After breakfast, Mi Niang and Bahu took their three children to the backyard to shell corn kernels. This task had always been done by Uncle Muren and Uncle Jinku. Occasionally, when the chores in the sheep pen were done, others would come over and sit in the warm room, shelling corn kernels and chatting. A pot of hot butter tea hung over the stove in the kitchen. If anyone felt thirsty, they would go and scoop a bowl for themselves.
“Is your mother’s health okay?” Uncle Muren didn’t stop shelling corn kernels as he asked casually.
“She’s doing fine, and her complexion looks good too.” Bahu tossed the corn cob into the basket and glanced at the old man. After resting for a year, his mother’s health had improved a lot, but if she stood next to him, it looked like they were from different generations. Living with his uncle had made a big difference. The sorrow on her face had disappeared.
The old man smiled, “That’s good then. If she’s healthy, you’ll have less to worry about.”
Qiqige and Jiya picked for a while, complaining of sore hands. They moved to another spot and started shelling corn with Habul The three siblings sat together, chattering away. After a while, they twisted the corn husks into ropes and braided them together. The youngest helped pick leaves, while the two older ones braided from either end.
“Mom, look.” Ji ya held up the grass rope in her hand. “When spring comes, we can use the ropes we made to tie up our luggage.”
The ends of the grass were sticking out, and a little force would probably break it. Mi Niang nodded and said, “Winter is still long. Take your time braiding, and be careful not to hurt your hands.”
Then she turned to ask about the piglets’ situation. “Don’t pour out the leftover water from cooking and washing dishes. Boil it and mix it with pig feed. Pigs grow faster when they eat cooked food.”
“But wait until spring?” Uncle Muren had been a shepherd for a long time and advocated natural breeding. In his bones, he believed that animals raised on grass were the tastiest, and pigs, with their fat bodies, were increasingly greasy.
“When spring comes, you can let them out to graze, but you still need to feed them cooked food every day, using rice bran, wheat bran, and any leftover radishes. Just cook them randomly. Pigs won’t get fat just by eating grass. They’ll just have bones and no meat. It won’t be tasty without fat.” As she finished speaking, she listened intently for a moment, then pushed the man sitting by the door. “Bahu, I think I heard someone calling at the door. Go out and take a look.”
When the door was pulled open, the sound rushed in with the wind, it was ChaoBao’s voice. Bahu patted the dust off his body and went out. After a while, he came back in. “Bai Mei and ChaoBao are bringing their children over to visit. Wash your hands, and then we’ll go back.”
Qiqige and Jiya hesitated as they looked at the rope in their hands, which was taller than Habul. They sat still and didn’t move. “Dad, can you ask Qing Ge Er Tai to come over to play? Let’s braid ropes together.”
Qing Ge Er Tai is Bai Mei’s son.
Mi Niang directly took the rope from their hands, tied a knot, and placed it on the kang. “After the guests leave, you can continue braiding. Don’t worry, it won’t come undone.”
Qiqige pouted, and reluctantly stood up, and when she saw her mother raising her hand, she immediately straightened her mouth and forced out a smile.
“Don’t make strange faces, it’s ugly.”
“It’s not ugly.” The little girl chuckled as she washed her hands, puffing her mouth at the water in the basin. “As a beautiful girl like me, even if I puff up my mouth like a chicken butt, it’s still cute.”
Hearing this, Bahu, her own father, couldn’t help but turn away and grimace.
They weren’t afraid of laughing out loud, even showing their big teeth.
The front door was half open, but the Bai Mei family of three didn’t enter. They stood in the snowy yard outside, leaving dog paw prints. As they heard voices approaching, ChaoBao asked loudly, “Why is everyone in the backyard? What are you doing?”
“Peeling corn kernels, why don’t you come in?” Bahu pushed the door open first. “We didn’t know you were coming, otherwise we would have waited at home.”
“We’re all familiar here, why be so polite? Bai Mei said the second day of the Lunar New Year is the day to visit her parents, so where else could I find her relatives? I had to bring her over to visit.” In fact, that was not the case. It was his idea to come over for the New Year. Having served in Bahu’s family for five years, and being treated well, he wanted to come and see them during the New Year. Not wanting to bear the humble title of the former servant visiting the master’s house for the New Year, he chose the second day of the Lunar New Year to come.
But this wasn’t the first year since he and Bai Mei got married, and he hadn’t come in previous years but chose to come this year. It wasn’t about seeing her family. Mi Niang and Bahu didn’t expose his pretext, treating him as a guest and not mentioning the past at all.
“Have the ewes at home not given birth yet? You seem pretty relaxed.”
“A few lambs were born the day before yesterday, and there were signs of labor this morning too, so I let someone else watch while I’m not around.” Bahu pushed the plate of melon seeds towards him. “Since you like eating melon seeds, grab some more. Also, Qing Ge Er Tai likes chestnuts and hazelnuts, so grab some and put them in your pocket.”
“Dad, I’m taking Qing Ge Er Tai to see the ropes we’ve braided.” Qiqige couldn’t sit still any longer, impatient to hear these polite exchanges. She grabbed the plate of dried fruits and ran out, calling out, “Let’s go, let’s eat somewhere else.”
“Don’t forget about me!” Habul was left behind. He didn’t even eat the pine nuts that were brought to his mouth. Stomping his feet, he ran outside, crying and calling for his older siblings until Jiya turned back to pull him, and only then did his mouth stop.
“Having many children makes it lively,” Bai Mei said enviously.
“My youngest is quite clingy, especially to his older siblings. Sometimes he annoys them so much that the older ones want to beat him up.” At times like this, when they were lively, it was even more chaotic when they started fighting and crying with their mouths wide open.
“You two talk, I’ll take ChaoBao to see the stone mill grinding corn.” Bahu stood up and took ChaoBao out as well.
“We’ll have lunch at my place. I’ve got a leg of beef stewing in the pot, and I won’t prepare too much. I’ll chop a couple more radishes and cook some rice in the pot. It’ll be just enough for both our families.” Mi Niang stood up and went out to tell ChaoBao without waiting for his refusal, she agreed on his behalf, “That’s settled then. Although we don’t live far apart, Bai Mei and I haven’t seen each other for quite some time.”
“You’re making it difficult for us to come over in the future. Someday, you should come over to my place too,” ChaoBao said helplessly.
“Okay.”
Mi Niang pulled Bai Mei back into the house to talk. She mentioned that Wan’er might come over in a few days, and Bai Mei suggested they prepare a meal for everyone to gather. “After we each got married, we haven’t had a reunion in these past few years.”
“Then this year is a good opportunity for a reunion,” Mi Niang also planned to invite Wan’err’s family over and call over Mu Xiang, Pandi, Ying Niang, and the others, so they could all have a meal together.
Back when ChaoBao was still working at her house, Bai Mei was burdened with a lot of responsibilities. She was busy taking care of the children and livestock, so she rarely had time to meet with Mi Niang. Now that they were sitting together, their conversation mostly revolved around cattle, sheep, and children. After chatting for a while, they both found it hard to muster enthusiasm and ended up awkwardly smiling at each other.
“Things are good, you’re living a good life,” Bai Mei said sincerely. The weariness and bitterness in her words were something Mi Niang had never experienced firsthand. Things were easier for her only because of Bahu’s blessings. Mi Niang had self-awareness, comforting her by saying, “With ChaoBao going back this year, you’ll be much more relaxed. Things will get better in the future, and we’ll all make it through.”
“Shall we go check on the children?” Mi Niang started to head out. “I’ll go tell Pandi not to cook lunch, and ask her to join us for a meal.”
With a stewed beef leg, two large radishes, two bowls of meatballs, and rice stewing, Bahu went to get two blocks of tofu. Towards the end of the meal, he added them into the meat soup, mixed with rice, it was quite tasty.
After the meal, Pandi and Bai Mei helped Mi Niang wash the dishes, and they sat down to chat for a while before Pandi mentioned she had sheep to take care of and dispersed.
“Looking at Bai Mei, I’m really glad I didn’t get married and have children,” Pandi said as she watched Bai Mei’s family walk away, kicking the snow as she talked to Mi Niang. Technically, Bai Mei was married and had two elders to take care of her, her husband would come home at night, and they both worked as livestock herders outside. Bai Mei should have had it easier than her, at least she wouldn’t have to do heavy work by herself, and having a husband would also ease her worries.
“She’s just dealing with one more child than me, but seeing how tired she is, you can sense the weariness in her voice,” Pandi wondered.
It wasn’t just about having more than one child, there were times when dealing with in-laws caused conflicts, and disagreements with husbands over sharing chores. Mental exhaustion was more tormenting than physical exhaustion.
“It’ll get better. As the children grow older each year and the husbands can handle things outside, she’ll be much more relaxed,” Mi Niang could only offer some bland words, hoping it would turn out as she imagined.
“Didn’t you hear? She’s thinking of having another child!” Pandi retorted earnestly, “She’s so foolish, she doesn’t know how to enjoy life.”
Mi Niang looked at her with a complex expression. “Don’t you think you’re like Mu Xiang when she first came to Mo County? Saying whatever comes to mind. It’s pointless for us to discuss Bai Mei in private. Just because you see her not wanting to get married doesn’t mean you suddenly want to get married and have children after seeing me. She thinks she’s doing fine, and you feel your life is good. We both want to move in a positive direction. It’s unrelated, so why bother laughing at others? She’s been worried for two or three years about not receiving any good news. Of course, I can tell. She confides in us because she doesn’t see us as outsiders. Even if there’s no solution, it’s better to say some comforting words than to ridicule her behind her back. She’s never gossiped about you in front of me.”
Pandi’s face flushed. “Oh, I’m just talking to you. I definitely wouldn’t say it in front of her. I’m not like Mu Xiang in that way. She couldn’t stand anyone directly confronting others, so she wouldn’t give anyone face.”
“I didn’t hear anyone call you stupid,” Mi Niang teased, narrowing her eyes at her. “Anyway, I don’t want to hear you gossiping about anyone to me anymore. If you have nothing else to say, you can talk to me about how many strands of wool your sheep have grown.”
Pandi snorted a few times and muttered, “Got it, got it. Your temperament hasn’t changed a bit over the years.” She used to gossip behind people’s backs, and now she’s still the same, neither hot nor cold. She’s a bit more open only in front of her own family.
“I’m going back.” She walked briskly towards home, casually whistling loudly when she saw the dog defecating.
“It seems the older you get, the more childish you become,” Mi Niang couldn’t help but laugh.
Mu Xiang’s straightforward nature was nurtured by her parents’ good treatment since childhood, and she gradually smoothed out when she encountered difficulties. Pandi, on the other hand, changed from her smooth manners of the past and became more unrestrained, indicating that her life was improving, and she could live without caring about others’ opinions.
That’s also a good thing.
…
Wan’er’s family of four came over on the fifth day of the lunar new year. When they arrived, it was almost noon. They went to Bao Yin’s house first, had lunch there, and then brought over their changed clothes, shoes, and the children’s diapers. Just as they settled in, Ajima was also brought back by her brother-in-law.
“It’s a good day today,” Mi Niang brought out a jar of candy. “These are all for you. If I didn’t keep some for you, they would’ve been eaten up already.”
“Did you make these yourself?” Wan’er asked as she handed a pine nut candy to her daughter and asked her to play with Qiqige and Jiya. “Is the powder on top flour?”
“It’s cooked glutinous rice flour.”
Mi Niang also ate one herself. Malt sugar is different from syrup; malt sugar is soft, sticky, and can be pulled into strands. It’s a bit sticky to the teeth when chewed, and when you bite into it, the fragrance of the pine nut wrapped in the sugar bursts out, leaving no bitter or sour taste in the mouth after eating.
“You’re still skilled at this. You really have a knack for sweets. Keeping bees for honey and making candy too, impressive,” Wan’er exclaimed, enjoying the candy.
“Watching my grandma make them, it shouldn’t be considered an ancestral craft or anything rare. It’s just laborious and expensive. Poor people can’t afford to waste ingredients, and rich people can’t be bothered to put in the effort. Good pastry shops don’t look down on it, but the simple stalls can’t sell at a good price or even sell at all,” Mi Niang shook the candy jar, thinking about the many children in her family and the expected visits from Pandi and Ying Niang. These candies might not last two days.
“Tonight I’ll soak some wheat. Once it starts sprouting in a few days, I’ll cook up another pot. If you like it, you can try making it yourself when you get back.”
“That’s me getting the better end of the deal.”
The next day, when she invited Mu Xiang, Bai Mei, and the others to dinner, Pandi said she wanted to learn too. “I don’t have children to take care of. When I’m free, I’ll make candy with Ying Niang and sell it. If my cattle and sheep have the misfortune of all dying from disease, maybe I can still get by selling candy.”
“Mi Niang, I won’t just learn from you for free. After deducting the cost of materials, I’ll give you ten percent of the profits,” she clarified.
Mi Niang waved her hand. “There’s no need. Making malt sugar is simple once you’ve seen it. I don’t want the money. You two can split the earnings, and I’m not in need of that money.”
“It’s your business if you’re not in need…”
“If you’re going to pay, then I won’t teach you,” Mi Niang interrupted her. “It’s not some secret recipe, and there are plenty of candy vendors even in Mobei. Even if you set up a candy stall, it won’t be very profitable. If you feel guilty about it, then in the future, my children won’t give you any money when they eat candy. Once they’ve had their fill, I won’t bother making it anymore.”
“Just come and eat. Don’t talk nonsense. Even if it’s another ten, I’ll still make sure they have enough candy to eat,” Pandi said boldly, but before she could finish, she got a playful slap.
“Stop talking nonsense,” Mi Niang rebuked her. “I’m not a pig.”
“Ha ha ha,” the others laughed, diverting to the idea of raising pigs in the pigsty. “Mi Niang, next year, we’ll come to your house to eat pork dishes when you slaughter a pig.”
“As long as you’re willing to help, you can come every year,” Mi Niang said as she lifted the lid of the pot and stirred the simmering bone soup. For the sake of flavor, she used both beef bones and dried hen to make the broth.
Pandi fileted the fish, Mu Xiang sliced the beef, Bai Mei sat by the stove watching the fire, and together with Wan’er, they picked vegetables and peeled onions and radishes. Mi Niang brought in frozen beef tendon and brisket, as well as beef tongue, tripe, and heart to soak in hot water.
“If you need me for anything, just call,” Ying Niang said as she carried Wan’er’s youngest son.
“Just keep an eye on the little ones, don’t let them lie in the snow,” Wan’er warned her son, bouncing her tongue. “Isn’t it exciting? So many people here, it’s so lively.”
Outside, Bahu was roasting beef hooves under the eaves with ChaoBao and Alse wolves. It was fortunate that Alse wolves arrived just in time before the New Year. If he had been even a day later, Bahu would have had to arrange to roast the beef hooves himself.
A bowl of beef was sliced, two bowls of fish were fileted, and another bowl of beef tendon, tripe, and tongue were sliced. There were also radishes, greens, and soaked mushrooms. Two chickens were stewing in the soup. With all this on the table, plus another twenty roasted beef hooves, there was more than enough to eat.
Mi Niang came out to call Bahu to move the tables and chairs. Seeing the children crowding around them, she approached and asked, “Have the beef hooves not been roasted yet?”
“They’re ready. They’ll be served as soon as you call for dinner,” Bahu replied, skewering a crispy and oily lamb meatball with a chopstick to feed her. “The kids were clamoring for grilled meatballs. They smell good. Try one.”
The meat outside was slightly crispy, but the inside was still tender. Mi Niang took a bite, and it was so hot she gasped. Unable to taste it, she spat it out onto the ground, and before she knew it, a dog that had appeared out of nowhere swallowed it whole without even chewing.
“Eating off the table,” she muttered as she turned around and picked up a chunk of ice from the edge of the eaves and popped it into her mouth.
Bahu glanced at her and fed her the meatball she had bitten into, blowing on it lightly to cool it down to the perfect temperature.
“Stop eating. Let me take them inside and cut them open before we eat,” he said, shooing away the murmuring children. “Wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”
The boiler emitted a fragrant white mist, and everyone tossed their favorite dishes into the bone soup. When the meat was cooked, Bahu served half a bowl to the children sitting behind them to keep them quiet.
“Come, let’s have a drink,” Bahu, as the host, lifted a bowl of butter tea. “We’re all familiar with each other, so let’s skip the small talk and just enjoy the food.”
Some chuckled, finding the lack of small talk amusing in this setting.
Alse Wolves raised his hand and pressed down on Bahu’s hand, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. “Big brother, you’re really something. If you don’t know what to say, you could have let me handle it. Are you even proud to show off this drink for kids?” He was drinking fermented mare’s milk.
Bahu glanced at him, then lifted the bowl of butter tea and drank half of it in one go. He pointed to his son sitting behind him. “Wait another ten years, and then my son will accompany you for a drink.”
This was a familiar joke. Jiya picked up the hot sheep’s milk placed on the chair. “Uncle, I toast to you.”
“Hahaha, drink up, drink up,” ChaoBao chimed in. “You have to drink more of this wine. It’s only respectful to the kids to down it all in one gulp.”
Bahu ruffled Jiya’s head. “This isn’t the time for you to be toasting. Eat your food properly.”
Then Bahu addressed Asyl and ChaoBao again, saying, “Just take a sip as a gesture, alcohol isn’t a good thing. Eat more vegetables. I’ve prepared so many dishes today, don’t leave any leftovers for me.”
Alse Wolves took a sip and set down his bowl, nodding towards ChaoBao. “You little rascal.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re the best, big brother,” ChaoBao said, picking up a roasted cow hoof and putting it in Alse wolves’s bowl. “Hold it and eat more. Come to my house tomorrow, just like today, and it’ll all be over.”
“Then the day after tomorrow, we’ll come to my house,” Pandi suggested.
“The day after the day after tomorrow, we’ll come to my house,” Mu Xiang said, handing her son a chicken leg. “Hold it and gnaw on it, don’t use chopsticks.”
Inside the house, the stove was burning, the door was half-open, and laughter floated out into the snowy yard. The dog, holding the cow hoof bone in its mouth, buried it in the snow and hurried back inside to stand guard.
