Chapter 27 Stew

Chapter 27: Stew

How could Li Changxiang not tell what Chang Jinhua was laughing at? Her face went cold, and she was about to go back and forth with Meng Wan when the host came by.

Aunt Tian, a great cook who ran the kitchen at gatherings, had married into the Tian family, same as Li Changxiang. They were older relatives in the same generation, basically sisters-in-law, but they usually didn't get along, and they were cold to each other when they met.

"Changxiang, you're here."

Aunt Tian gave her a casual greeting, then looked at Meng Wan looking overjoyed.

"Wan Geer, perfect timing."

"Aunt, is there anything I can help with?" Meng Wan, seeing she seemed about to ask for his help, offered first.

"Yeah, yeah, of course there is." Aunt Tian grabbed him by the arm and said to Chang Jinhua beside her, "Sister, I'm borrowing Wan Geer. I'll have him back after lunch."

Chang Jinhua gave a slight smile. "He's just messing around and getting in the way. If you don't mind him being clumsy, feel free to put him to work."

She said it to be polite, but she'd worry if Meng Wan got too tired. Aunt Tian knew that.

Before leaving, Meng Wan greeted Song Tingzhou, "Cousin, I'm going to the back?"

"Mm, go ahead." Song Tingzhou watched him until he was out of sight.

——

The butcher, who made his living slaughtering pigs year-round, worked fast and efficiently. He pressed the skinned pig onto the chopping block and, without needing help, split it open and cleaned it out, tossing the innards into a big basin. Aunt Tian took them over, and though people asked to buy, she didn't weigh them—innards weren't worth much, so she just eyeballed it.

The butcher then sliced through the bones and meat with a few quick cuts. The tail, trotters, and head were set aside, since villagers had ordered them days before.

Song Tingzhou's second uncle happily took a pig's head, planning to have Zhang Xiaoyu cook it for him to go with his drinks.

Once these pre-ordered items were picked up, the rest was all meat for sale—two or three catties at a time, with buyers picking the fattiest pieces.

Since it was in the village, buying pork from a village slaughter was a few coppers cheaper than at the market. Good-quality belly with nice fat was only fourteen coppers a catty, front and hind cuts were ten coppers, and ribs were eight coppers.

In previous years, Chang Jinhua would buy three to five catties of belly meat, enough for a stewed pork dinner with Song Tingzhou on New Year's Eve, with the rest used to make dumplings on New Year's Day.

This year, remembering that Meng Wan loved ribs, she bought a whole rack of ribs and two catties of front cut for dumplings. The cold weather kept the meat from spoiling, though she had to watch out for mountain cats coming down for food.

Luckily, Song Tingzhou had come with her. A rack of ribs weighed around sixteen catties, perfect for his basket, while the hind cut went into her basket.

After the butcher packed up the ribs and meat, Chang Jinhua counted out a hundred and forty-eight coppers and handed them to Aunt Tian's oldest son. He gave a simple smile. "Auntie, since you bought so much, I'll throw in a pig heart as a bonus. Don't mind it."

Chang Jinhua took the bloody pig heart and put it in her basket. "This is a good thing. My Wan Geer says it's nourishing. Why would I mind?"

Li Changxiang muttered sourly beside her, "Tingzhou's mother must have made a lot selling tofu this year, buying so many bones. That money would have bought good belly for a few proper meals." She only carried three catties of hind cut and a piece of pork liver.

In the past, Chang Jinhua wouldn't bother with her, but today she mimicked Meng Wan's tone and replied, "Sister, you misunderstand. Bones aren't expensive, but my Wan Geer loves ribs. He's young with good teeth and enjoys gnawing on them. But why are you buying innards this year? Didn't you used to say that stuff was for dogs?"

As Chang Jinhua spoke, everyone squatting by the innards basin picking through them turned to look at Li Changxiang.

Li Changxiang's face went pale and green, but Chang Jinhua had already left with her son, not sticking around to argue. In just a short while, she'd been hit by both Chang Jinhua and Meng Wan.

Her mood soured, and she threw a tantrum at home. In recent years, Uncle Tian's health had declined, and he could no longer beat her, so she had free rein.

As she ranted, cries from the eastern wing grew even more heart-wrenching.

Zhu Geer huddled by the courtyard gate, unwilling to come near the wing. Li Changxiang stormed out and scolded him harshly, "Making a fool of me outside, letting the whole village say I mistreat you? Get in here!"

Zhu Geer seemed drained of all spirit, barely human. Though he'd always been invisible at home, he'd once had hope. Now he was more like a walking corpse.

He obeyed Li Changxiang's orders and stepped inside, but the moment he crossed the threshold, he heard the wailing from the wing. The sound was pained and desperate, tearing at the heart.

Zhu Geer's steps faltered. He didn't dare go in.

"Third Brother, save me!"

"Let me go! I want to go home! Let me go!"

"Get away! Get away!!!"

"Ahhh! Third Brother! Save me!"

"Third Brother!!!"

Zhu Geer covered his ears, tears streaming down his face. His eyes were wide, filled with terror.

Was that "Third Brother" calling for him?

Don't call me... Don't call anymore!!

I can't save you. Just be good and endure it.

The Tian family will feed you and buy you new clothes.

Once you're pregnant, it'll be fine. When your belly grows, like Xiaomei, your mother-in-law will treat you well.

Don't call, please don't call anymore.

Zhu Geer, face covered in tears and snot, collapsed to his knees, clutching his head, as if on the verge of breaking down completely.

Li Changxiang looked at him with disgust, walked to the wall outside the eastern wing, and hissed, "If you're going to do it, do it at night. What's all this yelling in broad daylight? Don't you know Xiaomei's at home? Scare her, and I'll have you gagged!"

Her words worked. Soon, the crying stopped, replaced only by the disgusting, animal-like heavy breathing of a man and the mournful "mm-mm" sounds.

——

The butcher finished cutting the meat for Aunt Tian, sold most of it, and left. He had to slaughter seventeen or eighteen pigs that day, so he hurried to his next job.

Aunt Tian's husband and son handled the meat sales outside, while she, her daughter-in-law, and Meng Wan worked in the kitchen.

"Wan Geer, do you know how to steam pig's blood?" Aunt Tian asked Meng Wan, busy with her own tasks. Today, with the pig slaughter, all the clan relatives were coming for the slaughter feast, and she needed to make four large pots to feed everyone.

Meng Wan looked up from the stove. "Yes, my aunt bought some recently. You steam it like egg custard, right?"

"Then steam this basin of pig's blood for me, and let your sister-in-law wash the large intestines."

The intestines were messy and smelly, so she couldn't ask the visiting young man to handle them. She still had to render lard, so her daughter-in-law would have to do it first.

Meng Wan took the task and moved away from the stove. The Tian family had two large stoves in the main house and one in the wing, and they'd borrowed an iron pot to set up in the yard for today's feast.

He and Sister-in-law Tian had earlier boiled four large pots of water to process the leftover innards. Now, Sister-in-law Tian was scooping water to wash the intestines, freeing up the yard pot.

Meng Wan scrubbed the pot clean, added a couple of sticks of firewood underneath, found a cutting board, and chopped two bowls of minced ginger, scallion, and garlic—more scallion and garlic, less ginger.

Once Aunt Tian's lard was nearly rendered, he took a bowl of it, poured it into the dry pot, and without waiting for the oil to heat, added the minced aromatics. He fried them slowly over low heat until fragrant, then went inside to scoop hot water from another large pot into the oil pot. After filling it halfway, he brought it to a boil and let it cool for later.

Then Meng Wan went to fetch the pig's blood. He placed his hands on either side of the large basin and lifted, but it didn't budge.

He stood there in a daze, staring at his hands in disbelief. Huh? Was he really this pathetic?

Uncle Tian saw Meng Wan standing there dumbfounded and asked, "What's the matter, Wan Geer?"

Meng Wan was mortified. "Uncle, I can't lift this basin of pig's blood."

God, in his past life at sixteen, he had worked like a dog at his second uncle's house—not just a basin of pig's blood, but carrying water up six flights of stairs every day. And now he was this useless (╥﹏╥).

"You're a xiaoge, how could you possibly lift something that heavy? Why didn't you call me earlier? Here, step aside." This wooden basin was deep and tall, made of thick, solid wood; even Uncle Tian had a hard time lifting it.

Meng Wan quietly stepped aside. He had long accepted being a xiaoge, but this was the first time he'd been treated as weak and in need of care out in public.

Uncle Tian carried the pig's blood to the iron pot set up in the yard. Meng Wan went back to the kitchen to grab an empty basin and a ladle, carefully splitting the pig's blood in half.

All the pots were taken, and there was too much pig's blood to steam in just two pots. Meng Wan just poured half the basin straight into the large pot, mixing it with the seasoned water already in there, then added salt and stirred evenly.

This way, the bottom layer would definitely be overdone, but there was no helping it, given the conditions. Meng Wan kept the fire as low as possible, letting the steam gently cook it.

Meanwhile, Aunt Tian thought her daughter-in-law was taking too long, still not done with that basin of intestines. She decided to cut up a liver and start boiling it herself.

Meng Wan called out to her, "Auntie, I've already chopped the scallions, ginger, and garlic you need for the stew and left them on the cupboard. I didn't touch the meat 'cause I didn't know how much to cut."

"Oh, I'll go check." Aunt Tian replied and sure enough found the prepped seasonings on the cupboard, saving her the trouble.

Aunt Tian sighed appreciatively. This kid Wan Geer really pleased her. If he weren't already engaged to Song Tingzhou, she'd have wanted him for her second son.

Outside, Meng Wan figured the pot was about ready and lifted the lid. He used a spoon to scoop a little from the very center of the pig's blood—it had just set and was still soft.

He pulled out two thin sticks of firewood from under the pot, then found a clean basin and ladled the pig's blood in, spoonful by spoonful. The bottom was a bit overdone, but not burnt. Meng Wan took a small taste—the saltiness was just right, not bad.

The yard was lively, with adults sitting around and chatting. A kid, drawn by the smell, snuck over. "Wan Geer, give me a scoop to try!"

Meng Wan planted his hands on his hips. "Call me 'Brother'!"

In the kitchen, Aunt Tian heated the pot that had been used to render lard, leaving a bit of oil at the bottom so she didn't need to wash it. She directly added large slices of fatty-and-lean pork, stir-frying them with scallions, ginger, and garlic. Then she poured in half a pot of hot water, brought it to a boil, and added the shredded sauerkraut.

Aunt Tian sprinkled seasonings into the pot while instructing her daughter-in-law, "Turn up the heat. Once it boils, add two thick logs and let it simmer. Also, take a basin of sauerkraut to the side room and stew that pot too."

The eldest daughter-in-law was stunned. "Mother, I've never made such a big batch before." Cooking casually at home was different from making a large pot of food for a crowd.

Aunt Tian shot her a glare. "Never done it? Then learn! Didn't you see what I just did? Go!"

Meng Wan finished cooking two basins of pig's blood. This time, he didn't try to be tough and called over Uncle Tian's two sons to help carry them into the kitchen; they would be portioned out to the tables later.

"Wan Geer, is the pot in the yard free now? Then help me stew a pot of food too. I need to quickly take out the pig's liver—it'll get tough if I wait any longer." Aunt Tian had one pot stewing and another boiling the liver; after fishing out the liver, she had to get that pot going for the stew.

"Sure thing, Auntie, I'm on it." Meng Wan responded promptly. He wasn't one to slack off; since he was asked to help, he did it properly.

The fire in the outdoor stove still had embers and was easily rekindled. Meng Wan managed the fire and the stewing all by himself, orderly and efficient.

He heated the pot, added oil, stir-fried the meat slices with scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, then tossed in the shredded sauerkraut and stir-fried until slightly dry. Only then did he add water and seasonings.

Covering the pot, Meng Wan added two more sticks of firewood. White steam mixed with the aroma of the food billowed from the pot's edge, filling the yard.

Aunt Tian came out of the kitchen to check on Meng Wan. "Wan Geer, you've already got it stewing? Not bad, much better than your eldest sister-in-law. Let me go see how she's doing; we'll eat soon."

From the side room's stove came two low, sharp scolds, as if Aunt Tian was reprimanding her daughter-in-law for adding too much water.

Meng Wan quietly sighed. Aunt Tian was quite kind to the younger generation, so why was she so strict with her own daughter-in-law?

The dish stewed by Sister-in-law Tian wasn't bad, but due to inexperience, she had misjudged and added too much water, making it slightly blander than Meng Wan's and Aunt Tian's.

Meng Wan's stew had a thick, rich broth that smelled incredibly appetizing, even better-looking than Aunt Tian's.

When Aunt Tian portioned out the food, she prioritized Meng Wan's pot, serving it first to the clan head and elders. Her own two pots came next, while the eldest daughter-in-law's pot was mostly for the family.

Aunt Tian smiled as she served the guests. "This pot was made by my eldest daughter-in-law. I think it looks pretty good. Everyone, please dig in."

The gray-haired clan head, Uncle Tian, took the first bite, and then everyone else started eating with gusto.

"This stew is excellent! I'd say it's even better than yours."

"The pig's blood is tender too. No wonder you trained her well."

"Looks like the eldest daughter-in-law will be able to take over your cooking gigs soon."

With the food being praised, compliments flowed freely from the table. Everyone hadn't had meat in a while, and Meng Wan's dish was both fragrant and perfect with the coarse grain buns, so they ate with their heads down, not looking up.

Meng Wan noticed that the dish being praised was actually his own, but he didn't say a word. It was just a pot of food; he wasn't like Aunt Tian, who relied on cooking for a living. Still, his opinion of Aunt Tian dropped a notch.

Sister-in-law Tian, sitting at the women's table, flushed red at her mother-in-law's words. She felt inferior in front of Meng Wan but was afraid he might expose her and make her lose even more face.

So she plopped down next to Meng Wan and whispered to him, "Please don't be mad. My mother-in-law wants me to learn how to cook for banquets so we can earn a bit more money in the future. It's just that I'm clumsy and ended up taking credit for your work."

The four large pots of food were divided among eight tables, each getting a big basin of pork-and-sauerkraut stew, topped with pig's liver and two scoops of pig's blood. Rice wasn't available, but Aunt Tian had steamed several basins of coarse grain buns that morning, enough for everyone.

Meng Wan reached for two buns and put them in his bowl, saying flatly, "Sister-in-law, you're overthinking it. What's there to claim credit for? I just came to help out. It doesn't matter who made it, as long as everyone eats well."

Whatever they thought, he didn't care. He had worked hard all day and needed to fill his stomach.