Before Mi Niang could react, the leading yamen officer struck the gong again. The convoy snaked its way southward. After about half an hour, the ground suddenly became flat. Unlike the dry yellow grass they had seen before, here only the grassroot remained, and the gray-yellow soil was exposed to the cold wind.
Mi Niang also realized that the grassy land in front was probably where Uncle Muren had come back to cut grass.
Her speculation was correct. After walking for another stick of incense, she saw scattered felt bags and piles of cut grass.
The government officials led people who had fled from the Central Plains to continue southward. The other herders dispersed in their respective directions, driving their animals to graze where there was no luggage on their backs. Mi Niang got off the ox cart and walked over, using a long pole to poke a bundle of grass and hand it to Bahu. He stood on a table, tying the well-prepared bundles of grass onto the backs of the cattle.
“Now that there are more people available, we don’t need your help. If you’re tired, just take Da Huang around for a walk,” Bahu took the grass bundle and snatched the long pole, forcefully driving Mi Niang away.
“How much longer until we get home?” Mi Niang hugged her arms and stopped walking. These bundles of grass were cut, dried in the sun, and bundled up after the autumn harvest. With every pull and toss, the action released the pleasant scent of sun-dried hay. This reminded Mi Niang of the golden rice fields in Lingnan, the rice straws stacked behind the house, the figure of her parents bending over to harvest rice, and the playful laughter of her younger brother digging holes in the straw pile.
“It should be evening when we arrive.”
But now it wasn’t even noon, and the migration route for grazing was still quite far.
Uncle Muren, with a long pole in hand, picked up a bundle of grass. Seeing Mi Niang standing by the grass pile lost in thought, he shouted, “Mi Niang, stand back a bit. I don’t want to accidentally hit you with the pole.”
Mi Niang moved to another spot, stood there for a while, then bent down and carried a bundle of grass over. “I still want to hand you the grass. I enjoy doing this.”
Bahu stared at her intently, reached out, took the grass from her, and returned the pole he had snatched from her earlier.
All the backs of the cattle were piled high with grass, even the top and sides of the LeLe cart were tied up with wool ropes. Mi Niang finally understood why Chaolu and the others had made so many wool ropes.
Lunch was eaten on the road. The dry and crispy flatbreads were chewed halfway. With a growling stomach, Mi Niang finally saw the houses with green tiles and blue bricks on the horizon. Those who arrived first began unloading the grass. Children with horse whips drove the cattle and horses, now relieved of the grass and luggage, towards the riverbank as dusk approached.
Compared to Lingshan, the houses here were built wide and spacious. The brick houses and livestock pens of adjacent households were far apart, resembling the head and tail of a Central Plains village. Bringing back a bag of salt to these homes could result in the meat in the pot being cooked dry.
As expected, there were even fewer people where Bahu lived. To the east lay the vast grasslands, uninhabited.
As the evening approached, servants were unloading the grass, Bahu slaughtered a young ram and began skinning it, while Mi Niang was inside cleaning the kitchen stove. The stove here was built just like those in the Central Plains, using iron pots for cooking, with one pot for stir-frying and another for braising rice.
“Mi Niang, come out. The few girls who were sent to marry you back then have arrived.” Bahu didn’t remember their names, and the term “refugees” was not easy to say, sounding somewhat unpleasant.
“Did Mu Xiang and the others come?” Mi Niang dried her hands and walked out. She saw Mu Xiang, Pandi, Lan Niang, and Bai Mei helping to unload the grass from the cattle. After unloading one, Ying Niang drove the cattle to the river to drink.
“Wow, how did you all come? Come inside and sit. There are people to do this work.” Mi Niang warmly invited.
“Don’t be polite, Mi Niang. We specifically came to help your family unload the grass.” Mu Xiang handed a pole of grass to a male servant at the grass pile and said, “We arrived in the afternoon. When we asked the yamen clerk, they said you hadn’t returned yet.”
“Stay for dinner tonight.” Bahu quickly unloaded two lamb legs and walked over to Mi Niang, saying, “Keep them company, I’ll cook tonight.”
“We’ve already eaten before coming, no need to prepare for us.” Mu Xiang quickly refused. “You go ahead with your work, don’t worry about us. We just came to find something to do to pass the time.”
“No problem. Stewing lamb takes a long time, and by the time it’s done, everyone will be hungry.” Mi Niang also picked up a long pole and handed over a bundle of grass. She inquired about Mu Xiang and the others’ journey, asking how they managed with food and lodging along the way.
“The felt bags were dismantled with the help of the military personnel. We cook our own food, and while traveling, we ride on the backs of the cattle. Apart from feeling a bit cold, everything else is fine. Anyway, if it gets too cold, we can always get off and run around.” Before setting off, they had concerns, but after experiencing the journey, their hearts settled, feeling that coming to the northern desert was the right choice.
“Where are you staying now? In felt bags or…” Mi Niang inquired.
“We are staying in brick houses, a long row of them. It’s not like your house with a yard and walls. The five of us still live together. Inside the house, there’s a long kang for two people, and outside is a small brick room. The stove and long kang are connected, serving as our cooking area as well,” Mu Xiang explained.
“Then you need to hurry tomorrow to pick up dry cow dung; otherwise, there won’t be any fuel for the winter. Bahu said the winter in the northern desert is quite long, and it doesn’t thaw until March or April of the following year.” Mi Niang remembered that there was a pile of dry cow dung in the northeast corner of the yard, probably prepared before they left for Lingshan in the spring.
“Mayor Qu specifically came to tell us about it.”
The six people talked about the things they encountered during this migration, especially Mu Xiang and the others who had close contact with the people in the military. When discussing them, everyone had a silly smile on their faces. Even the youngest, Ying Niang, said that the men from the capital were extraordinary and extremely handsome.
With the help of Mu Xiang and her companions, unloading the grass took less time than expected. When Mi Niang led them into the house, their neighbors in the distance were still busy.
Sixteen people were divided into two tables, with a stewed lamb leg, and a pot of lamb ribs on one table. Due to time constraints, Bahu didn’t have time to make stomach-wrapped meat. No spices were added; only a sprinkle of salt before serving. It emitted a pure meat fragrance, and a bite would release succulent juices.
The lamb leg meat was dipped in chive flower sauce, enhancing the flavor with a spicy aroma. The chive flower sauce contained chive blossom particles, and when crushed between the teeth, it stimulated the mouth, causing saliva to overflow. Even though Lan Niang had expressed her lifelong aversion to eating chives at the end of summer, on this evening, her actions showed no hesitation as she dipped into the chive flower sauce.
After devouring half a lamb and a bucket of butter tea, the sixteen people finished their meal cleanly. Da Huang, Bala, and Alse wolves lay in the courtyard, crunching on the lamb ribs, making a crisp sound. They licked the thin layer of floating soil from the ground.
“This meal was so satisfying. After eating those crispy cakes for ten days, my teeth feel like they’re turning crispy too, “Chaolu drank the last drop of butter tea, patted his belly, and helped carry the dishes and chopsticks back to the kitchen.
“Master, it’s getting late. Should we head back?” Servants had a limited time to sell themselves into servitude, and they all had brick houses before becoming slaves. It could be said that the nomadic people in the north all had brick houses. Even before the people fleeing from the Central Plains arrived, the relief houses provided by the government had been empty for several years.
“Sure, come over tomorrow morning to clean the pens and enclosures.” Except for horses and camels, all the cattle and sheep slept in the enclosures at night.
As the evening approached, even though there were still voices outside, Bahu did not let Mu Xiang and the others go back on their own. After washing the dishes and chopsticks, he and Mi Niang accompanied the five of them back to the row houses.
“This place is close to the government, and trouble is unlikely. But once it’s dark, you should avoid going out. Even if there is something, go with a few people. Don’t relax your guard just because everyone is from Dakang,” Bahu glanced meaningfully at the people living here.
Mi Niang lifted her eyelids to look at him. On the way back, she held the man’s hand. Even with her cold and aloof face, she couldn’t resist showing a bit more warmth when returning good sentiments from others.
At night, when Bahu extended his hand, she couldn’t help but be a bit more affectionate. The man immediately responded with a storm of passionate gestures. Afterward, he shamelessly joked that in a new location, she seemed more excited than usual, attempting to use a spring palace picture to coax her into trying a new posture.
Mi Niang closed her eyes without looking, “You haven’t mentioned if you’re going to Guchuan tomorrow? Get some rest.”
Indeed, taking advantage of the lack of snow, Bahu still needed to go and buy grains, melons, fruits, and vegetables and pay the annual tribute to receive salt.
With the presence of Uncle Muren guarding the livestock, Bahu selected the sheep that had long been marked and drove them out. He locked the door and took Mi Niang towards the capital. They set off when the sun had just risen and arrived in the capital around noon.
Mi Niang had seen the majestic walls of the imperial capital and the formidable Great Wall in Liaodong. In her eyes, the walls of Guchuan did not stir any waves, even though Bahu explained multiple times how many years it took to build, the amount of labor it required, etc.
Mi Niang was about to say, “One day, you should come with me back to Dakang, and see the Great Wall in Liaodong; that’s when you’ll truly open your eyes.” However, her lips moved but she didn’t utter a sound. She probably wouldn’t return to Dakang.
People from various places had returned, and these days the government also had people on duty around noon. Bahu handed over a hundred and twelve sheep to the officials, registered the number of the flock and servants, and received fifty-five pounds of salt.
“How does this tax work?” Mi Niang asked.
“Ten sheep per offering, five pounds of salt per person per year.” For every ten sheep, one had to be handed over to the court at the end of the year, and this continued to increase. The court provided five pounds of salt for each person each year, and servants couldn’t take it privately; it all went to the master.
“And what about cattle, horses, and camels? No tax?”
“No tax. A female cow usually takes two or three years from birth to maturity, nearly ten months from conception to delivery, and at least three months for the calf to be weaned. Horses and camels are similar to cows; they take a lot of time and effort to raise. The court doesn’t tax them; they encourage us to raise more cattle, horses, and camels.”
With just a hundred or so sheep lagging behind, the speed of the Lele cart increased significantly. Bahu drove the cart into an alley.
“Damon, time for some business.” Bahu took out three silver horns from his pocket, and a man with a full beard received them and checked them, saying, “Still twenty pieces?”
“Twenty pieces are enough.” Bahu and the man each carried a milling-pan-sized alkaline block onto the Lele cart.
In summer, they used salt; in winter, they fed alkaline. Without this substance, Bahu wouldn’t dare to let the horses and camels graze freely on the grasslands. Even if they ran far away, when they wanted to lick some salt, they would return to their original place.
With twenty pieces of alkaline, the Lele cart was piled to the top, and the horses pulling the cart began to struggle. Bahu didn’t sit on the cart shaft anymore. “I’ll take you to the silver shop for a stroll. The gold bracelet left by Yinshi hasn’t been touched yet. Let’s change the style after getting it refined; you can wear it on your wrist.”
