When they were moving the beehives, Uncle Muren returned. He dared not approach the Lele cart because of the flying bees nearby. After unlocking the door, he took out a wooden box from the table. He waited until Bahu finished his work before beckoning him over. “This was sent over by the main house earlier this morning, specifically for Jiya and Qiqige.” He handed over the mahogany box. “Your mother and your little uncle didn’t come; it was delivered by a male servant from the main house on horseback.”
Bahu nodded as he took it and opened the wooden box in silence. Inside was a pendant made of beeswax crafted into a flower bud, adorned with red coral petals, and a small silver foal the size of a palm. Beneath it was a note: “Safe and sound.”
It was from his mother.
“Dad, let me see.” Qiqige tiptoed, eager to see what was sent to her and Jiya.
Bahu hung the flower-shaped pendant around Qiqige’s neck and handed the small silver foal to Jiya, saying amidst Qiqige’s surprised and delighted expression, “It’s a birthday gift from Grandma.”
“It’s so beautiful.” Mi Niang walked over, removed her sheepskin gloves covered in honey, and bent down to hold the red flower pendant on Qiqige’s chest. “Your grandmother has such exquisite taste. The beeswax is warm and translucent, the red coral is polished and smooth, held together by delicate silver wires, and it’s as big as Qiqige’s palm.”
Jiya’s solid silver foal was heavy in his hand. He had a real little red horse, but after examining it for a while, he didn’t want it anymore, finding it too heavy.
“Dad, do I have a Grandma too?” Qiqige touched the bright red coral, laughing with her teeth showing.
“Of course, you do. You were born from me, just like your dad was born from his mother. If you have a dad, you have a grandma. She even came to see you last year, but you were too young to remember.” She favored her grandson over Jiya. Mi Niang weighed the small silver horse in her hand, pondering that the gifts sent this year were all carefully chosen. Jiya couldn’t tell, but it was obvious that Qiqige had already been captivated by the sparkling pendant.
“Well, what about my grandma? Doesn’t she live with us? Baoyin’s grandma lives with Baoyin.”
“Your grandma lives far away, and it’s not convenient for her to come over. She has her own home and doesn’t live with us.” Bahu rubbed the little girl’s head and sent her out to play with Jiya. “Don’t lose the pendant. If you do, you won’t be able to find it.”
“I’m going to show it to Baoyin.” Dragging Jiya along like a fluttering butterfly, Qiqige ran off.
Bahu handed the wooden box to Mi Niang. “When Qiqige is done admiring herself, coax her into putting the pendant in here. We’ll take it out for her to wear when she’s a bit older.”
This wasn’t an easy task. The little girl was not easily fooled, and she was quick-witted with her mouth. Mi Niang hid her hand behind her back. “I won’t coax her. Whoever put it on her will have to coax her again.”
Bahu took a big step forward, grabbing her hand and forcefully stuffing the box into it, stubbornly saying, “I’m not good at coaxing, and Qiqige doesn’t listen to me anyway.”
With both hands occupied, the gloves hooked on their fingertips fell to the ground. Before anyone could pick them up, Da Huang ran over like an arrow, picking them up in its mouth. In a flash, it dashed out of the courtyard and stopped only after crossing the river, licking the honey off the gloves.
The seamless action left everyone momentarily stunned, then bursting into laughter mixed with exasperation. “Did you have your eye on these gloves since morning?” Bahu looked at Da Huang, who was licking honey while vigilantly scanning the surroundings, afraid of being chased away by people or having the gloves taken by dogs.
Mi Niang wasn’t too surprised. “Da Huang has always had a special fondness for honey. Even when it was young, it would try to sneak into beehives to steal honey. Even when stung by bees and unable to open its mouth, it wouldn’t change its tune. Every time I harvest honey, it’s right behind me.”
Bahu instinctively looked at Big Spot and Little Spot. When they returned home, they didn’t behave like usual and didn’t stick with the dogs, instead hiding under the carriage licking their fur. He asked Uncle Muren, “How come Big Spot and Little Spot chased after us before we left?”
“You mean the mountain raccoons? It seems like they had a fight with the dogs in the morning. I only heard them barking outside and hadn’t come in yet. The two raccoons ran out. It turns out they were looking for you.”
“So, they were running away from home…” Mi Niang muttered, feeling relieved as well. When the little camel was jumping around wildly after being stung by bees, she had suspected that the raccoons sensed danger for Qiqige and Jiya and chased after them. It’s good to have a diviner at home, but it inevitably made her anxious and cautious about their actions. Knowing it was just a coincidence, she felt genuinely relieved.
While Bahu’s attention was elsewhere, Mi Niang stuffed the things in her hand into his robe, imitating Da Huang running out of the house, shouting as she ran, “These are gifts from your mother for the children. You deal with it. I’m going to check on the sheep shearing.”
Bahu hurriedly pressed down on the lump in his chest, looking at the empty doorway with resignation. “They’re really fast runners.” But these two items, he thought, patting the lump of silver in his hand, probably weren’t his mother’s idea. Her mind wasn’t on the children. Moreover, when Qiqige and Jiya were born, she didn’t go to such lengths. They were both two years old now; she wouldn’t go to this much trouble.
…
The sheep shearing was being managed by ChaoBao. When Mi Niang arrived, the workers were about to finish. She saw Lan Niang chatting and laughing with a man, walking towards the sheep. She walked up to Pandi and asked curiously, “What’s going on? Is it what I suspected?”
Pandi nodded. “It’s probably almost time for the wedding banquet.”
“The man is from the Mobei? How did he end up coming to my house to shear sheep?” The people her family hired were all from the Central Plains.
Pandi looked up, facing the setting sun, and ran her fingers through her bangs. When her hand came down, she realized it was dirty. She approached Mi Niang. “Can you check if there’s any wool in my hair? Help me pick it out.”
Answering her question, Pandi continued, “Yes, he’s from the Mobei. His family runs a shoe store, and we supply them with soles. Over time, he took a liking to Lan Niang. As for coming to shear sheep, it’s probably his way of pursuing her, helping her with work.”
Standing close together, Mi Niang noticed a hint of melancholy in her eyes, but thankfully, her words weren’t bitter. It didn’t seem like they were both vying for the same man.
“Look at them, all lovey-dovey. Maybe they’re also thinking about getting married?” Mi Niang teased.
Pandi smiled briefly but then sighed. “To be honest, it’s hard not to envy them. As for getting married, it’s not urgent, but I’m used to tending to the sheep, cooking, cutting grass, and picking up cow dung all by myself. Life is getting better year by year. After getting married, it might not be as peaceful as it is now. So, I’m not in a hurry to get married. But seeing how well you all are doing, it’s hard not to feel a bit anxious.” She had already returned all the rented sheep to Mi Niang’s family. Now she owned seventy-five sheep, with fifty-eight of them being ewes. After another year, when the ewes gave birth, she would have at least a hundred and thirty sheep. Selling the wool would provide enough money for her food for a year, and selling ten sheep would cover her expenses for buying meat and clothes. She didn’t lack for housing either. Once Lan Niang got married, there would only be her and Ying Niang left in the relief house, with plenty of space to sleep however they wanted.
“I plan to buy two more calves next year. When the cows grow up, I’ll have someone make two more Lele carts. I can handle everything myself, including food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. I don’t need to get married.” She let out a sigh after saying this.
“Who watches over your sheep at night?” Mi Niang asked.
“We take turns keeping watch at night, so don’t worry. Both men and women take turns. There’s always someone keeping watch,” Pandi replied smoothly, realizing that she had already thought about this question unconsciously.
“In the future, when we have more cattle and sheep like in my family, if we don’t have servants, both Tiger and I will be busy day and night. Especially when the cattle and sheep give birth, milking the sheep, churning butter, milking the cows, boiling milk, and churning butter in winter, all of these tasks can keep more than a dozen people busy for half a day.” Just hearing Pandi’s name, Mi Niang knew that her family probably didn’t like daughters. With so much trouble at home, they now enjoyed the peace and quiet. Mi Niang also spoke frankly to her: “Raising cattle and sheep is like farming. Sometimes you have plenty of free time, but when it gets busy, you’ll be so tired that you can’t even eat. Farmers faced with locust plagues have to sell their children. If herders encounter disasters or if the cattle and sheep get sick, they can lose everything they’ve saved up over ten years in just one season. The lucky ones might be able to bounce back, but the unlucky ones can only sell themselves.”
“After I build a brick-and-tile house, I’ll only keep about a hundred cattle and sheep. I can manage it all by myself, and it will be enough for me to live on,” Pandi paused. She didn’t have this kind of courage before, but hearing Mi Niang’s disapproval made her more determined.
Mi Niang patted her on the shoulder. “Why are you so worked up? I’m not your parents. I won’t pressure you to get married.”
“I’m not upset,” she forced a smile. It was precisely because she didn’t have parents pressuring her that she wanted to live life according to her own wishes.
Mi Niang smiled and didn’t say much more, helping Pandi drive the dozens of sheep back, allowing silence to settle between them. She was shocked by Pandi’s thoughts of not getting married. If it were her, she wouldn’t dare. Setting aside everything else, just thinking about how, after the death of Ajima’s parents before their “head-seven” ceremony, there were people knocking on their door at night, and both of her sisters, who were locals, were so scared that they hurriedly got married within a month.
Thinking of this, she added another sentence, “A widow’s door attracts gossip, not to mention a pure and innocent young lady, who’s like a piece of meat dangling in front of a pack of wolves, and everyone wants to take a bite.”
Pandi fell silent for a moment before saying, “The almshouse is next to the government office.”
As the sun set, Mi Niang returned home, crossing the river and waving to Pandi, “I’m home now. I’ll head back.”
“Okay,” Pandi nodded, then walked a few more steps before stopping to look back. Mi Niang’s house was surrounded by felt, forming a circle. The kitchen was located northeast, with smoke mingled with the scent of meat rising from the felt roof and being carried away by the wind. The laughter of Qiqige and Jiya could also be heard in the distance, carried by the wind. Not far away, four camels swayed as they approached, the sound of their bells getting closer along with their grunting.
“Um, your sheep have all run away.”
The sudden voice startled Pandi, almost causing her to jump. She turned to see a man she had met a few times. She nodded casually and, not really interested, asked, “You’re still out so late? You’re busy, I’ll head back first.”
…
When Mi Niang entered the house, she noticed that Qiqige’s red pendant was missing from her chest. She squatted down to hug the child who rushed over. She saw that the siblings each held a wooden-carved camel. She took it and asked, “Who gave you these?”
“Hehe, Grandpa gave them to me,” Qiqige tilted her head, her face full of joy. She also took out a wooden seal from her waist pouch. The base of the seal was carved with a flower. “This one is from my brother. My brother has one too.”
Jiya also took out his, with the base carved with an ugly “Ji.” The seal was polished very smoothly, without any burrs.
“From Ajima?” Mi Niang asked. She looked at the wooden-carved camel and then at the wooden seal. This old and young pair really went to great lengths. She wondered how much effort went into the craftsmanship, and they kept it secret from her and Bahu.
Both Qiqige and Jiya nodded in unison, each holding their toy, and said they wished they could celebrate their birthdays every day.
“You’re dreaming,” Mi Niang pinched their chubby cheeks, then heard the sound of camel bells and said, “Go play with the camels outside. I’ll help your dad with cooking.”
Bahu heard footsteps approaching and didn’t even turn his head. “Finally decided to come back?”
“Ajima, you go play outside too. I’ll take care of the cooking,” Mi Niang also sent him out. When the footsteps receded, she looked up at the man holding the shovel and clicked her tongue, saying, “You’re already longing for my return after just a short while outside. You’re really clingy.”
The man pretended to coldly snort and ignored her remarks.
“How did you manage to get your daughter’s pendant?”
“I don’t like the way you phrase that. What do you mean by ‘manage’?” Bahu put a dish on the stove, while scooping water to wash the pot. Then he changed the subject, “Let’s steam buns tomorrow. I feel like having buns with beef filling.”
“First, tell me how you got her to willingly take it off. I want to learn from you.”
Bahu smirked, the sound of scrubbing the pot couldn’t hide his satisfaction. “I’m not going to tell you.”
“Then I won’t steam buns for you.”
“I can do it myself.”