At the end of April, when Habul turned one year old, there were still seven or eight days of travel left before reaching Lingshan. The chubby little one, having shed his thick clothes, could already take a few steps. He enjoyed playing with his siblings but disliked being carried.
After finishing breakfast with a noodle taller than him, Bahu brought over the big black horse. Even before getting close, Habul started babbling excitedly. Along the way, he got excited whenever he saw someone riding a horse or a camel.
“Come, let Dad take you for a ride on the horse.” Bahu still had the smell of cow blood lingering on him. He had been up since before dawn, keeping an eye on the cow giving birth to a calf.
Mounting the horse, he leaned down to take his little son and placed him in front of him. Despite the lack of chill in the air, he still covered the boy’s mouth and nose with a thin cotton cloth. Just as he lifted the reins, two camels followed behind, with two children sitting between their humps, chewing on slices of bread fried in butter.
“Dad, can we race?” Jiya swung his silver horsewhip, bought last autumn when they went to sell beef at Gu River. Although they were riding camels and didn’t need a horsewhip, he still carried it around his waist every day, enjoying the thrill of swinging it around.
Bahu pressed his hand against Habul’s chest, glancing at his playful antics. He wanted to show off a bit but also feared that he might fall, so he said, “Wait until you’re as tall as my chest, then I’ll race with you.”
“Let’s go!” Habul, impatient, reached out his little hand and patted the horse’s back, urging, “Go, go, go.”
Bahu lowered his gaze, exerted force on his legs, lightly tapped the horse’s belly with his knees, and the big black horse surged forward. Startled, Habul closed his eyes, but then recovered and became excited. He thought he was the one driving the horse, so he continued to lean forward and pat the horse’s back, shouting “Go, go, go.”
Qiqige and Jiya rode camels behind them, occasionally passing by arrogantly, whistling at the father and son on horseback. Under Bahu’s stern gaze, they pulled the reins to slow down.
Mi Niang sat on the shaft of the Lele cart, squinting at the horse and two camels moving side by side. As their hooves struck the ground, grass fragments were kicked up by the wind, swirling and fluttering towards them, brushing past low-flying birds.
People headed southeast, while birds flew northwest. Perhaps to the north, there was a big river or lake with lush water grass and delicious small fish.
The tinkling laughter circled back again as the horse trotted up to the Lele cart and let out a loud snort. Mi Niang took out a piece of fried bread, sprinkled a pinch of salt on it, and handed it to Bahu after he dismounted with Habul. “Feed it to Big Black. Once you feed it, next time it’ll listen to you.”
At first, the chubby little one was reluctant to dismount, but when he received the bread, he happily tiptoed and raised his hands. While Big Black was busy chewing on the bread, he secretly reached out to touch the horse’s nose.
“Can I go over now?” Bahu still had the mother cow and calf on his mind.
“Okay, you go about your business,” Mi Niang jumped down from the Lele cart and lifted Habul onto it, signaling him to take the horse away.
“Yes, no,” Habul panicked, shouting “Mom” with his mouth full.
“Mom can’t ride a horse,” Mi Niang waved her hand, signaling Qiqige and Jiya who were coming over to turn around and go further away. This little one was like sticky toffee, extremely clingy. At this moment, he was still thinking about riding a horse. Seeing Qiqige and Jiya riding camels and wanting to ride them too, he would cry if he wasn’t allowed.
He was just taking advantage of being the youngest. Everyone doted on him and let him have his way. If Jiya had thrown a tantrum like this when she was young, Qiqige would have disciplined her first.
After a while of not being quiet, he started whimpering and wanting to walk. At first, Mi Niang ignored him, but when he started making a scene, she picked him up again. One Lele cart after another passed by, and the oxen pulling them stared with curiosity, flicking their tails and leaving them behind.
“Mom, let me hold my little brother.” Qiqige rode over on the camel, followed by Da Hu and Xiao Mo. Copper coins were jingling on the camel’s neck.
Qiqige shifted back a bit to let Habul sit in her lap. “I’ll hold him, he won’t fall. You take a break.” This little guy was too annoying, talking non-stop since he woke up in the morning. Both she and her brother didn’t want to deal with him, but they couldn’t bear to see their mom tired.
Before Mi Niang could say anything, Habul wanted to go hug the camel’s leg. Mi Niang pulled him back and gave him a slap on the butt. “I wish you were a year younger.” He was much more obedient last year. After the New Year, it was like he was a different child. They got used to him being quiet, but now his fussiness was unbearable.
Habul finally got to sit on the camel’s back as he wished, but as soon as he sat down, he received a slap, given by Qiqige. Her slap was real, and the loud sound startled Da Hu, who jumped in response. Fortunately, the youngest one was tough and could endure a hit without a sound, even calling out to his sister in confusion.
“You little fool,” Qiqige rubbed him again, “Does it hurt? If you behave, sister won’t hit you anymore.”
With the siblings happily playing, Mi Niang let go and stopped worrying. She instructed Qiqige not to wander too far from the Lele cart. “I’ll go boil some water and scald the chicken feathers. We’ll stew chicken soup for lunch and make a pot of chive and egg dumplings. Should we boil or fry them?”
May was the time when chives were the most tender and fresh, vibrant green. Chive and egg dumplings were never enough no matter how you ate them.
“Fry them, Mom. I want some with a bit of fat mixed in. Chop a small piece of fatty lamb meat into it, but not too much.”
The little ones are clever with their tongues, they may not know how to do things but they sure know how to eat.
Mi Niang went back to the Lele cart to boil water, and she called out to her eldest son who was chasing after a stray lamb, “Jiya, go find Uncle Chaobao and ask him to slaughter a sheep.”
“Alright, got it.”
As Hu Wen Yin rode by, he heard the conversation and teased, “Even a four-year-old child can manage household chores now. My brother-in-law is so lucky.” Then, he rode his horse closer to the Lele cart and asked, “Sister-in-law, what delicious food are you preparing for lunch? You’re starting so early.”
“We’re stewing chicken and frying dumplings. Along this journey, the most common things people eat at our house are chicken, rabbit, dumplings, and buns.” The nine mountain ferrets hunted every night, and during the day while traveling, if they encountered any, they would dart out to catch a bunch. She was killing and plucking chickens every day.
Hu Wen Yin chuckled, “Sister-in-law when the dumplings are ready, let Jiya and Qiqige bring me two bowls. The filling you make for the dumplings tastes better than what our kitchen maid makes. It’s chive and egg filling, right?”
“Yes, it’s chive and egg filling. Qiqige wanted some with a bit of fatty lamb meat added. Do you want that too? If not, I can make a separate filing.”
“I’ll have it with the fatty lamb meat. No need for a separate filling.” Hu Wen Yin said as he was about to leave. Then, he turned to the little girl who was soothing the child and said, “Niece, remember to bring Uncle some dumplings.”
“Alright.”
While Mi Niang was cutting chives, Chaobao brought the fatty lamb meat and shamelessly asked for a bowl too. Mi Niang simply prepared an extra bowl of filling for Uncle Jinku to take back, letting them wrap the dumplings themselves if they wanted.
Since Uncle Muren didn’t come, Uncle Jinku took charge of cooking. When they arrived at Lingshan, Chaobao would leave, and next year it would be Xi Jil’s turn. There were departures every year, as well as newcomers.
As the sun rose to its zenith, three drumbeats sounded from the front of the procession, signaling it was time for lunch. This also gave the cattle, sheep, horses, and camels time to drink water, but it didn’t last half an hour. After a brief stop, they were ready to set off again.
The dumplings were filled with fatty lamb meat. When you bit into the crispy outer skin, you tasted the juicy filling a mixture of chives and scallions combined with the oil from the lamb meat, overflowing with flavor.
“These are so delicious.” Qiqige couldn’t stop eating and only spoke after finishing chewing. “My brother and I brought dumplings for Uncle Muren. As soon as he received them, he picked one up and praised my mother’s dumplings.”
“It’s not just the dumplings; any dish made by your mother is delicious.” Bahu followed with praise. With the dumplings, he didn’t even need meat.
Mi Niang smiled as she looked at him. “Say a few more words, and I’ll make some more for you in a couple of days.”
Bahu didn’t have time to respond. He pointed at his younger son, who was exceptionally well-behaved at that moment, holding meat in one hand and dumplings in the other, eating them alternately. With his mouth full of oil, this was the best compliment.
