Chapter 129
A crowd had gathered in front of the Shen family’s second branch. Those who didn’t have much work at home came to watch the commotion. Since the meat was being sold cheaply, many people had brought money, clutching coins in their hands or tucked in their pockets.
Wei Lanxiang’s laughter was the loudest, her face creased with joy as she washed the meat and chatted with the village women. “Aunt Zhou, there’s no need to rush. We have to wash it once more after this. If you’re really in a hurry, come help. You can wash whichever piece you like.”
Aunt Zhou rolled up her sleeves and laughed. “You said it yourself. I’ll pick the one I want, and you better not go back on your word.”
“Look at you,” Wei Lanxiang teased. “I’ve already said it. Go ahead and pick.”
Many of the women and men watching were eager to join in. Hearing that they could wash the pieces they wanted, they rolled up their sleeves and squatted down, competing to pick the fattiest cuts. Soon, arguments broke out.
“Aunts, put it down. Let’s not ruin the harmony,” Shen Yaoqing quickly intervened. “You’re all kind enough to help wash the meat. Let’s not fight over a piece of meat. Besides, the cuts are so big that no one family can finish them. We’ll have to cut them into smaller portions to sell. There’s no need for this.”
“The meat is greasy to wash. Let us handle it,” he said with a smile. “Aunts, take a break.”
“I was just joking with Lanxiang. Don’t get so worked up. Let’s keep things cheerful. Go home this afternoon and cook a good meal with the meat. That’s what matters,” Aunt Zhou said, trying to smooth things over.
Wei Lanxiang realized her mistake. In business, you can’t let customers feel uncomfortable. She quickly called out to Lu Gu, “Gu Zi, bring a stool for your Aunts. Let them sit and rest for a bit. It’s such a hot day.”
“Yes, Mother,” Lu Gu replied, standing up and heading into the yard to fetch stools. He carried one in each hand and said politely, “Aunts, sit and rest.”
The two women who had been arguing sat down, ignoring each other and sitting far apart. Wei Lanxiang exchanged glances with Quan Zi’s mother and Aunt Miao, who then engaged the two women in cheerful conversation, smoothing over the earlier tension. The crowd soon returned to its lively atmosphere.
“Gu Zi, you and Shen Yan go feed the dogs and rabbits. We’ve got this here.”
Wei Lanxiang hadn’t forgotten the livestock in the new house. There hadn’t been time to gather more grass that morning, so they only had half a basket of fresh grass that she and Lu Gu had picked while digging for medicinal herbs. Fortunately, there was dried grass and bran in the new house, enough to feed the cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks for one meal.
Lu Gu pulled his hands out of the wooden basin and wiped off the water. Da Bai, who had been guarding the new house at night, must be hungry by now.
“Wait, take this for Da Bai,” Shen Xuanqing said, pointing to a chipped bowl at his feet. It contained meat scraps that had fallen while cutting the boar.
Wei Lanxiang, who hated to waste meat, had picked them up from the ground. After washing the large cuts, they would rinse the scraps twice in the medicinal herb water.
Shen Xuanqing didn’t touch the scraps. Instead, he took a piece of meat he had cut from the boar’s neck wound, which he had already washed once. He scooped half a ladle of medicinal herb water from the bucket and scrubbed and rinsed the meat again before handing it to Lu Gu.
It wasn’t much meat, but it would make a nice treat for Da Bai.
Shen Yan slung the grass basket over her back. Since the meat was greasy, Lu Gu placed it in the basket. There were cold steamed buns in the new house, and feeding Da Bai the meat with the buns would ensure he0 didn’t go hungry.
Guaizi followed behind them, whining pitifully. He was clearly begging for food. Earlier, while butchering the boar, the dogs had been kept at a distance. Like the humans, they had to wait until the meat was washed before they could eat.
As Lu Gu walked, Guaizi grabbed his clothes with his teeth. Lu Gu pulled his clothes free and patted the dog’s head, whispering, “Don’t worry, you’ll get your share. Da Bai is hungry, so he gets to eat first. Once the meat is washed, you’ll get the bones too.”
Even though Guaizi couldn’t understand, Shen Yan chimed in, “Yeah, you’ve already eaten.”
As they approached the new house, they heard Da Bai barking loudly behind the door. Lu Gu unlocked the door, and Da Bai rushed out, wagging his tail. He was clearly very hungry.
Shen Yan tossed the meat to Da Bai, who devoured it ravenously. Guaizi sat nearby, watching eagerly and trying to sneak a bite, but Da Bai growled and chased him away.
The dogs had been trained by Shen Xuanqing and didn’t guard their food from humans. Lu Gu knew Da Bai was just too hungry right now. As long as they didn’t fight, he didn’t intervene. He went inside and grabbed two cold steamed buns from a basket, breaking them into pieces and tossing them into the dog’s food bowl. He also threw a piece to Guaizi.
Guaizi leaped into the air and caught the bun but spat it out after one bite, clearly unimpressed.
Seeing this, Lu Gu didn’t bother and went with Shen Yan to feed the livestock in the backyard.
When they returned to the old house after locking up, Zhou Xiangjun and Shen Shunwang had arrived to help wash the meat a second time.
After nearly 200 catties of meat had been washed, Shen Xuanqing cut a small piece of raw meat and chewed it to test for any numbing sensation. Feeling nothing on his tongue, he spat it out and threw it away. This was a method the old hunter had taught him, if the meat didn’t cause numbness, it was safe to eat.
Seeing him nod, Wei Lanxiang was overjoyed and announced to the crowd, “It’s ready now.”
The meat was easiest to cut on the chopping board. They carried the two large and two small wooden basins into the kitchen, where Ji Qiuyue had already cleared the board.
Shen Xuanqing used a large iron hook to lift the meat from the basin and slammed it onto the board. Before he could ask, Lin Jinhu’s wife, who had squeezed into the kitchen first, urgently said, “Cut me two catties.”
At other places, meat cost twenty copper coins per catty, but today it was twenty copper coins for two catties. It was a good opportunity to stock up while it was cheap.
No comments:
Post a Comment