Mi Niang and Bahu hadn’t been home for almost the entire day. Even before reaching the doorstep, they could hear Uncle Muren’s voice. The dogs at home recognized the footsteps and came to greet them, signaling that the owners were returning.
Hastening their steps, they first patted the dog spinning around their legs, its tail wagging happily, then squatted down to pick up the children who came running over. As soon as they lifted them, Qiqige and Jiya began crying as if they had been beaten, tears and snot streaming down their faces. They clung tightly to their parents’ necks, crying louder the more they were pulled.
Unable to do anything about it, Mi Niang and Bahu had to endure the sticky, warm sensation as they comforted the children and talked to Uncle Muren. “Did these two little rascals tire you out today?” It was the first time both parents weren’t home, so waking up and not seeing anyone probably led to crying.
The old man chuckled and sighed, acknowledging the difficulty. “It’s good that there are many people at home, it’s lively. Cry for a while, and then it’ll be quiet for a while. If they forget about it, they won’t cry anymore.”
Then they asked, “How are things at Ajima’s house?”
“Buried. No relatives showed up; it was all taken care of by the neighbors,” Mi Niang sighed, sitting down on a chair inside. “It’s tough. I heard that most of the sheep at their house are still rented. Normally, his two sisters take care of things during the day, and his mother keeps watch at night. Now that they’re gone, only the three siblings are left. Ajima is still young, so it’s not going to be easy.” She suggested taking care of Ajima because she saw that his elder sisters were getting older. She heard that the eldest was already eighteen or nineteen, and the younger one was about fifteen or sixteen. Previously, they stayed at home to take care of their seriously ill father, but now that both parents were gone, and with Ajima being the only male in the family and still young, taking care of the sheep and keeping watch at night would be problematic. It wouldn’t be long before they needed to get married.
“His mother wasn’t reported to be ill. How could she just pass away in her sleep?” Uncle Muren was only a few years older than Ajima’s mother. Suddenly hearing about this incident made him uneasy too. He had only heard of elderly people in their sixties or seventies passing away in their sleep; it’s not common for middle-aged people without any illness or trouble to simply die in their sleep.
Some say she took medicine, while others speculate that Ajima’s father came back in spirit during the night to take her away. The most plausible explanation that Mi Niang heard was that she was overwhelmed with sorrow. After experiencing intense grief, her body weakened, and she slept without realizing it. A sudden loss of breath resulted in her demise. Alternatively, it could be due to the release of tension in her nerves. When a man dies, it’s like he’s unburdened, and without that spirit, death is not far away.
“Ajima’s mother worked too hard. Last year, I saw her standing straight, but today she was bent over. She worried about everything at home and outside. Her son couldn’t go to school, and her daughter was too old to get married. How could she not be anxious? It’s like carrying two heavy burdens, and suddenly unloading one, she’s bound to fall,” Uncle Muren explained.
Mi Niang felt the sobbing in her arms lessen. She held onto Qiqige’s head, noticing that the little girl was tired of crying and wanted to sleep. With dusk approaching, it would be difficult for her to fall asleep at this time.
“Has our camel returned?” She spoke to Qiqige. “Let Daddy take you and your brother to find the camel. Mom will cook delicious food for you at home. What do you want to eat? Do you want meat?”
As soon as the topic of food and play was mentioned, the drowsiness of the little girl disappeared. She gestured with her hands, indicating that she wanted to gnaw on a big bone and eat big meatballs.
“Alright, then you go out and play with your dad. Mom will stew big bones for you,” Mi Niang put her down and asked Bahu to take them out for a walk. “Once I boil the water, you can bring them back for a bath.”
Mi Niang went into the kitchen to cook, while Uncle Muren went to the river to fetch water. He also started preparing a large pot of food. As the night gradually descended upon the grassland, children who had been studying rode their horses back home. The shepherds blew their wooden whistles to remind the cattle and sheep grazing far away to return to the herd. Each family’s yurt was illuminated by oil lamps, and the dim flames flickered through the felt, casting a faint glow. The aroma of food mingled with the voices, drifting with the wind across the river, over the grassy hills, and through the fresh damp soil in the depths of the grassland…
Mi Niang went into the kitchen to cook, while Uncle Muren went to the river to fetch water. He also started preparing a large pot of food. As the night gradually descended upon the grassland, children who had been studying rode their horses back home. The shepherds blew their wooden whistles to remind the cattle and sheep grazing far away to return to the herd. Each family’s yurt was illuminated by oil lamps, and the dim flames flickered through the felt, casting a faint glow. The aroma of food mingled with the voices, drifting with the wind across the river, over the grassy hills, and through the fresh damp soil in the depths of the grassland…
Besides the children who lost their parents, who are still immersed in sorrow, the rest of the people have mourned, sighed, and moved on.
…
Bahu rose early to fetch water and cook. Carrying a bucket outside, he was startled by the person sitting by the river, almost losing his composure. Looking up, he saw the moon still hanging in the sky.
“Early in the morning, what are you doing sitting by the river?” he called out as he approached, standing by the riverside near his house.
Aigima turned around, his eyes reflecting the dim crescent moon, his gaze vacant. It wasn’t until he saw Bahu that some light returned to his eyes. “I’ve come to take care of Jiya and Qiqige.”
“Who comes this early? You didn’t come in the middle of the night, did you?”
“I couldn’t sleep, so I came over.” At least there was a dog to accompany him.
Bahu fetched water, led him into the kitchen, boiled water, and poured a bowl of butter tea for him, allowing him to sit at the table lost in thought.
The man washed rice, soaked beans, and dates, then cooked porridge. He went to the storeroom, cut dried beef into chunks, washed them, and threw them into a copper pot over a stove to cook.
After a flurry of activity, the sky began to lighten. Servants heading to work arrived one after another, busy churning butter. When they saw the large and small spots carrying rabbits passing by, they all cast admiring glances and clapped their hands.
Bahu took the rabbit and squatted in the courtyard to skin it. The large and small spots were mostly not at home in the evening, foraging on the grassland at night. After eating their fill, they would catch a couple of rabbits to bring back. Once cooked, they would only take a few bites as a token gesture and feed the rest to the dogs.
When the dog in the kennel moved, he knew that Mi Niang was awake. He glanced at it first, then calmly went to open the door. As the dog entered, he stood outside and leaned in, saying, “Ajima’s here. He came before dawn and is sitting by the river lost in thought.” He wasn’t good at comforting people; that was Mi Niang’s job.
Mi Niang quickly dressed, combed her hair and loosely tied it back with a hairpin. When she entered the kitchen, she first saw the child staring blankly into his bowl. She walked over and only then did he blink and raise his head.
“Don’t you need a few more days of rest?”
“Yeah, I need to eat,” Ajima spoke calmly, trying to force a smile. “Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Jiya and Qiqige.”
“If you can’t smile, then don’t force it.” Mi Niang avoided looking directly at his face, and scooped up some water to wash her face. It had only been three days, but Ajima looked thinner and more exhausted than before. “Don’t worry, as long as you’re here, you won’t go hungry in my house.” She didn’t say anything more, leaving Bahu somewhat puzzled, thinking she had changed her mind, so he didn’t ask further.
“Let’s eat.” He moved the table outside, serving bean porridge, beef soup, butter tea, and milk dumplings – breakfast for the three of them. Two extra bowls were also prepared on the side, waiting for the sound of the children calling for their mother from inside the felt tent. When they heard the first call, the two of them set down their chopsticks and went inside to help the children get dressed.
Upon hearing the first call of “mother,” Ajima’s eyes turned red. Once Bahu and Mi Niang went into the tent, he couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, and large teardrops fell into the red bean porridge.
Qiqige and Jiya hadn’t seen Ajima for almost half a month. When they were brought out and recognized him, they shouted loudly for their brother. Children being children, they pointed at his red eyes and said, “Cry cry,” meaning that he had been crying.
“If you keep talking, your brother won’t finish his meal. Hurry up and wash your face so you can eat.” Mi Niang wiped the little girl’s face with a damp cloth and took the opportunity to pinch her small mouth.
Just then, a girl rushed into the yard. Seeing the people sitting there, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Little brother, can I talk to my older sister? She’s been looking for me.” She nodded at Mi Niang and Bahu. “Brother, sister-in-law, Ajima’s come to cause you trouble.”
“It’s okay. He’s welcome here. Are you hungry? Sit down and eat first.” Mi Niang held Qiqige in her arms and fed her from the bowl.
“The food’s ready at home. I came to call Ajima. Little brother, let’s go. Time to head home.”
Ajima turned his head. “You leave me alone. I’m not going back. I’ll come back tonight.”
“Don’t be stubborn. We’ll talk about it when we get home.” She awkwardly approached, trying to hug Ajima, but he pushed her away, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Ah!” Mi Niang cried out when she saw what happened. She was about to get up to help, but Ajima had already pulled the girl up. He bit his lip, tears streaming down his face, but he refused to leave. Wiping away his tears, he choked out, “You should marry someone good and leave with my sister. Don’t worry about me. Auntie said as long as I’m here, I won’t go hungry. Right now, I’ll help take care of the children in her family. As I grow up, I’ll go herd sheep and cattle, just like Uncle Muren. I won’t starve to death.”
As soon as he mentioned Uncle Muren and his second sister, Mi Niang’s expression changed. She scolded him for talking nonsense. His sister stayed home and found a husband who could support him. They couldn’t let him be alone for the rest of his life, without descendants.
“Stop arguing. Sit down and talk calmly,” Mi Niang interjected. Through Ajima’s words, she learned that his older sisters had discussed leaving one sibling at home and finding a man from the western side of the river – someone with no family or property. With someone watching the flock at night and a man at home, they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone taking advantage of them. Ajima could also attend a private school.
The problem was, despite their careful management of the flock, Ajima’s family wasn’t wealthy. After years of buying medicine, they could barely afford food at the end of the year. Apart from the brick-and-tile house on the winter pasture, their living conditions were not as good as the new herdsmen on the western side of the river. What kind of man could they attract under these circumstances? Ajima understood this very well.
“Come to my house. We don’t lack anything to eat, and we can also send him to school,” Mi Niang finally said. She had also faced difficulties before, but now that conditions had improved, providing for a seven-year-old child was no problem at all. Ajima didn’t eat as well as Alse’s wolves did.
“Are you serious?” Not only Ajima was stunned, but even his second sister couldn’t believe it. Could the problems they had been struggling with for so long be resolved so easily?
Mi Niang responded with a simple “Hmm.” “You go back and discuss it. Whenever you’ve reached an agreement, just let Ajima come over,” she said. As for dividing the family property, she didn’t want to get involved.
The two of them walked away in a daze. Mi Niang poked a lump of porridge and offered it to the little girl, saying, “They’re all gone, why are you still staring?” Although she was young, her curiosity was strong. She would eagerly watch when others argued, but wouldn’t even eat the food when it was brought to her mouth. Looking at Jiya, she had already eaten enough and was sitting on the ground playing with the puppy.
“I’ll feed her, you eat,” Bahu said, taking advantage of their conversation to not only feed Jiya but also to fill himself up.
He gestured towards the felt tent next to Uncle Muren and said, “If he comes, then tidy up that felt tent and let him sleep there. He shouldn’t get too close to us.” He had a clear boundary in his mind regarding their home; outsiders were not allowed to get too close.
“Whatever you arrange,” Mi Niang responded. There were always people coming and going inside and outside the house, so Ajima’s arrival made no difference.
Ajima was brought by her older sisters the next day. When the three of them arrived, they knelt down and kowtowed, startling Bahu.
“No need for that, no need,” Mi Niang quickly helped them up.
“It’s necessary. For you, it’s a small effort, but for us, it’s a lifesaving grace,” Ajima’s older sister, who was even older than Mi Niang, spoke respectfully.
During the night, unidentified men had already come knocking on their door. The sisters dared not sleep the entire night, so they arranged Ajima and prepared to choose husbands.
The rented sheep were returned to their original owner, and the money they received was all given to Ajima. The remaining forty or so sheep were split equally between the sisters as dowry to take away. Originally, they were all supposed to be for Ajima, but he refused to take them, saying that the sheep were all raised by his two sisters, and he wouldn’t know how to take care of them. He insisted that they take them when they got married.
Not long after the two sisters left, X Jil came with a smile on his face to ask for time off, “Boss, it’s done. Come have some celebratory drinks.”
Mi Niang understood what he meant and chuckled, “Quite clever, but I didn’t see him showing any signs of that before today.” It was all because of the trouble caused by their little nephew.
Bahu laughed, “Everyone is clever, but the cleverness of the poor and the rich is not on the same level.”
Mi Niang chuckled sarcastically, “Well, from now on, anyone who says you have a dumb mouth, I’ll have to shut theirs up. Look at the way you talk, it rivals the monks in the mountains back in my hometown.”
Bahu tried to keep a straight face and pretended, “Then you should learn a thing or two from me.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. This clumsy-tongued fellow was trying to act like a teacher, afraid that his lies would be exposed.
“Oh, what a nice day today! I’m going to take the dog to the river for a bath,” he quickly changed the subject and hurried off to the dog’s kennel.
