As March arrived, the snowy days gradually diminished. The days with no temperature in the sunlight grew longer, casting golden light onto the pure white snow, making it dazzling. Even during the daytime, the cattle and horses dared not stay outside for long in the snowy fields.
Under the guidance of Ajima, Qiqige, and Jiya, after breakfast, they took their small stools and milk buckets to milk the sheep. Hearing the approaching hoofbeats outside, Qiqige stood up and stretched lazily, saying, “The cattle, horses, and camels are back, so we can take a break.”
Ajima scrubbed his hands in the basin, walked over, and poured the sheep’s milk from the small bucket into the large one. “You two can go play, but don’t go out into the snowy fields.” The snow melted quickly and the cattle, horses, and camels passed. Overnight, it would turn into icy lumps that the sun couldn’t melt, and slipping on them could cause injuries to the face or head.
“I know, you say it several times every day. I remember it even in my dreams,” Qiqige grumbled strangely. She went to the haystack in the dog kennel, pulled out a comb, and ran over to comb the fur of the pink-nosed little lambs, murmuring to them.
A servant came to collect the milk and, seeing the situation, asked, “Do you two want to go back to the house? I can carry you back.”
“No, we won’t go back,” Jiya shook her head. Even sitting in the sheep pen, they could hear the sound of butter being churned in the courtyard, and their minds were racing, unable to stay still.
“Alright, just don’t run out,” the servant also advised, carrying a bucket of milk out of the sheep pen and steadying himself against the wall as he walked. Any spilled sheep’s milk on the road would freeze, making it slippery.
As Bahu returned from the yamen, he met someone at the door who asked, “Are Qiqige and Jiya still milking the sheep with Ajima?”
“The servant replied, “Combing the little lambs’ fur in the sheep pen.” Then he asked, “Why did the yamen beat the drum to summon people this morning?”
“It’s about building houses. Someone at the relief station wants to build a house and move out. The yamen’s intention is to notify everyone. If anyone wants to tear down, build, or expand their house, they need to register, and then the information will be reported upward.” Bahu felt his temples throb with the sound of beating, “When I come back next year, there will be several brick houses outside the sheep pen specifically for churning butter, melting snow, boiling water, and roasting lamb wool. No need to detour around to bring them back anymore.” He also planned to build houses for the dogs to sleep in, intending to place them on the west side of the courtyard wall, close to the sheep pen and the house door, so the dogs wouldn’t need to squeeze into the sheep pen anymore.
When he told this to Mi Niang, she thought for a while. “Shouldn’t the roof of the sheep pen also be replaced? With a new roof, you won’t have to stand on top of the snowy roof to shovel snow during heavy snowstorms.”
Bahu nodded, “That’s the plan. It’s already been registered. Besides that, I also plan to build two more heated brick beds, so we won’t have to occupy Ajima’s sleeping room when guests come.” They had run out of green bricks at home, or else they would have been built long ago. Moreover, Qiqige and Jiya were growing day by day, and there was still a little third child in Mi Niang’s belly. In another two years, they would need to separate rooms and beds again. Fortunately, there were many empty rooms in the house, otherwise, they would have to tear down the courtyard wall to expand.
“Extend another courtyard from the back of the backyard, build six or seven rooms, divide it into two courtyards. One will be used for the household servants to cook and eat, with the door facing outward. The other one will have the door facing inward and be used as a storeroom for grain, air-dried beef, all the felt fishing nets, and beehive carts. Tidy up the front and back courtyards and make a reception hall for guests. We will live in the front courtyard, while Ajima will live in the back courtyard. Also, Uncle Muren will be getting old in another two or three years and will need to move in. I’ll set up two guest rooms. When there are no guests, I’ll use them for growing vegetables.”
Bahu considered for a moment. It was time to tidy up because there were only three heated brick beds in the house. If someone came over, they could only be accommodated in the bedrooms. “Let’s also put a heated brick bed in the hall. We can eat meals in the hall in the future; the kitchen is a bit cramped.”
“In that case, we’ll need to heat up many rooms in the house,” muttered Mi Niang, but they had no shortage of cow dung, so that wasn’t a problem. The only inconvenience would be adding firewood.
“No problem,” Bahu chuckled. “All three kids in the house will need them, and there’s no shortage of errands for them to do.”
But even errands could be emotional. When they came back for lunch in the afternoon, Qiqige and Jiya both looked listless, muttering and complaining that milking the sheep was too boring.
“In that case, come back and play. You three can continue playing rock-paper-scissors, continue making up and telling stories, and keep practicing your writing, right? I haven’t seen you using the brush for a few days.”
“The brush is worn out,” said Jiya.
“I’ll buy you some. This time, I’ll buy a bunch,” he replied. He wasn’t fond of writing, but when it came to his children, he hoped they would be skilled writers from the start.
The two children responded with a dull “okay,” showing no enthusiasm, even for eating.
Bahu glanced at Mi Niang and didn’t say much more. After the two restless children went inside to sleep after dinner, he asked Ajima, “What did you want to do this time?”
“I wanted to go out and play, but I felt trapped and restless, couldn’t sit still.”
Indeed, Qiqige and Jiya loved to run and play, but now that the ground outside was icy, the siblings either had to be pulled or carried whenever they went out.
Bahu went outside for a stroll, and in the afternoon, he grabbed a shovel and a broom and started clearing snow from a spot about half a yard away from the main gate. He knocked off the broken ice and compacted the snow, creating a snow slope nearly three feet wide and half a mile long. After the sun disappeared behind the clouds, he brought out a basin and sprinkled water evenly over the snow slope.
“Are these ropes sturdy enough?” Bahu tugged on the ropes made of thick cowhide and sheep wool, which were about two fingers thick, and tied them firmly to the iron ring on the door, ensuring they wouldn’t snap under pressure.
Late into the night, the two children next door had already fallen asleep, but the couple on the other side of the wall were still racking their brains to find something fun for their children to play with.
Three ropes, three sleds made of thick cowhide cut and sewn together, with the ends tightly tied to the ropes.
The next day, Bahu got up and opened the main gate to check on the ice track he had made. After sliding down it himself to ensure there were no bumps or irregularities, he took out the three ropes tied to the thick cowhide and stepped on a ladder to secure them to the rafters.
The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, and Mi Niang went to the next room to dress the two lazy children. “Get up quickly. Your father has prepared something fun for you.”
“What fun thing?” Qiqige became interested.
“You’ll see when you get up.”
The little girl pouted and said seriously, “Mom, if you trick me again, I, I’ll be angry and won’t like you anymore.”
Mi Niang didn’t argue with her. After all, she was already one of her favorite people. “Go see for yourself. If I tricked you, I’ll give you a piece of silver, but if not…”
“I believe you,” Qiqige interrupted her mother. There were only a few pieces of silver in her purse, and she wasn’t going to let her mother take her money.
The white sheep wool rope mixed with the black cowhide was particularly eye-catching, especially when it hung from the rafters and stretched all the way outside.
Bahu came out from the kitchen. “Are you done washing up? Eat your meal first before going to play.”
There was a hook in front, and this morning’s meal wasn’t as listless as last night’s. After drinking milk and eating pancakes, they were eager to run outside.
Bahu grabbed his hat from the back of the chair and followed them out. “Sit on the cowhide and slide down, then pull yourself up with the rope from the ice. Let’s see if you like it first. If not, I’ll dismantle it.”
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Qiqige hugged her father’s leg excitedly and exclaimed, “Don’t dismantle it, I like it!”
Bahu said this on purpose. He looked at his son, who was eager to try it, and asked, “What about you, Jiya? Do you like it?”
“I like it,” she replied decisively.
After a while, Ajima also came out. Bahu helped the two children put on their hats and instructed, “Even if it’s hot, you can’t take off your hats. Be careful not to hit your head on the ice and bleed.” Then he stood by the door and watched as the three children played energetically. He then turned back inside to continue eating.
Separated by a door, the courtyard was still filled with the sound of pounding. However, the children outside were happily playing and no longer minded the noise of pounding butter.
Bahu supported Mi Niang as they walked in the snowy yard, occasionally looking up to see the children sliding down the slope. The ropes were set to be long enough so that they wouldn’t suddenly tighten and fling the kids off.
“Big Spot and Little Spot went down,” Bahu observed something interesting and signaled for Mi Niang to look as well.
“Big Spot, do you want to play too?” Qiqige finally managed to climb up the slope from the ice, holding onto the rope. “Come, I’ll carry you, and you sit in front of me.” She positioned the cowhide and half-embraced Big Spot, letting it crouch at the front. Together, they swiftly rushed down the icy slope. Big Spot’s ears perked up in surprise, and at the last moment, it kicked its feet, drawing an arc in the air and landing headfirst in the snow pile.
“Woof woof woof!” It excitedly barked loudly, then struggled to climb out of the snow pile and went back up from within the snow, this time without Qiqige’s embrace, sitting at the front of the cowhide by itself.
“Bahu, Little Spot is licking its rear end,” Mi Niang suddenly remarked.
Bahu also noticed. Spring was approaching, and animals living in the mountains were beginning to go into heat.
“Big Spot and Little Spot are smart; they probably won’t misbehave,” Bahu replied.
Afterward, he still had to keep an eye on Big Spot and Little Spot while working, until March came, and Big Spot hadn’t shown any strange behavior, which slightly relieved him.
But his relief came too early. As the ice and snow melted, the ground became increasingly muddy, and Big Spot and Little Spot often ran outside, returning each time covered in mud and water. Several times, Bahu saw them go out in broad daylight. He shouted from the sheep pen, but they only paused and looked back, not immediately returning as they usually did.
“Big Spot and Little Spot need to be tied up. I think they want to run away and find their kind,” Bahu decided. With the snow melted, he took down the ropes tied to the rafters and used them to tether Big Spot and Little Spot. “Don’t worry, it will pass. They can learn from Bahu.”
Big Spot and Little Spot had never been tied up since they were little, so being suddenly restrained made them both anxious and angry, like wild horses gone mad, constantly thrashing about and desperately trying to break free from the ropes.
“Dad, let Big Spot and Little Spot go, they’re going to strangle themselves,” Qiqige also panicked, spinning around in distress. Big Spot and Little Spot seemed oblivious to the pain, relentlessly struggling against the ropes until the fur around their necks wore off.
Seeing his father’s inaction, Jiya walked over to untie the ropes herself.
“Ah!” Big Spot snarled at her.
Jiya was frightened by the aggression, her eyes instantly turning red. She turned around, tears streaming down her face, and muttered, “Big Spot doesn’t like me anymore.”
“Bahu, let them go, don’t create enmity,” Mi Niang intervened upon seeing this. “Let them return to the mountains. Perhaps when we come back next winter, they’ll bring their family back with them.”
Bahu sighed but didn’t move. “They might never come back again.”
“They’re used to being free. If you keep them tied up, they might end up dead,” Mi Niang urged him to release them. “We’ve raised them for two years, there’s an emotional bond. Give them a chance to find their own way back, they’ll come back.”
Bahu rubbed Qiqige’s and Jiya’s heads, then walked over to where Big Spot was. Even though it was growling at him, he wasn’t afraid. “I know you won’t bite me.” He hugged its plump, round body and untied the rope around its neck. As soon as the rope loosened, it sprang away, standing at the door waiting for Little Spot.
“We should have castrated Big Spot last year.”
“Big Spot could be castrated, but Little Spot would still want to leave,” Mi Niang held Qiqige and Jiya back, sitting on the doorstep and waving to Big Spot. At this point, Little Spot also freed itself from the rope and ran off. The four of them, two people and two lynxes stood separated by a courtyard, and finally, when Big Spot and Little Spot moved, they watched Bahu, who had tied them up, walk over to Mi Niang and the children, leaning affectionately against their legs, purring loudly.
“Go on, remember to come back in winter, bring your family,” Mi Niang stroked their heads, including their dog-like wagging tails, reminding them once again, “Don’t forget, you have a home, even if you don’t plan on coming back to live, come back and visit. If you’re short of food in winter, come back to eat. There’s always meat at home.”
Big Spot and Little Spot didn’t understand, but they didn’t leave either. They stayed at home for another three days, reconciling with Bahu and Mi Niang. Just when Bahu and Mi Niang thought they had misunderstood them, they didn’t return for feeding in the morning or at lunchtime.
At night, Bahu went to lock the door, waiting outside for a long time, looking around for a long time. When he turned back to go inside and locked the door, he shouted into the vast darkness twice, “Big Spot? Little Spot?”
There was no response.
The door creaked shut, and the lock fell into place, leaving only a sigh carried away by the wind into the depths of the grasslands.
