Mi Niang walked back carefully, holding the dog with one hand and carrying the shoe sole with the other, avoiding people and being mindful of thorns or stepping on sheep dung hidden in the grass. She arrived home and noticed that the door of the felt bag was open. Yingsister, who should be watching the door at home, seemed to have disappeared.
Zhao’s Grandmother, who had gone around the river, saw Yingsister wading in the water with rolled-up pants when she returned to the riverbank. She hurriedly walked over, pulled her up, and scolded in a hushed tone, “Don’t make a sound, come with me.”
Yingsister was startled by her actions and followed the old woman with a frightened shiver. She timidly admitted, “Zhao’s Grandmother, I didn’t mean to. I was just playing and forgot how far I went.” Sitting alone at the door wasn’t fun, so she stood up and walked, eventually reaching the riverbank. She thought about catching fish to add to the meal when she got back and completely forgot that the door of the felt bag was still wide open.
Zhao’s Grandmother glared at her, relieved only when she saw the river was far away and no one could see them. She reached out, grabbed Yingsister’s ear, and scolded her while walking, “Taking off your shoes and wading upstream is where people fetch water for cooking. If someone else saw you, they wouldn’t dare to complain even if you were beaten to death. On the first day here, after repeated reminders, did donkey hair stuff your ears?”
“I… I forgot,” Yingsister’s face turned pale.
“What’s going on?” Mi Niang heard the conversation and walked out from behind the felt bag. “Where did she go? When I came back, the door was wide open, and there was no one in sight.”
Mi Niang looked at Zhao’s Grandmother in surprise; this was the first time she had seen her angry and hitting someone.
“Why did you come back too? What happened?” Zhao’s Grandmother glanced at Yingsister and dismissed her, saying, “No lunch for you today. Starving a meal will help you remember. Go out and pick dry cow dung with a bag, and come back at noon.”
“Alright,” Yingsister mumbled and ran out with a bag.
Mi Niang glanced at her and said nothing.
“Halfway there, the shoe sole fell off, so I came back to sew it up with a needle and thread.” Mi Niang lifted her right foot, explaining why she turned back halfway. “Zhao’s Grandmother, I used your needle and thread. I’ll buy you a new set once I earn some money.”
“That’s nothing. But are you not thinking about living a hand-to-mouth life anymore? Planning to make money?” The old lady’s words were sharp and direct, piercing through Mi Niang’s disguise and revealing her true state.
Mi Niang’s eyes flickered, avoiding the penetrating gaze of the old woman. Indeed, her feeling was right; being alone with Zhao’s Grandmother was quite dangerous.
“These days, you’ve been avoiding me, and I’m sure you’ve noticed. I’d like to have a good chat with you.” Zhao’s Grandmother walked back to the door, sat cross-legged on the sun-dried felt pad, and looked at Mi Niang in the glaring light, asking, “How do you plan to live from now on?”
Mi Niang raised her eyelids, glanced at the old lady with graying hair, carefully recalled, and confirmed that she hadn’t seen this person before the evacuation.
“Am I your other granddaughter? Otherwise, why are you so concerned about me? On the way to escape, you even shared some bread with me. I know it was you who asked Wan’er to bring it to me.” Mi Niang made a joke. She couldn’t say how she would live in the future, unable to answer the caring old woman.
Zhao’s Grandmother smiled, deep wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes. She patted the spot next to her, signaling Mi Niang to sit down, and said, “Wasn’t it you who sought my help first?”
Mi Niang paused, looking puzzled. Had she really lost her memory? She hadn’t interacted with Zhao’s Grandmother before reaching the grassland.
“What’s the surname of the official who escorted us here? Did the cook’s helper have a beard? How many ox carts were there in total on this journey? The one Wan’er and I rode on, were the oxen pulling it water buffalo or grassland cattle?” Zhao’s Grandmother asked her.
“…The cook’s helper didn’t have a beard? You rode on the cart pulled by a water buffalo.” Mi Niang could only confirm the last question.
“The cook’s helper was a young yamen runner, no beard. Except for the one I rode on, the other carts were pulled by grassland cattle.” Zhao’s Grandmother asked with a smile, “That official surnamed Wang scolded you three or four times, and you still can’t remember his surname. You haven’t noticed what the cook’s helper looks like after three meals a day. I, an unfamiliar old lady to you, you remember the cart I rode so clearly. What do you mean?”
“Who are you looking for in Wan’er and me? When you envy, when you want to cry, there’s an elder to wipe your tears for you. You want it, but you don’t have it. In such a situation, you can’t help but look at me every day.” Zhao’s Grandmother stared directly at the stunned girl and asked, “Is this not a plea for help? You don’t want to be alone, on the verge of death at any moment, as you appear. In your heart, you don’t want that.”
“You’re asking me to lend you a hand.”
Mi Niang’s mind was in chaos. She fidgeted with her nails, looking down without answering. She couldn’t come up with an answer.
“I’ve seen you before, so I couldn’t bear to see you like this.” Zhao’s Grandmother sighed. The heavens were unfair, turning a perfectly fine girl into someone more miserable than this old woman. “I used to live in Dayu Village, right across from Carpenter Gu. You came to our village selling honey.”
Mi Niang recalled it now. At the entrance of Dayu Village, there was a large two-story mansion with servants. It was said to be the nursemaid of some big official from the county, enjoying her retirement there. Every year when Mi Niang went to Dayu Village to sell honey, the servants of that mansion would always buy, and they bought the most expensive ones.
However, she hadn’t visited Dayu Village again since she turned fourteen.
“Do you know anything about Carpenter Gu’s family? Did anyone manage to escape from there?” Mi Niang couldn’t help asking. Just in case, what if someone survived and also came to the Northern Wastes?
“Not a single one escaped. Carpenter Gu’s son was weaving baskets with fire. When the earthquake happened, the house collapsed and caught fire. By the time the flood came at night, the house was already burnt to ashes.” At the beginning of the year, she heard from an old servant that Carpenter Gu’s eldest son had engaged with the beekeeping girl from Lishui Bay, and it seemed true. At that time, she also said it was a good match. The girl who kept bees was sweet-looking, cheerful, and eloquent. Even at the age of ten, she dared to carry a basket of honey and sell it in the countryside.
Now, looking again, the girl in front of her was completely different from the one she had seen a few years ago. The cleverness in her eyes was gone, and she looked all dull, like a skeleton frame. With a stick poke, she might fall and never get up again.
“Oh, I see,” Mi Niang responded to the news with indescribable feelings. She had personally unearthed the bodies of her grandparents, parents, and siblings, then watched them being washed away by the water. Now hearing about Carpenter Gu’s family perishing in a fire, even if her heart had become numb, she couldn’t help but shudder.
Standing in front of the old woman, Mi Niang didn’t know what expression to make. She bowed and said, “Thank you for your kindness. I… I want to go out for a walk and think.”
“There’s nothing much to think about, Mi Niang. You’ve been very lucky to escape. Compared to those who died, you should cherish your life even more. Don’t dwell on the dead; they’re not alone even in the afterlife with their family.” Zhao’s Grandmother sat motionless, advising the hurried girl, “No one can accompany you for a lifetime. I plan to rent a yurt and move out with Wan’er before the next batch of refugees arrives.”
For someone with no relatives or friends, no one would want to live with strangers in the same yurt for a long time. It was inconvenient to speak or do anything. Some people were alone, and some still had parents and children. Consideration for family was essential. One couldn’t find a job and drag a bunch of people along.
“I understand,” Mi Niang nodded. She comprehended Zhao’s Grandmother’s decision. A yurt full of girls, ranging from young to not so young, without anyone to look after them was pitiable. However, everyone had their share of misfortune, and Zhao’s Grandmother had also lost a large family. She had to consider the well-being of her granddaughter.
An elderly woman with graying hair couldn’t bear such a heavy burden.
…
Mi Niang wanted to find a secluded place to lie down. She looked around, holding Da Huang’s leash as she walked upstream along the river. The terrain was higher to the east, and it seemed like only sheep were grazing on the hills.
But as soon as they reached the mountaintop, Da Huang pulled the rope and headed south. Mi Niang, alert, glanced over and only saw a fluttering piece of cloth.
Had she encountered a dead person? Mi Niang’s heart skipped a beat. She looked around; the dwellings of the herders were not far from here. A loud shout and someone would hear. She tightened her grip on the dog leash and cautiously approached.
“Is that Bahu?” Seeing the person lying with closed eyes, Mi Niang suddenly felt like she had run into something strange. She had deliberately avoided him and walked in the opposite direction, yet still, she managed to encounter him.
Strange.
It seemed that the person was asleep. Mi Niang pulled Da Huang satisfied with her curiosity, ready to go downhill. But this dog also seemed to have encountered something strange. It went limp, lying on the ground and refusing to move, panting with its tongue hanging out, pretending to be pitiful.
Bahu was awakened by the panting. He opened his eyes and, looking to the right, saw a wolf head with its tongue hanging out just above him. Reacting faster with his limbs than his brain, before he could comprehend the situation, a person jumped up like a ghost and grabbed the dog’s neck.
“Awoo!” Da Huang rolled its eyes, struggling and kicking.
“Oh, it’s Da Huang.” Bahu also recognized the fur color. He loosened his grip on the dog’s neck, his heart pounding as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The scare made him break out in a cold sweat.
“Where’s your owner? Did they abandon you?” Bahu wanted to pat Da Huang, but the dog desperately kept its distance, running downhill as if escaping for its life.
“It’s afraid you’ll get trampled by cattle or horses, so it insisted on squatting next to you to keep watch.” Mi Niang heard Da Huang’s miserable cries and ran up the hill. She lay on the mountainside, allowing Da Huang to guard both sides.
“What just happened? Did it bite you?” Mi Niang asked, holding the dog leash.
“No, I was half asleep and thought it was a wolf.” Bahu rubbed his face and walked downhill, asking, “Why are you here? Did you follow me when you saw me coming?”
Mi Niang gave him a disdainful glance, pulled the dog, and was about to leave. Follow him? She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
“Just kidding. Let’s have a chat while sitting.” Bahu took a couple of quick steps, stood in front, blocking the way, and scratched his head. Seeing Da Huang’s cautious eyes, he said, “I misunderstood Da Huang’s good intentions today. I’ll catch a rabbit later to apologize to it.”
“Skip it. Da Huang can catch a rabbit itself if it wants to eat one.” Mi Niang didn’t want to get involved with him. She wasn’t familiar with him, and she felt a bit uneasy about a man who would fight with his own father and keep it hush-hush.
“Hey!” Bahu wanted to say something but held back. If you can’t talk properly, it’s better to say less. You open your mouth and start trouble, offending people again. Although he usually avoided dealing with neighbors, he couldn’t stop talking when he encountered this person and his dog.
“Um, I heard that you’re looking for work. I have some work at home—sheep shearing and making ropes from wool, and we need people.” He instinctively glanced at her feet, especially those shoes. “If you’re interested in finding work, you can come to my place.”
Mi Niang ignored him. His offer seemed too sudden as if he had ulterior motives. As she walked to the riverbank, she looked at her reflection in the water, showing sunken cheeks and dry hair. Bahu was a good-looking guy; it would take blindness to be interested in her.
She glanced at Da Huang, who looked as miserable as her. It seemed that this man still had ideas about her dog!
Author’s note:
Big Yellow: Smelling a familiar scent, trying to play matchmaker, almost got his head blown off (bitter laughter).
