My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 213 Slaughtering the Pig for the New Year and Eating Soup

In the countryside, there are two major events that people look forward to most in the twelfth lunar month: marrying off daughters and taking wives, and slaughtering pigs for the New Year.

You can't marry off a daughter or take a wife every year, but you can slaughter a pig for the New Year every year.

"Lao lao lao, lao lao lao lao..."

After breakfast, Chen Ling called the two wild boars out of their pen, then took a whip, called the dog, and drove the two wild boars toward the old stage in the east of the village.

Although it's called a small wild boar, it's actually quite big, weighing about 50 kilograms.

This is when their meat is at its best. After that, the stripes on their bodies completely disappear, the meat quality deteriorates, and their temperament changes drastically with the arrival of estrus. They jump over the pen day and night, leaping over the more than one-meter-high pigpen wall in one go, and their droppings smell even worse than when they were piglets.

That makes it impossible to keep them at home.

"Uncle Fugui".

"Uncle Fugui".

Early in the morning, the village children ran over from their homes to watch the pig slaughter, and when they saw Chen Ling, they all surrounded him to greet him.

Chen Ling smiled and nodded to them, then casually took out a few pieces of candy from his pocket and gave them to them.

"Uncle Fugui is really capable; he can raise wild boar cubs to such a big size. Liu Ni'er can't do that; her wild boar cubs just eat and don't gain weight."

"Uncle, how much does your little wild boar weigh?"

"It must weigh over fifty pounds."

"Wow, it weighs over 50 pounds! Who will we slaughter it and share it with..."

"We won't separate them, we'll eat them ourselves."

"Oh, why are you slaughtering your own pig at the stage? Why don't you just slaughter it at home, cook the meat, and eat it? That would be so convenient."

"Haha, you know how to be convenient, kid." Chen Ling laughed and flicked the little boy's head. "Your Uncle Lixian is busy. Other families are waiting for him and your old, lovey-dovey uncle to slaughter pigs. They can't call him to come home."

In rural areas, when a pig is slaughtered, the whole pig is too much for a family to eat, and they don't have the financial means.

Often, three, four, or even five families would agree to slaughter a pig together, then divide the meat among themselves. After receiving the meat, they could give money or grain to the pig farmer.

However, in the past, there were always disputes about the meat being divided unequally. Some of the meat was fat while mine was thin. What should have been a happy occasion of slaughtering a pig for the New Year often ended up being unpleasant.

Even pig butchers get criticized.

Later, they simply stopped slaughtering pigs at people's homes. If someone wanted to slaughter a pig, they would take it to the stage in the east of the village. The stage was spacious and large, and every time a pig was slaughtered, half the village would gather to watch. With so many people watching, no one would make a fuss when the meat was divided.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't run around."

Chen Ling cracked his whip twice, driving the pig toward the stage, while the children around him chattered incessantly like a flock of ducklings.

They didn't arrive until they reached the old stage in the east of the village, where they saw pigs being slaughtered. They scattered in a flurry and rushed over to watch.

This old stage is very large, about the width of seven or eight storefronts. Below the stage is a small square, and on one side of the square is a large blackboard, which used to be the brigade's bulletin board.

Model worker meetings are frequently held here, and the blackboard is used for that purpose.

When the Lunar New Year arrives, a grand opera is performed here, attracting people from the entire village; it's very lively.

However, after the brigade was disbanded, the village meetings stopped, and the opera singers rarely came anymore. Instead, it became the site for the village's annual pig slaughtering.

Right now, there's a pot of boiling water under the stage. The men have just pinned down a fat pig, and Wang Lixian, wearing an apron and holding a pig-slaughtering knife, is standing by, ready to start the slaughter. Although there aren't many people around yet, there are about ten people, some of whom are eating and watching while holding their rice bowls.

"So, Fugui's here? You better tie your pig up and keep it away from here, or it'll make a ruckus if it hears the squeals..."

The old jerk next to him smiled and said, "Did you bring any rope? If not, there are some on the cart behind you. Tie them up first, and we'll kill you after we kill this one."

In the past, the villagers would slaughter pigs every year, along with Lao Niwai, Chen Guoxing, and Chen Guowang.

This year, Chen Guoxing and his brother's mother fell ill and needed care, so they brought Wang Lixian over to kill for them.

"Okay, I got it, Uncle Niwai."

Chen Ling nodded, then tied his two pigs to a tree, had the dog guard them, and went to watch the pigs being slaughtered.

After a fat pig was pinned down, the men hurriedly lifted it onto a door panel.

The old black pig seemed to realize what was about to happen to it. It opened its mouth wide and squealed loudly, the sound carrying throughout most of the village.

But people didn't find the piercing squeals of the pigs unpleasant; instead, their smiles grew even brighter. Some even discussed with those around them: "We need to get a number as soon as possible, and hopefully we can start slaughtering them tomorrow. We've been craving them for a whole year."

The children stared at the old black pig on the door panel, swallowing their saliva as if the pig was incredibly delicious even before it was slaughtered.

But soon, everyone's ears were suddenly quiet; the old black pig's screams were gone. Wang Lixian's butcher knife flashed, plunging into the old black pig's neck, and the screams ceased abruptly.

This is when a butcher's skill is truly revealed.

If the butcher is too ruthless and kills the pig with one blow, the blood won't flow out and will be trapped inside. The pork will then turn red, looking unappetizing and unpalatable.

Another issue is that butchers are too timid to stab the pig, or they might stab it four or five times without killing it, and the pig might break free and injure someone. Even if the pig is eventually beaten to death, the scene would be too bloody.

Wang Lixian is clearly neither of these two types of people.

After he stabbed the knife in, he didn't pull it out immediately, but instead gently forced it in with his thumb.

If the knife isn't pulled out, the pig won't breathe its last breath, and the blood will flow out smoothly.

The old man next to him quickly used a large wooden basin he had prepared to catch the blood, and with a splash, the pig's blood filled more than half of the basin.

When the pig's blood went from gushing out to dripping...

Wang Lixian slightly reversed the blade and applied force, and the old black pig finally breathed its last.

"Well done, that's a proper offering. Look at that, so steady."

"If you ask me, let Li Xian come back to kill next year. With Guo Xing and Guo Wang, there will be four of us next year. That will make the killing much faster."

"..."

A chorus of praise immediately erupted from the crowd. Wang Lixian's pig-slaughtering was as smooth and effortless as his previous wolf-skinning, and it looked like a pleasure to watch.

Old Niwai grinned and chuckled, "Haha, it's because we have good judgment that we've found a successor!"

Then the hair removal process begins. There's no need to inflate the pig; just pour boiling water from the pot onto it. While the water is being poured on, a special hair scraper is used to scrape the hair. After a lot of work, the old black pig becomes a plump, white pig.

At this moment, Wang Lixian flipped the pig-slaughtering knife in his hand again, and the head, hooves and tail were all cut off in a flash. Then, he cut down from the neck to the belly, and the pig's internal organs were all exposed.

"Yonggang's family, Erju's family, you three families come up and share the meat."

"Here it comes."

The three families walked up happily, first surrounding the fat pig, turning it over and examining it closely, and finally using their fingers to measure its fatness and leanness. Their faces lit up with joy: "This pig is doing quite well this year, it's almost four fingers thick!"

"Yes, yes, this pork looks delicious."

"..."

The distribution of meat caused another lively scene, making the surrounding villagers and children very envious. These guys will be able to eat meat when they get home. Pork smells so good. When will we be able to eat it?

But I didn't want to wait a moment longer.

However, after the three families happily divided the meat, Chen Ling still had two wild boars to kill, and there was a bunch of people behind Chen Ling.

With the year drawing to a close, who wouldn't want to eat meat as soon as possible?

The appointments for the past two days were already fully booked, so they still have to wait.

……

After slaughtering the pig for the New Year, everything feels different; the aroma of stewed pork fills the village every day.

The little kids also spent their days kicking balls made from pig bladders back and forth.

The festive atmosphere of the New Year is getting stronger and stronger.

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, every household grinds tofu.

Chen Ling's family won't need to grind any more tofu this year. After attending Han Chuang's wedding on the 23rd, he went to the tofu shop in the county town and bought some.

However, he was not idle that day. Before he had even eaten breakfast, Chen Guoping came to his house to call him, saying that the tractor in the brigade was not turning and asked him to go and take a look.

Chen Ling was the only one in the brigade who drove the tractor all day long. He could drive the mountain roads like it was nothing. If there was a problem with the tractor, he couldn't solve it, and no one else would understand it either.

"Huh? A tractor? Why are you driving a tractor at this time?"

Chen Ling was quite puzzled.

I asked around and found out that some young people from the village who had been working away from home were returning and they were going to pick them up in the county town by tractor. Oh, I see. I guess I have to go.

Chen Ling went to the kitchen, drank a bowl of hot goat milk, put on his coat, and followed Chen Guoping to the brigade.

The tractor was parked in the brigade's yard. Chen Ling walked over and tried to crank it. The machine was not heavy when it started turning, but he couldn't crank it open no matter how many times he tried.

Has anyone driven this route in between?

Chen Ling frowned slightly and asked.

“Well… someone actually drove it before. You parked it here after you used it last time, and Baoliang took Uncle Sangui and Baoshuan to the county hospital.”

At this point, Chen Guoping asked with some concern, "What happened? Did the tractor break down?"

Chen Ling didn't answer immediately. He bent down to take a look and said, "Brother Guoping, go find an adjustable wrench. I'll adjust the fuel injector. Maybe it's broken and not supplying fuel."

After Chen Guoping found an adjustable wrench, Chen Ling adjusted the fuel injector and it started to respond a little, but the engine still wouldn't start.

"What happened? Did the tractor break down?"

Wang Laishun and the people living near the brigade also heard the commotion and came over.

"I don't know, let me try again. I can hear the oil pump supplying oil, it would be strange if it couldn't be turned open."

Chen Ling shook his head and said to Chen Guoping, "Brother Guoping, please help me relieve the pressure. I'll shake it a couple more times to listen to the sound. If it really breaks, I'll call Brother Lihui and we'll rush to pick up Yuqiang and the others."

"Row."

Chen Guoping nodded.

Wang Laishun also said, "Many kids are going to work elsewhere, so I'll take my donkey cart with you."

Then Chen Guoping helped Chen Ling stop the pressure, and Chen Ling slowly rocked the engine to listen carefully to the sound of it.

"There's nothing wrong with it. I guess it's just that it's too cold to start?"

Chen Ling wasn't quite sure. He wasn't very familiar with old-fashioned tractors. The villagers thought he knew a thing or two, but he was only slightly better than a farmer who didn't often handle farm machinery, after all, he had served two years in the military.

"Does anyone have any old cotton cloth? Bring me two pieces."

"I have some at home, I'll get it for you right away."

Soon, several pieces of tattered cotton cloth were brought over. Chen Ling took them, patted off the dirt and dust, and then found a clean stick to wrap the cloth around himself.

Then he unscrewed the fuel tank, dipped the stick in some diesel fuel, and lit it with a lighter.

A strong smell of burning oil immediately filled the air.

"Brother Guoping, hold this and aim it at the air intake over here. Don't move it yet. I'll tell you when to put it down."

Chen Ling handed the torch in his hand to Chen Guoping and gave him instructions.

The old man seemed quite nervous upon hearing this.

Until Chen Ling pulled the pressure relief lever, grabbed the crank handle again, and said, "Let go."

He reacted quickly and immediately brought the torch closer.

Then, surprisingly, the tractor started up, sputtering and belching black smoke.

"Wow, what's going on? It opened with just a torch, that looks pretty impressive."

The surrounding villagers were all dumbfounded, staring with their eyes wide open and mouths slightly agape, looking rather stunned.

"It's cold in the twelfth lunar month, and the machine is hard to start. Let the cylinder suck in the open flame, and it will be easier to start."

Chen Ling explained.

He used to do this even without starting fluid, just to act as a combustion aid.

The villagers looked at each other, none of them understanding what it meant, but they all thought it was quite impressive.

He praised her sincerely, "You're really something, Fugui."

I thought to myself that if I couldn't crank the tractor in the future, I would have to ask someone else for help.

"Of course he can. He knows city leaders and drives around in cars all the time. Driving a tractor is as easy for him as riding a bicycle."

Chen Ling blushed a little at these words.

Fortunately, Chen Guoping then pulled him aside, wanting him to help drive the tractor to the county town to pick up the person. The old man was a bit scared. He originally wanted to ask Er Maolu to go, since they were godparents, but now he was afraid that something might happen on the way and he wouldn't be able to come back, so he decided to ask Chen Ling instead.

Chen Ling readily agreed.

Yu Qiang and Chen Ze are good friends, so talking too much would be too formal.

So they got on the tractor, put Chen Guoping on it, and drove off to the county town.

……

"Shuiwa, where are you looking?"

"My goodness, Fugui?! Why are you the one picking us up?!"

When Chen Ze arrived at the bus station in the south of the city, he was eating a cold steamed bun when he saw Chen Ling shouting at him from the tractor. He was stunned for a moment, and then jumped three feet high with joy.

The group of people carrying bundles and bedding behind him immediately became lively, surrounding him and calling him "Fugui" and "Uncle Fugui" with wide smiles, as if they were seeing their own brothers.

At this moment, Chen Guoping also got off the tractor trailer and helped them carry their luggage one by one.

"Uncle Fugui, how about we go out to a restaurant for lunch? It's been almost three months since we last met. Let's have a good drink together."

After Chen Yuqiang got on the tractor, he shouted his suggestions.

Chen Ling shook his head and laughed, "It's almost Chinese New Year, why bother going out to eat?"

"Then let's go to my house, let's go to my house for a drink."

Chen Ze continued.

"Your house? You haven't slaughtered a pig yet." Chen Guoping laughed and shouted to Chen Ling, "Fugui, drive straight to my house. We'll drink at my house today. My family slaughtered a pig yesterday afternoon, so we can drink and have soup today."

Eating "pao tang" can be understood as eating "killing pig stew".

These are various meat dishes made from pork after slaughtering the New Year's pig.

In the past, wealthy families, or those who had a bumper harvest, would prepare a large feast and set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Later, the custom of eating soup after slaughtering the pig for the New Year gradually formed.

"Yes, let's go to my house today."

Chen Yuqiang slapped his thigh.

Others also clamored, saying that since there was nothing to do during the first month of the lunar calendar, they would postpone their meals, eating at this restaurant today and that restaurant tomorrow.

"What? Are we going to drink this all month long?"

Chen Ling turned his head and shouted as he heard this.

The tractor had no chimney and was too loud, so they could only communicate by shouting.

"The wages for workers will be high in the second half of this year. Skilled workers will get 30 yuan, and unskilled workers will get 15 yuan. We can have a prosperous New Year this year, hehehe, Uncle Fugui. I'll provide plenty of wine and meat for the New Year this year. I'm just afraid you won't dare to drink."

"Who says we don't dare? After we finish visiting relatives in the first month of the lunar year, my family will host the first party. We'll drink you all under the table first, and then we'll see who backs down."

A group of young people were shouting and yelling as the tractor chugged along the mountain road, making quite a scene.

After returning to the village, Chen Ling drove the tractor to Chen Guoping's house.

After the others returned to their homes and put down their luggage, they also brought wine and various other things over. Chen Ling wanted to go home and bring back a pheasant, but he was stopped and stayed to talk with Chen Guoping's family.

At noon, Sister-in-law Xiufen cooked.

A table was laden with dishes such as braised pork with salted vegetables, steamed pork with rice flour, home-style tofu, braised pork tongue with cabbage, and stewed pork with radish.

Another dish is fatty pork, which looks white and plump, but tastes rich yet not greasy.

In the countryside, meat is a rare treat throughout the year, and soup is a rare treat. Everyone eats and drinks heartily without any restraint.

A group of young people ate soup and drank wine, making merry from morning till night, as if it were New Year's Day even before it was officially over.

(End of this chapter)