By the time Bahu arrived, his mother had already left the clinic for a while. Mi Niang, originally sitting in the car to avoid the cold, had to get off the car to persuade her mother-in-law to wait for Bahu to return, as she was limping and insisted on going back.
“Why didn’t you stay in the car?” Bahu didn’t look at his mother, held Mi Niang’s hand, feeling a bit cold, helped her into the car, and said, “Let’s go have a hot soup meal and then go back.”
Mi Niang noticed that his finger joints were scraped, and there were damp marks on his sleeves and side. She held his hand and pressed it.
“It’s okay, no blood,” Bahu moved his fingers and turned around with a cold face, saying, “Get in the car.”
“I…” The woman wanted to say she wouldn’t go for the meal, but Bahu’s stern expression silenced her. She reluctantly dragged her clumsy legs into the car, sitting there with an unwilling and resentful look. Mi Niang turned away, thinking it was just a meal, but it felt like she was forced into something disgraceful.
“Bahu, go in and say hello to Dr. Zhao; he and my mother are acquainted.” The ox cart started moving, and Mi Niang remembered Dr. Zhao, who had scolded her mother-in-law. She quickly opened the car door.
“No, you don’t need to…”
“Just go. Quickly take her away. Don’t stand in front of my door, blocking the way,” Dr. Zhao, who knows when he appeared, frowned and glanced at Bahu, “Seeing her made me unhappy for several days. It’s better not to let her appear in my clinic again.”
As soon as Bahu heard this, his expression became even more sullen. He cracked the whip, disappearing from the clinic entrance like a mouse.
Mi Niang vaguely understood Dr. Zhao’s implication, especially the last sentence.
“Mother, how did you get to know Dr. Zhao? You’ve known each other for quite a few years, right? It seems like you have a deep friendship,” someone said, seemingly concerned for her.
Bahu’s mother raised her eyelids, looked at Mi Niang with a puzzled expression, and asked in a hoarse voice, “Didn’t he scold me and compare me to a dog? Where is the deep friendship?”
Even when you were scolded, you didn’t say a word, but now you’re acting tough. Mi Niang moved her lips but didn’t say anything more. This made the woman opposite feel a bit uneasy, so she volunteered an explanation, “When I was around ten years old, I went to a private school to study. Zhao Yunjiang was a young teacher who taught us about medicinal herbs. When his master was unavailable, he would come to give lectures.”
“Do you also know Bahu’s father?”
“Yes, we were classmates.” The woman lowered her head sadly, lacking the spirit to continue talking.
It was also the first time Bahu heard his mother mention this. He asked through the door, “Mi Niang is lamb hot pot okay?”
“Yes, let’s have something warm.”
The ox cart stopped at the entrance of a lamb restaurant. Bahu opened the car door to help Mi Niang get down, then turned to assist his mother. In just two consecutive actions, his expression changed twice.
“No need to help. I’m not too old to get out of the car.” She hadn’t experienced this kind of treatment for many years and found it uncomfortable.
She said no need to help, and Bahu immediately stepped back. Mi Niang caught a glimpse of her mother-in-law extending and retracting her hand in a circular motion, almost laughing.
A pot of lamb scorpion, a pot of lamb chops, five people sitting at a table, with only occasional words from Mi Niang. If she didn’t speak, no one at the table would utter a word. After eating her fill, she took a silver ingot to pay the bill. When she returned, Bahu suggested that his mother stay at their house for some time.
“Why should I go out in this cold weather? If I go, it won’t be convenient when I come back.” The woman was more concerned about the men at home. Seeing that Bahu’s temper improved significantly after his visits, she knew that his father had been beaten quite badly. Moreover, if she wasn’t at home, and the old man got drunk and acted recklessly again, what would happen to her two children? At least, when she’s at home, Sandan and Agula won’t be subjected to beatings.
Bahu didn’t listen to her. He had decided to take her away, pointing at Mi Niang and saying, “She’s pregnant. Neither of us understands these things. You go take care of her for a while. Once her pregnancy is stable, I’ll send you back.”
“Pregnant, huh? How long has it been?” The woman’s face brightened with a smile. With a pair of purple-black eyes, she pulled Mi Niang to sit down. “You, with a baby in your belly, should have told your mother earlier. How could you stand in the snow with me for so long?”
“I don’t really understand these things.”
Uncle Chaolu glanced at Mi Niang. This girl still had a young and tender face. Taking the initiative to invite a troublesome mother-in-law home, based on his many years of experience, he knew this would lead to endless troubles.
“In that case, I’ll go back and get a few clothes to go with you. I’ve sewn two new robes for Bahu, and they’re still at home.”
Finally finding an excuse, Bahu couldn’t let her go back. He suggested going to get some new fabric to make her new clothes, thinking that she could wear his warm clothes if she hadn’t changed into thicker ones.
Just as the five of them left Mao County, Dr. Zhao’s clinic was knocked on. From the sound alone, he knew who it was. Without even opening the door, he directly said, “Today, there’s a family matter. I won’t be seeing any patients.”
“Dr. Zhao, please open the door. It’ll only take a moment of your time. I’ve already brought the person. My father seems to have broken his leg; he can’t stand up.” Agula knocked on the door persistently, showing no intention of leaving without the door being opened.
“Oh, broken leg? What a joyous occasion! Dr. Zhao eagerly opened the door, pretending not to know, and asked, “Heaven must have smiled upon us to have the old drunkard fall into a ditch and break his leg?”
As the door opened, Agula rushed into the clinic, circled around, and came out asking, “Has my mother been here?” She always came for medicine the day after being beaten.
“She came, but your conscientious younger brother took her away.” It was hard to keep it a secret with people coming and going on the street. Dr. Zhao exerted force, and the clinic echoed with the screams akin to slaughtering pigs. The old man with a swollen face on the bed almost bounced up, but several servants held him down.
“Broke a rib and a leg. I’m reattaching them now, but he needs to rest well for three months. If he doesn’t recover properly, he’ll limp for the rest of his life.” Dr. Zhao explained with exaggeration, flicking a silver needle and saying, “As for the rib, if the bone fragment doesn’t heal properly, a vigorous movement in the future might pierce through the organs. Once the blood flows out, he’ll die.”
Agula’s eyes flashed. In the midst of the curses, she deftly freed herself. “Dad, you deal with the bones first. I’ll go bring Mom back.”
“Bring someone with you. Don’t end up like your dad, getting beaten and thrown into the snow to freeze to death,” Dr. Zhao sneered, revealing the heartless nature inherited from father to son.
Agula hesitated for a moment. With her mother around, he wouldn’t have been beaten. She hurriedly left the door, unhooked the horse pulling the cart, and headed southeast. Once out of Mao County, she followed the imprints of the cart wheels. However, after chasing for a while, she saw no trace of the cart and horse, nor any signs of human activity on the road. As the wind picked up, the snow on the ground was swept into the air, making it impossible to discern the direction. Faintly, there were howling sounds in the wind. Agula halted the horse, reluctant to proceed, turned around, and retraced her steps along the horse hoof prints.
Bahu was cautious about anyone following them, so on the way back, he deviated from the original route, taking a different path from Mao County. It was only when the sky was getting dim that the five of them finally arrived home.
Uncle Muren saw three dogs wagging their tails and running out, so he came out too. “Master, Deputy Magistrate Hu came to see you around noon and left a letter…” His voice faded when he saw the people coming out of the carriage. “Miss Arun?”
“I’ve aged; don’t call me Miss anymore. Just use my name.” The woman tightly gripped the headscarf on her face, limping into the house. This was only her second visit since Bahu had built the house.
Bahu paid no attention to the two people entering the house one after the other. He approached Mi Niang, staring at her face intently. “Would you be upset if I brought my mother to stay with us?”
“It’s common for a mother to stay at her son’s house.” While Mi Niang felt a bit uncomfortable, as they had been living quite comfortably as a couple, suddenly having the mother-in-law around would certainly change the dynamics. However, there was nothing she could do. It was only right for Bahu to bring his mother, especially when she was having difficulty walking due to the beating.
“But what about sleeping at night? We only have one heated king bed. We can’t all sleep on one king bed, can we?”
“The lokang bed is quite long. Let’s make do for two nights. During these days, I’ll see if I can dig some mud from under the snow…” Before Bahu could finish his sentence, he saw Mi Niang abruptly leave, realizing immediately that she was not happy.
Now without Mi Niang to liven up the atmosphere, the four people in the room remained quiet, with only the sound of breathing. Bahu couldn’t help but glance at Mi Niang repeatedly, while Uncle Muren kept a close eye on Bahu’s mother.
“Miss Arun, is this… the result of Angqin’s doing?”
Bahu’s mother uncomfortably lowered her head and moved her lips without making a sound. Uncle Muren was originally a servant in the household. Later, he followed her when she got married and then took care of Bahu when she entrusted him with him five years ago. Five years had passed, and while Bahu had married and had children under his care, her situation remained the same as it was five years ago. She felt quite useless.
The atmosphere fell silent once again until Uncle Chaolu came in to urge Uncle Muren to cook, and Bahu got up to start a fire and wash rice. Tonight, Mi Niang wanted to eat something light, preferably a bit watery.
But that night, Mi Niang only drank half a bowl of watery rice and ate a piece of pastry, so she wouldn’t have to get up to pee during the night.
“Mother, let Bahu heat water for you to take a bath and wash your hair. The kitchen is warm right after finishing dinner.” Honey glanced at her mother-in-law’s hair, which still had dirt on it, likely from being pressed into the ground during the beating.
Bahu’s mother thought her daughter-in-law was disgusted with her dirtiness, her face turning red. She stammered, “I just took a bath and changed clothes the day before yesterday.”
“I’ll check for other injuries while you take a bath.” Mi Niang straightforwardly made it clear that Dr. Zhao was a man and couldn’t carefully inspect her undergarments.
Now the woman fell silent, nodding while covering her eyes. Sitting in the tub while Mi Niang checked her back, tears fell into the water. Even Sandan had never cared for her so much; when she was young, he used to cry while holding her, but as he grew older, he became silent.
“Your father treats your mother well, right?” The woman asked with a hoarse voice.
“Yeah, my father has never harmed my mother in the slightest.” As they talked, Mi Niang dried her hands and sat by the stove to start a fire. She continued, “You know that Bahu’s father mistreating you is not good. Why don’t you leave him? With your looks, marrying a good man wouldn’t be difficult.”
“If I leave, what will happen to my child?”
“If I leave, my child won’t have a good life either. Bahu, at such a young age, was driven out of the house to live with servants and had to fight with his father because of you,” Mi Niang said without holding back. According to Bahu, his elder brother had also taken quite a beating for their mother. Out of the four children, two were forced to leave home at a young age.
“I’ve wronged Bahu; I’ve wronged him the most. I know that.” The woman wiped away the tears on her face with water. “I still have Agula and Sandan. They’re still young. If I leave, there will be no one to protect them.”
But if she had left earlier, Sandan wouldn’t have been born.
“Bahu’s father is only unreasonable when he’s drunk. When he’s sober, he’s a good person, good to the children and not bad to me. What’s the point of remarrying? How many couples don’t quarrel or get angry with each other? What if I marry another man who beats people?” As she spoke, her emotions calmed down. Before Agula was born, her relationship with Angqin was good. Back then, he even knelt down to beg her parents to allow them to marry. She said she wanted to eat fish, and he spent a whole day in the river, catching a basket full of fish and shrimp to bring to her. When she got angry, he stood in the snow outside her house for half the night, begging for her forgiveness.
“He regrets it a lot when he’s sober, endures the beating and scolding.” She didn’t want to bring up the kneeling incident in front of her daughter-in-law. “This is how my life is. I’ve argued, fought, and been happy. I’ll stay here for a few days and then go back. You can live your own lives; don’t worry about me.” During dinner, she also sensed that the young couple had argued, probably because of her.
If she had been domineering and unreasonable, Mi Niang could have continued to keep a straight face. However, her words were reasonable and understanding, causing Mi Niang’s resentment to deflate. She felt like she was losing face and bullying someone. Well, whatever. She had already reached this point, and it wasn’t her decision to bring her here; it had nothing to do with her.
“It’s not easy to come here. You should stay for a longer period.” Mi Niang handed over some clean clothes and continued, “Since the beginning of winter, I’ve been learning Mongolian, and the doctor taught us to identify herbs. I just can’t remember them, and when I ask Bahu, he gets impatient with me. You’ve attended a private school, and you probably know more than Bahu. Could you teach me?”
“Mongolian? That’s simple. If you need me, I’ll definitely teach you.” But she didn’t forget to speak well of her son. “Bahu is not an impatient person; he’s probably just tired.” In fact, what she wanted to say was that Bahu was never interested in learning when he was a child. Even if she bought books, she never saw him flip through them. He tore them up and used them to wipe his bottom.
When Bahu poured the bathwater and came into the room after washing, he saw his mother sleeping in his bed, teaching MI Niang Mongolian with a piece of paper. It even seemed like she had shaken the bedcovers at the foot of the king bed; it looked like it was hers.
Throughout the night, Bahu lay at the foot of the king’s bed without saying a word. Seeing the two people at the head of the king bed, it looked like they were a mother and daughter studying together – one teaching patiently, and the other learning diligently. This continued for the next few days, with the only alone time being when Bahu sent Mi Niang to the relief hospital. When Mi Niang returned, she brought a piece of paper to sit next to his mother. Eventually, she even brought up the idea of having his mother act as a teacher for her and Mu Xiang.
“Um, Mother, I’ve built a warm kang in the backyard, and it’s ready to use.” Bahu subtly reminded her that it was time to give his wife back to him.
Mi Niang glanced at him and said coldly, “You move over and sleep there, so you won’t be in the way sitting at the foot of the king bed every day.”
