"Give me two pounds of spare ribs, and I'll trade them for wheat! It's freshly harvested wheat in the fall, and it smells delicious!"
"You said that wild boars run around the mountains all day long, but their meat is not as fat as the ones raised at home. The fat is so narrow that it looks less than a finger wide."
"That's enough. Can you buy a fat pig raised at home at this price? And can you exchange it for grain? After all, it's meat!"
"That's right. Besides, this wild boar is very active. The meat is firm, chewy and fragrant!"
…
As soon as the news spread that Shen Qing's family was going to sell wild boar meat at a low price and could exchange it for grain, all the aunts and uncles in the village could not sit still and almost all crowded into the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. It was already dark, and some people even came with lanterns and torches to buy meat!
Aunt Lian borrowed a scale from the village chief's house and moved the only table in Shen Qing's house directly to the gate of the yard. She placed the meat on it and cut the meat while paying the money with one hand.
Soon a long line formed at the door. Those who were not well-off would exchange their grain for a pound or half a pound of meat to give their family members some meat; those who were more well-off would buy three to five pounds of meat: we have to pickle some bacon in the winter, so it would be better to buy them now while they are cheap. They can be stored in cold weather, and then cut a few thin slices every day and stir-fry them with vegetables. Then you can have the taste of meat every day and eat it slowly until the beginning of spring!
Shen Qing sat by for a while, and gave an extra 2 taels of meat to anyone who had helped them, or any young man in the family who went up the mountain to help find someone. Shen Qing gave them some offal and some bones, which made the aunts and uncles very happy, and they kept praising Shen Qing for being a good boy who knew how to repay his kindness.
Those who had not been on good terms with Shen Qing and his mother before also secretly regretted it. Who knew that Qing Ge'er was so capable? It seems that they still have to maintain a good relationship with the Miao family in the future. Qing Ge'er goes to the mountains to chop wood every day. Who knows when he will come back with another wild boar?
It was originally a half-grown pig, and Shen Qing removed its two legs. In a short while, only half of it was left. Those who were not in line were a little anxious, fearing that they would be sold out before their turn. Second Aunt Lian brought her husband and her younger brother Lian Ou to help. They were all good at work, weighing grain, cutting meat and counting money in one go.
Little Lianrong also came along, picked up some pig bladders and filled them with water, and happily played with a few sisters at the gate of the yard. The small yard at the foot of the mountain was now brightly lit, and people were coming and going, so the adults did not restrain the children.
Because Shen Qing's arm was injured, although he didn't feel anything, Miao and Aunt Lian would not let him use any force. Shen Qing couldn't help, and was embarrassed by the praises of a group of aunts and uncles. He touched his nose, picked up the pig's front leg and was about to hide out: "Mom, you guys are busy, I'm going to go to the village chief's house."
"Go quickly, come back early, the food is ready on the stove, it will be ready soon." Miao replied. Her brother was tired all day and injured, so he needed to be nourished. Miao had already cut a piece of fat, cut it into thin slices, marinated it with autumn oil, and steamed it with snow vegetables.
Shen Qing gave all the cakes that he brought up the mountain to Song Kaiji. It could be said that he had not eaten all day. At this time, he smelled the faint fragrance coming from the kitchen and felt his stomach was empty. He nodded and quickened his pace.
The village chief's family had just finished their meal. The village chief's wife was in the barn asking her youngest son to load food for her: "Hurry up, I see a lot of people going there to exchange for meat, it will be gone if you're late! Oh, just now even the second son came to borrow the scale, and I forgot to ask her to leave me two pieces of good meat!"
Village Chief Zhao was feeding the animals nearby: he had a large mule at home, which was not as good as a cow in the fields, but it was faster in pulling carts, so it was also a very good animal. He usually rented it to people from several nearby villages, so his family could also make some extra money: "I asked you to go earlier, but you insisted on going after dinner, and now you're afraid you'll be late."
Looking up, he saw Shen Qing coming over and was a little surprised: "Why is Qingge here at this time?"
The village head's wife was worrying about this matter. When she heard Shen Qing coming, she hurried out of the warehouse and asked, "Brother Qing is here?"
Shen Qing entered the yard and greeted them, "Uncle Zhao, Aunt Guixiang, I went up the mountain and caught a wild boar today. My mother was divorced and it was all thanks to Uncle Zhao who helped her. We have just started living alone and don't have anything good to repay you. This pig leg will be an extra dish." He didn't call him the village chief in private, which made him seem a little more intimate.
Zhao Youdang touched his nose when he heard this. He felt guilty about upholding justice. Although it was true that he had done some good for the Miao family, he also protected Shen Zhigao...
Aunt Guixiang didn't care what he thought. She was worried about not being able to buy meat. Now she was overjoyed to see Shen Qing carrying a top-quality pork leg. But her family wasn't the kind of people who liked to take advantage of others: "Oh, Qing'er, you are too polite. Your family is having a hard time. How can I accept a pork leg from you for free? I'll give you the food you deserve. You're so thoughtful to leave this good meat for my family!" She called her youngest son in the barn: "Hurry up and pack the food and take it out for me!"
Shen Qing hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Don't worry, Auntie. This pork leg is really my gift to you and Uncle Zhao. You don't need to give me food. But I do have something to ask of you. I have saved up a lot of firewood and want to sell it in the county before the New Year. I want to borrow your mule cart to transport it over there so that I can save some energy. I injured my arm when I went up the mountain today."
This was not a big deal, so the village head and his wife readily agreed. They usually rented mule carts for ten yuan a day, but they couldn't even afford a pound of pork! Shen Qing took a whole pig leg: "You can use it as you like. I'll ask your uncle to give the mule some fodder tonight, and you can come and lead it tomorrow morning. If you need a cart in the future, just come to my aunt's house!"
In the end, Shen Qing did not ask for the food from the village head. He said he had to go back to eat and ran away quickly. Aunt Guixiang smiled from ear to ear while holding the pork leg: "You have helped so many people in the village. I think Qing Ge is a caring person! What a good boy."
Village Chief Zhao gave the mule another handful of fodder and said, "Can you be bribed by a pig's leg?"
"What do you mean by bribery?" Aunt Guixiang raised her eyebrows and started talking like pouring beans: "Tell me, you have been the village chief for so many years, who except Qingge'er has given you such a valuable gift? Take Shen Zhigao for example, he did such a shameless thing, he should be beaten with a stick according to the village rules, and Li Jiaofeng should also be driven out of the village. How can they be allowed to hold a wedding banquet? You suppressed the customs of the whole village, and no one mentioned it, but will people remember your kindness? I think it's good that the old Shen family doesn't hate you!" Aunt Guixiang became more and more angry as she spoke, and shook the pork leg in her hand: "Our family is not short of these things, but the job! They just don't take you seriously. If my father was the village chief, I don't think the old Shen family would dare to do this..."
Village Chief Zhao was teased by his own family members for a long time, but they were all telling the truth, so he couldn't defend himself, and his face turned red. Aunt Guixiang was furious, and after scolding her husband, she still couldn't vent her anger, so she went to scold her youngest son in the warehouse: "If you can't do this job well, just chop off your hands! Look at Qing'er, he can do a hundred times better than you guys..."
The youngest son of the village chief was scolded and drooped his brows: Ahhh! Why did Shen Qing come to my house? I knew he was the most annoying one, the nemesis of all the boys in the village!
Shen Qing, who was secretly disliked by the village chief's youngest son, was in a hurry to go home, but he didn't know that something happened in the courtyard at the foot of the mountain just after he left!
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