Chapter 112: The Pig Farmer's Rise to Wealth (Part 2) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Regarding the matter of riding a pig, Shen Tang could offer a few excuses.
The last time we ate, we talked about raising pigs, how the meat of castrated pigs is delicious, and some precautions for raising pigs. She thought that was the end of it—maybe one day she would get the urge to catch a few piglets to raise. But the next day, as the sun shone obliquely through the window, she squinted and got out of bed. When Lin Feng brought her water to wash up, her face was filled with undisguised joy.
"What good news is there today?" she teased after rinsing her mouth and wiping her face. "Your lips are practically curling up to your ears."
Lin Feng was clearly overjoyed, but he pretended to be calm and deliberately lowered his voice to sound mature: "Mr. Chu forbade me to say, saying that only when you see it for yourself will you be pleasantly surprised."
Shen Tang was completely bewildered, but she still managed to coax Lin Feng out, straighten the hem of her undergarments, and change into clean clothes. She used her fingers as a comb to gather her hair into a ponytail, then used a wooden comb to tidy up the unruly, upturned stray hairs. With a hair tie in her mouth, she tied it as she walked out of the room.
Lin Feng couldn't wait any longer.
"Hurry up, my lord," she urged softly.
"Don't hold me back, I'm here now!" It was rare to see Lin Feng, who was in mourning, showing the childlike innocence that was appropriate for his age. Shen Tang also became a little interested and waved her hand, "Come on, let's go see just how surprising Wu Hui's 'surprise' really is."
Then--
Looking at the more than twenty piglets enclosed by the fence, she fell silent. The pungent stench tormented her nose, and the noisy clattering sounds assaulted her ears.
Unlike her silence, Lin Feng, probably seeing a live pig for the first time, had bright, curious eyes.
If I weren't scared, I would have wanted to touch it.
These piglets had been carefully washed and were free of mud and dirt. Most of them had black backs and pink hooves, and from a distance, they looked like they were draped in a black blanket. The black color extended from their backs to their faces, noses, and mouths, hence the name "Black-faced Piglets." The rest were completely black.
Shen Tang swallowed hard.
It wasn't because she was greedy; she was frightened by Chu Yao.
That was fast!
"Caught in the mountains?"
Chu Yao said, "No, I bought it from a farmer."
Shen Tang asked curiously, "Are there still people who can afford to raise pigs these days?"
Isn't it said that people are starving?
Chu Yao asked with a strange expression, "How could there not be? There are always people in this world who are rolling in money and people who are so poor they can't even cover themselves. Even in times of peace and prosperity, there are families so poor that they have to sell their children. The difference is only in the amount, not in whether they exist or not."
Shen Tang persisted: "You really didn't go into the mountains to raid a wild boar's den?"
Chu Yao chuckled, "I don't have the energy for that."
Why go into the mountains to try your luck and catch something when you can just buy it with money?
Wild boars are not to be trifled with. In this bandit den, besides Gong Shuwu and Wulang, who can fight a wild boar head-on?
Don't mention that scoundrel Qi Bushan, he hasn't come back yet!
Looking at the group of piglets, Shen Tang's mouth watered: "Which one should we slaughter tonight? I heard that local pigs grow slowly, have less lean meat and more fat. I wonder how roast suckling pig would be... It has to be thoroughly cooked. I also wonder if these pigs have any cysticercosis..."
To everyone's surprise, Chu Yao asked a question that had a deeper meaning.
"Who said they're edible?"
Shen Tang was startled: "...Not eat it, are you going to keep it as a pet?"
"Yes, we'll keep it."
Shen Tang's brows drooped, and she pouted in disappointment, but she quickly cheered up and patted Lin Feng's shoulder: "It's better to keep them. If we slaughter them now, you won't be able to eat them. By the time you finish your mourning period, the pigs will be big enough, and we can slaughter a few and have a big feast!"
Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Chu Yao: "Fifth Brother, you raise him."
Shen Tang's expression froze instantly, dumbfounded: "Huh?"
Who will raise it?
"The rich refuse to eat it, and the poor don't know how to cook it. What a pity! I've been thinking about it day and night. What Wu Lang said yesterday makes perfect sense. I think we should give it a try. If we can really use castration to allow the people to eat meat that's 'as cheap as mud,' it will be a great achievement for generations to come." As he spoke, Chu Yao couldn't help but smile, and his tone was light. "Perhaps Wu Lang can even earn the elegant title of 'Black Gold Hermit'."
Shen Tang: "..."
She felt her complexion was now approaching that of the Dark-Faced Man. "Black Gold Hermit"—what the heck?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Hmph, they're obviously bullying her because she's young.
They thought she was easy to fool, so they tricked her into raising pigs!
Shen Tang desperately wanted to refuse, but looking at the pen full of piglets, and then thinking about their meat, and then about braised pork ribs, braised pig's trotters, sweet and sour pork, and braised pork belly with preserved vegetables... she shamefully swallowed her saliva and muttered, "Self-reliance, self-reliance..."
The more I think about it, the more I crave it.
Tempted by the delicious food, Shen Tang puffed out her chest and said, "Hmph, fine, I can raise people, so what if I can't raise a few pigs?"
There's one thing she has to admit.
She just wanted the piglet's body.
Chu Yao smiled kindly, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
"Can Goro conjure weapons?"
Yes, you can.
Why ask this?
Chu Yao stroked his beard and said with satisfaction, "Very good, very good. Then there's no need to specially order custom-made knives."
"What's so great about it? So what if it can conjure weapons?"
"The piglets are going to be castrated, right? Castrating pigs naturally requires blades. Ordinary swords are made of common iron and are forged through countless hammerings, so they inevitably get dirty. But the weapons created by the power of words are formed from the energy of heaven and earth, so they are clean and should be more suitable."
Shen Tang: "...Ah, this..."
"The Sword of Compassionate Mother": "..."
"Yao has recently gained some insights into the art of cooking." Chu Yao smiled kindly. "If a young pig doesn't survive after being castrated, it's perfect for stewing to nourish Wulang. People generally believe that 'all meats are nourishing, except pork,' but Yao disagrees. Pork can also be nourishing."
Shen Tang: "..."
After thinking about it, she thought it was a good idea.
Of course, she didn't actually intend to use the "Mother's Sword" to castrate the piglets; the sword was too long and difficult to control.
She asked Gong Shuwu for help.
A martial arts master can wield any of the eighteen weapons.
Including very small knives...
Gongshu Wudang immediately stared in astonishment: "...Now, now?"
"Of course not now. It's not advisable to operate on these piglets immediately in their new environment; it will affect the success rate! My suggestion is to wait until they are familiar with their new surroundings and have their bodies warmed up. We should wait three to five days before making the incision. Also, we need to study the anatomy of these pigs; otherwise, it wouldn't be good to cut in the wrong place..."
Gong Shuwu: "..."
Watching Shen Tang mutter to himself, earnestly working hard for the pork, he was genuinely worried that Mr. Qi Shan would strangle Mr. Chu Yao when he returned. Shen Tang was a very serious person, and he had taken the piglets to heart.
While pouring the chopped and water-mixed "feed" into the stone trough, he pondered how to perform surgery on the pig.
If you're going to do surgery, pigs are pretty much the same as humans, right?
What preparations are needed for a person to undergo surgery?
"No eating before the surgery... Lin Feng, remember to let him go hungry for two meals, no, three!" Shen Tang thought for a moment while having Lin Feng jot down his ideas, to be organized later. "...Also, we need to shave his fur and give him a bath?"
Lin Feng asked, puzzled, "Do we still need to do this?"
"Castrate the pig, cut off a piece of its flesh. If you don't wash it clean, the filth will seep into the body through the wound, and even a person can die from illness, let alone a pig. Remember this... Also, you must do it around sunrise or sunset..."
Lin Feng was puzzled: "Why is that?"
"Cool, not hot, no sweating, I hate body odor."
Lin Feng: "..."
So what does this have to do with pigs?
"It won't work if you're sick."
Lin Feng: "Not even a minor illness?"
"No, it has to be healthy, preferably lively and energetic."
Chu Yao: "...???"
He suspected that Goro might have worked in the silkworm rearing department...
Black-faced pig: This is just another name for pigs; most local pigs are black.
Wujin: also a euphemism for pig, Wujin Jushi is a joke about Tang Mei.
The rich refuse to eat it, the poor don't know how to cook it, and it's "as cheap as mud": all of these are from Su Shi's "Ode to Pork".
The Silkworm Room: In fact, it was a prison where castration was carried out. Wu Hui discovered that Goro "taught himself" how to do it.
PS: This is the first month of the new book and the only time to be on the new book monthly ticket ranking. I hope to get a good ranking (I have been writing books for many years and have never won the first place on the new book monthly ticket ranking. *sigh*). The last three days of the month, namely the 28th, 29th and 30th, will have double monthly tickets. From 8 pm to 12 am every night, crowdfunding rewards will also be doubled (I think it is quadrupled)
P.S.: Begging for monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)
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