Chapter 140: Pig Bones

Friday arrived quickly. Zhou Yimin asked Zhou Dazhong to help haul some things back to Zhoujiazhuang: a whole slab of pork, sixty jin of beef, three barrels of fish, one hundred jin of large shrimp, and two big sacks of pig bones.

That slab of pork came from a very fat pig—it had to weigh at least a hundred jin.

Zhou Dazhong helped lift it and immediately knew it was closer to one hundred twenty jin.

“Dapeng, you help too. Take those two sacks of pig bones straight to the village canteen, let the villagers have some soup.

As for this slab of pork, cut half of it for the school. Tell them to make extra food today—kids under fifteen can all go have a bowl or two,” Zhou Yimin instructed.

“Got it!” Luo Dapeng nodded and went out to rent a three-wheeler.

“What about me?” Li Youde asked.

Zhou Yimin didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Go borrow a bicycle and help haul a generator over to Zhoujiazhuang. There’ll be a movie screening tonight—I’ve already arranged for the projectionist.”

Everyone clicked their tongues in surprise—this sixtieth birthday celebration was no small affair.

Pulling out all the stops.

Classic Zhou Yimin.

“Alright!” Li Youde immediately went to borrow a bike.

Once he returned, Zhou Yimin took him to Lu Guofu’s place. Lu Guofu brought out a small diesel generator and tied it to the bike frame.

“Youde, ride slowly. Don’t damage it,” Zhou Yimin reminded.

Lu Guofu laughed, “Don’t worry. This thing’s not that easy to break.”

He had no idea how many times it had already been dropped. Compared to his projection equipment, the generator was the sturdiest thing he had.

“Uncle Lu, please set out a bit earlier. We’re holding banquets at noon and in the evening,” Zhou Yimin said.

Lu Guofu thought for a moment. “I’ll come in the afternoon then—grab a bite for dinner. Got some things to take care of at noon.”

“Alright, we’ll be waiting for you,” Zhou Yimin didn’t push.

The movie was scheduled for the evening anyway.

As for Master Quan, he had already set off with two assistants.

Back in Zhoujiazhuang, outside Zhou Yimin’s grandparents’ house, a stove had been set up, along with a makeshift canopy. Zhou Xuqing was leading the work.

The women were helping wash dishes and utensils, most of which had been borrowed from people’s homes.

At that time, everyone hosted banquets like this—tables and chairs included. Who had those things just lying around?

The old party secretary was also there, directing the work.

“Clean everything properly! Yimin’s friends from the city are coming—don’t embarrass him,” the old secretary said.

They could be as casual as they liked amongst themselves, but with outsiders coming, it was important to present a good image and proper manners.

Especially since he’d heard it was Yimin’s Fiancee’s family visiting—then all the more reason to make a good impression. Can’t let Yimin lose face in front of them.

“Don’t worry, Secretary! It’s so clean even a dog wouldn’t lick it.”

The old secretary was speechless. What kind of bizarre comparison was that?

“Secretary, is it true we’re watching a movie tonight?” someone asked.

Everyone nearby turned to look—they wanted confirmation.

If it was true, it would be the first time a movie was shown in Zhoujiazhuang. No need to travel far just to catch a film—of course people were excited.

The old secretary didn’t hide it anymore.

Time to lay the cards on the table.

“That’s right! That’s what Yimin said. I’ve already picked the spot—it’ll be held at the school’s playground. Tonight, don’t go rushing to grab seats at the front. The first few rows have been reserved by Yimin for the village kids and elders.”

The moment he said this, no one objected.

Just getting to watch a movie was already a stroke of luck—who would try to compete with Zhou Yimin for seats?

Besides, those front rows weren’t just for his own family—they included all the children and elders in the village, including their own.

What was there to argue about?

“Anyway, this afternoon I’ll have people mark the ground. Once it’s marked, don’t take those spots.”

There’d be more than just lines—they’d arrange stools and chairs too. Especially for the elderly, they’d try to provide ones with backrests.

After all, there would be two movies. It was going to be a long evening.

“Don’t worry, Secretary! If I see anyone trying to hog seats, I’ll beat them up,” a burly man said, raising his fist.

The old secretary gave him a look. “I’m just afraid you will try to hog a seat.”

Last time at the Hongxing Commune movie screening, this guy had almost gotten into a fight with someone from another village.

Inside the house, a crowd of elderly folks surrounded Zhou Yimin’s grandparents, chatting with them. They were full of envy—having a grandson like Zhou Yimin, they said they wouldn’t mind living a few years less just to have that.

They kept their voices down, since the radio nearby was still playing.

Zhou Yimin regularly changed the batteries in that radio, so the elderly couple never worried about it running out of power. It practically played from morning till night, only getting turned off at bedtime.

With the house expanded, it felt much more spacious now. Several rooms, all freshly painted. From the outside it didn’t look like much, but inside, it was clearly the most luxurious home in Zhoujiazhuang.

Only in Zhoujiazhuang could Zhou Yimin pull this off.

Before long, Luo Dapeng, Zhou Dazhong, and Li Youde arrived in the village.

“Let’s head to the village canteen first,” Zhou Dazhong said.

“Whatever you say,” Luo Dapeng didn’t care much.

Once they dropped off the goods, he planned to check in on his “little brothers.”

Li Youde had never been to Zhoujiazhuang before and was curious, looking all around.

Luo Dapeng pointed to a house in the distance and said to him, “That’s where Yimin’s grandparents live.”

They arrived at the canteen door, and Zhou Dazhong yelled, “Get a few live ones out here!”

The folks inside really wanted to kick him—what the hell did he mean by “live ones”? Like they had corpses in the canteen or something? Damn it, could he not talk properly?

“Stop dawdling! Do you want these two sacks of pig bones or not? If not, I’ll haul them away,” Zhou Dazhong added.

The people inside immediately picked up the pace, smiling as they came out. “Yo! Are these from Uncle Sixteen?”

Everyone knew today was Zhou Yimin’s grandmother’s sixtieth birthday. The news had been going around the village for three or four days—there was going to be a big celebration and all the villagers over sixty were invited to eat.

They hadn’t expected Zhou Yimin to prepare something for them too.

Even if it was just pig bones, it could still make soup! If they could drink a bowl of bone broth today, they’d be perfectly content.

“No kidding! Who else would give you pig bones?”

Sure enough, they opened the sacks and found the bones still had quite a bit of meat on them. Whoever butchered these had no idea what they were doing.

A professional butcher could strip bones so clean a fly would slip right off and even a dog would cry.

Just the meat still on these bones was probably ten jin or more.

That kind of bone would make a fantastic soup.

They immediately scrambled to carry the two sacks inside and started washing them, getting ready to make broth.

As for blanching the bones—forget it. That would drain the flavor. What a waste that would be!

(End of Chapter)