“No report to the authorities.” Seeing Mi Niang’s face change drastically, as if she were about to drag her to the officials, Pandi quickly took two steps back. “Don’t be hasty. Listen to me first. He couldn’t do much to me. I woke up when he forcefully opened the door. He couldn’t even tear open my padded jacket. I injured his shoulder with the horn before his cries alarmed others, and Mu Xiang came with people.” Men came one after another and tied up the thief who was rolling on the ground holding his shoulder with ropes, and they swiftly sought justice from his family.
“His family compensated me with two and a half large cows and a castrated bull. They begged me not to report it. Considering they are locals and he failed to achieve his goal, plus I injured him, reporting to the authorities might only result in a fine and his release, and I would have made an enemy. So, I agreed.”
After hearing this, Mi Niang fell into contemplation. The rice porridge in the earthenware pot made a gurgling sound. She asked, “Has his family caused you any trouble afterward? Who is he? Which family is he from?”
“Mu Xiang helped me negotiate with his family. He is not allowed to appear in front of me again. I only know his name is Shaobu, but I’m not sure about his family. I was dizzy from the scare that night, and after seeing blood, I was in a daze for two or three days before coming to my senses. After that, no one mentioned him to me again. I vaguely heard that he was sent to the capital the next day to treat his injuries, but it took too long, and a large chunk of flesh was cut from the wound. His condition isn’t great.”
Deserved punishment, retribution,” Mi Niang said, looking at the palm-sized horn knife. “From now on, carry the horn knife with you, don’t put it away.”
Pandi “Hmm” in agreement. When she turned her head, she caught sight of the man standing not far away. The words she wanted to say were swallowed back down her throat. She poked the residual ashes in the stove and looked up again, finding the man still there.
“Mi Niang, can you watch the porridge in the pot for me? I’ll be right back,” she wiped her hands on her apron and got up to leave.
Mi Niang glanced at the man, who was visibly nervous as Pandi approached, holding onto his clothes tightly. Though the distance wasn’t close, she observed them exchange a few words. The man took something out of his pocket, seemingly wanting to give it to her, but Pandi refused and turned to walk back.
Mi Niang managed to see what the man was holding, a few bird eggs. When he noticed her looking, he hastily forced a smile, nodded, and walked away.
“Who’s that?” Mi Niang teased, “Why would someone come to give you bird eggs out of the blue? Bird eggs are hard to come by this time of year.”
Pandi didn’t respond directly. Instead, she stirred the porridge with a spoon and replied, “Bird eggs and chicken eggs aren’t hard to find. When we were cutting grass, people found bird and chicken eggs in the grass every day. I picked up over twenty, all covered in mud, and pickled them into salted eggs.”
Mi Niang just looked at her, not saying anything, until she felt uncomfortable being stared at and had to avert her gaze. “He’s just an acquaintance,” she added playfully. As soon as the words fell, she noticed Lan Niang and Ying Niang returning with water and took the opportunity to step aside.
Mi Niang didn’t inquire further and sat with them for a while before announcing some good news: “I’m pregnant again, already three months along.”
“Is it one or twins?” Lan Niang and Ying Niang asked simultaneously.
“It should be just one. I went to see the doctor before returning to the winter pasture, and the doctor said there’s only one based on my pulse.”
“I thought you were expecting twins again,” Lan Niang sounded a bit disappointed. “Twins are such a joy.”
“It’s tough carrying two. As the months go by, it gets more and more uncomfortable. It’s easier with just one,” Mi Niang chuckled. “You’re more excited than the child’s father. Since Bahu found out I was pregnant again, he’s been talking about the third child. He’s never mentioned a fourth. He doesn’t want me to have twins again.”
“Probably because he’s exhausted. It’s tiring enough to take care of one child, let alone two,” a voice came from behind. Mi Niang recognized the speaker without needing to turn around.
Mu Xiang approached with a child in her arms and chuckled, “Lan Niang has yet to experience childbirth. She’ll understand how difficult it is once she has children.”
A flush spread across Lan Niang’s face. “I’ll go get you a chair,” she said and dashed away like the wind.
Pandi glanced around and broke the silence, “Awen has grown taller again, and he’s put on a bit of weight. His father is taking good care of him.” She immediately regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. The tension between Mu Xiang and Mi Niang stemmed from Zhong Qi. Quickly changing the subject, she continued, “You didn’t see how commanding Mu Xiang was when we weren’t here. She arranged the grass cutting, drying, and bundling, and even had the men deliver the grass back with the oxen. She had those big bosses eating out of her hand.”
Mu Xiang’s gaze met Mi Niang’s, and she smiled first before speaking, “I’ve always kept an eye on your oxen. They’re all doing well. No one mistreats them.”
“That’s good. Thank you for your attention,” Mi Niang replied, her gaze shifting downwards. The little boy standing by Mu Xiang’s legs looked curiously at the others, lips pursed, his face showing a hint of resistance.
“Is the child named Awen? He must be almost a year old, right? Can he speak yet?”
Mu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. “His name is Zhong Xuwen, Awen. Call Auntie,” she said, her hand resting on the child’s shoulder, only to be shrugged off immediately.
“Shy. He hasn’t seen me for three months, so he doesn’t remember me,” Mu Xiang forced a smile tinged with bitterness. “I left him at home with his father when I brought people back. We have a servant at home, but he couldn’t even get a sip of milk when I brought him back. It’s been three months, and now he can walk and talk, but he doesn’t recognize me.”
“Children have short memories. Spend a winter with him, and he’ll cling to you again,” Mi Niang, the only one present with children, and therefore the most credible, reassured her.
Mu Xiang nodded. “You’re right. When I go back, I’ll dismiss the servant and take care of him myself.”
“No, no, no,” Mi Niang waved her hand. “That’s not what I meant.” She didn’t want Zhong Qi, that mad dog, to know and come scolding her for interfering in his family affairs. “I didn’t mean for you to dismiss the servant. What I meant is that children are most discerning. They know who treats them well, and they’ll cling to those who are good to them. Over time, he’ll become attached to those who treat him well.”
Mu Xiang paused for a moment, understanding Mi Niang’s meaning, but didn’t explain. She simply said it was her own decision.
The atmosphere became awkward again, and Mu Xiang tried to break the silence. “That old woman is hateful. When I’m not home, she lords over my house. Yesterday when I returned, she even put on a show of being the concerned mother-in-law, saying how pitiful the child is for not seeing his mother for three months. She practically accused me of being heartless for leaving my less-than-a-year-old child. Awen can call his father and his grandmother, he can even call out the names of cows, sheep, and horses, but he won’t call me. It’s all because no one taught him.”
“Doesn’t Zhong Qi teach him either?” Pandi asked. “If the servant doesn’t teach, then what about the father?”
Mu Xiang glanced at Mi Niang. “We had an argument when I came back.”
As Mi Niang walked out of the almshouse, she recalled the look Mu Xiang gave her, as if her argument with Zhong Qi was somehow related to her. Was it because Zhong Qi sent Wen Yin to their house to discuss and borrow oxen?
“Sister-in-law, why are you alone here? Isn’t my brother accompanying you?”
Just as they mentioned him, Wen Yin appeared with his men, herding the cattle on the other side of the river. Their presence was loud, but she was preoccupied with her thoughts and hadn’t noticed.
“Returning our cattle?”
“Yes, returning them intact. I had them inspected, and there wasn’t a scratch on them.” Wen Yin continued walking on the other side of the river, showing no intention of coming over. It wasn’t until he reached the last house on the east side that he found a nearby plank to cross over. “I’m going to see what my brother is busy with.”
Bahu was in the cellar, cleaning out the radishes. The cellar was dug into the house and hadn’t seen water in years. Some of the soil had loosened, causing a corner to collapse. He heard the voices outside and climbed out of the cellar with a face full of dirt. His first words upon seeing Wen Yin were, “Returning our cattle?”
It’s really like a married couple, asking questions word for word. Wen Yin hadn’t even settled down yet, but Bahu followed him out and saw him checking on the cattle. He couldn’t help but say, “You still don’t trust me?”
“You, who have never castrated a bull or milked a cow, who don’t even know how many teeth a cow has, why should I trust you?” Bahu snorted lightly, then went outside and saw Mi Niang there. He said, “There’s butter tea hanging over the stove.”
“I’m here, why didn’t you prepare any for me?” Wen Yin muttered, “Your hospitality skills are lacking.”
Bahu ignored him, walked into the herd of cattle, inspecting their hooves, legs, and hips, and opened their mouths to check their teeth. With over two hundred head of cattle, he spent nearly half an hour inspecting them. When he finished and saw Wen Yin was still there, he frowned, “You’re still here?”
This time, Wen Yin was furious, he turned around and left, but after a few steps and no one stopped him, he turned back, rolled up his sleeves, and gestured, “Let’s have a fight then.”
Bahu raised an eyebrow, “Wasn’t it just for fun?” But as Wen Yin approached with clenched fists, Bahu pushed off with his back foot, his expression serious as he met the challenge head-on, fists flying. The half-dead grass beneath their feet snapped, lifted by their soles into the air.
Ajima returned with the two children and saw the two men fighting from afar, “Don’t hit my dad!” Jiya shouted.
“I’ll beat you up!” Qiqige’s face turned red as he ran over.
Bahu was distracted by the noise and took a hit to his leg, falling to the ground.
Wen Yin pinned him down, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said triumphantly, “Brother, you lost.” He was almost knocked over by the charging “cannonball” from behind, followed by the harmless punches.
He turned around and grabbed Qiqige’s hands, then said to Jiya, who was still struggling in Bahu’s arms, “Come on, father and son, I’ll take on the three of you alone.”
“Enough.” Bahu kicked him while sitting on the ground. Jiya and Qiqige both had red eyes. Qiqige’s hand was caught, and he was still stomping on Wen Yin’s leg.
“Dad is just messing around with him, not fighting,” Bahu pulled the little girl over and repeated, “Not fighting, look, he’s still laughing.”
“I saw it all, he hit you,” Qiqige said with a choked voice, tears streaming down as he gently blew air on Bahu’s shoulder and asked if it hurt, making his tears flow even more.
Bahu suddenly remembered that Wen Yin had punched him earlier. He held both children in his arms and said, “It doesn’t hurt, I’m wearing thick clothes, it’s like being bitten by ants, not painful at all.”
Both children were crying. Wen Yin sat on the side, scratching his head, feeling extremely embarrassed. He tried to save face, saying, “I got hit too…” But before he finished, he received a fierce glare. This little brat was quite fierce indeed. He waved his fist at Jiya, only to receive another kick on his leg.
“Alright, alright, you win. I won’t go against the principles of the martial world.” He glanced at Jiya again, thinking to himself that he also needed a son. He’d go back and marry a wife, and the next year, he’d have a chubby son. Then, he’d come back to reclaim his honor with his son in tow.
Looking at Bahu, who now had a gentle expression like a woman, holding two teary-eyed children, he was on the verge of shedding tears himself. It was truly hair-raising.
“Men, once they settle down, they forget about their swords,” he muttered to himself, refusing to admit even a hint of envy. He pretended to be uninterested and said, “It’s not fun anymore. I won’t spar with you again.”
Bahu stood up with one hand holding a child and exerting force on his legs. “I won’t spar with you either. I can’t afford to corrupt my children.”
Feeling sour in his mouth, Wen Yin moved his legs, still tingling from the kicks, and changed his route to cross the river back home. He heard hoarse cries of “Ah woo, ah woo” and turned around to see two badgers with large ears running back from the east. He felt lucky that the fight had been interrupted by the two children. If it had been a dog or another badger, he wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
He quickened his pace back home, rushing to the backyard before his mother could speak, and said, “Are you going to introduce me to a girl? I agree, as soon as possible.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Mrs. Hu saw the dirt on him, the dusty footprints on his dark blue robe, and his disheveled hair still holding pieces of grass. “Where did you go? Weren’t you supposed to return the cows to Bahu’s family?”
“I was just bullied by him and his two kids, without any help,” Wen Yin replied, taking a seat. His mother pushed him to the opposite side of the round table and sighed after drinking a cup of warm tea.
Mrs. Hu glanced at him and said to the servant behind her, “Send the pearl hairpin I received recently to Mi Niang and bring some soft cloth. Make clothes for her children.”
They truly owed the whole family a debt of gratitude.
