During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

The live silverfish were placed in two large wooden basins and placed near the stove; they soon came back to life.

The frozen ones were stacked in rows on the shelves, and Zhao Lao Er took a few more fat ones and hung them at the entrance of the shop, so that anyone who came in could see them!

She needs to get the shop up and running and experience what it's like to be a shop owner!

"Sister-in-law, logically speaking, a grand opening should be lively. As the saying goes, 'A firecracker brings in a fortune,' the more lively the opening, the more prosperous the business!"

Old Zhao chuckled and said, "I'll buy a string of firecrackers tomorrow, and we can set them off in a lively celebration, okay? Shall we?"

"Release! Release! Damn it, buy ten strings and release!"

Li Chunyan straightened her clothes, took a deep breath at the shop entrance, and declared, "Our Ye family's business will officially open for business tomorrow!"

Tomorrow she'll be the official boss's wife!

Li Chunyan's eyes reddened. If it weren't for Er Yatou's ability, she would never have dared to imagine that she could become a boss lady!

……

Kaoshantun.

Ye Qingqing stood with her hands in her sleeves under the eaves of the backyard, watching Ye Dazhuang drag the black bear to a shady open space.

It's so cold here, at least minus ten degrees Celsius, that she learned from her family early on to keep her hands warm by tucking them into her sleeves.

Although it's not very elegant, it's warm and comfortable.

Two reed mats had already been laid out on the ground, and a large wooden basin next to them was steaming.

This is boiling salt water, used to scald the hair and remove the muttony smell.

Ye Youliang strolled over, a pipe dangling from his lips, circled the bear carcass, tapped the bear's leg with the pipe bowl, and said...

"This meat is really thick! This winter's snow was heavy, so the bears had to eat plenty of oil before going into their dens; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to survive the winter."

Ye Qingqing smiled and asked, "Dad, have you ever fought a bear before?"

"No...you think this thing is easy to hit?"

Ye Youliang smiled and shook his head, then squatted down and pointed to the center of the bear's belly with his pipe, saying...

"Start cutting here...follow the white line, don't deviate, otherwise you'll risk a landslide and ruin all the flesh."

"Understood, Uncle."

Ye Dazhuang was already squatting over the bear's head, rubbing his hunting knife against the whetstone a couple of times, the blade now gleaming with a faint, cold light.

He tried to hold down the bear's neck with his left hand, and with his right hand holding the knife, he thrust the tip of the knife in with a soft "plop," and with a flick of his wrist, the blade steadily sliced ​​down from the center of the bear's abdomen.

"Pfft..."

The sound of flesh separating was muffled, like tearing a thick layer of cotton cloth.

Old Zhao handed over a rope from the side, while Old Zhao the Third held a wooden basin to collect the entrails, watching the bear being slaughtered with a look of amazement.

I never had the chance to see this before!

Ye Qingqing didn't get too close; she just stood about ten feet away and watched.

It wasn't that she was afraid of the smell of blood; after all, she didn't need to do the work herself, and standing close would only get in the way.

"Dazhuang, slow down, slow down! Move the knife a little higher, don't cut the skin."

Ye Youliang patiently instructed him, "When peeling the skin, you must remove the fascia underneath as well, and then scrape it off during the tanning process."

"Um!"

Ye Dazhuang nodded.

His grip was extremely steady, the blade moving slowly along the fascia between the skin and flesh, as if he were peeling a giant peach.

The glossy black bear skin was slowly separated from the flesh inch by inch by the blade, and with a snap, it rolled up and draped over the reed mat.

Zhao Laosan clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Big Zhuang's skills are even better than a butcher's! It's so satisfying to watch!"

"Nonsense, the master is an experienced hunter, how could his skills be wrong?"

Old Zhao glared at him. "Don't just stand there staring! Quickly pour that basin of bloody water out; it stinks and will offend the host."

Zhao Laosan picked up the wooden basin and ran away.

When he got to the hind leg, Ye Dazhuang paused for a moment.

The hind legs are connected to the bear's paws, and the skin and flesh are thick and the fascia is dense.

If there was any grain, he would ask him to change to a short knife. He would use his rough fingers to point out the joint gaps to him and teach him to slowly pry them open with the tip of the knife. In just a few moments, he was able to completely remove the bear paw.

Ye Dazhuang placed the bear paw into a bamboo basket lined with grass next to him.

Ye Youliang leaned over for a look, then nodded repeatedly and said...

"Hmm! Good paw! No broken bones or tendons! The bones and tendons of a bear paw are the most valuable part; the front paws are more valuable than the hind paws, as they need to be thicker and have more tendons to fetch a higher price!"

"Father, bear paws are a delicacy."

Ye Qingqing's eyes lit up, and she urged from the side, "Let's take the two best ones to Fushunlou Restaurant, and try the remaining two ourselves. I've never had bear paws before!"

Ye Youliang tapped his pipe, chuckled, and glared at her.

"What's so good about this stuff? It's just thick-fleshed. If you don't have the skill, it'll look like a big piece of fat. Look how hungry you are!"

Ye Qingqing grinned, "Try it!"

When Zhao Laosan returned after emptying the bloody water, his eyes widened at the sight of the two bear paws in the bamboo basket.

"Can this stuff really be eaten? I heard my master brag before that he had eaten this stuff!"

My master said that preparing bear paws is a skill that requires a lot of work. First, you have to soak them for three days and three nights, then remove and scrape off the fur, and finally use alkaline water to remove the fishy smell…

Ye Youliang shook his head.

"Where did your master hear that? You can't soak bear paws in water, or it'll all be wasted!"

You have to slowly singe it with straw fire to remove the hair roots, and then soak it in rice water overnight.

The next day, steam it in a pot with rice wine, old ginger, and codonopsis root, and simmer it over low heat for six hours. Only when the soup is as white as milk and sticky on the lips is it considered ready.

Although he had never eaten it before, he was an old hunter after all. It wasn't that he didn't know how to eat it, but that he couldn't afford it.

Zhao Laosan swallowed hard, his eyes filled with envy, and said...

"My goodness, it will smell so good when it's made..."

Ye Qingqing's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

"Then let's take all four bear paws to Fu Shun Lou and ask their master chef to make one for us all to try."

As they were talking, Ye Dazhuang had already skinned the bear.

The entire hide was spread out on the reed mat; it was black, shiny, and thick, with a ring of fluffy white fur around the edge.

"This leather is really good, maybe we shouldn't sell it, Father?"

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow and said, "I'll put it on the kang (heated brick bed) as a mattress for you; it'll definitely keep you warm."

"Do I even have the life to sleep on a bearskin rug?"

Ye Youliang glared at his precious daughter and said, "I'm content that your father can eat and drink well every day!"

When I go down to the underworld and see your mother, I'll tell her all about what I eat every day!

Ye Qingqing covered her mouth and chuckled.

Ye Dazhuang switched to a scraper and meticulously scraped away the remaining flesh from the skin, his movements as delicate as if he were embroidering.

"Excellent, this leather, once tanned, can make a fine mattress."

Ye Youliang squatted down next to the leather, pressing his hand against the leather board. "But Qingqing said it's for Miss Zhen, so let's give it to Miss Zhen. She has the skill to tan leather, which is better than us doing it ourselves."

Ye Qingqing went over and looked at the leather plaque. "Okay, Aunt Zhen's price is definitely fair."

After peeling the skin, it's time to divide the meat.

Ye Qingqing was most concerned about whether the bear meat would taste good. She was no longer afraid of the cold and followed Ye Dazhuang, staring at which piece of meat looked the best.

Ye Dazhuang and the Zhao brothers turned the bear carcass over and cut it in half along the spine from the middle of its back.