Chapter 26 Sausage and bacon.

Liquor is indeed hard to buy, and He Susu doesn't have any liquor tickets. She is too lazy to find someone to exchange them, so she simply exchanges them directly in the shopping system.

The liquor in the shopping system is also quite cheap. 2 points of diligence can be exchanged for one kilogram of liquor.

As her mother said before, making bacon doesn't require so much liquor, but the things in the shopping system must be purchased at least according to the minimum unit. He Susu had no choice but to exchange 2 points of diligence for 1 kilogram of liquor with tears in her eyes.

If you go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy liquor, you need to bring your own bamboo tube or kettle. The liquor exchanged in the shopping system does come with a bottle, but He Susu didn't plan to take out a pound of it. She only brought a bamboo tube from home and poured out two taels of liquor in a place where no one was around.

Spices like peppercorns, bay leaves, and cinnamon were too complicated, so He Susu simply rode her bike to the grocery store after get off work and bought them all at once, without even needing a ticket.

He Susu took all of these things home, along with the remaining five pounds of pork.

A total of nine pounds of pork were placed in the bucket, stuffed full. Mother He felt very satisfied just looking at it: "They say that if there is food at home, there is no need to worry for the whole year. It is the same with this meat. Who would have thought that there would be so much meat at home at one time? Even if we eat it every day, it can last for ten days."

After sighing, He's mother covered the bucket with a lid and sank it into the well to cool it down.

After the autumn harvest, the work was not so busy, so He's mother would go home early to cook.

When the He family came back from work, they heard that the family had saved up nine pounds of pork. They couldn't help but go to the well and pull up the bucket. After taking a few glances at the bucket full of pork, they felt satisfied. Then they closed the lid and sank the bucket back into the well, washed their hands and prepared to eat.

Because making sausages and bacon cannot be completed in one day, He Susu did not join in the fun and went to work as usual.

Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were worried that their mother-in-law couldn't handle it all by herself: "Mom, how about we take a day off tomorrow to help you at home? Otherwise, you'll be too tired by yourself."

He's mother waved her hand and said, "No need. You can just go to work as usual. Don't waste the opportunity to earn extra money. And if you all ask for leave, you can't be sure what the villagers will think. It will be even more troublesome."

"Okay." Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe had to give up their desire to help. They had never made sausages and bacon before, and they might even make things worse at home.

The five children were looking forward to the sausages and bacon they would soon eat, but the older ones had to go to school, and the younger ones were considered a nuisance by their mother, so she sent them all to play in the village.

The next day, the He family had breakfast and went to work. The children followed them to school, and the two younger ones went to play near the school. He Susu rode her bicycle to the county town to work, while He's mother sharpened her knife and prepared to start working.

He's mother took the pork out of the bucket. She planned to use four pounds of pork to make sausages and five pounds of pork to make bacon.

He's mother first cut five pounds of pork into five long strips weighing one pound each and placed them separately in a basin. She sprinkled the white wine that her daughter had specially bought on the pork and then carefully scrubbed it to ensure that every strip of pork was clean.

Afterwards, pour out the white wine in the basin and temporarily place the five pieces of pork in the basin. He's mother went to light the stove, poured spices such as bay leaves, cinnamon, and peppercorns into the pot and stir-fried them until fragrant, then poured in a lot of soy sauce and salt and stir-fried them together.

After cooking, she scooped out spices such as bay leaves, cinnamon, and peppercorns with a spatula, collected all the remaining sauce, and poured the sauce on each piece of pork to ensure that it would be marinated well later.

After finishing, He's mother rolled the five pieces of pork tightly together so that they could all be soaked in the sauce. Then she took a plate and placed it upside down on the basin, then put it in the bucket and sank it into the well to marinate for two days.

She started making Chinese sausages. Four pounds of pork needed to be minced, which was the most noisy part. Fortunately, the neighbors had all gone to work, so He's mother no longer cared and started chopping the pork on the chopping board with a kitchen knife.

Normally, she would not feel anything when chopping half a pound of pork, but this time, she was chopping four pounds of pork. Her mother really felt her hands were sore and her heart was tired before she chopped the pork into minced meat with a little gelatin.

She put four pounds of minced meat into another bowl, added salt, soy sauce, sugar and other seasonings, and then stirred it evenly.

My daughter also bought pig intestine casings yesterday. He's mother is a person who can't sit still. She cleaned the pig intestine casings immediately last night, so they can be used directly now.

There was no sausage stuffing tool at home, so He's mother went to her eldest sister-in-law Wu Hua to borrow it yesterday. This matter could not be concealed, and Wu Hua was curious about why her family was making sausages during this unusual time of year. He's mother had to say that she was thinking about the third child and wanted to make some and send them to him. This was also the truth, so Wu Hua didn't say much after hearing it.

After straightening the pig intestine casings and inserting the sausage stuffing tool into the opening to stabilize it, He's mother began to stuff the minced meat in. After stuffing the last four pounds of minced meat, she tied the opening tightly, then used a small rope to divide the sausage into small pieces, and poked holes in them with a sharpened bamboo stick.

She re-lit the stove, added a small amount of water to the pot and brought it to a boil, put a bamboo steaming rack on it, placed the sausages on it, covered it with a lid and started steaming them.

Thinking it was almost done, He's mother walked into the kitchen and opened the lid of the pot. The aroma of meat that overflowed at that moment was so tempting that she, who made the sausage herself, couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

He's mother was able to endure it. After turning off the fire in the stove, she let the sausages in the pot cool down, took them out, pierced one end of the sausage with a bamboo hook, and hung them on the newly built bamboo rack in the yard to dry.

She deliberately chose to place it in the corner of the yard, so that even if someone occasionally opened the door to go in or out, she wouldn't have to worry about being seen.

After finishing all these, He's mother finally had a break, and then she started to make lunch.

When the He family came back at noon, both adults and children could not help but go to the bamboo rack to look at the sausages.

Brother He: "This is the first time I've seen sausages. It turns out they need to be air-dried for four or five days."

Father He said with satisfaction: "In the past, families that could make sausages in winter were those that had no worries about food. We made sausages to preserve pork for a longer time, and they tasted so delicious."

Several children came over to look and couldn't help but stretch out their hands to touch them, but He's mother scolded them back: "You dare to touch them without washing your hands, or you will dirty my newly made sausages."

Guifang explained: "Grandma, we have washed our hands, we just wanted to feel the sausage to see if it is soft or hard."

Gui Mian asked curiously, "Grandma, do we have to hang these sausages here in the wind for four or five days?"

He's mother: "You have to put it away at night and hang it out to dry during the day. The door of the house will be closed these few days, so don't leave it too open when you go in and out, so as not to be seen by others."

"Also, don't tell anyone about making sausages and bacon at home, otherwise you won't have anything to eat."

All five children responded in unison. The youngest, Ke Jie, said playfully, "No, no, we have never mentioned eating meat at home."

He's mother was quite relieved about her grandchildren. In the past few months, the family often ate meat, and they kept their mouths shut and didn't say a word.

However, the fact that his family looked better and better made many people in the village guess that their family was living a good life. They had a son who was a soldier and received subsidies and tickets, so they probably ate a lot of meat.

When He Susu came back from work, she saw the sausages hanging on the bamboo rack in the yard and quickly closed the door. She parked her bike and walked over to smell it. The faint aroma of sausage meat wafted over, which was so fragrant.

He Susu was also looking forward to eating sausages in a few days.

She looked for a long time but didn't see any bacon, so she asked He's mother, "Mom, why don't I see any bacon hanging there to dry?"

He's mother explained: "You don't know the rules of making bacon. You have to pickle it for two days before you can air dry it. I'll go to the back mountain to pick up some cypress branches. They will be more fragrant after smoking for a long time."

He Susu nodded: "So that's how it is. That looks a bit more troublesome than making sausages."

"It's about the same. To make sausages, you have to chop the pork into minced meat, which is quite time-consuming. My hands are still sore." He's mother said after making a comparison.

He Susu heard this and said, "Mom, you have worked so hard. Let me help you hold your hands down."

As she spoke, she moved closer to He's mother, stretched out her hand to massage her right hand, and asked about the strength while massaging.

He's mother enjoyed it so much: "This strength is just right. My daughter is so considerate."

Two days later, while everyone in the village went to work, the five pickled pork strips were hung overnight to dry. He's mother gathered a pile of cypress branches together, lit a fire and began to smoke the five pork strips hanging above.

She also threw some fruit peels on the cypress branches, so that the smoked bacon would have a hint of fruit fragrance.

Smoking bacon is an easy but careful job. During the smoking process, the pork hanging above will drip oil, and it may burn if you are not careful. He's mother simply moved a chair and sat not far away to watch.

In the fields, villagers were busy with their work. A woman who was in charge of weeding stood up to catch her breath and suddenly saw smoke rising not far away. She said to the people around her: "Look, there's smoke rising over there. Could someone's house be on fire?"

The others looked at him and said, "Oh, it's true. This is no small matter. We need to tell the captain right away!"

"If no one is home, the house will burn down. We need to call someone to check it out!"

Wu Hua heard the noise and came over. She looked over and found that the smoke was coming from the village entrance. Her sister-in-law had taken another day off today. She knew that her family was making sausages and bacon, so she probably smoked the bacon. She thought of an excuse to cover it up.

"I guess someone pulled some rotten vegetable leaves out, dried them, and burned them as fertilizer for the vegetable field. The brigade always emphasizes fire prevention and safety issues, so how could such a fire happen?"

After the captain's wife said this, the women looked at each other, and finally said nothing more. They just lowered their heads and continued to work.

How could He's mother at home know that her smoked bacon had attracted the attention of people working in the fields, and it was her sister-in-law who covered it up for her.

Over the next three or four days, she smoked the bacon as usual. Under the smoke of the cypress branches, the color of the five pork strips became darker and darker, the skin became tighter and tighter, and a sheen of oil appeared.

The women in the fields saw white smoke coming out of that direction for several days in a row, and then they believed what the captain's wife had said before, that they were really burning fertilizer. Fortunately, I didn't say anything more at the time, otherwise I would have offended the captain's wife for nothing.

After about six or seven days, all the sausages were air-dried and all the bacon was smoked. He's mother felt such a sense of accomplishment watching this.

Keeping in mind the concerns of Susu and other family members, He's mother decided to make some to try that night.

She picked some garlic sprouts from the vegetable garden and cut them into pieces with a kitchen knife. Then she took out a strip of bacon and cut off one third of it, putting the rest away. As the kitchen knife cut down, each slice of bacon was clear, thin and shiny, with the perfect ratio of fat to lean.

The bacon can be used to stir-fry garlic shoots, and the oil from the pan can be used to stir-fry vegetables, which is so delicious.

As for the sausage, He's mother was generous enough to take out two pieces, cut them into thin slices, and then evenly arranged them on the rice cooking in the pot.

In this way, the aroma of the sausage will make the rice more fragrant, and the oil will drip onto the rice. When it is ready, add soy sauce and stir the sausage and rice. I can't imagine how fragrant it is.

He Susu rode her bicycle home from work, still wondering if she could eat sausage and bacon today. As soon as she entered the house, she smelled the unique aroma of bacon, and her eyes lit up, knowing that she was blessed tonight.

Dinner is probably the happiest moment for the He family. With a shout of “Let’s eat,” everyone stretches out their chopsticks to pick up the bacon.

A thin slice of bacon was hidden in a piece of green garlic moss. He Susu picked up a piece with good eyesight and put it into her mouth to taste it. The cypress fragrance and fruit peel fragrance of the bacon intertwined with the original meat fragrance, which was particularly delicious, and there was also a hint of garlic moss.

The rice and Chinese sausage in the bowl were mixed together, and because of the soy sauce, it turned into a sauce color with a salty aroma. He Susu also picked a piece of Chinese sausage to eat first. The meat of the Chinese sausage was firm and a little hard, with a little sweetness in the salty aroma and oily. Now it was eaten with rice, and other delicacies could no longer be seen.

Of course, He Susu also picked up some garlic sprouts to eat. The garlic sprouts themselves have a unique flavor, and they are even more delicious with the aroma of bacon.

The cabbage is just soaked in the remaining oil from the pan where the garlic shoots and bacon were fried, and its sweetness is enhanced by the salty meaty flavor, which is not inferior to meat dishes.

He Susu was extremely satisfied with the meal, not to mention the other members of the He family.

Brother He exclaimed: "So this is what Chinese sausage and bacon taste like. It's like being a living god."

His wife, Zhao Miling, nodded in agreement, but was too busy eating to speak.

He Erge and Qian Chunhe and his wife had the same feeling. If there was not a limited amount of bacon on the plates and sausages in the bowls, they would have eaten as much as they had.

The children were so busy eating that they didn't even pay attention to what their parents were saying.

He's mother was also very satisfied with the sausages and bacon she made, and felt that her cooking skills were even better than before. After listening to the eldest son's words, she said: "The children are greedy and what they said makes sense. You have eaten bacon before, and you made it look like the first time."

Brother He smiled embarrassedly: "Mom, wasn't it because I was too young to remember things before? I had long forgotten what bacon tasted like. It turns out it smells so good."

After dinner, He's mother took her daughter by the hand and said, "Susu, I've thought about how to distribute the sausages and bacon. I'll tell you. Please help me with the plan."

"This time I'm making sausages and bacon mainly to send to the third child. I plan to send half to each of them. As for the remaining sausages and bacon, I plan to take out a strip of bacon and cut it in half, each weighing about half a pound, and add a piece of sausage, and give them to your eldest sister and your third sister-in-law respectively. In addition, your aunt knows that our family makes sausages and bacon. In previous years, you didn't go to work because your uncle found an excuse to help you. We might as well give half a pound of bacon and a piece of sausage to their family. The rest will be left for our family to eat."

In this age when even half a pound of pork is hard to buy, this is considered a great gift.

He Susu nodded: "Sure, I have no objection, I'll do as you say."

Although she likes to eat sausages and bacon very much, her eldest sister is her closest sister, so it is only reasonable for her third sister-in-law to send some food. As for her eldest aunt-in-law, she can just treat it as a visit to maintain relations, so that her eldest uncle can take care of his family in the future.

Even with this division, we can still keep a pound of bacon and a lot of sausages, and make more after we finish eating them.

With her daughter's nod of agreement, He's mother felt relieved: "That's settled, I'll go cut the bacon and prepare the sausages later, and I'll find time to send you to your uncle's family tomorrow."

He Susu: "Okay, mom, please pack the sausages and bacon for my third brother, eldest sister, and third sister-in-law separately. I will go to the county town tomorrow to send them to my third brother, and also send them to my eldest sister and third sister-in-law."

"Okay." He's mother agreed and immediately got up and went back to work.

The next day, He Susu set out for the county town a little earlier. The package on her shoulder was full of sausages and bacon, and it was quite heavy.

When she arrived in the county town, she went to the post office first.

"Comrade, I want to send a package." He Susu opened the package she took off her shoulder and took out a large package. The sausages and bacon inside were wrapped in oil paper and dried thoroughly, so there was no need to worry about oil leaking out.

Fortunately, the weather has been cool and occasionally cold recently, so it’s okay to keep the sausages and bacon in the package for three or four days. At least they won’t get suffocated when they are sent to the troops.

On the way, she also deliberately put in the two bottles of fermented bean curd that she redeemed from the shopping system. After all, Third Brother loves to eat it, so since it is rare to send a package, of course she has to bring it with her.

The post office worker took the package and said, "It's quite heavy. Where are you sending it to?"

He Susu immediately reported the address of the army unit and paid the postage based on the distance and weight of the package.

She looked at the clock inside the post office window and saw that it was still early, so she planned to deliver her third sister-in-law's portion of bacon first.

Fortunately, the journey was not far. When they arrived at the third sister-in-law's family home, He Susu knocked on the door: "Aunt, are you there? I am Susu."

Who knew that it was my third sister-in-law Su Yu who opened the door. She was a little surprised: "Su Su, what's the matter with you coming here so early?"

Because it was not time to go to work yet, Su Yu had not gone out yet. She had just finished breakfast and was about to wash the dishes before going to work.

He Susu: "Good morning, Third Sister-in-law. My family made some bacon and Chinese sausage and wanted to send it to Third Brother in the army. I just came back from the post office. Here is half a pound of bacon and a piece of Chinese sausage. Mother asked me to send it to you, Dabao, Erbao, and my aunt-in-law to try."

Su Yu was a little surprised, but also happy, that her husband's family was so generous that they could buy a lot of pork to make bacon and sausages and send them to her husband. Lianzhou could also make more money from the army.

Just: "It would be nice to send it to your third brother. It's hard for the family to miss him. We don't need these sausages and bacon. Leave them at home for your parents to eat."

He Susu shook her head: "There are enough sausages and bacon left at home. These are specially for you. Don't be polite, Third Sister-in-law."

After hearing what her aunt said, Su Yu reached out to take it: "Okay, then Su Su, go back and thank my parents for me."

"Okay, I got it. Then, sister-in-law, I'll go to work first. Bye." Seeing that the task was completed, He Susu said goodbye.

After she left, Su Yu closed the door and picked up the bacon and sausages to take to the kitchen.

Mother Su had just called her two grandchildren to get up in the room, helped them put on their coats, and then watched them brush their teeth and wash their faces. She came out and asked, "Who came just now?"

She also heard some talking inside.

Su Yu shook the bacon and sausage in her hand and said, "My aunt said that she made sausage and sausage at home and sent it to Lianzhou, and my mother-in-law asked her to send some to us."

Mother Su looked at the beautifully smoked bacon, which weighed about half a pound, and the small piece of sausage, which she could taste: "Your in-laws are now able to afford it. They should at least buy a few pounds of pork to make bacon. But it's a good thing that your parents-in-law are thinking about Lianzhou. At least the money they send back every month is not in vain."

Su's mother was satisfied with her son-in-law, even if he only came back a few times a year. She hoped that he would accumulate enough military merits and be promoted to company commander as soon as possible, so that her daughter could take her two sons to join the army and the family could be reunited.

Let's talk about my daughter's in-laws. "It's rare that you live at home with your two children. Your mother-in-law hasn't forgotten you when there are delicious foods. Xiaoyu, you have to be more filial to her in the future."

"Mom, I get it. Let's make some bacon tonight and try some sausages." Su Yu agreed.

Su's mother naturally agreed.

He Susu returned to the cinema just in time. She hurried to inspect the three screening rooms, and as soon as she sat down at the ticket counter, several customers lined up to buy tickets.

What's funny is that a customer with a keen nose asked, "Why do you have a faint smell of bacon here? It smells strange."

He Susu replied awkwardly: "I brought the lunch, maybe the smell came out."

The customer jokingly said, "It seems that your lunch is quite good, comrade."

After she left, He Susu quickly tied the package of bacon under the ticket counter tighter to prevent any customers from asking her why it smelled like bacon.

After lunch, He Susu rode her bicycle to the meat processing factory to deliver sausages and bacon to her elder sister.

When He Xiuxiu saw this, she naturally tried to refuse for a while, saying, "You guys should keep it for yourselves, why are you giving me so much?"

He Susu: "Don't be polite, sister. There are some left at home to eat. These are all made by mother herself. She specifically gave them to you. Please accept them."

He Xiuxiu then accepted it, thinking that the bacon and sausages could be eaten by the family for two or three days, and it would also save face in front of her parents-in-law.

She remembered something and asked again, "By the way, did you take some to Su Yu? Otherwise she might get upset when she finds out."

Although Su Yu was not a stingy person, her family made bacon and sausages and sent them to the third brother, and also gave them to herself, but she was the only one left out. It was as if she was excluded, and she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable when she knew about it.

He Susu nodded: "Don't worry, big sister. I will send the package to the third sister-in-law as soon as I finish sending it this morning."

"That's good."

After the two sisters talked for a few words, He Susu rode away on her bicycle.

He Xiuxiu was carrying bacon and sausage wrapped in oil paper back to the workshop. When she passed by several colleagues, they smelled the smell and asked, "Why does it smell like bacon?"

"Xiu Xiu, you have a great life now. My little sister brought you some bacon."

"This smells delicious. I just finished eating and I feel hungry again."

Listening to her colleagues, He Xiuxiu said, "My parents made some bacon and sent it to my younger brother in the army. They thought of me and asked me to send some so that I can take it back to my husband's family to show my face."

She walked back to her workstation and put the bacon and sausage in her hand into the package.

Four days later, in the army.

After the training, He Lianzhou received a message saying that there was a package for him to pick up.

On the way to the mail room, He Lianzhou wondered if his family had sent him a package again, unlike in the past when only his wife had sent him packages.