Chapter 50: Sharing the Meat, Selling the Meat Although it was winter, the Li family's yard was very lively. None of those who came to help were idle, all were looking for work to do. Li Long was a novice. After dinner, he only got the job of pouring boiling water on wild boars - he was happy to do this job which did not require any technical skills. In the eyes of other older men, Li Long is good at making things, but technical work like handling pigs should be done by experienced people. Some of them were smoking a cigarette and skinning wild boars with knives in their hands, while others had already prepared large basins for washing clothes, ready to collect the water for processing. “This wild boar is so huge!” "He's really fat. It looks like his fat must be at least three fingers thick!" "I'm afraid even three fingers won't be enough. The wild boars in these mountains are delicious!" "This year, the country has good oil to eat. Once the oil is refined and stored in a cool room, it will be fine for most of the past six months."
"Look how much easier it is for Jianguo. He won't have to feed pigs next year. He can just go to the mountains in autumn and bring back two pigs. That will be enough meat and oil for the whole year." "That requires both skill and luck! We also encountered this when we followed the sideline team to the mountains to dig for Fritillaria. A group of seven or eight wild boars rushed over. Who dared to stop them?" "You know what, Xiaolong has been transformed after his training in the factory. You can't help but admire what he has done!" "Haha, what did Tao Dayong and Gu Ermao learn? They are truly different people." "Why are you talking so much? Didn't you notice that the boss is here too..." Boss Gu came over and took the initiative to talk to Li Jianguo, but Li Jianguo ignored him. He felt embarrassed and didn't want to leave, neither standing nor sitting. Li Long had already learned from his sister-in-law that Gu Ermao had reported him to the joint defense team members. In fact, he was not surprised to know that it was Gu Ermao who followed him. Gu Ermao is just like that, it would seem strange if he didn't do that. However, this does not mean that he will forgive Gu Ermao. He just happened to have no intention of continuing to deal with this person, so he took this opportunity to end this matter. When Boss Gu saw Li Long, his eyes lit up. He walked over and said to Li Long with a smile: "Xiaolong is back? You're really good this time. Two wild boars. No one on our team has this ability!" Li Long would not blame Gu Ermao for what happened to him. He smiled and said: "lucky." Boss Gu wanted to say something, but Li Jianguo was shouting over there: "Xiaolong, come and water the plants!" Li Long smiled and ran over quickly. Gu Laoda knew that this was Li Jianguo's way of expressing his attitude, and he felt bitter. He was in the wrong, but he couldn't do anything. He wanted to get close to him, but he didn't give him a chance. He originally wanted to take this opportunity to call Ermao to help him, and also to ease the embarrassment. But Gu Ermao felt that he couldn't afford to lose this person, so he didn't come. If he came, he wouldn't give him face. Many people in the yard were laughing at the joke. To be honest, no one wanted to have a friend like Gu Ermao when something like this happened. But no one could guarantee that if they were in Gu Ermao's shoes, they would betray Li Long. But common sense says that everyone would stand in the position of the wronged person. Li Long didn't offend you, so why did you expose him? Are you trying to drown the dog and drag the person down with it? Are you jealous of others doing well? There may be many such people, but they are definitely the most hated ones.
Li Long knew that Gu Ermao's reputation in the team must have been ruined. After peeling the wild boar's skin, opening it and draining the water, and cutting the pork, someone brought the previously cut pig's neck and the fat from its belly to the kitchen. Liang Yuemei and several other women were taking out the pickles, cutting the oil and boiling it in a pan, and then starting to stew the pork in a big pot. The big incense sticks that the family usually didn't want to put out were also put in. Liang Yuemei wanted to make up for what she did when she slaughtered her own New Year pig. At that time, I also called a group of people to help. Everyone likes to do this kind of thing. It is common for you to help me and I to help you. I also took this opportunity to add some fat to my stomach. But the Li family killed the pig because they believed in superstition, so they couldn't do anything else. The pig was buried, and they couldn't eat the pig-killing dishes. Although those who came to help understood, Liang Yuemei was still angry. People at this time attach great importance to face. There is no such thing as extortion or blackmail. Self-esteem is very strong. If I eat your pig-killing dish, my family must return it. Now the Li family owed everyone a meal. When Li Long pulled the two wild boars back, Li Jianguo and Liang Yuemei reached a tacit agreement without any discussion and held a big feast! Everyone is happy to come and help, it’s a good thing! "What a pity about the blood, otherwise it would be great to make steamed buns with pig blood!" Someone was cleaning the drain and said with regret as he looked at the coagulated black blood in the pig's cavity. When there is a shortage of meat at this time, usually no meat will be wasted and every corner can be made into flowers. The pots on both sides were in use. The big pot in the west room was stewing meat, while the offal in the east room was being fried. The pot in the Lu family was also steaming buns. Li Long could smell the stench of wild boar, and no one present disliked it. There was meat to eat, but he couldn't stop his mouth, so why did he complain about it? Especially when seeing the big piece of meat in the pot, no one would say anything - in this day and age, who would be willing to put so much meat in a pig-killing dish? But he has two pigs, so he is so arrogant! After dealing with the things, the men set up tables in two rooms to play cards. At one table, they played two cards, and at another table, they competed for the top spot. Those who didn't have a turn just watched from the side. Some people were more interested in Li Long's ability to hunt wild boars, so they asked: "Xiaolong, how did you kill this wild boar?" "It's better to ambush in advance." Li Long did not hide his secrets. "My friend is in the mountains. He knows that there is a group of wild boars that often come down to a place to eat grass roots. We ambushed them in advance and killed them." Some people didn't raise pigs at home, so they thought of getting some pork from the Li family. But there was no money. Li Jianguo and Li Long discussed: "Xiaolong, they want to get some meat, but they don't have the money. Look..." "Do you have any bullets?" Li Long thought, "Five or six and a half bullets, five bullets for one kilogram of meat is fine. If you have money, you can buy one dollar for one kilogram. If you don't have money, you can buy five bullets for one kilogram." Li Jianguo was a little confused by this idea: "With bullets?" "Well, there's a shortage of bullets in the mountains." "Every family has them." Li Jianguo laughed, "If you let them go, you can exchange all the meat from the two pigs in that family." "No, that won't work. Just exchange some with those who have a good relationship with you." Li Long smiled. "If it doesn't work, I'll go back in two days to see if I can beat another one." After hitting a wild boar with his first shot, Li Long became bolder and more vocal: "Brother, we can't finish the meat anyway. The wild boar meat smells very bad. We can change it, but we have to tell people clearly in advance." "It smells bad, but it's still meat!" Li Jianguo glared, "It's so cheap, if you think the meat smells bad, then don't change it!" Li Long smiled. At this time, we can see the character of the eldest brother. He looks very gentle at ordinary times, but when something really happens, his character is very decisive and he is the kind of person who dares to fight and fight. Boss Gu finally left in embarrassment because no one paid attention to him. The fragrant aroma filled the yard, and the adults all went into the house. Outside the yard, only Qiangqiang was left, holding the pig bladder blown up by a reed pipe given to him by Li Long, and kicking it like a football with a group of children. The cheerful sounds could be heard from far away. Everyone nearby could hear that the Li family had gotten up. (End of this chapter)
