Thanks to the horsehead fiddle, the two of them spent a passionate night together. The porridge they had at night didn’t even begin to satisfy their hunger, and Bahu woke up hungry before dawn.
He quietly got off the Kang in the darkness, put on his clothes, and carefully slipped on his boots before going outside. He pushed away the dog that enthusiastically licked his hand and rubbed against his leg, then went into the kitchen to stuff the stove with cow dung to stoke the fire. The fire in the stove had died out, but the water in the pot was still warm. Bahu washed his hands with soap and went to the snowdrift in the yard to dig out some mutton. He was so hungry that his heart was racing, and he especially wanted to eat meat.
Mi Niang was awakened by the sound of shoveling snow. She opened her eyes, turned over, and saw Jiya looking at her. She didn’t know when he had woken up, but he was lying quietly in the bed playing with his fingers.
“What a good baby,” Mi Niang reached out and patted his bottom. His diaper was dry. She sat up, put on her clothes, and planned to change his diaper.
“Oh, your dad has already emptied the chamber pot.”
Bahu heard her voice and walked over to open the door a crack. “Jiya has already peed. When he wakes up, get him up. Breakfast is ready.”
Mi Niang put on her clothes and went out to see that the snow in the yard had been cleared away. “You’ve been up for a while. Why did you wake up so early?” It was just starting to get light outside, and the sky was still dim. Snowflakes were falling again.
Bahu said he woke up hungry, so he got up. “In the future, when you cook porridge at night, fry pancakes or steam mantou. I get hungry quickly if I eat porridge alone.”
He added, “Today I’m going to Huxian Cheng.” He had planned to go before the New Year, but various things had delayed him, and now he hadn’t gone yet. If he didn’t go now, he would be busy again.
“Alright, now there are plenty of cucumbers growing. Pick a few more for your mother, and pull a basket of greens too. I have plenty of green onions, they’re growing well. Pick a bunch for her, they have a lot of mouths to feed at home,” Mi Niang scooped a spoonful of honey into the warm water and stirred. “Take a jar of honey over too. If she likes drinking it, the jar from before should be empty by now.” It wouldn’t look good if they brought too few things after the New Year. If they happened to meet people from the same clan, it would be something to talk about.
Bahu had already eaten, so while Mi Niang was eating, he took a basket to pull some young greens. Whenever it wasn’t snowing and there was sunshine, she had someone light a fire to move the vegetables and green onions out to bask in the sun, taking care of them meticulously, and they were growing well.
After loading everything onto the cart, Bahu stood outside the door and asked, “Do you want to come?”
“I’ll stay home with the children,” Mi Niang declined. From getting married to having children, the child was almost six months old now. No one had mentioned going to visit her in-laws’ home. She had never been there before and didn’t plan to go in the future.
It was better not to go, to avoid idle gossip. Bahu got on the cart and said, “I’ll be back by noon, don’t forget to make my meal.”
He was alone on the cart, and he walked quickly on the road. When he arrived at Huxian Cheng, there were still people making breakfast who had gotten up late.
Calculating the time, he hadn’t been here in a year. Following the roads from memory, everything seemed a bit unfamiliar to him, and he occasionally doubted if he had taken the wrong turn.
“Arun—”
“Don’t call me that.”
Bahu turned his head at the sound, but the high walls of the courtyard blocked the light, making the alley somewhat dark. He squinted carefully and called out uncertainly, “Mother?”
“Bahu?” The woman turned around, pleasantly surprised. “Why did you come at this time?”
The two of them walked out, one in front of the other, and Bahu could now see the man’s face clearly. He was fair-skinned and clean-shaven, a rare appearance among men from the Mobei.
“Younger brother.” Since his root had been cut, he hadn’t grown any stubble on his jaw.
“Are you here to wish your parents a Happy New Year?” Sandan asked, tapping the cart. “Your mother told me you had twins. Are they with you? Come to my house, I’ll give them a New Year’s gift.”
“The children are still young, and they’re staying home with their mother. I came to bring some vegetables for my mother.” Bahu opened the cart door. “Come in, I’ll take you back. Do you want to come in, younger brother?”
Sandan smiled. “You haven’t been back for a few years. Every year at White Festival, I spend it with your parents.”
With the door closed and no one speaking inside, Bahu glanced at the dark and cold alley and urged the cart forward. After turning a corner and walking for a while, he saw a spacious mansion. This was the clan’s residence, where every clan leader would move in.
On the first day of the New Year, many people from the clan would come to visit. Bahu didn’t enter the main house, just unloaded the basket of vegetables from the cart and placed it in the gatehouse.
“Younger brother, you go inside first. I’ll talk to my mother for a few moments.”
“Is there something I can’t hear?” Sandan didn’t budge. “Are you perhaps thinking about asking me about your father’s drunken fights? If so, you can ask me. Your father has gotten drunk a few times, but I always keep an eye on him. Whenever he’s drunk, I take him home with me. You can rest assured.”
“You go inside. I want to talk to my son.” The woman’s expression turned cold.
“Alright then, but I also wanted to chat with my nephew for a bit.” The man shrugged, raised his foot, and walked inside.
“Thank you, younger brother,” Bahu called out.
“Good lad.”
Once the figure disappeared, the woman lifted her head and asked, “Won’t you come in and sit for a while? You rarely come over during the holidays. Have lunch at home?”
She might not have realized it, but her nostrils flared noticeably when she was anxious. Bahu averted his gaze. “The children are mischievous, and Mi Niang can’t manage to cook with two of them. I just came to see you. The vegetables were grown by Mi Niang; she asked me to bring them to you, along with a jar of honey. Seeing you’re doing well, I’ll head back.”
“I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Bahu just nodded and turned to leave. “You don’t need to see me off.”
“I want to.” The horse cart had already turned around. The woman held onto the reins and asked about the well-being of the two children, whether they were seated properly if they had grown teeth, and if their appearances had changed. Finally, she said, “Please thank Mi Niang for me, and thank her for the honey and vegetables she sent.”
Bahu again responded with a simple “Hmm.” “I’m leaving,” he added.
As the horse trotted away, he caught a glimpse of a figure at the corner of the gatehouse wall. When he looked back, he saw the servant carrying the vegetables.
Once the carriage turned the corner and disappeared from sight, the woman in the snow finally began to walk towards the house. She passed through the gatehouse and courtyard, and at the corner of the veranda, she saw the man who should have already entered the inner courtyard. Beside him was a basket of vegetables and a jar of honey.
“Bahu brought over some good stuff. It would be a shame if it fell into someone else’s hands, so I intercepted it for you,” the man said in a firm voice, his tone belying the fact that he had no descendants.
The woman didn’t mind losing the jar of honey in his hands and replied with her hands behind her back, “It seems he doesn’t come to see you much after starting his own family.”
“That’s a good thing. It means he’s doing well in his own home,” the woman said as she picked up the basket of vegetables and walked around the man.
Sandan stayed where he was, leaning against the pillar and watching her figure. “Don’t worry. My nephew is too busy to spare any time. From now on, I’ll protect you in his place.”
The woman paused for a moment but didn’t respond, continuing on her way.
…
Bahu didn’t rush back home. He took a detour around Huxian Cheng before heading back. When he arrived home, it was just noon. Mi Niang was steaming lamb sausages and preparing to fry them.
“You’re back?” she heard his voice and walked to the door to take a look.
“Yeah, is lunch ready?” He didn’t mention anything about visiting his mother.
“Almost ready. How’s the mother?”
“She’s good, especially good.” Bahu washed his hands and picked up a couple of pieces of sausage, tossing them into his mouth. “The smell of home-cooked meals is still the best.”
“That depends on who’s cooking,” Mi Niang said, her words led astray by his comment, forgetting to ask further.
“Yeah, I can’t replicate this taste,” Bahu said, picking up a few more pieces. He heard Mi Niang complaining about him being annoying, so he stopped eating to let her finish cooking.
He pushed all the messy thoughts out of his mind, especially when the two children reached out their little hands for him to pick them up. His heart could only hold his own family.
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Mi Niang and Bahu got the two children ready, brought along two diapers, and headed to the relief house. Today was a good day for Bai Mei’s wedding.
When Mi Niang entered the house, Mu Xiang had already arrived. She handed over a stack of crimson fabric. “Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.”
Bai Mei was already dressed up and smiled as she accepted it. “Are you the only one here? Where’s Bahu and the children?”
“Qiqige and Jiya like crowded places. Bahu is holding them outside, waiting to see ChaoBao come to greet the bride.” She was the matchmaker today and had once been married herself. She didn’t join in the festivities when they blocked the door, but strangely, Mu Xiang also stood aside.
“Go get some lucky money. It’s more lively with more people,” Bai Mei said, noticing that Lan Niang and the others were being overshadowed because of the small number of guests. She quickly asked Mu Xiang to join them.
“I’m not going. I’m already married,” Mu Xiang laughed. Despite Bai Mei’s insistence, she remained unmoved. When ChaoBao knocked on the door sheep to open it, she took advantage of the chaos to slip out.
“Hey, where’s Mu Xiang? Where did she go?” When the bridal carriage welcomed the bride, and ChaoBao’s uncle came to invite the bride’s family onto the carriage, Lan Niang noticed Mu Xiang was missing.
“She must have gone with Mi Niang,” Pandi didn’t pay much attention. “Forget about it, let’s get on the carriage first.”
But when they arrived at ChaoBao’s home and sat down, they still didn’t see Mu Xiang come over. It was Zhong Qi who came over and said, “Mu Xiang isn’t feeling well, so she went home to rest. I’m here on her behalf.”
Remembering the morning’s events, Mi Niang wondered if Mu Xiang was pregnant. She wasn’t the only one thinking this; Lan Niang and Pandi also had the same thought. They tentatively congratulated Zhong Qi, and when they saw him smile, they congratulated him again.
“Today is indeed a good day,” Mi Niang said.
“Absolutely,” Pandi agreed, offering a chopstick of beef to Ying Niang. “Stop looking around so much and eat more meat.” Beef was something they usually couldn’t afford.
“It’s just you and Lan Niang left. Do you want me to keep an eye out for you two?” Mi Niang asked proactively.
Pandi chewed on the beef tendon, furrowing her brows as she chewed it into a mush before speaking, “I’m not in a hurry. Once Wan’er gets married and settles down, with everything in place, I’ll eat, drink, and live comfortably. I’m not rushing into marriage blindly.”
Lan Niang also echoed the sentiment, “I’m in no rush either. When I’m ready to get married, I’ll rely on you to find me a good man.”
Mi Niang responded with two simple “ohs.” It was strange, especially coming from Pandi. With her deep thoughts and numerous ideas, it was understandable. But Lan Niang, who had been eager to find a good man since arriving in the Mobei, also expressed similar sentiments. What could have happened to the two of them?
“Alright, if you find someone you’re interested in, come to me, and I’ll find out more for you,” Mi Niang offered without asking any questions.
After the banquet, Mi Niang and Pandi declined ChaoBao’s offer to ride them home. Since it wasn’t snowing today and the wind was mild, they decided to walk back home, chatting and joking along the way. They teased Wan’er about when they would drink her wedding wine.
Bahu walked behind, carrying the two children alone. Once the others were a bit ahead, he caught up to Mi Niang and walked beside her, noticing her smile. His own mood lifted in response.
Approaching their home, they saw Xi Jil holding a small lamb. Bahu asked, “Is this the first lamb of the year?”
“Master, you’re back! Hurry up and help out. It seems like all the ewes decided to give birth today. We’re swamped,” Xi Jil replied.
Indeed, it was a good day.
