Until the day before Wan’er’s wedding, Mi Niang hadn’t seen Ajima come over. She asked Bahu to go home and take a look, to see what the situation was. “If there’s anything we can help with, let’s lend a hand. He’s a good kid.”
Bahu went over and came back shaking his head, saying that Ajima’s father didn’t look good, just enduring his days, unable to eat or drink, struggling to breathe even when sitting, his face turning dark.
“Well, that’s quite a suffering, not even comparable to those who sleep at night and never wake up.”
Bahu agreed with her thoughts. If he had such a day, he’d rather just slit his throat and be done with it. But seeing the child smile with his missing front teeth, that thought dissipated. It was still a lingering sin; being able to catch a breath meant being able to take another look at the child, one less glance.
The next day, Mi Niang and Bahu lit the lamp to dress the child. Before they could open the door, Da Huang came and scratched at the door. Bahu turned his face to open the door for it, not even giving it a proper glance.
“Bahu, are you up? I was just about to call. Breakfast is ready. Later, you and Mi Niang take the child directly over for breakfast. Don’t bother cooking at home.” Grandma Zhao’s voice floated in the semi-darkness, then hastily left.
“Does this old lady ever sleep? It’s so early, and yet breakfast is ready.” Mi Niang thought she was up early enough to lend a hand. The sky outside was still dark, and the chickens in the yard hadn’t even crowed yet.
“Perhaps the wedding party arrives early, and they have to reach the bride’s home before noon.” Bahu saw that Mi Niang was still braiding the child’s hair, her own hair also in disarray. He said he would go stew the egg soup first, and she could call him when she was ready.
The eggs laid by the hens at home barely sufficed for the three of them. The two little ones liked minced meat stewed with eggs, boiled eggs, and even rice porridge, but they insisted on dipping them in soy sauce.
As three bowls of egg soup were put on the stove, Bahu filled a pot with water and placed it on the stove. When the water was hot and the child was ready, he brought him over to wash his face and rinse his mouth. When Mi Niang came over with her hair done up, Bahu was feeding the child egg soup. There were big and small patches on his legs, with his neck tilted back to catch the bits dribbling from his mouth.
“Yummy,” he said with a stern face, glaring at Qiqige. Who did she think she could fool with those little tricks? The big and small patches didn’t miss even a tiny bit of what she spat out.
The little girl grinned and opened her mouth, waiting for another spoonful.
“Do I get some egg soup too?” Mi Niang held a bowl and fed Bahu first, saying it was just a matter of course if two bowls were cooked or even three.
“I really don’t like listening to the nonsense that comes out of your mouth.” Mi Niang gave him a sideways glance, scooped a big spoonful of egg soup for herself, and then held another bowl to feed Qiqige, with each person feeding one another, the process sped
When they left, the sky was still dark and murky, and even the narrow wooden bridge over the river was hard to see clearly. The family of four, followed by two otters, followed the scent of food towards the west bank of the river.
“Ah Grandma Zao, are you so happy about marrying off your granddaughter that you can’t sleep at night? Cooking in the middle of the night.” Mi Niang greeted her first upon arrival, holding the old lady’s hand and handing her a silver pendant. “This is the makeup I’ve added for Wan’er. I arrived late, so I couldn’t give it to her in person.”
“Mi Niang, this is too precious. How can I accept it?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, and I won’t hide it from you. I remember your kindness to Wan’er all the way to the Mobei. If it weren’t for your guidance after we arrived in the Mobei, I wouldn’t know when I’d come to my senses. At that time, I thought about giving Wan’er a good gift when she got married. You probably also know why I chose a silver pendant. Last year, I gave two sheep as a token of gratitude for her taking care of me during my confinement. After Wan’er, there’s still Pandi and Lan Niang. If I gave Wan’er two sheep, it wouldn’t be appropriate to give gifts to the others later on. So, I decided to keep it simple on the surface. In the future, I can be flexible, it’s all about having just enough, not too much.” Mi Niang noticed footsteps approaching, held the old lady’s hand, and patted it twice. “I have to go look after the child, so I won’t say much.”
Grandma Zhao tucked the item into her bosom, and found an opportunity to pass it to Wan’er, and only when she took it out did she see the two red coral beads on the silver pendant. She was surprised, “This is the makeup Mi Niang gave you.”
“How… how…” This was too precious. Just the silver pendant alone was estimated to be worth more than ten taels of silver, with its simple style and craftsmanship costing at least another seven or eight taels. What was most remarkable were the two full-bodied red coral beads.
“It settles the debt of gratitude as well.” Grandma Zhao didn’t elaborate on what “as well” meant. From the very beginning, she helped Mi Niang not only out of pity but also because she saw her as a sincere person who wanted to lend a hand to Wan’er when they arrived in Mobei. She hung the silver pendant around Wan’er’s neck. “I’ve done all I can to help you. From now on, your relationships with relatives will depend on you. I’ll give you one piece of advice now, which is to weigh the benefits carefully when making friends. Treat others sincerely even if they’re not bad.”
By arranging a good marriage for Wan’er and giving her a valuable makeup gift, both sides balanced their debts and settled them. Whether Wan’er could become friends with Mi Niang in the future depended entirely on her sincerity.
“The wedding party is here!” There was a burst of laughter and joy outside. Grandma Zhao’s face lit up with a smile as she opened the door to welcome the guards inside. She walked out and saw Asyl riding a tall horse, his face full of joy.
“Grandma Zhao, I won’t accompany the wedding party to the groom’s house later. My belly is quite big now, and I can’t handle the jolting.” Mu Xiang stood beside them, holding her belly as she spoke. She arrived late and hadn’t seen anyone upon her arrival. After asking Mi Niang, she found out that the grandmother and granddaughter were talking inside the house. She didn’t want to disturb them and only found the opportunity to speak now.
Grandma Zhao emphasized the importance of the child and then asked about Zhong Qi, “If he’s free, he can go. If he marries you, he’ll also be considered part of our family.”
Zhong Qi was busy and looked exhausted. He had just come back from resting after Mu Xiang left. He spent his nights guarding the sheep outside and had to take care of her during the day while also standing guard by the west bank of the river and herding sheep. All the household chores fell on his shoulders, and even getting a good night’s sleep was difficult.
“He can’t leave. If the officials call for him, he has to go immediately.”
“That’s true. He’s busy, but the capable ones have more work.” Grandma Zhao heard someone calling for the old lady of the groom’s family and couldn’t spare any more pleasantries. She turned to receive something handed over by Asyl, “Was the journey smooth?”
“Very smooth. Everything is going well on this auspicious day.”
On the other side, they had already started the ceremony of presenting the ram to the groom’s family. Bahu guarded the child, who was getting excited, to prevent him from being trampled. When the new bride was welcomed onto the bridal carriage, he was jostled into a position with one on his neck, one lifted in front of him, his head being held, and his face covered, becoming the most disheveled person at the scene. Someone noticed his sweat-soaked clothes and offered to hold one for him, but he refused, using the excuse that the child was shy. He was afraid someone would take advantage of the chaos and snatch the child away from him.
When she spoke to Mi Nang, she laughed, bending over, “Whether they’re from the mountains or here to welcome the bride, there are eyes everywhere. Who could snatch your child away?”
The man sat on the camel, enjoying the breeze. “That’s not necessarily true. My child looks good. There might be someone with greedy eyes.” He watched as Jiya closed his eyes little by little, bending down to see him. When he saw his eyes shut, he lifted him and turned him around, letting his son sleep on his chest.
“The child is tired. Why don’t you get down and sit in the carriage? There’s no breeze in the carriage.” Pandi, Lan Niang, Bai Mei, and Ying Niang were in the carriage. He couldn’t hold the child and sit inside.
Mi Niang looked at Qiqige. He had woken up early in the morning and had been restless for a while. He looked tired too. She asked Bahu to go down first and pick up Qiqige, and then she would come down. The camels they rode were their own, and there were two young camels following behind the mother camel. After leaving the mountain, they met them. Qiqige and Jiya happily greeted them, and without any hesitation, they followed the wedding procession.
“Is the child asleep? I’ll find another carriage for you.”
“No, we’ll just ride in this carriage. Uncle, you’re busy; you don’t need to bother about us.” Mi Niang hurriedly stopped Asyl.
“My task today is to entertain you well. How can I not bother? Twins? You two are so lucky, and the child looks really good.” The man said to Bahu, thinking they could have a chat between men. He was the only man at the wedding party, and the journey was long, so chatting could pass the time. However, Bahu just smiled and handed the child into the carriage before turning to ride the camel.
He wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Little brother, what’s your name? Bahu is a good name… You have four camels at home… More? Oh, I see.” By the end, he ran out of things to say, thinking to himself that a grown man shouldn’t be this tongue-tied. Sitting at a table with alcohol, he’d surely be eloquent when toasting, right?
“Bahu, have you ever been drunk?”
“No,” Bahu glanced away. He hadn’t gone down that path yet, wanting to observe it closely. He found it annoying to have someone he didn’t know babbling useless things next to him. But he knew better than to react rashly. He wouldn’t storm off like he used to before getting married whenever he encountered someone who irritated him. He forced himself to deal with it.
Their dry conversation felt dull, and just then, there was a commotion ahead of them. Asyl used it as an excuse to leave, and he didn’t return. But he warned his nephew, “Among the wedding party, that man named Bahuhu seems to hold his liquor well. Be careful when toasting at noon, don’t let yourselves get knocked out in your own home.”
Seeing off the bride’s family, Asyl’s breath reeked of alcohol as he hugged his eldest nephew and said, “You seem quite sober. Did you dilute the wine with water? That’s not fair play.”
“I haven’t had a drop of alcohol.” Not even a drop. “Where did you get that false information from? He doesn’t touch alcohol at all. You had us brothers worried sick, practicing our toasts for nothing.”
On the other side, Qiqige and Jiya slept all morning. When they returned, they were full of energy, as if they could chase rabbits. Their bottoms felt prickly from sitting in the carriage, so Mi Niang had no choice but to let the child out and hand him over to Bahu. She sat in the carriage and chatted.
“The people at Asyl’s house are all kind and warm-hearted. Wan’er will have a good life in the future.” Pandi saw that Grandma Zhao wasn’t in high spirits, so she tried to comfort her.
Lan Niang also chimed in with something cheerful, “The scene where they tried to get Bahu to drink was hilarious. The brothers over there were almost rolling up their sleeves to start, but Bahu said he doesn’t drink, and they were all stunned.”
“They should all be drinkers. Seeing Bahu not drinking, none of them dared to pick up their cups. I noticed a short guy reaching for his cup several times, only to awkwardly put it back on the table.” Lan Niang found it amusing and stole glances several times during the meal.
“So, it’s a reasonable and understanding family. Auntie, you should be happy about it,” Mi Niang joined in with comforting words.
“I should be happy. I’m just having a hard time adjusting.” The old lady sighed. “This day was bound to come sooner or later. It’s alright. I’ll go back and take a nap. You two can chat, don’t mind me.”
Seeing a child they had raised under their noses for sixteen years getting married, how could they not feel sad? However, she didn’t want to dampen the children’s spirits. Changing the subject, she said, “You two are also at the age. It’s time to start looking for in-laws.”
Pandi and Lan Niang exchanged bitter smiles. “It’s time to find someone, but we haven’t seen anyone suitable yet.”
Grandma Zhao said, “Let those who are already married help with the search. Among you seven girls, four are already married. It’s much better than when you first came to the Mobei, clueless about everything.”
“We’re still clueless now, just able to distinguish things on a clear day,” Pandi joked, glancing at Mi Niang. Half-seriously, half-jokingly, she continued, “There’s no rush. I used to get tired of comforting my younger siblings at home. Now, life is pretty good. Everyone is fed, and no one is hungry. Let’s enjoy it for a year or two before rushing into marriage and having children.”
Before anyone could react to her words, they were all a bit stunned. Just then, they heard Bahu calling Mei Niang from outside, saying Qiqige needed to pee and asking her to come out and hold him for a moment.
“See? With a child, you can’t even have a peaceful conversation with your sisters.” Pandi teased playfully.
“Yeah, Bahu sometimes complains about the troubles that come with having a child. It’s not always peaceful.” With just a sentence, they were interrupted again from outside. Mi Niang quickly hopped out of the carriage, holding the little girl who kept saying she needed to pee, with a smile on her face. After that, she didn’t get back into the carriage but sat on the camel’s hump, leisurely enjoying the breeze.
“Our camels are also joining in to send off the bride. Will there be good food at noon?” After arriving at Asyl’s house, it was Bahu who went to feed the camels.
Of course, they wouldn’t go hungry. A bucket of bean dregs, a packet of fine salt, and he even asked for some wedding pastries. When he went to lead the camels after the meal, they were reluctant to leave.
