Chapter 14: New Year Pig

Chapter 14: The New Year Pig

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was time to get the New Year's meat.

The Gu family had set aside a pig for the New Year, so there was no need to buy meat.

The pig that had been grunting and chowing down on soybean pulp just yesterday was now, early this morning, cornered by the two Gu men, plus four others who'd come to help—hog-tied and hauled into the front yard.

Slaughtering the New Year pig was one of the biggest pre-holiday events. Folks would bring in a professional butcher, and kin or tight-knit neighbors would lend a hand.

For other families, most of the helpers were relatives, since after the slaughter, the host family would prepare a pork feast specifically for the butcher and the helpers. Farm folks didn't get much grease in their diets, and for a treat like this, you only asked people you were close to.

But unlike other families, the Gu family had only ever had one son per generation for three generations straight, so they didn't have any close kin to call on. Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu's folks didn't live in the village either.

Besides, with New Year's right around the corner, everybody had their own stuff to do, so the four who showed up were village guys who worked for Gu Daniu on his masonry crew.

Still, the pig slaughter was one of the few big excitements for country folks. Besides the helpers, the Gu front yard was packed with gawkers, plus a few who hadn't raised their own pig and were hanging around to haggle over a cut of the meat.

The kill was exciting, sure, but it was bloody business. Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu had been curious enough to watch when they were younger. But these days, after seeing it so many times, they were more focused on the feast that came after.

The men in the front yard were bustling about noisily, while in the kitchen, Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

They had to boil hot water and brew tea for the helpers. They also had to get ready to scald the pig's hair, plus wash and chop vegetables for the pork feast.

So on top of the slaughter crew, two of Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu's close friends also pitched in the kitchen.

With the grown-ups all busy, the older kids had to keep an eye on the little ones.

In the east room.

Yin Hongxue sat on his small wooden chair, a book in his hands, but his eyes were glued to the gap in the window that'd been cracked open for air.

Outside the window, the pig's shrill squeals, the men's hollering, and the crowd's laughter floated in through the window, like feathers tickling the two little boys' hearts.

Wanna watch, wanna watch!

Yin Hongxue scooted up a little in his chair, sneaking nervous sideways looks at the stern Gu Chaoning.

Next to him, Gu Chaoning had Gu Muan in his lap, a book in hand too, seemingly trying to teach Gu Muan his letters.

But really, Gu Muan's face was all scrunched up, holding his breath and trying to shove his brother's arm off.

"Brother," he tried for the sixth time, teeth gritted, shoving at Gu Chaoning's arm—and failed for the sixth time. Letting his arm go limp to catch his breath, he pointed at the window again, dead set on it. "See piggy!"

Just then, the racket outside died down a little. Yin Hongxue, distracted, whipped his head around to look at them.

He didn't say a word, but his big, talkative eyes said it all.

Gu Chaoning gave a faint smile and pretended not to hear.

"If you can recite this passage, I'll take you to see the piggy."

So Yin Hongxue turned his hopeful eyes on Gu Muan. Gu Muan, being little, hadn't yet learned his brother's trick of pretending not to notice.

He looked at his Xue Gege, then at the book in his brother's hand. The little guy paused, feeling embarrassed for maybe the first time in his life.

Gu Muan patted his brother's hand, then stuck out a short, stubby finger like a baby carrot and pointed at his mouth.

In a whiny voice, he said, "Gege," pausing to think, "An, mouth broke."

The little guy looked blank, paused again, then, under Gu Chaoning's stare, patted the book and waved his hand hard, like he was trying to jog his brother's conscience.

"Book long."

An Geer's mouth is broken, not like yours—can't say words that long, bro!

Somehow, even though Gu Muan's words were a mess, Gu Chaoning and Yin Hongxue both weirdly got what he meant.

The next second, both Yin Hongxue and Gu Chaoning burst out laughing.

Gu Chaoning ruffled the heads of the two little boys and said helplessly, "Just this once."

Both little boys snapped their heads up, their shiny, jewel-like eyes lit up with excitement.

"Thank you, Chaoning Ge!"

"Thanks, bro!"

Gu Chaoning gave them a sidelong look, not saying much, but his eyes were full of laughter.

By the time Gu Chaoning had the two boys rounded up, the bloodiest part of the slaughter was already over. The pig that'd been squealing its head off was now a limp, sagging carcass on the butcher block.

Having missed the most interesting part, Gu Muan grabbed Yin Hongxue's hand and pouted on instinct.

A familiar auntie saw this and teased with a laugh, "Oh my, our An Geer, are you a little fish?"

Gu Muan was round and pudgy-cheeked, and when he pouted, he looked just like the fat carp in those New Year paintings.

Gu Muan looked up, saw it was a familiar auntie, and his pout immediately turned into a smile. "Gui Auntie."

"Gui Auntie." Yin Hongxue, who'd been scrambling for the right name, quickly echoed.

Wang Guihua turned at the sound and looked at Yin Hongxue next to Gu Muan.

The boy's cheeks were soft and pale, with faint brows and lips, so he looked a bit cold at first.

But then he looked up, his big eyes shining like stars, and a slight smile melted the coldness into something cute.

He had on a thick, dark-red padded jacket, with two plump little birds stitched neatly at the collar.

Wang Guihua couldn't put it into words, but she just thought Yin Hongxue was as cute as those two fat little birds on his collar.

But before she could dwell on it, the pig's hair was scalded off, the family's cuts were set aside, and the rest was about to go on sale.

Wang Guihua snatched up the basket at her side and hustled forward.

Thanks to that chat with Gu Muan, she'd fallen a step behind. In a panic, she pumped her arms and took off.

As she ran, she shouted loudly, "Dawen! Save a piece of fatty meat for your sister-in-law!"

If she hadn't yelled, it might've been fine, but the second she did, the folks ahead sped up, sneaking wary looks back and blocking her on purpose.

White fat could be rendered into lard, and the cracklings could go into stews or dumplings, or just be eaten plain—greasy, fragrant, and crispy.

Everybody wanted that fat, but there was only so much. If you grabbed some and he grabbed some, there'd be none left for her.

The crowd said nothing, only kept moving forward.

Wang Guihua saw what was happening, knew she'd slipped up, and silently cursed herself for getting so rattled.

As the New Year approached, even the most stingy households were willing to part with a few copper coins, whether it was a pound or half a pound of meat, just to get some grease on their lips.

Especially since buying meat in the village meant no long trip, and it was even a penny cheaper than in town.

Before long, the makeshift meat stall was surrounded by a crowd.

Everyone was chattering away, one person asking for two pounds of fat, another for half a pound of front leg meat.

Gu Wen, squeezed in the middle, shouted at the top of his lungs, "There's plenty for everyone, no need to rush!"

Luckily, there were plenty of men helping, so even with all the chaos, they kept things moving.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan stood in the yard, watching the lively scene. Good thing their eyes and ears were sharp, or they'd have missed half the fun. Now Gu Muan had totally forgotten about watching the pig slaughter.

The two little boys stood hand in hand in the yard, not even tired, completely absorbed.

By the time the crowd at the stall had thinned out—and even the pig's head, which had drawn questions since it hit the table, had been bought by two men working together—they finally realized their feet had gone numb from standing.

Just then, a tantalizing aroma of meat—one that especially made Gu Muan's mouth water—wafted straight from the kitchen.

Gu Muan's eyes immediately lit up. Without a glance at his dad and grandpa finishing up the leftover pork sales, the little boy smacked his lips and, pulling Yin Hongxue along, trotted off toward the kitchen.

Whether or not they could sneak an early taste, the kitchen smelled even better anyway.

When it came to inviting folks to help with the pig slaughter and then sharing a feast, there were certain rules of etiquette to follow.

If relatives could handle it, they'd do it themselves. But if outsiders were invited, for tasks like the slaughter itself, they'd choose those close to the family and folks who were well-respected in the village.

Take the village head of Xiaohe Village, for instance—he was a perfect example. But catching and slaughtering pigs was dirty, smelly, back-breaking work. Given his high status and the fact that his household always hired laborers for that kind of thing, they couldn't exactly ask the village head to do the slaughtering.

That left the women in the back courtyard. They'd be invited to help with lighter kitchen duties, and that way, the family could find an excuse to invite the village head for a meal.

But at the end of the day, it was all about the work. And it also helped that Gu Daniu's family was a big deal in Xiaohe Village—the village head's family was willing to do them this favor. Otherwise, an ordinary family couldn't have gotten him to come.

When Cui Shi, the village head's wife, arrived, she just did light tasks like washing and picking vegetables.

Since her son had told her that Gu Chaoning's teacher praised his studies a lot, she was more and more keen to build a good relationship with the Gu family. Though she wasn't the fastest worker, she kept herself busy with little tasks.

Cui Shi was just handing a slice of tofu to Chen Youyan, who was busy at the stove, when she turned and saw Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan walking over hand in hand.

Cui Shi was thirty-six this year. Having married the village head Gu Changhe at sixteen, she'd given birth to three children over the course of twenty years.

Coincidentally, all three children were boys, so she had a great fondness for well-behaved, adorable young girls and little boys.

Especially now, seeing the two boys approaching hand in hand, neatly dressed, plump and fair, with their lively, clever looks that seemed to radiate good fortune.

Cui Shi's eyes crinkled in delight. She quickly picked up two pieces of tofu that hadn't been thrown in the pot yet and held them out.

"An Ge'er and Xue Ge'er are here!" she said, glancing toward the temporary meat stall at the yard entrance. Seeing fewer people, she assumed the boys had grown bored of the commotion and come to check things out here. "Are you hungry? Have a bite of tofu to tide you over."

Though Cui Shi and Chen Youyan weren't particularly close, Gu Muan wasn't shy around her.

Seeing the white, fresh tofu, he immediately recalled the tofu he'd eaten yesterday, full of rich bean fragrance.

Yin Hongxue also recognized Cui Shi. He offered a shy smile as he took the tofu and murmured softly, "Thank you, Madam Cui."

Gu Muan's mouth was already watering. With a glistening smile at the corners of his lips, he chimed in, "Thank you, madam."