perfect understanding
The stewed duck in state-run restaurants is cooked in a rich, dark sauce, similar to the cooking method of Dongpo pork knuckle, and the resulting color is almost identical.
It's the color that makes your mouth water just by looking at it.
The aroma is also quite remarkable; there's not a hint of ducky smell, only a delightful meaty fragrance.
Wang Shuitao sniffed, faintly catching a hint of the aroma of the brine.
Then, just before Zhou Baican's chopsticks were about to poke the duck, he moved the entire bowl in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, disregarding Zhou, he began to dismantle the duck as if it were his right.
She took out a clean pair of chopsticks and first poked them into the part where the duck's neck and body connected.
It's very soft; the chopsticks can easily reach the bottom of the bowl. After bringing them together, you can pry and push them to the side to separate the neck from the duck's body.
Then, in a few quick moves, they removed the duck feet and wing tips, and separated the duck neck and head.
After finishing everything, he asked, "Does anyone want it?"
Without waiting for anyone else to pick up their chopsticks, he took it out and put it back on the plate that originally contained the Dongpo pork knuckle, which was now shiny and looked brand new.
He placed it in the middle of the table and said, "You guys do it yourselves. I'll break it into smaller pieces so we can mix it with rice later. That way it'll be easier to divide."
As soon as Zhou Baican raised his chopsticks again, countless hands reached out from all directions towards the disassembled duck parts.
After a series of clanging sounds, only an empty plate remained, spinning and wobbling in the center of the table.
It took quite a while before it finally stopped.
Ducks only have two legs. Although there is no shortage of meat in later generations, it is still generally accepted that the legs should be given to the youngest child when the family gathers for a meal.
Because of her background, Wang Shuitao still had the privilege of receiving chicken legs and duck legs even after she grew up.
She had just seen the security guards grabbing the fatty part of the pork knuckle.
It seems like they're about to really get into a fight; it can't be her imagination.
The duck meat should be cut into smaller pieces so that everyone can share it.
Otherwise, it would be really embarrassing to have internal strife in front of Zhou Baican.
Ignoring Zhou Baican's flushed face, Wang Shuitao naturally took the plate and placed it in front of her.
Put the bones that were just removed into it.
Even without meat, it tastes good just slurping it up.
Finally, only a duck skeleton was left. She placed it on top of the plate, where it was snatched away by Meng Songying, who had the advantage of being in the right place at the right time.
Zhao Juan was gnawing on the duck head she had just snatched. She had already eaten her tongue and was crunching through the thin skull of the duck, sucking out the brain matter.
Seeing this, their greasy lips curled up slightly, "They're all good kids."
It reminded her of when she was young, and how she looked at others in the same way... Haha.
The duck meat has been minced and blended perfectly with the soup.
Wang Shuitao then added the steaming rice she had just brought in and stirred it all over.
When I picked up Sister Zhao Juan's bowl on the right to divide it, I hesitated for a moment, then hesitated.
Zhao Juan was still savoring the remaining taste of the duck head when she asked, "What's wrong?"
As if guided by a telepathic connection, Meng Songying somehow understood what was troubling Taozi.
He took the rice scoop from her without hesitation and said, "I'll do it."
Without Wang Shuitao needing to give any further instructions, bowls of duck meat rice were served and distributed to everyone.
Zhou Baishen was the last one to be served.
Although the order is not like that.
Meng Songying scraped the bowl with her rice spoon, looked up with a somewhat innocent expression, and said, "That's all."
Zhou Baican's face was no longer red, but had turned purplish and swollen.
Damn it, Meng Songying didn't even glance at Wang Shuitao as she finished speaking!
They took him for something else.
The minced meat rice was indeed delicious and visually appealing. After inviting Meng Songying to sit down and eat with her, Wang Shuitao also stuffed a large mouthful into her mouth.
I ate half a bowlful right away.
When food fills your mouth, it feels like your soul is also satisfied.
Zhou Baican wanted to leave, but seeing everyone enjoying their food with their eyes half-closed, he was rooted to the spot and didn't move an inch.
Soon, the vegetable buns and meat dumplings arrived, ten in a steamer basket, which meant there were twenty of each type of bun and dumpling.
There were only nineteen of them, so they could take it themselves.
Zhao Juan, however, insisted on gathering them all in front of her, imitating Meng Songying from before, and preparing to distribute them to everyone one by one.
Zhou Baican had already given up hope and was ready to see what kind of trouble this group of people could cause and what excuse they could come up with to not give him, the one who was paying for the food, a meal!
We can't just say it's all gone this time, can we?
Soon, he found out that he was the last one to be assigned a prize, and Zhao Juan slowly began to blackmail him.
Wang Yongwang suddenly spoke up, putting his arm around Zhou Baican's shoulder: "Hey, why don't you put on a good show and give the remaining two to Engineer Meng and Xiao Wang? They're still two kids, they need to eat a lot to grow."
Zhou Baican struggled, but the iron arm on his shoulder didn't budge. He could only pull himself down to break free of the restraint.
He angrily slammed down his chopsticks and left.
He's not stupid; he can see that these people are targeting him.
After leaving the state-run restaurant, he didn't head towards the factory. Instead, with a gloomy face, he walked westward until he was far away.
The man who had just been criticizing Meng Songying rushed over to Wang Yongwang and asked, "Boss, aren't you afraid we've misunderstood that person? What if she's just a complete idiot?"
Wang Yongwang patted the idiot's head with a bit of force, "You call yourself an idiot? Who's the idiot?"
He retorted, "Do you know how much this table costs?"
With half a dumpling still in her mouth, Wang Shuitao covered her mouth with one hand and raised the other high, eagerly answering, "I know, I just calculated it, it'll cost ten yuan and forty cents!"
That's almost half a month's salary.
Zhao Juan added, "Steamed buns, dumplings, and rice all require food coupons, and it's estimated that he'll need more than a month's worth of rations."
Wang Yongwang chimed in, "That's right, there's never enough. Don't you guys have any idea how much you can eat?"
There must be something fishy about someone who can endure this so much.
Now no one had any doubts. If Zhou Baican was alright, everyone present would cut off their heads and let him kick them around like a ball.
What angered Wang Yongwang the most was that Zhou Baican had already tricked him once, and now he dared to shamelessly come up to him a second time.
Everyone thought Wang Yongwang was some kind of village idiot. They figured if Zhou didn't bleed a little, how could he lead the young men under him?
The table was empty of bowls and plates; everyone conscientiously cleaned them up and put them in the designated place.
The staff member was already slurping noodles and didn't seem like they wanted to be disturbed.
Upon returning, at Director Sun's request, the patrol team they had formed was not disbanded, and the security department replanned the routes to make the defense even tighter.
Wang Shuitao looked thoughtful as she prepared to buy some white sugar to keep in her dormitory before heading back to her hometown.
As you pass by the vast fields that have been reclaimed, you can already see rows of neatly spaced and orderly spring seedlings.
And the smell of farmyard manure.
When the brigade leader saw Wang Shuitao return, he thought she had come to pick up the wooden boxes. He took two steps forward and said, "Taozi is back. Everyone has been busy digging irrigation ditches lately, so it seems we haven't made many wooden boxes. Last time I asked the old carpenter, he said there were only about three hundred."
Wang Shuitao snapped out of her reverie amidst the lush greenery and smiled, "It's alright, Uncle. Including these few, we've actually exceeded our quota. The food supply is the most important thing."
Their rainy season lasts from the end of May to the beginning of July, which not only makes it inconvenient to work, but also makes it prone to flooding.
Rice can only be grown in shallow water; if there's too much, it has to be drained immediately, otherwise it will rot easily.
Therefore, the irrigation ditches definitely need to be cleaned up as soon as possible. In a few days, when the mulberry leaves become lush, the silkworm farmers in the village will start preparing to raise silkworms.
The most crucial task is the sowing of late-season rice, which almost overlaps with the plum rain season, leaving very little time for planting.
But there's no other way; the transplanting has to be done in July, and it can't be postponed.
Starting in mid-June, all able-bodied men and women in the village who had the strength were sent to repair the dikes to prevent flooding.
The busy farming season is over, but there's no time to rest in the countryside; instead, an even busier life begins.
The children also come back from school during the holidays to help out, which is a regular practice.
Wang Shuitao said goodbye to the brigade leader, and when she passed by her father, Wang Datong, she made eye contact with him.
The two did not exchange words, but simply looked away indifferently.
Now she is the most eye-catching star in the entire Wangjiazhuang village, and everyone is paying attention to her.
The people nearby nudged each other, their faces beaming with excitement, and gestured to one another.
Various disdainful glances flew back and forth between Wang Datong and the widow, who was quite a distance away.
One of the men was about the same age as Wang Datong, and Wang Shuitao could call him "uncle" in terms of their relationship.
He clicked his tongue, and the people around him knowingly lowered their heads and huddled together.
"Hey, you know, there are men who like to raise other people's children."
"That's right, Chrysanthemum Mother's son and daughter with Da Tong are both very successful."
One of them rinsed his fingers in the water, picked them up and touched his temples, saying, "There might be a problem."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The captain walked over and shouted: "No horseplay, no joking around, get to work!"
"knew--"
The group then dispersed to tend to the crops, gossip about other people's affairs, and chat, which invigorated them considerably.
The team leader looked at the uncles and elders chanting slogans in the field, but didn't say much and left.
He had long disliked Wang Datong, this ticking time bomb.
Whatever honors the commune might have, with such a person staying in the village, he could only shrink back and not strive for them.
Otherwise, you'd be reported almost every time.
In the entire village, even among the men, none could understand him.
Now Wang Shuitao refuses to care about him anymore.
But just a few months ago, his children were known for their filial piety, and his wife was one of the most virtuous women in the surrounding area.
Instead of enjoying a good life, he insists on getting involved with a widow.
At first, Wang Dajin wanted to keep his son in check, believing that helping a widow would lead to a bad end.
Later, famine struck, and we were starving.
I was so hungry I wanted to reach down my throat and pull out my stomach.
The women in the family have stopped menstruating, they are all pale and thin, and two babies have starved to death.
Wang Zhenzhu was not married at that time.
Wang Dayin's family had nothing to eat during her pregnancy, and the baby she gave birth to at seven months was only the size of a kitten, unable to cry, and was buried.
When Chrysanthemum's mother was five months pregnant, her child died of starvation.
The people in my family eat everything—grass, tree roots, you name it.
Fortunately, this place is good; there is Guanyin soil bestowed by the Bodhisattva. A little bit mixed in is enough to fill our stomachs without causing any death.
It was at this time that Wang Datong stole grain from his family and gave it to the widow's family.
Chrysanthemum's mother helped keep it a secret.
The incident caused a huge uproar; not only in this village but also in neighboring villages, everyone knew about it. Wang Datong's family was kicked out of their home.
She also had two children with her.
It refers to Wang Jinbu and Wang Shuitao.
Wang Dajin only said that he couldn't keep the two children; they insisted on going with their parents.
Nobody believed them; they just assumed they couldn't afford to support him and were using this as an excuse to kick him out.
later……
Gradually, some people began to believe it.
Wang Jinbu is usually a normal kid, but she's incredibly protective of her family members, to the point of being completely indiscriminate.
However, according to the brigade leader's thinking, with Taozi watching over things and preventing Chrysanthemum Mother from delivering grain, Wang Datong and the widow probably wouldn't last long.
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