Zhong Qi noticed the glance that Mi Niang cast towards him. After everyone left, he asked Mu Xiang, “What did she mean? Why is she willing to send a gift but unwilling to attend the banquet?”
Mu Xiang ignored him and drove two sheep into the sheep pen.
“Hey, why aren’t you talking? It’s not like I’ve done anything to upset you.” Zhong Qi followed behind, incessantly chattering.
“She knows you’re biased against her because of the Suhe incident,” Mu Xiang replied.
“This, this…” Zhong Qi exclaimed, “I misspoke for a moment. Why did you have to mention it?”
“Whether you misspoke or not, you know it best,” Mu Xiang sneered. “Think about where you stood just now, you wished to be miles away from her. It’s not like anyone is blind.” Suddenly, she turned and stared at him intently. “Sometimes I can’t help but wonder, if I were to experience being kidnapped in the future, and if I killed someone to save myself, would you also be afraid of me, disgusted that I’ve taken a life?”
“Nonsense, hurry up and spit to dispel bad luck,” Zhong Qi’s expression turned cold. “Why talk about ominous things out of nowhere?”. He grabbed Mu Xiang, refusing to let go no matter how she struggled. “Quick, spit three times.”
Mu Xiang’s expression softened, and as he wished, she turned her head away and spat three times.
“Don’t overthink it, I’ll definitely stand by your side.” He ruffled Mu Xiang’s hair. “I’ll protect you.”
“Then keep your mouth in check, think more, and speak less. Don’t speak carelessly outside,” Mu Xiang continued walking, speaking as she walked. “I’m sure I don’t have any enemies, but you might offend someone with that mouth of yours, even while trying to protect me.”
Zhong Qi’s mouth moved, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
…
“Uncle Muren, don’t go out today, stay in the house and watch the two children. Every hour and a half, go milk the camels and come back to boil it. After it boils, let it cool to warm before feeding Qiqige and Jiya. Ajimas knows about this, if you’re unsure, ask him.” The two kids didn’t know she was going fishing and learning to skate. Seeing her laughing foolishly as she covered her face with fabric, they imitated her by covering their faces too.
“They’re so adorable.” She couldn’t resist bending down to kiss their little cheeks. “Behave at home, Mommy will be back soon.”
This year couldn’t be like last year when she was gone for the whole day. With two little tails at home, she felt at ease, and Bahu couldn’t bear to be apart from them either.
With three carts and six people, they wrapped up tightly after breakfast and headed for Wali. Along the way, it was just them six, as the wheel marks left from the previous days were already covered in snow.
“Oh, there are still people here, we’re not the last ones.” Before getting off the cart, they heard the crisp sound of ice being smashed. Mi Niang helped carry two hammers and, taking the lead, went around the reed marshes onto the lake. There were only scattered individuals, and from this distance, it was even hard to tell men from women.
“Pick a spot and start smashing,” Bahu shouted, supporting Mi Niang as they walked towards the deeper part of the lake. “Lean forward, legs apart, and point your toes outward.” He kicked the tip of the straight board with his foot. “Yes, like this, toes pointing outward. Don’t be afraid, I’ve got you. Even if I fall, I won’t let you fall.”
“Is it starting already?” Mi Niang slightly loosened her grip on his hand, but her legs were still stiff.
“What else? Should we wait for an auspicious moment?” Bahu glanced at her sideways. “Wow, we haven’t even had the tea ceremony to officially become master and disciple yet.”
Seeing how stiff she was, Bahu wrapped his arm around her waist, tossed aside the axe and hammer, and held her close, almost carrying her as they skated around the edge of the lake. “Relax your legs, yes, shake them a bit. If you get tired, just shake them. I’ve got you, I won’t let you fall.”
The others looked at each other and then scattered to find their own spots on the ice. It was truly a trial, running around in this freezing weather. No wonder ChaoBao had all sorts of excuses and kept resisting coming. Next year, they wouldn’t come either. Whoever wanted to come could come!
The surface of the lake was smooth, except for the ice pits that had been smashed open, but Bahu managed to avoid them. Mi Niang was almost hanging onto him, with only the tips of her toes touching the ground. She held onto Bahu tightly, feeling the swift wind rushing past her ears. “I feel like I’m flying!”
As if showing off, Bahu increased his speed, bending forward with Mi Niang in his arms, his legs bending as the wooden soles of his shoes scraped against the ice with a piercing sound. He dashed past the edges of the ice pits, purposely choosing the areas with more pits, swaying rapidly from side to side and making sharp turns, frightening Mi Niang into loud screams, louder than the earlier barks of D Huang.
“I’m going to die, I’m going to die, stop!” Mi Niang wanted to hit him but was too afraid to extend her hand, and he was too heavily dressed for her to bite. All she could do was scream at the top of her lungs, “Bahu! I’m done playing!”
Bahu made a turn and stopped, almost losing his balance. As soon as he let go of Mi Niang, he received a few kicks. “Why were you running so fast?”
“Ice skating is more fun the faster you go. Look, you asked me to stop, and I stopped.” The man defended himself, while the woman opposite him glared angrily, her eyes watery but reflecting the reeds and the pristine snow behind her. The breath she exhaled blurred her face, but in the gaps between the mist, the anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by curiosity as she looked around, following the marks on the ice, excitement rising in her eyes.
“Are you still playing?” He was addicted.
“You go ahead and break the ice and set the nets. When the nets are set, then come back and play with me,” Mi Niang said. She didn’t mind if she couldn’t learn how to skate. Having someone pull her around in front of her house and being carried by someone on the ice made her feel like a carefree wild dog, and more fun with a group of people.
“Okay, I’ll take you over there,” Bahu said, holding Mi Niang’s hand and deciding to walk instead, supporting her as they moved slowly across the ice.
Pushed aside, Higir looked up at the approaching couple, then coldly turned his gaze away, exerting all his strength to smash the ice, sending ice chips flying and forcing the two laughing people to separate.
“Don’t expose your mouth, don’t inhale the wind, and start coughing again when you go back,” Bahu instructed carefully.
With a “bang,” the ice cracked, and Higir nearly fell into the lake along with the sinking ice.
“What are you doing, being so forceful with the last blow?” Bahu quickly grabbed him, looking at the large hole in the ice and clicking his tongue a few times. “The young man has some strength. Now we don’t need to break another hole. Just set the net and wait.” The hole was too big, and the fish that jumped out ended up falling back in. Bahu threw the net into the hole and then, with Mi Niang carrying the bag, walked over to where the others were. “When the fish jump out, throw them onto the ice, and Mi Niang will pick them up with the bag.”
“Are you two done skating?” Higir turned back and asked.
“We’re done, so as not to disturb that lone guy over there,” Bahu said, receiving a pinch in return. He then looked back at Higir. “Do you think what I said was right?”
“…You’re the host, so everything you say is right,” Higir grunted, going to the reed bed to gather a large bundle of reeds, shaking off the snow and ice, and spreading them on the ground to sit on.
Indeed, he was too busy to break free. With three fishing nets, they lowered them, lifted them up, picked up the fish, and then lowered the nets again. Mi Niang dragged the bag and happily picked up the frozen fish. The fish caught in Wali Lake were only caught once a year, each one about half an arm’s length, with a thin layer of frost on their bodies, making them appetizing without the need for cooking.
By noon, they had caught six nets of fish, filling up a cart. Bahu sent the other four people off first. “Shall we go for another round?”
Mi Niang nodded, her eyes curved into a smile, and she opened her arms for him to hold onto her. With a light push of her toes, they glided out like birds in the sky. No one had dug holes by the side of the lake because the ice was thickest there. Bahu swiftly slid along the edge of the lake with Mi Niang, his upper body cold while his lower body was slightly sweaty. Worried that Mi Niang might get sick again, he stopped after playing for a while.
“Alright, let’s come back and play again tomorrow. That’s enough for today.”
But he didn’t let go of her hand as they wobbled back through the reeds and into the snowy ground. There was heavy breathing in his ears. “I didn’t make you exert yourself, yet you’re still panting.”
“You…” Mi Niang suddenly stopped, furrowing her brows as she looked towards the reeds. “Did you hear something?”
Bahu didn’t say anything, just pulled Mi Niang back with long strides, then ran up the bank and onto the cart without looking back until they were seated inside.
“What’s wrong?” Mi Niang coughed a few times, exhausted from running, her heart pounding.
“I smell blood,” Bahu glanced at the horse pulling the cart. It seemed fine, showing no reaction to any predators.
“I’ll go check it out. You stay in the cart and don’t come out.”
“Don’t.” Mi Niang grabbed him tightly, refusing to let go. “What if it’s a wolf?”
“Even if it is, it’s probably injured or dead.”
“It could also be chewing on its prey.” Mi Niang held onto Bahu’s wrist tightly.
“There are still people in the lake. I’ll go shout to them.” Bahu broke free from Mi Niang’s grip. “Stay put, those fishing are all strong men from our village. If one dies, it’ll be a disaster for the whole family.”
The axes and hammers had been cleaned up by Higir and the others and put on their cart. Mi Niang searched through the cart but found nothing. She climbed out of the cart and stood on the shaft, scanning the area, but the reeds were too high, obscuring the view of the lake. She couldn’t see Bahu’s figure.
As time passed bit by bit, just as Mi Niang couldn’t help but want to jump out of the cart and go around the bend into the lake to look for people, footsteps suddenly appeared in the snowfield to the east. She was startled and saw that it was someone patting their chest as they drove the cart over.
“How is it?” she asked anxiously.
“They’re all gone,” Bahu sat on the shaft, pushing Mi Niang back into the cart. When their hands touched, they felt icy cold. “I had it under control. Look how scared you got.”
“Yeah, I was scared to death,” Mi Niang punched his back and, instead of deflating, her anger grew. She hugged his neck, unbuttoning his collar and taking a bite. “You’re worried about another family, aren’t we a family?”
Bahu gritted his teeth without saying a word. When the warm, sharp teeth withdrew, he hugged her back and joked, “Didn’t bite me to death, did you?”
“Bit off a chunk of meat,” her anger subsided, but her face was still grim. She roughly rubbed his head. “I didn’t know I married a hero.”
“What’s a hero?” Bahu heard this term for the first time.
Mi Niang didn’t answer. She had also heard it randomly outside the teahouse and couldn’t explain why.
“Are you coming back tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes, we only have enough fish for our family to get through the winter with the cart full. And with the others, it’s not enough to eat,” Bahu looked back and continued, “I’ll bring my bow and arrow tomorrow and take a few more people in to take a look. Otherwise, if someone comes by later without knowing, they might get into trouble.” As he spoke, he glanced at Mi Niang and received a big eye roll, but she didn’t object.
“Don’t worry, without checking my ledger, I can’t even count how many wolves I’ve killed. If it didn’t come out today, it must be injured,” Bahu reassured her.
The next day.
Bahu didn’t let Mi Niang get off the cart. He led the way with people carrying bows and arrows, and those with machetes holding machetes, cautiously stepping into the reed marsh where they had smelled blood yesterday. The smell of blood hadn’t dissipated yet, but it was much fainter compared to yesterday.
Reeds lay underfoot, and snow fell lightly. As they entered the reed marsh, they sank into it. The wind blew, and the reed marsh was filled with various noises, including the whimpering of animals, sounding like snoring, more akin to the threatening growls of wild dogs protecting their food.
It had spotted them.
