I heard from Xiao Ma that killing the New Year pig has always been an indispensable ritual before the Chinese New Year for every household in rural areas of Northeast China.
In the past, when the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calendar basically entered, every household began to organize.
Once the temperature is low, the pigs will no longer grow meat. If they continue to be fed, they will only waste food.
Secondly, because the temperature is low, the pigs are killed and the meat can be frozen in the natural "big freezer" in the Northeast without worrying about the meat spoiling.
In order to wait for Xiao Ma, an old daughter, the Ma family has been delaying killing the New Year pig until the end of the year for the past two years.
This year, there was an extra Zhang Chu, and the second senior brother had to suffer for a few days.
"Brother, this is not a white-skinned pig bought from outside. It is a black-skinned pig raised by us in the Northeast. It is really old and fragrant."
He had just had a good meal yesterday, but looking at the second senior brother who was still fighting hard and trying to get a chance for himself, Xiao Ma was so greedy that his mouth was watering.
Zhang Chu couldn't help, so he could only watch the excitement from the sidelines, signing autographs and taking photos with fellow villagers who recognized him from time to time.
After learning that Xiao Ma was now working as Zhang Chu's assistant, some people expressed envy.
No one said weird things now. No one wanted to cause trouble for themselves.
"It used to be much more lively than it is now. At that time, starting from the twelfth lunar month, people would kill New Year pigs every day, and we could eat well every day. It was very enjoyable."
When the New Year pig is slaughtered in the village, everyone with whom you are close must say hello in advance and treat the person who kills it to a meal.
If you eat it in circles, you can gain ten pounds at least.
The second senior brother had given up struggling at this moment, probably because he knew that he was not going to die soon, so he simply lay down.
Moreover, according to the rules of killing the New Year pig, in order to facilitate the cleaning of the intestines, Liu Liu had eaten three hungry meals yesterday and struggled for a long time, but he had already run out of energy.
At this time, the appointed pig butcher also arrived.
I heard from Xiao Ma that the pig butchers in their village don't charge for killing New Year pigs. The owner of the house can ask him for help because he respects his craftsmanship and it is even something worth bragging about.
If you charge money for killing a New Year pig, you will be stabbed in the spine.
At this moment, the snow in the yard has been cleared away by Xiao Ma's brother and sister-in-law.
The stove in the courtyard has also been filled with wood, and boiling water is boiling in a large pot, which is used to remove pig hair.
Several people came forward to lift the tied pigs and put them away, then put a large basin under the pig's head. Then it was the pig butcher's turn.
Holding a polished butcher's knife, holding a cigarette at an angle in his mouth, he took a deep drag, feeling very stylish.
He reached out to the pig's neck and pressed it with his hand. The tip of the knife pressed against it. He inserted the knife and quickly pulled it out. The pig's blood spurted out along the edge of the knife. The second brother struggled twice symbolically and died. .
Good knife skills!
Zhang Chu couldn't help but admire him from the bottom of his heart.
He is used to killing people. Although people are different from pigs, the principles are the same.
It seems unremarkable, but in fact this knife is very critical. First, it must be fast, otherwise the pig will not be able to penetrate if it struggles. Second, it must be accurate. It must be inserted directly into the heart without damaging the trachea, otherwise the pig's blood will not flow out much. Most of the pig's blood will not flow out. It's all stored in the pig's body, which is a waste of pig blood, and the taste of the meat will be much worse.
There used to be a pig butcher in the capital who was extremely skilled in his craftsmanship. It is said that with one cut, the pig could not utter a sound until all its blood flowed out.
After the blood is drained, the pig is moved to the big pot and the hair is shed.
In less than an hour, a clean and hairless pig was cleaned out.
Then came the disembowelment and step-by-step dismemberment.
Zhang Chu originally thought that the little girl would not be able to bear such a bloody scene, but who knew that not only Xiaoma, but also her teenage niece was watching with great interest.
Probably still wondering which piece of meat is more delicious.
"What's the matter? When I was a child, when the twelfth lunar month entered, I would walk around the village all day and watch whoever was killing the New Year pig."
Then have a good time, right?
After getting along for more than a year, Zhang Chu had already noticed that his little assistant was a standard foodie.
The pig butcher hired by the Ma family was really good at it. The whole process of dismemberment only used a knife, not even an axe. It can be said that "a cook cuts an ox with ease."
Then everyone divided the work and cooperated. Some started to cut the meat, some were busy filling the blood sausage, and some were cooking the pot and lighting the fire, and they were all busy cooking this pig-killing dish.
There is no particular emphasis on knife skills or finesse. Pork-killing vegetables are just like the character of Northeastern people, showing boldness and roughness.
Sauerkraut, pork belly, pure fat, pig lung, pig blood sausage...
Pour it into a big pot and eat it steaming hot.
Zhang Chuzheng watched with interest when the phone rang and it was Tang Wei calling.
"Why is it so chaotic over there?"
Tang Wei heard a noise.
"Xiao Ma's house is killing the New Year pig. It's very lively. I think people from the whole village are here."
The village in Xiao Ma's hometown is not big, with only a few dozen households in total.
Maybe there are always quarrels and bickering, but on this day, it's almost over.
This probably means that when one family has something to do, everyone is busy. If you don’t come to help me today, if something happens to your family in the future, will I help or not?
Moreover, it is inevitable to have some grudges on weekdays. Taking advantage of this day to sit together and have a glass of wine is also a good time to resolve conflicts.
"This is enough for you to learn a lot."
Tang Wei was right, Zhang Chu had indeed seen it.
No wonder Xiao Ma has been thinking about going home for the New Year since entering the twelfth lunar month.
The Chinese New Year in Northeast China is really lively.
"Are you at home?"
"No, I was out shopping with some classmates. I just saw your poster and wanted to give you a call."
Just as he was talking, Zhang Chu heard someone calling Tang Wei on the phone.
"I won't tell you anymore, wait a minute...drink less."
Zhang Chu responded and waited for Tang Wei to hang up the phone before putting the phone away.
"Sister Xiaowei?"
Well?
When did Xiao Ma come up to me?
Seeing that Zhang Chu did not deny it, Xiao Ma hesitated and said, "Brother, I really think Sister Xiao Wei is quite good."
"How are you, Sister Jingchu?"
How did you have the courage to ask such a shameless question?
"I didn't say Sister Jingchu was bad, but...Brother, do you really want to have three wives and four concubines? This is not the past. Be careful, in the end, nothing will be left behind."
If I wasn't worried about losing my job, I wouldn't be bothered to care about your nonsense.
Zhang Chu didn't answer. There were some things that children didn't understand.
After working until noon, the dishes were cooked and everyone was served. Zhang Chu was given the first place as a guest. Zhang Chu could not refuse and had to sit down.
The dishes on the table are sumptuous and simple. Pork belly dipped in garlic sauce, pork knuckle dipped in garlic sauce, pork liver dipped in garlic sauce, and blood sausage dipped in garlic sauce are all the most original ways to eat them and do not require too much processing.
Then stir-fried pig lungs, home-cooked cold dishes, and butchered pig stews are also common methods. There are no platters and no attention to decoration at all.
Since it is a "pig-killing feast", wine is absolutely indispensable. Real pure grain wine will not hurt your head after drinking it. The kind of alcohol-blended wine on the market cannot be put on the table at all.
During the banquet, the family members exchanged cups and cups. Although Zhang Chu was a guest, no one treated him as an outsider.
After two glasses of wine, the names he addressed Zhang Chu became the eldest son of the old Zhang family, brother, brother, and uncle.
Zhang Chu was also infected by this atmosphere and indulged himself.
They drank until it was getting dark, and everyone gradually dispersed. Zhang Chu was helped into the guest room, and had another good night's sleep.
As usual, I was woken up by peeing in the middle of the night.
After getting dressed and going out, it started snowing again.
After clearing out the inventory, just as I entered the house, my cell phone rang again.
Who's calling in the middle of the night?
Zhang Ziyi!
By the way, she should still be in the United States, there is a time difference between the two places.
After hesitating for a moment, he answered the call.
"What time is it, are you still awake?"
If it weren't for the special relationship, Zhang Chu would have wanted to curse.
"If you don't call me, can I wake up? Do you know it's midnight in China now?"
Zhang Ziyi could tell that Zhang Chu's tone was bad, but she didn't care.
"Okay, okay, okay, it's my fault for disturbing your sleep."
"Say, what's the matter?"
It's impossible for Zhang Ziyi to call him specifically and ask him if he's asleep!
"I heard that you accepted a movie with Huayi and Yongsheng."
The information is really well-informed.
"There is such a thing."
"Have you decided on the heroine? I want you to help me..."
"Can't help."
Before Zhang Ziyi could finish her words, Zhang Chu refused directly.
"Why?"
"The heroine is from Huayi. You also know that this drama is a collaboration between Huayi and Yongsheng. They can do without their own people."
"who?"
Ordinarily, the movie has not started shooting yet, so this kind of thing cannot be disclosed casually, but when Zhang Ziyi asked, Zhang Chu had to tell him.
"Fan Bingbing!"
Zhang Ziyi was silent for a moment: "Where are the other characters?"
Zhang Ziyi still refused to give up. From what she learned, this was a big production, so how could she give up so easily.
"Don't count on other characters either."
"Why is this?"
“There’s also Yongsheng!”
I'm not stupid, I'll give away any benefits I can get, and I'm not allowed to praise my own people!
"Who is the director?"
This woman is really persistent.
"Let me tell you the truth, this is a man's drama. Even if you get the role, it doesn't mean much. Besides, you will have director Zhang's drama next year!"
"how do you know……"
Halfway through the words, Zhang Ziyi came to his senses.
Zhang Chu will also participate in the film.
"Hey, you didn't fool me, did you?"
If it is really a men's drama as Zhang Chu said, Zhang Ziyi really doesn't have much interest in it.
"If I lie to you, I'll let you be on top next time."
Well……
"You die for me, no one cares about you."
Zhang Ziyi suddenly became angry and cursed at the top of her lungs.
Probably because he didn't think it was satisfying, he just said it without thinking.
"Even if I want to be on top, it doesn't have to be you."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Ziyi regretted them.
Although she is not a man, she also understands that there are some things that she must not challenge a man's bottom line.
Even if the two of them are destined not to be together, at least for now, Zhang Ziyi still enjoys this relationship very much.
"Really? Then I really have to congratulate you."
Do you want to make Mr. Zhang jealous?
You also have to see if you have the qualifications.
After Zhang Chu finished speaking, he hung up the phone and turned off the phone.
sleep!
Well……
Zhang Ziyi was stunned for a long time before she reacted.
This man isn't so narrow-minded, is he?
Besides, you were obviously the first to make such a joke.
I tried calling again, but Zhang Chu’s phone had been shut down.
