Slaughtering a pig in the village is a very important event.
Especially the Shui Qing family.
Last year, rice was traded for mushrooms. This year, due to the floods, rice is no longer an option, but instead, pork is being traded for mushrooms.
Three or four pounds of mushrooms can be exchanged for a pound of pork, or for eggs. Most of their own chickens were used to trade for rabbits to raise at home, but they also kept one or two at home to hatch chicks. The chicks that hatched in the spring have now started to nest and lay eggs after more than half a year.
So although eggs were exchanged, the amount was small, and a lot of mushrooms were kept in the books in order to exchange for pork!
Pork is meat, and it's the meat with the most oil!
A few slices of fatty meat are stir-fried with vegetables, and the vegetables and soup are covered in oil. Eating oily food gives you energy.
When Jiang Hehu and his two companions came to the village to announce that their family would be slaughtering a pig the next day and that anyone who wanted to exchange pork could come and do so, the whole village was in an uproar!
Not only the children cheered, but the adults were overjoyed as well.
Especially for the women in charge of cooking at home, carrying soil was too physically demanding. They were struggling with how to nourish the whole family when Shuiqing's family decided to slaughter a pig. They must have been thinking of them.
They were digging soil on the mountain today because they heard from Da Ni, Er Ni, and the other three that Fan went to the prefectural city and bought a donkey cart and lard to replenish their oil and water. Even the servants had lard to replenish their oil and water. How could the master family lack meat to eat?
That's what every household in the village thinks.
Early the next morning
The old village chief's aged eyes swept over the children who were so exhausted yesterday that they could barely straighten their backs. When they learned that there would be meat to eat, they all beamed with joy. He sighed leisurely, "Luckily, there's Jin's family. Otherwise, I don't know how miserable this year would have been."
Leaving aside the other families in the village, their family received the most benefits.
Following the example of the young boy who brought water, the family switched to rice and planted potatoes, so they didn't have to worry about food during floods.
The children were hardworking and honest. The pot of mutton that Shuiqing brought to the eldest son allowed the three of them, who were digging drainage ditches in the pouring rain, to have a nutritious mutton meal when they got home. It also made the family eat better than during a festival during the days when the rain was heaviest.
How can I ever repay this kindness...?
Wang Guifen also thought of the two's good points and said with a smile, "Indeed! Not to mention anything else, we've eaten more meat this year than in previous years!"
The worst part is that we also suffered a flood this year.
They can't even get enough to eat outside, yet they've managed to eat meat! Although it's only a few times, it's truly a rare treat!
"Sister-in-law, how many pounds of meat are you planning to exchange this time?" Zhao Lan leaned closer and asked curiously.
My sister-in-law is in charge of everything in the kitchen at home. Anyway, she cooks better than me, so I just wait to eat.
Everyone else's eyes were on Wang Guifen.
Wang Guifen looked at her father-in-law hesitantly.
When picking mushrooms, even the children in their family came out to help. They still had quite a bit left in their accounts, and they could pick more to exchange for mushrooms whenever it rained. However, how many pounds to exchange for, and whether there were more fat or lean mushrooms, were big decisions, and she was afraid it wouldn't be good to make the decision alone.
"The three of you sisters-in-law can decide on the food," the old village chief said without any objection.
Wang Guifen then looked at her two sisters-in-law, who both had trusting expressions that said, "It's your decision!"
They didn't have mothers-in-law, nor did they practice any food rationing. They just shared everything. Except for Changlin, who ate better at the academy, everyone at home ate the same food, good or bad.
Wang Guifen, carrying the trust of her family, came to Shuiqing's home.
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