Chapter 110 Chapter 110 In Zhaozhuang. Jiang Dong...
Zhaozhuangli.
Jiang Dong came back in the afternoon this time, so it was not too late.
The atmosphere of the New Year is still very strong in the village. Some families get together to kill a pig. They boil water and kill the pig in the morning, and now they have divided the pigs and are removing the pig hair on the roadside!
Jiang Dong was struck by this smell the moment he entered the village: the scent of asphalt mixed with hot pig hair. He remembered that Xia Li had always been bothered by this smell, but he had been smelling it since he was a child. The villagers were not well-off, so they only slaughtered pigs and ate meat during the Lunar New Year. And that was the only time this smell could be smelled. So, for the children in the village, this smell was the very smell of the Lunar New Year.
Because pitch has a strong smell, butchers often choose to boil it near their own doorsteps. Atop a large wood-burning stove sits a pitch-black pot, bubbling with the black, paste-like pitch.
Jiang Dong walked behind a few people and glanced ahead. It was his uncle, Jianguo, who was removing the hair from a pig. He watched as he, like a child, dipped a pig's trotter into the tar pot, swirling it in circles. Once it was almost evenly mixed, he took it out and placed it in a basin of water. The hot tar solidified when it hit the cool water. After soaking it for a while, he used his gloved hands to tear it off, thus cleanly removing the hair from the trotter.
The villagers, free to enjoy themselves, were discussing who'd slaughtered how many pounds of pigs and how to cook them for the New Year. Jiang Dong didn't push his way into the crowd of older men, but stood back and watched. Jiang Jianguo glanced up and spotted a young man standing behind the group in front. A closer look revealed who else could it be but Jiang Dong?
A smile appeared on his face, and he asked loudly: "Jiang Dong is back? He just came back and hasn't gone home yet, right?" He saw that he was carrying something in his hand.
No one knew what the boy was doing out there. That unconfirmed incident had spread like wildfire throughout the village, leading him to believe Jiang Dong had truly done something wrong. Fortunately, it was a misunderstanding, and now with him supporting the family, they could get by.
Jiang Dong smiled and replied, "Yes, I just came back and saw you here shedding pig hair. How much pork did you get for the New Year this year?"
Jiang Jianguo was very happy. The pigs this year were fat and big, and they produced a lot of meat. "A pig weighed almost 400 kilograms, and it produced 300 kilograms of meat in the end! You'll know when you go back to your house later. Your mother also asked for some!" Although they were relatives, Jiang Dong's mother paid for the pork. This was a normal thing in the village. After all, other people's pigs were not raised to this size by starvation. The price was definitely much cheaper than outside, and the meat of the pigs raised at home was also very delicious.
Also, the offal, ears, hooves, tail, etc., will be given away for free to those who help, after all, it is very troublesome to handle a pig. When that guy moves, several grown men can't hold him down!
Jiang Dong didn't expect that his mother had already bought the meat for the New Year this year, and now he didn't know what she was busy with at home. He was anxious to go home, so he didn't say anything to Uncle Jianguo. He just said hello and prepared to go home.
Jiang Jianguo didn't try to keep him. It was the busy time before the New Year, and he also had a lot of work to do. So he just said, "Okay! Go back quickly. I still have a pig's head to peel. Your aunt cooks delicious pig's head. I'll ask your brother to bring you some when it's ready!"
Jiang Dong: "Okay! Then I'll go back first, uncle!"
When Jiang Dong arrived home, he saw his younger brother Jiang Erdong watching the fire in the yard as soon as he entered the door.
He immediately recognized that they were steaming buns. There used to be a mud-built pot against the wall in the yard. The buns steamed over a high fire were fragrant and delicious, so they always steamed about a hundred buns during the Lunar New Year to serve to guests. The buns were filled with a paste of red beans and sweet potatoes, and some families would even add a little broth or lard to make them even more delicious.
In fact, it is not just their family, other families do the same thing. Before the Spring Festival, they will make a few bowls of flour and spend a day steaming steamed buns. When relatives come during the Spring Festival, they will prepare dishes, cook porridge, and heat up the steamed buns. This is a good feast for the guests.
The adults were busy, and it was his nephew Jiang Mingming who saw him first.
In the past six months, Jiang Dong had always come home whenever he had time, as long as he was on the bus. Jiang Mingming was already a grown-up boy, so he naturally remembered what his uncle looked like. Moreover, every time his uncle came back, the house was always filled with delicious food and beautiful clothes. His parents were very happy, so he remembered it clearly.
He saw Jiang Dong and ran to the kitchen quickly. As soon as he reached the door, he shouted, "Mom, Grandma, Uncle is back!"
Jiang Dong's mother quickly emerged from the kitchen upon hearing the noise, her hands still covered in flour from wrapping steamed buns on the chopping board. Seeing her travel-weary eldest son, despite not seeing him often these days, Jiang Dong's mother was still thrilled. Even though her longing for her son, daughter-in-law, and child to return home together hadn't been fulfilled, she was still thrilled and happy.
She walked up to her son, looked at Jiang Dong happily, and asked with concern: "Are you back? I thought you would be back in the next two days. Look. Are you hungry? Mom will make you a bowl of noodles." As she said that, she was about to go to the kitchen.
Ma Lijuan also greeted him, "Brother, you're back. Have a steamed bun first. Mom and I just steamed it." She handed him a steamed bun with stuffing.
Jiang Dong smiled and waved his hands, "Eat later, eat later, I have to put the food in the house first."
Jiang Dong declined. He saw his younger brother Jiang Erdong also stood up and walked towards him, calling him "brother".
Jiang Dong nodded, walked over and patted him on the shoulder, then went back to his room.
It was Chinese New Year, and he'd brought some clothes for the family. His brother was about the same height as him, so he could estimate the clothes he bought for him. Boys' clothes were even easier to find; he could just tell them how old they were, and if they were a little bigger, it didn't matter; everyone needed clothes for a few years. He'd already bought his mother's clothes last time, so this time he and Erdong's wife each brought a scarf, different colors, so they could pick their own.
He had no trouble finding clothes for his family. The only thing that bothered him was the clothes he'd chosen for Charlie, the children, and her aunt before returning home. He'd asked someone to pick out his son's jacket, pants, and shoes—all the kind a boy would love. Charlie was thin, so as long as the length was right and they were fashionable, she'd probably be fine. But he knew she was picky, and after all the choices, he had no idea if she'd like them. The female boss he'd worked with at the time had teased him about it, but seeing he was completely lost, she offered some advice. In the end, she'd chosen Charlie's aunt's coat for him, too.
He didn't know if others could feel his kindness, but he felt at ease after doing it.
He put his things down in the house and saw that there was no dust on the furniture even though he hadn't been home for so long. He knew his mother had probably cleaned it up beforehand. However, the bed was still covered with an unused large sheet. He went out to wash his hands, then remade the bed and put the quilt and pillows in place.
Jiang Dong's mother loved her son very much. After the noodles were ready, she didn't call him. Knowing that her son was in the room, she directly brought the bowl to him.
The second son's wife, Ma Lijuan, watched her mother-in-law carry the bowl into the west room, curled her lips, and then continued to knead the dough.
Jiang Erdong, oblivious to the world outside, sat on a stool in front of the firewood, a radio in one hand and a stick of firewood in the other. His job today was to light the fire; nothing else mattered to him.
Jiang Dong's mother lifted the curtain in front of the door and went in. She saw that her son's bed was made and he was taking things out of the bag.
She walked over and handed the bowl directly to her son, saying, "Eat! Eat quickly and warm yourself up. You must have had a hard time on this journey!"
This was said quite emotionally. A few days ago, the dozen or so young villagers who had gone to Guangcheng to work returned. The village chief had a tractor driven to the train station in the city to bring them back. Upon their return, everyone was relieved to see the children safe and sound. But seeing how battered they had been on the journey, which mother waiting outside wouldn't feel heartbroken?
The little girl Haiyan from the village chief's family jumped off the train and started crying when she saw her mother. Her mother was so scared that she thought something had happened to her. She quickly comforted her by calling her "honey" and other words. After a while, she realized that the child was suffering from the whole journey on the train and was so upset that she saw her mother was wronged.
The villagers watching nearby burst into laughter. Jiang Dong's mother, who was also present, shed a few tears. Thinking about her own son, even though he was a grown man, he was better off away from home than a little girl. Whenever he came home, he never said anything that would worry his family. But a mother worries about her son even when he's a thousand miles away. Was her child away enjoying a good life? No matter how poor the family was, there was always someone who cared about him. Making money was not easy. As a mother, how could she not feel distressed?
Seeing her son coming back with bags and bags of gifts for the family, she felt both distressed and a bit resentful. Her son looked cold and hard, but in fact, he had the softest heart. What boy could be so family-oriented?
"Don't bring things home so often in the future. Mom has everything she needs, and neither do your brothers. It's only natural that we help each other when we're in trouble. Now that you have money, buy them this and that. Don't let them become careless." Jiang Dong's mother reminded her eldest son. It wasn't that she didn't love the younger one; she loved all of them. It was just that both brothers had families now, and families should live their lives like families. If you have money, you can eat meat; if you don't, you can just drink soup.
In the past two days, the second son's wife has been asking me whether Jiang Dong will come back for the New Year. Why is that? It's because she thinks that Jiang Dong will not come back empty-handed during the New Year. No matter if he brings money or things, there must be some bargains that can be taken advantage of!
Jiang Dong knew his mother was reminding him that he was too loose, so he nodded obediently, "Don't worry, Mom! Your son is not such a fool. He was just acting strangely before, but this time it's Chinese New Year, so he won't be like this all the time!"
His mother was very generous and made a hot noodle soup with all the ingredients. There were big fat slices of meat, red carrots, green celery, black wood ear mushrooms, shredded cabbage and dried tofu. Jiang Dong smiled. His mother must have put all the things she bought at home in it for him!
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