The next morning, before An Moxue had finished getting ready, Xiaohuzi was already calling from outside, "Auntie Moxue! Auntie Moxue!"
As An Moxue walked out, she asked, "What's wrong, Little Tiger?"
"Aunt Moxue, are you going to the threshing ground to distribute the game today?"
"Going? What do you want to do?"
"My mom asked me to ask you. If you're going, she wants to go with you. Just call me when you're leaving."
"Okay, go back and tell your mother that I'll go and call her to come along later."
"Okay! See you later, Aunt Moxue!" Little Tiger said and skipped away.
After tidying up the house, An Moxue dressed neatly and went to Xiaohuzi's house.
She didn't go in, but called from the doorway, "Sister-in-law, Little Tiger, are you done? Let's go!"
From inside the house came Little Tiger's mother's voice: "Wait a minute, I'll be right out!"
A short while later, Er Gouzi's wife led Xiao Huzi out.
"Mo Xue, we need to get there soon, otherwise we won't see a huge pile of prey, and it won't be easy to get a good piece of meat. It's nice to see so much meat, let's hurry up and go."
As she spoke, she let go of Xiao Huzi's hand and took An Moxue's arm.
The two talked about hunting along the way, and An Moxue asked some questions that interested her.
When they arrived at the drying ground, it was packed with people. She asked Er Gouzi's wife, "Sister-in-law, why are there so many people?"
Er Gouzi's wife smiled and said, "You wouldn't believe it, after we finish dividing the game today, we'll be having a communal feast. Of course, everyone who could come has come; it's probably the busiest village ever."
"Is it like eating from the same pot as everyone else?"
"right."
What kinds of dishes are served?
"The sauerkraut stew with pork offal contains leftovers, pork, pork bones, blood sausage, and some offal. It tastes amazing. We can't make it taste like this at home."
Little Tiger had already disappeared. An Moxue was being pulled by Er Gouzi's wife and pushed inside. Finally, just when she felt she was about to be crushed, Er Gouzi's wife brought her to the front.
Wow, this is quite an eye-opener! So much prey, and there are several huge pots set up nearby.
This was the first time An Moxue had ever seen such a large pot. Curious, she asked Er Gouzi's wife, "Sister-in-law, where did all these huge pots come from? How many people's food can you cook with all of this?"
Er Gouzi's wife was very proud and said, "You've never seen anything like it before! These pots are really old. Every year after the hunt, we used these pots to clean the game and cook. We even used them for cooking during the collective farming era! They made a huge contribution!"
"My goodness! The person who cooks with this pot is amazing; you can't do that without a lot of strength!"
"That's right, you can't lift that rice paddle or vegetable spoon without some arm strength."
At this time, the village cadres weighed the game and piled the meat to be handed over to the town. Soon, the village chief would lead the village militia to the town's purchasing station, while the accountant would stay behind to oversee the distribution of the meat.
Now, people are driving over in their vehicles to load up the separated prey.
The roaring fires beneath the large pots had already heated the water inside, and the warm steam, combined with the cool air, made the drying area appear shrouded in mist.
Despite the large number of people, things were not chaotic. Some were responsible for boiling water, some for removing hair, some for gutting pigs, some for cleaning internal organs, and others for preparing pig blood.
There is a clear division of labor, and everyone performs their duties.
Children roamed among them, and everyone was all smiles.
It seems everyone has forgotten that some people were injured and some almost lost their lives because of this winter hunt.
Some people only experience the joy of being able to eat meat immediately and receive a share of it.
Several hours later, all the meat was cleaned out, and dividing the meat was the main event of the day.
Next to each squad leader stood a scorekeeper, and next to him was a butcher cutting and dividing the meat.
The meat was distributed first to the team members who participated in the winter hunt, then to families, and finally to the educated youth.
An Moxue also received a piece of pork, weighing half a pound, all lean meat, and a small piece of pheasant.
The educated youth were all given lean meat; in those days, people didn't have much oil or fat, so fatty meat was considered good meat.
Even the meat on the bones was shaved off completely; there were no ribs at all. If it's called bones, it's pure bone with no meat at all.
Even so, those bones are still good stuff; they're great for making soup or stew!
Even the leftover bones are smashed into powder to feed the chickens and pigs; nothing is wasted. Even the pig hair is washed clean and sent to the recycling station to sell for money.
After the meat was distributed, there were far fewer people in the drying yard; everyone took the meat home.
Aunt Guo, Aunt Meihua, and several other aunts who were very familiar with An Moxue all waved to her, calling her over.
"Ladies, what can I do for you?"
As Aunt Guo chopped the meat in her hands, she said, "Finished dividing the meat? Hurry home and warm up. I'll bring a big bowl to serve the vegetables in a bit."
"Auntie, when will you be done here?"
"It won't take long, about an hour! Come early, or you'll have to wait in line!"
"Auntie, you must be very fast at cutting this, your knife skills are really good!" An Moxue praised sincerely.
Aunt Gui proudly said, "Back in the collective farming days, we were all cooks, and we ate like this three times a day. No one could cook slowly or poorly!"
Wow! These aunties are amazing!
"Alright, go back now! It's terribly cold. If you want to chat, come home tomorrow and sit on a warm kang (heated brick bed) and chat away."
"Well, ladies, I'm off!"
"Go back! You'll have to line up in our queue later."
"knew."
An Moxue slowly returned home carrying two pieces of meat.
After staying at home for a while, he took the bowl and went out of the house again.
When An Moxue arrived at the drying ground, there was already a long line in front of several large pots, and it was still getting longer.
Groups of children gathered around the big pot, some even sniffing, their eyes filled with longing for what was inside.
The person serving the food shouted, "Dinner's ready!" and the crowd quickly gathered, surging in like a flood.
When it was An Moxue's turn, Aunt Guo ladled out a full spoonful of meat and then ladled out another spoonful of vegetables and soup on top.
An Moxue felt a warmth in her heart as she carried a bowl of sauerkraut stew with pork back home. She ran into a fellow educated youth from the educated youth compound and said, "Educated Youth An, we're having a get-together tomorrow, come join us!"
"Sure! Do you need anything?"
"Just take a pound of meat." An Moxue's expression was somewhat subtle.
Today we were all given a pound of meat, and it was all gone at this gathering. The new educated youth all got the same amount as her. Are you sure you won't eat it again in the future or during the New Year?
"Is each person a pound of meat?"
"Of course, have you asked any of the other educated youth like me?"
"Is that even a question? Shouldn't we participate in group activities?"
"But do you know how much meat we got?"
"How many?"
"Half a pound of pork, half a pound of pheasant. If we eat all the meat now, what will we eat for the New Year?"
An Moxue ignored his changing expression and walked straight towards home.
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