“Prepare more food for lunch. ChaoBao and Xi Jil will eat with us. When the meal is ready, don’t bother bringing it over. I’ll come back to get it after I’m done,” Bahu finished the last sip of butter tea in his bowl, picked up a black copper basin, and stood up to leave. He was going to brand the newly born cattle and sheep this year. It wasn’t suitable to bring the children along, so Mi Niang stayed at home to take care of the two kids.
Branding the cattle and sheep involved scraping off some of the hair on their pelvic bones and using a hot branding iron to leave a scar. Each household had its own unique shape as a mark to distinguish their cattle and sheep herds. On the other hand, it also served as a way to mark the bloodline, population, and age of the cattle and sheep. During the mating season, it was necessary to separate the males and females of the same bloodline.
A few days ago, it rained, and many mushrooms sprouted on the pasture. The two children woke up and played on the felt blanket by themselves. Mi Niang carried a small basket and picked mushrooms around. In the distance, the startled cries of cattle and sheep drifted along with the wind. Eight little puppies sat around the edge of the felt blanket, their ears standing upright, watchful and curious, staring in the direction of the sound. Among the eight puppies, only three looked like Da Huang with short yellow fur and pointed snouts. The other five were identical to the Alse wolves, with long fur and thick snouts, and their overall fur color was predominantly black. Among the puppies from the same litter, there was a considerable difference in size. The long-haired dogs had larger skeletons, and thicker paws, and ate more. When they lifted their paws, they could easily press the short-haired dogs to the ground, making it difficult for them to get up.
What was puzzling was that Bala, the “nursing mother,” favored the short-haired dogs among the eight puppies and often created a biased atmosphere. Its male owner often teased it, saying it loved everything about the house, and in the end, mocked it for doing useless work. Trying to please the puppies was useless because the Alse wolves surrounded Da Huang every day. If nothing unexpected happened, the next litter of puppies would all be descendants of the Alse wolves.
At some point, the two children stopped their playful sounds. When Mi Niang turned around, she saw the siblings sprawled with hands outstretched, peacefully asleep. She picked up one in each arm and carried them back to the felt blanket. Walking in front, the puppies bit onto the felt and ran behind her.
“Good dogs, I’ll stew some big bones for you. Guard the little masters, and when Qiqige and Jiya wake up, call for me,” Mi Niang patted the grass crumbs on the felt blanket. The edges had many holes bitten by dog teeth, and it was stained with dog saliva. She collected the dry diapers into the basket, hung the felt blanket on a woolen rope to dry, and turned to take a basin to wash the mushrooms in the river.
At noon, she simmered a pot of rice, stewed a pot of lamb in clear water on the stove, and stir-fried a plate of fresh mushrooms. When Bahu came back to fetch the food, Mi Niang was sitting outside the felt blanket washing clothes.
“Have you eaten?” Bahu was covered in broken sheep wool, and only his recently washed hands and face were clean. While Mi Niang was busy serving food, he stood at the door and looked towards the bed, “Are Jiya and Qiqige still sleeping? Don’t oversleep again.”
“Not sleeping—”
Before she could finish her sentence, the inside immediately echoed with the loud cries of the children. Mi Niang pointed at Bahu, “You are a troublemaker. They were playing peacefully, and then you said something. To serve the food yourself.” Qiqige and Jiya, except for the time right after waking up when they couldn’t see their parents, would cry if they couldn’t see or hear them. The siblings could lie on the bed playing until they fell asleep.
“Bring them out, let me take a look.” His body was too dirty, and there was sheep dung and cow dung on the shoe uppers. He was afraid of going in and dirtying the floor.
Although they heard the cries, there was no other way but to look from a distance. Qiqige reached out for her dad to hold her, but he only dared to touch her little hand. Bahu’s hair was filled with sheep wool, and holding the children would make him get quite dirty.
“Be good and listen to your mom. I’ll come back in the evening to take you and your brother out to play. We’ll go see the horses and ride camels.”
The child was almost two months old, and Bahu still hadn’t referred to himself as a dad. His words sounded unfamiliar, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that he loved the two children very much.
Bahu rode away on a horse with a food box in hand. As Qiqige listened to the fading sound of hooves, she immediately pouted and started crying. She had a bold personality, laughing loudly at times, and when she cried, her throat could be seen. Once she cried, Jiya also started shedding tears, sobbing softly. Compared to her loudly crying sister, she looked even more aggrieved and pitiful.
“Oh my, you act as if I’m a bad person, taking advantage of your dad being away to beat you. He’s coming back, no need to cry.” When they were calm, Mi Niang could still hold both of them at once, but when they cried, she had to let them lie on the bed and watch, letting them wave their little arms and legs freely.
“Only half a day and you’re already so clingy. Even when he’s at home, you don’t stick to him like this,” Mi Niang patted them on the left and patted them on the right. When they were tired of crying, she unbuttoned her shirt and picked them up to breastfeed. After eating, she burped them, and then they could sleep for a while. She could continue to go out to wash clothes and the bedsheets wet by the two children.
After the afternoon, when Bahu came back in the evening, he dismounted from his horse far away. Standing about half a mile from the felt tent, he had Mi Niang bring him a clean robe. “Are the children asleep or awake?”
“They’re awake.”
“In that case, don’t bother cooking. I’ll take a bath and come back to cook.” Covered in the scent of sheep, Bahu stood a couple of steps away from Mi Niang, who was downwind and took the robe from her.
“I’ve heated water for you. Don’t wash your hair in the river.” Mi Niang reminded him.
Bahu’s steps paused for a moment, and then he walked away even faster. He waved his hand to indicate he understood. In the past, except for snowy days, he always washed his hair in the river. However, after marrying Mi Niang, his head also became more precious, claiming that washing hair with cold water would let the wind invade the brain. No matter what, he insisted on using hot water.
After the bath, the two of them remained silent without speaking until Bahu dried his hair. He stood at the door and cleared his throat. Qiqige, who was lying on the bed picking her toes, and Jiya, who was breastfeeding, both froze. Following the footsteps, a figure appeared in front of the bed. The two children shivered and then pouted with a grievous look.
Mi Niang gathered her clothes, raised an eyebrow, and smiled. “Come on, haven’t you seen these two little things missing you?”
Bahu was delighted, and the corners of his mouth almost touched the top of his head. The fatigue of the whole day disappeared instantly. “It wasn’t in vain to wash diapers.” Though he said with disdain, while holding the children, he practically floated as he walked.
“You cook, and I’ll hold Qiqige and Jiya to see the horses.” Babies can recognize people well. When they were not even a month old, Bahu left for two or three days, and when he came back, they seemed not to recognize him, treating him like a stranger.
The child’s longing for his father lasted only a moment. Emotions came and went quickly. As long as people were in sight, the siblings quickly went back to chatting on their own. However, not for Bahu. He was burning with love for his children, but being a man of few words, he couldn’t express affectionate words. During meals, he would place the baby’s crib on his legs and eat while watching. Since the children couldn’t sit up yet, if they could, he would have held them in his arms to eat.
At night, when sleeping, he would place one on his stomach and another in the crook of his arm, like a mother hen keeping her chicks under her wings. Mi Niang was relaxed, spreading her arms and legs, sleeping on the inner side, closing her eyes, and humming a little tune, the voice getting lower and lower until it disappeared.
Bahu glanced to the side and softly called out, but there was no response. It seemed she had fallen deeply asleep.
“Mother is asleep. Are you two going to sleep?” He felt the diaper underneath, dry. Judging by the time, it had been a while. Bahu sat up, holding Qiqige, and got out of bed. He went to check the diaper, whistling and soothing her as she peed. “I’ve been busy these days. You and your brother, don’t wet the bed at night. Your mother will have to wash the sheets and diapers again, and it’s exhausting.”
After changing Qiqige’s diaper and putting her back to bed, Bahu picked up Jiya, who was sucking her toes, saliva dripping from her toes. “Little rascal, you’re not hungry again.”
Naturally, Jiya didn’t respond to him. Only the sound of urine hitting the bucket and the wild howls of the little dogs outside made the night even more quiet.
After changing Jiya’s diaper, Bahu didn’t rush to put him back to bed. He held him in his arms, not moving for a while. Seeing that he was about to suck on his toes again, he didn’t stop him. His mouth opened and closed for a long time without making a sound.
For three consecutive days, Bahu finally finished the busy work of branding the cattle and sheep. When Mi Niang took the children with Bahu to herd the sheep, they saw several groups of sheep with bloody brands on their hips.
“Such a big wound? Could some sheep have died from this?”
“Yes, but not many. It’s just a scalding on the skin. Those who died were already weak. Some sheep, even with broken legs, can still survive.” This was also a way to eliminate sick and weak sheep. At this time, deaths were better than later during the two-year reproduction period, reducing losses for the herders.
Two days later, while Mi Niang was inspecting the sheep, she found two ewes lying still, not eating grass. She quickly called Bahu, “What should we do? Is there any medicinal herb to treat them?”
Bahu lifted the sheep’s leg and flipped it, but the wound on the hipbone hadn’t improved; instead, it was oozing pus, and the flesh had rotted. He could tell at a glance that there was no hope of saving them. “You go back and check on the children,” he instructed Mi Niang, shooing her away.
As Mi Niang reached the hill, she saw Bahu tossing two sheep onto the horseback and riding away into the distance. When he returned, he was alone on the horse, and the two sheep were nowhere to be seen.
“Where are the sheep?”
“Dead. I threw them to a place far from the flock.”
Dead? That meant Bahu had slaughtered them.
Mi Niang’s expression was easily understood. Bahu washed his hands and sat down. “There was no way to save them. Lingering on in agony day by day would have been painful, so I gave them a swift end.”
“Why did you throw them away? The meat at home is only enough for one meal at noon.” Sheep at the age of four to five months were tender and delicious. Unless there were guests or something worth celebrating, Bahu wouldn’t usually slaughter sheep that were less than half a year old.
“The wounds were festering, and the sheep got sick. You can’t eat the meat of a sick sheep; it makes people uncomfortable. These two sheep got sick due to the worsening wounds. By throwing them away, vultures, wolves, or other animals will eat them. If they died of an invisible disease, herders would dig a deep hole to bury the sheep, preventing it from spreading to wolves and other carnivores, and eventually infecting the livestock.”
Mi Niang dared not speak. She had a cousin who had a strong appetite and loved to eat pork from pigs that died of illness. One time, she tried it, and the stewed meat had a peculiar taste, but her cousin insisted that the flavor made it delicious. Compared to the nomadic herdsmen of the barren north who believed in the longevity of heaven and worshipped the wolf god, some customs of the central plains, where people were not particular about eating meat or vegetables, seemed to be less refined.
After having lunch, Mi Niang and Bahu each carried a child. With a stick in hand, they went to drive away the rams that were fighting. Adults were most afraid of encountering group fights among cattle and sheep, but when Qiqige and Jiya saw the fight, they stared intently and burst into laughter when the fighters separated.
“They truly inherit my bloodline; their courage is admirable.” Bahu was proud. Despite Mi Niang enjoying beef and mutton, when it came to slaughtering cattle and sheep, she couldn’t overcome her reservations. Initially, when she brought the children to the pasture, she was worried that the children would be frightened. Fortunately, the two children didn’t inherit her timid nature.
Mi Niang gave him an annoyed look. “Don’t be too pleased. There will be more challenges as they grow up.” With sheep, cattle, horses, and camels at home, she could already anticipate the demands of riding and playing with various animals as the children got older.
Bahu was about to say something when he noticed Da Huang standing up, alertly gazing in the direction of their home. Then he heard the barking of Bala and Alse, the wolves.
“Is someone coming home?” Mi Niang stood up.
Bahu remained still. If it were Mu Xiang and the others, Bala and Alse wolves wouldn’t be barking so fiercely.
“You go check it out.” Mi Niang gave him a push.
“No need. ChaoBao and Xi Jil are at home. If someone is looking for me, they will come over.” As soon as he said that, the barking of the dogs at home stopped. A group of people approached, and the figures became clearer. Da Huang couldn’t help but show its teeth.
“Stay down, they’re acquaintances.” Bahu patted Da Huang’s head and said to Mi Niang, “It’s Hu Wen Yin’s son, Hu Wen Yin. I’ll go take a look.”
“Senior, I’ve come to ask for your help.” Hu Wen Yin didn’t exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point. “Can you spare some time the day after tomorrow to help brand the sheep for those who moved north? They’ve been dyeing the wool, but it fades quickly, and the sheep herds are mixed up. In the past half month, I’ve dealt with several fights over this issue.”
“Okay.” Bahu agreed without hesitation. He arranged for ChaoBao and Xi Jil to take turns watching over the sheep day and night. Mi Niang stayed at home with the children to prepare lunch. Bahu cooked the meals in the morning and rushed back in the evening to cook dinner.
The night before, when Bahu came back and was washing his face, he asked Mi Niang if she had taken the children to play with Mu Xiang today.
“No, you don’t like it, do you?” Mi Niang intentionally said.
Bahu felt wronged but also a bit guilty. He scrutinized Mi Niang suspiciously, wondering if she had misunderstood him. “I didn’t mean to stop you from interacting with them. If you have nothing to do, you can go and visit them. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. Today, I saw Zhong Qi. He’s working with Wen Yin, handling accounting. It seems he’s been quite valued for some time.”
“He and Mu Xiang have parted ways?” Mi Niang was surprised.
Bahu wasn’t sure. He had only seen Zhong Qi once before this and hadn’t spoken to him. When he saw him today, he didn’t even say hello.
“He’s working with Wen Yin. Since Wen Yin’s place is not close to here, Zhong Qi probably can’t go back to guard the sheep overnight. The partnership between Mu Xiang and him in raising sheep doesn’t seem good.” Bahu shook his head. “Mu Xiang probably can’t raise seventy to eighty sheep alone. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take the children with you to see. Since we know them, we shouldn’t worry too much. If she can’t handle it, she can return the fifty sheep she rented from you, and I can compensate her with a few months’ worth of sheep-raising expenses.” The money from selling herself for five years is far from the value of seventy sheep. Moreover, Mu Xiang and Mi Niang are good friends. If she can’t return as agreed next summer, discussing selling herself again might pose a challenge, and Mi Niang may be reluctant.
