Bahu came back the next morning. When he arrived, Qiqige and Jiya were washing their faces. Upon hearing his voice, they screamed and ran out, not even bothering to wipe the water off their faces.
Seeing this, Bahu quickly squatted down, pushed away the dogs and raccoons that crowded around and hugged the two children who pounced on him. He kept responding to their calls of “dad” as he looked towards the figure leaning against the kitchen door. He picked up the two children and walked over, saying, “I’m back.”
“Everything at home is fine, and the food is almost ready,” said Bahu, who hadn’t had time to tidy up during his five days away. He had grown a fair amount of stubble on his chin, his hair was unkempt, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Addressing the two children, Mi Niang said, “Come down and walk on your own. Don’t let your dad carry you, he smells of sweat.”
“It’s not smelly,” Qiqige said, hugging his dad’s neck. He was about to get close when he noticed the stubble on his father’s chin and changed his mind, saying, “Dad, let’s shave.”
Bahu glanced at Mi Niang and then carried the two children to wash their faces. As he left, a string of dogs and two raccoons followed him. The door, which had been blocked, finally had some space to move. Meanwhile, Mi Niang went to the neighboring storeroom and chopped off a piece of beef. With the man back, the food she had prepared wasn’t enough.
“Why did it take so long this year? Did the horses and camels wander off?” Mi Niang asked during the meal.
“Yeah, the camels wandered off. It took two days to find them,” Bahu replied, lifting his bowl and drinking half a bowl of meat soup in one breath. “On the way back, we ran into people from the Baoyin family. One of their male camels broke its leg, probably during a fight while in heat. We helped them slaughter the camel, which also delayed us for half a day.”
Mi Niang scooped two more spoonfuls of meat soup into his bowl. “What about the camel meat you slaughtered? Are you bringing it back to sell?”
“We’ll cut it into pieces, tie it to the horse’s back, and bring it back. It should arrive by noon. I’ll go buy some when it arrives. You guys haven’t eaten camel meat yet.”
Upon hearing this, Qiqige became excited. “Is it delicious?”
Jiya also looked up eagerly.
Bahu hesitated for a moment. “Camel meat needs to be roasted with wine. When stewed with wine, it tastes delicious, but if cooked like beef and mutton, it’s not as good as them. Camel meat is oily and heavy, like beef fat, and it has a bit of a gamey taste, similar to mutton. No matter how many radishes and green vegetables you add to the stewed camel meat, they can’t absorb the oil in the soup.”
Now even Mi Niang fell silent. After a while, she asked, “All with wine? Or diluted with water?”
“Pure wine.”
“Then let’s wait a few more years to eat it.” Seeing Qiqige and Jiya pouting, she reassured them, “It’s not good for children to eat wine. It stunts their growth, and they’ll smell bad. If you want to eat fresh meat, we’ll slaughter a lamb after dinner. We can roast a lamb leg, fry lamb ribs, and stew some tender lamb soup.”
Bahu looked at her with a smile. “Craving lamb meat?”
Mi Niang paused, showing her teeth as she smiled. She touched the corner of her mouth and nodded. “I want to eat meat, the kind that’s soft and tender, with a bit of fat that melts in your mouth. Just a few chews and it goes down your throat.” She swallowed, then licked her lips. When she was pregnant with Qiqige and Jiya, she didn’t crave much, but now, even though she was only two months pregnant, she had a big appetite. She dreamt of eating meat even in her sleep.
Glancing at the jar of garlic chives sauce on the table, most of which she had eaten, along with the Sichuan peppercorns, she drooled at the thought of their flavors.
“I went to the storeroom the day before yesterday to get some butter, but I accidentally grabbed the bag of dried chili peppers. The spicy smell wafted out, and I couldn’t help but salivate. I wanted to chew on one,” Mi Niang said as she fed herself a chunk of beef and dipped it into a large blob of garlic chives sauce. “My taste has changed a lot with this pregnancy. I have a strong preference for meat, and I don’t like vegetables as much as I used to.”
“You didn’t eat it, did you? That stuff isn’t meant for humans to eat.” Bahu looked at her with concern. The chili sauce was so spicy that it stuck to his hands, and washing them didn’t help. Even after washing, his nose and eyes stung, like they were on fire.
Mi Niang shook her head. “I didn’t eat it.”
Just as Bahu breathed a sigh of relief, he heard her say, “Yesterday morning, Little Spot brought back a gray-haired old mouse. I fed the mouse some crumbs, and it’s still alive today.”
“You didn’t taste it, did you?” he asked again.
Mi Niang nodded vigorously. The mouse squeaked for a while, then ran around the whole day. In the morning, she scattered some millet for it to see how it was doing today. If it was still running around, she wanted to taste it too. The smell of the chili was making her unable to walk properly.
“You still have something you’re not telling me.” Her thoughts were written all over her face, and Bahu understood with just one glance. “Is the mouse not doing well?”
Mi Niang smiled and scooped another spoonful of beef for him. “Let’s eat. Stop talking about the mouse. Are you in the mood to eat?”
Wasn’t this turning the tables? After dinner, Bahu insisted on going to see the mouse she kept at home. It had eaten quite a bit of the rice on the ground and seemed lively enough.
“See, the chili isn’t poisonous,” Mi Niang said somewhat smugly.
“I’m going to slaughter the sheep,” Bahu didn’t respond to her, “Prepare some hot water for me. I want to take a bath after slaughtering the sheep.”
Qiqige and Jiya were waiting at the door. When they heard about slaughtering the sheep, they immediately stood up, clinging to Bahu and wanting to go together. Each of them held one of his hands, swinging his arms like a swing.
After slaughtering a sheep and roasting one leg for the family, Bahu divided the other three legs among three servants to take back to their families. One person accompanied him when he went to find the horse and camel herds, while the other two took turns guarding the cattle and sheep day and night. They had all worked hard. Additionally, because Mi Niang was pregnant, once they returned to Lingshan, the servants would go home for their meals.
“The sheep head is for you three to stew and eat, you guys can start a fire yourselves,” Bahu chopped off the sheep’s head and gave it to Xi Jil, leaving the one they would eat for lunch at home, while the rest was prepared to be cooked for the dogs and mountain ferrets.
A big ram weighing several dozen catties was divided up like this.
After marinating the sheep legs with scallion and ginger water, Bahu carried hot water into the felt bag for a bath. Just as he settled into the tub, the dogs lying outside soaking up the sun saw a stranger carrying meat and barked alertly a few times.
“Jiya, go outside and take a look,” Mi Niang called from the kitchen.
“Oh, okay,” Jiya ran out, but by the time she got there, the visitor was already at the door. With a demeanor beyond her years, she asked, “Are you looking for my dad?”
“Yes, has your dad come back?” Baoyin smiled and shouted loudly toward the house, “Your dad helped us out, so I came to bring you some camel meat.”
Mi Niang heard the voice and walked out, hearing Jiya say that her dad was taking a bath.
“Uncle, come in and sit down. Have you found both your camels and horses?” Baoyin waved his hand, “I won’t come in. Camel meat doesn’t sell well in Lingshan, so I have to take it to Xushui to sell. Take the meat in, Bahu is skilled at skinning camels and has helped us a lot.”
“It’s what neighbors do, helping each other out when needed,” Mi Niang came out with a basin, there was quite a bit of camel meat, and she struggled a bit carrying it. Worried about straining herself like her mother-in-law, who miscarried after carrying half a bucket of water, she decided to wait until Bahu finished his bath to take it inside.
Indeed, as Bahu had said, camel meat is oily, with a thick layer of oil congealing on the raw meat, unlike beef or mutton, where blood might seep out after slaughter.
The dogs at home had already enjoyed some meat during the sheep butchering, and now, smelling the scent again, they came closer. Mi Niang was afraid that Jiya wouldn’t be able to hold onto the basin of meat, so she decided to squat outside and watch. She waited until Bahu came out to carry the basin inside before following.
“Let’s add some vegetables for lunch. I’ll cook,” Bahu, who hadn’t eaten camel meat in years, borrowed a bushel of mare’s milk wine and half a bushel of baijiu from the neighboring Baoyin family. While roasting the lamb legs, he moved the stove to the side and lit fires on both sides. Slicing the camel meat into half-inch-thick slices, he heated the pot, poured oil, added ginger and scallion, fried until golden, then added a handful of Sichuan peppercorns. The Sichuan peppercorns crackled in the hot oil, and when he poured in the large basin of camel meat, the oil caught fire immediately due to overheating.
“Wow! It’s on fire!” The two children and Big Spot and Little Spot watching from the ground were frightened.
Bahu glanced at them, instructed them to move away, and then balanced the flaming iron pot as if performing a circus act. Not only were Qiqige and Jiya stunned, but even the cats and dogs hoping for a taste were frozen with their tails tucked between their legs.
But that wasn’t the end of it. Just as the flames in the pot subsided, he poured the half bushel of Baijiu onto the camel meat, spoon by spoon. The flames grew higher and higher with each spoonful until the last one caused the flames to shoot out from the edge of the pot.
The ladle, with the lid attached, was placed over the iron pot amidst the roaring flames, finally quenching the orange flames. Bahu then freed up his hands to turn the lamb legs. Looking up, he saw that Qiqige and Jiya had run outside to stand by the stove door. As for the dogs and mountain ferrets, they were so scared that they rushed out and stood by the riverbank, too frightened to come back in.
Bahu lifted his chin proudly. “Aren’t I amazing?”
“I never thought you had this trick up your sleeve,” Mi Niang glanced at his hair, now slightly curled from the heat, and boasted, “Impressive indeed, but compared to me, you’re still lacking a bit.”
The man glanced at her sideways, then picked up the bowl of chili oil and brushed it onto the lamb legs. “Everyone can boast, it’s easy.”
After turning the lamb legs, he lifted the lid of the pot, stirred it a few times with a spoon, and asked Qiqige and Jiya, who had come closer again, “Does it smell good?”
“Delicious,” the little girl leaned over to look into the pot, ready to retreat at any moment.
Jiya wrinkled his nose. “But there’s no smell of alcohol.”
Bahu glanced at the stove room and whispered, “Once it’s stewed, I’ll let you taste it.”
“Hehe, okay,” the siblings lowered their voices in unison, sharing a little secret.
As the alcohol in the pot evaporated, Bahu poured in a bushel of mare’s milk wine, submerging the camel meat under the snowy-white wine. The Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger floated to the surface, accompanied by a thin layer of oil. As the mare’s milk wine boiled, the oil melted into the wine, turning it into a pot of golden-brown thick soup.
“Keep an eye on the fire for me. If it gets too low, add some dried cow dung,” Bahu instructed the two children, covering the pot with the lid and then walking to the side to roast the lamb legs. After brushing them with honey to seal in the moisture, he focused on applying the chili oil. Mi Niang liked heavy flavors, so stewed lamb needed to be soft and tender, while roasted lamb needed to be crispy and golden.
The mare’s milk wine used to stew the camel meat had evaporated, leaving the soup in the pot thickened. Bahu sprinkled some chopped green onions on top and then took it off the stove. He replaced the iron pot on the stove with an iron plate and began frying lamb ribs and lamb rib meat over the residual heat in the stove.
“Dad,” Jiya urged quietly, indicating that he wanted to eat the camel meat.
Bahu chuckled softly, glanced at the stove room, grabbed a piece of camel meat, and blew on it to cool it down. “Open your mouth quickly, one bite each.” The pieces of camel meat were large, leaving some leftovers after Qiqige and Jiya each took a bite. With a quick twist of the chopsticks, Bahu fed himself a bite as well.
They all crouched down as if they were thieves, chewing with their heads lowered.
“Is it delicious?” Bahu asked.
Qiqige and Jiya still had meat in their mouths and couldn’t speak, but they nodded repeatedly, matching the grand scene.
“Dinner’s ready,” Mi Niang called from inside the house. “Have you finished cooking your dishes? If so, set the table.”
“Coming,” Bahu wiped the oil off the children’s mouths, “Go rinse your mouths with some water.” He then plated a dish of camel meat to take to Baoyin’s house, thanking Baoyin’s father for the wine.
At this point, the two children were exceptionally obedient, rinsing their mouths before entering the house to fetch bowls and chopsticks.
With four people and four dishes, each had a bowl of lamb soup, with plates of lamb ribs and sliced lamb leg meat placed on the table. A half pot of wine-roasted camel meat was placed in front of Bahu..
“It smells quite fragrant, and I can’t even smell the wine,” Mi Niang glanced at the two children, wanting to taste it herself but hesitated. When Qiqige and Jiya also wanted to taste, she relented.
“Have a piece, a small portion won’t hurt, the alcohol has all evaporated,” Bahu scooped some onto her plate with a chopstick. Seeing Qiqige and Jiya eyeing it eagerly, each of them took a piece. He added, “This is all there is, once it’s finished, there’s no more. The alcohol has all been stewed into the meat. If kids eat too much, they’ll get drunk and become dull.”
Although there were three pieces on Mi Niang’s plate, Qiqige and Jiya didn’t mind. Adults ate more, and children ate less.
The camel meat stewed in mare’s milk wine had a rich taste. Although it didn’t appear oily, the richness of the fat could be felt while chewing. Despite being mixed with mare’s milk wine, there was no greasiness or fishiness. The meat was slightly coarse, not as smooth as lamb, resembling the texture of pan-fried steak but with more chewiness and a full-bodied fragrance.
After devouring three pieces of camel meat, Mi Niang took a sip of the lamb soup before moving on to the roasted lamb leg meat. The fragrance of pepper was strong, becoming more pronounced with each chew.
“Are you still eating?” Bahu asked brazenly, completely ignoring the children’s eager expressions.
Mi Niang shook her head. “I still prefer heavier flavors.” The pepper in the camel meat didn’t come through enough for her.
“In that case, we’ll slaughter another lamb tomorrow. The weather isn’t too hot right now, and we’ll keep the lamb legs. I’ll roast one for you every day.”
As the four lamb legs were not yet finished roasting, a fast horse came from the south, briefly pausing outside the government office before heading northwest.
Three gongs sounded, marking the beginning of another year of long-distance migration.
