They hadn’t even reached home when Da Huang heard the footsteps and came out to greet them. In the middle of the night, when people slept soundest, they quietly entered the courtyard and opened the door, sneaking out unnoticed.
Sitting on the bed, Mi Niang took a deep breath. The smudged eyebrows at the corners of her eyes were dilated, leaving only a faint trace of smoke. The clear night breeze failed to dispel the lingering charm, the two intertwined heavily, desperately expressing the deep affection under the dim oil lamp.
The open door creaked as the night wind blew. Following the good intentions of the wind, the tall and strong man brought in two buckets of steaming hot water. Seeing Mi Niang leaning against the bedpost, he said with ill intentions, “Feeling tired? Should Big Brother help you wash?”
Men were truly full of energy. Carrying her on his back with a fur blanket all the way, by the end of the journey, he was breathing heavily. After coming back, he sat down for a moment, drank a bowl of water, and instantly regained his vigor.
She didn’t want him to be too proud for a moment. Propping up her sore legs against the bedpost, she stubbornly said, “No need. You can’t make me unable to stand up.”
This remark made him feel aggrieved. His confident demeanor was shattered by her words. It was the sound of the rippling water that brought him back to his senses. He sighed and said, “I won’t argue with you. Your mouth can never match the honesty of my body beneath you.”
“Same here.”
What does that mean? His mouth couldn’t match the honesty of his body. As Bahu pondered the meaning, he heard the murmurs of children next door, and the wooden bed creaked twice.
“The child is awake,” Mi Niang reminded him.
Bahu had already rushed out the door and pushed open the neighboring door. Da Huang followed in and stood by the bed, wagging its tail.
While he was outside, Mi Niang took off her pants to clean herself. In her ears were murmurs and rummaging sounds—parents sneaking out for a rendezvous in the middle of the night, leaving the two children unattended and causing them to wet the bed, soaking the sheets and fur blankets.
She changed into fresh clothes and went over. Even before entering the room, she heard Qiqige and Jiya talking about their dreams, “I remember Dad came to take me out to pee, or maybe it was just a dream. What about you, brother?”
“I had the same dream as you!”
The two siblings then asked Bahu if he had come to wake them up to pee.
“No, you were dreaming,” Mi Niang said as she entered and closed the door. The two children stood naked on the fur blanket, with wet pants and damp undershirts thrown on the floor. Bahu was still dismantling the bedding; fortunately, the mattress underneath was protected by the fur blanket, but the thin quilt was not spared.
“Forget it, let’s not bother with this. Tonight, they’ll sleep with us, and we’ll clean up in the morning,” she said. By the time they finished cleaning and setting up the bedding, it would be dawn.
Bahu was also troubled by the dim light and couldn’t find the end of the thread. As soon as he heard her say that, he immediately draped the thin quilt over the chest and said, “I’ll go fetch some water.”
Qiqige and Jiya each sat in a basin, while their parents washed their icy-cold bottoms. The two children had just woken up and were especially lively, especially since they were going to sleep with their parents, giggling non-stop.
“Dad, don’t move,” Qiqige hugged her dad’s head, plucked two grass leaves, and pushed him, “Dad, you should also roll around in the grass.”
“… “
Neither Bahu nor Mi Niang responded, pretending not to have heard anything. They casually lifted the children out of the basin, dried them off, and hugged them close before quickly changing rooms.
“Dad is going to fetch water, and you two will sleep with Mom,” Mi Niang said. After taking care of his wife and children, it was Bahu’s turn to wash up. Before leaving, he even took the horn comb from the table.
Mi Niang, feeling extremely sleepy, cuddled the two chubby bodies in her arms and gently coaxed, “Mommy’s very tired. Can you two stop talking and sleep with Mommy for a while?”
Qiqige and Jiya both nodded, covering their mouths and even imitating adults by patting her belly. Bahu came in to see this scene, closed the door, sighed, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down on the edge of the bed, pulling Jiya into his arms to make sure the child wouldn’t roll off the bed, and then went to sleep.
Only the two children, who were bursting with words, were left staring at the top of the fur blanket, gazing at the stars through the seams.
With the crowing of the rooster at dawn, the old man and the child sleeping in front pushed open the door. The chimney, usually emitting smoke at this hour, was eerily quiet, and the courtyard was deserted. Even Da Huang, who usually waited outside the mistress’s door, was nowhere to be seen.
“It’s strange. Did we get up early, or are they sleeping in?” Ajima muttered, but now that he was up, he couldn’t go back to sleep. He went to the riverside with the old man to wash his face and rinse his mouth, while the old man lit a fire to cook a big pot of rice. Ajima brought a bucket and called the old horse, saying, “Grandpa, I’m going to milk the cow.”
“Alright, take it easy.” Thinking that this kid was a good one, knowing when to be lenient, with lively eyes, he went to milk the cow with the servant before going to the private school, and after returning from the private school, he took the initiative to tell stories to the two children and play with them.
After the rooster crowed three times, the sky was bright, and the old man looked at the two fur blankets that hadn’t moved yet, feeling puzzled. It made sense for the two adults to sleep in, but the two children were usually up earlier than the rooster. Today, they were unusually silent. He pushed the door open and saw that the fur blankets looked like they had been ransacked by bandits, except for the bedboards.
Just as he was about to call someone, he first smelled the smell of urine.
“If you wet the bed, why close the door? The less ventilation, the stronger the smell.” He carried the fur blankets and bedding out and hung them on the woolen rope to air them out.
The commotion woke up the family next door. Qiqige and Jiya opened their eyes and immediately said they were hungry.
“If you’re hungry, get up. Grandpa has already made the food,” the old man shouted from outside, then he grabbed three eggs from the kitchen and washed them before throwing them into the boiling beef porridge.
When the servant who had been milking the cow came in to eat, he saw the fur blankets and bedding hanging in the courtyard and understood immediately, “Who wet the bed last night? Or did both siblings wet it?”
“Both me and my brother wet the bed,” Qiqige didn’t feel embarrassed at all, chattering away and telling people about the dream she had with her brother.
Bahu and Mi Niang came in after washing up, and the sun was already high in the sky. They could practically eat the breakfast for lunch. The whole family decided to eat together with the others.
“Neighbor, sleeping in late today, huh?”
“Hmm.” Bahu slurped a mouthful of porridge and casually said, “Last night, cleaning up after the two kids wet the bed took quite some time. Once they woke up, it wasn’t easy to fall back asleep, so they ended up sleeping in this morning.” Afraid that Qiqige and Jiya would spill the beans, he cracked open the oily eggshells, “Only boiled three? Next time, boil an extra one. We’re not lacking eggs at home.” He handed the egg in front of Mi Niang to Ajima without saying anything.
Ajima pursed his lips, looked around, knowing that Auntie wouldn’t want it back, forced down the porridge in his mouth, and silently cracked open the eggshell. Boiled eggs without salt or oil weren’t very tasty, he neither liked nor disliked them, just ate them every day with Qiqige and Jiya, and had gotten used to it. He didn’t think it was a problem this morning without him.
But the eggs this morning smelled really good, even the egg yolk, which could be choking, had a sweet aroma.
After eating, everyone went about their tasks. Qiqige and Jiya first took the puppy out to play. When Uncle Muren finished washing the dishes, the two of them took the puppy back to its kennel and then followed the old man to the sheep flock, to slide down the grass.
Mi Niang was boiling milk, and Bahu was fetching water to pour into the bath bucket. The wet fur blanket had to be soaked in water, and it was heavy and wet, only he could wring it out.
“Qiqige and Jiya wet the bed so well last night, airing the fur blankets won’t arouse suspicion.” Bahu carried another fur blanket out, the bottom of which was stained with green grass juice. He hung it on the woolen rope and sprinkled water on the dirty parts, “By the end of this summer, I wonder if the grass juice will dye the fur blanket completely.” He deliberately said it for someone to hear.
Mi Niang snorted quietly and ignored him as she stirred the sparks in the stove. The milk in the pot boiled, and she scooped out two bowls to cool, pouring the rest into the milk bucket. The cow’s milk production was still not high, so it was only worth churning butter once every two or three days.
The river was shallow, so the fur blankets couldn’t be washed in the river. Bahu fetched water from the river repeatedly, struggling to clean off the foam. He carried the sheets and the dirty clothes discarded by the family of four into a basket and stood at the door, asking, “Is all the milk cooked?”
“The last pot,” Mi Niang said as she handed him the milk. “Do you want me to accompany you to wash the clothes?” Whenever he was in high spirits, he would become particularly affectionate in the following days, full of emotions, and eager to talk to her. He wanted her company for everything.
“Let’s wash together. The sooner we finish washing, the sooner we can come back to cook,” he replied. He wasn’t used to the big pot of rice cooked by the old man after getting accustomed to Mi Niang’s cooking.
The water in the middle section of the river was deeper. The two of them squatted by the large stone, one washing the sheets and the other washing the clothes. They didn’t let the work hinder their conversation. Passersby only needed a glance to see how much the couple loved each other.
Some people were puzzled. Their child was already two years old, and even the best relationship should have faded by now. “Bahu and Mi Niang seem to be getting more affectionate with each passing year. Bahu looks much younger when he smiles.” Children could be a nuisance, especially to women. The look in the eyes of a woman who had given birth was different from that of an unmarried girl, but not for Mi Niang. Even Bahu wasn’t. Before getting married, he was fierce and irritable, while she was gloomy and quiet. But after having children, they became lively and spirited, without any signs of trouble.
As the woman who was speaking walked away, she glanced back. “I have to admit, the girls from the Central Plains have good skin, fair and plump. Not to mention men, even I want to pinch them when I see them.”
Mi Niang and Bahu didn’t care about the people passing by. After washing the sheets and clothes, they threw them into the basket and started heading back. The person in front walked briskly with hands in pockets, while the man behind hurriedly carried the dripping basket, urging, “You’re not being very considerate. Come and help me carry the other side, let’s carry it together.”
“You have the nerve?”
Why wouldn’t he have the nerve? Bahu continued, “If you help me carry, I’ll help you with cooking when you’re cooking.”
“We’re almost home. You’ll be back in a few steps. Don’t bother me.”
The man simply placed the laundry basket on the ground. As long as he didn’t walk, they weren’t close to home yet.
Mi Niang was speechless with him, feeling annoyed but unable to show it. She had no choice but to turn back, glaring at him with irritation. “You’re so annoying.”
Her heart and mouth were not in agreement, as she couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“I’ve noticed, that Qiqige always follows you. Shameless and good at playing tricks,” Mi Niang continued to grumble.
After all the bickering, they finally arrived home. To prevent him from saying anything else, Mi Niang shook out the clothes and hung them on the rope. “Come in and help me cook.” She couldn’t afford to lose out.
After lunch, the two of them didn’t rest because Qiqige and Jiya had brought back some fresh chives at noon. They had heard from Uncle Muren that Mi Niang’s dumplings were delicious, and even when eating lamb, they couldn’t help but mention the tasty dumplings.
The whole family got involved, riding horses and carrying baskets, taking the sheep-horn sharpened dagger to the grassland where there were no cattle or sheep to cut the chives. Spring was the best time for chives, blending in with the green grass, inconspicuous. By autumn, when the grass and trees withered, they would bloom into white spherical flowers, silently occupying the entire grassland.
