Xu He held a small red envelope, untied the string, and counted out the sixty-six coins. This was a red envelope given to him by his Aunt Chen. The wedding banquet was beautifully organized, and as the head chef he should have received the red envelope, but he was given the red envelope at short notice, so the Chen family was very generous and gave him so much.
In fact, money is a small matter. What matters is the recognition you get.
He leaned back in his chair. No wonder Zhang Fangyuan agreed immediately when the Chen family made the request. He felt that although Zhang Fangyuan seemed unreliable at times and had many minor flaws, he was able to see big things more clearly and for a longer period of time than he did.
When I turned around, the person was already lying on the bed and asleep. It was already very late at night, and the butcher had been dragging the groom to drink for quite some time. If Chen's mother had not come out to rescue him, his cousin might not have been able to go to the bridal chamber today.
After Xu He coaxed his leader back, he wiped his body and carried him to the bed. The big guy was half as heavy when drunk as when awake, and couldn't be dragged away. Fortunately, he fell asleep when he was drunk and didn't vomit or go crazy, otherwise he would have been impossible to subdue him without a few strong men.
He blew out the light, walked to the bedside, and patted the legs that were resting on the edge of the bed. The person who was sleeping obediently pulled his legs back.
"He'er, come quickly, let me hold you."
Xu He heard someone mutter something clearly, and when he looked closely, he saw that his eyes were closed again. His chest felt a little hot, so he reached out and held Zhang Fangyuan's hand, then lay down beside him in the twilight hut.
The next day, the two of them slept early and then got up in the morning to eat some porridge. After finishing the Chen family's business, it was time to go back to work.
After some time, Zhang Fangyuan sold all the pigs he had just bought and had to buy another one.
"At the Chen family's banquet, the Huang family in the east of the village asked me to go and look at the livestock in the next few days. If it's suitable, we can book it, and we don't have to go to other villages to look. Do you want to go with me?"
The couple was having breakfast. Xu He drank some porridge. He hadn't gone out with Zhang Fangyuan to look for livestock yet, so he wanted to go and take a look. "It's a good opportunity for me to pick some wild grass over there to feed the horses."
Zhang Fangyuan smiled and didn't say much. After they finished their meal, they locked the door and went out.
Since they were just going to check on the animals and might not necessarily settle down, the two men did not drive the ox cart and only brought tools for slaughtering pigs. If the fish is suitable, it won’t be much trouble to slaughter them and then come back to drive the cart to load them. A village is only a few steps away.
After taking a look at the pigs in the Huang family's pen, Zhang Fangyuan found that they looked good and weighed two hundred kilograms, so he readily ordered them.
From late April to early May, rice seedlings are planted everywhere in the village. Families with more fields will ask others for help, or several neighbors will swap jobs. Today they plant rice seedlings at Zhang's house, and tomorrow they plant seedlings at Li's house. They don't have to pay, but the host family has to provide three meals a day.
Generally, some good food would be prepared at this time, and meat is certainly indispensable. Moreover, the villagers who are transplanting rice seedlings will also make pork cakes with meat filling and soft glutinous skin, and send them to the people who are doing hard work in the fields around noon or in the afternoon to fill their stomachs and have a snack.
Naturally, pork is selling better than usual these days.
Zhang Fangyuan made an appointment with the Huang family and immediately boiled water to slaughter the pig. When the villagers heard the news and those who were planning to plant rice seedlings at home came over to buy some fresh pork nearby, it would be inappropriate to always use the bacon at home to entertain others. When Zhang Fangyuan went home to drive the cart, several villagers followed him.
"Okay, I'll charge everyone fifteen cents, no more."
Everyone tried to get a deal with Zhang Fangyuan in order to get a lower price. Since they were not going to the city, it would be no problem to save a few cents in the village. Zhang Fangyuan agreed readily, and more people came to buy after hearing the news.
"Shaochun, we are going to plant rice too. There are only two men in the family. Lian'er can't help in the academy, and your father-in-law can't handle it alone. He has already agreed with the two villagers to switch jobs tomorrow. The Huang family is slaughtering pigs and selling them. I heard from everyone that Zhang Fangyuan only sells them to the villagers for 15 cents per catty. You should also go and buy two catties and bring them back. Tell the villagers who will help tomorrow."
The Fei family is also at the east end of the village. There are several families living here, and the distance between them is quite close. When the Huang family sold pigs, several families knew the news at once.
Xu Shaochun was washing clothes in the yard. She saw her mother-in-law go out to watch the fun and assign things to her as soon as she came back. She couldn't help but frowning.
Before he could speak, Fei's mother said, "Your younger brother is here too. We can talk about it in private and give you a lower price. When the weather is hot, you can go to the river to wash clothes. We still need to fetch water at home. By the way, wash the bed in my room as well. It's a good time to wash it when the weather is good."
Xu Shaochun was accused of a lot of things in a row, and for a moment he didn't know which one to refute. In the past, when she took the initiative to do something at home, her mother would praise her. She never received such complaints. Ever since she came back from the banquet at the Chen family, she found that her mother-in-law always assigned her things to do.
There were trivial matters every day, from getting up in the morning to lying in bed at night, and they never stopped. Even after Xu He got married, there were still things to do at home, but it was not as busy as at the Fei family. She suddenly felt that families with small populations were truly uncomfortable.
"My little brother is very stingy with money. I'm afraid even my mother wouldn't agree to it, let alone me. It would be better for me to go over there. You are good at talking, and maybe you can get him a better deal."
Mother Fei laughed when she heard this: "It doesn't matter who goes. The important thing is to plant rice tomorrow and cook some food to entertain the guests. I have to carry rice seedlings to the fields too. You will be the one taking care of the family then."
Xu Shaochun's face turned pale when he heard this: "This, I'm afraid my daughter-in-law can't handle it alone!"
"No, why not get up early and prepare? You are a modest person. I don't know you. Your mother said you can cook. It's a good time to show off your skills."
Mother Fei spoke lightly, but her voice was cold and indifferent.
Xu Shaochun heard what Fei's mother meant, and it seemed that she was asked to do it. She replied weakly, "My husband is not at home, so it is only right for me to do some work for my mother-in-law."
He agreed nicely, but after he finished speaking, he put down his clothes and wiped the sweat off his forehead: "It's just that I didn't sleep well yesterday, and I feel a little groggy today, but I thought I couldn't delay the housework, so I didn't go to the river to wash clothes but stayed at home. I just don't know if I will cough. If I cook like this, it will be embarrassing for the folks who help us."
After hearing these breathless words, Fei's mother went into the house to get a basket to buy meat, but immediately came out.
She had been angry for a long time and finally couldn't stand it anymore. She glared at Xu Shaochun and said, "Second Miss Xu, you shouldn't get married. You should go to the city to sing in the Chunxi Opera Troupe."
After returning from the drinking party at Chen's house, she specifically asked Xu Shaochun to do all the farm chores and watched secretly from the side.
This little girl is so clumsy when doing her work that she can't finish half a day's work in a day. She is always looking for a way to be lazy, and when she is working, she either goes to the toilet or drinks water.
He can do the job, but he is definitely not a skilled one. But even if you haven't eaten pork, you have seen pigs run. How could a child from a farming family not know how to do farm work? Even the scholar in their family who never does any work can help occasionally.
It may be possible to deceive outsiders, but you can't deceive the peasant woman who works under the same roof all the time.
She hadn't suspected or investigated anything, and hadn't noticed anything yet, but when she took a closer look, she was really furious.
I remember how her mother boasted about her being so great, beautiful, and capable of managing the household. But now it seems that apart from her great talk, her hands can't do anything decent.
Originally she didn't want to get angry and was ready to wait for the girl to reveal her true colors. However, she didn't expect that before she finished her daily work, she came with a lot of excuses, either because she was hot-headed or had cramps in her hands and feet. She also blamed the washboard and knife for not working well and said that they were not as good as the ones from the Xu family.
She is so thick-skinned that she doesn't even look like a young woman of her age.
Today she really couldn't stand it anymore: "You've been sick every other day, and you can't do anything anyway. You might as well go back to the Xu family, so you can recuperate with your father and let your mother take good care of you."
Xu Shaochun also got angry when she heard this. She had never heard harsh words at home. She had done half as much work as before, but still couldn't satisfy Mother Fei. She was just sarcastic the past two days, but today she was scolding her directly. She felt wronged and angry, and her face was not in a good mood: "Mother-in-law, please don't be so mean. What things at home haven't I helped do?"
"Oh! You're so mean! You're just cutting grass, feeding pigs, and washing clothes, and you call me mean to you? Go to each household in the village and take a good look. Are there any daughters-in-law who do less work than you? Even the daughter-in-law of the Qiu family next door does more work than you even though she's pregnant. She's busy from morning till night, and she even carries manure and water to water the vegetables!"
…
Xu He counted the money for buying the pig to Mrs. Huang, and came out to watch Zhang Fangyuan shaving the pig. The villagers who were waiting to share the pork were gone, and the bustling yard suddenly became quiet.
"Where are the people? Have they bought everything and left?"
Zhang Fangyuan picked up the kettle and washed away the last strand of hair shaved off the pig's tail. He raised his eyebrows as if he was watching a good show: "They all went to Fei's house to stop the fight."
Rather than trying to stop the fight, it would be more accurate to say that he was just there to watch the fun. Zhang Fangyuan didn't understand the nature of the villagers, who loved watching people quarreling the most.
"What are you trying to persuade?"
"Madam Fei and your second sister had a fierce quarrel. Your second sister was crying and making a fuss. Maybe the villager who bought the meat told your mother about it. The courtyard finally had a break, and your mother came and started to fight even harder!"
The man from the Huang family just came over from the other end. It was common for women and husbands in the village to quarrel, and it was not easy for men like them to intervene. They just took a look and came back when they saw that there was no fight.
Xu He was surprised. They had only been married for a short time, why were they already quarreling?
"Don't you want to go and have a look?"
Zhang Fangyuan said, "Why should I go? Before everyone went to watch the fun, they asked me to quickly put the pigs out so that they can buy them when they come back."
Xu He frowned: "Then I'll go over and take a look."
Zhang Fangyuan suddenly pulled him aside and said, "Just watch the fun, don't worry about it."
Xu He nodded.
"You said you were going to marry someone nicely, but it turned out to be a hollow shell. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for telling such lies? It's a pity for my well-mannered son to have to suffer such a loss from your family!"
"Your family is at a disadvantage? There is no one smarter than your family! You are trying to give the lowest possible betrothal gift, and you want my child to work like a slave for you. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if you tell others about it? If you hadn't said that you would treat the child as your own after marriage, would I have agreed to you? Pah!"
When Xu He came over along the lower road, Fei's mother and his mother Liu Xianglan were standing with their hands on their hips, swearing at each other with red faces, like two roosters with their feathers blown off, each more ferocious than the other.
"Okay, everyone is here, so let's judge for ourselves. Liu said her daughter is virtuous and capable, but in fact, she can't even cook a few dishes. Why did she pretend to be sick and refused to help at Chen's house that day? Isn't it because Xu Shaochun is not capable at all? And she deceived people by saying that Xu Shaochun is capable! It must be that He Ge'er's fault!"
Just then they saw Xu He coming over, and the villagers all looked at him. Everyone had some thoughts in their minds, but no one spoke.
"Eh! I was saying that a child can cook, but I didn't say which child it was. You didn't ask clearly what it has to do with me! At first you wanted our Shaochun to come to you to show off, but now you're complaining about this and that. Ten fingers have different lengths, can a person be good at everything? You think your Feilian is so good! He still can't do anything and needs someone to wait on him to study!"
When they start a quarrel, both sides think they are right, and they don't care about anything else. They just pick on people's feelings and don't care about anything else. The only thing they do is to win the quarrel.
"My son is a scholar with a good reputation. Even if he can't manage farm work, he still gets a monthly salary from the court and a job to procure good farmland. What else does your Shaochun have besides an empty shell? It may not even be enough to feed you, right?"
"Oh, you are the one who destroys the bridge after crossing it. You just fell in love with our Shaochun's beauty! Your scholar looks decent and he didn't even blink when he looked at Shaochun."
Seeing that Liu Xianglan described her beloved son as a lecher, she was so angry that she said without thinking: "Do you think my Lian'er must be with your Xu Shaochun? There are many people who want to marry into our family. Even at the beginning, my son didn't look down on your useless Xu Shaochun. He was clearly attracted by..."
"Everyone, the pigs are ready. If you don't buy them, I'll take them back."
Zhang Fangyuan suddenly came over and interrupted everyone's enjoyment of the show, and also interrupted what Fei's mother was about to say.
Xu He also vaguely felt what Fei's mother was going to say next, and was horrified. Fortunately, Zhang Fangyuan stopped the quarrel before him.
If Fei's mother digs up those things, there will be more trouble in the future and the families will have no peace of mind.
The villagers were still not satisfied. The marriage between the two families had already angered many families, and now seeing the two families quarreling with each other so quickly, everyone was very happy and wanted to hear more about the bad things between the two families.
But after Zhang Fangyuan interrupted, everyone could no longer listen with a thick face, and pretended to step forward to persuade the two sides to stop talking.
Xu Shaochun cried in the house until his eyes were swollen. Now that he had lost all his dignity and face, he felt inexplicably relieved, as if the shackles on his face had been removed. He didn't care what people said or saw, he took a basin of water for washing his face and poured it directly in the yard. The villagers had to retreat in disappointment.
Xu He and Zhang Fangyuan looked at each other. If they had known this would happen, they would not have done it in the first place. He did not go forward to persuade them. After all, he would only be scolded and beaten if he went. So he simply went back to Huang's house with Zhang Fangyuan to collect the money and sell pork.
It was two days later that Xu He heard about the follow-up.
Her mother Liu Xianglan was furious, and called Xu Shaochun back when the Fei family was busy planting rice. Fei's mother chased after him and scolded him, but he had to go home to continue working.
Xu Shaochun stayed at home for three or five days in a row. She was very proud of herself at first, but later she stayed there without receiving any letters from the Fei family. Even when Fei Lian came back from the academy for a break, he did not go to pick her up.
Only then did Xu Shaochun become anxious. After hesitating for a while, he still shamelessly went back to Fei's house by himself.
Xu He sighed when he knew about these things. It was really ugly that the two families had such a quarrel. It was impossible for them to separate. This was not a custom in wealthy families. Generally, there was only the death of a wife, and there was no such thing as divorce.
Getting married once has already drained your energy. Not only will it be harder to find a second one than the first one, but you will also have to spend money again, and it will be embarrassing to tell others about it. The only way to survive is to stay in this stalemate. And it is common to have quarrels between the wife's family and the husband's family, and then they continue to live as usual after the quarrel. However, it will definitely not be easy to live a good life in the future.
I just hope that his second sister can grow up a little after this incident. If she manages the relationship between husband and wife well and lives a down-to-earth life, there is still hope for her in the future. After all, Fei Lian is one of the few educated people in the village.
When Xu He came back from picking vegetables, he saw that people in the fields in the village were talking about Fei Lian and his second sister, and he felt a little uncomfortable for a moment. He and Zhang Fangyuan, two "prominent figures" who were often talked about by their fellow villagers, suddenly abdicated.
"Come with me to the city to sell vegetables tomorrow."
Zhang Fangyuan went to help Zhang Shiyuan plant rice in the fields. His calves and feet were covered in mud. He scooped a large bucket of water and washed them in the corner of the yard. In the middle, he poured some water into the rotten clay pot that had green onions in it.
Xu He sorted out the side dishes and said, "I won't sell vegetables anymore."
Zhang Fangyuan paused when he heard that, then threw the gourd ladle into the water tank. He walked up to Xu He and said, "Why don't you go? Those bastards won't dare to trouble you again. I've already paid you back. I'll be with you from now on."
Xu He laughed and said, "If you take care of me, who will take care of the meat stall?"
"Go ahead. Yesterday I saw that we had saved nearly five thousand yuan. If we work together, it won't be long before we can build a green-tiled house."
"You are dreaming. Even if you build a blue-tiled house in the village, who would dare to touch it if you don't have a fortune of more than a hundred taels?"
"That's something to look forward to, isn't it?"
Seeing that Zhang Fangyuan was nagging him like a child, Xu He decided not to keep him in suspense any longer. He stood up and said, "There are no more wild vegetables to pick. People in the village say that I moved all the wild vegetables near our village to the city. It's not a long-term business, and the profit is not high."
"It's getting hot. I see that pig offal is easy to sell because it doesn't have much water, but it's easy to go bad. Why don't you make some stewed food? I'll go to the city with you to set up a stall and sell it."
Zhang Fangyuan's brows relaxed when he heard this. He held his hands and raised his eyes, and couldn't help but fantasize: "This is great! Braised food can be sold at a higher price than pork. Why didn't you say so earlier? You should have done this a long time ago!"
"It's not that simple. It was cold at first, so few people would eat braised food. Only a drunkard like you doesn't care about whether it's hot or cold, and you can eat cold braised food whenever you want."
Zhang Fangyuan thought that he hadn't felt this way for a long time. He simply didn't have any spare money to buy those things. Now, when it came to food, he also understood the word "precious" that Chen Si had always said.
But now Chef Xu has to do it himself, so he doesn't have to worry about outside.
He followed behind Xu He and asked, "When do we start setting up the stall?"
"tomorrow."
Xu He led the people into the kitchen, took out a small bundle and handed it to Zhang Fangyuan: "Smell it, is it good?"
Zhang Fangyuan was even more excited when he heard that he would be setting up a stall the next day. He quickly bent down and sniffed: "It's a seasoning bag!"
"I have tried the soup with the ingredients I prepared, but I don't know if the braised meat will taste good. I will wait for you to come home and braise it to taste it first. If it doesn't taste good, I will season it halfway."
"good!"
Zhang Fangyuan agreed immediately and went into the house to suggest the first choice for making braised meat - pig's head.
After the assembled material bag is ventilated, it is thrown into a deep pot of water. After a while, the clean water is dyed and gradually becomes the color of dark gardenia fruit with old sauce. A spoonful of it is transparent.
Xu He put mountain mustard, star anise, cinnamon, dried pine, ginger, cardamom, etc. in his spice bag... Some of them he collected himself, and the ones that were not collected at home were bought in the city.
Wash the pig's head clean before putting it into the pot and simmer it for about an hour.
After about an incense stick of time, you can still smell the aroma of the stew even though the lid is on. The closer you get to it, the stronger the aroma becomes.
Zhang Fangyuan had only eaten braised meat before, but had never seen the braised process. He kept looking into the pot while the fire was burning.
The thicker the marinade, the better. In order to make the meat more flavorful, the sauce and marinade are heavy in flavor, making it much saltier than ordinary meals.
If you want braised meat to taste good, the braising liquid is one thing, and the sauce for mixing the meat is even more important.
Chili oil is indispensable. He prepared two flavors, one ordinary spicy and the other purely numbing. He squeezed oil from fresh peppercorns, added some chili peppers and sesame seeds. It was not a stew, but the taste was great when eaten with ordinary dishes. It was a pity that he couldn't even use it to mix with meat, let alone ordinary vegetables.
Xu He also spent a lot of money to buy these. When autumn comes, he will go to the mountains to pick peppercorns and squeeze oil himself. The materials sold in the shop are really expensive.
Zhang Fangyuan readily agreed to dig up any pepper trees or Litsea cubeba trees he saw on the mountain and plant them in his backyard.
After waiting for an hour, Xu He grabbed the pig's head with a hook and saw that the bones and flesh could be separated, so it was done.
After being simmered in brine for an hour, the white pig's head had turned into a beautiful reddish-brown color. When it was lifted up, the steam in the pot suddenly dissipated like the appearance of a delicious delicacy.
Judging from the appearance, Xu He was quite satisfied. The smell was also fragrant, but the taste still needed to be tasted.
Not to mention that he wanted to give it a try, Zhang Fangyuan had already started rubbing his hands. I fed the dog the thin slices and almost burned its mouth.
"Okay, okay! I'll beat up anyone who says this is not good!"
Xu He laughed: "It's unreasonable."
The braised pig's head has a slightly soft and glutinous texture when it comes out of the pot, with a strong aroma. The taste is a little light, but it is just right when the meat is cut and mixed with seasonings. When the pork has cooled down, its fragrance will fade and its texture will become chewy, making it delicious whether eaten with wine or rice.
Xu He was very happy that the ingredients he prepared were so suitable the first time, and he went to get the pig offal to prepare the braising sauce with peace of mind. Pig offal is very troublesome to take care of, so it’s better to put it in the pot later and pack it up and take it to the city tomorrow.
"Cut a piece and send it to Fourth Uncle's house so Xiaomao can have a taste."
Zhang Fangyuan cut with his knife and half of the pig's snout entered his mouth: "Alright!"
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