Chapter 167: 167

Chapter 167: 167

■ They welcomed their first New Year's Eve in the mountains. ■

Fang Qiuyan immediately set aside her spectating and rolled up her sleeves to help. "Move over a bit."

"Go ahead and give them a hand while you're at it. I can manage here by myself," Wu Zhaodi responded to her urging, reluctantly making room for her.

"They have so many people; they don't need my help. I'm just here to watch," Fang Qiuyan squatted down, picking up a piece of intestine and wrinkling her nose. The stench was overpowering, and the odor was nauseating. "No wonder wild boars are so pungent. The smell inside is similar to our latrine."

"Goodness, you!" Wu Zhaodi was both amused and exasperated. "You should keep that mouth of yours shut. You even associate food with the latrine. Aren't you afraid your chopsticks will taste funny when you reach for food?"

Fang Qiuyan gave an awkward smile, realizing her words were inappropriate. She quickly tried to make amends. "Let's hurry and clean these organs. Maybe we can stir-fry a couple of dishes for lunch to go with wine!"

"You only care about eating. I thought you came over because you felt sorry for me and wanted to help," Wu Zhaodi pretended to be upset, splashing some hot water from the pot used to scald the pig's hair, causing Fang Qiuyan to dodge hastily.

"Don't splash me with that smelly water!"

"I wouldn't splash you if it didn't smell!"

Tao Hua watched their banter from the side, feeling slightly nauseous from the smell of the offal. Her pregnancy had heightened her sense of smell, and even the steamy water used to scald the pig's hair was unbearable. Seeing Daya also frowning and covering her nose, Tao Hua led her to a different spot, away from her sisters-in-law, closer to the forest where Da Hu was distributing the pork. They could help tie some palm leaves.

There were no wooden boards in the mountains, so the ham and ribs were placed in basins. However, the carefully cut pieces like the belly, tenderloin, neck meat, and fatback were strung together with palm leaves. The meat couldn't be left hanging in the forest, so the children were tasked with taking the strung meat to Dogzi and Iron Bull, who would then hang them on clotheslines for Aunt-in-Law and Uncle Chen's wife.

Everyone in the family, young and old, had something to do, contributing their share.

Slaughtering a pig was always a lively affair, whether in the village or the mountains. Every year on this day, from pulling the pig out of its pen to pressing it down for slaughter, even the scalding and scraping of the hair, everyone gathered around to watch and participate. The meat distribution was no different. Old Wei and others stood nearby, occasionally giving instructions on how to cut certain pieces of meat, making the forest bustling with activity.

"You half-hearted amateurs should stop giving orders. This isn't the right way to cut it. It should be done like this." Wei Da Hu disliked their idle chatter, firmly grasping the leg and slicing it off with a sharp knife.

"Your uncle has seen more pigs than you've eaten. How dare you call us half-hearted?" Uncle Chen retorted, unwilling. "If you don't believe me, hand me the knife and I'll show you my skills. You'll see your uncle can handle himself as a butcher!"

"Dad, stop bragging. Two years ago during the New Year, the pig you held struggled so much that the butcher almost stabbed himself. Have you forgotten that?" Chen Sanshi, a devoted son, exposed his father's past, infuriating Uncle Chen, who rolled up his sleeves, ready to hit his son.

Old Wei and the others laughed heartily, their faces flushed with amusement.

After Wu Zhaodi and the others cleaned the offal, Grandma Huang brought a bucket of water to rinse the area. She saw her daughter mingling with the men, helping with the meat and competing with her "cousin" to cut it, behaving like a boy without any concern for propriety.

Her head ached at the sight, but it wasn't a good day to scold anyone, so she let her be. The Chen family didn't seem to care about gender roles either, as Wei Da Hu allowed Rice Straw to handle the meat. In the end, he handed her the knife to finish the job.

"Wife, what do you want to eat for lunch? I'll take the meat to Mother." Wei Da Hu turned to call out to Tao Hua.

"I'll eat whatever you all eat." Tao Hua felt embarrassed being asked in front of everyone. Seeing him covered in dirt and smelling of raw meat, she stepped back as he approached.

"Do I smell?" Wei Da Hu sniffed himself, realizing he was indeed quite dirty and had bloodstains on him, giving off a strong odor. Knowing his wife couldn't tolerate the smell, he didn't push himself forward. He bent down and rummaged through the basin, not taking the hind or forelegs, but instead picked up some ribs and headed into the courtyard.

Following behind him, Tao Hua remarked, "Second Sister-in-Law already took some ribs to the kitchen. We don't need more."

"There's never too much meat. I'll ask Mother to make pan-fried spare ribs for you. You can snack on them whenever you want." Wei Da Hu didn't care about the quality of the meat, knowing that some parts needed to be saved for the New Year's Eve feast. He had hunted the pig early in the morning, not just for the festive atmosphere of slaughtering a pig during the New Year, but also so his wife could enjoy it whenever she liked.

In the countryside, the quality of pork was judged by the thickness of the fat. Wei Da Hu had been to Fucheng County, where a small plate of spareribs cost as much as several plates of fatty meat in restaurants. Ribs were a prime cut, perfect for children and women to snack on.

The kitchen was filled with smoke and heat, with several stoves steaming. Zhao Sufen had just drained the rice and started steaming it when she saw her son-in-law enter with half a rack of ribs. She immediately handed him a basket. "My goodness, why did you bring so much in? Second Sister-in-Law already put some in the pot. Leave these outside for New Year's Eve."

"There's plenty outside. We don't need to save this little bit." Meat brought into the kitchen must be eaten. Wei Da Hu peeked into the pot filled with bones and meat. "Make pan-fried spareribs with these. Make a lot. There's no need to save them for the dinner table. Once they're cooked, leave them in the kitchen. Anyone who wants to eat can come and get them. It's the New Year, so there's no need to follow strict rules. Let's be casual."

The children would be happiest with this arrangement, as they loved sneaking into the kitchen for snacks, especially when dishes were being stir-fried. They would all gather under the stove, unsure which mouth to feed the meat to when tasting for saltiness.

Everyone was eagerly watching, and it would be unfair to favor one child over another.

For lunch, they didn't prepare elaborate dishes, just two large pots of stir-fried tenderloin, two overflowing plates of stir-fried belly, a plate of stir-fried liver, and a pot of white radish and rib soup. A few simple dishes filled the table.

After lunch, no one rested. They were busy handling the meat hanging in the courtyard and preparing the chickens and ducks to be slaughtered the next day. Today was for the pig, tomorrow for the chickens and ducks. These birds, usually treated like precious little emperors, would meet their fate under the knife during these few days of the New Year.

Although they were going to kill chickens, they couldn't kill them randomly. Laying hens needed to be spared, as did ducks that weren't laying eggs. During these days, Aunt-in-Law had been keeping a close eye on the poultry coop. With her keen eyesight, she pointed at an old hen cowering in the corner and a gray duck waddling in the crowd and told Uncle, "Those two. Catch them."

Uncle opened the coop door, causing a commotion as chickens flew and ducks scattered.

Little Tiger was delighted outside, barking and wagging his tail.

In the afternoon, after the pig's head was also prepared, Old Wei craved the braised pig's head as a dish to accompany his alcohol. As an elder, he wanted to eat it but didn't want to say it directly. So, he pulled Wei Da Hu aside and muttered, "It's not busy right now. Second Niu's mother has already roasted and washed the pig's head and offal. By the way, we still have half a jar of good wine left, perfect for the New Year. All we need is that dish to go with the alcohol..."

Wei Da Hu looked at his father's blushing face and bluntly said, "You're giving me goosebumps. Just tell me what you want. Don't act like a village woman wringing her handkerchief. It's unpleasant to watch."

Enraged, Old Wei kicked him and exclaimed, "Your wife is pregnant now. How could I bear to tire her? But I really crave her braised pig's head. I'm still salivating thinking about the braised meat from the pig-killing banquet last time. Go talk to your wife and ask her to guide you through the process of making braised meat. She just needs to tell you what to do, and you can learn to prepare it!"

Well, his father's request involved two people.

Wei Da Hu didn't know what to do. This conversation made him crave it too. Turning to his wife, he asked, "Can you do it? Can you teach me how to make it? You just need to stand beside me and tell me what to do. I won't let you get tired."

"What's so exaggerated? Do you think I'm made of porcelain? This isn't tiring at all. If you want to eat it, just say so. I wouldn't refuse to make it for you." Hearing that his father sent him to ask, Tao Hua was delighted. She turned to the kitchen to discuss it with her mother.

Mother and daughter agreed that braising meat wasn't difficult. The spice bag was valuable, but it didn't matter. For family consumption, the flavor didn't have to be perfect, and missing one or two spices wouldn't be a big deal.

They spent the whole afternoon with the stove fire burning, the aroma of braised meat spreading far and wide.

Tao Hua was worried that the smell might attract wild animals, but fortunately, although there were human disasters this year, there were no natural calamities. Wolves, tigers, and bears remained deep in the forest, not hungry enough to venture out for food.

Amidst this peaceful yet lively atmosphere, they welcomed their first New Year's Eve in the mountains.