Chapter 8: Preserved Meat

Chapter 8: Preserved Meat

Because he had hitched a ride on a mule cart for part of the journey, Qiu Huanian returned home earlier today and was not as tired as yesterday.

He was concerned about the pork in the jar and immediately took it out after returning.

The storeroom, uninhabited and without windows, had a deep jar that provided some insulation, keeping the temperature below ten degrees. Fresh meat could be stored for two or three days without any problems.

Qiu Huanian sliced the meat, stir-fried it with salt, scallions, and ginger to render the pork fat. Once the fat covered the meat, he removed the meat and packed it into a jar along with the fat, covering the jar with a bowl.

This was a traditional method called "preserved meat" for storing pork, a technique passed down through generations. The preserved meat, packed in jars and kept in a cool place, would not spoil for months.

The farm-raised pork, free from commercial feed, did not need any special treatment to remove the gamey taste. Its texture and flavor were far superior to the meat sold in modern supermarkets.

One pound of raw meat yielded about half a jar of preserved meat. Adding a little to each dish would last for many days.

After preparing the preserved meat, Qiu Huanian washed the bones he had bought and stewed them in a pot with sheep's belly mushrooms, tofu, and corn cut into sections. He added a pinch of salt for flavor and a small slice of ginger to remove any gamey taste. After simmering for over an hour, a rich, milky bone broth formed in the pot.

Just as Qiu Huanian had filled a large bowl with the broth, Hu Qiuyan arrived with Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng.

"It smells so good! Just walking by, you can smell that you're cooking meat again!" Hu Qiuyan said as soon as she entered. "When I came in, I saw several village children peeking over the wall."

Qiu Huanian was helpless but had no choice. The outdoor stove was right under the south wall, and the smell of cooking would inevitably waft out.

"You earned the money yourself, so why worry? Eat if you want to!" Hu Qiuyan laughed, trying to ease his mind.

Earlier, Meng Fuyue, representing the clan leader, had informed the villagers about the sugar beet root collection. Everyone now knew that Brother Hua had indeed succeeded in making candy and that it was selling well in town for just one coin each.

With the clan leader's endorsement and the appealing narrative, the villagers now praised Brother Hua for his talent and for remembering his fellow villagers, considering him a top-notch person.

"Except for Du Baoquan's family, who doesn't praise you now? Even if they want to cause trouble, they can't make waves," Hu Qiuyan said.

Qiu Huanian thanked Hu Qiuyan and offered her the large bowl of bone broth to take home. Hu Qiuyan initially declined but eventually accepted.

For dinner, Qiu Huanian stir-fried some pickled vegetables with a few slices of pork and enjoyed it with the bone broth and gluten.

The bone broth was rich and flavorful, and the soft gluten absorbed the broth, bursting with flavor when bitten. The crispy pickled vegetables and the oily pork created a delightful combination that left a lasting impression.

Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng drank several bowls of the broth and ate until they were full, reluctantly putting down their chopsticks.

Children absorb nutrients quickly, and after just a few days of proper meals, the two children had already gained some weight, no longer looking as emaciated as when Qiu Huanian first met them.

Qiu Huanian packed away the remaining broth and dishes, covering them with a wicker lid to save for breakfast the next morning.

While Qiu Huanian's home was filled with joy, the atmosphere in Du Baoquan's spacious brick house in the same village was somewhat somber.

"Mother, those sugar beet roots..."

"Shut up, eldest daughter-in-law!" Zhao scolded from the kang. "At most, the thirty or forty pounds of sugar beet roots will fetch twenty coins. How can you be so short-sighted? You really are from a poor, backward mountain village!"

Du Baoquan's eldest daughter-in-law, Wei Liuhua, lowered her head and said nothing more, though she felt wronged.

Although Du Baoquan's family was wealthy, they were still a rural household. They had to support their second son, Du Yunjing, studying in the county town and frequently buy new clothes and candy for their youngest son, Fu Bao, often at the expense of others.

The eldest son, Du Yunhu, was the one who suffered. Wei Liuhua had been married for five years and had never seen her mother-in-law distribute anything fairly. Her husband worked hard in the fields and took on odd jobs, and she earned money by embroidering and sewing, but all of it was taken away, leaving nothing for their small family.

Twenty coins meant little to Zhao, but for Wei Liuhua and her small family, it was very useful. With that money, she could secretly buy a few eggs to nourish her little son.

Her poor Youge, born prematurely, had always been frail. Her mother-in-law despised him for being a boy and would rather buy candy for her youngest son than give him even half an egg to nourish his body.

Who said Du Yunhu was born to Du Baoquan's previous wife, not Zhao's own flesh and blood!

Zhao glanced at Wei Liuhua, fully aware of her eldest daughter-in-law's resentment, but what did it matter?

A girl from the mountain valley marrying into their family—she must have accumulated blessings over several lifetimes. After just giving birth to a frail little boy, she dares to entertain other ideas. If not kept in check, she might soon forget her place!

"Eldest daughter-in-law, go back to your room and sew clothes for Fu Bao. No lights allowed. The fabric is already cut and on the table beside you. Fu Bao is insisting on wearing this color, so be quick about it." Zhao, annoyed by Wei Liuhua, waved her out.

Even after Wei Liuhua left, Zhao remained agitated.

"It's only a penny for two pounds of beetroot, right? He uses it for sugar production, didn't offer a premium, yet acts as if he's performed some grand act of charity, and the whole village backs him!"

Zhao thought of her old rooster that Qiu Huanian had swindled away. Her heart ached; though old and scrawny, it could still fetch a hundred pennies, yet it was practically given away to that little vixen!

Unaware of his wife's resentment, Du Baoquan stroked his chin and said, "He claimed he could make sugar from sorghum. I thought it was a joke, but he actually did it. Quite impressive, no wonder Yun Jing would..."

Zhao slammed the kang table hard, cutting Du Baoquan off.

"Still on about this! Who does he think he is? Li the Widow traded two pecks of sorghum for a bad bargain—he's not even fit to warm Yun Jing's bed!"

"Yun Jing was naive before, that's why he fell for this vixen. Now that the county school's teacher appreciates him and wants him as a son-in-law, how could he still be interested in some village boy!"

"To me, it's a shame Fu Bao didn't finish him off when he pushed him down the other day. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

Zhao cursed these old grievances until Fu Bao yawned, then stopped and let everyone disperse to sleep.

"Mom! Don't be angry, next time I see that vixen, I'll push him again, help mom kill him!" Fu Bao cooed in Zhao's arms.

"My son is so thoughtful," Zhao said, hugging her youngest. "But that vixen is a bit cunning. After last time, he's surely on his guard. You're young and might get hurt."

"Don't worry, I've already sent someone to his family in Shangliang Village. Dealing with such an arrogant boy—I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."

"..."

The eldest son Du Yunhu, the last to leave, closed the door, sighed silently, feeling very heavy-hearted.

He returned to the west wing where his small family lived. Youge was already asleep on the kang, while Wei Liuhua held a brand-new piece of fabric, staring blankly.

"Put it down and do it during the day. Don't ruin your eyes—it's not that urgent." Yunhu felt a pang of heartache.

Wei Liuhua sighed softly, not looking at him. "Youge is three years old. Not to mention new fabric, he hasn't even worn a whole piece of fabric made into clothes."

All they used were small pieces cut from clothes that were too worn to be worn anymore. Thanks to Wei Liuhua's skillful hands, they at least resembled garments.

Du Yunhu sat on the threshold, facing the room, covering his face with his hands, feeling a surge of bitterness.

With a stepmother comes a stepfather. Their parents' favoritism wasn't new. Now, almost all the land at home was cultivated by him and his wife. During the slack farming season, the couple also had to take on odd jobs, embroider, and make clothes to supplement the family income. Yet, they couldn't spend a penny of what they earned.

With filial piety as the priority, and their father above them, what could they do?

Wei Liuhua turned her head to look at the frail little boy on the kang, whose breathing was barely noticeable, tears streaming down her face.

"My cousin from my mother's family married into the town and has a good relationship with the town's doctor. Last market day, I secretly took Youge to see the doctor for free."

"He said Youge is indeed frail because he was born prematurely, but it's not a disease. As long as he is well nourished, he can get better."

"Youge has always been so weak because he's hungry."

"Du Yunhu, he's hungry..."

Wei Liuhua opened her mouth, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. She wanted to wail loudly but was afraid of alerting her mother-in-law nearby, so she could only pinch her palm hard to control herself.

Du Yunhu wiped his face, his hand wet with tears.

He spoke hoarsely, "You want to sell beetroots, but Mother keeps track of everything in the household. There's no way we can hide it from her."

Wei Liuhua shook her head; she had already thought it through. "My family's village is in a mountain valley, and the land isn't as good as Du Village's. In the barren corners where nothing else thrives, they grow a lot of beets. The leaves are fed to livestock, and the roots are barely fit to eat as vegetables."

"How about we find an excuse to take the mule cart there, gather more beetroots, and sell them to Brother Hua for a profit? What do you think?"

Du Yunhu's brows furrowed and relaxed repeatedly, struggling to make a decision. He had been an obedient son all his life and had never lied to his elders.

Wei Liuhua grew anxious. "Will you only be happy after my child and I starve to death and are buried in the ground?"

Her voice rose slightly, waking Youge on the kang, who whimpered softly. Immediately, Zhao's sharp scolding echoed from the main room, telling them to cover the child's mouth and not disturb Fu Bao's sleep.

Du Yunhu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.

After Zhao finished scolding, he whispered to his wife, "Brother Hua said he would start buying beetroots tomorrow morning. Your family's village is so far away; even with the mule cart, it would take half a day just to get there and back. It might be too late."

Wei Liuhua shook her head. "Brother Hua said he would take as much as we can bring. Given the clan leader's attitude, I think his sugar must be selling well. Once the village's beetroots are used up, he'll have to get more from outside."

"Here's what we'll do: I'll sneak over to his place tomorrow night and ask how much he needs. If Brother Hua says he'll take it, we'll make the trip."

Du Yunhu was still uneasy. "Fu Bao pushed Brother Hua, and Mother just had a fight with him. I'm afraid Brother Hua won't be friendly toward us."

Wei Liuhua clenched her teeth. "We have to try. If we're too scared to do anything, we'll never get any money. The one who offended him is from the main room, not me. At worst, I'll kneel and beg Brother Hua. For Youge, I'll do anything!"

Her heart turned to stone after the doctor told her that Youge's condition was due to starvation, only to return home and see Fu Bao tossing egg yolks on the ground because they were too dry.

Du Yunhu opened his mouth several times but finally sighed and silently agreed with Wei Liuhua's plan.

This was his wife, and on the kang was his little son. As a man, he had to provide for their small family.

"When you go see Brother Hua tomorrow night, remember to remind him of something. I just overheard Mother telling Fu Bao..."