Before the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, the pig butcher was already at the door, bathed in the morning light.
Liu Feng called the pig butcher "Young Master." The young master's family lived two houses down next door to Liu Feng's; the two families lived very close to each other.
A few days ago, Liu Feng's family had already told his grandfather, eldest uncle, and second uncle about the pig slaughtering. After breakfast, they all came over to help.
The eldest brother Liu Xingman, the second brother Liu Xingyi, the third brother Liu Xingju who was known as a "bandit", and the gentle Xiaoling all gathered together early, making it a lively occasion!
Under the thick, large ailanthus tree outside the door, the young man skillfully hung up a hook, took out a pile of shiny knives, and put on a leather apron.
Liu Changqing was busy on the side, cleverly using benches and door panels to build a "V"-shaped platform, with one end higher than the other, forming a natural slope.
At the lower end of the platform, Old Man Liu had already set up a large pot, with a roaring fire and boiling water.
Once everything was ready, under the young master's command, Liu Changqing, his second uncle, Liu Xingman, and others moved at the sound.
Working together, they managed to lift a large black pig weighing over 200 pounds onto the platform.
The big black pig seemed to realize its fate, letting out squeals and struggling to escape, but with everyone's combined efforts, it was finally held firmly down.
Although Liu Xingju was still a child, he bravely joined the ranks of those catching pigs.
He gripped the pig's tail tightly, his face a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Meanwhile, Liu Xingyi, Liu Yue, Liu Xiaoling, Liu Feng, and others stood aside, watching the pig-slaughtering spectacle.
The young man held a sharp knife, his eyes were firm, and his movements were skillful and swift.
With the final squeal of the big black pig, the sharp knife pierced deep into its neck, and blood gushed out like a spring, flowing into the large porcelain basin.
Gradually, the pig stopped struggling and lay quietly on the platform.
The following steps unfolded rapidly: scraping off the pig hair, cutting off the pig's head and tail, gutting the pig...
Liu Changqing and Old Man Liu worked together seamlessly, and in no time they had cleaned the whole pig thoroughly.
It was time to weigh it. Everyone worked together to lift the pork onto the scale. As the weight moved, a fairly satisfactory number appeared before everyone's eyes.
Smiles appeared on everyone's faces; the amount of pork prepared for this year's New Year was enough for the whole family to have a good New Year.
Finally, the young man hung the pork on the big hook and began to carefully cut it up.
His technique was skillful; each cut was precise, dividing the pork into long, thin pieces.
Nearly two hours had passed since the whole pig was processed. The young man packed up his tools and hurried off to the next house.
In the twelfth lunar month, there are still many families waiting for him to slaughter pigs, and he has to slaughter four or five pigs a day to keep busy.
When seeing the young master off, Liu Changqing gave him a piece of meat and a pack of "Peony" cigarettes as a token of his gratitude.
The young man was a man of honor. He never accepted money for slaughtering pigs for his fellow villagers. The villagers felt bad about it and would give him some gifts to express their gratitude.
Grandma, eldest aunt, and second aunt were busy cleaning pig intestines, washing vegetables, and cooking.
Liu Changqing and Xingman carried the cut pork into baskets in He Qunfang's room and placed them there. They then selected several large pieces of pork to give to their grandfather, eldest uncle, and second uncle.
The others each had their own tasks: some fetched water, some started a fire, and some brought tables and chairs from their own homes to put together a large table in the main room, enough to seat more than a dozen people.
The children, drawn by the aroma of pork, gathered around the pot, their mouths watering, eagerly awaiting the delicious dish to be served.
Now that He Qunfang has some savings, she has become much more generous.
In the past, my family was poor, and we didn't dare to spend our earnings recklessly. We had to save money for our children's schooling and building houses.
Every year when the pig is slaughtered for the New Year, most of the pork is sold, and the stew made with the slaughtered pig doesn't dare to put too much meat in it; the most common ingredient is large bones.
But things are different now. When He Qunfang cooks, she only chooses the best meat, letting her aunt and uncle cook as they please, without having to skimp on the portions.
Today, everyone must eat well and be full.
The pork, spare ribs, pig's blood, and other ingredients in the three large pots simmered and bubbled under the fire, and were finally cooked after more than an hour.
Steaming hot dishes such as "pork, cabbage and vermicelli", "stewed pork ribs and radish", and "pork blood and heart and lung soup" were served one by one, filling the air with their aroma.
Looking at the sumptuous feast of pork stew and the children and grandchildren gathered around him, Old Man Liu was overjoyed and announced loudly, "Dinner's ready!"
Everyone stretched out their chopsticks, picked up large chunks of meat, and began to eat heartily.
Only on the day of pig slaughter can people enjoy such a hearty meal of meat, and children eagerly anticipate this day.
A children's rhyme goes: "Little child, little child, don't cry, in the twelfth lunar month, pigs will be slaughtered; little child, little child, don't be greedy, after the Laba Festival, it's almost New Year..."
At the dinner table, since my grandparents have bad teeth, they only pick out the pork that's been stewed until it's very tender. They don't want the pieces that are almost falling off the bone; they prefer thick chunks of fatty meat that ooze oil when they bite into them.
Liu Feng, on the other hand, liked to gnaw on big bones with meat still attached, which his grandmother would jokingly say to him, "You silly grandson, why do you always pick out bones to gnaw on?"
Liu Changqing also brought a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and drank a small cup with his grandfather and the others. Apart from his eldest brother Liu Xingman, who had a good alcohol tolerance, the others could not hold their liquor.
Third brother Liu Xingju was so drunk by eldest brother Liu Xingman that he was knocked under the table, and was then scolded and laughed at by grandfather Liu Laotou.
The whole family was happily eating the pork stew.
After eating the "pig-killing feast," the New Year is just around the corner.
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