Eat pig-killing dishes

Zhao Dongchuan hadn't started cooking yet, so when Sun Shaoan offered him freshly slaughtered pork to eat, he naturally agreed with pleasure.

Sun Shaoan led the way, with Zhao Dongchuan following behind, and they soon arrived at Sun Shaoan's home.

The courtyard was bustling with activity, and it was clear that the somber atmosphere of the morning had long been replaced by the current liveliness.

Yes, no matter who the world loses, everyone's lives must go on as usual, and that sorrow had been buried deep in their hearts.

At this time, many people stood in the courtyard. Jin Junwen was rolling up his sleeves, butchering a large fat pig. Yuhou and Shaoping assisted him. The pig had already been slaughtered before Zhao Dongchuan arrived.

Wooden racks were set up in the middle of the courtyard, with several sharp, curved hooks hanging with pork.

A large wooden basin on the side was filled with collected pig blood, which would become blood curd after processing.

Another, slightly larger basin was full of scalded pig hair, in clumps, still steaming.

The courtyard was filled with a mix of foul andfishy odours, but no one seemed to mind.

Sun Lanhua was grinding soft millet to prepare rice cakes, with Sun Lanxiang helping her.

Mao Dan and Gou Dan were left unsupervised, playing wildly in the courtyard.

Seeing Sun Shaoan enter the courtyard with Zhao Dongchuan, Mao Dan and Gou Dan immediately rushed to him, looking at him shyly, wanting to say something but unable to, just staring at him with wide eyes.

Zhao Dongchuan understood in his heart that they wanted candy.

"Brother Dongchuan?"

"Brother Zhao?"

"Little Zhao?"

The crowd greeted Zhao Dongchuan warmly when he arrived.

Zhao Dongchuan smiled and greeted everyone, while pulling a few candies from his pocket and giving them to Mao Dan and Gou Dan.

"Oh, Mao Dan, Gou Dan, hurry up and thank your Uncle Zhao!" Sun Lanhua saw them and quickly stopped what she was doing, calling out.

"Sister Lan Hua, no need to be polite, it's just a few candies, let them eat!"

"Brother Dongchuan, why are you back?" Sun Shaoping put down the pig offal in his hand, walked over, and asked.

"Hahaha, I took a few days off to come and see you all!"

Sun Shaoan walked up to the dazed Lanxiang and whispered, "Go get some water for your Brother Zhao to drink!"

"Oh… good, good!" Sun Lanxiang, realizing what he said, quickly ran into the inner room to pour tea.

Zhao Dongchuan chatted with everyone in the courtyard.

"Brother Shaoan, is there anything I can help with?"

Sun Shaoan scratched his head and said, "How about you help me paste the windows this afternoon?"

"Don't wait until this afternoon, I can help now."

Zhao Dongchuan said, rolling up his sleeves and walking over to Jin Junwen.

"No, no, you just returned to the village today, and you must be tired from the journey. How can I let you do work!" Sun Shaoan quickly waved his hand.

"I'm not tired. I slept well yesterday, and besides, this little bit of work is nothing!" As he spoke, Zhao Dongchuan picked up a cleaver nearby and skillfully began to cut meat and chop bones.

After all, Zhao Dongchuan had basic cooking skills, so cutting meat and portioning it was no problem for him.

Jin Junwen, being an expert, nodded repeatedly, acknowledging his skill.

Seeing this, everyone also praised him.

"Brother Zhao, your knife skills are impressive!"

"You're clearly a good hand who often works!"

Zhao Dongchuan smiled but said nothing. As the cleaver danced, various cuts of meat were accurately sliced and sorted.

Sun Shaoan looked at him, sighing inwardly.

This Little Zhao is truly amazing. Not only is he educated and can write, but he's also extremely efficient at work.

With Zhao Dongchuan and Sun Shaoan joining in, the entire pig was quickly processed.

After everyone had been busy for a while, they started to make the freshly slaughtered pork dishes with the hot, fresh pork and other ingredients.

Sun Lanhua was the head chef, with Lanxiang assisting her. Zhao Dongchuan had wanted to help fry a few dishes, but everyone stopped him.

"You're a guest, after all. How can we let you do all the work!" Old Man Yu Hou said.

Zhao Dongchuan then gave up and chatted with everyone in the courtyard.

They talked about the new things happening in the village, mentioned He Xiulian, and then discussed Sun Shaoan's new home—the cave dwelling where Production Team One stored seeds.

"Shaoan, Xiulian will be arriving soon. You need to hurry and quickly whitewash and tidy up this cave dwelling. And the windows, you need to buy some paper to paste them!"

Sun Shaoan nodded and said, "Dad, I'm planning to go to Shigejie Street this afternoon to buy some materials to paste the windows!"

"That's right, you're getting married soon and will be a groom. You should also get a haircut!" Old Man Yu Hou took a puff from his pipe and said with a smile.

Zhao Dongchuan heard this and couldn't help but smile. This meant he was going to Shigangjie to get a "round cut" from Hu Delu!!!

Sun Shaoan nodded in agreement! Normally, he wouldn't be willing to spend that money. In the past, when his hair grew long, he would ask Tian Haimin, the team's accountant, to cut it. Haimin had his own set of barber tools at home and often helped him, but Tian Haimin's skills weren't great. He often cut his hair as if a dog had chewed it, with missing patches here and there.

Now that he was getting married and becoming a son-in-law, he naturally needed to look more presentable.

Amidst everyone's chatter, the freshly slaughtered pork dishes were quickly prepared.

The entire courtyard was filled with an enticing aroma, making people involuntarily salivate.

In those days, pork was rare; one wouldn't smell the aroma of meat more than a few times a year.

As everyone moved, plates of dishes were brought out, including blood curd with small intestines, as well as pig stomach, pig liver, pig lungs, and so on.

These were all genuinely fat pigs raised on their own pig feed, with fresh, tender meat and a rich aroma.

Such dishes were only served on important occasions.

Once the food was ready, Old Man Yu Hou invited Zhao Dongchuan and Jin Junwen, the two guests, to sit down and eat first.

Zhao Dongchuan and Jin Junwen didn't stand on ceremony, sitting straight down and taking the lead in picking up food.

Time to eat!

Then, Old Man Yu Hou's family began to eat. Everyone ate and chatted, making it very lively. Beside Sun Lanhua, Mao Dan and Gou Dan were vigorously chewing on pig intestines, their cheeks constantly working, their mouths and hands covered in grease.

Zhao Dongchuan picked up a piece of blood curd and put it in his mouth.

Hmm, it was smooth and tender, with a rich flavor.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "This pig blood curd tastes really good!"

Sun Shaoan smiled and said, "If it tastes good, eat more. We don't have many good things in the countryside; it's just this freshly slaughtered pork, which tastes pretty good and is presentable!"

The meal was enjoyed by both hosts and guests.

After the meal, Jin Junwen went straight home; he still had a lot of things waiting for him there.

Zhao Dongchuan naturally stayed behind to help clear the dishes and chatted with Sun Shaoan.

"Brother Shaoan, when are you planning to go to Shigangjie? I can take you on my bicycle, and I can also buy some things along the way!"

"That would be great! I was just thinking of borrowing your bicycle!" Sun Shaoan said with a smile.

"Don't worry, you'll have your own bicycle soon. I've prepared a 'surprise' for you!" Zhao Dongchuan thought to himself.