Bahu, she wouldn’t be able to stay energetic during the day.
Bahu wrung out the cotton cloth again, sat at the edge of the bed, and stared at her intently as if trying to see into her heart through her eyes and mouth.
Mi Niang felt a bit embarrassed being scrutinized and asked with a straight face, “What are you looking at?”
“You lied.” The man leisurely wiped his fingers, his mouth moving, and Mi Niang blushed instantly. Her mind buzzed weakly as she weakly defended herself, “You’re talking nonsense.”
Bahu grinned, making a clicking sound as he carried the basin of water outside. He poured the water on the ground and then went to the kitchen to cook.
The felt door wasn’t tightly closed, and Da Huang slipped in through the crack, standing by the bed to watch. This was its daily morning routine – if there was any talking inside the felt bag, it would scratch the door twice as a greeting. If the door was open and it didn’t see her coming out, it would sneak in and guard by the bed.
Mi Niang suspected it came to listen to her breathing, afraid that she might run out of breath. She once mentioned this to Bahu, and he dismissed it as her rambling nonsense.
“Awake, get up right away, and go close the door for me.” Knowing that Da Huang couldn’t understand, Mi Niang repeated this every morning without getting tired of it.
“Bahu! Bahu!” Mi Niang shouted from under the quilt in a muffled voice, and upon hearing footsteps, she peeked out. “Get Da Huang out and close the door tightly; I’m getting up.”
“No one’s around. Whether the door is open or closed, it’s all under my watch.” Mong En always went over before coming back. Even though he said that he still called Da Huang away, closed the door, and even hung a lock from the outside.
“If you lock it, how do I get out?”
“Open your mouth, call me.”
After dinner, the two warmed Mong En’s food in the pot, and after feeding the three dogs, they walked towards the pasture with Da Huang. Bahu carried a cowhide bag containing kneaded lamb wool, all of which were intended for making a sheepskin coat for Mi Niang to wear in winter.
“The shift has changed.” Mong En saw the two coming, stood up, stretched lazily, and rolled up the felt on the ground, ready to go back.
“Boss, when do you plan to return to Língshān this year?” Mong En walked a distance and turned back, his eyes occasionally glancing at the rosy-faced young woman.
“In about ten days, we’ll go back.” Men are domineering and vigilant creatures. Bahu squinted his eyes and asked in a deep voice, “Don’t you want your eyes anymore?”
Mong En was startled and waved his hand awkwardly. “Boss, you misunderstood. I want to ask the lady boss to help me arrange a match. She knows many girls. Can she introduce one to me? I’ll be a free man next spring and want to marry a wife to live a good life.” There are only three people on the Xia Ranch, and the other couple is always happily together. Even Bahu, who used to talk about how loyal dogs are compared to people, has become more pleasant in his speech under Mi Niang’s influence. It seems that the girls from the Central Plains know how to take care of others.
“If you want to marry a wife, go and please the girl yourself. If she’s interested, the marriage will naturally happen. Why do you need a matchmaker?” Bahu didn’t hesitate to share his experience. In his view, it’s a good marriage when both sides are interested in each other.
“I only know a few girls and the oldest is only fourteen, not yet of marriageable age.” Mi Niang politely declined. She had no interest in playing matchmaker, and she didn’t want to get involved in such matters. If the couple got along well, everything was fine, but if the relationship wasn’t harmonious, people might speak ill of her as a matchmaker.
“Well, then, I’ll go back and look around.” Mong En scratched his head. He also wanted to marry a wife without a father or mother to bother him. Like the boss, even though the bride brought fewer dowries, the bride price was all brought back. When you consider everything, it’s still profitable, especially compared to marrying a wife without any dowry.
After Mong En left, Bahu and his wife put aside his affairs. They sat back to back, with Bahu holding scissors and cutting off the excess lamb wool, while Mi Niang took a big needle and skillfully sewed the shoe soles. When they were tired, they leaned on each other’s backs to rest.
“In about ten days, we’ll go back to Língshan. What about after that? Return to Guchuan?” Mi Niang twisted her waist and leaned on Bahu.
“At the end of August, the army from the capital will pass through Lingshan on their way to Dakang. You didn’t see it last time when Great Chief passed by, but this time I’ll take you back to have a look.” Bahu’s hands kept moving as he cut the excess lamb wool and put it into a bag for making boots later. He continued talking, “Three years ago, the Khan brought Kedun back to Dakang for the New Year. I don’t know if they’ll come this year. Kedun is a princess from your Central Plains. If you’re lucky, you might see her beautiful face.”
Hearing his words, Mi Niang felt delighted. He still remembered when she avoided the crowd and sheared sheep wool during the last visit of Great Chief.
“Bahu, you’re really good!” Mi Niang happily stood up and pinched his arm, swinging her fists to playfully punch left and right.
“It’s just a momentary goodness. Weren’t you scolding me in your heart this morning?” The man felt pleased in his heart, but he kept a teasing tone, always eager to disrupt the sweet atmosphere between them. He was afraid that if Mi Niang spoke in that coy manner again, he would be kicked and scolded when she turned her eyes and raised her foot, and that was when he felt most at ease.
