Who among steppe people bathed every day? These were all bad habits of Guanzhong people. Na Rimu mumbled and protested as she was pushed by Huan Niang and her daughter into the tent to bathe. Na Rimu loved most to hold little lambs and sing—naturally her body would be stained with the smell of mutton. A qualified herder would consider this a natural scent. Why didn’t her own daughter like it?

Picky about food, particular about clothes, and from a young age loving to splash about in the bathtub—Na Rimu blamed all of this on her husband. When the girl was very small, he would carry her into the bathhouse, scoop up a large basin of water, put his daughter in the wooden tub to frolic. Sometimes father and daughter would play in the water until they even forgot to eat dinner. The daughter must have formed this habit back then.

Standing in the bathtub looking at her own body, Na Rimu was filled with pride. Full breasts standing high and firm, a solid abdomen without a trace of excess flesh, round buttocks still so firm. To prevent her face from being worn rough by the steppe’s wind and sand, she had painstakingly asked Huan Niang to make this veil.

Looking at the reflection in the water, Na Rimu couldn’t help feeling aggrieved. Here was her daughter, cattle and sheep, grasslands, and such a beautiful woman—Brother, why won’t you come?

Huan Niang had long grown accustomed to Na Rimu’s narcissism. She slapped her on the bottom and said, “Bathe properly. We eat cattle and sheep all day long—our bodies naturally have more impurities than Guanzhong people. If you don’t bathe, you’ll become a stinky woman. No matter how much the Marquis likes you, he’ll be driven away by your smell. This is fragrance medicine brought from home. I hear that if you eat it, your whole person will become sweet-smelling. I don’t know if it works or not.”

While Huan Niang attended to Na Rimu’s bath, Yun Mu was completely free. With a call of “Ah-oh, ah-oh,” a giant dog as large as a calf came running over with rumbling sounds, standing beside the girl, taller than her. Its head as big as a winnowing basket rubbed against the girl’s body, very intimately. Snow-white long fur draped like satin over its body, two ears hanging down, with two patches of pale yellow “four eyes” on its face. Hanging eyes and drooping mouth, large ears in a heart shape, broad forehead and high head, a patch of brown heart-shaped fur on its chest, tail curled high, two fangs protruding from its lips—clearly not any kind type.

The Yun girl stood on tiptoe to pat the big dog’s head. This番 dog sent from the highlands immediately lowered its head and squinted its eyes, greatly enjoying its master’s affection.

Yun Jiu hid eight zhang away, calling out to Yun Mu from afar, “Little Miss, are you riding the dog? I’ll have the dog slave prepare a saddle for you right away.” As soon as he finished speaking, he ran out of sight, because he saw that big dog baring its fangs at him.

Soon a bald, bare-chested strong man came to Yun Mu’s side. Squatting down, he carefully fitted an exquisite small saddle onto the番 dog’s body, then brought a set of small leather armor to put on the girl. A child-sized set of wooden knife, wooden spear, and wooden bow were hung on the dog’s body. Finally, he picked up the little girl and placed her on the dog.

“Danzhu, I’ll help you get your wife back. I’ll also help you get your son back. Tomorrow they’ll all come to my house. If he doesn’t give them, I’ll have Wangcai bite him.”

Na Rimu wasn’t good at naming things. She only remembered her husband’s beloved horse was called Wangcai, so she gave her daughter’s番 dog that grew up with her the same name Wangcai. In her view, the names her husband chose were the best.

The dog slave was sent together with the dog and had lived at the Yun family’s pasture for two years. To him, this place was heaven. He only needed to raise the household’s dogs well, and he could eat his fill and dress warmly, never again having to wail in the ice and snow while holding dogs. He never imagined the noble young master would still remember the promise made to him. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground with all five limbs, kissing Yun Mu’s little boots. He didn’t know how noble the young master was, only that the great chiefs of the snowfields all needed to bow when seeing the young master. He didn’t doubt at all that the young master would help him get his suffering wife and children back.

“Wangcai! Charge!” Yun Mu picked up her softwood spear and, like a knight, commanded her mount. The big dog immediately galloped wildly—this little bit of weight the little girl had still couldn’t trouble it. Dog slave Danzhu ran behind, his mouth split almost to his ears. The young master was his heaven.

Wangcai was the dog king. Seeing it start running, the other dogs also followed, and deep roaring sounds filled the steppe at once. A single Tibetan mastiff dared fight three wolves and could win. A pack of Tibetan mastiffs was an invincible presence on the steppe.

Yun Mu led her great army and plunged headlong into the enemy—of course, this was a large flock of sheep. The sheep herd immediately exploded in chaos, bleating and fleeing in all directions. The little girl’s softwood spear continuously poked at those sheep’s bottoms, causing even more confusion.

Na Rimu was bathing when she heard the sheep herd outside explode in chaos. She tried to run outside without even putting on clothes, but was firmly held back by Huan Niang, who forcibly stuffed her into the bathtub before giving up.

“The girl is just playing. If the sheep herd is in chaos, there are shepherds. Running outside without clothes—do you still want face?”

“The sheep are running away!” Na Rimu anxiously slapped the wooden tub and said to Huan Niang.

“Let them run. How much are they worth? The girl is pitiful—she doesn’t have all those toys from home. She can only ride the big dog and chase sheep, playing at being a great general. Just this little bit of fun, even I feel heartache watching. Yet you’re worrying about a few worthless sheep.”

“Sheep are food. Herders live by sheep…” Na Rimu had only said half when Huan Niang interrupted, “That’s for herders. You’re not one. You’re a Sixth Rank Lady. The court has stipends to support you. You don’t eat by sheep. Whatever situation you’re in, you should speak accordingly. Tomorrow is the ‘Nai Ri.’ Tribal chiefs will come beneath the Yin Mountains, and even Tubo chiefs from afar will come. You are the most noble in status among them. They still rely on you to present their requests to Great Tang. Instead of thinking carefully about what you should do, how do you have time to worry about the sheep herd?”

Na Rimu shook her head irritably. She loved herding. The temperament she had restrained at the Yun family estate reverted within three days of reaching the steppe. She loved watching the constantly growing sheep herds, loved watching the increasing cattle, and also loved watching the herders eating their fill, singing and dancing. But whenever specific matters were mentioned, she got terrible headaches.

Previously in Chang’an, when she saw her husband dealing with mountains of documents, she felt Lord Husband was very pitiful. When she saw Lord Husband from time to time slapping the table and cursing people as idiots, she sympathized with him even more. Now these detestable matters had actually found their way to her—truly outrageous.

“I’m a woman of the inner chambers. How can I handle these military and state affairs? Better to let Yun Jiu do it. He’s the steward—shouldn’t he handle these matters?” Thinking it over and over, Na Rimu actually thought of a good idea—let Yun Jiu go. Yun Jiu was very clever. Lord Husband had even praised him. There must be no mistake.

“Madam, that won’t do! Yun Jiu is a servant. If you let a servant receive those people, they’ll think it’s an insult. If things go badly, there’ll be fighting. Those coming are all wild men who care about such things. Government officials will also come—that Ma Zhou. I hear he won’t stay here much longer. His Majesty has already ordered him to enter the capital. Border army people will also come—they’re coming to collect benefits. There are also tribute items for His Majesty. Our household doesn’t need them—the Marquis already handled it. If tomorrow those people’s gifts can’t satisfy the border army, that’s also trouble. If the officials punish too severely, you’ll still need to put in good words. These things Yun Jiu cannot handle.”

“So annoying!” Na Rimu buried her head in the water, not wanting to hear Huan Niang’s nagging at all. So many matters—how could she handle them? No need to manage them. Anyway, no one from her own household dared bully her. Let everyone else go die.

Eldest Miss Yun returned victorious. Although in the middle she was knocked off the dog by a large ram and took a loss, that large sheep was also chased by a pack of dogs over the mountain. The shepherds were still searching—they must find it. When it came back, she would still whip it twice to vent her anger.

A pretty child like a porcelain doll, after a great battle with the sheep herd, became a mud doll. The dog slave helped remove the leather armor. Entering the tent, she was about to take off her own clothes to prepare for a bath. Seeing her mother still bathing, she had Grandma Huan Niang undress her. In two or three moves she was stripped bare. Except for the wooden pendant around her neck which she didn’t remove, she climbed up the step board and with a splash jumped into the wooden tub, splashing Na Rimu’s face with water.

Huan Niang busied herself for quite a while. After washing the big one, she washed the little one clean, then tapped her own waist saying, “I still hoped to enjoy good fortune following you. Who knew there’d be endless toil? If I’d known, I would have stayed at the Yun family estate. Every day embroidering flowers and playing cards—wouldn’t that be a hundred times better than following you two monkeys running all over the mountains?”

Yun Mu hugged Huan Niang’s neck tightly and said sweetly, “I don’t want to be separated from Grandma. You don’t work—this girl will work. You sit properly, and this girl will pound your back.”

Huan Niang affectionately slapped her bare bottom and said, “Only your little mouth can talk. Even if you cheat Grandma to death, she’d be willing. First put on your shorts—watch out for mosquito bites.”

Having suffered endless hardship, childless Huan Niang had long since cherished Na Rimu as her own daughter. Back then, Yun Ye had said that at her age, there was no need to follow them to the steppe to suffer. She could stay home and happily retire. When idle, she could play cards with the aunts—all would be fine. He would send other maids and matrons to attend Na Rimu. But Huan Niang couldn’t be at ease about Na Rimu and her child no matter what. She insisted on following them back. In her view, wherever Na Rimu and Yun Mu were, that was her home.

Watching Na Rimu and Yun Mu, mother and daughter, bickering while helping each other dress, Huan Niang’s wrinkled face brimmed with warmth. This scene she had waited thirty years for—finally she had waited for such good days.

Regarding her mother’s difficult matter, Eldest Miss Yun patted her little chest and took on everything, believing she should go to tomorrow’s “Nai Ri.” She still had business—to help Danzhu get back his wife and child. Those people took away someone’s wife and son and wouldn’t give them back—truly too detestable. If tomorrow they gave them back, that would be good. If they didn’t give them, she’d have Wangcai bite them. Wangcai’s mouth was huge—cow bones thicker than her own arm could be bitten in half in one bite. She didn’t believe they wouldn’t be afraid.