The four pigs were sold for nearly seven hundred yuan. According to the work points allocated to each household, even Du Jiang, who did not get full points, received twenty yuan, thirty kilograms of pork, and some pig offal such as large intestines and a piece of pig lung.
Du Jiang returned home with a bountiful harvest, carrying a load of pork. As soon as he entered the house, he couldn't wait to start processing it. He cleaned the pig's large intestine and the alveoli. As for the pork, he separated it from the bones. Without the bones, there was still about five or six pounds of pure meat, which was enough for Du Jiang to make dumplings and eat until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
As for mailing it to the Du family, I'm sorry, Du Jiang is currently unable to do so. I think the Du family doesn't care about this. You know, the three brothers of the Du family are all in the army and politics, and their family background is not bad. The only unmarried uncle among the three brothers of the Du family is the one in politics, and it seems that he has become the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee. As for the others, Du Jiang doesn't know. After all, Du's father and Du's uncle are far apart, and because he is an old man with a son, the age difference between Du's father and Du's uncle is more than ten years. Moreover, Du Jiang has very little memory about Du's uncle, and his appearance is even more vague. The only thing he knows is that the other party seems to have been kicked out of the house because he made Grandpa Du angry for something. But even so, it does not affect Grandma Du's publicity outside that Uncle Du is her pride, and no one would publicize such a private matter as being kicked out of the house and slap themselves in the face.
There was not enough space in the house, so Du Jiang had no choice but to take the pork to the corridor to chop the bones. Everyone in the educated youth center had received pork, and everyone was happily processing their own share. Du Jiang's arrival was not at all noticeable.
Du Jiang chopped the huge spine into small pieces and wrapped them in corn husks in piles of two according to his appetite. Then, taking advantage of the cold weather, he found an idle wooden basin and filled it with water. He then placed the processed meat and bones separately in the water, and after they froze, he put another layer on top. By stacking the layers together, a natural cold storage room for frozen meat was formed.
Xu Zhizhou's eyes lit up as he watched Du Jiang's operation. He also imitated Du Jiang's actions and froze the meat he was given. The temperature outside was very low, nearly ten degrees below zero, and the water froze very quickly. Even if he brought the wooden basin back into the house later, he didn't have to worry about it melting. As long as he put it in a cool corner and made sure no rats or the like crawled out, there would be no problem. When he wanted to eat it, he could just chisel out a piece.
"Du Jiang, what's going on in your head?" Xu Zhizhou was amazed at the frozen meat on the bottom layer. He also reminded the others, "Everyone should learn this method. This way, you don't have to worry about the meat going bad. It won't be a problem to eat it until the 15th."
"Don't worry, Brother Xu, we just followed Sister Jiang's operation when we saw her doing it," Yu Chunxiao said in a clear and loud voice, "Meat is a good thing, we won't miss such a good preservation method."
"Tsk, you're the only one who knows how to talk," Guan Chuan, who was a step slow to show off in front of Xu Zhizhou, snorted unhappily.
The lawsuit between these two people is nothing more than that they are both newcomers. Yu Chunxiao has become the squad leader of the female educated youth, while Guan Chuan no longer has any official position. Both Du Jiang and Xu Zhizhou are helpless about this. You know, the squad leader was elected by everyone. Guan Chuan only thinks that it is because Xu Zhizhou suppresses him, and does not think that it is because he is lazy and people don't like him that no one voted.
Qian Meili in the corridor curled her lips and wanted to say something but was stopped by He Jiefang with a look.
Du Jiang witnessed the couple's quarrel. He was full of admiration for He Jiefang, who used to bicker with Qian Meili before marriage but could make Qian Meili obey him after marriage. He was a talented man. He was able to control Qian Meili, who loved gossip, into what she is today. The husband's authority was greatly strengthened.
"Zhizhou, can you come out a little?" Hearing the faint female voice coming from the door, not only Du Jiang but also everyone else looked over.
Uh, Du Jiang took a breath, this... How come Du Yingying has lost so much weight, her cheekbones are almost protruding, making her big eyes look even bigger.
After Du Yingying appeared, everyone at the educated youth center shifted their gazes between her and Xu Zhizhou in the courtyard. Xu Zhizhou was startled by Du Yingying's sudden appearance, but after seeing her recent condition, the shock in his eyes and the pity on his face gradually became stronger. "You...how did you lose so much weight?"
"Zhizhou, let's go talk outside." Du Yingying's eyes swept over the people at the educated youth center, and finally landed on Xu Zhizhou again, "I have something I want to tell you."
"Uh," Xu Zhizhou hesitated for a moment, but was eventually defeated by Du Yingying's burning gaze. "Well, wait a moment, I'll put the things back inside."
"Okay, I'll wait for you outside the door." After saying that, Du Yingying turned around and left without looking back. Her figure quickly disappeared at the door.
Seeing this, Xu Zhizhou quickly brought the wooden basin back into the house and followed him.
As Xu Zhizhou walked away, the people at the educated youth site looked at each other in confusion. They wanted to discuss something, but because of the village chief's family living next to the wall, they could only suppress their curiosity and lower their heads to continue with what they were doing.
Outside the door, Xu Zhizhou followed Du Yingying, walking towards the riverbank one after another.
The snow covered the weeds, and the sky was filled with white. Every step made a "crunching" sound. Du Yingying's footprints were very small, and Xu Zhizhou could cover her footprints with every step he took.
Standing on the riverbank, looking at the frozen water, Du Yingying was a little dazed. She turned around and looked at Xu Zhizhou who followed her. She felt a nameless fire burning in her chest, causing her internal organs to ache.
As Xu Zhizhou settled down within arm's reach, Du Yingying said coldly, "Are you planning to break up with me?"
"Yingying, I..."
"Is it because of what my mother said about you being a gigolo, or because of your status as a city dweller?" Du Yingying has her own pride. Xu Zhizhou is the first person she likes and the first person she has been to since elementary school. However, Xu Zhizhou's indifference towards her makes Du Yingying feel uneasy. She even recalls the last time she asked someone to go to the riverbank, but no one showed up until midnight. If her mother hadn't gone to look for him, Du Yingying would probably still be waiting foolishly until dawn.
Du Yingying looked at Xu Zhizhou's handsome face full of scholarly spirit and felt a little aggrieved. "Why didn't you come last time?"
Well, now it was Xu Zhizhou's turn not to know how to explain. Facing Du Yingying's tearful expression, he finally told her about Du Jiang's forgetfulness.
After Xu Zhizhou finished speaking, Du Yingying couldn't help but feel happy again, and her tone was no longer cold as when they first met. "So, you didn't come because Du Jiang forgot to pass on the message, not because you don't like me, right?"
"I..." Xu Zhizhou hesitated and couldn't say the word "like", but as his cheeks flushed, Du Yingying felt that his sincerity was not in vain. She immediately said, "I know, Zhizhou, you like it, right? You don't need to say it, just nod."
After he finished speaking, Xu Zhizhou nodded slowly. He could not deny that he liked Du Yingying, but when he thought of what Aunt Cui said, Xu Zhizhou felt a little overwhelmed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
