“Are you really not disgusted with me?”
“Absolutely not. You’re so good; how could I be disgusted with you? You can earn money, take care of the family, look after the children, cook, do laundry, and even plant vegetables. You’re such a great man; why would I be disgusted?” Mi Niang counted on her fingers, feeling more and more delighted.
After receiving affirmation, Bahu felt relieved, but along with it came an awkward feeling. When he came to his senses, he realized he was being too petty, not acting like a man.
“Why would you think I’m disgusted with you?” Mi Niang couldn’t understand. “Didn’t we… do that last night? Wasn’t I enthusiastic enough?”
Bahu hung his head and remained silent. No matter how Mi Niang asked, he wouldn’t say anything. He refused to speak, even when threatened not to let him sleep on the bed.
Unable to pry open his mouth, Mi Niang simply assumed he had a nightmare the night before, perhaps dreaming that she abandoned him to marry someone else, scaring him. She giggled.
For the next two days, every time she saw him, a smile appeared on her face. Unable to bear it any longer, Bahu said, “You said you were going to take Mu Xiang and the others to pick wild lotus flowers. I’ve put the horse cart up; you can drive them there.”
Mi Niang checked the time and saw that the sun had already risen. “Now? It’s a bit tight on time. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
No, it had to be now. Go out and do something else, don’t bounce around in front of him or behind him, occasionally showing a smile that gave him goosebumps.
“The weather is nice today. Go out and have a good time. I’ll cook camel milk for Qiqige and Jiya. If you’re engorged, pump the milk in the cart. Don’t endure the discomfort and run back,” Bahu glanced at Mi Niang’s chest, “With the horse cart if you get engorged, squeeze the milk into a bottle in the cart. Don’t endure the discomfort and run back.”
Most of the ewes had already dried up, and the cow’s milk was decreasing day by day. However, there were female camels, and camels have a long lactation period, lasting up to a year. Even if Mi Niang’s milk supply wouldn’t be enough for both children in the future, having two female camels would still allow her to feed Qiqige and Jiya until they could eat solid food.
Yesterday, just slaughtered a sheep, Mi Niang chopped a piece of lamb ribs to put in the cart. She also took the grilling iron plate, iron rack, and the bucket containing the honeycomb. “Mom is going out to work. You two must listen to Daddy, okay?” Her voice was sweet enough to squeeze out two pounds of honey.
Before leaving, she kissed each child, and Bahu stood by the bed watching. If she had been so reluctant two days ago, he wouldn’t have misunderstood.
Mi Niang noticed the man’s gaze, thinking about what happened two days ago. She suppressed a smile, hugged Bahu’s waist, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a peck. “Take good care of the kids at home. Don’t miss me too much, okay?”
Bahu wiped the corner of his mouth. He wouldn’t admit that he would miss her now. “Hurry up, don’t linger, it’ll be dark soon.”
“You’re not fun at all right now.”
Bahu acted as if he hadn’t heard. After Mi Niang left, he sat by the bed for a while, thinking that it would be good if he could take the two children out when they were asleep. He wouldn’t be confined to the felt bag, only able to stay with these two siblings.
“Uncle Muren, is there any wood left in the house? The guy who made chairs and stools a few years ago brought some, right?”
“We have it all. When Mi Niang came, she said she wanted to make beehives, so she brought an extra piece. You can find a saw, plane, chisel, and square in the storage room.” The old man was busy supervising the hired workers washing sheep wool and didn’t have the mind to ask Bahu what he wanted these things for. When he went back to cook lunch in the afternoon, he saw a pile outside the storage room, with sheep horns and cow horns all overturned.
Hearing the lively laughter of children inside, the old man opened the door and stood at the entrance, saying, “Hurry, bring them out and let me hold them.” Since Bahu got married, he didn’t let others into his sleeping felt bag. The old man, although tempted, could only stand outside and wait until the children were brought out before playing with them.
Bahu wished someone would help him with soothing the children – comforting them during the day and at night, dealing with one being hungry while the other just finished eating, and one falling asleep while the other was about to wake up. It was quite a headache. Even if someone crawled out from his stomach, he wouldn’t mind. No wonder Mi Niang wanted to run out and have fun.
Unlike him, Da Huang was living a life of luxury. Once the puppies were a month old and eating on their own, it didn’t care anymore. It didn’t stay in the kennel all the time either. What he envied the most was that Bala, the stupid egg, helped take care of the pups when Da Huang wasn’t around.
“Sigh—”
“What are you sighing about?” The old man held Jiya at a distance from Bahu.
“If only you were an Aunt.” Bahu was hesitant to leave the children in the care of the rough and clumsy old man, even though he had a fondness for the two kids.
Nonsense! What kind of a man would he be if he wished for an Aunt? Uncle Muren didn’t bother dealing with him, “What are you planning to do with these things? Making beehives for Mi Niang?”
“No, I want to make a bed that can be pushed or carried, so that Qiqige and Jiya can lie on it and be taken away by me and Mi Niang.” Taking care of the children alone was a bit overwhelming, especially when they were napping. When the children were a bit older, he needed to go look after the cattle and sheep during the day, and Mi Niang alone couldn’t take care of the two kids at home. So, he planned to put the beds on wheels and take them to the pasture, where he could look after the animals and take care of the children at the same time.
Uncle Muren was good at carpentry, and Bahu asked him to help with the construction in the afternoon.
“Sure, I’ll let Chaolu keep an eye on Wood Fragrance and the others’ sheep.” As soon as he finished speaking, Alse Wolves and Bala, who were originally sleeping in the kennel, showed their teeth and ran out. Bahu scolded them immediately, “Come back here! Do you want to get beaten? Who are you planning to bite with that ghostly appearance?”
“Bahu, are you at home? Oh, you have children now? Why haven’t you gone to inform your Second Uncle?” Before the person finished speaking, they were blocked by the felt bag, and Bahu, holding Qiqige, didn’t dare to run. He hadn’t seen the person since last year when his Second Uncle brought people to his home. Alse Wolves and Bala didn’t make a sound, but if he hadn’t scolded them and brought them back, they would have already rushed towards the person.
“Second Uncle, Second Uncle’s wife, BaGen.” Bahu called out, standing beside the person, “It’s been just over a month. This month, I’ve been busy shearing sheep and tanning hides. There are also many lambs and calves to take care of this year. Mi Niang is in confinement and can’t do without help. I really couldn’t find the time to go home and share the good news. Originally, I planned to wait until the children were a bit older, then return to the winter pasture and take them to see our family.”
“Come inside quickly. The children are still awake, and I can’t free up my hands. Second Uncle, Aunt, don’t feel neglected.”
Hmm, not seeing each other for more than half a year, and now Bahu could speak polite words too. Bahu’s second uncle stared. As the horse was tied up and walked inside, he saw the two children Bahu was holding clearly, and his eyeballs almost popped out, “Fraternally born twins?”
“Yes, a brother and a sister.” Taking care of the two children was exhausting, but whenever someone was surprised and envious, Bahu nodded with pride. He felt that even if there were two more, he could still take care of them.
“…Really nice.” Second Uncle couldn’t describe the feeling in his heart. He wished these two children were his own. The more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt. Not only were they twins, but the two children also looked handsome. Their features were distinct, fair, and chubby. He envied them so much that he wished he could immediately find a girl to marry his son. If possible, they could have their wedding night today and welcome two more children tomorrow.
“Where’s Mi Niang?” Second Auntie turned her back, unwilling to look at the children in Bahu’s arms.
Bahu entered the house, spread a piece of felt on the floor, rolled out a bedding mat, placed Qiqige and Jiya on the mat, and covered them with a thin blanket that Mi Niang used. He sat in a place where the sunlight was blocked. “Mi Niang has something to do outside. She may not be back until the afternoon. Uncle Muren, can you make lunch today? Second Uncle, Second Auntie, would you like to stay and have lunch?”
Mi Niang wasn’t here? The woman gave her man a glance and straightforwardly said, “We came today to ask Mi Niang to act as a matchmaker. BaGen, this unruly fellow, has set his eyes on Mu Xiang. Both your Second Uncle and I wanted to see that girl. If she is suitable, let’s finalize it and make this troublemaker settle down. Don’t let him keep causing trouble at home. Where did Mi Niang go? See if you can call her back.”
Bahu felt fortunate that he had sent Mi Niang away. He glanced at the dejected BaGen, and the difference was just one word. BaGen was not even comparable to Bala; not only did Da Huang not fancy Bala, but Bala didn’t persistently cling and pester like BaGen.
“If it were someone else, I wouldn’t stop them. BaGen hasn’t seen Mu Xiang for almost half a year, right? It seems that there are other guys interested in her, and they seem to have intentions. It might not be appropriate to introduce her to BaGen at the moment.”
“What?” BaGen took a cold breath, immediately sitting up, saying he wanted to find her.
“You sit down.” Bahu’s face turned cold. “Who do you think you are, going to find her? If she hasn’t promised you anything and hasn’t taken anything from you, what’s with this fierce appearance, as if you’re going to catch a cheating spouse? Maybe the girl doesn’t care about her reputation? Don’t bully her just because she’s an outsider with no parents, acting like a ruffian.”
He suddenly got angry, and not only did the BaGen family of three stare, but Qiqige was also scared and started crying, the loud voice bringing the three stunned people back to their senses.
“Bahu, your words are a bit harsh.” Second Uncle was displeased.
Bahu hugged the little girl. Fortunately, Jiya didn’t cry along, or else he wouldn’t be able to hold her too. “Second Uncle, no matter if it sounds harsh or not, BaGen shouldn’t walk out of my house with a betrayed face looking for trouble. When Mi Niang was in her postpartum confinement, it was Mu Xiang who helped take care of her. The two sisters have a good relationship and don’t hide anything from each other. From what I know, when BaGen went to find Mu Xiang in March this year, she clearly rejected him.”
Bahu’s Second Uncle saw his son clenching his jaw, cheeks bulging, and knew that Bahu wasn’t making things up.
“This troublemaker even deceived us, saying he had talked to Mu Xiang and was waiting to propose.” Bahu’s second uncle’s face darkened. He had lost his eldest son’s face today, and it was a good thing that he hadn’t directly rushed to speak nonsense in front of the girl. But he wanted a face, so he added a few more words: “We are not from families that cannot find daughters-in-law. It’s just that your cousin has lost his mind and is confused.”
They also had no face to stay for lunch. The three of them came in with blushing faces and left with dust-covered heads.
“Uncle Muren, please help me look after Jiya for a while. I’ll be back in a moment.” Bahu carried Qiqige and went upstream of the river on the opposite bank. As expected, he saw BaGen riding a horse to where Mu Xiang lived, and not long after, he left on horseback.
In the evening, when Mi Niang and the others returned, Bahu told the story in front of Mi Niang “I haven’t had much dealings with BaGen, and I don’t know much about his character. Be careful from now on, don’t walk alone outside, be cautious.”
“How come I feel like BaGen is like your father? He doesn’t seem like your Uncle’s son but more like your father’s son, both crazy and frightening.” The joyful day was coming to an end, and just before the end, Mi Niang heard an ominous thing, “Mu Xiang, you must not be confused. With a man like BaGen, who only knows how to be ruthless and crazy, if you follow him, you might end up walking the same path as my mother-in-law.”
Mu Xiang was frightened, clenching her hands tightly. She murmured, “I guess I’ve narrowly escaped a disaster.” BaGen had a decent appearance, and the family conditions were good. Initially, because he had told her the complete story of Pandi speaking ill of her, she had some favorable feelings towards him and even contemplated it.
“Will he come looking for me in the future?” Mu Xiang looked at Bahu.
“I don’t know.” His Second Uncle probably couldn’t control BaGen; otherwise, he wouldn’t let BaGen cause such a long-lasting disturbance. “And in a few days, Mi Niang and I should be moving to the autumn pasture.” What he wanted to say was that he couldn’t keep an eye on her indefinitely.
But Mi Niang clapped her hands and said, “Why don’t you come with us to the autumn pasture? Ask Lan Niang and the others if they want to go. If they do, you can all live together.”
