"If you really give it to me, don't come asking me for it later. Even if you do, I won't give it to you."
"I'm just saying that you don't have any talent for embroidery, so you won't cry when you see others have it and you don't."
"I won't cry. I'll just buy it if I like it when the time comes."
"Look at you, so capable. Money can't buy everything."
"I know, I know, money can't buy time."
"Stop joking around. Look at Er Ya, she can sit still and embroider. Er Ya, do you want a pattern?"
"Yes, Grandma, can I choose some?"
"Sure, wait a minute, I'll get it for you. You can take it back if you like it. There's no need to make a copy; I have no use for it. Only you have the skill to embroider."
The old lady handed over a book. "The patterns are all tucked inside. Choose one yourself."
Er Ya took the book, which made Zhang Hongmei very envious. She didn't know about the patterns, but the book with the patterns was "The Scholars".
Oh my gosh, I want it so badly, what should I do?
Liu Erya picked out a few simple ones and said, "Grandma, I want these few."
The old lady had already noticed Zhang Hongmei's longing expression, and kept glancing at her. "Hongmei, do you want some?"
"Grandma, I don't care whether you give me the flower pattern or not, I just love this book."
"Hehe, you know your stuff. I'm giving it all to you, but you'd better keep it safe."
"Don't worry, don't worry, even if I'm gone, the book will still be there."
"You brat, what use are books now that you're gone? You just spout nonsense all day long."
"Grandma, I'll take the insoles and books home first. What if someone gets jealous and tries to take them from me?"
"Are you a miser? Look at how stingy you are. Go on, it'll be time to eat soon."
Zhang Hongmei went home, put the book into her storage space, and then returned to the old lady's house. She snuggled up to the old lady.
“Hongmei, don’t take my words personally. Money and material possessions are important, but you also need to be alive to enjoy them. Tell me, how could a girl as big as you drag this wild boar back? You’re probably not willing to give up, but if it attracts other ferocious creatures, do you think you’ll have any chance of escaping?”
Zhang Hongmei sat up straight, looked at the old lady and said, "Grandma, I understand. I only decided to drag the wild boar back after taking a full measurement. I will definitely be more careful next time."
"Hmm, think about it carefully yourself. When a person dies, nothing remains."
"Grandma, dinner's ready. Let's hurry up, or we'll be late."
The old lady got out of bed with a smile, and Zhang Hongmei and Liu Erya followed her to the village committee. The courtyard was full of people, with only a table and benches under it—this was the treatment reserved for the village's elderly.
The courtyard was noisy and bustling with people. But everyone had a smile on their face. The smiles of these simple, honest people are the most genuine and easily satisfied.
Several older men were in charge of distributing the meat. Zhang Hongmei stood in the line where Li Cuihua was distributing meat, holding her own bowl. She didn't intend to take more, hoping to get less fatty meat for herself. Actually, she was overthinking it; wild boar naturally has little fat.
The stewed meat in this big pot smells amazing, and the tofu, cabbage, and pickled cabbage inside are even more flavorful. Zhang Hongmei swallowed hard as she watched people carrying bowls of meat and vegetables pass by her.
"How pathetic, at least you get to eat meat all the time." When it was Zhang Hongmei's turn, Li Cuihua pressed down hard with her spoon, scooping up only meat.
Zhang Hongmei said softly, "Third Aunt, one spoonful is enough. If it's not enough, I'll get more."
Li Cuihua winked at her and scooped up another spoonful, filling the bowl to the brim, though there were a few pieces of tofu on top.
The two girls behind them did the same, and when they looked at the table, they saw that it was full.
"Hongmei, I'll hold the bowl, you go and make some cornbread for both of us."
"Alright, let's go home and eat. You go home first, I'll catch up with you after I finish making the cornbread."
"Okay, I'll be going now."
Zhang Hongmei made six large steamed buns in total. The old lady called her back and served her half a bowl of pig offal. Actually, Zhang Hongmei didn't like eating offal at all, but the old lady gave it to her like a treasure, so she had to accept it. Whether she ate it or not was up to her.
Er Ya walked slowly, and just as she reached the door, Zhang Hongmei arrived.
"Sister Er Ya, do you want some offal? This was given to you by Great-Grandma."
"You're not going to eat it? Well, you don't even eat chicken offal, so you're letting me have it for free."
"Here, have it all. Don't eat your bowl of food. Take it home, and we can just eat from my bowl."
"I'll leave it for you. My mom will definitely take hers home."
“I still have so much meat at home, why are we being so polite? I only need half a cornbread, you can take the rest back with you.”
Zhang Hongmei took a bite and found it really delicious, and before she knew it, she had eaten too much. She watched as Er Ya also finished eating, and the two of them collapsed on the bench, both of them too full.
"Sister Er Ya, let's have a quick bite to eat. I'll deliver the vegetables and cornbread to your house first."
The two of them went back to reading. Zhang Hongmei put all the flower patterns into other books and quietly read "The Scholars".
Liu Maocai looked at everyone and said, "We'll start planting corn tomorrow. We can finish planting 200 mu in two or three days. We've all had our fill today, so we'll all have to work hard tomorrow."
Everyone responded enthusiastically, and the lunch gathering was a complete success. As for leftovers, there were none. Since they rarely see meat, everyone has a big appetite. It's only because the pig is big that everyone could eat so much. If they had a pig at home, I doubt they could have eaten to their heart's content.
After everyone finished eating, the men moved the tables, and the women washed the pots and pans. These cooking utensils would have to be stored in the team's warehouse.
Li Cuihua came over and said, "Hongmei, where's the meat? I'll marinate it for you so we can eat it slowly later."
"Third Aunt, I'll go with you. It'll be a good opportunity to learn."
"This is a powder made from dried Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves that I brought from home. I'll mix it with salt and spread it evenly on the meat. Then I'll light some pine branches in the yard and put the meat on them to smoke. After that, I'll hang it in a well-ventilated and dry place."
"Do we still need to fumigate it?"
"Smoked food tastes better. It keeps for a long time."
Zhang Hongmei climbed down into the cellar and took out the large piece of meat. Li Cuihua cut it into three strips. "If you're going to marinate this meat, you can't wash it, or it won't keep. This salt is really good, so white and fine."
"I have some more, Third Aunt, do you want some?"
"No need, I have some at home. But where did you buy this from?"
"I bought it from the city, and I think this salt is good. It's worth the extra money."
Li Cuihua finished applying the salt in no time, and Er Ya lit the pine branches in the yard.
Li Cuihua also set up a rack to hang the meat on top of the fire. "It will take about a day and a night to smoke it slowly like this. Pine branches are not easy to smoke, so just pile them up on top, and add more when you see they're done. At night, pile up more chopped pieces."
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