“Mistress, is the food ready?” Bahu rubbed Da Huang’s head.
“Just waiting for your sliced lamb.” Mi Niang poked her head out from the kitchen and, seeing Bahu accompanied by the Deputy County Magistrate, exclaimed, “A rare guest! Deputy County Magistrate, please come in and sit.”
“No need to invite me; I smelled the fragrance of your cooking and decided to join for a meal.” The Deputy County Magistrate noticed Mi Niang’s belly and asked, “How many months?”
“Five months,” Bahu answered. “Fortunately, it’s still early in the pregnancy; otherwise, we might end up delivering on the way to Lingshan.” There were cases in the past where women gave birth on the road.
“Very good, very good.” Not even a year had passed, and Bahu had started a family and was expecting a child. The Deputy County Magistrate clicked his tongue, noting that as a teacher for less than two years, he probably had more on his mind than Bahu’s father.
The kitchen was spacious, with the warmth of the cooking stove. The three of them gathered around a small stove, dipping lamb slices into fish soup. As they progressed, the soup became more flavorful. Deputy County Magistrate personally scooped a bowl of fish soup to drink as if it were wine. “By the way, I almost forgot the main thing.” He slapped his thigh and told Bahu, “Your father entrusted me to inquire about Mandu Ratu’s news last year, and there’s news. I had a friend return to Dakang last year, and I entrusted him with the matter. He actually found the person. Your elder brother did marry into a family, but it’s not a family with only a daughter. There’s also an elder sister on top, and both sides are vying for the father-in-law’s brewing recipe.” Deputy County Magistrate squinted, sipped some fish soup, and shook his head. “Your elder brother asked my old friend to pass on a message, telling you not to look for him anymore. He doesn’t plan to return to the Northern Wilderness.”
“Whoever entrusted you to inquire, tell them.” Bahu picked up a few pieces of tofu and put them in Mi Niang’s bowl. “I’m not interested in his affairs.”
No, you said you wouldn’t listen if he spoke, right? He finished talking, and you said you wouldn’t listen? Deputy County Magistrate gave Bahu a disdainful look. “Your mother stayed quite a long time this time.” He had wanted to come over earlier but didn’t want to see that strange woman. He waited until she left before coming.
Bahu made a sound but didn’t respond, changing the subject, “Did your friend leave?”
“He hasn’t eaten at your place, why are you in such a hurry to drive him away?” Deputy County Magistrate glanced at Mi Niang deliberately, trying to stir up trouble. “Mi Niang, Bahu has been up to no good behind your back. He’s hiding from a doctor, behaving like a thief avoiding a constable.”
Worse than a thief avoiding a constable, Mi Niang raised her eyebrows and smiled. “When are you planning to migrate and move this year?”
Alright, the couple knows the details, no wonder Bahu isn’t panicking. Deputy County Magistrate didn’t probe further and picked up some bean sprouts with his chopsticks, placing them at the bottom of the pot. “With the thick snow this year, it’ll probably be around mid-May at the earliest. When the mud on the ground dries up, and vehicles can move, we can set off.”
Mi Ninag touched her belly, hoping for more sunlight and an earlier snowmelt. As her pregnancy progressed, her movements became less convenient, and she feared experiencing complications like Gao Wa’s daughter-in-law who had suffered a miscarriage while on the road.
After a meal, the Deputy County Magistrate wiped his mouth and left. Bahu washed the dishes and advised Mi Niang to walk around in the courtyard a bit and rest in the room if she got tired.
“There will be herders coming to choose sheep in the afternoon, and it might get noisy. I’ll go out later and lock the door from the outside to prevent any trouble,” mainly to prevent Da Huang from hearing the sheep’s calls and rushing out to cause chaos. It seemed to consider the family’s flock as its private property. In the morning, it would patrol the sheepfold, take a few sips of sheep’s milk, and sometimes accompany the cattle and sheep outside to graze. When it got cold, it would bring Bala and Alse wolves, the wolves, outside to guard. It even sniffed the lambs kept warm inside the house, and sometimes at night, if Bahu got up, he would see it sleeping outside, keeping watch over the lambs.
Everything was fine except that it recognized only Mi Niang as its master. Bahu fed it every day and sometimes couldn’t command it.
“Alright, anyway, I can only walk around in the courtyard on a day like this.” The snow in the courtyard had been shoveled clean, and the ground was dry and not sticky. The snow outside was still quite thick, and in some places, it had frozen thickly, remaining unmelted even until dusk when there was no sunlight. Mi Niang was cautious, afraid of slipping outside, so she stayed inside and in the courtyard when no one was with her.
Bahu, accompanied by Uncle Chaolu, headed east, searching for the given addresses and asking if the pre-ordered cattle and sheep were still for rent. they would select lambs and then go to the yamen to register the paperwork.
“I’d like to rent the younger ones. There’s no extra fodder to bring them back now.” The man who opened the door had a troubled expression. He calculated that the youngest lambs would only be weaned in June. By that time, they would be right at Lingshan. This way, the migration journey would be much less troublesome.
“The younger lambs are reserved for those in the east by Deputy County Magistrate.” Considering the lack of hay and space, those in the relief camp had the toughest situation. Therefore, Bahu planned to keep the younger lambs for them.
“Think it over. If you don’t plan to rent, forget it. If you don’t rent, I’ll raise them myself.” Bahu made a note on the paper and turned to the next household.
Uncle Chaolu peeked at the paper in his hand. “Master, your handwriting is much better this year than last year. Did Mi Niang help you transcribe it?”
“I wrote it myself.” Bahu rubbed the corner of his mouth. He had practiced writing quietly this winter, and it wasn’t in vain. As for Mi Niang, she had too many other things to learn, and her handwriting was not as good as his.
Uncle Chaolu was just making conversation and didn’t care much about good or bad handwriting. He cleared his throat and reminded me, “Master, I should be heading back this summer. It’s been five years.”
“I know. Besides you, two others will also leave this summer.” When it came time to settle debts at Lingshan, those who couldn’t repay would fill the positions left by Uncle Chaolu and the others.
“I was thinking of renting some cattle and sheep from you again. Before, it was just the child’s mother managing the household. The cattle and sheep she raised could barely support a small family. After exchanging for grain, there were only a few ewes left.” The children were grown up now, and preparations needed to be made for the brick-and-tile house. Dowries were required for marriage, and when the eldest son moved out, he would need a portion of the cattle and sheep. Uncle Chaolu had a lot on his plate, and he couldn’t help but sigh, thinking that Old Muren was living a comfortable life, carefree and without any burdens.
Bahu thought for a moment and nodded, saying, “Thirty lambs and three calves.”
Uncle Chaolu didn’t want the cattle. Raising cattle took too long, and a mother cow needed nearly three years to have a calf. A bull needed to be raised for over a year before it could be slaughtered without loss. For the sake of meat, it was better to raise more sheep.
“Master, could you exchange the three calves for ten lambs? Consider my hard work over these five years.” Uncle Chaolu didn’t want cattle, and he felt that he had worked diligently enough during these past five years.
Bahu, who feared entanglements with acquaintances, reluctantly agreed. Refusing would make things awkward, and he already felt embarrassed even when the matter wasn’t brought up. He grunted and nodded reluctantly, thinking that he could keep the cattle himself and raise them. When they grew up, he could slaughter them and dry the beef into jerky for Mi Niang and the children to snack on.
The lambs that had been weaned were rented out, but the ewes still had milk. This was the best time for making butter, and Bahu spent almost the entire day either milking or churning butter. Mi Niang was also busy. She brought a chair into the sheep pen, placed a bucket under the ewes, and started milking. The sheep were uncomfortable when their udders were full, but seeing someone helping them, they behaved sensibly. Mi Niang wasn’t worried about getting kicked in the stomach by the sheep.
In the busy spring mornings of Lingshan, the sound of pounding clothes awakened those in deep slumber. In April in the northern desert, Mi Niang was awakened every morning by the dull thumping sound of churning butter. The day had just a hint of light, and the outer side of the kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed) had already lost the warmth left by someone. Mi Niang didn’t know when Bahu had gotten up.
“Awake? Did you sleep well?” There were fine ice crystals under the eaves, and the weather, with breath turning into mist, but Bahu was only wearing a cotton-padded robe and was covered in sweat.
Mi Niang washed her face, took a warm towel, and went to wipe the sweat off him. “How about having green onion pancakes for breakfast, cooking some pork belly wraps, and brewing half a bucket of butter tea?”
Glancing at the door, where no one was present, except for Bala, the lazy dog, still sleeping in its kennel, Bahu’s hot palm held the back of Mi Niang’s neck. He gave her a peck on the corner of her mouth, satisfied, and said, “Make whatever you want, and I’ll eat.”
With just this much courage, Mi Niang stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth. She patted his narrow waist with an enigmatic look. “Pound harder.”
Bahu’s throat moved, and his deep eyes became profound, but he was too busy. He had to obediently tighten his arm muscles and vigorously churn the milk bucket gradually forming into butter.
“Oh my God.” Outside the wall, there was a series of cracking sounds. Bahu recognized it as Uncle Chaolu’s voice and quickly shouted to inquire about the situation.
“I slipped. A whole bucket of milk got spilled.” There were visible tracks on the ground where he walked, but last night, he hadn’t slept well and was a bit dizzy. He stepped on an ice block, and his wrist got cut on the ice.
“If it’s spilled, it’s spilled.” Now there was plenty of sheep’s milk, and Bahu didn’t feel sorry for that bucket of milk. “As long as you’re okay.” He kicked the lazy dog sleeping with a lazy posture. “Go outside and lick the sheep’s milk.” With ewes giving birth, people were tired and thin, but the three dogs in the house had become chubby.
“It dares not go out.” Mi Niang giggled in the kitchen. A few days ago, Bala went to the sheep pen and somehow offended a ewe protective of its lamb. The ewe chased Bala out of the pen onto the ice. Even with its claws worn flat, Bala couldn’t stand steady. It slid like a streak of smoke onto the frozen river and struggled to stand up, only returning by noon, covered in mud after the ice had melted. As Bahu had said, tying a piece of cowhide to its buttocks and sitting on the ice, it disappeared like a streak of smoke.
“Da Huang, come and lick the milk dry.” Uncle Chaolu called Da Huang as he saw it coming out of the sheep pen. When he saw it coming, he walked towards the house. He needed to wash off the blood on his hands; otherwise, the sheep would become agitated if they smelled it. However, as soon as he crossed the threshold, he heard urgent barking. Turning around, he saw Da Huang following the same path as Bala, sliding faster and faster on the ice.
Mi Ninag heard the noise and ran out with a shovel, watching Da Huang desperately barking as it struggled to keep its balance. She stood at the door, laughing loudly.
“Silly dog still lacks experience, slid off, huh.” Bahu chuckled maliciously. Da Huang veered off the river channel, sliding westward. In no time, they could only hear the barking but couldn’t see the dog.
No need to prepare breakfast for Da Huang.
