"Was anyone injured?"
Ji Taoyu ran up to Huo Shu, looking at the blood on his clothes.
Huo Shu was about to answer when Ji Taoyu suddenly covered his mouth, overcome by a wave of nausea. The smell of blood mixed with the raw, gamey scent of the wild animals on Huo Shu's clothes was too much for him.
Huo Shu quickly took a step back, putting more distance between them. He was acutely aware that he himself was the source of the overpowering and unpleasant odor.
Huang Manjing saw Ji Taoyu's reaction and understood immediately. She said: "I'll heat some water for you to wash off with. You must be very uncomfortable, covered in all that sticky, drying blood."
Huo Shu said: "Mother, please heat more water. This wild boar and deer need to be processed quickly."
Huang Manjing smiled: "Alright. Who would have thought we'd be butchering a pig on our very first day here."
"Back in Mingxun Village, we only got to do this during holidays."
When the water was warm, Huo Shu carried a bucket to the bathing room to bathe. Ji Taoyu hurriedly followed him into their living quarters.
The room layout was identical to their room in Tongzhou, the bedroom directly connected to a bathing room. Ji Taoyu waited inside the bedroom.
Normally, Huo Shu was an exceptionally fast bather, finishing in under half a ke (7.5 minutes). This time, however, his washing took the time it takes a full stick of incense to burn.
Ji Taoyu, who was eager to go watch Huo Shu butcher the large wild boar, began to wonder if the man had somehow fallen or gotten stuck in the bathing room. Just as he was about to go in and check, Huo Shu finally emerged. His skin carried the fresh, clean scent of soapberries, and he had even taken the time to thoroughly wash his hair.
Ji Taoyu quickly found a dry cloth and began to gently dry Huo Shu's hair for him.
"We captured a few pheasants alive, all hens. They should lay eggs."
Huo Shu sat at the table, letting Ji Taoyu dry his hair.
Ji Taoyu's eyes flickered, understanding what Huo Shu meant. The egg he gave him this morning was the last one. Back in Tongzhou, they ate free-range eggs every day.
They had not started raising any chickens or ducks here yet, so there were no fresh eggs available. Purchasing any would mean waiting for the scheduled market day, which only occurred once every ten days.
The baby's father was determined not to let their child go without. This was precisely why he had made a point of bringing back a live pheasant—to ensure there would be eggs for the little one.
"Mm, pheasant eggs should be even more nourishing. The baby will surely be strong and healthy from your feeding."
Huo Shu glanced at Ji Taoyu, touched his belly: "He doesn't need to be that strong right now. Being too fat would make delivery difficult."
Ji Taoyu couldn't help but laugh.
"Right."
While drying Huo Shu's hair, Ji Taoyu took the opportunity to briefly tell him about today's events.
Hearing this, Huo Shu frowned: "In that case, let's make the announcement."
He paused in thought for a moment before continuing: "Later, have father go and inform everyone. Tell them no one should prepare their own evening meal tonight—everyone is to come to the main compound to share in the wild boar meat. We will use this gathering as the perfect opportunity to announce the matter."
Ji Taoyu's eyes lit up: "Yes! Back in the village, whenever a pig was butchered for New Year, we'd have a communal pork meal to celebrate. Announcing things when everyone is happy is a great opportunity."
"Let Father do the announcing. After all, he's the one who announces all matters big and small in the village. He has prestige among the fellow villagers, so he's the most suitable to speak."
So, while Huo Shu was butchering and portioning the wild boar, Ji Yangzong went to notify everyone.
Now that everyone was living clustered together in this settlement, a single shout carried and reached everyone's ears.
Each household sent one or two people to help with the cooking preparations.
Knowing that no family had much food to contribute yet, they brought along the wild vegetables they had dug up today.
Feeding over a hundred people required more than a dozen tables. But there weren't that many tables and benches here, so Ji Yangkai and others temporarily made long tables by piecing together wooden planks, planning to serve the meal banquet-style.
A wild boar over a hundred catties, plus several rabbits and deer—no matter how it was prepared, the quantity would be more than enough to feed everyone.
Huo Shu scalded the boar to remove its hair, scraped the skin clean, and butchered the carcass into portions. The meat was then taken directly to the cooking area to be either stir-fried or stewed.
None of the offal was wasted. The villagers who had come to help took it in basins to the river, thoroughly washed them clean, and brought them back. The leaf lard was carefully rendered down and used directly for cooking.
The main compound had stored supplies, which had been bought and brought back from the county town by A-Yu and Shi Yi, so they were not short on such essential cooking ingredients.
As dusk fell, cooking smoke rose sporadically. Every family contributed their pots, both big and small, to be used for cooking.
The area around the main compound was filled with the aroma of hot dishes and meat. The mountain wind carried the smell far, and the men cutting trees halfway up the mountain had been salivating from the scent for a long time.
No one had expected to be treated to a pork feast so soon after arriving. Everyone was very happy.
After spending so much time on the road, where even a small portion of meat was considered a treat, being able to eat such a large quantity of meat tonight brought immense joy to everyone.
With many helpers, although the meal started late, by the time it was fully dark, all the dishes were cooked.
Everyone cheerfully carried the steaming dishes over to the newly made long plank tables. A single long table could seat over twenty people, and the four long tables together accommodated everyone present.
The dishes were casual. Apart from the large stewed dishes that were on every table, one table might have stir-fried pork kidney, another stir-fried pork heart. The ingredients were similar, but the specific dishes weren't evenly distributed.
Although the sky was completely dark and the moon wasn't very bright,
lanterns were lit around the area, and bonfires were burning, providing enough light.
Ji Yangzong urged everyone to eat. The fourth month mountain wind caused the food to lose its heat rapidly, so consuming the meal while it was still hot was of utmost importance.
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