On the morning of the first day of the new year, Mi Niang took the two children out to pay New Year’s visits. After accompanying them to the homes of three neighbors to the east, Qiqige and Jiya came out again, followed by a string of children behind them.
“The snow is too thick…” Mi Niang just started to speak, and Jiya immediately responded, “Mom, you and Dad go back, Qiqige and I will go pay visits ourselves.”
Although she said she was accompanying them, Mi Niang only waited outside the doors, and Bahu followed behind her, supporting her when he saw she had no intention of entering anyone’s home.
The string of children trudged through the snow, with Qiqige and Jiya being the shortest. When they reached the deep snow, they looked like two birds that had fallen from the sky, stuck in the snow and unable to move. The older children grabbed their legs and pulled them out like pulling radishes.
Mi Niang and Bahu walked back to their doorstep. Before entering the house, Mi Niang turned back to look. There were scattered radish pits in the snow, and no one could be seen on the snowy ground. The barking of dogs indicated which house they had entered.
From east to west, the barking of dogs continued.
Even when Bahu had prepared breakfast, Qiqige and Jiya had not returned yet. He occasionally went out to take a look, standing in the snow and listening to the dogs’ barking to determine which house the children had gone to.
“Let’s eat first, and not wait for those siblings.” Along the way, peanuts, melon seeds, walnuts, along with milk dumplings and rice balls, were met with warm hospitality, and they might even be given some hot buns. Eating a bit of everything would not leave them hungry.
Bahu listened to Mi Niang’s words and waited outside for a while longer. Then he came in and said, “I listened, and it sounds like they’ve run off to the relief center.” There was only laughter, and no more barking.
“When paying New Year’s visits, it’s natural to go from house to house. Even in the poorest families, when children come to say festive words, it adds a little joy to their faces. Children are not picky, even a handful of fried rice makes them happy,” Mi Niang finished the honey water in her bowl and picked up a piece of buttered flatbread from the iron plate. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, perfect for someone with a poor appetite in the morning, without the greasy taste of meat oil or vegetable oil.
“Do you want a piece of beef?”
Mi Niang shook her head. “This is just right for me.”
After eating, she felt drowsy. She took off her shoes and loosened her clothes, lying down on the kang, and said to Bahut, “Arrange all the snacks we bought, peanuts, melon seeds, red dates, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and milk dumplings. There are also roasted beef strips, I see there’s still yogurt on the stove, scoop out five spoonfuls of honey and drizzle it on top, then cut two pears and two nashi pears into small pieces and mix them with the yogurt. I estimate the last family to visit will be ours, and with many children, we should prepare more.”
“Will they still come to our house?” Bahu thought about it and realized that Qiqige and Jiya were the instigators and they loved a lively atmosphere. They wouldn’t leave their own home out at the end.
“You go to sleep, I’ll prepare it now.” Previously, he was eagerly awaiting the return of the two children, but now he was on edge at the slightest sound. He quickened his pace, arranging the dried fruits on plates, putting two bowls of milk dumplings, and two plates of beef strips, washing and dicing the pears and nashi pears, and mixing them with honey in a large bowl of yogurt. After tasting it and finding the sweetness a bit weak, he added three more spoonfuls.
Inside the house, one could hear chattering voices coming from west to east. As the dog packs patrolling in the sheep pen heard the commotion and returned through the snow, their barks were choked back upon seeing the leading young master.
“Our dogs don’t bite, don’t be afraid,” Qiqige reassured.
Bahu had just stepped over the threshold when he heard Qiqige making assurances. As he stepped out, before he could even speak, the noisy and cheerful chatter came to a sudden halt. Shoulders hunched, necks drawn in, most of the children turned into doves at the sight of him.
“Come on in, I’ve been waiting for you all morning,” Bahu pretended not to notice their timidness and stepped inside first.
“Let’s go, to my house,” Jiya said, a little puzzled, but his happiness outweighed his confusion. He stepped up the stairs, shaking off the snow from his boots, and stood aside to shoo away the dogs. As each person entered, he reminded them to say festive New Year’s greetings.
There were too many children, with some from the local area and others from the relief center, totaling around seven or eight. The not-so-large courtyard suddenly felt cramped when they all entered. Bahu moved the table from Qiqige and Jiya’s bedroom outside, setting up a table full of treats, along with a steaming pot of sweet butter tea.
“There’s sweet and sour yogurt and sweet butter tea, both cold and hot, help yourselves to whatever you want to eat or drink.” Standing there with the children feeling shy, Bahu pulled out Baoyin and her older brother from the crowd.
“Come and help Qiqige and Jiya entertain the little guests. I have something to attend to in the sheep pen. You can play around freely at home,” he instructed.
“Uncle, Happy Bai Festival! Wishing your whole family good health,” one of the children called out, followed by a chorus of New Year’s greetings.
“Happy Bai Festival!”
“May you grow stronger with age.”
“Hope you’ll have a chubby son next year.”
“Auntie, be diligent and make more food to sell.”
“Happy Bai Festival!”
“May your livestock thrive.”
…
Even the lively dog packs received blessings from the children. The large and small dogs curled up in their kennels were also greeted with a few kind words.
Bahu stood outside the door, waving with a smile. “Alright, I’ve received your kind wishes. You guys have fun on your own.”
Qiqige and Jiya were particularly satisfied. They felt they had uttered plenty of blessings, and now they were all reciprocated. Not a bad deal.
On the first day of the New Year, after the servants had cleaned up the dung from the cattle, sheep, horses, and camels and fed them hay and water, they could go back. When Bahu arrived, they were just about to finish up.
“Happy Bai Festival, master! Why are you here at the sheep pen now? We’ve finished up everything,” they said, eager to return to their families.
Bahu experienced the festive atmosphere for the first time and reciprocated the greetings one by one. “Since you’re done, go back home. There are too many little guests at my place. I came out here to take a break.”
The chatter at home continued until noon before it dispersed. Bahu combed the last dog’s fur, shook off the snow from his hands, and walked home briskly.
Qiqige and Jiya sat under the eaves. The plates and bowls on the table were empty. The siblings poured out the dried fruits they received from their New Year visits and piled them on the table, mixing peanuts, melon seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, roasted rice, and milk curds together. When they heard footsteps, they both looked up proudly, displaying their gains.
“Not bad,” Bahu praised. He knew how to make children happy. He went to the kitchen to wash his hands, grabbed a chair, and sat at the table. He tasted each item Qiqige and Jiya brought back from their New Year visits, asking whose milk curds and roasted rice they were, eagerly inquiring about the morning’s adventures.
Qiqige and Jiya were most excited. The siblings competed to share that the butter tea from Bilige’s family was delicious, the people at Sobude’s family were the most hospitable, the red dates from Aoga’s family were the largest, and as for Chaolu, he secretly slipped a handful of copper coins to them…
They could talk for three days and three nights.
Bahu went to cook while the two of them sat by the stove chatting. When Mi Niang got up from the kang, they started all over again. There was a rare moment of quiet during the meal, but afterward, they wanted to go out for New Year’s visits again.
“You can only visit once a year,” Mi Niang held onto Qiqige and Jiya. “Only on the morning of the first day of the year can you go to visit the people in the village.” Otherwise, who could withstand such a swarm of children descending upon their New Year’s goods? By the fifth day of the lunar year, everything in the house would be gone.
The two siblings couldn’t help but feel disappointed. With a whole year ahead, they were surprised to find they could only go visiting for half a day.
“Why don’t you two play rock-paper-scissors? The stakes can be the treats you’ve brought back,” Bahu sent the two children off, then cleaned up the dishes, rearranged the table and chairs, and asked Mi Niang if she wanted to sleep again.
“I won’t sleep anymore, I’ve had enough sleep,” she lazily leaned back in her chair.
“You can still sleep with all that noise?” He could hear it even in the sheep pen.
She actually fell asleep again, waking up briefly halfway through before dozing off again.
“When carrying the little third one, I can eat, sleep, and gain weight.” The flesh that she gained during her pregnancy with Qiqige and Jiya had melted away by the time they turned one, but with this pregnancy not even halfway through, she had already become plump again.
“This shows that you are blessed, being able to eat, drink, and sleep like this, not everyone has that.” Wan’er’s mother-in-law consoled her when she heard Mi Niang saying so. Their family came over on the fourth day of the lunar new year, stayed at Baoyin’s house for a day, and came over early in the morning of the fifth.
“Mi Niang, you look better with some plumpness, with big eyes and a round face, looking prosperous.”
Wan’er held her chubby daughter and didn’t respond. When she was pregnant, she almost vomited bile. According to her mother-in-law, she was the one who lacked blessings.
Mi Niang also remembered Wan’er mentioning how severe her morning sickness was during pregnancy, so she changed the subject with a smile and called Qiqige and Jiya over to let them talk about the fun they had while visiting on the first day of the lunar new year. These days, both she and Bahu were getting calluses in their ears from listening too much.
“Qiqige and Jiya speak so fluently, and they don’t even nap. Are they so articulate because of you and Bahu teaching them?” Wan’er looked at her chubby daughter who was still drooling, seeking advice.
Mi Niang waved her hand. “They started listening to stories before they could even speak. Since we have a little boy at home who is good at storytelling, they’ve listened to a lot of stories. Their brains work fast because they’ve heard so much, so their tongues are quick too.” It was their first time raising children, and Mi Niang and Bahu didn’t have much experience. After Qiqige and Jiya started talking, they couldn’t stop, even talking to the dogs for hours. Mi Niang didn’t think it was surprising that the children were articulate.
“How’s that child? Is he still living with you guys? Why didn’t I see him today?”
Wan’er’s mother-in-law, unable to join in the conversation, took the child and went out. “I’ll go check on them grilling the lamb. You sisters have a good chat.”
Once she left, Mi Niang lowered her voice and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you and your mother-in-law have an argument?”
Wan’er furrowed her brows slightly and shook her head. “It’s not really an argument, just a few words of disagreement. Forget it, living together, how can we avoid a few disagreements? It’s better for you; whether you close the door or not, it’s still just the four of you.”
“Even with your own mother, there are times when you don’t get along, let alone with your mother-in-law,”Mi Niang reassured. “I don’t have a mother-in-law to help me with the children. It’s definitely comfortable for you, but when you’re comfortable, I definitely won’t be. When those two were as big as your daughter, I had to go to school, and Bahu had to take care of them in the sheep pen, but he didn’t have any help.”
Wan’er also understood that there’s no such thing as all sweetness and light. She heard laughter from the yard and walked to the door to look outside. Qiqige and Jiya fell while carrying the dogs, and the four of them were lying in the snow in disarray.
Bahu was grilling the lamb inside the gate and glanced at them indifferently. “Get up on your own.” The dogs were good-natured and didn’t run or hide despite being tossed around like that.
Asyl saw him brushing sauce onto the whole lamb being roasted, and the flames carried a fragrant aroma. He helped to turn the lamb over and asked as he approached, “Big brother, how did you make the sauce for your family? It smells really good.”
Bahu glanced at Mi Niang and praised him for having good taste. “It’s a secret recipe. You can taste it at lunchtime to see if you like it. If you do, I’ll teach you.”
Mi Niang secretly scolded him for being shameless. What secret recipe? Both the pepper and honey were taught to him by her.
When the whole lamb was almost ready, Mi Niang went into the kitchen to start making sour fish soup. The only extra step she added compared to Asyl’s was drizzling pepper oil.
Beef soup, sour fish soup, roasted whole lamb, mixed cucumber salad, and stir-fried greens—this was the lunch for the two families.
“Is the food okay? You’ll be at my place tonight, and I’ll make you spicy hot pot to taste the venison you brought.” Bahu said.
Asyl was gasping from the spiciness, but his movements with the meat didn’t stop. He mumbled, “Big brother, rest assured, we plan to stay for a few days. Keep the surprises coming; don’t run out of fresh ideas in the later days.”
