During the day, aside from waking Bahu to light the fire and cook when she felt hungry or thirsty at night, Mi Niang mostly cooked on her own. She felt that her pregnancy was going well. Besides the swelling in her legs, there was not much discomfort. There was no need to lie on the Kang and rest all the time.
“From now on, I’ll handle the cooking, and you focus on your tasks.” After taking a sip of butter tea, Mi Niang spoke. When she woke up in the morning, Bahu had almost finished preparing the meal.
Bahu wiped the stove, scooped up the buttery pastries, and placed them on a wooden tray to bring to the table. “Without the butter-making chores, I’ve got some free time. I can’t let you do all the cooking while I’m idle,” he glanced at Mi Niang’s expression and added, “It’s because I care about you, not just for the baby in your belly.”
Mi Niang took a bite of a pastry, her eyes sticky as she stared at him. The words ‘caring for her’ finally came out smoothly, blushing and stuttering the first time she said them.
Bahu couldn’t handle it; he grinned while munching on the pastry. He mumbled, “Early in the morning, tone it down. Don’t look at me like that.”
“How am I looking at you?” Mi Niang deliberately moved closer, almost face to face, “Look up, why didn’t you look at me properly? Am I wronged by your eyes?”
The man remained silent, not lifting his eyes, and raised his hand to push Mi Niang’s forehead. She often played this trick on him, and Bahu had no choice but to let her scrutinize. Mainly, he couldn’t handle it himself; any intimate and sticky words made him uncomfortable all over, giving him goosebumps, but he still fell for it.
Satisfied, Mi Niang withdrew her gaze, cleared her throat, and reverted to her normal tone. “I’m serious. You don’t have to take charge of all three meals a day. Whoever has the time can do it. I’m pregnant with two babies, but I’m not as fragile as you think. A little bumping won’t cause any problems.” Having something to do kept her in better spirits.
“Really?”
“I won’t joke about myself and the children. If things become too difficult, I don’t need you to say it; I’ll stop doing it myself. You focus on your tasks, do whatever needs to be done, no need to revolve around me.”
Bahu nodded, “Alright, if you need anything, call me. I’ll take advantage of the morning to clean up the cart and felt bag, and patch them up a bit.”
After eating, Mi Niang continued her usual stroll in the courtyard. When her body got moving, she lifted the milk bucket and had Bahu take her to the sheepfold for milking.
“Mi Niang? Why did you come over?” Mu Xiang first looked at her belly when she saw Mi Niang. They hadn’t seen each other for several months since the temporary private school disbanded. Last night, she heard from Wan’er that Mi Niang was pregnant with twins, and everyone said she was very fortunate.
Others looked up when they heard the voices, seeing the two embracing each other, and quickly lowered their eyes. In broad daylight, Mi Niang was already leaning into Bahu’s arms; it was really embarrassing.
When they reached the sheepfold, Bahu naturally let go of Mi Niang. “I’m going back; if you need anything, have someone call me.”
“Alright.” Mi Niang placed the stool in its usual position. As soon as she sat down, a ewe came over, spreading its legs, ready for milking.
“I’ll also help milk the sheep. Look, the sheep already recognize me.” Mi Niang finally responded to Mu Xiang’s earlier words, skillfully gripping the ewe’s teats.
“I heard you’re expecting twins?” Wan’er observed Mi Niang’s practiced movements, her face full of confusion. Her grandmother’s words couldn’t be false.
“Yes, it’s twins. But it doesn’t hinder me from working. I feel more energetic doing something. There’s no way around it; I was born to be a busy person.” The first ewe’s milk was squeezed empty and left on its own to eat grass. Another ewe, still producing milk, trotted over, legs shuffling, and with a mouth full of dry hay, continued to chew.
Seeing Ying Niang in astonishment, Mi Niang smiled, “They also feel uncomfortable when their udders are full. When they get used to being milked and recognize people, they will come over voluntarily. Once you spend more time with them, you’ll be like me.”
Wan’er glanced at Da Huang, who was wandering around the sheepfold. “Anyway, the animals you raise always seem to have more human-like qualities than others.” She had only raised eight sheep. When she entered the sheepfold to check on the lambs during lambing, a ewe tried to butt her even before she touched it.
Engaging in conversation with someone else, Mi Niang, feeling relaxed, chatted and laughed while milking five or six hundred ewes. Uncle Chaolu came over to drive the cattle and sheep out to graze, and Mu Xiang and the others also joined to release the sheep. Da Huang and Als, the wolves, would certainly not miss such an opportunity. The sheepfold was left with only Mi Niang and a lamb that was less than a month old.
The noise of the cattle and sheep leaving the enclosure was quite loud. Bahu put down his work and came out to escort Mi Niang back.
“The ice has melted. I want to walk on the snow.”
“Sure, I’ll support you.” Bahu fastened a cloak around Mi Niang and watched her deliberately make a crunchy sound on the snow. He asked if she was hungry.
Not far away, Uncle Chaolu walked while showing off his sheep-herding skills. “Lambs are very curious. If the ewes don’t pay attention, they might run far away. If people don’t herd them back in time, they’ll keep running farther. They might be caught by eagles and eaten before they starve or freeze to death. Also, you must pay attention to the mother cows; don’t let them go up steep slopes…” Pandi frowned, sizing him up, subtly retreated two steps, and turned around. When she looked back, she happened to see Mi Niang slap Bahu. The man had said something that made her burst into laughter, holding her stomach.
She’s really lucky. When she brought the dog to the Northern Wasteland, everyone disagreed. However, Mi Niang, even if hungry until midnight, did not give up. After coming to the Northern Wasteland, because of the interaction between Da Huang and Bahu, and now Da Huang acted like a laborer, guarding the house at night and herding sheep during the day. When she married Bahu last year, everyone was pessimistic, especially with Bahu’s reputation. There was no one who didn’t feel uneasy after hearing about it. She didn’t hesitate to marry him, and now her life made others jealous.
Pandi’s gaze slid to Mi Niang’s protruding belly. She was pregnant with twins, something that made people envious.
“Pandi, what are you looking at?” Lan Niang shouted, “Don’t daydream. Pay attention and learn properly. We need to have more sheep this year. We’ll need them by this time next year.”
Following Pandi’s gaze, Mu Xiang looked over and only saw the backs of Mi Niang and Bahu entering the house. She glanced at Pandi and said, “Don’t have any crooked ideas again.”
Pandi smiled bitterly. “Don’t worry; I’m not as bad as you think.”
Mu Xiang neither affirmed nor denied. She saw the place where the cattle and sheep were grazing. She cheered up and focused on guarding the flock. Watching the cattle and sheep use their hooves to dig through the snow to find grassroots, she took a shovel and went over to help clear the snow.
As in the previous year, Bahu’s hired workers didn’t provide meals. Their daily wages were ten copper coins, plus a bundle of hay. When settling the accounts in the evening, he had Uncle Chaolu drive the cart to deliver the hay.
The cart carrying hay started moving, and the others followed along, holding their copper coins. Mu Xiang didn’t move. “You guys go first. I have something to talk to Mi Niang about.”
Pandi was surprised, staring at Mu Xiang, wanting to explain, afraid that Mu Xiang might misunderstand and think she was going to complain to Mi Niang. However, after a moment’s thought, she realized she hadn’t said much, and her emotions immediately calmed down.
“Will I make your dinner tonight?” Wan’er asked.
“Yes, I’ll be back in a little while.”
Wood Fragrance greeted the man outside the door, who informed her that Mi Niang was cooking in the kitchen. Only then did she step inside.
“Mi Niang, when you move back to Lingshan, will your mother-in-law come to take care of you? If she doesn’t come, I’ll join you and look after you when the time comes,” Wood Fragrance didn’t beat around the bush, getting straight to the point as soon as she entered.
“I discussed with Bahu to leave early and join the convoy with Shui’s team. The doctor who taught us to identify herbs before will be traveling with us. If you’re willing to leave early and accompany us, I’ll be delighted,” Mi Niang didn’t refuse.
“Alright, I’ll leave early with you,” Wood Fragrance thought that if Mi Niang didn’t have her mother-in-law to take care of her, she could lend a helping hand when she gave birth.
“There’s one more thing. The matter of me renting fifty sheep from you, others don’t know about it yet. If we keep it a secret, it might cause conflicts later. I’m thinking of revealing it in the next few days. I don’t know if it will cause you trouble,” Wood Fragrance was picking at her nails, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“It’s already April. Anyone who wanted to rent sheep would have come to me by now. If they come later, it’s just copying you without a plan. I won’t rent them out,” Mi Niang assured.
“As for you, renting fifty from me and the additional twenty assigned by the County Magistrate Hu, can you handle it?” Mi Niang asked.
Wood Fragrance hesitated for a moment, and a blush appeared on her face unexpectedly. She stammered, “I found a man to partner with me in raising sheep. I rented the sheep assigned by the government to him. He has forty, and I have fifty. I watch the sheep during the day, and he sleeps with the flock at night.” She finished her words and hurriedly walked out, “Don’t worry about me; I know what I’m doing.” Afraid that Mi Niang would ask more questions, she ran out of the kitchen.
“Hey, wait.” Bahu called out, “We have extra butter today. Take a lump back with you to brew tea.” The kitchen had a window, and people outside could clearly hear what was said inside. Bahu overheard Wood Fragrance mentioning that she would take care of Mi Niang.
Wood Fragrance hesitated for a moment and took it over. The implication that she hadn’t given it before seemed to be because she had heard what she said to Mi Niang.
“How do you cook this?”
Bahu looked at her with surprise. He asked her to wait for a moment and then went back into the house to cut two finger-wide pieces of brick tea. “Boil water, add a pinch of tea leaves, and after it boils, take out the tea leaves and put a lump of butter. Use a wooden pestle or a spoon to crush the butter, and that’s butter tea.”
Wood Fragrance made a couple of sounds of acknowledgment, scratched her face, mumbled a few words, and left quickly.
As soon as Wood Fragrance returned and pushed open the door, the conversation inside the house fell silent. She quietly emptied the bowl with butter and brick tea in her hand. “Given by Mi Niang,” she said. She didn’t mention Bahu, so as not to let rumors spread.
“Wood Fragrance, what did you say to Mi Niang?”
Wood Fragrance glanced at Wan’er. She thought it would be Lan Niang or Pandi who would ask first. She saw Lan Niang’s eager gossip expression, but her mouth was tightly closed, and she didn’t inquire like before.
“I plan to migrate to Lingshan with her in advance. She doesn’t have her mother-in-law to take care of her, so I’ll look after her on the way,” Wood Fragrance said. As soon as she spoke, she thought of another excuse: “I also rented fifty lambs from Mi Niang, and she agreed.” By putting both things together, it concealed the time factor. Others might think that the fifty sheep were a reward from Mi Niang or a compensation she requested. This way, no one would be tempted to find Mi Niang to rent sheep unless they were willing to help take care of Mi Niang during her postpartum period.
“Then you’ll have seventy sheep this year. Can you handle it?” Wan’er pondered, thinking that the forty sheep cared for by her and her grandmother were already giving her a headache.
“It’s a bit tiring, but let’s work hard for these two years. It’s better to endure a bit of hardship now. When I get married, I won’t have to worry about the in-laws,” Wood Fragrance patted Lan Naing’s head, “You don’t need to worry. You’re young, and it’s still a long time before you get married. Just follow the official arrangement.”
“I’m not thinking too much. I just want to take care of my sister Mi Niang. But I’m too young, and I’d only cause trouble on the way,” Lan Niang said.
The ones who truly had no interest were Ye Ling and Wan’er. Throughout the night, only the three of them, along with Wood Fragrance, were busy making butter tea. Lan Niang, smelling the milky fragrance, instantly cleared her mind of various messy thoughts. She rolled up her sleeves and joined in the lively atmosphere.
“I’ll observe for a year. Wood Fragrance, if you do well, I might rent some sheep again for you the year after next.” Lan Niang spoke quickly, not hiding her thoughts.
“Sure, I’ll pave the way for you first.” With Wood Fragrance’s words, the atmosphere in the room came back to life.
Mi Niang had been wondering who would come first. One day, two days, three days passed without anyone mentioning the matter of renting sheep. She treated it as if it never happened, and she didn’t ask about anything. As for Wood Fragrance’s hesitant words earlier, saying she had a plan, Mi Niang didn’t press further, and Wood Fragrance didn’t say more.
When the snow on the ground melted enough to reveal the underlying soil, Bahu went to Mao County to inquire about their departure to Xushui. Just as he left, County Official Piao arrived.
“He went to Mao County? Look at how anxious he is. He didn’t even bother to ask me. The people from Mao County will depart in five days. I was still thinking of informing him when he comes back,” County Official Piao said without entering the house. “If Bahu isn’t at home, it’s the same to tell you. I’ve arranged for other pregnant women to travel with you. There will be Huang Daifu on the road, as well as Doctor Zhao from Mao County. If there is any problem, someone will be there to help.”
“Do they have their family members accompanying them?”
“Yes, they definitely do. It’s a family affair for them. But there are also small households with fewer people. Tell Bahu to pay attention and take care of things at night. Your family has many male servants,” County Official Piao mainly came to discuss this matter.
“Sure, I’ll tell him when he comes back.”
Mi Niang calculated that there were only five days left. The frozen fish at home filled an entire basin, and since they couldn’t finish it, it would eventually go bad. She kept eight pieces for herself and gave the rest to Uncle Chaolu, Wood Fragrance, and a few others to take back.
As she hadn’t yet cleaned the fish basin, the sound of horse hooves outside caught her attention. Da Huang wagged his tail and ran outside. Supporting her belly, Mi Niang walked out, thinking that Bahu had returned quite quickly. Before reaching the doorway, two people had already stepped across the threshold.
Mi Niang’s gaze shifted from Bahu to the woman behind him, scanning back and forth several times. She finally squeezed out a greeting, “Mother, you’re here? Did you meet on the way?”
“Ah, I thought your belly had gotten big, so I came to take care of you. I’ll stay until we reach Lingshan, and then I’ll go back.” She clarified the duration of her visit.
Bahu glanced at her, fearing that he might end up keeping her from leaving again.
