Chapter 73 Killing the Chicken
June 15th is Sanwa's birthday.
The long noodles with minced meat sauce taste better in summer than usual because there aren't many good foods to eat in summer, while in winter, chickens and pigs are slaughtered and there's a lot of oil and fat in the food.
When his mother told him it was his birthday, Sanwa smiled.
My mother didn't remember his birthday very well before, because she was always too busy harvesting wheat and often forgot.
He had forgotten about it last year and only remembered it the next day. His mother cooked him two eggs to make up for it.
I didn't expect her to remember it so clearly this year.
Sanwa was quite happy and followed Song Chunxue home, keeping a close eye on the roadside embankments to see if there was any wild garlic.
Jiang Hongying had just finished cleaning inside and out when she saw Song Chunxue and Sanwa return home, which surprised her greatly.
"Hey, you're back so early today, and Sanwa's all smiles. Is it some special day?"
Song Chunxue took off the coarse cloth covering her hair and patted the dust off her body. "It's Sanwa's birthday, have you forgotten?"
“That’s right, Sanwa’s birthday is the best, it’s when everyone is most hungry,” Jiang Hongying smiled. “Are we having long noodles with minced meat sauce today? I’ll go cut some chives and chopped some scallions.”
“No rush,” Song Chunxue walked to the kitchen window, picked up a knife, and said, “It’s been a long time since we’ve had meat. Everyone’s been working so hard, let’s kill a chicken to satisfy our cravings.”
"Huh?" Jiang Hongying stared wide-eyed at Sanwa. "So extravagant! This used to be something only the eldest son would do for his birthday. Now it's Sanwa's turn."
Song Chunxue glanced at her, "Do you have to remind me that I treated Sanwa badly before?"
"Hehe, no, it's just that I think my mother is pretty good now. What's that word again?" Jiang Hongying thought for a moment, "Oh right, understanding."
“I…” Song Chunxue picked up a broom and chased after her, “Why don’t you say I’ve been reborn?”
“Yes, yes, that’s more accurate, hahaha, Mother is right.” Jiang Hongying, supporting herself as she ran steadily, laughed from the doorway, “Although she didn’t study much, she’s more knowledgeable than me.”
Song Chunxue looked at the frizzy hair on her forehead and said with a smile, "Come here, I want to talk to you."
"Oh, oh, oh, how old am I? Do you still think you can trick me into going over there to get a beating?" Jiang Hongying chuckled. "Didn't you want to kill a chicken? I'll boil water and pluck its feathers for you."
This is really pushing her luck; Jiang Hongying would never have dared to speak to her like this before.
Sanwa and Xiujuan were smiling broadly when Lao Si entered the house and overheard that they were going to kill a chicken.
"Mother wants to kill a chicken?" The fourth brother deftly leaned the sheep shovel in his hand against the side of the door. "I know how to catch chickens, I'll catch one for you right now."
"I don't usually see you so diligent. You're so energetic when you hear we're going to kill a chicken. Go catch it, I'll wait at the door." Song Chunxue turned around and instructed, "Sanwa, bring out the kang table."
"good."
Sanwa carried Xiujuan to the north room and hoisted the old kang table made of willow wood onto his shoulder.
The kang table has been used for decades. Because it is washed frequently, it has become shiny and oily. It is used as a mat when slaughtering chickens every year.
The floor was dirty, but the height of this kang table was just right, and it wouldn't be strenuous to sit on a low wooden stool.
Song Chunxue is very efficient at killing chickens. She puts the chicken blood into a bowl, and the chicken blood noodles are especially delicious when they are poured with chicken broth. They are chewy and refreshing. Adding a little vinegar makes them incredibly fragrant.
After feeding the pigs and chickens, Chen Feng was thinking about what to eat for lunch. When she saw Song Chunxue killing a chicken at the door, she hid on the thatched kang (heated brick bed) and waited patiently for her meal.
Anyway, the eldest son has been harvesting wheat these days, and since the family slaughtered a chicken, they'll get a share.
If they don't give it to her, she'll have the eldest son ask for it.
Song Chunxue worked quickly and efficiently, scalding the chicken, plucking its feathers, removing its internal organs, chopping it into pieces, and handing it to Lao Si, who then washed it and gave it to Song Chunxue to cook.
She also had to process the chicken gizzard, which is the chicken's stomach. After removing the chicken feed inside, there was a thin layer of yellow stuff, which was the chicken gizzard lining.
Song Chunxue took the chicken gizzards to the kitchen to cook. She washed the chicken gizzard lining five or six times in a basin, placed it on the windowsill outside, dried it, ground it into powder, and drank it little by little. It was very good for the stomach.
The children disliked the taste, and she used to force them to drink it, but now Song Chunxue only plans to drink it herself.
The child is still young, but she's getting older and it's time for her to take care of her stomach.
After that, she scooped out two and a half bowls of white flour, mixed the chicken blood in the middle, crushed it, kneaded it until it was even and soft, and then used a rolling pin to break it up.
The villagers in the village have enough potatoes to last them a year. Song Chunxue likes to add some diced potatoes when making a stir-fry, which makes the long noodles extra fragrant and the chicken soup even more delicious.
An hour later, the chicken was ready, and Song Chunxue's chicken soup topping was also ready. They took the meat to the north room and placed it on the table to eat together.
"Mother, shouldn't we give some to the eldest son?" Jiang Hongying asked softly. "I heard he's back. He's been working hard on harvesting wheat these past few days. Should we share some with them?"
“Hmm,” Song Chunxue originally intended to share with him, but instead took out a bowl, filled it with a small portion, and handed it to the fourth brother, “Take this outside.”
The fourth child was somewhat reluctant, saying, "We'll start eating when I get back."
"Alright, alright, we'll do it when you get here."
Song Chunxue picked up a chicken wing and handed it to Xiujuan. Xiujuan had only grown a few front teeth and couldn't eat meat, so she was asked to savor the taste.
Soon, the fourth brother ran in from outside.
“My sister-in-law didn’t cook; she’s waiting to eat chicken. If I don’t go, we’ll definitely have a fight.” The fourth brother grinned and shook his head. “It’s terrible to marry a woman like Chen Feng. I’ll have to be more careful in the future. I’ll definitely not want a girl who likes to hit or yell.”
Everyone smiled quietly.
"How can you know what kind of person someone is if you don't live together? Do you think you can just pick a virtuous and capable one?"
Song Chunxue placed half a chicken leg in Sanwa's bowl and said, "Let's eat."
The fourth child pouted, unconvinced, "Mother, you're really biased now. You're so much nicer to the third child?"
“Today is Sanwa’s birthday, of course I’ll side with him.” Song Chunxue put another piece on Lao Si’s plate. “The chicken leg is big, I cut five or six pieces, there’s some for you, what’s the rush?”
Then she picked up another piece and gave it to Jiang Hongying, saying, "You eat some too."
Even after being reborn, Song Chunxue still couldn't shake the habit of giving the best things to her children first.
If she could have been more ruthless before, now that her fourth son is obediently herding sheep at home, and Hongying hasn't been too distant with her, she thinks that things won't be like they were in her previous life.
However, even if she were to die alone without anyone to see her off, Song Chunxue would not let herself lack money.
She's already saving up for her own funeral. In the future, she'll buy her own coffin, make her own burial clothes, and even make her own paper money in advance, without having to ask anyone for help.
She now understands that relying on others is unreliable; mountains may crumble, and rivers may flow away. She realizes that she must rely on herself in everything.
The chicken wasn't very big, but they hadn't eaten meat in a long time, and they finished it in no time.
"I'm going to start a fire to cook noodles, they're so delicious." Jiang Hongying burped and got up to walk towards the kitchen.
"Sister, I'll go," the fourth sister said, munching on a chicken foot as she walked out. "I can start a fire."
“What good is it if you only know how to start a fire? You don’t know how to cook. Let me do it.” Song Chunxue said to Sanwa, “You watch the baby. Your sister is pregnant and can’t keep an eye on Xiujuan. She’s prone to falling now.”
Just as I stepped into the kitchen, Jiang Yeming came in from outside carrying a bowl.
"Mother, is there any more noodles?"
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