Chapter 9: Eating Meat

Although it was already dark, the kitchen was brilliantly lit by the fire. Yuan Yuezhu, along with the eldest, second, and third daughters, kept boiling water. When they ran out, they went outside to shovel snow and melt it down. The fourth and fifth daughters helped sweep away the pig bristles, blood, and other filth.

The kitchen was small, and with so many people crowded together, it felt cramped. With the addition of several wild boars, there was barely any room to stand, so they had to clear away the scraped bristles and spilled blood; otherwise, there would truly be nowhere to put their feet.

Tang Genshui, Tang Jiancheng, and Tang Jianbing were busy scraping the bristles, draining the blood, and gutting the wild boars. They started by butchering the three smaller piglets. Since each person took one, it was easier to manage, and they piled all the organs together to be dealt with properly the next day.

Once the cleaning was finished, Tang Jiancheng, knowing the children were hungry, spoke to Tang Genshui and Tang Jianbing, "Dad, Jianbing, you two carry on. I’ll go prepare the meal."

"You just do your part; leave the cooking to me." Yuan Yuezhu interrupted. She opened the lid of the rice jar, only to find it completely empty, not even a single grain left. She searched around, but there were no vegetables either.

She couldn't help but start scolding again, "Raising a bunch of money-losing goods, they're useless for anything, but they eat more than pigs! I only brought over vegetables this morning, and they've already finished them all! No matter how much wealth a family has, it won't last long at this rate!"

The children and Liu Fangfang all lowered their heads under the verbal barrage.

Tang Jiancheng said, "Mom, I was the one who finished that rice and those vegetables. It has nothing to do with them."

Yuan Yuezhu grew even angrier. "So what if you finished them? Didn't they eat too? Day after day, you just keep shielding them. You'll have plenty of reason to cry later on!"

"That’s enough. You’re nagging just to cook a meal—if you don't want to do it, then don't!" Tang Genshui couldn't stand it anymore and snapped back.

Yuan Yuezhu exploded. "Tang Genshui, look into your conscience and speak. Is it that I don't want to do it? Look at this house full of money-losing goods from our fourth son's side—raised only to benefit someone else's family. If you don't feel bad for your son, I certainly do!"

She then burst into tears, "How bitter is my life! My son is pointed at by others, and now his own father is scolding me..."

Tang Jiancheng felt a massive headache coming on. What should have been a joyful, celebratory occasion had turned into a sour mood because of his mother's outburst, leaving him feeling deeply frustrated. However, he couldn't just lose his temper, or the situation would only get worse. Furthermore, having lived to seventy in his previous life, his temperament had long since mellowed. He immediately stood up, put his arms around his mother, and smiled. "Mom, I know you love me the most. I'm hungry now—could you please make me something to eat first? If you're still upset, you can scold me all you want after we've eaten, okay?"

Tang Jiancheng’s sudden tenderness caught Yuan Yuezhu off guard, leaving her feeling flustered. She stopped crying, gave him a playful slap, and went off to cook.

"Fangfang, your mother just has a sharp tongue but a kind heart. Don't take it to heart," Tang Genshui said, comforting Liu Fangfang after Yuan Yuezhu left.

"Exactly. My mom is as stubborn as a mule; just go along with her a bit," Tang Jiancheng added with a grin.

"Is that any way to talk about your mother?" Tang Genshui glared at him.

"Hahaha..." Tang Jiancheng laughed heartily and didn't say anything more.

Liu Fangfang had been observing Tang Jiancheng all along. Having shared a bed with this man for over a decade, she knew his character and behavior all too well. Yet, tonight, she felt she couldn't quite see through him. He no longer possessed his usual sense of inferiority or volatility, nor his typical awkwardness and silence. Instead, he had become calm, humorous, and possessed a confidence that suggested he was in complete control of everything.

The three men worked with great efficiency. Half an hour later, they had finished dressing the eighty-pound wild boar. Yuan Yuezhu had also finished cooking. It was a large pot of sweet potato rice and a full pot of braised pork with cabbage. The rich aroma of meat filled the room, and everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

"Eat first, then we'll finish the rest!" Tang Jiancheng called out and began scooping rice and serving meat to the children. Every bowl was heaped high!

"Wow, meat!"
"Dad, I want that big piece!"
"Dad, I want that big piece too!"

The little ones clamored, and Yuan Yuezhu retorted, "Be glad you have anything at all! You want the big piece? Do you want a kick in the backside, too?"

The children pouted and lowered their heads, but quickly looked up again as Tang Jiancheng placed meat in their bowls, calling out, "I want this piece, Dad, give me this one."

Tang Jiancheng smiled as he served them, saying to the eldest daughter and the others, "Help yourselves, eat plenty. There's enough meat for everyone tonight!"

The children’s eyes lit up, but they hesitated to reach out, looking instead at Yuan Yuezhu while biting their chopsticks.

Yuan Yuezhu glared, "What are you looking at me for? Your father told you to eat, what else can I say? They're money-losing goods anyway, so it doesn't matter if they lose a little more."

"Dad, Jianbing, such good food—should we have a drink?" Tang Jiancheng asked casually.

"Sure, a drink will help warm us up," Tang Genshui nodded.

Tang Jianbing hurried home to get the liquor; as for Tang Jiancheng’s house, there was no hope of finding any there. Even if there had been, Tang Jiancheng had finished it all days ago.

Just as Tang Jianbing left, Tang Jiancheng looked back and saw Liu Fangfang still sitting by the brazier, not yet coming over to eat. He looked at the dish and noticed it was mostly bones, which didn't seem suitable for a woman who had recently given birth. He quickly went to cut a pound of lean meat, minced it, placed it in a small iron pot with some water, and set it over the fire. Once it boiled, he added the meat and a little salt. When it was cooked, he brought it over to Liu Fangfang.

"Eat up, eat plenty," Tang Jiancheng said with a smile.

Looking at Tang Jiancheng’s gentle smile, Liu Fangfang couldn't help but recall the happy days when they were first married, and then the bitterness of the years that followed. Tears welled up and spilled over.

Tang Jiancheng’s expression stiffened, but he quickly understood why she was crying. He knelt down and whispered, "Don't cry. If a nursing mother cries too much, it's bad for her eyes! Besides, the good days have only just begun. If you keep crying like this, what are we going to do?"

"Mm," Liu Fangfang nodded, wiped away her tears, and began to eat.

Yuan Yuezhu had wanted to make a sharp remark, but Tang Genshui stopped her.

After Tang Jianbing returned with the liquor, the three men didn't drink much—just half a cup each. Once they finished eating, they went back to work. The largest sow was the most difficult to process.

While they were busy with the boar, the neighbors smelled the scent of meat drifting from Tang Jiancheng’s house and were drooling with envy.

"Whose house is that? It's not a holiday or a festival, yet they're still eating meat in the middle of the night?"

"Damn, that meat smells so good! I really want a bite!"

"I still see a fire at Jiancheng's place—could they be the ones eating meat?"

"Forget it. His family is so poor, and he's got a house full of money-losing goods—where would he find the heart to eat meat? They're lucky if they can eat at all!"

"That makes sense. If his family could afford meat, even a cast-iron rooster would lay eggs!"

The neighbors didn't believe it was Tang Jiancheng’s house, and though they wanted to go out and check, the howling north wind outside made them lose the desire to move. Forget it, they thought, just endure it and the night would pass.