On the day when Mu Xiang’s child, was washed for three days, Mi Niang, and Bahu took their children to the capital with the cattle and sheep, their main purpose today was to sell honey. They didn’t intend to buy grain and corn back, so they only drove two Lele carts. As they passed through Mao County, there were more people and Lele carts on the road, all heading to the capital to pay their taxes.
As they approached the city gate, Bahu opened the Lele cart door and let the three children sit side by side with him on the shaft of the Lele cart. Pointing to the towering grey-green city walls that stretched as far as the eye could see, he lowered his voice and told the astonished children, “This is Guchuan, our capital city.”
There were guards guarding the city gate with swords and guns. This was the first time for the two children to see a person wearing armor at close range. After paying the city entry fee in Bahu, Lele carts drove through the city gate. Qiqige and Jiya wanted to poke their heads in. Look behind you. When they saw the tall buildings in the city and the lively shouts of sales, the two children immediately left their shining armor behind. Their eyes were shining and their mouths were not idle. They were either calling daddy or mommy or “Wow – —”
Last year, when they bought candied haws, Qiqige and Jiya could only watch and drool. This time, when Bahu saw the candied haw seller, he bought four at once, giving one to Mi Niang first before giving any to the children. As they walked along, whether it was selling syrup, rice cakes, fried meat, or fried nuts… if Qiqige and Jiya saw it, Bahu bought it for them without hesitation.
“Oh, today I’m also benefiting from the children.” Mi Niang couldn’t help but tease as she ate, “I’ve been with you for two years, but I’ve never been taken care of as attentively as this year.”
“It’s not that the children are ignorant, it’s just that they make me feel like showing off,” Bahu said. “All this selling syrup, rice cakes, and fried nuts, it’s all from the Central Plains. You’ve seen it all before; when would it be my turn to show off?”
Mi Niang gave him a sideways glance, making a clicking sound as she bit into the candied haw.
“It’s also your fault. When I used to show off the city walls of Guchuan to you if you had been as amazed as Qiqige and Jiya, I would have taken you around the city inside and out three times,” Bahu retorted.
“In that case, can I pretend now to make up for it?”
“Too late, time waits for no one.” Bahu dodged the thrown sign and, seeing that Qiqige and Jiya couldn’t finish their candied haws, he took charge of cleaning up the mess. While Mi Niang pretended to be clean, claiming the children’s bottoms had been washed and refusing to touch the leftovers, at home, there would be a dog to pick up after them. Now, without a dog, it fell to him.
Qiqige and Jiya had small stomachs and limited appetites. Bahu sat on the side like a beggar, watching closely. If there was something they didn’t eat, he would silently take it and chew a few bites, ending up with a stomach full of both sweet and salty flavors.
After handing over the cattle and sheep to the government and completing the registration, they obtained a slip to collect salt for the next year. Mi Niang waited outside the yamen with the children, where the area was crowded with oxen carts and people coming and going.
Bahu carried a bag of salt and placed it in the Lele carts, then turned around and said, “Let’s go, we’re going to set up our stall.” They had already scoped out a spot on their way there, but when they arrived, the empty spot they had chosen was already occupied by someone selling pickled vegetables and dried vegetables.
“How much are the pickled vegetables? Oh, I’ll take twenty catties.” Before setting up their stall, Mi Niang took care of someone else’s business. After finding another spot, Bahu unloaded the stools and wooden boards he had brought.
“Don’t touch it, I’ll handle it.” He ran over and took down the bucket containing the bees. “I’ll do the heavy lifting, you go and call out.” After all, he couldn’t speak up.
Their stall was located near an alley, with few people passing by. Next to them was a vendor selling bean sprouts, looking bored enough to doze off.
“Selling honey, sweet honey, sweeter than red dates, better than brown sugar.” Whenever she saw someone, Mi Niang would call out, “Sister, want to buy honey? Even if you don’t buy it, you can taste it.”
Bahu had instructed her to call out, but as soon as she started, he blushed first, feeling self-conscious under the gaze of onlookers.
“Bahu, come over here. Sister wants to buy three catties come and weigh it.”
Bahu went over in silence. This woman looked older than his own mother, and he couldn’t bring himself to call her “sister.” After weighing the honey and awkwardly muttering the word “sister,” which made everyone laugh, he handed over the three Catties of honey. Qiqige passed a string of copper coins to Jiya, who then passed it to Ajima. Ajima placed it in the pouch hanging from her chest.
“Are all these your kids? That’s quite interesting,” someone remarked, pointing at Qiqige and Jiya. “Twins? How old are they?”
“They’re two years old,” Mi Niang said, handing over half a chopstick’s worth of honey. “Sister, try it. If you like it, buy some. If you don’t like it, it’s okay, no need to pay.”
“I’ve heard you call this honey. And it’s brought from the Central Plains? I’ve never heard of this stuff.” The young sister-in-law took a taste of the chopstick and found it quite good, with a floral aroma. It was much better than brown sugar, which had a rusty taste.
“Give me three Catties too.” The young sister-in-law counted out a handful of copper coins and handed them directly to Qiqige. Seeing her holding them with both hands, she laughed and said, “This little girl is quite clever.” It’s just the bigger one that doesn’t seem to grow, black like a goat’s dung egg. Looks like she took after her dad.
Mi Niang didn’t deny that the honey was brought from the Central Plains. If she had claimed it was produced from her own beekeeping, people might inquire about her beekeeping methods. Instead, goods from the Central Plains sold well, and even if she priced them higher, nobody bargained.
Customers came and went in waves to buy honey. When there were no customers, Mi Niang and Bahu sat in the Lele carts counting copper coins, stringing them into bundles of one hundred coins each. As they counted, there were some leftover small coins. Mi Niang put them back into the pouch. “You watch the stall, I’ll take the children for a walk.”
“Huh? No, I can’t call out to attract customers,” Bahu immediately jumped off the Lele carts to intercept people. “You tell me what you want, and I’ll go buy it for you.”
“I’m not asking you to call out. If someone asks you, just let them taste some honey. They can weigh however much they want themselves,” Mi Niang pointed outside. “I won’t go far, just walk around here.”
Bahu glanced around and then at the children. “Then don’t go too far. Be careful of child snatchers.”
Mi Niang, upon hearing about child snatchers, didn’t dare to take the three children out alone. “Forget it, let’s go for a walk together after we finish selling the honey.”
But as the honey sold out, they quickly packed up the stall. Seeing her like this, Bahu couldn’t bear it. “Don’t go too far. Just stay where I can see you. If anything happens, just shout, and I’ll come running.”
Mi Niang glanced down, swallowed back the words she wanted to say without the children, and found that Qiqige and Jiya were unusually obedient, sitting quietly while collecting money. She held one child in each hand and called out to Ajima, “Come on, you’ll pay later.” After all, she couldn’t let go of the children’s hands.
Mi Niang had already scoped out while selling honey. There was a shop selling grilled fish strips made from slender river fish, which smelled deliciously crispy. Outside the shop, there was a stall selling seeds by the wall. She walked over and asked, “Uncle, what seeds are you selling?”
“Good seeds, all brought back from the Western Regions by the caravan. If I didn’t have some connections in the caravan, I wouldn’t have been able to get my hands on them. Sister-in-law, take a look and buy some to plant in your fields.”
Did this mean she didn’t know if these seeds were flowers, grasses, melons, or fruits? Mi Niang glanced over roughly and didn’t recognize any of them. “Old man, you’re not just collecting wildflower seeds from the prairie to sell, are you?”
“No, I wouldn’t do that. If I did, may the heavenly thunder strike me dead.” The old man sat on the ground without moving. “I’m selling these to people who have an affinity with them. Only those with affinity can buy them. Are you buying?”
“How much are they?”
The old man picked up a handful of yellow, flat seeds. “Five silver coins for five seeds.”
Mi Niang grabbed the children and walked away. Five silver coins for five seeds? No way.
“Hey, don’t go so fast. I’ll add two more seeds. These were hard to come by.” The old man shouted after her.
“I’m a poor person, not one of those destined ones,” Mi Niang said as she moved to the next stall. She bought all the duck eggs available but couldn’t carry the two baskets herself, so she asked the old lady to help her take them back.
“Auntie, do you have a nearby reed bed? You’ve picked so many wild duck eggs.” Mi Niang didn’t buy anything else and led the way down the alley with the old lady.
“Yes, not far from home is a big lake. Every year, wild geese and ducks come to the lake, and every year, the first thing we do when we return from the Xia Ranch is to bring baskets into the reed beds to collect eggs. Everyone at home has had enough to eat, so I decided to sell some.” The old woman thought Mi Niang lived in the alley and didn’t expect her to be a stall vendor too. Before she could even collect the money, Mi Niang greeted her to taste the honey, and after tasting it, the payment was made.
“After I leave, will you open the stall?”
Bahu glanced aside. “No one came by to ask. Why did you buy so many duck eggs?”
“Hmm, I’ll use them to make salted eggs when I get back.” It was too far to arrange a meeting, otherwise Mi Niang would have wanted to buy two more baskets to take home. She picked up a small fish strip and tasted it, then fed Bahu one. The fish bones were small and crispy after being grilled, so she chewed them carefully to avoid choking and then handed two strips to the children.
“Are these miscellaneous fish from the river?” Bahu picked up a handful to feed himself. “Next year, when there are plenty of fish, I’ll also go and catch some. You can also cook a pot at home.”
Mi Niang ignored him and continued to call out as she saw someone approaching. “Hey, sir, bring your children to taste some honey. Sweeter than candied haws, with a floral fragrance. All the little girls love it.”
“Sweeter than candied haws?” The man was still hesitating, but the little girl he was holding had already come over. Mi Niang dipped a chopstick into the honey and handed it to her. “If it’s not sweet, it’s free.”
“It’s that stall over there.”
Mi Niang heard the voice and looked up to see the leading person was a young woman who praised Qiqige’s cleverness. She was startled. Could this be trouble? She looked at Bahu, who had already come over with a stern face, blocking Mi Niang behind him.
“Haha, I’m not here to cause trouble, I’m here to buy honey.” The leading woman saw them looking serious and chuckled after realizing they were startled. “I was worried you’d sold out and ran off. You’re just a bit serious, don’t misunderstand. Fill up another jar for me, please.”
“I heard you’re selling different kinds of flower honey. What kinds do you have?” The people who followed directly surrounded the stall.
Mi Niang let them taste for themselves and pointed out that the dry lotus flower honey had nourishing effects. “The honey bees collect from flowers grown from medicinal herbs. Drinking it is good for the body. I drink a bowl of honey and water every morning. Even if I eat meat every day, I don’t have any trouble with bowel movements.” Why do people in the Mobei drink butter tea every meal? It’s to keep their bowels moving!
“Is that true?”
Mi Niang mimicked the way the old man selling seeds spoke. “If I’m lying, may the heavenly thunder strike me dead?”
Four and a half barrels of honey were quickly sold out, leaving only one and a half barrels. After the people in the alley dispersed, those who heard the commotion gathered around again and bought up the remaining honey.
“Is it all sold out already?” Bahu still had the scale in his hand.
“Yes, it’s sold out. Let’s go, I’ll treat you to a meal at the restaurant.” Mi Niang waved her arms and directed Bahu to load the stools and barrels onto the Lele carts.
“Hey! You’re the ones selling honey, right?” Another person came out from the alley, seeing that the stall was already packed up, and hurriedly asked if they would come back tomorrow.
“We won’t be back. We’ve sold out for this year. We’ll come back next year.” There were still one and a half barrels left at home. Half a barrel would be kept for home use, and the remaining barrel would be divided into jars to be given to Mrs Hu and taken to the Asyl family for the New Year. Any leftovers would be used for social obligations.
As the Lele cart passed by the old man selling seeds by the wall, he was still leaning against the wall in the same posture, with the seeds at his feet unmoved. Seeing Mi Niang looking over, he waved. “Sister-in-law, I see you have a good aura. You’re a destined one. Let me give you three more seeds. I assure you, this stuff of mine is absolutely good. It has a spicy aroma. If you don’t believe me, give it a sniff.”
Mi Niang saw his ragged clothes and softened her heart. She thought, “If I get cheated, so be it.” She had Ajima take out a couple of silver coins, accepted ten seeds, and couldn’t help but ask, “If what you said is a good thing, why don’t you plant it yourself?”
“How do you know I haven’t planted them?” The old man pocketed the silver coins, picked up the cloth from the ground, and ran off. “I planted them, but they didn’t sprout.”
Mi Niang exclaimed, “I’ve been cheated!” She was still holding ten seeds in her hand, yellow and flat, mocking her for being foolish.
Bahu glanced in the direction the old man ran off but didn’t bother chasing him. He half-heartedly comforted, “Forget it, you made money today. Just consider it charity for a beggar.”
“Don’t you desert people believe in the Eternal Sky? He said if he’s lying, may the Eternal Sky strike him dead.” She had thought it was something from the Western Regions and bought it with the intention of getting a bargain.
“That means what he said isn’t false. Of course, it’s also possible he’s not afraid of death.”
Mi Niang sniffed the seeds in her hand, noticing a slight spicy aroma.
