Bahu’s carriage turned a corner and was blocked by a wall. Saihan quickly walked to Arun’s side, with a step between them. He whispered, “I’ve talked to Bahu. If his son is willing to be the next chieftain when he grows up, I will designate his son as the successor before my death. Since I have no offspring, all my possessions will go to Bahu. You can rest assured, the situation turned out like this not because of me meddling.”
The woman breathed a sigh of relief and then said, “Did he find out that it was you and I conspiring to kill his father?” Her voice sounded as if she had chewed up the words in her mouth before spitting them out, barely audible unless you were close enough.
The man responded with a grunt, “I only told him that I have no offspring because of his father’s actions. He thinks I acted alone, but you knew and helped me conceal it.” In fact, both of them were present when Angqin fell into the water tank and struggled. They only left after he breathed his last.
The two walked back home, one looking sorrowful and the other slightly relieved. The woman went straight to the funeral parlor, while Saihan stayed outside to entertain the visiting clansmen and relatives.
Agula and Sandan knelt for the morning and then went back to rest in their room. There was no one guarding the main hall. The woman stood at the end of the wooden coffin, looking down at the man who had died with his eyes wide open. If he hadn’t been humiliating her in bed since last year, she wouldn’t have strayed when Saihan approached her.
Perhaps it was from drinking too much, ruining his health, the lower part of his body couldn’t function properly. He didn’t know where he had learned those depraved methods, but whenever he got drunk, he would torment her in bed. She touched the fox fur collar around her neck. By the time she changed into summer clothes, the blood stains on it should be invisible.
“Sister-in-law, your family from your mother’s side is here. Come out and greet them,” Saihan stood in the courtyard without intending to enter.
“Alright, coming.” Just as she stepped out of the main hall, her eldest and second eldest brothers came in with smiles. “We heard the pest got what he deserved. We’ve come to celebrate.”
The two of them strolled around inside, barely sparing a glance at the sorrowful woman. They didn’t even acknowledge her when they passed by.
After they came out, they asked, “Now that he’s dead, are you planning to live with Bahu or with the other son?”
“Elder brothers, rest assured. Even though my husband has passed away, my sister-in-law doesn’t have to resort to living with her son. There aren’t many people in my family, so she can stay in the backyard, and I’ll take care of her. The two of us can keep each other company,” Saihan hastily interrupted.
“…” The two brothers exchanged a glance. Did they understand what was implied? Bahu’s second uncle glanced at his younger sister. She had always been beautiful since childhood, talented in singing and dancing, with a gentle and delicate temperament. When she reached marriageable age, she was highly sought after. It was a pity she ended up with someone who was mediocre at best. Now in her forties, she only had a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. The sorrow between her eyebrows added a touch of vulnerability. Without a child from her deceased husband, she would only be a burden. Remarrying would be easy, and there was no need to find another fake man who couldn’t fulfill his duties.
“Where’s Bahu?” Bahu’s second uncle looked around. “Hasn’t he arrived yet?”
“He came but left again, saying that one of the children at home is sick,” Saihan replied.
“Oh.” The two brothers exchanged another glance and then fell silent. Since their nephew had no objections, there was no need for them to say more to their estranged elder brother.
“Alright, we just came to pay our respects after hearing the news. Now that we’ve seen it for ourselves, our hearts are at ease. We have other matters to attend to at home, so we’ll take our leave,” they said before departing.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, we have prepared a meal at home. Please stay and have a meal,” Saihan said hurriedly, leaving behind a group of astonished onlookers as he gazed at the grieving and numb woman. Seeing her lack of reaction, he lost interest and dispersed to spread the news elsewhere.
How scandalous! The elder brother hasn’t even been buried yet, and the younger brother is already claiming the sister-in-law.
…
By the time Bahu returned home, it was already past noon. Mi Niang was putting the children to sleep, so he didn’t disturb her. He cooked some lamb intestines, washed his hands hastily after eating, and then hurried to the bedroom when he heard the children crying.
“You’re back?” Mi Niang was surprised to see him, quickly dressing Qiqige and handing her over to Bahu. She asked, “Are you going back there later?”
“I’m not going back. The funeral arrangements are being taken care of by my mother and my younger uncle, with Ajima and Sandan also there. They don’t need me,” Bahu said as he gently patted the little girl. “Are you managing alone with the children? Did you ask for help?”
“After you left, Ajima came over. He’s outside building snowmen in the yard. The two children are behaving and not causing any trouble, so I didn’t ask for help,” Mi Niang replied as she dressed Jiya and then dressed herself before picking him up from the bed. She then inquired about her father-in-law, whom she hadn’t met yet.
Bahu didn’t hide anything from her. He told her that his father had been drowned in the water tank by his younger uncle and that his mother had gotten involved with his younger uncle. His father had harmed his younger uncle to the point where he couldn’t live properly, and when they asked him to come back, it was to make him the clan chief. He passed the responsibility to his younger uncle and also secured the promise of the next clan chief for his son… Mi Niang was left dumbfounded by the rapid succession of revelations.
“Your family is too chaotic,” she remarked.
Bahu didn’t refute. Actions have consequences. When the old man was young, he harmed his brother, and now that he was old, it was only fair that someone sought revenge and killed him. In the end, it was his younger uncle who suffered the most. He had been alone for over twenty years, while his enemies had children and grandchildren, enjoying everything he should have enjoyed.
What surprised Mi Niang the most was the relationship between the uncle and the auntie. “Your mother and your uncle…”
“Yeah, I saw them hugging each other when I went to deliver vegetables on the first day of the lunar new year,” Bahu said calmly, but Mi Niang’s heart was pounding. She wanted to grab Bahu and ask for more details, but gossiping about his mother wasn’t appropriate, so she held back her curiosity.
Fortunately, when they sat on the Kang at night, Bahu brought it up himself. “Hey, how come my mother suddenly changed her mind? Last year, I asked her to find someone else to marry, but she insisted on sticking with that rotten-hearted man.”
Uh… Mi Niang remembered the appearance of his younger uncle. He was young, handsome, even better-looking than her own father, gentle in speech, always smiling, and eloquent.
“Maybe the person you found wasn’t to her liking. Uncle Muren is far inferior to your younger uncle,” she replied.
“Is it just because of appearance and age?” Bahu turned over, and Qiqige, who was lying on his belly, rolled over on the Kang, grabbing his clothes and climbing onto him.
“Did she change her mind just because of appearance? My mother endured so many years with the old man. When I saw her hugging my younger uncle earlier this year, my head was spinning. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.” In truth, it was more about resentment. He had been beaten by the old man for so many years, to the point where he couldn’t get up after being kicked to the ground, and in the end, he was driven out of the house. All the injuries he suffered happened under his mother’s nose, yet she never had the heart to take him away from that home. But under the influence of a rootless man for less than half a year, she actively concealed the cause of her husband’s death.
“Do you really think your mother still has feelings for your father? Last year, your mother said she slept in a separate room from your father. Do you think someone who sleeps in separate rooms all year round would still have feelings?” Mi Niang asked Bahu. “Would you sleep in a separate room from me?”
“That’s definitely impossible.” He couldn’t imagine why they would sleep separately, but it surely indicated a lack of affection. Just the thought of it made him uncomfortable.
“My mother and he have been sleeping separately for several years. Before I was kicked out, we already slept in different rooms.” It had been at least six or seven years.
Mi Niang then told Bahu about her speculation from last year. “She only enjoyed the pleasure of him kneeling at her feet. When your younger uncle appeared, she felt the pleasure of being flattered and courted, and naturally began to feel annoyed with your father.”
“Last year, your mother didn’t refuse Uncle Muren when he played the horsehead fiddle for her, built snowmen, sprayed water to make ice, and took her ice skating. Didn’t you see how genuinely happy she was then?”
“I thought she was just humoring me.” Bahu turned over again, lifting Qiqige onto his belly, his hand resting behind his head, muttering that he realized he might not have truly understood his mother.
Mi Niang remained silent. If Bahu agreed to it, she felt it would be too frivolous. Quietly in her heart, she thought, actually, having a sharp tongue can be quite amusing, and things might come more fiercely and quickly.
“Let’s sleep, let’s sleep.” Bahu pulled the blanket over his face and lifted Qiqige’s head out from his chest, exposing her little head above the covers.
Even with her eyes closed, Mi Niang couldn’t sleep, perhaps because she had slept too much in the afternoon. She thought about her mother-in-law and younger uncle and said, “Your mother probably just wanted to have some fun, like she did with Uncle Muren. But when your younger uncle drowned your father, she just went along with it.”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore,” Bahu spoke gloomily. “The more you say, the more complicated my feelings towards her become.”
Mi Niang chuckled softly, but Bahu caught her and tickled her. “You’re still laughing? I’m feeling uneasy inside.” The image of his mother in his mind didn’t match the reality anymore.
The two rolled around in the quilt, while the two children giggled and chattered, sweating all over before finally settling down. They lifted their legs to let out some heat, then lay back down, with Bahu pressing the covers over them after a few moments.
“Your mother endured over twenty difficult years. It’s a miracle she didn’t go crazy. It’s only natural for her to have a complex personality after all that. Whatever she does is normal.” Bahu’s cold demeanor stemmed from his mixture of resentment and love. When his love for his father faded, all that was left was hatred and resentment, and he didn’t enjoy interacting with others. His mother was a sister, a wife, a mother of four children—her emotions were incredibly complex. She lived with regrets, yet persisted in her daily life. Without her family or good guidance, and refusing to work, she just sat at home, revolving around men and children, becoming more bewildered as time went on.
The main issue is still foolishness. He should have run away after the first beating. If he had, none of these things would have happened.
“Don’t think too much about your mother. You have your life, and she has hers. She hasn’t harmed you. Don’t get stuck on negative thoughts about her,” Mi Niang changed the subject, talking about the children teething and how their legs and arms were gaining strength. They could now crawl from one end of the heated brick bed to the other.
“I wonder if the two kids will be able to walk when we get to Lingshan, and when they’ll start talking,” Mi Niang rested her head on Bahu’s chest, supporting her chin as she asked him to guess which child would walk and speak first, and who they would call out to first, their father or mother.
Bahu favored Qiqige for the first two questions. “The little girl adores me, so she’ll definitely call out to me first.”
Mi Niang teased him for not being perceptive. “Children always prefer their mothers, so she’ll definitely call out to me first.” Since Bahu favored Qiqige, Mi Niang then favored Jiya to walk and speak first.
Half-asleep, Bahu was pushed back into wakefulness by Mi Niang, who said, “Da Huang and Alse wolves have paired up. I saw it with my own eyes. This year’s puppies won’t belong to Bala.”
Bahu was suddenly alert. He hadn’t seen Bala make any mating attempts, as he was too engrossed in taking the cubs to play in the snow.
“Do you think there might be a problem with him?”
“Like your younger uncle? Oh! I misspoke… It was an involuntary slip of the tongue,” Mi Niang rubbed her shoulder, biting her lip as she suggested that Bahu should give Bala some extra treats and feed him more of the castrated lamb’s testicles.
