After dinner, Bahu eagerly served his two children, piling up the meat and ignoring the vegetables. Despite his efforts to please them, the siblings remained sulky.
He signaled to Mi Niang, hoping she would intervene and lighten the mood.
“I want fish balls and meatballs for dinner tonight,” Mi Niang took the opportunity to make a request.
“Sure, I’ll make them this afternoon. Beef meatballs or lamb meatballs?” Bahu readily agreed.
Mi Niang looked at the three children. “Which ones do you want?”
Qiqige glanced at Jiya, hesitating whether to make amends.
The others also followed Qiqige’s gaze towards Jiya, greatly satisfying his pride. He pretended to be aloof and declared he didn’t want meatballs, saying, “I want roasted lamb for dinner.”
Bahu thought of the deer leg brought by Asyl. “Alright, we’ll have meatball soup tonight and roast deer leg and lamb tomorrow at noon.”
Jiya moved her mouth but didn’t speak, indicating her agreement, but she still wanted to sell her goodwill: “It’s only because of my mother. I wouldn’t agree if it were someone else.”
She spoke as if she were the master chef, implying that if she didn’t agree, no one would eat. However, since the cooks had no objections, Mi Niang remained silent.
Seeing her brother relent, Qiqige smiled. She coquettishly said she wanted beef meatballs with some tendons.
“Alright, I’ll wash the dishes and then go cut the meat,” Bahu agreed decisively.
As the three children went hand in hand to play in the sheep pen, Mi Niang got up to help him wash the dishes and pots. “Can we stop arguing from now on?”
“I haven’t done anything,” Bahu denied once the children left, “I stopped playing when I entered the kitchen. Staying quiet is the right thing to do. How can you accuse me when the two children are being unreasonable?”
“Well, you’re really like father, like son. Is the son being unreasonable because the father is too?” The children accused him of being a liar, and he accused them of being unreasonable, entangling themselves in a cycle of blame.
Seeing Bahu still trying to defend himself, Mi Niang waved her hand to stop him. “Don’t talk to me. Even if you wear out your tongue today, it won’t change anything.”
The man sighed with resentment, wiped his hands, and went out to get fish. The fish tank was placed in the backyard, covered with wooden boards. He removed one to reveal a large fish, then went to the drying room to get the knife and beef. Hearing voices outside the door, he went out to see Pandi, greeting her, “Are you ready for dinner?”
“Eaten. Come inside and chat with Mi Niang,” Pandi said.
“Then come in and sit. It’s chilly outside,” Bahu replied.
Pandi waved her hand. “You go about your business. I’ll just say a few words and leave.”
With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she asked Mi Niang, “Wan’er is coming to your house in the first lunar month? Then I’ll also prepare a meal at that time. You all can come over, and we can gather together. It’ll add some liveliness to our home.”
Mi Niang pondered her words and asked further, “How many sheep does your family have at the end of the year?”
“I understand what you mean. Don’t think my family is in difficulty just because I haven’t started a family. We’re fine. In these past few years, our cattle and sheep haven’t suffered from any major illnesses. Excluding the ones we rent from your family, we still have over two hundred sheep this year. Even if there are difficulties, it’s not like we can’t afford a meal and a feast.”
“You’re working hard all year round…”
“Hard work brings happiness. Being busy all year round is enjoyable. There’s no worry,” Pandi looked at Mi Niang. “Since our two families live nearby and have old ties, how about I come to your house on the third day of the lunar new year, and you come to mine on the fourth day?” The implication was for both families to visit each other regularly, like relatives.
“Alright,” Mi Niang nodded. “Then I’ll be taking advantage of you.” With many children, she would have to handle many things related to marriages and dowries in the future, and Pandi would have to give several gifts.
“These are all trivial matters. It doesn’t matter whether you’re taking advantage or not. Your family won’t be lacking in anything,” Pandi felt much relieved after receiving the answer she wanted. “Well, you go inside, and I’ll go back.” She turned and stepped into the snowy ground.
Mi Niang also entered the house, standing at the kitchen door, and asked, “Master, do you need any help?”
“There’s nothing to do,” Bahu wiped his hands and scraped off a lump of dough, using his foot to close the door. “I’m going to the sheep pen. Would you like to come?”
After scraping off too much dough, he rubbed his hands on his face a couple of times, still feeling greasy. Then, he grabbed Mi Niang’s hand and rubbed it as well.
“I’ve already wiped mine,” Mi Niang rubbed her hands and followed him outside. Once out of the gate, she huddled behind him, stepping in his footprints to shield herself from the wind.
“Don’t wear out the soles of my boots,” he warned.
“I’m paying attention, I’m paying attention. Just take smaller steps.”
As they passed by the dog house, they both turned in without a word. The dogs occupied two rooms, with nine of them sharing the one furthest to the west. After eating their fill, they curled up on the dry grass to sleep. When people entered, they would raise their heads in acknowledgment.
“Do you think they’ll run back to the mountains next spring?” Bahu asked as he led Mi Niang out. The five mountain dogs that came down from the mountains were always wary of people, and people were cautious around them.
“I don’t think so. They didn’t leave this year, so why would they next year?”
“This year, they didn’t have any cubs in their bellies. There’s no telling if the ones with cubs will return to the mountains.”
Well, nobody could control whether they would leave or not.
Hearing their conversation, Qiqige stuck her head out and waved at Bahu. “Dad, come quick, the water’s boiling, we’re waiting for you.”
Upon hearing this, Bahu grabbed Mi Niang and hurried into the sheep pen, his pants leg soaked with snow, which melted into the water from the heat of the stove before he could brush it off.
Habul sat obediently on a stool, tossing cow dung into the stove. His cheeks were rosy from the heat, and when he saw someone coming, he shouted “Mom and Dad,” then returned his attention to the fire.
“Mom, are we going to make malt sugar this year?” Qiqige suddenly wanted to eat pine nut sugar. “Did we buy sticky rice this year?”
“We still have some leftover from last year. If you want, Mom can make it.”
“I want to eat it. Can we make it before the New Year?”
Mi Niang nodded, saying they would make it in a few days. After saying that, she grabbed a bucket and went outside to shovel snow, dumping bucket after bucket into a large iron pot. This pot in the sheep pen was constantly kept heated day and night, providing water for the cattle, sheep, horses, and camels.
She instructed the children to watch over it and then went to the newly built sheep pen. This year, Bahu planned to soak corn kernels until they were soft, then grind them into a slurry to feed the livestock. This way, the livestock wouldn’t bloat from eating corn, and it was much easier than sprouting the corn on the kang. With so many cattle and horses at home, only one person was needed to watch over the grinding process.
“Why are you here?” Bahu stirred the spoon in his hand. “Do you want to come and grind corn slurry?”
Mi Niang took the spoon and scooped corn kernels into the hole of the millstone. Listening to the creaking sound, she admired, “You’re the one who knows how to raise cattle and sheep. Your ideas are reliable.”
“Do you think I can afford not to be attentive when it comes to feeding my family? I rely on this skill to catch my breath. If it’s no good, I’ll be beaten to death. I’m really scared.” Bahu shook his head and sighed dramatically. “Oh, life is so hard.”
He really held grudges; he could remember nonsense from a month ago until today. Mi Niang gave him a sidelong glance. “You don’t seem that scared.”
“How could I not be scared? Didn’t you see me apologizing to my children so eagerly today? I have to watch people’s moods even when eating. I can’t afford to offend anyone.”
“You’re just trying to deflect blame, aren’t you? How can you link those two things together? And you call my son a scoundrel, but I think the biggest scoundrel here is you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re right. You call me a scoundrel, then I’m a scoundrel.” He couldn’t hold back his laughter, completely unreasonable. “Now you know how powerful I am, you can’t scold me anymore in the future.”
Ignoring him, Mi Niang turned away, still smiling. “You’re so good at twisting things around. Today at lunch, you should have argued with Qiqige and Jiya instead. That’s when you’re good at spouting nonsense in front of me.”
Indeed, he dared not. At that time, Jiya’s eyes were already red with anger. He was worried that if he said one more word, his eldest son would sit on the ground and cry, and no amount of roasted meat would be enough to placate him.
“Dad, fetch some water!” Qiqige called out again.
“I’m coming!” He put down the brush and immediately ran out.
After watering all the cattle, sheep, horses, and camels, the sky was already getting dark. Bahu and Mi Niang put down their tasks and went back to the house to prepare dinner. He chopped the thawed beef and stirred it in a wooden trough, pounding it until it became a resilient meat paste, much like making butter. Mi Niang, on the other hand, cut the fish into chunks and removed the bones. After the beef balls were boiled, she put the fish meat back into the wooden trough and continued pounding.
During the winter, when meatballs were made, they made a large batch, saving some for dinner and freezing the rest.
That’s how it was on the grassland in winter: busy with lunch halfway through the morning, then busy with dinner before dark, occasionally doing some work, eating, drinking, sleeping, all to fatten up happily.
…
After the Laba Festival comes the Lunar New Year. When Mi Niang was boiling the second pot of maltose, Bahu told Qiqige and Jiya to go visit their grandmother on the first day of the new year. “Don’t make plans to visit other children in the village that day.”
At first, the two children felt disappointed, but then they became excited at the thought of seeing their grandparents, who had never shown up despite sending them birthday gifts every year.
“What should I give Grandma and Grandpa? A jar of pine nut candy? A jar of honey?” Qiqige ran into the house to search for things she had saved.
Watching the two children rummaging around, Bahu felt a little lost. At that moment, he decided not to tell the children about the grudges between him and the older generation, and he hoped that the past would not be brought up again.
“Are you going?” he asked Mi Niang, then answered himself, “Yes, let’s go. Bring Habul with us. We’ll all go back together.”
Mi Niang hesitated a bit, looking at their two excited children, then nodded and agreed, “Alright, I’ll go and see where you were born.”
Knowing how to talk, the idea of visiting the place where he was born made Bahu look forward to the trip.
…
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the weather was sunny, with the sun shining through the clouds, making the snow piles gleam brightly, almost blinding.
When Bahu and his family stepped through the gate of the old house, the woman who came out from under the eaves squinted for a long time before recognizing them as they approached.
“Is that Bahu?”
“I am.” Bahu held one of the children’s hands. “I brought the children to see you.”
“Come inside quickly.” The woman took a few steps into the house, then turned back, unsure how to express her joy. Hearing the children call her grandmother, she squatted down with a smile to talk to her grandchildren. “You must be Jiya and Qiqige, right? Grandma didn’t remember wrong, did she?” It had been a few years, but Qiqige’s resemblance to Bahu made her somewhat recognizable, while Jiya resembled her mother so much that she might not have recognized her if they passed each other on the street.
“Yes, I’m Jiya, and my sister is Qiqige.” Jiya pulled Habul over. “This is my brother, his name is Habul.”
“Good children, very good, and you’ve grown up so well.”
“What about my younger uncle? Is he not at home?” Bahu pulled Mi Niang over. “Didn’t you see your daughter-in-law?”
The woman calmed down a bit and stood up, leading them into the house. “Mi Niang has become plumper, much prettier than before. Your younger uncle went out, I’ll have someone find him.”
As they entered the house, Qiqige and Jiya took out the New Year’s gifts they had brought. “The honey was made by my mother’s bees, and the pine nut candy was also made by my mother. These two hats were exchanged with my father for washing his feet. He spent two days sewing them, and they’re both gifts for Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you for sending us birthday gifts every year.”
The woman looked a bit flustered as she glanced at Bahu and Mi Niang. She realized that her son and daughter-in-law had never mentioned the past grievances in front of the children. She took the gifts and touched her grandchildren’s heads before looking at her son and daughter-in-law again. “Thank you for saving face for me in front of the children.”
Bahu waved his hand. “It’s the New Year, let’s not mention those unpleasant things.”
Mi Niang smiled too. Her mother-in-law seemed like a different person.
“Would you like to have lunch at home? I’ll go prepare the food.” The woman felt a bit awkward, not knowing what to say. She stood up and walked outside. “I’ll go arrange the meal. Bahu, you take Mi Niang and the children around. The house you lived in when you were young is still here.”
As she spoke, a servant came in to report that some relatives had come to pay their New Year’s respects.
“It’s already this late, we’re about to have lunch, why are they still visiting for New Year’s? Go tell them my son brought his family back home, we’re busy here, and ask them to come another day.” The woman’s words were filled with joy and pride as if she wanted everyone to know that Bahu had brought his wife and children back.
“Grandma’s house is so big.” Qiqige stood in the courtyard, counting. There were twelve rooms in one row of courtyards, and they were currently in the third courtyard, with two more rows behind it.
“Do you like it? If you do, you can move back here.” A heavy footstep accompanied the voice, and Saihan appeared, looking just like he did four years ago, not showing any signs of aging.
“You finally decided to step into the house.” The words were directed at Bahu.
“The children are older now, and I came to fulfill the promise from years ago,” Bahu spoke frankly. “You showed my children to the relatives, and next year, Qiqige and Jiya will be going to school in Xushui.”
“That’s a small matter, easily done.” Saihan walked over and picked up Habul. “Is this the little one? Two years old?”
“He’ll be two at the end of April.”
“The little guy looks sturdy.” Seeing that the child wasn’t fussing, he didn’t put him down and nodded at Mi Niang. “My niece-in-law raises the children well, and teaches them well too.” Not just the children, but even his stubborn nephew seemed to have been straightened out, unlike previous years when he was prickly all over.
“It’s only natural, raising them well once they’re born.” Mi Niang held Qiqige’s hand as they walked alongside Bahu. Despite being in this large and somewhat gloomy mansion, she still felt that their own small courtyard was the best.
While the meal was still being prepared, Saihan took Bahu and the three children out to visit relatives’ homes. He had been carrying Habul the whole time, and he spoke kindly to Bahu as they walked. “When the two children go to school in Xushui, come have lunch at our place. That way, you and Mi Niang don’t have to worry about sending food.”
“Doesn’t Agula often bring the children back?”
“He only brings the children to visit relatives on the morning of the first day of the New Year. Otherwise, he rarely comes back, and even if we meet on the road, we don’t speak. Your sister is coming back tomorrow; she occasionally comes back to chat with your mother.” Saihan described the desolate atmosphere at home. “We don’t do much. Qiqige and Jiya will have lunch, then they can take a nap at home when it gets hot. When it’s time, they’ll go to the private school.”
Bahu neither refused nor agreed, only saying he would discuss it with Mi Niang.
But Saihan couldn’t wait and asked Mi Niang’s opinion at the dinner table. “Let the children have their meals here; you don’t have to worry so much, and the food here is delicious. There haven’t been any rumors in recent years, and few people gossip. You can rest assured.” Ever since he heard the children call him grandpa, he was so satisfied that he wished he could be a grandfather for real.
“We’ll see what Qiqige and Jiya think at that time. If they’re willing to have lunch at your place, that’s fine. If they want to ride back home for lunch, that’s also okay.”
“Sure, sure, sure.” Seeing that Bahu and Mi Niang didn’t object, the elderly couple both breathed a sigh of relief.
The meal was joyful, and the three children were most satisfied. Even as they got into the carriage, they were still saying how wonderful their grandparents were. Of course, they were wonderful. They couldn’t stop talking about how they wished they could be fed during the meal. As they left, one of the children even received a silver ingot as a New Year’s gift, making Qiqige and Jiya ecstatic.
“Don’t see us off; we’re leaving.” Bahu walked a bit further away and said to his mother and younger uncle, “From now on, we’ll come on the first day of the New Year. Otherwise, everything will be as usual. You two live your lives well, and Mi Niang and I will do the same with the children.” The implication was to not disturb each other.
The children’s thoughts were theirs; if they liked moving around, let them. As for him, it was better to see each other less.
“Alright, as you wish.” Saihan held back Arun. “Let’s go, take it slow on the road, and be careful.”
Watching the carriage move away, the two of them turned back into the house. He comforted her, saying, “That’s fine, this is good enough. Bahu and Mi Niang have already shown great magnanimity by taking this step.”
