area51novel Chapter 41 The Lu Jin Enters the Hand and Subtle Ripples at the Banquet
Chapter 41 The Lu Jin Enters the Hand and Subtle Ripples at the Banquet
Although the two male deer had been drained and their internal organs removed, the remaining bones, meat, and hides were still incredibly heavy, piled up like two mountains of flesh. Sha Zhu weighed the largest hind leg in his hand, pinching the firm muscle with his fingers, and clicked his tongue in amazement: "Goodness, solid! This leg must weigh almost twenty pounds!"
After a rough breakdown, the cleaned meat after removing the skin and entrails, along with the edible offal and the most valuable deer antlers and tendons, totaled a staggering 150-160 jin (approximately 75-80 kg) from Lin Gang's adventurous hunt! And that didn't even include the two intact deer hides. This figure drew another gasp from the still-gathering neighbors, their eyes practically brimming with envy—what an enormous fortune! Enough to last them months!
Lin Gang kept the best ten pounds of pork leg meat for himself, intending to treat his family to a good meal and nourish their bodies, especially to provide extra nutrition for the thin Lin Yan. The rest was distributed strictly according to Director Wang's previous arrangements and the actual needs of the neighbors.
Director Wang of the subdistrict office kept his word and kept the distinction between public and private matters. Strictly adhering to the market price, he personally watched the clerk weigh out a full twenty jin of top-quality deer tenderloin and leg meat at one yuan per jin, and then handed two brand-new ten-yuan bills to Lin Gang.
Next, he sold the meat to the neighbors in the courtyard at a huge discount. Sha Zhu volunteered to help weigh the meat, and Lin Gang collected the money. Most of the good meat was sold for 80 cents a pound, while some scraps or parts with more bone and less meat were sold for as little as 30 cents. The neighbors bought two pounds here and three pounds there, their faces beaming with the genuine joy of getting a great deal. They kept thanking him, and small bills and coins kept being stuffed into Lin Gang's slightly worn-out shirt pocket, which soon became bulging.
After the last piece of venison was bought by a satisfied neighbor, Lin Gang squatted in the corner and roughly counted the meat he had sold to his neighbors by the light. He estimated that he had sold about 120 to 130 jin (60-65 kg) of meat. Although the price per unit was very low, the sheer quantity made up for it, and he still earned about 80 yuan in total.
Thus, with the twenty yuan from the neighborhood office and the sixty yuan from his neighbors, Lin Gang earned a full eighty yuan that day just from selling meat. This doesn't even include the deer antlers, deer tendons, and two complete deer hides, which were obviously more valuable and required other channels to sell.
Eighty dollars! In the late 1950s, this was an enormous sum that would leave most families speechless. It was equivalent to more than two months' wages for a first-class worker! Many dual-income families might not be able to save that much even after a year of hard work.
The meat was divided up, and the money was collected. Lin Gang took the ten pounds of the best hind leg meat home; its bright red color glistened with oil under the light, a sight that made one's heart flutter. Sha Zhu and He Yuzhu were even more excited than Lin Gang, the rightful owner, as if they had bought the meat themselves. They shouted, "Wait! Gangzi, watch me show you my skills! This kind of wild game isn't like the common stuff on the street; good stuff can't be cooked carelessly and wasted!" With that, they rushed off to their house.
He returned shortly after, carrying his usual set of knives and a sharpening stick. Under his other arm was an old winnowing basket filled with bottles and jars of his treasured spices that he rarely used: top-quality star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, a small half-bottle of soy sauce he couldn't bear to eat, and a small jar of fragrant yellow soybean paste. It was as if he had brought the essence of his entire kitchen to the Lin family's house.
"Today we're making a hearty dish—braised venison, and then stir-fried venison slices. Quick heat and lots of oil, it'll smell amazing! The remaining bones with a little meat will make a rich broth, sprinkled with chopped green onions, to nourish my brother and ward off the mountain chill!"
Sha Zhu entered the Lin family's somewhat simple and cramped kitchen, and like a general returning to his most familiar battlefield, he immediately took command, cutting meat, blanching it, heating the pan, adding oil, and stir-frying... his movements were fluid and graceful. Soon, the rich aroma of meat mixed with the unique and tempting scent of spices wafted powerfully from the Lin family's house, making half the people in the courtyard secretly swallow their saliva, wondering what delicious dish Sha Zhu had made this time.
Just as everyone was busy preparing, Xu Damao, drawn by the aroma, came in with two bottles of decent-looking baijiu, grinning as he sidled in. "Hey! You're cooking already? It smells amazing! The aroma can be smelled from miles away! Gangzi, Zhuzi, I've got some good stuff here, genuine Lao Baigan, aged! No feast is complete without meat and wine, buddy, I've come to liven things up and join in the fun!" He went over to the table as if he were a familiar face, found a chair and sat down, acting as if he belonged there from the start.
Behind him followed Lou Xiao'e, who looked slightly embarrassed. She seemed to think that Xu Damao's uninvited arrival was a bit impolite. She was holding a small packet of dried fruit wrapped in oil paper and said softly to her cousin-in-law Cuihua, who was setting the table, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you. Give this to Lin Yan to sweeten his mouth." Unlike Xu Damao, she wasn't loud and boisterous; she just quietly found a corner where she wouldn't get in the way and sat down.
Soon, the food was served. A large bowl of glistening, tempting braised venison with a thick, rich broth; a plate of glistening, tender, and succulent stir-fried venison slices with scallions; and a bowl of milky-white, steaming, and fragrant venison and radish soup. The group sat together, the aroma of meat, wine, and food filling the entire room, warm and inviting. Sha Zhu's cooking skills were truly exceptional; the venison was stewed until tender and flavorful, with a savory and slightly gamey taste, completely free of any gaminess. Everyone ate with gusto, their mouths watering, praising it endlessly.
After a few shots of strong baijiu, the conversation flowed freely, and the atmosphere became even more lively. Xu Damao took a sip of his liquor, smacked his lips, and began showing off his set of "life wisdom" and "shrewd calculations." He nudged Sha Zhu, who was engrossed in his work, with his elbow, his voice slightly slurred with alcohol and feigned familiarity: "Hey Sha Zhu, not to be rude, but you're a good guy in every way, except you're too honest! Too damn loyal! Getting the money back from Yi Zhonghai this time, you've finally figured it out, well done! You'd better hold onto this money tight, keep it safe!"
He lowered his voice, but it was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, and he spoke with an air of utmost sincerity: "Take my advice, brother, and save it all up! Don't waste a single penny! Once you've saved enough, ask someone to find you a matchmaker, and find you a beautiful, hardworking, caring, and considerate wife. Then you can live a proper life together, that's the right way! And having a big, healthy son, that's true happiness!"
As he spoke, he glanced out the window, gesturing towards the direction of the Jia family's residence in the central courtyard, his tone laced with obvious disdain, "Don't fucking... don't let yourself get all soft-hearted just because someone sheds a few drops of cat pee, and then blindly give in again. That family, humph, I've seen through them long ago, a bottomless pit! Insatiable! You pour your heart out, and they just think you're a fool!"
Upon hearing this, the lively atmosphere at the table subtly quieted down. Sha Zhu silently devoured a piece of marbled venison, chewing vigorously, without immediately responding. It was unclear whether he had taken the words to heart, was too lazy to argue with him at the dinner table, or had something on his mind that had been touched upon.
Lou Xiao'e, however, was displeased. She already felt Xu Damao was being disrespectful by showing up uninvited and empty-handed to freeload, and now, emboldened by alcohol, he was pointing fingers and making such hurtful remarks. She put down her chopsticks, her face clearly showing her displeasure, and glared at Xu Damao reproachfully, raising her voice slightly: "Xu Damao! What nonsense are you spouting! A little alcohol and you've lost all sense of propriety, haven't you? You're talking nonsense! Sister Qin's family is indeed struggling, a widow and her child, but how can you speak like that? Have some decency!"
Then, with a veiled and sarcastic tone, she retorted, "Besides, what does 'a caring and attentive wife' even mean? What, are you complaining that I, as your wife, haven't taken good care of you, Young Master Xu, and haven't made you feel cared for? That I haven't been considerate and attentive enough to you? If you have any complaints, come at me. Don't use your drunkenness to lecture others and make veiled accusations!"
Lou Xiao'e's words, a combination of rebuttal and attack, not only refuted Xu Damao's harsh remarks about Qin Huairu's family but also cleverly steered the conversation back to herself, leaving Xu Damao somewhat embarrassed. He sobered up a bit and, unable to save face, quickly waved his hands and begged for forgiveness with an awkward smile: "Oh, my dear aunt, that's not what I meant! I was just doing it for Zhuzi's sake... I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? I'll punish myself with a drink, I'll punish myself with a drink! You're so magnanimous, please don't hold it against me!" As he spoke, he quickly tilted his head back and gulped down a glass of wine, wincing from the spiciness as he tried to cover it up.
This little incident was quickly diverted by Sha Zhu's shouts of "Eat meat, eat meat, it'll get gamey when it's cold" and "Drink, drink, it won't shut you up," and the dinner table became lively again.