On the way to the Xia Ranch, no one wanted to stay in the dark, gloomy carriage at night. Mi Niang and Bahu, Qiqige and Jiya rode on camels, while fifteen dogs walked among the sheep. Big Spot and Little Spot ran alongside the camels, occasionally running ahead of the people and then circling back.
“Have you noticed that Big Spot and Little Spot seem to prefer Qiqige and Jiya?” Mi Niang gestured for Bahu to look ahead, where the two ferrets were constantly by the side of the two young masters.
Bahu remained silent. He looked at Da Huang in the flock, then at his two wolves, Bala and Alse wolves, which he had raised since they were young. After a while, he sighed resignedly, “Maybe I’m too strong, and they think I don’t need protection.” He could still convince himself that Bala and Alse wolves had been lured away by Da Huang, but Big Spot and Little Spot were the ones he had personally tamed. They used to listen to him the most last year, but this year, things had changed. They enjoyed playing with Qiqige and Jiya and gradually developed feelings for them.
Mi Niang suppressed a smile and comforted him insincerely, “Don’t be sad. At least the fat water hasn’t flowed into someone else’s field.”
“Hey!” Jiya exclaimed. Mi Niang looked over to see three sheep breaking away from the flock to nibble on tender grass by the water. Before the shepherds could reach them, a black dog dashed forward and barked twice. The three sheep panicked and ran back towards the flock.
In the evening, Bahu slaughtered a sheep and fed the dogs until they were full. After licking a few mouthfuls of water, they walked in groups to the flock, selected a high spot, and lay down with their heads resting on their paws, watching the grazing sheep vigilantly. If any sheep strayed too far, a single bark from the dogs was more effective than the command of the lead sheep.
“When it comes to herding, the dogs are better than us,” Xi Jil chuckled. With this group of dogs, they saved a lot of trouble on the road.
“I heard from Ajima that her second sister also wants to go back to the winter pasture to harvest grass. Will she return there, or will she come to the Xia Ranch with your parents?” Mi Niang asked.
Xi Jil sighed silently. “She will go back to the winter pasture. I asked Uncle Jinku and ChaoBao to take care of her, and with Ajima accompanying her, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“How can you let a woman go back to harvest grass? Harvesting, drying, and bundling grass are not as easy as herding sheep,” another servant asked.
“There’s no other way. She can’t get along with my mother. They both have strong personalities and argue two or three times a day. If my father goes back to the winter pasture, it’ll just be her and my mother living together. They’ll probably argue so much they’ll turn the felt tent upside down. If she wants to go back, let her go and relax a bit,” Xi Jil rubbed his temples. Every evening when he returned home, he was dragged into settling disputes. Even in his dreams, it was all about the quarrels between the two women.
After their conversation, they rolled up their felt blankets and quilts and went to sleep on the ground near the flock. Bahu threw a few chunks of dry cow dung into the stove, then pulled Mi Niang up, saying, “Come on, let’s go sleep in the felt tent.” The two children were already asleep.
The makeshift felt tent was small, and Bahu, being tall with long legs, had to stretch his legs straight, with his feet resting on the wooden fence. The wind outside made his feet feel chilly. He bent down and asked the person in his arms, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking if your mother lived with us, would I argue with her?” Mi Niang lowered her voice, pinching his earlobe, and curiously asked, “If I end up arguing with her, who would you help?”
“The peddler also sent two pots to our house, saying that wealthy families in the Central Plains like to display these things, but I don’t know if it’s true or not,” Wen Yin took the items from the servant’s hand and placed them on the table. “They’re for my nephew and niece. We used to play with them when my sister and I were young. They’re quite delicate.”
“Your mother kept them for so many years, probably intending to pass them on to your children, right? Does she know you’ve sent them over?”
“Don’t mention it. She nags me every day with these things, so I decided to just send them away. Out of sight, out of mind,” Wen Yin joked intentionally. Since Bahu wasn’t at home, he exchanged a few more words before heading outside to watch the sheep being washed. After the people drove the 239 cows over, he exchanged a few more words with Bahu before leaving.
Quqige and Jiya rode back on the cows. Seeing their family’s cows being driven away by unfamiliar people, they hurriedly ran behind, shouting, “Our cows, come back, come back!”
The person washing the sheep laughed loudly when he heard this. Bahu went up to retrieve them, carrying them on his shoulders back home.
“They’re still our cows, just lent out for two months,” Bahu said, restraining Qiqige’s restless legs. When he looked back, he saw Jiya still standing by the riverbank, so he called out, “Jiya, come back, your mother is calling you.”
“Liar, she didn’t call me.”
Realizing he had forgotten about the one he was carrying on his shoulder, Bahu chuckled inwardly, and changed his words, “If you don’t come back, I’ll hit your sister.”
Jiya immediately turned around and ran back. When he saw the things on the table, he exclaimed, “Mom, what’s this?” Instantly forgetting about his sister.
“Nine-link rings, slingshots…” Mi Niang only recognized two of them and candidly said, “You and Qiqige can play with them. Mom doesn’t know what they are.”
“Why did Wen Yin send tea leaves again? There’s still plenty of brick tea left from before,” she asked Bahu.
“We’ll just accept them. If he sends them, we don’t need to buy them,” Bahu replied. Yesterday, he meant to send green tea, but today he not only sent green tea but also two pieces of brick tea.
“We’ll pack up tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, we’ll move to the Xia Ranch,” he said.
Mi Niang had no objections. She was used to the nomadic life. Once the date was set, she started packing. After all, no matter where they went, they always lived together as a family of four with their cats and dogs.
It was Pandi who heard the news of their family moving and came over in the evening to ask if there were any small knives made of sheep horns. “The winter pasture harvest is divided among the families registered with the relief center. Each family has to send someone. Ying Niang is still young, and Lan Niang is busy with the shoemaker’s business. Since I’m free, I’ll go back and they can take care of the sheep for me. Do you still have the sheep horn knife you used before? I’ll take one for self-defense.” The sheep horns were too hard for her to cut, let alone sharpen.
There was one. It was the one Bahu had sharpened for her for self-defense. Mi Niang went into the house and took it out of the box for her, instructing, “Whether it’s day or night, don’t wander off alone, and don’t walk too far with anyone. Be careful of women who suddenly show kindness to you, as they may have ulterior motives.”
Pandi nodded, “I know.”
“Are you scared?” Mi Niang asked.
Pandi smiled, “Would you believe me if I said I’m not scared?”
“Do you still have that idea?”
Pandi bit her lip, “I still want to try.”
