Chapter 721 Northeast Journey 7
The originally peaceful and expectant scene became awkward because of Zhao Ergou's sudden and unplanned disturbance, like a lake with a stone thrown into it, with ripples of embarrassment.
Zhao Ergou was jumping up and down there, mumbling some irrelevant words, causing the people around him to look at each other in surprise. The originally heated discussion on purchasing matters came to an abrupt end, and the air seemed to solidify a little.
However, the villagers knew very well how rare this agricultural product purchasing opportunity with Liu Ping'an was. After all, they were looking forward to a good harvest all year round, so that they could sell the agricultural products smoothly, so that they could live a better life at home, buy new clothes for the elderly, buy some school supplies for the children, and improve the family's meals.
So, after a brief moment of embarrassment, everyone quickly cheered up again, like wheat seedlings brushed by a spring breeze, full of vitality and vigor. They gathered from all corners, surrounded Liu Pingan and his team, and continued to discuss the follow-up matters, their eyes full of expectation and eagerness.
Liu Pingan looked at the enthusiastic villagers, feeling touched and a little guilty. Zhao Ergou's farce had affected everyone to some extent. He cleared his throat, his voice loud and firm, as if to dispel the lingering embarrassment: "Fellow villagers, please don't take Zhao Ergou's little incident seriously. We still have to do the business of purchasing, which is the most important thing. Don't worry, we will definitely not be vague about the deposit. I will arrange someone to pick it up right away, and I guarantee that it will not delay the sale of your agricultural products."
After hearing Liu Ping'an's words, the villagers nodded their heads in understanding, and their faces were filled with bright smiles again. That smile was like the warm sun in winter, dispelling the gloom just now. Someone in the crowd shouted at the top of his voice: "Comrade purchaser, we trust you, you are reliable, we will do as you say, and we will absolutely cooperate!"
Time passed minute by minute, and soon the person Liu Ping'an arranged to collect the deposit came back in a hurry.
They held the bag of deposit tightly in their hands and walked hurriedly, fearing to delay everyone's time. According to the quantity and price agreed with the villagers before, they began to distribute the deposits to the villagers one by one in an orderly manner.
The villagers lined up, stretched out their hands one by one, their eyes full of expectation and joy. When they received the heavy deposit, they held it in their hands carefully as if it were a rare treasure, and then counted it carefully. The wrinkled banknotes turned between their rough fingers, making a rustling sound, as if it were a cheerful piece of music. Their faces were filled with unconcealable joy and peace of mind, and their smiles were like blooming flowers, brilliant and moving.
Lao Zhang was one of the villagers. He held the deposit tightly in both hands, and his hands were shaking slightly with excitement. Tears flashed in his eyes, his lips kept trembling, and he murmured to himself: "That's good, that's good! With this money, I can buy some new farm tools for my family. Those old farm tools have been used for many years, and many parts are broken, so it's hard to work with them. With new farm tools, the harvest in the orchard will definitely be better next year, and then life will be more prosperous!" As he said this, a longing smile appeared on his face, as if he had already seen the fruitful scene in the orchard next year.
In the crowd, Aunt Wang's face was filled with a smile that could not be hidden, and that smile was as bright as the peach blossoms blooming in spring. She raised her head slightly, narrowed her eyes into a slit, grinned, and said with some joy and some emotion: "My husband has been talking to me these days. Every day after work, he sits on the kang, puffing on his pipe, and keeps talking about buying new clothes for the baby. Our children have grown a lot taller. The clothes they wore last year were so short that they could hardly cover their belly buttons. But given the situation at home, there has never been extra money to buy new clothes for the children. Now I can finally find a solution. When I get the money from selling agricultural products, I will take the children to the tailor shop in town as soon as possible to pick out the most fashionable clothes for the children so that they can look decent." As she spoke, Aunt Wang seemed to have imagined the happy jumping of the children after putting on the new clothes, and the smile on her face became more intense.
As the deposit payment work was coming to an end, the purchase and loading process was also carried out in full swing. The villagers in charge of loading the trucks had clear division of labor. Some were responsible for carefully moving baskets of fresh vegetables onto the trucks, and their movements were as gentle as if they were moving fragile treasures, fearing that they would bump into them; others were busy carrying bags of full grain onto the trucks. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, soaking their clothes, but they had no time to wipe them off, and only wanted to load the agricultural products quickly. Everyone worked together, and the loading work was carried out in an orderly manner, like a precision machine.
Before we knew it, the sun was setting, and the sky was dyed a brilliant orange-red, as if nature had overturned its palette. The truck loaded with agricultural products slowly drove away from the village under the expectant eyes of the villagers. The wheels rolled, raising dust all the way. Under the afterglow of the sunset, the dust shone with golden light, like a golden ribbon connecting the village with the outside world.
Liu Pingan stood at the entrance of the village, quietly watching the truck going away until it disappeared from sight. He then patted the dust on his body, and the dust flew up in the sunset, like a group of golden butterflies. He turned around, with a warm and hearty smile on his face, and said to the people around him: "Fellow villagers, you have worked really hard today. We have been busy since early morning and have not rested until now. To express our gratitude and to celebrate the smooth cooperation, I invite everyone to go to the village chief's house to share the wild boar we worked so hard to kill yesterday. Tonight, let's have a good time, eat and drink to our heart's content!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers, who were still somewhat tired, cheered. The cheers echoed in the village like exploding firecrackers. Their drooping shoulders straightened instantly, and the fatigue on their faces was swept away, replaced by excitement and anticipation. Everyone laughed and talked, and followed Liu Ping'an to the village chief's house with brisk steps.
When everyone arrived at the village chief's house, they saw that many people had already gathered in the yard. Everyone gathered in groups of three or five, with cheerful smiles on their faces, chattering. The village chief specially invited Lao Li, a famous butcher in the village. Lao Li was a big and strong man, his figure was as burly as a small mountain, and when he stood there, he gave people a sense of majesty. His face was dark with traces of wind and sun left by years of vicissitudes, like a piece of bronze that had experienced vicissitudes of life. His big hands were rough and powerful, covered with thick calluses, and he was a man who was used to doing rough work.
At this time, Lao Li was circling the wild boar, staring at it closely, examining it carefully. Sometimes he squatted down and touched the boar's fur; sometimes he stood up and walked around the boar, muttering to himself: "This wild boar is really strong. Look at its body. The meat must be delicious. Tonight, everyone is in for a treat!" His voice was loud and clear, like a gong, echoing in the yard.
Several young and strong men heard what Lao Li said and rushed forward. They rolled up their sleeves, held the wild boar's limbs tightly with both hands, and lifted the wild boar to the large wooden board that had been prepared in the middle of the yard. The wooden board creaked under the pressure, as if protesting against the heavy weight. Lao Li saw this and did not hesitate. He rolled up his sleeves skillfully, and his sleeves were rolled up high, revealing his strong arms. Then, he took out a sharp pig-killing knife from the toolbox beside him. The pig-killing knife flashed cold light in the sunset, which made people feel awe. Lao Li put the pig-killing knife on the whetstone and started to sharpen it. The blade rubbed against the whetstone violently, making a crisp and loud sound. The sound seemed to be the prelude to this slaughter feast, which made everyone present excited involuntarily.
"Old Li, don't just talk lightly. This wild boar is not easy to deal with. It is very wild, completely different from domestic pigs. Its fangs are sharp and pointy, and it can knock people down when it gets angry. You'd better be careful not to get hurt by it." A villager nearby clasped his hands in front of his chest, with a teasing and concerned expression on his face, and deliberately raised his voice and joked.
Old Li was concentrating on sharpening the knife. He didn't even raise his head. He just raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a confident smile, and responded in a hoarse voice: "Put your heart back in your stomach! I have been in this business for so many years, and I have seen all kinds of pigs, domestic pigs, wild boars in the mountains, big and small pigs. I have handled at least 80 of them. This wild boar looks fierce and like a beast that is not easy to mess with, but when it comes to my hands, it has to be obedient, just like the Monkey King who entered the palm of Tathagata Buddha's hand and couldn't run away."
As he spoke, the butcher knife in Lao Li's hand had been sharpened to a shine, and the blade flashed a dazzling light in the afterglow of the setting sun, as if it was a magical weapon that could cut through everything. Lao Li carefully put the sharpened knife aside, and then walked to the wild boar with steady steps. He first took a deep breath, and the breath seemed to suck all the air around him into his lungs, filling himself with strength. Then, he held the handle of the knife firmly with both hands, his knuckles slightly whitened due to the force, and his eyes were focused and firm, like a warrior about to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, staring closely at the "enemy" in front of him.
He crouched down slightly, his eyes fixed on the wild boar's throat, as if he was looking for the best time to attack. Suddenly, he saw the right moment, exerted force with both hands, and the butcher knife stabbed into the wild boar's throat like a flash of lightning. The move was clean and neat, without any drag, as if he had practiced it thousands of times. Blood gushed out instantly, like a fountain, splashing on the ground next to it, forming a dark red mark, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
"Great!" The villagers watching the scene were immediately excited and cheered loudly, as if to overturn the whole village. Some people even clapped excitedly, and the applause echoed in the yard for a long time. The children were so excited that they jumped and danced, their faces filled with excitement and curiosity.
Old Li was not disturbed by the lively atmosphere. He continued to carry out the subsequent steps in an orderly manner. He picked up the knife skillfully and cut the skin along the wild boar's body. His movements were as precise as cutting a piece of cloth. Then, he carefully separated the internal organs. Each cut was just right, neither hurting the internal organs nor separating them smoothly. His hands were like magic, flexible and skilled, dazzling the eyes.
The children were like a group of curious kittens, gathering around him curiously, their eyes wide open, watching every move of Old Li without blinking, and exclaiming from time to time. "Wow, Grandpa Li is so amazing!" "This knife skill is simply amazing!" Their little heads were filled with countless questions and curiosity.
"Grandpa, why are there so many things in the wild boar's stomach?" A little girl with pigtails, wearing a flowered dress and a rosy face, pointed at the wild boar's internal organs and asked in a childish voice, with a gleam of curiosity in her eyes.
Old Li was busy without stopping his work at all, and explained with a smile: "Child, these are all wild boar's internal organs, don't underestimate them. The liver, lungs, and heart are all good things and rich in nutrients. After they are cleaned up, they can be made into delicious dishes. You must eat more and grow strong then." The little girl nodded as if she understood, her eyes still fixed on the internal organs, as if she was thinking about something.
The little girl nodded as if she understood, and then asked, "Is wild boar meat tastier than the pigs we raise at home?"
Before Lao Li could answer, a chubby woman next to him said, "It must be delicious. Wild boars run around in the mountains every day and eat wild vegetables and fruits there. Their meat is firm and delicious."
"Can I have a few more pieces later?" the little girl licked her lips and asked expectantly.
Everyone burst into laughter after hearing this. Lao Li also smiled and said, "Okay, I'll let you eat as much as you want later."
As Lao Li worked, the wild boar was broken into evenly sized pieces. The village chief and several women hurried forward to help carry the pieces of meat to a large basin nearby, ready to be cleaned.
"Village chief, how are we going to eat this wild boar meat?" a villager asked.
The village chief thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Everyone has worked hard today, so let's have a good meal. Use some of the meat to make braised pork, which is fatty but not greasy and melts in your mouth. Use some of it to make soup, add some radish and corn, and the soup will be delicious. Leave some, cut it into thin slices, grill it, and sprinkle some chili powder and cumin powder on it, it will definitely be very fragrant."
"Village chief, your arrangement is great. I'm drooling just listening to it." Another villager said with a smile.
Amid the laughter and joy of the crowd, the wild boar meat was cleaned and sent to the kitchen. Soon, waves of tempting aroma wafted out of the kitchen, filling the entire yard. The villagers sat together, chatting while waiting for the food to be served, with happy smiles on their faces. This lively gathering caused by wild boar not only allowed everyone to taste the delicious food, but also brought them closer together and filled this quiet little village with deep warmth.