Kuruciyar Minal Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel: Narrative Overview
Welcome to the narrative breakdown of Kuruciyar Minal Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel, authored by Mzz Untichlobanty. This section follows the journey of Amina (Minal), her hardworking father Baban Kowa, and the humorous household dynamics surrounding her poor academic performance.
Below is the complete narrative adaptation and English translation for Chapters 2 and 3.
Chapter 2: Street Wisdom and Tragic News
The Youth at the Corner
A group of young men sat by the roadside smoking cigarettes. One of them heard his phone alarm ring at 4:00 PM and quickly extinguished his cigarette.
“My alarm went off,” he told his friends. “By God, it’s time for the old man to return.”
The group burst into laughter. One joked, “He’s probably delayed telling stories to children.”
Another added, “True, but that old man is always stepping on people’s toes—just look at what his unruly daughter did earlier.”
At that moment, Malam Yusuf (Baban Kowa) turned the corner. The young men quickly brushed off their clothes and popped mint candies into their mouths to mask the smell of cigarette smoke. They approached him politely. Baban Kowa smiled, thinking this was the first time he hadn’t caught them smoking. However, as they drew closer, he caught the faint odor of tobacco, and his smile vanished.
“Welcome, father,” they greeted, bowing respectfully.
Baban Kowa frowned. “Look at you all, acting like decent people! For God’s sake, why won’t you admonish yourselves? I thought you had gained sense, but I see there’s still a long way to go. Don’t you know this substance abuse brings shame to your parents? Do you want the world to insult them?”
They shook their heads, lowering their gaze. “We are sorry, father. God willing, we will stop.”
Baban Kowa smiled bitterly, knowing such promises were broken as quickly as they were made. “May God give you the strength to quit. You are ruining your own lives. Don’t you know that whatever you do in your youth follows you into adulthood? Would you want your future children to hear that you smoked weed?”
“No, we wouldn’t like that,” they admitted together.
“If you don’t know, let me tell you: substance abuse leads to mental illness, kidney damage, and heart failure, and it can kill you. Is this how you wish to meet God? Without secular or Islamic knowledge? May God guide you.”
He continued on his way, shaking his head over how youth waste their lives.
Tragic News at the Gathering
As Baban Kowa approached the gathering spot of the neighborhood elders, they greeted him warmly. Malam Isa, a cap washer, asked, “Baban Kowa, why do you look so troubled?”
“Ah, these modern youths keep giving us heartbreak…” Baban Kowa began.
Before he could finish, Malam Saminu arrived, visibly shaken and pale. He sat down without greeting anyone.
“Haba, Malam Saminu,” Baban Kowa chided gently. “Why sit down without a greeting? If elders act like this, what example do we set for our children?”
Malam Saminu removed his cap, set it aside, and took a deep breath. “Something terrible has shaken me. Malam Ado’s six-year-old daughter, Salma, was assaulted due to her mother’s oversight. She went out after sunset without anyone noticing, and her mother didn’t search for her until after 10:00 PM. They searched everywhere in vain. At dawn, she was found discarded. They rushed her to the hospital, but despite the doctors’ best efforts… she just passed away.”
Silence fell over the group. Malam Sambo asked in disbelief, “Little Salma? The six-year-old?”
“Yes, that very Salma,” Saminu confirmed.
The elders uttered prayers of sorrow, deeply saddened by the news. They agreed to pay a condolence visit to the grieving family later that day before Baban Kowa headed home.
Baban Kowa Returns Home
As Baban Kowa walked through his neighborhood, adults and children alike called out greetings to him—he was widely loved and respected by all.
Near his house, Basheer, a shopkeeper and childhood friend of Baban Kowa’s eldest son Abubakar, greeted him warmly.
“How is the shop, Basheeru?” Baban Kowa asked.
“Alhamdulillah,” Basheer replied.
“I hope Minal didn’t cause trouble for anyone today,” Baban Kowa said. “She mentioned they were supposed to collect their exam results.”
“Honestly, Baban Kowa, Minal didn’t cause any trouble today,” Basheer lied smoothly to protect his friend’s father from worry. “I haven’t even seen her step outside. It seems our little friend is settling down.”
“Masha Allah, that is good to hear,” Baban Kowa smiled. “May God bless you.”
Inside the compound, Minal was sitting on the ground chopping sorrel (yakuwa) leaves. Hearing her father’s voice, her heart leaped into her throat. In a panic, she stumbled and sprinted into her room at full speed, knocking over her leaves.
Inna scolded her from inside, “What is wrong with you, my spoiled child? You’re spilling the…”
Baban Kowa stepped into the compound. “I gave the greeting, but no one answered. It feels like no one is home.”
“Forgive us, Malam,” Inna replied, coming out. “Welcome back. It was this daughter of yours who ran into the room like she saw a ghost and startled me. Let me fetch you some water.”
Baban Kowa removed his shoes and sat on the mat. “Is she running because someone called her phone?”
Inna, checking the water pot, shook her head. “No, we were just talking, and the moment she heard your voice, she bolted into the room.”
Baban Kowa’s heart sank. He worried constantly about Minal’s academics because he desperately wanted her to succeed in life. “Did she collect her exam results?”
“Yes, they are over there on the window sill,” Inna said.
Baban Kowa stood up and fetched the report card. Just as he feared, Minal had placed 48th out of 52 students. Upset, he walked to her room door. “Aminatu, what are you doing inside?”
“I’m changing my clothes!” Minal yelled back.
“Come out right now before I come in there,” he ordered.
“Baba, I swear I have no clothes on! I’m preparing to bathe!” she claimed.
“You, bathe on your own without being told?” Baban Kowa remarked skeptically. “It’s been six years since you last took a bath without someone forcing you! But fine, let me step outside to check on something first.”
Chapter 3: The Report Card and the Consequence
Baban Kowa Confronts Minal
After waiting five minutes, Minal peeked her head out, sweating profusely from guilt.
Immediately, Baban Kowa landed a sharp rap on her head (rankwashi), causing her to freeze in place for several seconds. She collapsed to the floor, pouting deeply.
“Close your mouth before I give you another one!” Baba warned. “Get up!”
Minal stood up slowly, grumbling, “Haba, Baba! With the way you hit my head like it’s food, how do you expect me to perform well in school? You keep knocking my CPU—don’t you know the brain is the human processing unit?”
“Be quiet, you girl with the brain of a fish!” Baba snapped. “May God open that clogged brain of yours.”
Minal burst into tears, stomping her feet. “Baba, my brain is not clogged!”
Inna interjected, “Shut up before you gather the neighbors for us!”
Minal cried louder. Baba picked up a small wooden stick. Instantly, as if rain had suddenly stopped, Minal cut off her crying, blinking nervously through heavy sighs.
“I don’t want to hear another sound,” Baba said firmly. “Let me see what mess you brought home this time. You do nothing but pick fights. I was actually surprised no one came to report you for two weeks.”
Minal pouted, her oily skin glistening. “Well, I had a nightmare that I died, so I was laying low! But I haven’t stopped fighting completely.”
Baba stared at her, took off his shoe, and used it to lightly strike her. He opened her report card and saw that out of all subjects, she only had two As, while the rest were failing marks. Her handwriting was so messy it looked like a doctor’s prescription, but reading the contents made him want to weep.
Disappointment washed over him. He shook his head in frustration, knowing that even a primary five student performed better than his daughter.
“You! Come here!” Baba yelled.
Minal shuffled over nervously. Baba looked at her. “So, with this kind of result, you expect to move on to higher education? Look at this huge waste of effort!”
Minal giggled softly.
Inna snapped, “So help me God, Amina, your father is scolding you and you’re smiling? Have you lost all respect?”
“Toh, Inna, what did I do?” Minal asked innocently.
“Shut your mouth!” Inna scolded.
Minal sighed. “Alright, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. But Inna, for God’s sake, won’t you buy me awara (bean cakes)?”
Inna glared at her. “No one is buying you anything!”
Baba gathered the papers, shaking his head. “A person gets repeated twice in the same grade and still doesn’t improve! Both you and your friend Zaliha are the oldest in your class, yet your brains are like fish! You do nothing but eat and cause trouble. Ever since you started hanging out with that Fatima girl, your behavior completely went downhill.”
“Well, aren’t you the one giving me spending money?” Minal argued back. “Besides, Fatima’s family moved back to Kano!”
“Oh, so that’s your excuse now?” Baba replied, shaking his head at his daughter’s endless excuses.