Mi Niang saw only the man coming in and asked in confusion, “Where’s Habul? Weren’t you going to bring the child over? Why are you here to sleep?”
Bahu clicked his tongue twice, closed the door, took off his outer garment, and sat on the Kang bed before mentioning the private actions of the siblings next door. “I reckon Qiqige and Jiya agreed to let Habul sleep with them in exchange for washing their feet. I didn’t say much about it.”
Mi Niang sat up, her face full of curiosity, regretting that she hadn’t witnessed the scene. “Habul is too easily fooled. I’ll try it another day.” Seeing Bahu turn his face with a complicated expression, she blocked his gaze. “What’s wrong? Do you think I’m bullying your son?”
“… You shouldn’t deceive him just because he’s simple-minded.” Bahu lowered his hand and frowned. “I was also thinking about how to talk to the older two. The youngest is sensitive, we can’t… we can’t bully the honest child.”
With the same parents, Qiqige and Jiya were as crafty as beehives. How did they end up with such a simple-minded child for the youngest?
“They’re all willing to play together, why do you need to intervene?” Mi Niang gave him a scornful look, rolled over, and lay back down. “Siblings playing around, how can that be considered bullying?”
“If they get used to playing like this, won’t they grow accustomed to bossing people around in the future?”
“You’re thinking too much. Your youngest son is honest, not stupid. If there’s no benefit, why would he do it? Remember when you asked him to get some soap and oil? He still managed to boss you around. You forgot?” With two older siblings leading the way, the youngest has been honest for these few years.
Mi Niang pushed him to lie down and sleep. “Let’s not interfere in the children’s affairs. They love to play and fight. Don’t you see that Qiqige and Jiya, despite their daily complaints about Habul, are the most protective of him? If you don’t believe me, try giving Habul a beating one day and see if they side with you or with the youngest.”
Like father, like son, Bahu also had a protective streak. As he lay down, he grumbled, “Why would I beat him for no reason? I’m not itching for a fight.”
“Then should I do it?” Mi Niang deliberately provoked him.
“Are you itching for a fight?”
“Yes, I am.”
Bahu snorted lightly, clearly seeing through her intentions, and closed his eyes, ignoring her.
“Hey.” Mi Niang nudged him. “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you’ve agreed.”
“Alright, alright, if you’re itching for a fight, go ahead and hit me.” The man closed his eyes, pulled her hand over, and lay there letting her hit him as much as she pleased, jokingly saying, “Just go ahead and hit me to death.”
How could she bear to hit him to death? If she did, who would do the work for her? Mi Niang hugged his waist, and the two of them leaned together, smiling. “Let’s save it for later. When the children grow up and can work, then we can hit them to death.”
“I’m already almost dead from anger.” Bahu teased her weakly, pulling her closer. “If you anger me to death, at least you’ll save some energy.”
Mi Niang chuckled softly, her laughter vibrating in her chest and infecting the man in front of her. He laughed along, rolling over and hugging her close, closing his eyes to listen to the rustling cold wind outside.
In the middle of the night, Mi Niang woke up once. The oil lamp on the table had already gone out. She groped her way out of the bed, stepped over the man lying on the outer edge of the Kang, put on her clothes, and opened the door to check on the children in the next room.
When they were out in the wild, Bahu was always on edge, waking up several times a night. Now that they were back home, he had relaxed, and even the creaking sound of opening and closing doors didn’t disturb him.
The three siblings shared a bed, with Habul sleeping soundly between his elder brother and sister. When Mi Niang went in and woke them up, saying, “Wake up, it’s time to pee.”
“Huh?” Habul opened his eyes and reached out for a hug, groggily asking, “Is it morning?”
“Time to pee,” Mi Niang lifted him off the kang and led him to the chamber pot. “Pee in here.”
Qiqige and Jiya, still drowsy, clung to the blanket until they heard the sound of water, and then they snapped out of it. They got off the kang and looked outside. “Where’s Dad?” they asked.
“He’s sleeping,” Mi Niang replied, tucking the children in one by one as they climbed back onto the kang. “Quick, go back to sleep. Mom is going back to bed too.”
She went outside to add a few more chunks of cow dung to the stove, then went to the backyard to stoke the fire in the room where the old man was sleeping. As she walked back into the house, she felt the cold wind, and when she reached the shelter, she heard the sound of rain hitting the roof. Winter rain meant that snow was not far behind. Those nomads still on the road would suffer in the coming days.
Mi Niang lifted the blanket and lay down, lifting her husband’s arm and snuggling into his embrace. Her feet rested on his legs. It was so cold, and the clothes she wore were not enough to keep her warm. As soon as she stepped outside, she was chilled by the cold wind.
Bahu finally woke up, lifting his legs and tucking them under his belly. “Need to pee? Next time, call me. Don’t go out alone.”
“Go to sleep, we’ll talk tomorrow.” Once awake at night, it’s hard to fall back asleep.
The raindrops pattered on the tiles. Mi Niang closed her eyes and tried to count them. She didn’t know when she fell asleep or when Bahu got up in the morning. When she woke up, she was alone on the Kang, and she could hear the muffled sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen on the other side of the wall.
“Knock, knock.” Two knocks on the wall. “Master, is the food ready?”
“You can get up. I’m making scallion oil pancakes,” Bahu replied. “It rained last night, and it’s going to be cold today. Put on an extra layer.”
The rain didn’t stop, and the ground was soaked. Bahu had been grateful when it started raining early in the morning; they would have suffered even more if it had come a day earlier.
The rain continued intermittently for three days, followed by two days of overcast skies. Then, the snow began to fall. Women who came to buy honey envied the people of Wahu Lake for making it home before the rain.
“We were still on the road the night it rained. We had to unpack the felt tents in the dark. We stuffed everyone, young and old, into the Lele carts. When the feet got wet and the wind blew, it felt like sitting in an igloo. In the morning, we had to rush the cattle and sheep back home through the freezing rain. We were afraid it would snow again. You can still find your way in the rain, but when it snows heavily, you lose all sense of direction,” the woman said, recounting the hardships of the journey. “The elders and children were a bit better off in the Lele carts, but the men got sick from facing the wind and rain. By the time we got home, they were all down with a bunch of illnesses.”
“Men are strong. A few doses of bitter medicine will get them back on their feet quickly,” Mi Niang said as she added more honey to the jar. That’s how winters were in the Mobei. The biggest threat on the migration route was the unpredictable weather.
“Yeah, some of them didn’t even drink the bitter medicine. They just lay on the heated kang all night and the fever went down,” the woman added, no longer complaining. Such situations were rare, and this year, without the military escort, the chaotic circumstances slowed down the pace. In previous years, they would have reached home by now.
Wave after wave of honey buyers kept coming, and Mi Niang was busy boiling water and brewing butter tea with her three children. She also entertained the guests who braved the snow to come. She was busy but happy; her honey had gained a good reputation.
The people were happy, and the marmots and dogs at home were delighted. They lounged at the doorstep all day, not going anywhere. Every time a guest came to buy honey, they got to sip some honey water. They seemed even happier than their owners who collected the money.
While Mi Niang and her children were busy selling honey, Bahu went ice fishing alone with his servants. When Qiqige and Jiya had free time, they indulged in ice skating in the river outside the gate, losing interest in skating on the lake.
At the end of the winter month, just after the family slaughtered a cow, Wan’er and Asyl arrived. Asyl had hunted a stag in the mountains and brought some deer meat to share with both families.
“You should keep some for yourselves instead of giving it all to us,” Bahu said as he took the deer leg and carried it into the kitchen. “Come to my place for lunch. Invite your third sister and her family too. We slaughtered the cow yesterday, so we’ll cook a pot and roast the cow hooves. We roasted cow hooves once last year, and they tasted excellent.”
“Asyl, you don’t need to worry. We’ll have lunch at my third sister’s place. She’s already cooking,” Wan’er waved her hand.
“In that case, stay overnight and go back tomorrow. Come to my place in the evening,” Mi Niang held Wan’er’s hand, insisting on hosting them. “You’ve traveled a long way. It’s been two years since you last visited, both last year and this year.”
“We just arrived. This year, during the New Year, we brought our two children here. We’ll stay for a few more days, just like two years ago,” Wan’er joked, “to avoid being nagged by our parents-in-law.”
“Did you get home when it rained at the beginning of the month?” Bahu asked. “Many people suffered from the cold on the way.”
“We were fine. We got home when it started raining. We left early and weren’t stuck in the congestion. We arrived at the end of October,” Asyl replied to Bahu, chatting about their journey. After a while, Wan’er reminded him of something they had to do, “We always feel relaxed at your place. There’s never a shortage of conversation. We’ll catch up after the New Year. Wan’er wants to visit some of the other sisters who came to the North with us. I have to go with her.”
Mi Niang and Bahu saw them off, with Qiqige and Jiya leading the way.
“Has the Hush’s family hired a theater troupe this year?” Wan’er asked as they were leaving.
Mi Niang shook her head. “The baby is still in my belly. I’m expecting to give birth next summer, so we might hire a theater troupe next winter.”
“Then I’ll take my grandma with me,” Wan’er remembered that the old lady wanted to watch a play. She planned to take her to the capital when the snow stopped.
Wan’er and Asyl first went to Pandi’s house and then to Mu Xiang’s. Their main purpose of this trip was to visit Mu Xiang. Last year, because Wan’er was pregnant, she couldn’t come.
“Let’s go inside,” Bahu said, holding Mi Niang as they walked into the house, watching Habul playing in the snow under the eaves. They didn’t say anything until they entered the house and had a bowl of butter tea. Then Bahu called out, “Little Third, aren’t you cold? Come inside.”
Habul came running in, banging on Mi Niang’s legs, asking when his brother and sister would be back. “My brother and sister are cold too,” he added.
The implication is that they shouldn’t be ordered around.
Mi Niang smiled and glanced at Bahu. The three siblings were united, and she and Bahu were like outsiders now.
“Your brother and sister didn’t say they were cold. They aren’t afraid of the cold,” Bahu waved for the youngest to come over, patting his backside. “Do you think I’m afraid of the cold?”
Habul shook his head, counting on his fingers. “Shoveling snow, boiling water, sweeping the yard, clearing snow from the roof, cooking early in the morning, going to buy food in the snow. You do all that. I think Dad, you’re not afraid of the cold. Mom is, I am, and so are my sister and brother.”
“Yes, Dad isn’t afraid of the cold,” Bahu rubbed the chubby cheeks of his youngest. The little one was quite observant; he noticed all the work his father did. He was a thoughtful child.
“When will my brother and sister come back?” Habul was still concerned. “We agreed to play hide and seek.”
“Are they going to hide and you’ll find them?” Bahu asked instinctively.
Habul nodded proudly. “I’m really good at finding people.”
No need to ask; it was Qiqige and Jiya who tricked him again.
Feeling sorry for the poor boy, Mi Niang couldn’t bear it. When Qiqige and Jiya returned, she called Bahu to play hide and seek with the three children, with Bahu seeking while she and the children hid.
“I’ve counted, ten, nine, eight… three, two, one, all hidden. Here I come to find you,” Bahu came in from outside, first checking the kitchen, then the bedroom, finding neither. Then he went to the living room, and just as he entered, he heard a faint sound.
He deliberately coughed, thinking Habul might be hiding inside. He went in and out of the doorway, then went to the other two rooms and found Qiqige first.
“Where’s your brother? Didn’t he hide with you?” Bahu thought Mi Niang would be the first to be found, so he took Qiqige with him to the backyard, searching several rooms but finding no one.
“Could he have gone to the storeroom?” Bahu rubbed his chin, asking Qiqige if Habul usually hid there.
“No, it’s locked. We can’t get in,” Qiqige also became interested, following her father to search for the others. “Have you checked the front yard, Dad?”
Now Bahu was uncertain. He glanced at the storeroom, where the door was securely locked, then turned to the front yard and entered the bedroom, where he found Jiya tucked under a blanket in the corner between the bed and the wardrobe.
“Dad, didn’t you notice me the first time you came in?” Jiya bounced out and asked.
“No,” Bahu refused to admit any favoritism.
Since Habul hadn’t made any noise for so long, Bahu was sure his youngest son was hiding with Mi Niang. He ordered the two children to continue searching while he went to cook.
However, as soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw Mi Niang and Habul hiding behind the door. He glanced outside, gestured with his finger, then waited until Qiqige and Jiya went to the backyard before asking, “Have you been in the kitchen the whole time?”
Mi Niang seized the opportunity while Bahu was counting and Qiqige and Jiya were hiding inside the house. She quietly led Habul to hide behind the front door, where there was a roll of curly felt that could perfectly shield a person. After Bahu went to the backyard to look for Qiqige, she then took Habul to hide in the kitchen.
“Thanks for pulling Qiqige away,” Mi Niang whispered with delight.
Bahu glanced at his silly smiling youngest son and shook his head with a smile. He was actually worried that Qiqige would uncover the person hidden in the bedroom.
The two children outside had searched everywhere, even lifting the cover of the cellar, but still couldn’t find anyone. They ran back into the house and shouted loudly in the courtyard, “We give up, Dad! Is the food ready? We want to eat!”
“Not yet,” Bahu shouted back loudly, pretending not to see the signal from Qiqige.
Jiya felt something was wrong. They had searched both inside and outside the house, except for the kitchen. He glanced at the kitchen door, then back at the man cooking inside, and dashed towards the kitchen.
“What are you doing? The food isn’t ready yet,” Bahu’s heart skipped a beat, loudly intercepting.
But Jiya didn’t listen, entering the kitchen and immediately spotting Mi Niang and his little brother sitting against the wall, smiling at him.
“Ah, finally found you,” Mi Niang pretended to brush off the dirt on her clothes. “My legs are almost numb from sitting here.”
“Dad, you cheated!” Jiya’s face turned red with anger. He ran over, grabbed Bahu’s hand, and tried to bite.
Qiqige, hearing the commotion, also ran in. Seeing his mother and little brother emerge from behind the door, it all became clear to him. He quickly went to help his brother, calling Bahu a liar.
“I’m innocent!” Bahu hugged the two children and loudly protested, “Don’t bite, don’t bite! I touched cow dung and didn’t wash my hands.”
After a long explanation, Qiqige and Jiya still glared at Bahu, and every time he moved, they would snort disdainfully.
Bahu turned to Mi Niang for help, repeatedly praising, “My son is so smart, he discovered the loophole in the kitchen. He’ll have great abilities in the future.”
Jiya folded his arms and ignored him, only speaking up when it was time to eat, “I won’t play with you anymore.”
“Play with your mother then?”
“My mother isn’t a liar.”
Well, the label of “liar” was firmly stuck to him now.
Bahu shrugged and scooped some cooked beef into the children’s bowls. “Fine, if you won’t play with me, I won’t play with you when you ask me to.”
As Mi Niang said, adults shouldn’t meddle in children’s affairs.
