A large pot of pork fat was put in, along with some water, and the firewood underneath was burning brightly.
Rendering lard takes a long time, so He Tiantian was in charge of adding firewood, while Sister-in-law Yulan kept stirring the pot with a spoon.
As they watched the lard slowly render, both of them beamed with joy.
The rendered lard was enough to last for more than half a year, and He Tiantian even secretly bought a large, sealed jar from the mall for it.
The oil rendered from pork fat can be used for stir-frying, while the meat itself is rendered into fat.
The entire dilapidated temple was filled with the rich aroma of fried dough sticks. After the four children finished their snacks, they stared longingly at the pot.
Sister-in-law Yulan also scooped out the oil and placed it on a bamboo mat to cool.
The four children were eager to try it, and He Tiantian kept secretly swallowing her saliva, unable to resist pinching a few fried dough balls to taste.
The golden-brown fried dough sticks are so delicious! One bite and your mouth is filled with their rich, oily flavor.
"You should eat some first, but you can't eat too much of this, it'll make you feel sick," He Tiantian called to the four children.
The four children each grabbed a handful and stuffed them into their mouths, not caring whether it was too greasy or not, as long as it tasted good!
Dinner consisted of stir-frying bean sprouts in the large pot used to render pork fat, along with some radishes. We added a generous amount of water, then topped it with a few flatbreads. This dinner was quite delicious.
After the meal, He Tiantian went to Liu's house.
She spent another thirty coins to buy six cross-stitch kits from the mall, gave Liu some instructions on the details she needed to pay attention to, and then headed back.
Winter nights come early, especially in villages like Changfeng Village, which are nestled deep in the mountains and forests. Once it gets dark, the silence can be quite eerie.
As He Tiantian was walking, she suddenly heard a woman crying and shouting coming from the courtyard in front of her.
“I don’t want to sell my daughter. Da Hong is my own flesh and blood, I can’t bear to part with her.”
“You’ve had so many daughters, what difference will it make if you lose one? Besides, do we have enough food to eat? I’ve already inquired, and the Liu family in town is wealthy. Da Hong will have plenty to eat and wear. The one or two taels of silver she gets can feed our family of seven or eight for more than half a year. Where else can you find such a good deal!”
He Tiantian walked closer and saw clearly that it was Madam Sun.
Sun was from another village and married into the family. Her husband was named Zhao Maodan. In the five years after they got married, Sun gave birth to four daughters.
Sun's mother-in-law was always very formidable; she gave birth to four sons in one go when she was young.
However, Sun, as a daughter-in-law, could not give birth to a single son, which her mother-in-law could not tolerate.
With the snow disaster, every household's food reserves are running low, so Granny Zhao is thinking about selling her granddaughter.
The gate to the Sun family's courtyard was wide open, and He Tiantian could clearly see Sun kneeling on the snow, holding Zhao Pozi's hand and pleading bitterly.
Da Hong, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, was kneeling beside her mother and crying.
"Grandma, please don't sell me. I don't need much food, I can work, I can do any kind of work. Please, Grandma, don't sell me..."
Sun's husband, Zhao Maodan, stood aside and watched coldly. Instead of feeling sorry for his wife and daughter, he would occasionally make sarcastic remarks.
"What's the point of raising so many daughters? They're a money-losing burden!"
Although Sun had a past conflict with He Tiantian, He Tiantian couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her when she saw her pitiful state today.
This world is so unfair to women!
She walked to the door, leaned against the door frame, and pretended to be watching a good show.
"Oh, so Granny Zhao is planning to sell her granddaughter? Tsk tsk... You're just as heartless as my own mother who lost her husband." He Tiantian sneered, showing extreme disdain.
Granny Zhao was very domineering; which of her four sons and daughters-in-law didn't listen to her? No one dared to say a bad word about her. But today, she was actually confronted by a widow who had been kicked out of her home.
Granny Zhao really couldn't stand it.
She glared at He Tiantian and immediately yelled, "Who do you think you are, interfering in our family's affairs? A widow like you doesn't even have the right to step into our house!"
He Tiantian thought to herself, "My goodness, it's true that any old woman with the surname Zhao is not to be trifled with."
"You look down on women so much, aren't you a woman yourself? What's the difference between this and looking down on yourself? I'm telling you, when people get old, they should accumulate some good karma so they won't suffer in the afterlife." After saying this, He Tiantian quickly slipped away.
She was terrified that Granny Zhao would go crazy and chase after her to beat her.
That's all she could do. As for what to do with Granny Zhao, she had no control over what happened next.
In this era, selling children was all too common. Which wealthy or powerful family didn't buy dozens or even hundreds of servants?
With tears in her eyes, Madam Sun watched everything that had just happened. Why did she feel that Madam He was actually helping her?
But then she thought again, she had scolded Maruko's mother so badly before, how could Maruko's mother possibly speak up for her?
It must be that her mother-in-law is usually arrogant and domineering, and she must have offended Ms. He in some way.
After finishing her meal, Yulan's mother, as usual, waited at the roadside at the village entrance with a bowl of rice.
It was the time when the men were coming home from the mine. Liu Yonghe, Wang Dazhuang, and a few other men from the village who were close to him chatted and laughed all the way back.
Wang Dazhuang put his arm around Liu Yonghe's shoulder and mischievously gestured ahead.
"Brother Liu, your wife is waiting for you again. What's wrong? Aren't you getting restless from not being together every day?"
"Get out of here, you're younger than me. If you call me 'little brother' again, I'll beat you up!" Liu Yonghe shook off Wang Dazhuang's arm that was on his shoulder and glanced at Wang Dazhuang.
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