Chapter 1812: So Happy He Forgot Home (Part 8)
Three basins of dough were steamed into nine large pots of steamed buns, about twenty in each pot. The mixed grain ones were gray, and the pure ones golden yellow.
They made pumpkin rice and scooped up a basin of sweet garlic, no stir-fried dishes.
Yesterday’s meal was too greasy; surprisingly, none of the old folks or kids minded the coarse grain meal. Erxiong gobbled down two big rolls of the pure one; mind you, Fubao and Zhuangzhuang together only finished one.
Today is pig slaughter day. At the brigade office’s entrance, twenty large pots were set up early on the grounds.
The firewood under the stoves roared with flames, making the water in the pots bubble furiously. Over a thousand people, men, women, young and old, got up early, their laughter and chatter filling the air. Zhang Yuejin, with a group of strong workers, caught and slaughtered pigs, the pigs’ dying squeals were heartrending.
Lu Erxiong wasn’t afraid at all, keen and excited, eager to try and join in. If Xibao hadn’t held him back, he would’ve joined the fun up close.
They slaughtered twelve pigs, collecting over twenty basins of pig blood.
The cold weather quickly solidified the pig blood.
Boiling water was poured over the pig bodies, Zhang Yuejin took off his padded jacket, staying in just his thin autumn wear, and with a few swift swipes, he scraped off the pig hair. A large, pitch-black pig became plump and pale, yet still lifelessly staring.
The pigs from Wanglou Brigade were truly fat, well-fed and robust.
The national mandate stated that pigs under 120 pounds were not to be slaughtered, but with Wanglou Brigade’s bumper harvest and thriving vegetation, people were well-fed, and so were the pigs. The twelve pigs averaged around 140 pounds each, with about 100 pounds of net meat per pig.