Dong Huaihua, “It just takes a while, what kind of hat do I need?”
When she saw Xiuyun’s mother, she waved, “Where is Xiuyun?”
“Her sister-in-law and her child have caught a cold, so they are making ginger soup at home,” Xiuyun’s mother, who was tightly wrapped in fabric, walked up to Lin Lan. She looked at the children and said with a smile, “Dawang, you’re feeling better now?”
Since Dawang was beaten a while ago, although most people didn’t know what was going on, seeing him limping every day, they knew that something was amiss.
Xiuyun’s mother also gave Lin Lan their family’s medicinal tincture for bruises and injuries. The farmers often have bumps and scars in their work, so they keep their own prescriptions all year round.
Dawang’s face was dull, but he still thanked Xiuyun’s mother for asking about his condition, “Auntie, I’m fine now.”
Xiuyun’s mother said happily, “That’s good then, don’t make your parents angry,” For her, a child being beaten was because they made their parents angry and making mistakes came second.
“It’s here, it’s here!” People shouted excitedly.
With a few cries from the pig, the large animal was pushed onto a stool with its hooves bound.
Two men pressed its hind legs and one man held his body. The butcher pulled its ears and stabbed it under the neck, making the pig’s voice become weaker.
As the knife was pulled out, a stream of bright red blood gushed out and splashed into the big basin below.
They proceeded with the next one… The Production Team then continued to slaughter four or five pigs.
“Kill the pig, kill the pig!” The adults and children exclaimed.
The younger children turned pale with fright— some covered their eyes when they didn’t dare to look at the scene whilst some looked through their fingers out of curiosity.
Dawang stared at it as Erwang frowned slightly, feeling a little nauseous. Sanwang’s little tan face turned pale with fright, but he still went to cover Xiaowang’s eyes.
In the end, Xiaowang was already stuck in his sister’s arms, but because he was pinched unconsciously by Sanwang, it caused his shoulders to ache.
Erwang took a look at Dawang and saw that his Eldest Brother’s eyes were shining, looking as if he wasn’t afraid at all, “Eldest Brother, are you not afraid?”
Dawang looked excited, “I am.”
Maisui, “The pig was killed just like that; how pitiful.”
Dawang glanced at her, “You’re not going to eat it?”
Maisui, “Of course…Stewing it with mushrooms would make it even more delicious!”
The younger was scared and excited at the same time, probably imagining the steaming mushroom stew before his eyes.
Lin Lan didn’t dare to look at it directly. Either way, the moment the pig was slaughtered, both adults and children alike held their breath. Only after it was killed did they let out a sigh of relief.
Immediately, the adults chatted with normal expressions, discussing how to eat the meat.
“The pigs are really fat. I think they’re bigger than the ones from the previous years.”
Sanwang proudly said, “Of course, do you know how much food we farmed for them this year?”
Xiuyun’s mother smiled and said, “Your mother has earned a lot of work points this year, so your family will have a lot of pork.”
Sanwang began to drool and dream about how to eat braised pork, pork vermicelli stewed with mushrooms, fried pork belly slices, boiled white meat and cabbage slices… Along with that train of thought, his mouth watered. These were all things that he read in Erwang’s recipes; he had never seen them before!