After everyone carried the wild boar, pheasant, and rabbit back to the villa area, the entire area was abuzz with excitement. An Yongkang was overjoyed; his farm had gained new species! With pork, they would finally have meat to eat. He didn't even bother watching the wild boar being butchered; he called the zookeeper to help prepare the pigpens for the three pigs.
The children jumped and danced around the dead wild boar. They had never seen a wild boar before and were very curious about it. They looked at it, touched it, smelled it, and kept discussing its habits and how to cook it.
Looking at the 400-pound wild boar, Liu Qingguo said to Ye Yunyi, "That's really impressive! Now we have enough to prepare for both the New Year's Eve banquet and the wedding banquet." He happily took a long knife and a cleaver and began to gut the boar.
Taking advantage of the crowd watching, Ye Yunyi announced that the entire villa area would celebrate the New Year's Eve banquet together, and added that the pig was prepared specifically for New Year's Eve.
With this fat pig, everyone counted down the days until New Year's Eve, eagerly anticipating its arrival.
Liu Guoqing had the wild boar hung up upright. He stabbed it in the neck, and blood flowed down the hole, but since it was a dead boar, the flow wasn't smooth. He used a large basin to catch the blood, and sprinkled some salt into it. This could be used to make spicy blood curd.
Then, following the hole, he cut open the pig's intestines. The knife was very sharp, and it split the pig's belly in two vertically. Then, like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, he separated the pork, bones, and internal organs, categorizing them according to their different types.
Everyone felt very relieved watching a large pig being dismembered piece by piece.
After the decomposition was completed, the pork was frozen for preservation, the blood curd was used to make a delicious meal for the brothers who went up the mountain, and the offal was also processed.
With the wild boar, Ye Yunyi finally didn't have to collect supplies from the residents anymore, and she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
They then spoke with the Wang Huier and Yang Jing families about the wedding banquet. Upon learning that the villa complex was going to host their wedding banquet, coinciding with the New Year's Eve feast, they were moved to tears. They insisted on doing their part to help others.
Ye Yunyi suggested that they prepare some small gifts for everyone, and they nodded in agreement.
We've been waiting and waiting, and finally, New Year's Eve has arrived.
That day, everyone, young and old, dressed in their best and most presentable clothes. Early in the morning, everyone volunteered to help. Preparing meals for over 200 people was a different story. Although they had cooked before, it was just simple porridge and side dishes; now, there were all sorts of recipes. The few people in the canteen alone couldn't keep up.
So some of them came to help in the cafeteria, some went to help Wang Huier and Yang Jing, some went to set up the auditorium, and some spontaneously organized themselves to see if anything was missed. They were as united as one big family.
Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang watched them busy, feeling a surge of emotion. Whenever they wanted to do something, they were always asked to step aside, told that they were the busiest and most hardworking people all year round, and that the three of them should take a break on New Year's Day.
The wedding was hosted by the village elders and the Yang and Hong families. Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang were invited to be the witnesses, and Hong Xia, who was studying broadcasting and hosting, was the emcee. They also spontaneously organized several programs, calling it their own Spring Festival Gala.
Ye Yunyi and Ye Yunjuan, along with their children, waited by the bride's side, watching Yang Jing and the groomsmen arrive to pick her up. The bridesmaids blocked the door, demanding questions or red envelopes from the groomsmen and grooms. After much commotion, they finally brought the bride. Although the journey to the hall wasn't far, a wedding car was still prepared. For this wedding, Yang Jing had specially cultivated roses. In the winter, he knelt before Hong Hui'er, holding a bouquet of vibrant, fragrant roses, and passionately declared his love. "Hui'er, thank you for marrying me. I will treat you well and protect you for the rest of my life," he said, winning applause from those around him. The car was also beautifully decorated with roses and wildflowers.
When the bride arrived at the hall, almost everyone was there except for those busy at their respective posts. Joyful and happy music played in the hall.
"Today You're Marrying Me," "Confession Balloon," "A Little Sweet"...
Listening to this music felt like stepping into another world. Everyone ate small bites of dried sweet potatoes, roasted peanuts, popcorn, pumpkin seeds, oranges, and pomelos. There was also tea made from wildflowers picked from the mountain.
After more than six months of hard work and training, everyone had happy smiles on their faces, beaming with joy and full of energy. They were in much better shape than they had been before the zombie virus outbreak, when they were half-dead.
Those who had previously contracted the half-corpse virus were no different from healthy people. When they saw Ye Yunyi and the others arrive, they greeted them with smiles and then went off to chat happily with everyone.
Some elderly people living alone were also brought to the auditorium by the community and volunteers, where they were looked after. Ye Yunyi and Ye Yunjuan also found a spot by the window, where they sat, ate fruit, drank tea, and chatted. It was a stolen half-day of leisure in their busy lives.
The wedding began quickly, much like a modern wedding. The emcee opened the ceremony, the father escorted the bride to the groom, and they walked down a flower-lined path to the center of the hall, where a video played showcasing their love story. Everyone in the audience was moved to tears. Yes, they had shared so many difficult and joyful days together in the villa community.
Soon it was time for the wedding ceremony. Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang walked onto the stage, greeted by enthusiastic applause from the audience. Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang jointly delivered their wedding vows and expressed their best wishes for the future.
The wedding was drawing to a close, and it was time for the bouquet toss and the throwing of red envelopes.
Since regular currency was no longer in circulation, they filled red envelopes with sugar. Sugar was a rare commodity at that time. They also made the sugar themselves.
Those who caught the bouquet and the red envelope were very happy.
Then came lunch, a sumptuous meal featuring lotus root stewed with pig's trotters, stir-fried pork intestines, stir-fried pig liver, twice-cooked pork, boiled sliced pork, sauerkraut fish, and more. Each dish brought a burst of joy. Hong Huier and Yang Jing served tea to everyone in turn, and everyone shared in the festive atmosphere.
After lunch and the wedding, those with performances rehearsed again in the hall.
Evening hot pot was prepared with more effort than lunchtime, and Liu Qingguo specially commissioned the guards to collect it from restaurants outside. A bonfire was lit in the center of the square, surrounded by a circle of hot pot tables, 10 people per table, for a total of 20 tables.
This surprised Ye Yunyi.
Everyone was eating while watching the show. Before the show started, they asked Ye Yunyi to come on stage and say a few words. At that time, Ye Yunyi was struggling with a bone marrow. When she was suddenly called on, she struggled to lift her head, which made everyone laugh.
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