Chapter 21: Butchering the Wild Boar

Chapter 21: Butchering the Wild Boar

After Zhou Ye finished eating, he looked up to find Lin Dashan and He Guixiang staring at him in shock. It suddenly dawned on him: Xiao Pu had only confided his secret to Lin Shu, not to her aunt and uncle. Yet, he had eaten with such unrestrained gusto—wasn't that a dead giveaway?

A quarter of an hour later, once Lin Dashan and He Guixiang confirmed that Zhou Ye hadn't overeaten to the point of discomfort, they fell into a thoughtful silence.

He Guixiang began, "A Ye, in the past... did you never get enough to eat?"

Before He Guixiang could finish her question, Lin Shu interjected, "Dad, Mom, I've read about A Ye's constitution in ancient texts—it's called a 'ravenous iron stomach.' No matter how much he eats, it all fits. And with it, his strength multiplies. If he eats enough for three people, he can exert the strength of three; if he eats enough for ten, he can exert the strength of ten. It's truly a heaven-sent gift!"

Lin Dashan and He Guixiang, unversed in such marvels, were utterly stunned. Could such a constitution truly exist?

Lin Shu's timely diversion successfully shifted their focus. If eating for ten people granted the strength of ten, that was terrifying—just how immense would that power be? Could he even lift a small hill?

Zhou Ye cast a subtle glance at Lin Shu, who was spouting nonsense with a perfectly straight face, his expression a complex mix.

Catching his eye, Lin Shu gave him a quick wink, as if to say: "No big deal, I've got this covered."

"A Ye, is it really as A Shu says?" Lin Dashan asked, half-believing, half-skeptical.

Zhou Ye hesitated, then nodded, quickly adding, "But Uncle, eating for three people is usually enough for me."

Lin Dashan mumbled to himself for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands and laughing heartily, "Excellent! This constitution is truly excellent!"

He Guixiang also chuckled, gently chiding, "This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. A Ye, you never mentioned it before."

Lin Shu teased, "I suppose he was afraid you'd feed him enough for ten people and make him do the work of ten."

Hearing this, both Lin Dashan and his wife burst into laughter. They might have considered it, but where would they get that much food? Later, when they saved enough money to buy more fields, with A Ye's constitution, they wouldn't have to worry about being unable to tend them all.

Seeing that the two believed Lin Shu's story, Zhou Ye quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother A Ye."

Lin Shu suddenly called out to him, her voice sweet as honey, yet it made Zhou Ye's heart skip a beat.

He looked up at the woman, who was propping her chin in her hands, her porcelain-like face bathed in the warm, yellow glow of the oil lamp on the table. Her dark eyes sparkled with laughter, flickering like firelight...

Zhou Ye abruptly averted his gaze, as if scalded.

Lin Shu asked with a smile, "Brother A Ye, did you enjoy the fish tonight?"

Zhou Ye: "...Yes, it was delicious. Do you want me to do something? No need to be formal with family."

Lin Shu indeed didn't hold back. "I want to dig a fish pond next to the vegetable garden behind the house and channel mountain spring water into it. In the future, the fish Xiao Pu and I catch can be raised in this pond. Whenever you feel like eating fish, I can catch fresh ones and cook them for you anytime. What do you think?"

Zhou Ye paused briefly. "If Uncle and Aunt have no objections, that's perfectly fine with me."

Lin Shu beamed. "They agree—Dad has already said yes. For the next three days, you're all mine!"

For some reason, Zhou Ye's heart clenched at these words, then began pounding wildly.

"Not tomorrow. Tomorrow I need to take the wild boar to town to sell," he replied, his voice slightly tense.

Lin Shu's interest piqued, and she instinctively leaned forward. "Going to town... I have something to do tomorrow, otherwise I'd love to go with you and see the town!"

"The road is rough and long. You'd better stay home," Zhou Ye said hurriedly, getting up to grab the gourd ladle for mountain spring water from the kitchen. He gulped down several mouthfuls, and only then did the discomfort fade slightly.

When he returned, Lin Shu and He Guixiang were already clearing the table.

"Aunt, let me clean up."

Lin Shu added, "Mom and Dad, you should rest. Brother A Ye and I can handle this."

Zhou Ye hesitated for a moment before saying firmly, "You should rest too."

"Brother A Ye, let me help you," she said, her tone sweet and coaxing.

Zhou Ye's heart felt fluttery again. He immediately moved away from Lin Shu, and only when there was some distance between them did he feel better.

Seeing him avoid her as if she were a poisonous snake, Lin Shu huffed inwardly. Was it really necessary? If it weren't for wanting her fish pond finished sooner, she wouldn't bother with him at all.

After making a show of helping, Lin Shu left the mess for Zhou Ye. She used the hot water from the pot to wash up in her room, then took a willow branch that had been soaked in water, bit open one end to fray the fibers, and carefully cleaned her teeth. Finally, she chewed some mint to freshen her breath, rinsed her mouth, and happily lay down in bed.

Lin Xiaopu was too excited to sleep, already fantasizing about the large wild boar in the yard.

Lin Shu was also craving it. On her way back from the Marquis' estate, although Shi Qing had occasionally ordered meat dishes at inns and post stations, they were always just a few slices of meat mixed with vegetables. Before she could even reach for them, Nanny Gui would snatch them away. She'd had wild rabbit and pheasant a few times, caught by Shi Qing along the way, but it had been a full two months since she'd last eaten pork!

Braised pork knuckle, Dongpo pork, steamed pork with preserved mustard greens, steamed pork with rice flour, crispy fried pork, pork bone soup...

Slurp—Lin Shu was practically drooling.

Thanks to the wild boar Zhou Ye had brought back, Lin Shu decided to forgive him for avoiding her like the plague today.

The next day, as the first light of dawn broke, noises and chatter could be heard outside.

"Big sister, the uncles who are helping with the butchering must be here!" Lin Xiaopu said, already dressed with her hair braided.

It wasn't just the villagers coming to help butcher the pig—a crowd of excited children had gathered too.

Village folks had little evening entertainment, going to bed early and rising early, unlike the capital, where the absence of a curfew meant the city stayed brightly lit late into the night, bustling with activity.

Lin Shu dressed, combed her waist-length black hair, took two strands to braid and wrap on either side, and tied the rest loosely with a ribbon. It was simple, pretty, and practical for work.

Women of the time wore various hairstyles, but unmarried girls typically left half their hair down or kept a braid to show they weren't yet married. Otherwise, Lin Shu would have preferred to just tie it all up in a bun.

By the time the sisters went out, many villagers had already gathered in the yard. Lin Dashan was speaking with a middle-aged man who bore a strong family resemblance to him. Both seemed somewhat reserved.

Without a doubt, this was Third Uncle Lin Dashui. Last night, her mother must have told her father about her plan to teach Lin Yushu to read. Third Uncle's visit today, under the pretext of helping with the butchering, was his way of swallowing his pride and offering her father an olive branch.

Seeing the two sisters come out, Zhou Ye called out to the villagers to begin butchering the pig.

Though severely injured, the wild boar still struggled fiercely in its death throes. Four strong men helped hold it down while Zhou Ye took his usual axe and, with a single light swing, sank it deep into the boar's neck. The boar let out a long, piercing shriek that soon faded.

Blood gushed from its neck, collected in a prepared wooden basin—filling it halfway.

He Guixiang and two women helping with the fire had already boiled a pot of water. They poured the hot water over the motionless boar, ladling it slowly to wash away dirt and soften the hair for scraping.

Four or five enthusiastic villagers brought their own cleaning knives to help scrape off the hair. Lin Dashui was among them, working silently and diligently. He focused on the tricky areas—the ears, hooves, and other crevices where hair was hardest to remove.

When it was time to turn the pig over, Zhou Ye alone turned the entire animal over without needing four or five people.

Someone joked with a laugh, "A Ye really does the work of five men! Lin Laoer, you'll be set for life from now on."

Lin Dashan, preparing a brazier to singe the pigskin later, chuckled. "A Ye is like a son to me. With him to take care of me, I'll be in good hands."

Lin Dashui fell even more silent upon hearing this, lowering his head further.

The wild boar, now scraped clean of hair, looked dark and glossy. Zhou Ye effortlessly lifted it alone and held it over the fire pit to singe the skin until it turned firm and crispy all over.

Then came the main event.

Chopping off the head, gutting it, and sorting the meat.

Zhou Ye didn't ask for help; he took He Guixiang's kitchen knife and skillfully broke down the boar himself.

The boar's lungs, heart, liver, and gallbladder were placed together in one basin—the only wooden basin in the household, which had been borrowed from a villager.

The two racks of ribs, four trotters, and marrow bones were separated and placed into another basin.

The large intestine, small intestine, and tripe—the more pungent offal—were set aside in a separate basin.

Lin Shu glanced at Zhou Ye's hands, which had just handled the intestines, and quietly stepped further away.

These parts were delicious when cooked, but before processing, they were truly foul-smelling.

The small intestine, coiled up inside the abdomen, stretched out to about three or four *zhang* long (approximately 30-40 feet) when fully extended. The basin was filled to overflowing. Some helpful women, undeterred by the stench, volunteered to take the basin to the riverbank to clean it.

He Guixiang silently noted those two women, thinking she would surely share some of the cleaned intestines and stomach with them later.

"Mom, will Brother A Ye go to town after finishing with the wild boar?" Lin Shu asked quietly.

"In this weather, fresh pork won't keep long. He'll definitely need to sell it in town," He Guixiang replied. Even if chilled with mountain spring water, it would last at most two or three days.

Lin Shu said, "Should I prepare some traveling food for Brother A Ye to take on the road?"

He Guixiang glanced at the busy villagers and whispered, "I've already prepared some flatbreads."

Lin Shu understood. If she prepared food in front of all these villagers, it would be rude not to offer them some, especially since these people were genuinely here to help.

But there were just too many people.

In the end, it all came down to poverty.

Lin Shu pondered, thinking she should keep some snacks on hand for guests at home and also keep tea on hand. She might not have the expensive tea worth a hundred taels per *liang* that the rich drank, but she could make wildflower tea or herbal tea.

Kudzu flower tea to sober up and soothe the intestines, pine needle tea for beauty and skincare, crabgrass tea to dispel wind and dampness, mulberry leaf tea to clear the lungs and moisten dryness... and these could all be found growing wild everywhere!

Author's Note:

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Thanks to the dear reader who threw the landmine: Song Qian My Wife

Thanks to the dear readers who donated nutrient solutions: Song Qian My Wife, Meng Zhou, What to Eat Every Day

Hearts and kisses~