Chapter 99 - Two-in-One Pig Slaughter
Sun Hu and the others waited, and Lin Chuntao didn't chat with her aunt and uncle for long. She saw them off to the village entrance and reminded them to bring their younger cousins tomorrow.
As they walked away, dusk fell, and the whole village seemed to fall silent.
Pei Ying said, "Shall we go and take a look at the homestead?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and the two walked over there while talking.
Today is the first day of construction. The foundation is finished, and a lot of mud bricks are laid out to dry. There are also several rammed main walls. A lot of yellow clay was also brought in today. This is probably the advantage of having more people.
The most exciting thing is this well. The well opening is quite wide and deep. Since the well was dug out of the blue, Lin Chuntao was worried that the children would come to see it out of curiosity. She said to Pei Ying, "We should put some thorns around it to keep the village children from coming here to play."
Pei Ying nodded. "There are thorn bushes over there. Let's go home and get a sickle to cut them down."
As they talked, the two went home.
Not long after they left, seven or eight children appeared by the well. They hadn't dared to come closer because Sun Hu and the others were there, but now that no one was around, they sneaked over without telling the adults.
Wow, it's so deep!
"Didn't they say water was gushing from underground? Why can't I see it?"
"Are you stupid? It's rising from below, covered by water. How could you possibly see it?"
"My mother said that Duo'er and the others won't have to carry water anymore, but the water is so murky, how can we drink it?"
"Are they just going to have to live off this filth from now on?"
"..."
Several children squatted by the well, chatting amongst themselves.
Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying returned with the sickles and looked at the few little children squatting around the well. She didn't dare to shout, afraid that she might suddenly frighten them and cause one of them to fall in.
She pulled Pei Ying along and said, "Let's pretend we didn't see them and walk over there in front of them."
After walking to the opposite side, Pei Ying coughed lightly, and the children looked up when they heard the sound.
Upon seeing that it was Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, they quickly got up and dispersed, taking a few steps back. Only when they were no longer so close to the well did Lin Chuntao turn her head to look over.
Are you here to look at the well?
When Lin Chuntao asked, the child in the lead looked a little timid. "Sister Chuntao, we've never seen a well dug before, that's why we came to watch." After saying that, he didn't forget to explain to Lin Chuntao, "We're just looking, we didn't do anything."
Lin Chuntao approached and said, "It's getting dark. You came here without telling the adults, didn't you? Wait until tomorrow during the day when the adults are here before you come back. It's late at night now, and the water below is so deep. If you fall in, you won't be able to climb out. Go home quickly."
The children were young, and when they heard Lin Chuntao's words, they remembered how they were beaten for going to play by the river without permission. They shrank back in fear and obediently ran away.
Pei Ying glanced at the thorns and surrounded the well with them. After thinking about it, he realized it was still a bit dangerous, so he stuck a few wooden stakes next to it and used hemp rope to surround the well.
During the day, Lin Chunxing cooked rice and steamed beans. She only braised the eggs; she hadn't even made the bone broth yet.
After tidying up my things, I immediately started simmering the bone broth.
The next day, neither Lin Chuntao nor Pei Ying went to the county town. Lin Chunxing didn't go that early either; she went just before dawn. Since she was carrying heavy things by herself, Lin Chuntao borrowed a mule from Aunt Guizhi's family for her to drive.
Lin Duo'er had nothing to do at home, so Lin Chuntao arranged for her to keep Lin Chunxing company.
She originally wanted to watch the pig slaughter at home, but Lin Chuntao said, "What's so interesting about slaughtering a pig? When the knife goes in, the blood gushes out. I don't even dare to watch. I have nightmares if I do. You go with your second sister and come back early. By the time you get back, the meat will be cooked. We'll eat meat when you get back."
"Sis, I want to eat pork kidneys."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely save the pork kidneys for you, but there are so many people at noon, and if I stir-fry them, one slice for each person will be gone. I'll stir-fry them for you tomorrow night."
"Great!"
Having received the message, he happily went with Lin Chunxing.
Lin Chuntao reminded Lin Chunxing, "Take it slow and be careful."
Lin Chunxing responded with a nod and then left.
We had agreed to slaughter a pig today, and my uncle and his family came to help. They arrived very early and ran into Lin Chunxing and her family a little outside the village.
This family needed a long table to slaughter a pig. Lin Chuntao borrowed a long table from the Lin family yesterday. They were already helping to dig yellow clay, so they didn't say much. The group arrived early with the long table, and Grandma and Aunt Guizhi came along too.
The two families met at the intersection below and came up together.
When Pei Ying got up, he started a fire outside and boiled a large iron pot full of water, which was almost boiling by now.
As dawn broke, the sound of a pig's trotter echoed throughout the entire village.
Lin Chuntao and the others received more than half a basin of pig's blood.
Many villagers who were still half asleep when they heard the pig squeal instantly woke up.
"Who slaughtered a pig?"
Suddenly someone asked a question, and the neighbor chimed in, "That sound sounds like it's coming from my uncle's old house?"
"Chun Tao and the others are slaughtering a pig? That can't be right, their piglets are still very young."
Just as the two finished speaking, a voice came from the side.
"Yesterday I saw Chun Tao's family herding a pig back; they must be the ones slaughtering it."
After he finished speaking, silence fell over the surrounding area.
After a long while, someone said, "How come these sisters are suddenly so rich? Judging from the scale of building the house yesterday, there were probably twenty or thirty people. Yesterday I was thinking they would eat a lot of food, and today they're slaughtering a pig?"
"Is this like killing a pig to build a house?"
No one responded to this; they just speculated and made a few comments.
Chen Dongniang went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables, and along the way, people kept asking her about Lin Chuntao's family.
They either ask how much the construction workers are paid per day, or what they did to make so much money!
Chen Dongniang smiled and replied, "I don't know. We didn't ask Chuntao either. If you're curious, you can ask Chuntao."
"As for making big money, Chun Tao and the others set up a small stall in the county town and pick mushrooms in the mountains on weekdays. They don't make much money; they save up penny by penny by getting up early and working late."
Chen Dongniang's words were unsatisfactory, and the man scoffed, "Who doesn't work from dawn till dusk, but I've never seen money come so quickly."
Chen Dongniang was speechless. She laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, you really don't work from dawn till dusk. You only get up when the sun is almost up, and you go to sleep as soon as it gets dark. Chun Tao and the others are still busy after dark, and they go out before the rooster crows in the morning."
"This is what it means to work from dawn till dusk."
The woman gave a forced, insincere smile.
"If I had that much money, I wouldn't even need to sleep."
Chen Dongniang smiled. For decades, the mountain has remained the same. There are so many people in the village who pick mushrooms. Everyone goes into the mountains for a stroll and picks some to eat. But no one has ever thought of picking mushrooms and taking them to the county town to sell.
They all said that they would only get paid after they did the work; in their words, Lin Chuntao and the others would only do it if they had that much money.
She frowned slightly, then said, "Anyone can pick mushrooms in the mountains, including you, sister-in-law. Just stay in the mountains, pick them, and carry them to the county town to sell the next day. Nobody will stop you."
The woman was taken aback and slightly annoyed. Then, thinking about how Chen Dongniang and her whole family were helping Lin Chuntao with the work, she sneered, "Dongniang, you really have a way with words. Does Lin Chuntao and the others share any of their earnings with your family? She's just a little girl, is she worth all this pampering?"
Chen Dongniang's expression changed slightly, but then she remembered that even Lin Changzong and the others had been paid by Lin Chuntao for helping them dig the yellow clay. It turned out that her family had been making more than a hundred coins every day for the past few days, something that other families couldn't even dream of.
She chuckled softly, then turned and looked at the woman with a beaming smile.
"Chuntao is young, but she has a knack for making money. I admire her for being capable, what's wrong with that? Besides, she has indeed helped us make money. It's only a few dozen coins a day, small change, not something to brag about. Sister-in-law, please don't tell anyone."
As soon as Chen Dongniang finished speaking, she filled both vegetable baskets, picked them up, and turned to leave.
The gossipy woman was left standing there, stunned. What? A few dozen coins? Small change? No wonder Sun and Hu had been going to Lin Chuntao's place so often these past few days; they were actually working for Lin Chuntao!
Dozens of coins a day is hardly a small amount of money. Ten coins a day can accumulate to three hundred coins a month!
Watching Chen Dongniang's retreating figure, the woman suddenly felt a pang of regret. She wanted to chase after her and ask what was going on, but she felt too ashamed. She could only stomp her feet in anger and decided to find some time to go and find Lin Chuntao to see what she was up to. If Sun Shi and the others could do it, so could she!
Actually, Chen Dongniang also felt a little regretful. Her mother-in-law had told her to keep this low-key, but she couldn't stand it and told everyone.
And she also had to talk to Lin Chuntao about it.
This morning, Lin Chuntao and the others slaughtered a pig. She went to the vegetable garden to pick some vegetables to take over. Now, there are many people eating at Lin Chuntao's place, and they need a lot of everything.
When Chen Dongniang arrived, Lin Chuntao and the others had just brought the pig's blood into the house, and Pei Ying and the others were scalding the pig hair.
Upon seeing Chen Dongniang arrive, Pei Ying turned around and greeted her.
Chen Dongniang smiled and went into the small courtyard carrying her vegetable basket.
The courtyard was bustling with activity. Everyone had arrived early, and Lin Chuntao hadn't had breakfast yet. She still had quite a few fried dumplings left, so she steamed some out and invited everyone to eat.
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and saw Chen Dongniang carrying a vegetable basket into the yard. She greeted her with a smile.
"Auntie, come and have breakfast."
Chen Dongniang handed her the vegetable basket, which contained a basket of cabbage and a basket of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.
"I picked some vegetables for you. If you need them, just go to the field and get them, or you can tell me and I'll get them for you."
As soon as Chen Dongniang finished speaking, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I can get some from my own land too. If you need anything, I won't hesitate to ask. Thank you, Auntie."
"Don't be so polite with us."
The pigs outside hadn't finished being shaved, and the meat hadn't been brought in yet. There wasn't much to do, so everyone ate two yuanbao dumplings and then took a winnowing basket to work with the beans.
Lin Chuntao and Sun said, "Grandma, after we finish picking this bag of beans, let's not work on the beans yet. We need to pick some dried chilies first."
Sun agreed, only then realizing that Lin Chuntao hadn't soaked the beans the night before.
"Have you made enough beans?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "This batch is enough. Take out the chili peppers, and we can start curing the beans in a couple of days when they're ready."
As they were talking, Lin Chuntao's aunt and the others asked her what dishes she was going to cook for lunch.
Lin Chuntao thought for a moment and said, "Let's make stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings, stewed pork ribs with potatoes, and since we slaughtered a pig today, let's also make twice-cooked pork."
The eldest aunt wanted to say that there was too much meat, but given Lin Chuntao's arrangements and the presence of so many people, she didn't say anything more.
When she first arrived yesterday, she thought these people were just helping out, but after watching for a day, she realized that while they were helping, they were also doing the work for money. Lin Chuntao had a plan, so she just had to do what she said.
My aunts peeled potatoes, and Chen Dongniang helped pick and wash the cabbages for lunch.
Lin Chuntao looked at the pork ribs she had brought back yesterday. All the ribs had been cut off, and there probably wouldn't be enough for this meal. Since she also needed to make twice-cooked pork, she decided not to make too many ribs.
Three dishes are enough to eat.
Chop the ribs into small pieces and soak them in cold water, adding some dried ginger slices to remove the fishy smell.
After finishing that, I cut a long strip of pork belly, about a pound long, and cut several pieces into it. I put them in a pot, put it on the stove with cold water, and started cooking.
Pei Ying was very fast at scraping pig hair, and his knife was sharp, so he finished scraping all the pig hair off in no time.
These pig bristles have a great use. They weren't even dirty. I put them all into a dustpan and waited for the sun to come out so they could dry.
The whole pig is cleaned, gutted, and the meat is cut into pieces.
Lin Chuntao took several basins out: one for pig liver and heart, one for pork fat, and the other for pig stomach and large intestine.
Cleaning pig intestines is troublesome. Pig manure is disposed of here, and if you were to carry water to wash them, I don't know how many times it would take to get them clean.
The three uncles, the eldest and second uncles, and the eldest paternal uncle simply took the ashes and carried the pig's stomach and intestines to the well to wash them.
A pig has two ribs, four legs, a neck, a tail, and a head. If the pig is fat, those pieces of meat are quite substantial.
But this pig wasn't fat. The pig's legs, especially the front legs, seemed a bit small, probably only weighing about 20 pounds.
My maternal grandmother's family used to slaughter a pig for the New Year every year, but that pig almost never weighed less than 400 jin (200 kg). She felt that even the dried cured leg was much bigger than that.
If this meat is dried and made into cured meat, it will probably be even smaller.
She planned to eat the front leg meat next.
After processing the pig, the pork belly that Lin Chuntao was cooking in the pot was almost done. She took it out, cleaned it, and set it aside.
Taking advantage of the relatively quiet time at the fire, Lin Chuntao took out the pork fat, cut it up, and prepared to render the fat and store it away. Although the pork looked lean, the pork fat was quite good, snow-white without any lumps, and the amount was also good.
Chen Dongniang was quick at preparing the cabbage. After she finished, she brought over a stool and helped Lin Chuntao cut the lard.
When dividing the meat, some shapeless scraps of meat would also be cut off, and there was a lot of fat. Lin Chuntao took all of it and cut it up, putting both the fat and lean parts in to fry together.
Chen Dongniang looked at Lin Chuntao, who had cut a lot of lean meat, and asked with some confusion, "Chuntao, are you going to put all this lean meat in as well?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Duo'er and the others like to eat fried pork cracklings, so I'll put some in to fry together. That way, they'll be more fragrant."
Chen Dongniang smiled. It was delicious even when stir-fried alone, let alone when it was fried together with a whole pot of lard.
Every year when the pigs are slaughtered, the children would circle around the oil pot, looking for lean meat and cracklings, but the locals never thought to put some lean meat in to fry for the children.
Then look at Lin Chuntao, she's so good to these younger sisters.
They had just finished working for a while when the sun slowly rose, and Sun Hu and the others arrived at their doorstep. The hoes and other tools they hadn't brought back last night were still in the yard, so they could just come and take them today.
Before the group even entered the yard, they smelled the aroma of meat. Looking at the already cleaned-up stove outside, they realized that Lin Chuntao and the others had already slaughtered the pig.
The courtyard gate was open. Yu Meixi knocked on the door, and Lin Chuntao looked up.
"Good morning, Chun Tao!"
"Good morning, sister-in-law! Have you had breakfast yet?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Yu Meixi said, "We've already eaten. We ate at home before coming here." As she spoke, Yu Meixi went to get a hoe and other tools. She saw Lin Chuntao cutting lard. "What time is it? They've already slaughtered the pig!"
They'll probably have to come earlier in the future, otherwise they'll feel a little embarrassed.
Lin Chuntao had soaked pork ribs and freshly cooked pork belly in the yard, which all the workers could see when they came in. It was clear that she had prepared today's meal, which made them feel more energetic to work.
My uncle and his family washed the pig intestines and brought them back. Just then, Sun Hu and his group arrived, and everyone went to help with the work.
Lin Chuntao finished cutting the lard and put it in a pot to render, and then went to the homestead as well.
She mainly went to check on the well water; after settling overnight, the water had become much clearer.
But after that night, the water level rose considerably.
Just then, Sun Hu and the others needed to mix yellow clay with water, so they took buckets to scoop it out. There wasn't much water left in the tank, so Lao Sang and the others went down to continue digging. Lin Chuntao used a lot of water, and she thought that since they were digging, they should dig the reservoir bigger to avoid trouble later.
Today, many children in the village ran to see the well out of curiosity, and some even came to hang around the yard after learning that Lin Chuntao's family was slaughtering a pig today.
The aroma of rendered lard is very strong and fragrant; the tempting smell can be smelled even outside the yard when the wind blows.
A group of children, who didn't get along with Lin Chuntao and her friends, swallowed their saliva and went home to find their parents. Some of them received a pancake that they would buy in a few days, while others were beaten.
Others blamed Lin Chuntao, saying that she had slaughtered a pig before the New Year, which made her stand out.
Lin Chunxing and the others returned early at noon, with a sack of things on their mule cart. As soon as they arrived at the courtyard gate, they called Pei Ying to carry it inside.
Once inside, Lin Chuntao asked, "What is this?"
Lin Chunxing said, "Chai Xingyu brought it; he said it was salt he bought for his sister."
Lin Chuntao opened the bag and took a look. The salt was of better quality than the salt in the salt shop. It looked much whiter and finer.
Lin Chuntian turned to look at Lin Chunxing: "Did you ask him how much it costs per pound?"
"He said it was sixteen, which is exactly one shi (a unit of dry measure)."
Lin Chunxing said, "I told him I would give him the money tomorrow, but he said no need, that I didn't need any money. I didn't ask him in detail what he meant by not needing any money."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly, perhaps they had some other connection with the smuggler.
She smiled and said, "I'll take it to him tomorrow and give him the money."
Lin Chunxing nodded.
Lin Duo'er went to the county town today but didn't buy breakfast. She said she wanted to save room for meat when she came back. Lin Chunxing was both amused and exasperated, but she let her have her way.
Lin Chuntao had already prepared the dishes and was ready to eat.
Seeing Lin Duo'er looking for pork kidneys, Lin Chuntao said, "There are pork cracklings in that bowl over there. I put some lean meat in it to fry. Go eat, we'll have dinner soon."
Lin Duo'er also liked the lean meat fried with pork cracklings.
She brought it over, first feeding Lin Chunxing a piece before eating it herself.
Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to put the salt inside the grain cabinet, as it was inconvenient to leave so much salt out in front of so many people.
After finishing, Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunhe to call people over for dinner.
Today, Lin Chuntao made three dishes. The pork ribs and potatoes looked like yesterday's stewed pork and potatoes, with a rich aroma. The twice-cooked pork was bright red and looked very appetizing.
People in Yizhou also love chili peppers, and everyone scooped up some twice-cooked pork and started eating.
Yu Meixi and Sun Hu had already eaten it once, but it was the first time for Lao Ma and Lao Sang. After taking a bite, they immediately asked Lin Chuntao, "Lady Lin, what kind of sauce did you use for this meat? It smells so good!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's just homemade sauce."
Old Sang asked, "Is it a lot? Could you sell us a few kilograms?"
Lin Chuntao said, "There's not much left now, we need to keep it for home use, but we're making it these days, and there will be plenty in about twenty days."
"Give me your address, and I'll send you a few pounds when it's ready."
Lin Chuntao's words surprised Lao Sang. He quickly replied, "Sure, my home is not far from Lao Sun's. My wife loves soy sauce. Please save ten jin for me."
"Okay, I'll remember."
Old Ma and the others didn't say anything. It would be about twenty days. They would still be working here, and they could buy some things from Lin Chuntao to take back with them.
Old Sang and his group are different. They've already dug almost all of it today. They'll finish building the well this afternoon, so they might not need to come back tomorrow.
After everyone went back to work after lunch, Lin Chuntao went back to the house to check on the beans. The beans that had been cooked on the first day were ready, with yellowish-green mold growing on them and a hint of fermented rice. Lin Chuntao took out the winnowing basket and put it in the sun to dry the beans.
With so many people around and the wind bothering her, Lin Chuntao covered herself with gauze to dry in the sun.
When there were hardly any people around, Chen Dongniang started talking about what happened when she picked vegetables that morning. She said to Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I've caused you trouble."
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "How could this cause trouble? No, it won't. After the house is built, there will be even more sauce to make, and I will definitely need to find people to help with the work. It's okay if you ask. I can't agree to help just anyone. I know what I'm doing."
Chen Dongniang breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Lin Chuntao's words.
The eldest aunt next to her said, "Chuntao, if you're too busy, you can call me and your second aunt. We can all help you."
Lin Chuntao said, "I've been thinking about this for a while. It's just that it's a little far away, and I don't have a place to rest here. You'll be tired from coming and going so late. Once the house is built, I'll have extra rooms to sleep in, so you can stay here tonight."
Hearing her words, the eldest aunt felt a surge of joy.
Logically speaking, Lin Chuntao was closer to them, being their maternal uncle and aunt, but unfortunately, they were a little distant. It was as if a close neighbor was better than a distant relative. Lin Chuntao preferred her cousins in the Lin family. Although it was understandable, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
Unexpectedly, Lin Chuntao had this idea, and her heart immediately warmed.
She looked at the piglet in the pigpen, and how Lin Chuntao and the others had raised quite a few chickens. Thinking back to what happened a few months ago, it seemed like a long time had passed.
After drying the beans, Lin Chuntao also took out the pig intestines and washed them twice more, preparing to eat braised food that evening.
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