Li Jin lay back down. "Technician Zhao's father was the posthumous child of Old Master Zhao and the newly bought young girl!"
"You really did have a son!"
In the darkness, Li Jin nodded. "When the Zhao family divided their assets, everyone was fighting tooth and nail. Nobody paid any attention to that pregnant girl, let alone gave her any share of the family property!"
"Technician Zhao's grandmother was also a tough woman. She packed a small bundle and ran away overnight, not daring to go back to her parents' home, for fear that her parents would sell her a second time."
"She ran away to Yongxing County and married a bachelor in his forties. The old bachelor always thought that Technician Zhao's father was premature!"
"Every cloud has a silver lining. Later, when the political movement broke out, the old bachelor's family was dirt poor and was classified as a poor peasant. Technician Zhao's father benefited greatly from this, otherwise how could Technician Zhao have such a respectable job!"
Li Xiangdong thought to himself, "That's really how it is. Some people sold land in 1949, and some people bought land in 1949. A seemingly insignificant action changed the fate of several generations."
"Later, Technician Zhao's grandfather died first, and his grandmother lived for more than ten years before passing away. Before she died, his grandmother told Technician Zhao and his father this secret."
Li Xiangdong couldn't understand at all. "Then why is Technician Zhao telling you this?"
If this secret gets leaked, it will have a bad impact on Technician Zhao!
In this era where family background still matters, he could quickly go from being a proud descendant of a poor peasant to a scoundrel of a landlord, and he might even lose his job!
Li Jin sighed, "You've had too much to drink!"
Perhaps it was because I had kept this secret in my heart for too long that I subconsciously couldn't help but want to tell it out and let myself get some fresh air.
"When he sobered up the next day, he was terrified and kept asking me if he had said anything he shouldn't have."
"What did you say?"
“I told him he was drunk and just slept, without saying anything. But later he still distanced himself from me and went back to being a loner.”
Li Xiangdong asked, "So, do you think he has a secret recipe for making pickles?"
Li Jin thought for a moment, "Back then, his grandmother was only one or two months pregnant when Old Master Zhao died of anger. She shouldn't have had any secret recipe!"
Li Xiangdong pondered for a moment, "What you said makes sense, but there's something that doesn't make sense."
"What?"
Why did Technician Zhao's grandmother reveal her son's true parentage before she died?
Li Jin casually replied, "Perhaps they hope he will acknowledge his ancestors and return to his roots!"
Li Xiangdong shook his head. "No, that's what we men think. Dad, think about it, this grandmother kept the secret until she gave birth to her son, and then her son had a grandson, and she still didn't say anything. If she wanted them to be recognized as family members, she could have told them when the old bachelor died."
"Then why didn't you say so?"
Li Jin thought about it and agreed!
Why didn't she take the secret to the grave? That would be the best protection for her children and grandchildren.
"Then tell me, why did she say that?"
"I reckon they're definitely going to give them something. And if they don't explain their background clearly, it'll be hard to explain!"
Li Jin clapped his hands excitedly and exclaimed, "That must be the secret recipe!"
Thinking of this, Li Xiangdong sat up excitedly, "That's right! Dad, is Technician Zhao still in Yongxing?"
"He's here! His whole family is in Yongxing, where could he possibly go!"
......
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky was clear.
Because he was excited all night yesterday, Li Xiangdong woke up a little late today.
When he came out after getting dressed, there was no one in the house. There were still steamed buns, stir-fried vegetables and sweet potato porridge in the big iron pot on the stove.
Li Xiangdong ladled a bowl of thick, golden sweet potato porridge, stuffed shredded potatoes and stir-fried meat into a steamed bun, and ate it with gusto. After finishing the porridge, he washed the pots and pans and headed straight for the livestock shed.
The north wind howled, and from afar, one could smell the stench of blood and the pitiful cries of wild boars, "Wei-er—Wei-er—".
That's right, today is the day that Lijiapo Brigade slaughters its New Year's pig!
At the end of November this year, Liu Yuliang and his colleagues weighed the twelve domestic pigs they had raised and sent them to the commune's slaughterhouse.
When the person in charge of weighing the twelve pigs at the commune's slaughterhouse saw them, he was dumbfounded! They were all round, fat, with big heads and ears, and bellies that were almost dragging on the ground.
After weighing it, the purchasing agent's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw the weight of over 300 pounds displayed on the scale. "How did you feed it so fat?"
In the past, Liu Yuliang would always bow and scrape to the purchasing agents, offering them cigarettes and flattering them, hoping that they wouldn't weigh the goods too heavily.
This year is different. There are hundreds of big, fat pigs in the pen, and he stands up straight.
It's rare for me to be so arrogant in front of the slaughterhouse staff!
That smug feeling hasn't worn off yet!
It was all planned long ago: starting today, we'd be slaughtering wild boars weighing over 300 jin (150 kg). Apart from the people working at the cannery, only Li Xiangdong wasn't at the slaughtering site.
The closer you get, the clearer you can hear the sounds.
The shouts, yells, laughter, and the sharp cries of wild boars mingled together, creating a unique, winter-limited version of liveliness.
Liu Yuliang first herded the heavy wild boar into a separate space.
He held a thick, curved wire in his hand, tiptoed behind the wild boar, and quickly used the wire to lasso the boar's mouth.
At this point, the wild boar was like a bridle-wearing ox or horse; although it was still struggling, it was no longer capable of fighting back.
The others rushed forward and flipped the wild boar over to the side. One person held the boar's body down firmly, while the others quickly tied its four hooves together with rope!
Then, they used a thick wooden stick to pierce the middle of the pig's hoof, and several people carried the wild boar to a large open space next to the livestock shed. They threw it onto the chopping board and plunged a gleaming white pig-slaughtering knife into the pig's belly!
At this moment, someone carried a large basin down below to collect the steaming hot pig's blood.
Fresh pig's blood mixed with salt, stirred for a while, will coagulate into blood tofu once it cools down.
If you want to make blood sausage, someone has to keep scooping up the pig's blood to prevent it from coagulating until the blood has completely cooled down before you can make the blood sausage.
Liu Yuliang took the butcher knife and cut straight down the pig's belly. When everyone saw it, the white pork fat was as wide as four fingers!
Two large iron pots were set up next to it, filled with boiling water, ready to be used to shave the pigs.
Some people use an iron basin to scoop a basin of hot water and pour it on the pig, then they can easily shave off the hair.
Before long, the black pig turned into a white pig.
Liu Yuliang brandished his butcher's knife, skillfully separating the ribs, pork hock, hindquarters, and pork fat, much like a master butcher dissecting an ox.
The pig offal was served in a large basin, containing the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, large intestine, bitter intestine, and small intestine.
Looking at the trembling, glistening, and steaming fatty pork on the cutting board, Li Xiangdong thought that if it were stewed with sauerkraut, it would be absolutely delicious!
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