Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 882 - 450 Year Approaching_2
"I know, Sister Manman. It was our own decision," Lian Yeye said, "I don’t want to have dealings with Taicang either. My mother is terrified of them. The county town has never looked up to our family, and now that we don’t go there, there’s nothing they can say. We don’t have any wealth on us anyway."
Lian Manman laughed. Lian Yeye was a child with a clear mind, and that was a good thing.
And so, the next day, when Wu Lang and Xiao Qi went to school, they took everything to the town and sent it off to Taicang.
...
During the twelfth lunar month, when breath turns to ice, it was time once again to slaughter the New Year pig.
Lian Manman’s family had raised three pigs of their own, as well as three purchased from the Upper Room, all of which had grown fat and strong. The family had already agreed to slaughter one pig, not to sell any of it, but to keep it for their own consumption and for giving gifts.
Since Lady Zhao had helped with feeding the pigs, and more importantly for supporting Lian Yeye’s family, it had long been agreed to give one pig to Lady Zhao.
In the recent months, Lady Zhao had taken great care in feeding the pigs. The pigs had grown to such size thanks to her and Lian Yeye. Lady Zhao, who lived more meticulously, did not want to slaughter her pig but planned to sell it instead.
Living meticulously meant being extremely frugal.
Lian Manman’s family had discussed it and had already communicated that Lady Zhao and Lian Yeye’s family of three could sell their pig. Once Lian Manman’s family had slaughtered their pig, they would give some pork to them, ensuring they had a plentiful New Year.
"Don’t think too much into it; these past six months, both of you, and your Third Uncle Shouli, have been a great help to us, putting all your heart and effort into the shop and the fields. Such kindness cannot be measured by material things. If you refuse our pork, we would hesitate to ask for your help in the future." That’s what Lady Zhang said to Lady Zhao when it was time to distribute the pork.
Since the pigs were all raised in the old house, early in the morning, a crowd of people headed there. Lian Shouxin picked out the fattest pig, which Wu Lang, Wu Jiaxing, and Xiao Qi then transported with an ox cart to the new house. The other five pigs were left with Butcher Zhang, meaning they were not killed but instead sold to him as live pigs.
In Thirty Mile Camp, selecting and purchasing live pigs to prepare them for market and butchering is referred to as "soaking the pigs." "Soak" is just the pronunciation, and Lian Manman was not sure of the exact character it should be. She also didn’t know the origin of the term; when she asked Lian Shouxin, he didn’t know either, it was just a saying passed down from the elders.
All five live pigs were hauled from the pig pens, trussed by the hooves, and weighed on Butcher Zhang’s large scale. The pigs from the Lian Family, after weighing, were 187, 190, 191, 188, and 193 pounds, respectively.
For tenant farmers, these were exceptionally well-raised pigs.
Butcher Zhang’s purchase price for live pigs was fourteen wen money per pound. This was the highest price of the year, as it was close to the New Year.
The total weight of Lian Manman’s family’s five pigs was 949 pounds, amounting to a total value of 13,286 wen money.
Crunched down, after deducting the cost of buying piglets and the cost of their feed, the profit from one pig was more than two strings of money. For tenant farmer households, this was no small amount. Saved up, it could contribute to significant expenses such as marrying off a daughter or building a house.
After Butcher Zhang’s people hauled all five pigs back to his place, he took the implements for pig slaughtering and followed Lian Shouxin to the new house.
Over at the new house, Wu Yugui, Wu Yuchang, Wu Jiaxing, and others had already prepared everything. Lady Zhang, Lady Wu Wang, and several daughters-in-law had also boiled water in the kitchen ready for use.
Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin were both beaming with joy. Lian Zhizhi, Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi were bundled up warmly and were all smiling unabashedly, unable to contain their inner delight.
This was truly slaughtering the New Year pig, no longer like last year when they only got a piece of the meat. This entire pig was their own, and they could feast on it however they liked.
The pig was quickly slaughtered, and Lady Zhang cheerfully began allocating the pig blood. After the men had finished their busy work, they all headed to the front hall of the main courtyard to drink tea and chat, while the women busied themselves with lighting the fire for cooking and preparing dishes.
The meal consisted of plain rice, and the traditional pig-slaughtering dishes, including a large pot of pickled vegetables stewed with bone-in pork and blood tofu steamed on top. After scooping out the rice from another pot, they began stir-frying dishes.
Once all the meal preparations were complete, the feast was ready to begin in the front hall.
At ground level, there was a large table for male guests, including Lian Shouxin, Wu Yugui, Wu Yuchang, Wu Lang, Wu Jiaxing, Butcher Zhang, Lian Shouli, and others such as Wang Youheng, Mr. Loo, and Old Huang were invited as guests.
On the kang bed-stove were two tables combined into one large table for the female guests, including Lady Zhang, Lady Wu Wang, Wife of Wu Yuchang, Lady Zhao, followed by several young girls. Xiao Qi, being youngest, sat with Lady Zhang.
Those who had helped in the old house, such as Chunzhu’s Wife who often visited, were given pig blood or pig-slaughtering dishes. Even though Wu Yuchang’s mother did not come for the meal, pig-slaughtering dishes were also sent over to her.
The meal lasted until the afternoon before concluding.
Lian Manman and Xiao Qi had eaten their fill until their bellies were rounded, so they lounged by the head of the large kang in the eastern room, basking in the sunlight, lazily chatting. Lady Zhang, Lian Zhizhi, Lian Shouxin, and Wu Lang came in from outside one after another. Lian Zhizhi carried a pot of strong hot tea, while Lady Zhang brought over a small basin of soaked frozen pears.
"Sit up, don’t risk indigestion," Lady Zhang laughingly called the young girls and her son over, either to drink strong tea or eat frozen pears to cut through the greasiness.
Indigestion, a colloquial term in Thirty Mile Camp handed down by the older generations, meant one should not lie down right after eating.
Lian Manman didn’t find the pig-slaughtering dish greasy at all, and she slowly sipped the hot tea handed to her by Lian Zhizhi.
"Did you both have enough of the meat today?" Lady Zhang asked with a smile as she picked an iced pear, cleaned off the ice crust, and handed it to Xiao Qi.
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Delivering the second installment, asking for your support. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote with your recommendation, monthly ticket at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
