Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

Seeing that it was almost time, Wang Laoqi lit a fire to boil water. The flames shot up high, and soon, white steam rose into the air.

Without needing any instructions, Lin Chen rolled up his sleeves and got to work as soon as he entered the room. He picked up the large chopping board in the corner of the yard and placed it steadily on two long benches with swift movements.

"Seventh Uncle, the water's boiling really hard, isn't it?" Lin Chen asked with a smile, turning his head to the side.

Upon hearing the voice, Wang Laoqi immediately broke into a smile:

"That's right, the pig butcher will be here soon. Let's boil some water first, so we don't have to bother later."

After saying that, he quickly waved his hand to urge the two of them on:

"It's cold outside, hurry inside and warm up. It's warm on the kang (heated brick bed), so you two don't need to do anything outside."

"No need, Uncle Qi. It'll be quicker for someone outside to lend a hand. It'll be chaotic if we wait for them to arrive and then start working on it."

After saying that, he turned his head and winked at Zhao Yutian:

"Go to the barn and bring out the ropes used to tie up the pigs and the wooden levers used to lift them."

"Okay, Brother Chen!"

Zhao Yutian readily agreed and ran off to the warehouse, working diligently and following Lin Chen's instructions throughout the entire process.

Less than two minutes later, a person slowly walked in through the courtyard gate.

Zhao Si hunched his shoulders, his hands tightly tucked into the sleeves of his cotton-padded coat, his shoulders trembling from the cold, his lips twitching habitually. Wearing earmuffs, he swayed as he entered the courtyard.

He stood at the gate and stamped his frozen cotton shoes twice before speaking:

"Seventh Brother, I'm here. Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

Close behind, Liu Neng strolled in slowly with a swagger.

He beamed with joy as soon as he entered the door:

"Oh my god, Seventh Brother, your pig is too fat! If you have time...you...you should teach me how to raise one."

"I came early especially to help you catch the pig! When I was young... I was a master at catching pigs. I could hold down even the wildest pigs, and I'd catch them every time!"

Wang Laoqi, no longer bothered by his boasting, smiled and took out cigarettes to offer to everyone:

"Alright, alright, I know you're capable. You're here to help out, so don't stand on ceremony. Xiao Meng is inside chopping sauerkraut. There'll be plenty of pork stew for lunch!"

As the group was chatting, Old Zhou, the pig butcher, arrived.

Old Zhou has been in this line of work for many years. He's a seasoned craftsman, a man of few words but solid skills, and he never engages in idle chatter.

He carried a thick cloth bag under his arm, which contained a pig-slaughtering knife, a scraper, and other tools, all of which were polished to a shine.

He came in, glanced at the pot of water, tested the temperature with his hand, and nodded, saying:

"The water temperature is just right; we can shave the pigs without hurting their skin. Let's open the pigpen!"

The men who arrived one after another immediately followed Wang Laoqi toward the pigsty. Zhao Yutian, young and sharp-eyed, took the lead and prepared to help pull the pen door, showing great enthusiasm.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the gate to the pen opened, the 300-pound fat pig immediately bristled!

"Awooo—!"

With a squeal, the fat pig burrowed its head, leaped forward with tremendous force, and burst through the gap between the people.

Zhao Si was at the very back when he saw the pig coming. He reached out to grab the pig's ear, but the pig went completely mad and swung its head violently, causing Zhao Si to stumble and run after it for three or four meters. He almost fell to the ground, which scared him so much that he quickly shrank back, his mouth twitching even more violently.

"Stop it! Stop it now! Don't let it run onto the main road!" Old Wang was so anxious that he stomped his feet.

Several people tried to block it from the left and right, but the pig panicked and became incredibly strong. It broke through the encirclement and ran wildly along the path.

Right now, Xie Guangkun, his hair neatly combed and shiny, is strolling leisurely down the road.

He dressed up meticulously this morning, just waiting to show off at the village office. This year, taxes were canceled, and his family has an orchard; he's feeling quite pleased with himself.

Suddenly seeing the big pig charging towards him, with a group of people chasing after it, Xie Guangkun was startled at first. But after realizing what was happening, instead of dodging, he became incredibly confident, immediately adopting a horse stance with an arrogant expression.

"What's the panic! A group of adults can't stop a pig? Watch me!"

Taking advantage of his agility, he lunged forward, trying to stop the pig.

As a result, the pig ran too fast, and he missed halfway. He lost his balance and ended up straddling the pig's back, gripping the pig's ears tightly with both hands, refusing to let go.

A fat pig had someone on its back, which terrified the pig so much that it ran wildly along the village road, its hooves flying.

The whole village was in an uproar!

Xie Guangkun was jostled about on the pig's back, two buttons on his new clothes popped off, and his hair became a complete mess, sticking out all around his head.

All that smugness vanished, replaced by terrifying screams.

"Stop! Stop it now! This pig has gone mad! Help!"

The early-rising villagers were all stunned, then burst into laughter, slapping their thighs in disbelief.

Liu Neng chased after him, his mouth never stopping for a moment:

"Guangkun! You...you're amazing! Everyone else rides horses, you ride a pig! Only one like you in Ivory Mountain!"

Zhao Si followed behind, panting heavily, and stammered:

"Guang... Guangkun! Hold on tight! Don't fall! It hurts!"

Lin Chen didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the running fat pig. He glanced around, then sped up and circled around from the front, blocking the way in the middle of the road.

When the pig rushed up to him, he dodged to the side and kicked the pig in the head with all his might.

The big fat pig instantly lost its balance, and to make matters worse, there was someone lying on its back. With a "humph," it fell heavily into the snow.

As soon as the pig lay down, Xie Guangkun slid down its back and sat in the snowdrift. He was covered in snow, his new clothes were filthy, and his face was bright red. He was terrified.

The others rushed forward and restrained the panting pig, while the villagers watching laughed loudly.

Liu Neng quickly went over and circled around him to watch the excitement:

"Guang...Guangkun, you've really made Ivory Mountain proud today! Riding a horse isn't impressive, riding a pig is truly classy!"

Xie Guangkun hurriedly got up, haphazardly brushing the snow off his body, stubbornly arguing to save face:

"What are you laughing at? What do you know? If it weren't for my help, that pig would have been long gone! You're all ungrateful bastards, all you do is laugh at me!"

"A few people are tying up the pig over there," Wang Laoqi said, panting heavily.

"We really owe Guangkun a lot today. Hey, Guangkun, come over for lunch and have some pork stew."

"Ah, it has to be Seventh Brother. He's good at everything, much better than this old Liu." Xie Guangkun casually brushed the snow off his clothes.

"Alright, alright, stop laughing, hurry up and lend a hand to lift the pig!" Lin Chen said, trying to smooth things over.

Zhao Yutian was the most obedient and immediately stepped forward to lend a hand. Together with the others, they carried the pig back. The pig was too heavy, so the group took turns carrying it until they finally got the fat pig back to the chopping board in the yard. The four hooves were tied tightly, and the pig's head was fixed facing outwards.

Old Zhou then stepped forward to work, his movements swift and efficient.

He rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the pig's ear with his left hand, pressed his knee against the pig's head, and steadily thrust the butcher knife in with his right hand, the white blade going in and the red blade coming out accurately.

The warm pig's blood gushed into the large aluminum basin, the technique was very skillful.

Xiao Meng's mother stood to the side with a basin of warm salt water. Once the basin was more than half full of pig's blood, she slowly stirred it in one direction with a stick. Lin Chen squatted beside her, holding the basin steady to prevent it from tipping over.

Once the pig had completely stopped moving, Old Zhou squatted down to remove its hair.

First, make small cuts in the four pig trotters, insert an iron rod, and poke it back and forth along the gaps between the skin and flesh to separate any stuck parts.

Then he put his mouth to the opening and blew hard, his cheeks puffing out like two eggs. He blew three or five times and then stopped. He took a wooden stick and pounded the pig all over to distribute the air. The whole pig was quickly taut from the air. Old Zhou then grabbed a hemp rope and tied it tightly around the cut on the pig's trotters to prevent the air from escaping.

"Water it!" Old Zhou shouted in a deep voice to the back.

Wang Laoqi and Zhao Si quickly poured hot water over him, and immediately steaming vapor carrying the smell of pig hair spread out, almost knocking Lin Chen over.

Old Zhou held a hair removal board and with a few quick swipes, clumps of pig hair fell off, piling up at his feet, still steaming hot, all at lightning speed.

Soon, a white-skinned, tender-fleshed pig appeared on the cutting board, its four-finger-thick fat looking quite appealing.

Xie Guangkun had recovered by this time, and shamelessly stepped forward, patted the pig's fat, and immediately started showing off again:

"Oh my, Seventh Brother, you've really fattened this pig! It's got four fingers' worth of fat!"

"Once my Yongqiang Orchard is fully established, I'll slaughter two animals every year! One for myself, and one as a gift!"

Liu Neng immediately retorted:

"You...you've got to be kidding me, you should learn how to ride a pig first!"

Xie Guangkun was speechless again after that one sentence. He glared at Liu Neng, who pursed his lips and ignored him.

Then Lao Zhou gutted and butchered the meat; his skills were impeccable, and his knife work was precise.

First, remove the offal, then remove the pig's head and trotters, and split it in half along the spine. The front ribs, back ribs, pork belly, spare ribs, tenderloin, and lard are neatly arranged and steaming hot.

The aunties and older women in the courtyard were helping to wash the intestines and turn over the offal. The courtyard was steaming, but it didn't taste very good.

The blood sausage is being stuffed; it's tied up when it's eight-tenths full, so it doesn't swell or break—the craftsmanship is authentic.

It was 11:30 in the blink of an eye, and the banquet officially began.

Two large tables were set up inside, one for men and one for women, with benches neatly arranged. Wang Xiaomeng was busy working. Xie Dajiao didn't come today; Xie Xiaomei had been helping out in the house since returning from the breeding farm.

Steaming hot main dishes were served one by one, with a large aluminum basin of sauerkraut, pork belly, and blood sausage in the center, and garlic-flavored deboned meat on the side, along with several other dishes. The staple food was flatbread.

Wang Laoqi raised his wine glass, his face beaming with joy:

"Thank you all for helping with the pig slaughtering today. No need for words, just enjoy the meat and the drinks!"

Everyone raised their glasses, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.