vstars Chapter 123 Hot and Authentic Hometown Pork Stew
Chapter 123 Hot and Authentic Hometown Pork Stew
Li Ju'an obtained a verbal promise from Captain Yang Dezheng and went to the Lu family with Song Desheng.
The Lu family had already prepared a feast. The old man, Lu Zhiqiang, jokingly called him a scoundrel, but seeing his eldest grandson bring back wild boar and game, he was secretly overjoyed, his face crinkling with pride. The old man even told Lu Jinyang to go to the corner store and ask Mr. Chen to buy a string of 100-shot firecrackers to celebrate. He wanted all the villagers to see how capable and successful the Lu family's grandson was, able to go hunting in the mountains!
The Lu family was bustling with activity. The women were cooking pork stew in the kitchen, and the sounds of cleavers chopping meat and bones filled the air.
Lu Zhiqiang led Lu Jinyang and Lu Wenqian to set off a string of firecrackers at the door.
He gathered firewood from the kitchen, picked up the blackened stick, puffed out his cheeks, and blew hard on the darkest end. "Whoosh!" The stick turned a dark red, then the red of the fire. He used the glowing stick to light the fuse of a string of firecrackers.
The surrounding children screamed with delight, quickly covering their ears and taking a few steps back. The string of one hundred firecrackers exploded with a lively crackling sound and soon went out.
The most exciting time was after the firecrackers were set off. Of all the firecrackers in a string, some wouldn't explode. Zhang's grandson, Lu Wenqian, and Li Xiao squatted in the pile of discarded firecrackers at the entrance of the Lu family's courtyard, looking for scraps of red paper and small firecrackers that still had fuses, which they could pick up and set off separately.
Sun's grandson, a chubby boy named Sun Hao, loved to follow Lu Wenqian around, chattering away. When he saw Lu Wenqian picking up firecrackers, he eagerly squatted down to help her sort through them, only to be sternly scolded by Sun Quande: "What are you picking up? Don't you have your own? Why are you picking up other people's? And these are Lu's firecrackers, aren't you ashamed?"
Sun Hao was scolded by his second uncle. He pouted and felt wronged. He couldn't stand it, so he lay on the snow and rolled around, acting spoiled and howling. Sun Quande cursed and dragged him home.
The Lu and Sun families had a feud. The child was young and didn't understand, but this commotion secretly pleased the Lu family. The Lu family patriarch's feast was truly a show for the Sun family. He wanted the Sun family to know that the Lu family's grandson was capable, no less so than Sun Weimin of the Sun family.
Li Ju'an took out the wild boar leg crutches he was playing with, teasing the children. Five crutches were scattered on the ground, but the wild boar ones were too big for the children to handle. Lu Jinyang then pulled out his treasured sheep bone crutches and started playing with them, leaving the children stunned. He and Li Ju'an showed off their crutches together, surrounded by excited shouts from the children. Just then, Lu Zhiqiang excitedly ran over, punched Li Ju'an in the chest, and shouted, "Grandpa agreed to let me buy a gun!"
Just as Li Ju'an was about to catch the Galaha falling from the sky, he was punched so hard that he almost missed it. He said, "If you agree, then you agree. You'll get some money from this share distribution; you can buy a second-hand pistol."
The three of them had already divided up the wild boar and badger. The tiger cubs still needed to be made into pelts to fetch a good price at the market. They would divide the money later. He planned to take the tiger cubs and the dogs to the forest farm again to try and secure the taxidermy job.
Lu Zhiqiang grinned, his tone even more excited: "What do you know! If the old man agrees, then I'll have to modify this gun properly. You know how skilled our old man is at modifying guns, don't you?"
When Li Ju'an thought about the landmines the Lu family had modified from sheepskin, he was absolutely impressed by the Lu family patriarch's gun-modifying skills. It could be said that in the entire Xing'an Mountains, if Old Tao was the most knowledgeable about dogs, then the most capable gun modifier was the Lu family patriarch. He smiled and leaned closer, saying, "Of course! I'll take you to the county town to pick out a gun later, and we'll go back to the Lu family together. I'll put in a good word for you with the old man. I guarantee he'll want you to come into the mountains with me again next time."
Lu Zhiqiang immediately saw through his scheme. "You're a slippery little devil. You want the old man to modify your gun too? You're always trying to pull this dirty trick on me."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
Steam rose from the large pot under the firewood fire, and the enticing aroma of Northeastern-style pork stew filled the village.
A large pot of boiling water, fueled by a roaring fire, was bubbling with steam. Fresh pork and pig's blood, cut into chunks, simmered in the pot alongside pickled cabbage. The pickled cabbage, the soul of this pork stew, was homemade and exuded a unique sour aroma. The finely shredded cabbage, stewed with the pork, created a harmonious blend of flavors, releasing a rich fragrance.
"Zhiqiang, bring out the pickled cabbage!" With this shout from the second aunt, a pot of fragrant and steaming stew was served.
Different thicknesses of pork belly, smooth and oily blood sausage, deep red pig's blood, boneless meat picked from large bones, a big pot of fragrant pork stew, and the unique garlic sauce from our hometown, all made everyone's mouths water.
"Eat meat!" shouted the old man of the Lu family. Everyone's eyes widened, they picked up their chopsticks, and without bothering with pleasantries, quickly grabbed a large piece of meat, dipped it in plenty of garlic sauce, and put it in their mouths. The white pork was so delicious, the blood sausage so fresh, the pickled cabbage so flavorful—oh my god, it was so fragrant and satisfying! All the villagers who came to help ate with their mouths greasy.
The banquet itself was quite enjoyable. With pork stew, good wine was indispensable. In those days, Xijiu was considered a "god-tier" liquor. Xijiu was the leader among baijiu, an essential part of the New Year's Eve dinner. Today, the Lu family patriarch was in a good mood and brought out Xijiu to entertain guests. With its quality and value, Xijiu became an indispensable treasure at banquets in the early 1980s.
Lu Zhiqiang and Li Ju'an chatted and drank, and even had to toast the old man. Adults always have a playful side when drinking, and they always find ways to trick children into drinking. The adults dipped the tip of their chopsticks into the liquor and teased the children, just to see the children laugh as they frantically searched for water after being burned by the spiciness.
A few kids actually fell for it, sticking out their tongues from the spiciness and running around the table looking for water, which made the adults laugh out loud.
As Li Ju'an held his wine glass, he glanced at the Lin family. Just as his gaze fell upon Lin Mei, she turned to look at him as well. Their eyes met briefly on the table before they both looked away.
Lu Zhiqiang couldn't hold his liquor. After one cup, his tongue was already tied in knots. With a flushed face, he raised his glass and mumbled, "I, Lu, have never been impressed by anyone. When those forty or fifty wild boars charged at us, I was really nervous, speaking from the heart. Li Ju'an aimed at one of the boars and fired a shot. Not only was the aim perfect, but his hand was also incredibly steady! I'll go into the mountains with Brother Li again from now on, and hunt wild boars every day and come down the mountain to do some work."
Lin Mei's younger brother, Lin Jiadong, also raised his glass and shouted, "From now on, do whatever you want. Take me hunting in the mountains too!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ju'an was alarmed. What if the Lin family blamed him for leading Lin Jiadong astray? He clinked glasses with Lin Jiadong and said, "I haven't congratulated Lin Jiadong on starting work at the movie theater yet. Once you're working, you're an adult. Let Lu Zhiqiang handle those unreliable things like going into the mountains."
Lu Zhiqiang, flushed with alcohol, laughed loudly and said without restraint, "Brother Li, I want to take on Tu Baozi again next time, take me with you!"
Li Ju'an laughed and scolded, "You really think I'm a mountain god, making wishes here?"
Lu Zhiqiang, drunk and squinting, pleaded, "With Brother Li's grip, he can easily take down anything."
The villagers at the table looked at Li Ju'an differently than before. It was no easy feat to earn the respect of Lu Zhiqiang from the Lu family. The young man from the Li family, who used to wander around aimlessly, had finally settled down and made something of himself, making every villager happy for Song Lanhua.
Lin Mei looked up at Li Ju'an, a smile playing on her lips. She was happy for him too. The young man she admired was capable, and she felt proud of him.
Suddenly, Lu's second aunt started talking about marriage: "Ju'an is getting on in years, Sister Song, when are you going to introduce him to someone?"