As the sky darkened and the wind and snow began, the sheep, nibbling on grass roots in the mud and snow, instinctively headed towards home. The cows followed behind the sheep, occasionally lowering their heads with a grunt, steam rising from their mouths in puffs that disappeared into the cold air, ultimately dissipating into the hardness of their horns.
“Whoo-whoo!” Bahu whistled, and upon hearing the whistle, the galloping horses in the distance responded with a chorus of snorts. One notified the other, a group notified another group, and in pairs and threes, they turned back, hooves kicking up snowflakes that scattered like chaos, more disorderly than the swirling snow whipped up by the wind.
The cattle and sheep in the lead heard the commotion and instinctively made way, expertly avoiding any confrontation, not giving the energetic stallions any chance to stir up trouble.
Qiqige and Jiya rode ahead on the back of a cow, while Bahu followed behind the cattle and sheep. The male servants like Xi Jil and the pack of dogs would continue to roam the snowy fields for a while longer, checking for any missing livestock.
After a day out, the chaotic grass and scattered dung in the pen had been cleaned up. The fouled areas were piled with dry cow dung to be used as fuel, not only to remove the smell but also to dry and warm the area.
The horses were the first to return, one boldly entering the pen, provocatively splashing around in the trough emitting white mist, rinsing their mouths one by one, before slurping hot salt water and contentedly returning to their respective places. The troughs used by the cattle and sheep were covered in snow and mud, but theirs remained clean and untouched.
Most of the cattle and sheep returned to their respective enclosures, the cows to their territory, and the sheep to their pens. Males and females went their separate ways, but some were truly foolish or pretended to be ignorant. Uncle Muren, Uncle Jinku, and Ajima moved through the herds of cattle and sheep, counting and pulling out the small rams mixed among the ewes, and the bulls hiding among the cows with their tails tucked. The crack of the whip on flesh echoed, and it took quite some time for the chaos in the pen to settle.
Qiqige and Jiya sat in the newly made grass nests for the dogs, waiting for Ajima to finish her tasks. The three of them walked hand in hand around the perimeter wall toward the gate. Before they could enter, Big Spot and Little Spot leaped out of the yard, taking advantage of the steps, crossing the threshold, and leaping onto the stone steps with lightning speed, darting over their heads and burying themselves in the snow pile shoveled by the entrance.
Jiya nonchalantly brushed off the snow falling on her head, while Qiqige turned around in annoyance and spat out a curse, then playfully patted the big ears of Big Spot and Little Spot as they bounded into the midst of the three.
“Howl-howl!”
Big Spot and Little Spot proudly let out a howl. Their favorite thing was to greet Qiqige, Jiya, and Ajima when they returned, showing off their unique high-jumping skills. There were only three children in the house they could jump over; adults they couldn’t surpass, and the other dogs in the house they dared not provoke, fearing they would be ganged up on.
“Back already?” Bahu poked his head out from the kitchen, mumbling something, then waited at the door to help the two children remove their wolf-skin robes, which were quite snowy at the hem. He hung them on the wall under the eaves, and once frozen solid, he would simply tap them with the sole of his shoe to clean them.
Qiqige and Jiya pouted at him, “Dad, how come you’re back before us?” and had already started eating.
“I saw you waiting for Ajima, so I came back first,” he said confidently, completely justified.
“No one even called us.”
“Next time, next time,” Bahu replied casually. He had no intention of calling them. Today, he would have to carry one in the front and one on his back to bring the camels back.
Mi Niang waited until the quarrel between the three of them was over before announcing dinner, “You two siblings worked hard today, so I specially steamed some cow head sugar buns for you.” She placed two cow-shaped sugar buns into the bowls of Qiqige and Jiya, then said to Ajima, “The one with the small chicken mouth is yours, also made with brown sugar.”
“I worked hard too,” Bahu handed over his bowl.
Mi Niang glanced at him and then served him a portion of spicy braised beef intestines, coated with red oil, “After enduring the cold all day, you need to warm up.”
When they slaughtered the cow, the beef intestines weren’t eaten and were left to dry on the rack for nearly half a month, making them perfect for braising—lean and tough enough for long stewing. Additionally, there were sheep tongues, cow tongues, and cow ears saved up over the past half month. They were all stewed together with spices for the whole afternoon, without any hint of gaminess.
As Bahu tasted the spicy braised beef intestines, his face suddenly turned red. Just as Mi Niang had said, it truly warmed him up; his ears were buzzing, and the air he exhaled felt hot in his nose.
“Oh my lord, how much chili powder did you put in?” He glanced at the plate, where most of the beef intestines were covered with chili powder. “Trying to deceive me?”
“If I were trying to deceive you, would I still serve it to you?” Mi Niang picked up a piece of the beef intestine with her chopsticks, swallowed it in front of Bahu’s glaring eyes, and then casually took a bite of the steamed bun, her claim of it being a little spicy’ lacking sincerity.
“Next time, don’t put in so much chili powder. You’re pregnant now, and your taste buds are off. Eating something so spicy, do you even want your body anymore? Look at me, I know for sure, this stuff feels like fire from my mouth to my intestines.” Bahu served her five pieces into the bowl and left the rest on the stove. After dinner, he took it out to the snow pile, and the dogs followed him outside, licking their mouths. Immediately, they yelped and spun around, their mouths buried in the snow pile, only quieting down after taking a mouthful of snow.
To prevent Mi Niang from messing around, Bahu took over the responsibility of cooking three meals a day at home, while Mi Niang stayed with the three children in the sheep pen. When Qiqige and Jiya heated water, she helped lift the pot lid and watched the fire; when Ajima counted the number of cattle and sheep, she pitched in as well; when Bahu fed the sheep, she used a long pole to drive away the animals fighting for food. When the cattle and sheep were driven out to graze on grassroots, she stayed home to mend clothes for the family.
This winter, without academic constraints, the days were busy yet lively.
After the Aobao ceremony came the New Year. On the last day of the year, a hot bone soup simmered in the pot, and in the adjacent bedroom, the family of four queued up for baths. While Mi Niang tended the fire, Bahu scrubbed the children in the bath barrel, washed their hair, half-dried it, wrapped them in blankets, and carried them to the bedroom. There, they lay on the warm kang to dry their hair, the frizzy, split ends of their hair falling into the red cloth, disappearing into the rolling flames.
“I’m going to take a bath. You two stay quietly in bed. If you’re tired, go to sleep. I’ll call you when the food is ready,” Bahu instructed.
“Dad, can you touch my hair again?” Qiqige pleaded. She loved having her hair touched, and when her hair was being touched, she felt the most sleepy.
Bahu glanced at Jiya, who took the opportunity to make a demand as she hugged the blanket, “If you call me ‘big sister’ and call him ‘big brother,’ I’ll let you touch my hair.”
Qiqige agreed readily. The wooden door creaked twice as Bahu faintly heard Jiya adding another condition: he couldn’t say she was short! He couldn’t call her ‘little sister’!
“What are you smiling about?” Mi Niang asked.
Bahu shook his head. “The two little ones are bickering. Who should bathe first, you or me?”
“You go first. I’ll bathe after I finish frying the meatballs, so I won’t smell oily after washing.” Ajima was taken away by her brother-in-law. With only the four of them at home, once the door was closed, they could speak and act freely.
Bahu finished bathing, poured water, scrubbed the bath barrel, and poured a bucket of boiling water into it. Then he poured the melted snow water from the back pot. The snow had just melted and was still cold. While Mi Niang went to bathe, he continued to sit by the stove, burning fire and boiling water. When she called, he would carry water in to wash her hair.
“I love winter the most,” Mi Niang murmured as she lay on the kang with her eyes closed. The winters in the Mobei were long, with heavy snow and fierce winds. They trapped nomads who had been herding outside for half a year in their own homes. Outside the door was wind and snow, but inside was warmth and fire.
Bahu gently massaged her scalp, poured a ladle of hot water, and slowly combed out the tangled hair with a horn comb.
In the Mobei, only those who hadn’t suffered hardships would love winter. This was a compliment to him. His wife and children didn’t find the cold and snow bitter at all.
“Shall I trim the ends for you, or will you do it yourself?”
“I don’t want to move.”
The man understood her meaning and took the scissors from the chair, trimming around in an arc. The cut hair was placed together with his own hair, wrapped in the same piece of red cloth, allowing the burning flames to dispel the bad luck of the whole year.
As the sky dimmed, the family sat in the kitchen with the windows wide open, eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. Before starting, Bahu took out four large red pouches from his pocket, all personally cut and sewn by him.
“One for Qiqige, one for Jiya. In the new year, you both must be healthy and strong, growing taller and stronger.” Seeing Qiqige wrinkling her nose, he quickly added, “My eldest daughter will grow more beautiful as she grows.”
When it was Jiya’s turn, he didn’t hesitate, “My eldest son will grow taller and taller, taller than a horse, stronger than an ox. When he grows up, he’ll be able to knock down a wolf with one hand.”
Jiya’s words touched a chord in Bahu’s heart. He smiled, “Dad, you just wait for me to grow up. When I’m grown up, I’ll be the one to stand guard at night, and you can sleep in the felt bag.”
Even when he’s happy, his words are sweet. Bahu had never drunk alcohol, but he felt the dizzy feeling of intoxication for the first time. “Alright, I’ll wait for you to grow up.”
He handed the two pouches to Mi Niang, “I want you to keep liking winter even when you’re old.”
Mi Niang was a bit confused. What did this have to do with liking winter?
“Why does my mom have two red envelopes?” Qiqige asked, her eyes glancing at her mother’s protruding belly, suddenly realizing, “Are they for my little brother?”
Bahu nodded, “Yes when your little brother is born next year, you and Jiya should also prepare red envelopes for him.”
“Alright,” Qiqige waved her hand confidently, “I’ll give them this year as well.” She felt like a wealthy person now, with her pouch bulging.
“Not this year, wait until he’s born, then you two can give them,” Mi Niang said, also pulling out two large red pouches from her sleeve. One was embroidered with a yellow-haired cow grazing with its head down, and the other depicted a yellow-haired cow drinking water by the water’s edge and flicking its tail, with a black spot on its buttock.
Qiqige took the one with the black spot on the buttock—it was hers. “It’s so pretty. My mom cooks delicious food, and she’s great at sewing too.” She loved everything about her mother.
“Wishing for peace and good health,” that was all she hoped for.
“Alright, let’s eat,” Bahu, the head of the family, picked up the first bite, but when he lifted the fish belly meat, it ended up in Mi Niang’s bowl instead. “The boss should eat first.”
“We can’t have that, the host is being too polite,” Mi Niang pretended to be surprised and attempted to return the fish meat, but after a tug of war, it ended up back in her bowl. “If the host continues to be this kind, I’ll stay with this family for the rest of my life.”
Bahu whistled to her, his chopsticks dipping into the lamb soup, while his chubby hand reached for the bowl at the edge of the pot.
“My apologies, how could I forget our little manager?” he realized, picking up a piece of radish and adding it to her bowl.
Qiqige was satisfied, not minding the radish at all. She stuffed the whole piece into her mouth.
Now it was Jiya’s turn. Father and son exchanged glances, and Jiya slowly picked up his bowl. “What am I?” he asked.
“An innkeeper?” Bahu teased him.
“But that’s a server’s job, and I won’t do it,” Jiya replied. Luckily, he had visited a tavern before New Year’s, or he might have actually agreed with a smile.
“Then give yourself a title.”
Jiya refused, pouting as he withdrew his bowl, stubbornly insisting that if he wasn’t satisfied today, he wouldn’t eat and would starve himself.
Seeing him upset, Bahu didn’t dare to tease him further. He picked up a piece of lamb and leaned over to put it in Jiya’s bowl. “You’re our accountant, managing and handling money.”
Money was a good thing, and Jiya fell in love with the idea of being an accountant as soon as he heard it. His face lit up again, and he solemnly put the meat into his mouth.
After the meal, the host became an innkeeper, bustling around by adding fuel to the fire, serving dishes, and pouring water. After they were all full and satisfied, they cleaned up the pots and dishes.
“When we were in the Central Plains, we used to stay up all night on New Year’s Eve, going to bed only at dawn on New Year’s Day. Then, on the first day of the new year, we’d go to pay respects to the elders in our hometown.” Not wanting to sleep early, Mi Niang peeled pine nuts and told the three native-born Mobei dwellers about her New Year’s celebrations before she turned sixteen.
“My family was the most popular among the village children. My grandmother would make malt candy, mixing it with roasted rice and beans to make rice and bean candy. My grandfather and I kept bees, so every visitor could enjoy a bowl of sweet honey water.” What she thought she would never mention again, she now found herself reminiscing without bitterness. The memories were still fresh, yet somehow felt like they belonged to another lifetime.
“Rice and bean candy? Is it delicious?” Qiqige’s attention was fully on the food.
Mi Niang understood without saying how delicious it sounded to them, “We don’t have glutinous rice at home. When the caravan comes next year, we’ll buy half a bag of glutinous rice, and I’ll make pine nuts, melon seeds, and peanut candy for you.”
“Mom, keep going,” Jiya urged. “Is it true that some people only get to eat meat on New Year’s?” Tonight, their table was full of meat—chicken, fish, lamb, and beef—but they had only eaten a little. The rest had been fed to the dogs and wild animals.
That night, Qiqige and Jiya slept on the same heated brick bed as Mi Niang and Bahu. On the morning of the first day of the new year, they woke up to find their feet still a little numb. Coming to their senses, they crawled out of the covers like two bugs from one end of the bed to the other.
Mi Niang rolled over with her eyes closed, nudging Bahu to go attend to them.
“Let’s sleep a bit more,” Bahu rolled over to the inside, stretching his long legs to trap the two bugs. After the children fell asleep last night, he and Mi Niang had cuddled for a while, and now his eyes were heavy with sleep.
“Dad?” Qiqige went to pry open his eyelids, messing with his chin, calling him “Dad” repeatedly. Jiya sat on the pillow, using his hair as a ponytail to braid, and seeing him frown without opening his eyes, he giggled and tiptoed to rub his stubble, laughing as he rubbed.
Bahu was being played with and had to open his eyes. These two were quite mischievous, and Mi Niang was just sitting by, not daring to interfere with Bahu’s beard.
“Alright, hungry, thirsty, or need to pee or poop?”
“I want to go pay New Year’s visits,” Qiqige whispered, her hand that had just pinched her brother’s toe now went to touch her father’s nose. “Don’t sleep, come with us.”
He couldn’t handle this task, pushing Mi Niang with the back of his hand, “You put out the sparks last night, was it to douse water or stack wood? If it’s to stack wood, then get up.”
Qiqige exclaimed, “Oh,” “Dad, I said I want to pay New Year’s visits, not eat.”
Bahu ignored her and continued pushing Mi Niang, “Stop pretending to sleep, I know you’re awake.”
Mi Niang remained silent, not moving despite his pushing.
Jiya stepped on the pillow to reach the outer edge, sitting beside Mi Niang’s head, leaning down to give her a kiss. “Is my mom dizzy?”
With a smirk and eyes still closed, “I need your sister to kiss me again before I can wake up.”
Kisses all around, faces covered in saliva.
