Chapter 45: Pig-Slaughtering Dinner
In the mountains, the soup is also called the pig-killing dish. There is no meat all year round, and the day of slaughtering the pig is the day with the most oil and water. The pots and stoves are all greasy.
This year they had the meal at Lu Mingjiang's house, because Lu Minghai's family would be having a celebration soon. Lu Mingjiang discussed with Zhang Hongying that originally each family would have a meal once a year, and this year it was their family's turn, so they would not ask the elders to bring the meat over as in previous years.
But Gao Xiulan was a person who knew how to handle things and was not stingy. After they agreed to eat in the third room, she cut a square piece of meat and brought it over. She and Lu Dongcai's wife came early to help.
The dishes are all from the private plots, plus the tofu made from the soy milk I ordered in the morning, it is a very rich meal.
Stir-fry pork kidneys and pork liver with kimchi, then cut some lean meat and stir-fry with cabbage stalks, then stew chopped bones with tofu and carrots in a pot, and then stew pig blood in a pot with cabbage leaves.
In addition to the butcher, there were also the production team's accountant and cashier, the brothers Lu Changfa and Lu Changgui, Lu Minghai's family, and his own family, which set up two tables.
There were too many people to sit by the fire pit, so Lu Mingjiang called Lu Dongping to drag two tree stumps and a few sticks to the middle of the yard and build a fire, which brought a little heat in the cold wind.
Wen Wan used to go to Xu's house often. It was very lively during the holidays. She had seen many crowded scenes and was not uncomfortable with it.
It's quite interesting to eat in the open air by the fire.
Shengxia felt a little uncomfortable. Even though she was in the art troupe and they always ate in the cafeteria together, she still wasn't used to it.
Her home is in the mountains, which is even bigger than the one in Lujiazui. There are a lot of rules there. Whether it is entertaining guests or eating, women are not allowed to sit at the table.
Lu Dongcheng went out to drink, and Gao Xiulan stayed with her. She sat with Wen Wan, and Gao Xiulan and Zhang Hongying sat next to them respectively.
Lu Chun'e, Lu Donglin, Lu Dongcai's wife, and Lu Dongfu sat around the table with them.
Gao Xiulan enthusiastically picked up some meat for Shengxia: "Eat more, this is your home, don't be restrained."
Shengxia took a look at the fat in the bowl and said thank you shyly.
Zhang Hongying, who was standing by, was not willing to be left behind and picked up her chopsticks to pick up some meat for Wen Wan: "Wen Wan, you need to eat more. You look so skinny."
Wen Wan nodded hurriedly: "Yeah, eat more, aunt, you eat too. The pig blood you stewed is really delicious. I think I can eat a lot more today."
Zhang Hongying was originally going to pick up some meat for her and had even picked up the meat with her chopsticks, but after hearing what she said, she simply put the fatty pork in her own bowl and started picking up some pig blood for her.
"You can only eat pig blood during the two days after slaughtering the pig. It helps to expel bad qi! Eat it if you like. I'll save some to cook tomorrow."
"You can't just eat this. The bones braised by Dongcai's wife are also delicious. There is lean meat in them, and that is also delicious."
Lu Donglin poked Lu Chun'e and said, "Sis, since Sister Wen Wan came, no one wants us anymore. Daddy thinks Mommy doesn't love us!"
Lu Chun'e smiled and said, "Don't bring me into this. You're the only one whose father dislikes your mother. My brother said you were adopted, and I figured it must be true. There's a difference between adopted children and biological children."
"impossible!"
Gao Xiulan also teased him: "How is it impossible? I was the one who persuaded your mother to pick you up! Life was hard and we didn't have enough to eat. No one wanted to raise another child. But now we have a boy. I want to raise him, but we already have five children in our family and can't afford to raise more. That's why I gave you to your current parents to raise."
Lu Donglin let them sing the same tune and remained unmoved: "Don't try to piss me off by asking me to eat less meat. I won't fall for your tricks!"
Wen Wan ate and laughed, and felt that this atmosphere was really great.
After eating pig blood and lean meat and drinking some cabbage soup, she felt so full that she couldn't eat anymore.
Knowing her appetite, Zhang Hongying did not try to persuade her: "Do you want to warm yourself by the fire outside or go inside?" She was really doing her best to fulfill her responsibilities for her son.
Wen Wan stood up and said, "I'm in the yard. Aunt, please eat quickly. You don't need to call me."
Gao Xiulan said, "Young girls nowadays have such small appetites that they're easy to feed. Wen Wan eats so little, and so does Sheng Xia. They can't be fake."
After saying that, he looked at his second son's wife and said, "You should still be like Yingzi, eat well, and don't say anything else, just stay healthy."
Lu Dongcai's wife, Li Laiying, was also from the Xihe Brigade. Her family lived in the production team next door, and she had married into the family the previous year. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't particularly pretty either. She was efficient at work and had good health. In all her time at the Lu family, she hadn't suffered a single headache or fever.
As for his personality, with Gao Xiulan being such a powerful figure, it’s hard to tell whether he’s good or bad for now.
Wen Wan walked slowly around the yard twice before sitting down by the fire. Shengxia also put down her bowl and came over to join her.
"What do you think of this place?" she suddenly asked Wen Wan.
Wen Wan looked up: "It's pretty good! What do you think?"
Shengxia nodded. "I think it's pretty good too. My family is also from the mountains, and it's completely different there. We all work in a collective, but life is extremely hard. There's endless work, and we're just hungry all year round. I'm lucky to be blessed. There are educated youth in the team who help with literacy. I learned a few words and a few songs. Then, by chance, someone heard me and said I sang well, so they took me to the art troupe. In the troupe, in addition to learning singing and dancing, I can continue to learn to read and write, get an allowance, and find a man to marry without being controlled by my family."
This was the second time Shengxia had mentioned her family matters. Wen Wan was poking in the fire with a stick. Ever since she came here and started warming herself by the fire, she liked poking in the fire.
After listening to Shengxia, she said, "You are very lucky. Shengxia, the name Shengxia was chosen later, right? It sounds very nice!"
Sheng Xia smiled and nodded: "I got it after I joined the art troupe. I was the sixth child in my family, so they called me Liu Ya. I didn't have a proper name."
After saying that, he looked at Wen Wan and said, "You look so young, are you sixteen? Why did you go to the countryside? The difference between the countryside and the city is so huge, it's suffering." Such a pretty girl, prettier than those in the art troupe, seemed out of place here.
Wen Wan said, "I'm eighteen! I can't continue my studies, so I came here. I think it's okay. The city has its advantages, and the countryside has its advantages. Everyone has different experiences and pursues different things. The conditions in the city are good, and food, clothing, housing and transportation are all very convenient, but it lacks a lot of human touch and is boring compared to here."
Shengxia didn't quite understand what she was thinking. Why was life in the city so bad? So many people tried their best to go to the city and become workers but couldn't.
The man at the table yelled, "Lu Dongping, come here! Where are you running to? It's your turn now! No tricks and no running!"
Lu Dongping said, "I'm not going to drink with you anymore. If you get drunk and act crazy, your cousin's aunt will put her hands on her hips and scold me again!" As he said that, he ran to the fire and sat down on the bench next to Wen Wan, looking at her sideways: "Are you done eating so soon? There's steamed mixed grain rice in the pot. You should eat some. We're eating early today, so you'll definitely be hungry later."
"I'm full. I'm stuffed. How can I be hungry after eating so many good things? I won't be hungry tomorrow."
The shouting started again at the table, and Wen Wan quietly poked him: "They're calling you, go quickly!"
Lu Dongping quickly squeezed her hand before standing up.
Lu Dongcheng went to the commune to buy bulk corn wine. Everyone ate it until their mouths were full of oil and drank it until their faces were rosy.
Once they get drunk, they don't care about age at all and start drinking loudly.
It was almost done. Everyone at this table had finished eating. Gao Xiulan and Zhang Hongying put the dishes from the two tables together and heated them up one by one.
"Let's eat, otherwise the food will get cold again. It will be boring to keep heating it up. Eat and drink at the same time."
Lu Minghai nodded: "Spoon some rice!"
As soon as the meal was served, Lu Dongcheng and Lu Dongping slipped away with their bowls.
What's so good about drinking wine? Instead of chatting with a bunch of old men, it's better to sit by the fire and chat with your partner.
Lu Changgui is a reckless person. He doesn't care about seniority and just says whatever he wants.
Seeing the two brothers slipping away, they started yelling, "Hey, Dongcheng, Dongping, what's wrong with you two? How can you just leave the table and run away in the middle of a drink?"
Liu Zhaoxing on the side laughed: "She won't accompany her own partner, but you, a piece of shit!"
Lu Dongping pretended not to hear, went into the kitchen, pushed the remaining rice in the pot to the side, covered the pot lid and lit a fire in the stove.
There is rice crust at the bottom of the pot, which is a rare delicacy. After all, people would not be willing to eat dry rice for many meals throughout the year.
When the rice crust was crispy, he scooped up the whole thing, broke off a piece, stacked it together, spread the fermented black beans with fried meat, placed it on his bowl, and served it out.
Lu Donglin's eyes widened: "Brother, you are secretly shoveling the bottom of the pot again, I want some too!" As he said that, he ran into the house with the bowl in his arms.
Lu Dongping ignored him completely, carrying the bowl straight to Wen Wan, sat down next to her, and picked up the rice crust with chopsticks: "Can you eat a little more? This tastes good."
"But I'm full."
"It doesn't matter if you're full. Just chew the rice crust slowly. I'm just sitting here warming myself by the fire and having nothing to do anyway."
Wen Wan looked at her hands, got up to get some water to wash her hands before taking the rice crust.
Lu Dongcheng whispered to Shengxia over there: "Would you like some? I'll get it for you?"
Shengxia shook her head: "I'm full and can't eat anymore." The key point was that she felt embarrassed. She could never be as comfortable as Wenwan.
Wenwan felt very comfortable. It was the first time for her to sit by the fire and eat something with her hands like this!
Crunching, just like a squirrel chewing a pine cone.
After drinking, people did not disperse, but sat around the fire in groups of three or four and chatted.
It was at this time that Wang Jianmao came to the door.
Wen Wan refused him, but she still had to buy the meat. After all, this was the only time you could buy meat without a meat ticket. After the New Year, she would never be able to eat meat again without a ticket.
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