After enjoying a good meal at the restaurant, Mi Niang’s frustrations were pushed aside by the meat she had consumed. Upon leaving the restaurant, she strolled along the street, with Bahu following behind her, holding the children who were looking around eagerly. Ajima was sandwiched between them, acting as the one to pay the bill.
Once a year, they bought cotton cloth, needles and thread, and woolen hats for the two children.
“Ajima, come and try on a hat.” Mi Niang turned around and pulled Ajima to the hat rack. Without waiting for him to speak, she turned back to look at the boots. “Choose a color and style you like, but don’t buy one that’s too big.”
Ajima’s lips moved, swallowing his dry throat, and he softly uttered a “yes.”
Bahu held one of the children’s hands and followed behind Mi Niang. He noticed her looking at the boots and said he didn’t need to buy any. “I can make my own, and the ones I make myself are comfortable to wear.” It’s just that the style couldn’t match the ones sold in the store.
Mi Niang ignored him, holding a pair of deerskin boots in her hand. She listened to the shopkeeper explaining that these shoes were made of deerskin, lined with wolf fur, and the soles were made of oak wood, transported from Youzhou, light in weight but sturdy. They wouldn’t deform even after wearing them for three to five years. The price was also high, enough to cover the money she made from selling honey today.
“Get him a pair in his size.” Mi Niang pointed to Bahu and asked if he could try them on.
“You can try.” The shopkeeper brought out a thin piece of cotton cloth for Bahu to wrap his feet in. “If there are any discomforts with the arch or the boot shaft, we have craftsmen in the shop who can make adjustments. It’ll be ready for pick up in two to three days.”
Mi Niang walked over and surrounded Bahu with the children. “How is it? Is there any discomfort? Is the size okay?”
Bahu lifted his leg to examine. The expensive price also had its reasons. When he put on these boots, he felt like he was exchanging a cow’s leg for a horse’s leg, making him feel much nobler.
“I’ll ruin them.” Bahu took off the boots. “When I wear boots, I’m either shoveling snow or in the sheep pen. They get dirty and smelly. Cowhide boots are better; I can wear them however I want and wash them without worry.” His family wasn’t lacking twenty or so taels of silver, but spending that much on a pair of shoes seemed more suitable for the young nobles in the city. He spent his days in the dung heap, which was a waste.
Mi Niang could tell from his tone that the deerskin boots were suitable. She waved for Ajima to come over, and took the bag of broken silver to settle the bill, adding the fabric, hats, and a pair of shoes. All the money from selling honey was spent, plus an additional seventeen taels.
“This year my honey started making money. I won’t spend money on Qiqige and Jiya. The first gift will be for you. And this year, we’re going to Asyl’s house. It’s more decent for you to wear a pair of good shoes.” As she said this, the corners of the man’s mouth immediately turned up. “You should buy a pair too. No, buy two pairs, so you have ones to change into.”
Mi Niang was reluctant. Although her family’s annual income was several hundred taels of silver, she didn’t feel it. They didn’t spend money on food and drink, and when buying things in the caravan, it was usually just a few taels at a time. The most expensive money she handled each year was buying cotton cloth in the winter. Five or six hundred taels sounded impressive, but it wasn’t as valuable as the three or five taels she handled.
Twenty or so taels could only be saved by her grandparents and parents in a year. She was putting a year’s income on her feet, and she wondered if she would be able to bear walking on the ground.
Carrying her things out of the shop, she said to the man who followed her, “We have a tradition in the Central Plains. A woman’s feet, besides her husband, should not be seen by other men, especially not in places outside the home.”
Bahu looked skeptical. “When you first came to the Mobei, your toes were exposed, and when the soles of your shoes fell off, I even saw the bottom of your feet.”
Mi Niang glared at him indignantly. “At that time, we were all starving. Who cared about modesty then?”
“So I can only marry you,” she concluded.
“Nonsense! It’s obvious that I treated you well, and you fell in love with me before marrying me.” Bahu refused to listen to this nonsense.
As they bickered, the Lele carts turned into an alley to buy blocks of alkaline. After loading the alkaline onto the Lele carts, the two Lele carts left the city and arrived home in the dimming light of dusk, braving the chilly northern wind.
On the way back, Qiqige and Jiya ate a lot, and by the time they got home, they could barely keep their eyes open. Mi Niang and Bahu first washed the children’s faces and brushed their teeth, then cleaned them up and tucked them into bed, taking off their clothes and putting them under the covers.
Having traveled a long way to the capital city, while there was joy, it was also tiring. Getting up early in the morning, Mi Niang was also exhausted. She had little appetite and simply made something to eat in the evening before going to sleep.
The next morning, Mi Niang was awakened by a call. The room was still dim, and through the window, she could see that it was still early morning outside.
“I’m taking some people into the city to buy grain and corn. I’ve locked the door from the outside and let the dogs out. When you wake up, call someone to open the door for you. Also, I’ve already cooked porridge. You can sleep a little longer before getting up,” Bahu said, seeing her still half asleep. He covered her with a blanket and left the room with large strides after closing the door behind him.
As the two doors closed with a creak, the sound of the Lele cart wheels outside gradually faded away. Lying sideways on the kang, Mi Niang listened to the fading sound of the oxen hooves and cartwheels, and soon drifted back to sleep.
…
Ajima took Qiqige and Jiya out to play, while Mi Niang stayed at home to tidy up the things they had bought yesterday. There were still four buckets hanging with thick honey. After breakfast, she soaked a basin of red beans in hot water, and then poured them into a pot to boil.
“Mi Niang? Are you home?” Pandi and Lan Niang stood outside, looking at the white smoke rising from the chimney, which was quickly carried away by the wind. The three of them shrunk their necks and stood outside the door, waiting until they saw someone in the courtyard before entering.
Mi Niang noticed the sickles in their hands. “Are you going to cut grass? Why suddenly cut the grass this year? Doesn’t the government provide you with fodder?”
“We want to prepare more just in case. Besides, it’s better to be proactive. We plan to cut some grass before it snows heavily,” Pandi explained. They wanted to borrow two oxen carts to haul the grass back home. They were afraid that if they stacked too much, it might get stolen. Even though after last year’s incident, ordinary people wouldn’t dare to steal again, there might still be some who harbor such ideas.
“Our Lele carts are all taken by Bahu to the city to haul grain. In the afternoon, I’ll have Ying Niang play at my house. If he comes back early, I’ll call two male servants to help you load the grass onto the Lele carts and bring it back,” Mi Niang said. She invited them into the kitchen. “I’ve cooked a pot of sweet soup. Come and taste it for me.”
The red beans had already boiled soft, and the honey from the bucket was rinsed with hot water and poured into the pot. There was still a small flame flickering in the stove hole, and the honey bean soup in the iron pot was bubbling with tiny bubbles.
The sweet fragrance could be smelled outside the main gate.
Pandi and the other two brought bowls, the cold wind outside making their cheeks feel like they were about to crack and bleed, but inside the kitchen, it was warm as spring. Even after putting on sheepskin coats, they still felt a slight sweat on their backs. Taking another sip of the sweet and soft honey bean soup, they felt warmth from head to toe, dispelling the chill of early winter.
“Did you know that Mu Xiang had a son?” Pandi suddenly spoke up.
Mi Niang nodded, not hiding anything. “Yes, I knew. Zhong Qi came to bring congratulations on the day he was born, and yesterday was the third-day ceremony.”
Lan Niang chuckled. “We didn’t even know. We only found out last night when we came back from cutting grass and heard people congratulating Zhong Qi on the birth of his son.” They hadn’t dared to go out to inquire, fearing ridicule.
“Poor people can’t even afford a celebratory egg.” Pandi sighed. “We still remember her, knowing she gave birth in winter, and even sewed a forehead piece for her using rabbit fur.” They had also burned it last night.
“Yesterday, our whole family went to the capital.” Mi Niang ladled a spoonful of honey water into the bottom of the bowl. “On the day she gave birth, I brought over two hens, half a basket of eggs, a pack of brown sugar, and a pack of red dates.” Mi Niang shrugged. “I didn’t see Mu Xiang. The things I brought were all received by the servants.”
“Even you…” Pandi hesitated, realizing that with this, Mu Xiang’s relationship with their side was basically severed. She sighed at the impermanence of life. Since coming to the Mobei, her relationship with Mu Xiang had been good and bad, then bad and good again with Mi Niang. Now it seemed to have turned bad once more.
“I thought out of the seven of us, Lan Niang would be the first to get married.” Pandi changed the subject, no longer mentioning Mu Xiang. To be honest, she felt a bit of schadenfreude seeing this situation. She had made mistakes in the past but had since changed. Over the past two years, Mu Xiang still looked at her with disgust.
“One must indeed be cautious when marrying.” Mu Xiang’s reputation had plummeted since being with Zhong Qi, her circle of friends had shrunk drastically, and now she had even severed the connections she had previously established. It was like she had been cursed. Pandi reiterated the need for caution.
She added, “Fortunately, Zhong Qi treats her well.”
Mi Niang smiled and didn’t respond, scooping herself a bowl of honey bean soup and holding it in her hands.
“Are you planning to sell this to children? We won’t disturb you any longer. It’s time for us to go cut grass.” Their sheep were still on the other side of the river, and they couldn’t just sit inside the house all day.
Mi Niang escorted them out, “Whenever you’re free, come to the grazing area for my cattle at my place to pick up the cow dung. Even if it’s not fully dried yet, if you shovel it back and pile it up against the wall for about half a month, it’ll be ready for burning.”
“Alright.”
The three young women crossed the river and headed north with the flock of sheep. After watching them for a while, Mi Niang closed the door and went west to find the children. Qiqige and Jiya were easy to find; wherever there were many children, they would be there. Following their voices, she soon spotted Da Huang. Where there was Da Huang, there must be Alse wolves. Upon hearing her footsteps, the two dogs barked and ran towards her.
“Woof woof woof—”
“Ouch, who stepped on me?”
“It was the dog.”
A group of children was surrounded by a group of dogs, one of the dogs lying on the ground suddenly stood up and knocked over a child squatting beside it. Mi Niang wondered when their dogs had become so friendly with the village children.
“Why are you all here?” She patted the heads of the dogs that had gathered around, then walked with the group of dogs to where the children were. There were dog hairs all over the ground, and some children were holding cowhorn combs. “Are you grooming the dogs from our house?”
“Ajima said if we groom the dogs, they’ll feel comfortable, and then when we come to your house to buy food, they won’t bite us,” one of the children explained.
Mi Niang looked at Ajima, who had a smile on his face. Qiqige and Jiya, beside him, were also covered in dog hair, especially around their pants area, as they had been riding the dogs.
“So, if you groom them, they let you groom them back?” She instructed them to pat off the dog hair sticking to their bodies. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll bite you?”
“With Jiya and Qiqige here, they won’t bite. When Jiya and Qiqige clap their hands, the dogs lie down,” the child who was speaking, roughly the same age as Ajima, replied, still staring affectionately at the playing dogs. “My family’s dogs don’t listen to me, they just sleep.”
“Alright, let’s all go to my house then. To thank you for grooming the dogs, I’ll treat you to some honey bean sugar water.” She decided not to sell it, as they were looking after her children and had been persuaded to groom the dogs. The cow horn comb they used to groom the dogs was even tied with a red string, indicating it was likely meant for women’s use.
“Wow, Auntie, you’re so nice. I’ll come tomorrow to groom your dogs again.”
“I’ll come too, Auntie. Your house still has two dogs that we haven’t groomed.” This referred to Da Huang and the Alse wolves.
Mi Niang looked over and saw Da Huang walking beside Qiqige, his tail wagging and held by the little girl’s hand.
“Then let Qiqige and Jiya groom them.” These two children seemed to be playing dumb; they didn’t even react when she came. Had they mistaken her for their aunt standing among this group of children who called her “Auntie”?
“Qiqige, Jiya,” she called out, finally hearing two “Mother”s. Clapping her hands, she said, “Come here, Mother will take you back.”
After finishing the pot of honey bean sugar water, it was already past noon. The children washed their bowls and headed out to go back home. Qiqige and Jiya happily followed behind.
“Jiya, Qiqige, where are you two going?” Mi Niang stopped them, looking puzzled.
Ajima grinned crookedly. “Auntie, I’m taking them outside to play with the dogs.”
Even Bahu, when he returned with the grain in the afternoon, was puzzled. He saw his dogs on the road and whistled, and they all came running. However, when the two kids saw him, they just shouted “Dad” loudly but didn’t move a muscle.
“They’ll come back when it’s time for dinner and everyone goes home. Right now, they’re just playing around with the older kids in the village,” he explained.
Mi Niang watched as Bahu took out two pairs of familiar-looking boots from the Lele carts. She glanced at the man, then at the boots in his hands, and asked knowingly, “What’s this?”
“These are for you. I guarantee they’ll fit perfectly.” He made the cowhide boots for her every year, so he knew their size better than anyone else.
Mi Niang tilted her head and smiled, admitting, “Alright, I really like them.” She was even happier than when she bought them yesterday.
“Was what you said yesterday a lie?” Even though he knew it was false, he still wanted to hear her deny it with her own lips.
“Um… it’s half true and half false. It’s true that I can’t let other men see my feet, but the reason for marrying you is false.”
He knew it.
