Last year, there was no sight of the army from the capital. This year, seeing soldiers clad in armor with imposing figures, there was a sense of excitement as if reuniting with long-lost friends, even though they were strangers.
“Sir, it’s cold at night. Shall we roast a few sheep to eat?” someone shouted from the front of the procession.
Hearing the voice, Bahu stood up on his stirrups and said to the armored figure behind him, “Sir, the sheep from my house are also delicious. I can pick a few for you.”
“No need, our meals are arranged by the yamen’s staff. Thank you for your kindness,” the man smiled. They were on their way to pay tribute to the Great Kang Dynasty. Tall and well-built, with good looks, they spoke in standard Mandarin. “I just saw your pet ferrets sneaking out. Aren’t you worried they’ll run away?”
“No, they’re already well-trained. They’ll come back after they’ve eaten their fill,” Bahu was so excited that he agreed to talk to him and added, “When we set up camp later, you can stay at my house for dinner. I’m quite good at cooking.”
“We have orders in the army not to eat outside food.”
Bahu just said “Oh” and was about to say something else when the sound of gongs and drums came from the front, and the procession slowed down. Families were busy unloading their belongings from the backs of oxen. Men set up tents while women prepared meals. By the time he finished his tasks, the man from behind had already left, unnoticed.
During the night, Big Spot and Little Spot returned for a visit, tossing a rabbit they caught to the dogs to eat before silently leaving again, only noticed by the soldiers on patrol.
Traveling from sunrise to sunset, Mi Niang would give a spoonful of honey to Big Spot and Little Spot for every copper coin she took from them. If they brought back rabbits, she would give them another coin. Over time, they understood the meaning and would bring back one or two rabbits every morning, exchanging them for money to buy honey.
“Your ferrets are well taken care of. They even know how to earn money to buy honey,” the soldier remarked, as he did every morning before the two ferrets returned.
“They came back during the night to give rabbits to your dogs,” Mi Niang closed the jar of honey specially made for cats and dogs and nodded. “We know. That’s their bribe for the dogs. I don’t pay for it.”
“Quite interesting. How long have you been raising them?”
“Over two years. This is their third winter,” she replied, just like Qiqige and Jiya.
The man didn’t say anything more. Every time Big Spot and Little Spot appeared, he would come over to take a look. Qiqige and Jiya would talk to him, and he would respond. Over time, they became acquainted, exchanging greetings whenever they met. He even bought three jars of honey from Mi Niang to take back to the capital as gifts, but she refused to take his money. Instead, he gave Qiqige and Jiya each a silver peanut.
“Keep them well. They’re gifts from the Great Kang Dynasty, infused with the spirit of the dragon,” he joked.
When they reached the fork in the road, Qiqige and Jiya bid farewell. “Sir, will you come back next year?” After walking together for nearly a month, Bahu’s family still didn’t know his name.
“Maybe I will,” he said, producing two plump golden peanuts from somewhere in his hand, tempting them. “How about selling Big Spot and Little Spot to me?”
Qiqige and Jiya’s smiles faded, their attention drawn back to the golden peanuts. One shook their head while the other firmly stated they wouldn’t sell.
“I’ll add two more,” he produced two identical peanuts from his sleeve, the sunlight gleaming off them dazzlingly.
“We won’t sell. Big Spot and Little Spot belong to our family,” Jiya pulled Qiqige up and retreated as if avoiding a plague. “My mother said we’re going home, so should you.” With that, they left, not looking back. They even called Big Spot and Little Spot back from the sheepfold to prevent them from being forcibly taken.
Back home, Mi Niang and Bahu only heard about it from the siblings. They exchanged a glance, and Mi Niang looked at the two ferrets lying upside down under the eaves. “I knew it. Officials from the capital wouldn’t be so easy to deal with. Turns out they were eyeing our Big Spot and Little Spot.”
“Maybe he was just teasing the kids. Besides, he didn’t force them to sell,” Bahu had a very positive impression of the capital’s army.
Mi Niang glanced at him, arms crossed. “If he had asked you instead of the kids, would you have sold them?”
“Of course not,” Bahu answered without hesitation. Even if it wasn’t Big Spot and Little Spot, he wouldn’t sell any of their animals, not even the dogs, if someone came to buy them.
Mi Niang was satisfied with his answer and got up to start cooking in the kitchen, while Big Spot and Little Spot took a stroll around the house, exchanged greetings with the family after dark, and then went out to hunt. The more skilled they became at hunting, the less they ate at home.
Lying on the heated brick bed at night, Bahu caressed the curve of Mi Niang’s pregnant belly and said, “Let’s rest for two days and then go to the Asyl family’s place. Maybe we can cut some trees and peel some birch bark on their mountain.”
“Their mountain doesn’t allow outsiders to enter?” Mi Niang asked, propping herself up.
“Yeah, they’ve been living there since they moved out of the mountains, and they patrol the area every winter. Over time, the mountain became private property, and outsiders are not allowed to cut trees or hunt there,” Bahu said, his hand that was originally on her belly now wrapped around her waist, occasionally rubbing it, smooth like sheep fat.
The heated bed was too hot, so Bahu kicked the blanket away, and his fingers, which had been kneading inside his clothes, emerged. His hand, however, was becoming more adventurous, climbing up to the same spot where Mi Niang’s fingers had been kneading. It felt like a handful of melting snow, slipping out from between his fingers with just a little pressure.
In the darkness of the night, the two lying down were curled up together, their belts loosened, clothes unbuttoned. The heated brick bed beneath emitted a scorching heat, yet in the quiet night, there was the continuous sound of water dripping.
“I’m going to take a bath,” Bahu said, propping himself up on the edge of the bed. Just as he was about to roll off, he was stopped by a hand. “How come you’re so serious again today? Let me help you,” Mi Niang sat up, resting her head on his shoulder, one hand hooking around his neck, the other hand sliding down.
“Make sure you’re steady, don’t let me fall,” he said, expressing concern, but his entire weight pressed down on the man.
“Okay,” he grunted, a breath escaping his lips as his Adam’s apple bobbed, meeting a touch of warmth, leaving him unable to resist gripping the sheets tightly, his knuckles turning white.
As things heated up, he leaned in willingly, hot breath whispering in her ear. Following his lead, Mi Niang gently nibbled, sucking like a raccoon licking honey off a spoon.
…
The door was left open, and the night breeze swept into the warm room, carrying away the rich scent. Bahu entered with a basin of water, carefully washing his hands hanging over the edge of the bed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you?”
“Yeah, I’m tired,” Mi Niang, almost asleep, murmured, “I feel like having yogurt.”
“Okay.” He went out to fetch water, and the first thing he did upon waking up the next morning was to take a bowl and milk the camels. At this time, only the nursing cows and female camels with calves had milk, and the milk from the female camels was better.
When Mi Niang woke up, the meal was already prepared. She had forgotten about what she said last night and asked when she saw a bowl of milk on the stove, “Is the milk you squeezed for Qiqige and Jiya to drink? Why hasn’t it been touched?”
“It’s for making yogurt for you guys,” he replied.
Surprised, Mi Niang asked, “How did you know I wanted to eat yogurt?”
Bahu had already walked out and then walked back in, giving her a quick glance before suddenly laughing, “You were talking in your sleep last night, begging me not to steal your yogurt.”
“Nonsense,” she didn’t believe him for a moment.
After the meal, she took Qiqige and Jiya out for a walk and ran into Ajima. It had been three months since they last met, and he had grown taller again. He came over and hugged Jiya and Qiqige first, saying, “You’ve gotten fatter and taller again.”
“Did you sleep at Xi Jil’s house last night?” Mi Niang asked. “The room in the backyard is still reserved for you. Whenever you’re ready to move in, take advantage of the daylight to air out the bed and get rid of the musty smell in the house.”
“Oh, I’ll go stay there tonight,” Ajima scratched the back of his neck and looked at Mi Niang, “Auntie, that, you know, your close friend, she had a bit of trouble. She was attacked by a man in the middle of the night.”
“Pandi? And then what? Did they catch the man?” Ajima shook his head, “I’m not very clear. I heard it was her, but I was far away when it happened, and my second sister didn’t let me inquire too much.”
“Okay, I got it. You take Qiqige and Jiya around, I’ll go check it out.” Mi Niang strode off to the west. When she arrived, Pandi and the others had just gotten up not long ago, and the meal hadn’t been cooked yet. They stayed up late chatting last night, so they ended up sleeping in.
Seeing her, Pandi smiled, “I knew you would come. Have you eaten?”
“Stop with the pleasantries. I’m full. I heard you had some trouble. What happened?” Mi Niang looked her over repeatedly, seeing she was in good spirits, so the man probably didn’t succeed.
“It’s just that, a drunkard barged into my tent last night.” Pandi took out a sheep horn awl from her pouch, the tip still stained with a hint of blood. “I didn’t come out worse for wear; I crippled his arm.” She spoke with a hint of satisfaction. After the incident, she had trouble sleeping for a month, even with Mu Xiang staying with her, she would often wake up in the middle of the night. But now it’s all over, and she made it through.
“Oh, by the way, you probably don’t know yet, but it was Mu Xiang who came back with us this time to cut grass. She’s in charge, and it was she who heard the commotion first and brought people over.” Pandi sat under the eaves, watching the golden light sprinkling down from the sky, then turned her head and said, “We’re all good now.”
“How was the situation handled that night? What about the man? Are there officials involved now? Did you report it to the authorities?” Mi Niang inquired.
