Chapter 384
Back to the village, after breakfast, Hu Zi led a group of children to the fields to hone sweet potatoes and corn.
Raising quails suddenly became popular in the village this year, so the adults killed a few chickens when they killed chickens and let the children do whatever they wanted, as long as they cooked them well and didn't cause diarrhea.
Although the children are young, they are good at building kilns. The only thing Su Miao needs to do is season the quail.
She made a simple sauce with ready-made seasonings at home, spread it evenly on the whole quail, and then wrapped it in thick rice dumplings. The rest was up to temperature and time.
With this fire pit, the children don’t even have to go back for lunch and can just play in the fields for a few hours.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Su Yuanzheng and his friends appeared on the road leading to the mountains. They were carrying pigs and chatting loudly, and their voices could be heard from far away.
The children jumped up excitedly when they saw them.
"They're back! The pig hunting team is back!"
"That's a lot of big pigs!! I'm going to tell my mom!"
Su Miao also ran over and saw his father carrying a piglet weighing about 20 kilograms.
Curiously, I asked, "Dad, are you going to beat the piglets back too?"
Su Yuanzheng smiled and replied, "Originally I wasn't going to hit the piglets. I wanted to drive them away. This one was a bit stupid, ran the wrong way, and broke its leg. It wouldn't survive if I left it there anyway, so I might as well pick it up."
Second Uncle said happily, "Miao Miao, Da Hei and Da Huang have done a great job today. We have discussed it and decided to give this little pig to our family as a special reward. How do you want to eat it?"
"As for the piglet... roast suckling pig! Roast suckling pig is delicious!"
"Okay! It's not dead yet, so keep it alive first. Tomorrow, let your seventh uncle make roast suckling pig. Your seventh uncle used to be very famous for this skill!"
So when the "pig hunting team" returned to the village, the villagers who had already received the news all rushed out.
The children ran excitedly among the crowd, while the adults looked at the five huge wild boars in amazement.
"So there really are so many wild boars in the mountains! That's amazing! We killed so many!"
"Wow! This solves a big problem. Otherwise, it would be terrible if they broke into the village together one day."
Some villagers who did not go also began to feel annoyed when they saw so many pigs.
I thought it would be great if I could go with them too. With so many people around, I could get a good share of the meat by just blending in.
Several large wild boars were lined up in front of the village committee office. Uncle Si said loudly, "Today, we went up the mountain and killed five large wild boars. After discussion, we decided to distribute them like this.
The three pigs will be divided equally among those who go up the mountain today, and the remaining two will be used for a feast, so that the whole village can enjoy the New Year together."
As soon as Fourth Uncle said this, the crowd erupted in exclamations and cheers.
Fourth Uncle waved his hand, asking everyone to listen to him: "But to prepare a feast, it's not enough to just have a pig! We also need rice, vegetables, other meat dishes, pots, pans, and firewood.
If everyone contributes, it will be like the whole village celebrating the New Year together!"
"That's easy! Every family takes out their big round table and moves it to the threshing ground! Then, they bring out the meat and vegetables they've prepared for tonight. That's all!"
"Yeah, yeah! I just caught a lot of fish today. I'll get them all out in a minute."
"My family takes a chicken and two ducks."
"Can we use my quail to make soup? We raised a large flock this year, and there are vegetables in the vegetable garden for you to pick."
Everyone was talking at once, and the scene instantly became chaotic. Uncle Si quickly said, "Let's do this! Anyone who can take anything should come to Defei to register, and then we will make overall arrangements. Otherwise, it will be too noisy and chaotic.
Carry these pigs to the river to process them. Ah Yu, bring the list of people going up the mountain today, and we'll divide the meat!"
Because the pigs were no longer moving, it wasn't bloody, so the children were not driven away. So Su Miao also followed to watch the pork being divided.
All the skilled pig butchers in the village came out, their blades flashing coldly in the sunlight. With the elders' steady movements, the pork was cut into pieces.
A pig, excluding its entrails, can be divided into more than 100 kilograms. Three pigs together can weigh nearly 400 kilograms. Thirty people can each get about 10 kilograms.
Of course, different parts of the pig have different values, but in the united village this is not a big problem, everything can be discussed.
After the three pigs were divided, the other two were also dismembered, cleaned, and carried to the threshing ground in a large basket.
A huge iron pot was set up here, and dry firewood was burning cracklingly in the stove.
Everyone has brought out the ingredients from home, and the division of labor is clear. Some are moving tables and chairs to arrange the seats, some are busy washing and cutting vegetables, and some are preparing seasonings in preparation for the upcoming pig-killing banquet.
The children were running around and playing in the crowd. They looked at the busy adults with curiosity, and from time to time reached out to touch the fresh pork, their eyes full of novelty.
Some older children even volunteered to help, running to fetch water or add firewood to the stove.
In the evening, the sunlight began to turn golden, creating a warm and beautiful atmosphere for the busy threshing ground.
The curl of smoke rises from the stove under the big iron pot, contrasting beautifully with the sunset in the sky.
The table was gradually filled with various delicacies. The main dish was naturally wild boar meat, including braised pork, wild boar stewed with vermicelli, stir-fried wild boar meat, steamed pork with rice flour, etc. The aroma filled the air, making everyone salivate.
Finally, the pig-killing banquet began.
Second Uncle stood up, picked up his wine glass, and said loudly: "Today is the third day of the New Year. What's more special than previous years is that at the beginning of this year, we solved the hidden dangers in the mountains and drove back the wild boars that have been harassing our village for some time.
We would like to thank the men who came hunting with us today, and we hope that our village will always be united and harmonious in the future. Come! Let's drink this cup together!"
The villagers sat together, responded one after another, and raised their glasses to celebrate.
Then, everyone started to feast on the food.
During the banquet, there was constant laughter and joy as the villagers tasted the delicious wild boar meat and shared the fun of today's hunting.
The people who went up the mountain today vividly described the thrilling moments of fighting with wild boars. The children were so amazed that they kept asking for details.
After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, the old artists in the village were also invited out.
They took out their musical instruments, and for a moment, melodious music sounded over the village.
Some people started to stand up and dance, and others joined in, and the threshing ground turned into a sea of joy.
The pig-slaughtering banquet lasted for a long time, and the headlights were turned on again after dark. In this world of fireworks, everyone enjoyed the hard-earned joy and reunion, temporarily forgetting the troubles and fatigue in life.
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