The next morning, the snow stopped. After the family had breakfast, Wang Sufen boiled water in the big pots in the front and back yards. Li Muwen sat in the yard sharpening his knife. The hens heard the noise and squatted in their coops. Only the braised chicken jumped out of the coop unwilling to be lonely. It jumped and fell in the snow and came to Zhenzhen with difficulty: "Are you ready to stew the chicken? Don't put me and the mushrooms together. I don't like the taste."
Zhenzhen lowered her head and stretched out her hand to tug at the crown of the braised chicken: "Other chickens are silent all day, why are you the only one who talks so much?"
The braised chicken nuggets hid and kept shouting: "I have to speak every day to strengthen my ideals and beliefs. Look at those who don't say a word. Their thoughts have disappeared. They are basically just chickens."
Zhenzhen was happy: "So you are not a chicken anymore?"
"I am an ideal chicken, different from them." Braised Chicken Nuggets raised their heads: "My goal is to become a braised chicken nugget, without mushrooms or potatoes, just pure braised myself."
Zhen Zhen laughed out loud: "Okay, okay, I will definitely remember your ideals and beliefs. Come back to the nest quickly. If you get sick from the cold and infect the other chickens, I will stew you with the radish."
The braised chicken was so scared that it trembled all over. It ran back to its nest desperately, and never forgot to turn around and ask, "Who are we going to kill today?"
"Braised pork!" Zhenzhen replied.
"Oh, that cowardly pig." The braised chicken pieces went back into the chicken coop, but still stuck out its head, ready to watch the braised pork being slaughtered.
Zhenzhen walked over and closed the door of the chicken coop. The chicken coop was blocked tightly by thick Ula grass and mud. After closing the door, the braised chicken could not see anything except black. Zhenzhen communicated with the braised chicken with her consciousness, so no one in the family who were busy in the yard noticed anything unusual.
After the water was boiled and the knife was sharpened, Li Musen came with his wife and children. The butcher who had been greeted long ago also came with his tools.
When everyone was together, Li Muwu took a hemp rope and led everyone to the backyard to catch the pig. But when they opened the small door and went in, they were all dumbfounded. They saw that the fence had fallen down, and a big hole had been knocked out on the pigpen. The braised pork had escaped at some point.
The butcher stared at the broken fence on the ground in amazement: "I have been killing pigs for so many years, but this is the first time I have seen a pig escape from the pigsty."
Li Muwu was so distressed that he shivered all over thinking that his 300-pound fat pig was gone. Fortunately, the snow stopped at midnight yesterday, and the footprints left by the braised pork were still clearly visible. Li Muwu adjusted his hat, his face turned green, and he went back to the house to get his hunting rifle and ran out: "Wait until I catch it, I must stew it." Li Muwen and Li Musen hurriedly followed behind, and the butcher took out the butcher knife from his shoulder pole and followed.
Zhenzhen was sitting on the kang eating pine nuts when she heard the commotion outside. She quickly sent Li Mingzhong out to see what happened. Li Mingzhong went out for a while and came back angrily: "Hong Shaorou ran away from home."
When she heard that Hong Shao Rou had run away, Zhen Zhen burst into laughter: "I didn't expect Hong Shao Rou to be so cunning." She put on her cotton jacket, called Li Mingzhong and ran out. Mrs. Li came in and picked Zhen Zhen up: "Where are you going?"
"Look at my dad grabbing the braised pork." Zhenzhen said as she slid down hard.
Old Lady Li pinched her buttocks and said, "Be quiet. No one will take you to the mountains in the middle of winter. Besides, there are outsiders following you."
Zhenzhen wilted when she heard that, so Old Lady Li put her down and said, "You can play in the yard, but you can't leave."
Zhenzhen agreed obediently and took Li Mingzhong for a walk in the yard. Braised Chicken Nuggets heard Zhenzhen's voice in the chicken coop and kept asking Zhenzhen to let him out. Zhenzhen was annoyed by the noise and had to go over and open the chicken coop.
The braised chicken jumped out, and his tone was full of gloating: "The braised pork ran away?"
Zhenzhen squatted beside the snow and grabbed a snowball and threw it at the head of the braised chicken: "Why didn't I realize that the braised chicken was so bold before? When I went to see it yesterday, it was so stupid that it only knew how to eat."
"That's right. This braised pork has no professional ethics. I raised it for a year and it ran away." Braised chicken's tone was full of contempt: "If it were me, I wouldn't run away."
"Aren't you afraid of having your neck chopped off?" Zhenzhen tilted her head and glanced at it.
"Don't be afraid. I'm a chicken with ideals and beliefs. If you don't believe me, just try to kill me. I won't run away." The braised chicken nuggets walked in front of Zhenzhen with their head held high, expressing their loyalty.
"Come on, go back to your bed. I'll go see how the braised pork is doing." Zhenzhen went back to the room, took off her coat and lay on the kang. She left her body and went looking for traces of the braised pork.
When Mingnan and Mingbei raised Hong Shaorou, they were aiming to eat the fat meat, so they cooked pig feed for it three times a day. Hong Shaorou could eat a bucket of wild vegetables, sweet potato flour, sweet potato leaves and the like a day. Other people's pigs weighed more than 200 kilograms, but looking at the appearance of Hong Shaorou, it should be no problem for him to weigh more than 300 kilograms.
The braised pork was heavy and strong, and after it broke through the pig pen and fence, it ran around in the dark, and it actually found its way up the mountain. Li Muwu and his group followed the braised pork's footprints to the foot of the mountain, and they were a little scared when they saw the red pine forest covered with thick snow.
It has been snowing since the beginning of this winter. The snow in the red pine forest is half a meter thick. It can be seen from the traces left by the braised pork that if people go in, they will probably be submerged up to their thighs.
But then again, if it is difficult for people to walk, it will be even more difficult for pigs. With such deep snow, I am afraid that the head of the braised pork could be lost. I don't know how a pig could be so capable as to dare to go up the mountain alone.
With the path made by Hong Shao Rou, it was much easier for the family to climb the mountain. They had just climbed up for less than 200 meters when they saw a big fat pig lying in the snow, groaning with exhaustion. Li Muwu saw that Hong Shao Rou was almost out of breath, so he quickly took out a hemp rope from his arms, tied it tightly, and pulled it down along the snow.
After regaining consciousness, Zhen Zhen opened her eyes and said to Li Ming Zhong, "We found the braised pork."
Li Mingzhong lay in his den and asked Zhenzhen curiously, "Did our dad beat it? Did he kick it twice and then slap it twice?"
Zhenzhen paused and looked at Li Mingzhong suspiciously: "Why do you sound familiar with this process?"
"The day before yesterday, I just saw a similar excitement from Old Wang's house in the front yard. His son was going to get engaged to Old Li's daughter, but Old Wang had a fight with Old Li when they were young and was not willing to get married. So Old Wang's son abducted Old Li's daughter and eloped. As soon as they arrived at the Red Guard Station, they were met by Old Wang, who beat him up and sent him home. I watched Old Wang kicking his son as he walked that day, which made me very happy. I followed him and squatted in his house to watch for the whole afternoon. His son was beaten up at home just like our braised pork." Li Mingzhong said this with a beaming face, and the whole house was filled with his howling.
Zhenzhen looked at it speechlessly: "Can you understand that you are a wolfdog? Your goal is to conquer the forest, not to watch the fun of other families."
"Didn't I also go up the mountain to chase rabbits in the summer?" Li Mingzhong was very unconvinced.
"Then why did you run when you saw the black bear?" Zhenzhen remembered that when they met a black bear in the mountains in the summer, Li Mingzhong ran the fastest among the family. If it weren't for her special abilities, the black bear would not have dared to come over. Otherwise, all the people who went up the mountain would have been eaten.
"I have to run, I can't beat it." Li Mingzhong didn't feel embarrassed at all: "If you get eaten by it, where can you find a dog as good as me?"
"If you get eaten, I'll raise a wolf. It's definitely more capable than you." Zhenzhen rolled her eyes at it.
Li Mingzhong hurried over after hearing this, put his front legs on the edge of the kang and looked at Zhenzhen with a flattering face: "How can a wolf be as loyal as me? How about you lie down and I will massage your back? It will be very comfortable."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a burst of noise in the yard. Li Mingzhong rushed out, grabbed the front position, and watched the fun with excitement.
Zhenzhen sat on the kang and shouted silently: "Li Mingzhong, get back here."
Li Mingzhong pretended not to hear anything and drooled as he looked at the braised pork pressed on the long bench.
Zhenzhen was shouting in the room, but Li Mingzhong didn't come in. But Old Lady Li came. She thought Zhenzhen was feeling bored in the room, so she quickly brought her a bowl of thawed frozen pears and persimmons.
"Are you bored, baby?" Old Lady Li put the basin on the kang and wiped her hands with a towel: "Grandma, let me play the radio for you." She walked to the cabinet and looked at the row of three identical buttons on the radio. She was a little confused again: "How do I turn it on?"
Zhenzhen immediately stepped on a stool and lay on the cabinet, turned on the switch skillfully, and tried to change the channel. It happened to be a channel that was playing "Journey to the West". Zhenzhen climbed down from the cabinet, picked up a frozen persimmon and took a bite. The persimmon that had been through the frost and weather was full of golden honey juice, fragrant and sweet, more refreshing than eating ice cream. But she was young, and after eating one, Old Lady Li took the basin away: "Eat too much and your stomach hurts. If you are greedy, wait until the afternoon to eat."
In the yard, Li Muwu and his companions skillfully slaughtered the pig and drained its blood, then lifted the braised pork and put it in a large basin to scald the hair. When they finished telling the story of "Journey to the West", they had already started cutting the pork.
This was the first time that the Li family had raised pigs in all these years. Besides pork, the family was most looking forward to cooking a pot of delicious blood sausage. After putting the blood in, Wang Sufen kept stirring it in the bucket with a stick until the blood slowly cooled down. She then added seasonings such as chopped green onion, chopped ginger, pepper, and salt, and then boiled a piece of lard and poured it in. After it cooled down, she could stuff the blood sausage.
While Wang Sufen was busy, Liu Xiulan was not idle either. She took the small intestine aside and repeatedly rinsed it with salt and cornmeal until it was clean and had no smell. After tying the washed small intestine tightly, Liu Xiulan placed the funnel on the small intestine, and Wang Sufen took the spoon and poured it in one spoonful at a time.
The stuffed blood sausage was placed on a rope in the yard to dry, and the pork had been almost cut up. The big bones with a thick layer of meat on them were thrown into the pot to cook. When they were about 70% done, the chopped sauerkraut and cooked blood sausage were also put into the pot.
Over there, they were stewing dishes for slaughtering pigs, and over here, they were cooking braised pork in the morning. Even Old Mrs. Li came down to help, using the big pot in Mingdong's room to steam buns, pancakes, and rice.
Offal such as pig liver, pig heart, pig large intestine and pig stomach are also to be served to guests on the same day. While the dishes are stewing in the pot, Wang Sufen quickly cleans up these things. When the braised pork is done, she quickly puts the offal in the pot to cook.
The whole room was filled with the aroma of meat. Mingnan and Mingbei, who were so greedy, squatted in the kitchen and didn't come out. They kept helping to add firewood to the stove. While Wang Sufen was not paying attention, they quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and each picked up a piece of the braised pork and stuffed it into their mouths, eating until their mouths were full of oil.
Mingdong and Mingxi were relatively calm, but they couldn't sit still in the house. They came out from time to time to see if there was anything they could help with, and took a look at the stove. Li Mingzhong was even more excited, jumping up and down at the smell, and chasing his tail in circles. Mingbei looked at Li Mingzhong who was outside the kitchen and seemed to be having a seizure, and couldn't help but poke Mingnan: "Is that stupid dog crazy?"
Mingnan wolfed down the meat in his mouth and glanced at Mingbei with disdain: "Don't call it stupid, maybe it will be smarter than you in the future."
After working for a whole morning, Grandma Li set up a table in the east room and the west room. In the west room, she asked Li Muwen and his brothers to drink with the neighbors who came to help, while Grandma Li took her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to eat meat in the east room.
Wang Sufen took a steamed bun for Guihua, a bowl of braised pork and a pot of pig-killing dishes and asked Mingdong to send them to Guihua.
When Zhenzhen saw the greasy braised pork in the basin in front of her, she immediately forgot about the braised pork that dared to escape. She sat on the kang and put a piece of meat in her mouth. It was fat but not greasy, and lean but not dry. It was worthy of being a pig raised by feeding it with grain and wild vegetables at home. It was delicious.
There weren't many steamed buns, so Mrs. Li planned to wait until the strangers left before eating them at night. One reason was that she couldn't bear to eat them, and the other was that eating big white buns in this era was something that people envied. Therefore, except for Zhenzhen and Guihua who had rice at noon, everyone else ate pancakes as usual. However, these pancakes were made of pure corn flour, without sweet potato flour, which was a rare good thing.
Holding half a bowl of rice, Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and took a spoon to scoop half a bowl of the soup and meat, mixed it with the rice, and took a bite. It was so delicious that she almost cried. She had never eaten such delicious pork in her life.
Obviously, Zhenzhen was not the only one who had this idea. One could tell from the boys who were wolfing down their food. Old Lady Li smiled and took a sip of wine. She said to Wang Sufen who was gnawing on a big bone, "This is such a delicious dish. You and your sister-in-law should have a drink too."
"I don't want to drink anymore. After dinner I have to clean up the kitchen and the yard." Wang Sufen shook her head repeatedly. There was still a lot of work to do at home after the people left.
"Drink less. It's rare to have such a good time in a year." Old Lady Li ordered Mingbei, whose mouth was full of oil, "Go get a wine cup for your mother and your Third Aunt."
Mingbei stuffed two pieces of blood sausage into his mouth, trotted to get the wine glass, poured wine without waiting for instructions, and sat back in his seat.
Seeing that the whole family said that blood sausage was delicious, Zhenzhen, who had never eaten this kind of thing before, couldn't help but feel curious. She stood up, picked up a piece from the pig-killing basin and put it in her mouth. The texture was smooth and tender, much better than the duck blood she had eaten in hot pot in her previous life.
In addition to these two dishes, another popular dish is the dish with water. After the big pot is cooked, it is cut into slices and dipped in garlic sauce. It is a good dish to go with wine. When Wang Sufen was cooking these, she also threw in a large piece of pork belly, which was also cooked and sliced into thin slices and placed on a separate plate. Zhenzhen looked a bit like garlic pork.
Zhenzhen was young, and Mrs. Li was afraid that it would be spicy so she didn't dare to dip her in garlic paste. She just gave her two slices. Although the salty flavor was gone, it better brought out the original aroma of the pork.
The whole family enjoyed a hearty meal of pork, and even Li Mingzhong enjoyed a feast. The bones that Zhenzhen threw to him basically had a lot of meat on them. While Grandma Li wasn't paying attention, she secretly threw two pieces of braised pork to Li Mingzhong.
After a year of craving for the braised pork, Li Mingzhong finally got to eat it. He happily held the bone in his mouth and continued to chase his tail in circles, looking like a silly dog.
Liu Xiulan chewed the bone in her hand clean and threw it to Li Mingzhong, asking casually: "Was this wolf dog scared when it was young? Why does it look so stupid?"
Li Mingzhong stopped abruptly when he heard it. He was about to bark a few times to prove that he was not stupid, but the bone in his mouth fell out as soon as he opened his mouth. He lowered his head and held it, but his mouth was blocked again. Li Mingzhong was stunned. Zhenzhen saw it clearly from above and couldn't help laughing.
The author has something to say: Hong Shao Rou and Nuli are all normal animals, without any intelligence, only Zhenzhen can communicate with all animals.
Some readers didn’t like this part, so some of the previous content was changed. Only the talkative Braised Chicken Nuggets and the gossipy Li Mingzhong in the family can communicate, and the Braised Pork is just a domestic animal that follows its instincts.