In the evening, Wan’er’s parents went back to Baoyin’s house to sleep, while Asyl’s family of three stayed in Ajima’s house. Bahu sent over all the things that Qiqige and Jiya used when they were young.
While everyone was resting, he took an oil lamp covered with a silk cloth and went to the sheep pen. The ewes at home had started to give birth to lambs. During the day, the servants took care of them, but at night he needed to make his rounds to keep track of things, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Mi Niang was still waiting for him and hadn’t slept yet. She listened to his footsteps coming in and sat up. “How is it? How many lambs have been born?”
“Nineteen. I estimate three more ewes will give birth tonight.” He took off his outer robe and hung it on the wall. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake up early tomorrow morning to check again.”
…
Mi Niang had something on her mind, so whenever Bahu moved, she woke up, sitting up and squinting to wake up.
Outside, it was still dark, but because of the snow on the ground, there was a dim light. Bahu lit the oil lamp, fastened his belt, and leaned over to ask, “Why aren’t you sleeping? Are you thirsty or hungry?”
“I’m a little thirsty, the food we had last night was salty,” Mi Niang yawned and stopped the man who was about to go out. “Hand me the clothes, I’ll go to the sheep pen with you.”
Bahu felt a warmth in his heart, and he hugged her shoulders. “You don’t have to accompany me. You should rest well with your pregnancy.” He was strong and didn’t mind being busy or tired.
After chatting for a while, they both became fully awake. Mi Niang lifted the blanket off the kang, put on the padded jacket and cotton pants from the chair, and finally put on the woolen coat. “Let’s go, I can’t sleep anymore.”
As the door opened, the biting cold wind made them shiver. Those who had been in the warm room all night suddenly became alert.
Da Huang and the other dogs heard the commotion and came out of their kennel, stretching lazily in the snow and approaching them. Their fluffy heads rubbed against their legs.
Bahu first brewed a bowl of honey water for Mi Niang in the kitchen. Since they were going to the sheep pen, they only rinsed their mouths before heading out, planning to wash their hands and faces after returning from the sheep pen.
It turned out their estimate was off last night. Six ewes gave birth to lambs during the night, adding fourteen more lambs in just one night. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the lambs were able to stand up and nurse.
While Bahu checked on the ewes, Mi Niang sat nearby, boiling snow water, and warming up the wet lambs by the fire.
In the northwest corner of the sheep pen, there was a grass nest where the guard dogs slept. Suddenly, there was an unfamiliar cough outside, and about ten dogs immediately perked up and stood up.
Asyl heard voices coming from the sheep pen and shouted before approaching, “Brother, is that you inside?”
Bahu agreed and walked briskly outside. As soon as he went out, the dogs, who were initially alert, immediately relaxed and went out for a stroll before returning to sleep.
“Why did you come over? Do you need something from me?”
“I came to lend you a hand. I also get up at this time at home,” Asyl replied after entering the sheep pen and seeing Mi Niang. He sighed twice, “Is Sister-in-law up too? We might have disturbed you by coming over.”
“You’re making us lose face by saying that. The first month is when the ewes give birth to lambs. Whether you come or not, we still need to keep an eye on the sheep. We’re all herders. It’s the same at my house and yours. Didn’t we come to your house around this time last year? We didn’t make a fuss about it back then, so don’t say such things again,” Mi Niang explained that she woke up suddenly this morning, couldn’t sleep, and came over after drinking water.
“We have servants at home, and we rarely need to do anything ourselves. Boiling snow water a little earlier or later doesn’t matter. I just did it as a matter of course,” Mi Niang didn’t exaggerate. She got up mainly to accompany Bahu, and boiling snow water was just a trivial task. “We’re delighted that you came, and we’re not bothered at all by the fact that you came. Please don’t give us any trouble.”
Asyl begged for forgiveness, “I finally understand how sharp the tongues of Qiqige and Jiya are, and it was my mistake. Sister-in-law, don’t worry about it. Don’t let this incident affect your relationship with our family in the future.” He glanced around, “Brother, I’ll come and learn from you.” Then he hastily fled.
Bahu didn’t leave early because of Asyl’s visit. He checked the condition of each ewe and fed the ones about to give birth with long stalks of corn, which was the only green feed available in winter.
Until dawn, the three of them, accompanied by a group of dogs, finally left the sheep pen and returned home. As they walked through the gate, Bahu released Mi Niang’s arm and instead put his arm around Asyl’s shoulder. “You saw it this morning too. I didn’t treat you like a stranger, nor did I put on any false politeness. So don’t say those hurtful words. If you have the time to spare, help me with the ewes giving birth.”
“Yes, yes,” Asyl, with his neck held tight, nodded in acquiescence. “I spoke out of turn because I was still half-asleep.” Indeed, Bahu was working hard. With an elderly father at home to oversee things, he didn’t have to worry about much. He had always been doing the laborious work at home.
Meanwhile, Mi Niang went into the kitchen to scoop hot water from the stove to wash her hands and face. After applying some face cream, she went to dress the children. Only when she entered the room did she realize that Wan’er and her chubby daughter were also there.
“Oh, how come you two are here?” She was extremely surprised.
“We woke up early. My girl can’t sit still, and it’s too cold outside to take her out, so when I heard Qiqige calling for Mama, I came over.” Wan’er gestured towards the three children rolling on the kang. “With your two kids around, I saved a lot of worry this morning.”
Mi Niang sat by the kang, and Qiqige leaned over. Despite wearing a thin jacket, she was sweating profusely. Looking at the chubby little girl, whose hair was tied up in a messy bun with one leg tangled in the blanket and the other in Jiyas’ hands, her face flushed red.
“What have you two done to your little sister?” Mi Niang patted Qiqige. She had thought about braiding Big Spot and Little Spot’ hair earlier, but their fur was too short to hold. Instead, the siblings had tied up the long-haired Bala and Alse wolves from head to tail.
As if causing trouble for the dogs wasn’t enough, now they were messing with the children.
“Hehe, sister is happy.” Qiqige grinned and grabbed clothes from the end of the kang to put on. Having played enough, the kids wanted to go outside.
Each child was dressed by their respective mothers. Wan’er teased Qiqige, “Do you like having a sister? Shall I ask your mother to give you another one?”
Before Qiqige could respond, Jiya shook her head. “I don’t want a sister, I want another brother.”
“You already have a sister, why don’t you want her? Your sister doesn’t even have a sister yet.”
Jiya remained adamant, refusing to have a sister.
“What about you, Qiqige? Do you want a sister?” Wan’er continued to ask.
The little girl pursed her lips and smiled. “I’ll listen to my brother.”
Jiya immediately burst into laughter, put on her shoes, and stepped outside, taking Qiqige’s hand. She looked just like a big brother, leading the way across the threshold.
Their sibling bond was truly admirable. Even though Wan’er was already a mother herself, she couldn’t help but envy them. She also had an older brother, but he grew up with their parents while she spent most of her time in the countryside with their grandmother. They barely exchanged a few words whenever they met.
“If you end up having a daughter in this pregnancy, I’ll gladly take her. I fancy having a daughter,” Wan’er joked.
Mi Niang shook her head. “That won’t do. I fancy having one too.”
Breakfast was simple, and by noon, they had already stewed beef bone soup and fried fish. With the rice almost ready, Mi Niang asked Bahu to call the old couple over for lunch.
“No need to call them, my parents won’t come,” Asyl spoke up. “It’s been a while since my parents visited. These days they’re staying with my third sister and eating over there, not letting us disturb them.”
“Missing their daughter,” Mi Niang remarked.
“That’s right. Although our families aren’t far apart, my third sister doesn’t go back home often. My parents worry about her life here. It’s just right for them to stay a few days this year, giving them peace of mind,” Asyl said as he moved the table and helped Bahu lift the stove onto the table, continuing to enjoy the hotpot.
“These meatballs are delicious, chewy but not tough,” Asyl praised enthusiastically. He could eat a large bowl of beef meatballs, lamb meatballs, and fish meatballs in one meal. Instead of hotpot, he preferred using some vegetables to make soup base, which resulted in a fresh taste.
Taking the opportunity, he told Wan’er to eat properly. “I’ve learned how to scrape fish meat from my brother. When our daughter starts eating solid food, I’ll make fish balls for her.”
Wan’er glanced at him. “You don’t have to wait until your daughter starts eating solid food. You can do it now, and your mother-in-law has a mouth too.”
Mi Niang couldn’t help but chuckle. “You two have such interesting conversations.”
“Asyl, are you serious? She always likes to pick on me,” Asyl felt wronged.
There was no one here to plead his case, so Bahu spat at him. “That’s because you haven’t done enough.”
Just like him, always putting Mi Niang in front of the children.
Wan’er enjoyed hearing this. “That’s why I love staying at Mi Niang’s house.”
From the fifth day of the lunar new year until the ninth day, Asyl’s family of three stayed at Mi Niang’s house. On the afternoon of the ninth day, his parents came to call them, “Are you two planning to never go back home? Not even mentioning returning.”
“We’re going back, we’re going back. We’ll leave tomorrow, we were just about to tell you,” Asyl blurted out without much thought.
The next morning, Bahu’s family stood at the door to see them off. “The sun is out, it’s a good day today.”
“Big brother, sister-in-law, next year, you should come to my house. You can come before or after the new year,” Asyl glanced at the two martens returning from the snow. “Big Spot and Little Spot are not getting any younger. Let’s take them into the mountains to find a couple of mates.”
“Little Spot is female,” Jiya corrected him.
“Then we’ll find a mate for Little Spot,” Asyl corrected himself.
He then asked Qiqige and Jiya, “Do you two want to come to my house for a while, to play with your little sister? If you want to come back, I’ll send you back.”
But the two children hid behind their father and mother, waiting until the chubby little girl who kept crying and calling for her parents was put into the car and driven away. Bahu sighed deeply. “Crying children are really not fun to play with.”
Mi Niang glanced at Bahu. Like the saying goes, those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. The siblings often fought and cried for their parents, so how could they look down on others?
