Mi Niang carried the meat and walked along the river downstream; she still needed to fetch Da Huang back.
“Woof—” Da Huang began to tug at the rope and jump around before Mi Niang even got close. After untying the rope, Da Huang stuck to her, tripping her with every step. This was the first time in the past two months that Da Huang hadn’t stayed by her side.
Mi Niang led the dog towards the entrance. The largest felt-covered door was wide open, and there should be someone inside. However, despite calling out twice, there was no response.
“Bahu? I’m taking Da Huang with me,” Mi Niang cautiously approached the felt-covered door, still wary of any dogs that might leap out and bite her.
“What are you doing? Who let you in?”
Mi Niang turned around. A disheveled old man, appearing from who knows where scrutinized her with an assessing gaze.
“I came to find Bahu. I shouted for him, but no one answered, so I came over to take a look.” Mi Niang explained as she walked out with Da Huang. “Sir, are you a helper at Bahu’s place? Could you please pass on a message to him? I’m taking Da Huang away; I’m its owner.”
“Oh, your dog? That’s fine then. The master is out. When he comes back, I’ll tell him.”
“Alright, thank you.” Mi Niang expressed her gratitude and found Da Huang sniffing at the meat she was carrying. She patted the dog’s head, raising her arm higher.
Mi Niang bought the meat to visit Zhao A Nai after her relocation. Both the grandmother and granddaughter had good intentions towards her. Now that she had some money, she couldn’t go empty-handed and take advantage of their kindness.
In the late evening of the summer day in the north, there were many women washing clothes and vegetables by the river. Mi Niang, carrying a knife and meat, drew quite a few glances.
“Mi Niang, where did you buy this meat? How much per pound?” asked a woman washing vegetables.
“It’s just behind here, at a felt-covered yurt. The one hanging a sheepskin is the meat seller.” The felt yurts of the local herdsmen were arranged in a picturesque manner, with the business ones in the third row. The further back one lived, the lower their status.
“Sheep meat is fifteen copper coins per pound, much cheaper than in my hometown, so I bought a bit more. Zhao A Nai took care of me along the way, and today she rented a felt yurt to move out. I’m taking the meat and a knife to visit her new house as a gesture of gratitude,” Mi Niang explained the reason for buying the meat. “By the way, Auntie, do you know where Zhao A Nai is living now? She moved when I was already at work this morning.”
“She moved to the east of the river and said she’s working as a nanny for someone. If you want to find her, you’ll have to go and ask; I didn’t pay attention to which family she’s serving,” the woman replied.
“A nanny? Right, Zhao A Nai worked as a wet nurse in the deep courtyards when she was young. That’s a cleaner and less tiring job to find,” Mi Niang thought aloud.
At this point, she didn’t know whether she should visit with the knife and meat.
“That’s Wǎn’er, isn’t it? Mi Niang, you don’t have to go door to door asking,” a young woman reminded her.
“Mi Niang, I was just about to look for you,” Wǎn’er ran over with a basket. She was dressed in a brand-new robe, and her smile lacked the shadows of the past.
“Is Zhao A Nai at home? I was planning to go and say hello,” Mi Niang walked with her to the opposite bank, avoiding the crowd. Only then did she ask, “Do you need something from me?”
“My Zhao A Nai has become the nanny for the daughter of Magistrate Shǔ’s family. They rewarded her with several plates of roasted mutton tonight, and Zhao A Nai asked me to bring you a bowl,” Wǎn’er patted Da Huang’s head and exclaimed, “This isn’t something you can eat.”
“Zhao A Nai is quite capable,” Mi Niang sincerely admired her. Before the others could react, she quietly entered Magistrate Shǔ’s family house, which could be considered establishing a foothold in the north.
“I took my wages today and bought some meat. Since you’ve moved, we should celebrate. I just don’t know if it’s convenient for me to visit,” Mi Niang glanced at Wan’er and whispered, “Is the Magistrate Shu’s family strict with rules?”
“It’s convenient. Unlike Dakang, where wealthy households have multiple courtyards and high walls, and you need an invitation to enter. Magistrate Shu lives in a felt yurt too, and I live on the outskirts with Zhao A Nai,” Wan’er led Mi Niang towards her place. At this time, Zhao A Nai was still serving Miss Shu, and there were only two of them in the felt yurt. Wan’er raised the torch and poured the meat into a pottery pot. The two of them moved a small table outside the felt yurt and sat down.
“Did you have a smooth day at work today? Is the main family easy to get along with? No one troubled you, right?” Wan’er asked.
“No, everything is fine,” Mi Niang shared her good news without mentioning any difficulties. She pulled up her sleeve, brought it close to Wan’er’s nose, and said disdainfully, “It’s just that the smell is a bit strong.”
Wan’er wrinkled her nose, moved away, and thought about the upcoming night without sharing a bed with the sheep, feeling relieved. “The Magistrate Shu’s family has someone specifically guarding the livestock at night. If you don’t bring your sheep, can I secretly mix them with ours?”
Mi Niang chuckled, her eyes filled with pride. “I haven’t brought them back. I left them with Bahu’s flock. They have a lot of sheep, so a few more lambs won’t be noticed for a while.”
“You’re bolder than me,” Wan’er mimicked clasping her fists. She could only think about it, while Mi Niang had already taken action.
After dinner, Wan’er asked Mi Niang to take the lamb meat away. She and Zhao A Nai had plenty of meat at the Magistrate Shu’s family. Mi Niang refused, and with Da Huang in tow, she left. There was no reason to take back a gift once it had been given.
Mi Niang stepped on the grassy path and returned to the west bank of the river. Just as she entered the felt yurt, the conversation inside came to a halt.
“Have you had dinner?” Mi Niang asked first. She didn’t go inside, choosing to sit on the doorstep instead. She took off her cloth shoes and changed into straw sandals. She didn’t discard the cloth shoes and planned to wash them and keep them for emergencies.
“We’ve eaten. We heard you went to Zhao A Nai’s place tonight, so we didn’t cook your dinner,” Pandi responded, “Where did Zhao A Nai move to?”
“At Magistrate Shu’s house, she went to serve Miss Shu,” Mi Niang didn’t hide anything. She walked around in her new straw sandals and asked, “Did anyone go to the riverside to freshen up?”
“I’ll go,” Ying Niang jumped up.
“Sister Mi Niang, can I go shear sheep too?” Ying Niang, holding Da Huang’s leash, followed behind Mi Niang, wrinkling her nose and saying, “I want to earn money to buy meat too.”
“You’re too young. A sheep might kick you in the head and cause bleeding.” When they reached an empty spot, Mi Niang found a patch of grass tall enough to cover half a person and squatted down for a private moment. This was how it was on the grasslands—no outhouses, and both urination and defecation happened in the open.
While pulling up her pants, Mi Niang glanced at her thighs and noticed a palm-sized bruise above her knee, particularly glaring on her fair skin.
“Ah! Sister Mi Niang, what’s this?”
“A sheep’s kick,” Mi Niang rolled up her sleeves, revealing bruises on her arms as well, “This one is from a ram’s horn.”
Ying Niang blinked and decided not to ask about sheep shearing anymore.
Mi Niang smiled. In the following days, Lan Niang and the others didn’t bring up sheep shearing either. Mi Niang’s heart felt a bit clearer.
For seven consecutive days, Mi Niang passed by Bahu’s felt yurt every day but never encountered him. She followed others to work diligently, and after saving two taels of silver, she planned to buy some fabric to sew herself some clothes.
“You wait a few more days. Dakang’s merchant caravan is coming. They’re bound to have some goods soiled on the way. Since you’re not concerned about appearance, take advantage of their cheap deals. When they arrive, buy directly from the merchants at a lower price,” advised Chaolu passing on this piece of information to the laborers.
“Is that true?” someone asked.
“Why would I lie to you? This caravan is following the army from the Great Residence. They will surely take advantage of this opportunity to bring more goods. When the time comes, buy directly from the merchants at a lower price,”
chaolu shared this information he heard from Bahu, making it quite reliable.
“Great Residence?” Mi Niang remembered this peculiar term. If it weren’t for her hearing about the earthquake in Luchou in Yanjing, these people might have died on the road fleeing or been sold into mansions as servants. received a letter from a servant, and as soon as he read the beginning, he frowned. He put down the letter, had someone prepare another felt bag, and went to the silk and satin shop to buy two sets of bedding. He also purchased a new bathing tub.
“Master, do we have guests coming?” a curious slave who was tying the felt bag asked as he noticed his master replacing various items.
“My elder brother is coming back and will stay for a couple of days as he passes through,” replied Bahu, impatiently giving instructions, “Clean up the grass on the ground, set up a brazier to get rid of dampness, and later sprinkle some insect repellent powder around. My elder brother is bringing a woman with him.”
“That’s a joyful occasion! Master, rest assured, I will make sure everything is well-prepared.”
Joyful occasion my foot. Bringing that troublemaker back might lead to a fight with him over the family name. That troublemaker unexpectedly became a son-in-law in Dakang, even changed his name and got a surname. In the future, if he has children, they’ll call him old father-in-law, and he’ll be referred to as grandfather.
As predicted by Chaolu, five days later, in the evening, the army from Great Residence arrived in Linqiu. Along with the army, there were not only merchant caravans but also refugees, countless in number, easily filling up the felt tents on the west side of the river, which were still insufficient to accommodate everyone.
Bahu was called by the county magistrate to help set up a new felt bag. He also went to the caravan to buy pottery jars and distributed them in the evening. When he returned home, the eastern sky was already getting bright. As for his elder brother and the new sister-in-law, he hadn’t met them.
Just as the day dawned, the caravan became busy setting up stalls along the river downstream to sell their goods. Those looking for bargains were already waiting early in the morning, and the shopkeepers who came to replenish their stock couldn’t even squeeze in.
“Noisy as hell.” Bahu pulled the blanket over his head, attempting to cover the loud hawking noises outside. But felt tents were not soundproof, and he grew more and more annoyed lying there. So, he gave up, lifted the blanket, put on his clothes with a disgruntled face, and went outside, planning to find a quieter place to continue sleeping.
“Bahu, where are you going?” His elder brother called out. He stood next to a beautiful woman. “I’m going to check on the cattle and sheep. You take the sister-in-law around,” Bahu replied, and with that, he walked away. His elder brother knew that this time, returning would mean facing a beating from their father, so he wanted his support.
Bahu frowned; he didn’t want to get involved in this mess. When he got beaten, nobody stood up for him.
Ram were big, and shearing their wool took a long time. Whenever they struggled, Mi Niang would end up with some injuries. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone else was either buying things or looking at the Great Residence, she thought of choosing an ewe to try her hand.
The younger the lamb, the more unruly the ewe would be. After careful observation, she chose a thin ewe and drove it out while it was grazing alone. When it was busy eating grass, she pounced, grabbing its head and pressing it down. The whole time, the ewe bleated loudly, resisting her and consuming time and energy.
“What are you doing, taking advantage of the manager not being here, trying to crush my sheep?” Bahu heard the sheep’s pitiful cries and thought it was being stolen. He rushed over and only realized it was her when he arrived, “Today is supposed to be your day off. What are you doing here? I don’t pay you for today.”
“I know, and I don’t intend to get paid either,” Mi Niang replied, glancing at him. She didn’t loosen her grip, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m just here to learn how to catch sheep.”
“Fine.” Bahu didn’t waste words. He got up and chose a sunny spot to lie down, closing his eyes to sleep. From time to time, he heard the sheep’s cries, and he started to find it annoying, but he was too lazy to get up and find a quieter place. Slowly, he fell asleep again.
He woke up again when someone called him. Bahu took down his arm covering his eyes and squinted at the girl standing next to him. From his angle, he noticed that Mi Niang’s chin was quite fair.
“It’s noon already, I’m leaving. Do you want to go back?” Mi Niang avoided getting too close to him, finding the smell of the sheep on her body strong. She watched as he sat up and took a step back, “You sleep like a log. I’ve herded three waves of cattle trying to trample you, and you didn’t notice.”
Bahu, following her movements, glanced at her feet. Her toes, set against the dark grass shoes, looked white, tender, and plump.
“Am I a cannibal? Why are you moving back?” Bahu noticed that when he took two steps, she could step back four, and he asked irritably, “Are you afraid of me?”
Mi Niang shook her head, insisting on keeping a distance of three steps from him.
“Why are you shaking your head? Cat got your tongue? You used to talk a lot. Are you silent today?”
Mi Niang gave him a strange look, “Is it that you find me talkative? And what does it matter to you whether I talk a lot or a little? It’s you who seems unusually chatty today.”
