N-M Chapter 95 Pig Slaughter Feast
Chapter 95 Pig Slaughter Feast
Chapter 96 Pig Slaughter Feast
Along the way, Zhang Wei dragged the crawler in front, while Zhang Lei and Liu Qiang helped push from behind, so the Li family didn't need to lift a finger.
The three of them took on the job of pulling wild boars, and they were all eager to do it, because the more effort they put in now, the more at ease they would feel when they ate the meat later.
The Li family followed behind, leading many villagers to believe that Zhang Wei and his group had hunted the wild boar.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
Li Xiangyang didn't want to stay in the limelight all the time, especially after his sister-in-law's reminder.
Of course, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiangdong had been running around outside for most of the day, and now they couldn't muster any strength even if they wanted to.
Fortunately, the entire village road is now frozen solid, with some areas still covered in ice, making it very slippery. Dragging a wild boar weighing over 600 pounds on a sled is actually not very heavy.
In eastern Inner Mongolia, winter brings extreme cold and thick snow. Winter temperatures often range from -25 to -35 degrees Celsius, with deep and solid snow accumulation.
When people walk on the snow and vehicles run over it, the snow surface is compressed into a hard, smooth, mirror-like ice shell, which locals call "smooth snow".
In shady areas, at intersections, and near water, thin, transparent ice easily forms, which locals call "black ice." It looks like a wet road, but it's the easiest place for people to slip and fall.
Moreover, in the 80s, there were no de-icing agents like those used in later generations. The roads relied entirely on natural freezing, and they would not melt all winter, turning the streets into ice rinks.
Because the ground is too slippery, no shoes can prevent slipping. In winter, they will step on sand or stove ash at home before going out, or they will wrap thick hemp rope or straw rope horizontally or crisscrossingly around the soles of their shoes to increase friction.
The most effective way to prevent slipping is to use spiked soles.
Small, patterned metal pieces are nailed to the heel or forefoot of the shoes, making a clicking sound when you walk.
Those with money would nail the heels and soles of their shoes, while those without money would only nail half of them.
It can be considered a collective memory of a generation.
As soon as the group of people dragged their sleds into the village road, a large group of people surrounded them.
Grandpa Sun, Sun the money-grubber's father, was sweeping snow in the yard when he saw several people carefully dragging something, so he ran out to see what was going on.
He was so shocked by what he saw that he couldn't close his mouth, and his dentures almost fell off.
He stepped forward and asked, "Hey, isn't this Zhang Wei? Are those wild boars you're pulling on your sled? Where did you get them? They're two huge wild boars."
"Uncle Sun, I didn't do it. I just went to help Xiangdong and Xiangyang pull it back."
"Who are you helping to pull back—..?" Grandpa Sun couldn't hear clearly.
Then Zhang Wei shouted loudly again, "Help the Li family! Li Xiangdong, Li Xiangyang!"
Grandpa Sun finally heard it clearly.
"Li Xiangdong, Li Xiangyang—? You mean Li Xiangyang, the one the brigade commended a while ago? Li Zhenshan's kid?"
"Yes, that's him!"
"Wow, that's incredible! That kid from Li Zhenshan's family is really talented."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Sun immediately showered him with praise.
"Of course, he just hunted a red deer a while ago, killed two wolves a couple of days ago, and now he's caught two wild boars."
Zhang Lei, who was helping push the cart from behind, suddenly interjected.
He now greatly admires Li Xiangyang's courage and appreciates his generosity.
That phrase, "Meat is all you can eat!" really captivated him.
"Zhang Lei, it wasn't you who hit him, so why are you acting all high and mighty?"
Liu Qiang pursed his lips and said in a low voice.
"Mind your own business. I'm happy for Xiangyang that he can catch so much prey."
Well, after only half an hour of quiet, the two started arguing again.
Li Xiangyang suddenly felt that these people had pretty good personalities, and he could get to know them better in the future.
His old friends were all scoundrels like Donkey Egg, Big Hair, and Iron Pillar. They were fine for eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring together, but if you really wanted to do something serious together, it was bound to fall apart.
I wonder where that Donkey Egg guy is hiding right now? He's not even coming back for the New Year?
Li Xiangyang shook his head and continued on his way.
However, what he didn't know was that Donkey Egg had actually returned yesterday, and was now watching him from a distance with Da Mao and Tie Zhu.
Donkey Egg knew that the two Li brothers were the ones who had beaten him up last time.
Because apart from the Li family, no other family's burlap sacks would have a fishy smell.
He had already figured out how to get revenge on the Li family, but as soon as he said it, his father, Zhao Youcai, gave him a severe beating.
They said that the wood they burn now is all brought back by Li Xiangyang, and Li Xiangyang is now their benefactor.
If he dares to go against the Li family, he is repaying kindness with enmity, and is even worse than a beast.
This left Donkey Egg completely bewildered, and he could only watch Li Xiangyang from afar, his heart filled with a mixture of love and hate.
"Pah! Li Ershazi just got lucky and caught some prey recently, look how smug he is."
As he spoke, Da Mao spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.
Tie Zhu chimed in, "Yeah, they used to follow us around like glue, completely at our beck and call. Now they don't even greet us when we see them, right, Donkey Egg?"
"Mmm." Donkey Egg nodded, but didn't say anything.
Of course, it wasn't just Da Mao, Tie Zhu, and Lv Dan who felt uneasy watching from afar; Li Xiangyang's second uncle, Li Zhenhai, also felt the same way.
Logically, since Li Zhenshan's family hunted a wild boar, they should have invited his family to come and help, and they could have eaten the meat together.
However, the Li family went to great lengths, not coming to call them from behind their house, but instead going to the west side of the village to ask Chen Guodong and his wife to come to their house to help.
"Is my brother planning to sever ties with my lineage now that things are getting better?"
Li Zhenhai was somewhat annoyed, never expecting that he himself had caused all of this.
Zhang Wei and his two companions quickly dragged the two wild boars to the Li family compound, followed by a large crowd of onlookers.
At this moment, Li Zhenshan, Wang Guiying, Zhang's father, Zhang's mother, Liu Guifang, and Chen Guodong and his wife heard the commotion outside the courtyard and immediately went out to check.
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Although everyone already knew that Li Xiangyang had hunted two wild boars, they were still surprised when they actually saw the two large wild boars being dragged back.
"These two wild boars are huge!"
"Yes, each one probably weighs two or three hundred pounds."
"This must be the king of wild boars. Look how long and scary those tusks are."
"Wow, the Li family's going to make a fortune again! Those two wild boars must fetch a lot of money!"
The crowd discussed it animatedly, and Li Zhenshan and Wang Guiying couldn't stop smiling, their eyes narrowing into slits.
At this moment, Zhang's mother came over and praised, "Guiying, you are truly blessed to have given birth to two such capable sons, Xiangyang and Xiangdong!"
"Yes, he hunted a big red deer a while ago, and then killed four wolves two days ago. Xiangyang is really capable."
Zhou Chunmei echoed this sentiment.
"Sigh, those two are just too playful. They can't even stay still in the snow and always come back to cause trouble for everyone."
Wang Guiying was secretly delighted, but she wouldn't boast about her son in front of outsiders.
"Troublesome matters? Hahaha—."
I'd love for my two kids to cause me all this trouble every day.
Everyone laughed, their minds filled with images of gnawing on bones and eating meat after helping out. Slaughtering pigs and chopping meat were all men's jobs, while the women were responsible for handling the internal organs and cooking the pig stew and rendering lard.
In the dead of winter, everyone is staying home with nothing to do. If someone comes to help slaughter a pig, everyone is happy to lend a hand.
After all, you're just idling around anyway, so helping out for two or three hours can earn you a meat meal.
Therefore, the host will only ask someone to help if the relationship is good; not just anyone will be asked.