Accidentally-Born-C32

Chapter 32

The next morning, the heavy snow stopped. After breakfast, Wang Sufen started heating water in several large pots in the front and back yards. Li Muwen sat in the yard sharpening knives. The hens, hearing the noise, obediently squatted in their nests. Only the Red-braised Chicken Piece, unwilling to be left alone, jumped out of the chicken coop and, stumbling and hopping through the snow, made its way to Zhenzhen. “Are we preparing to stew chicken? Please don’t put me and the mushrooms together; I really don’t like that taste.”

Zhenzhen looked down and tugged at the Red-braised Chicken Piece’s comb. “Why is it that the other chickens don’t say a word, but you’re so talkative?”

The Red-braised Chicken Piece kept talking non-stop as it dodged Zhenzhen’s hand. “I have to talk every day to keep my ideals alive. You see, those silent chickens, their thoughts are already gone; they’ve basically become just chickens.”

Zhenzhen chuckled. “So you’re not a chicken anymore?”

“I’m a chicken with ideals, unlike them.” The Red-braised Chicken Piece raised its head proudly. “My goal is to become a Red-braised Chicken Piece, the kind without mushrooms or potatoes, just pure Red-braised Chicken, just me.”

Zhenzhen burst out laughing. “Alright, alright, I’ll remember your ideals. Now, hurry back to your nest. If you freeze and infect the others, I’ll stew you along with the radishes.”

The Red-braised Chicken Piece shivered in fear and dashed back to its nest, but not before calling out, “Who are we slaughtering today?”

“Red-braised Pork!” Zhenzhen replied.

“Oh, that cowardly pig.” The Red-braised Chicken Piece crawled back into the chicken coop, sticking its head out once more, eager to watch the Red-braised Pork get slaughtered.

Zhenzhen strolled over, closed the chicken coop door, and sealed it tightly with thick grass and mud. Once the door was shut, the Red-braised Chicken Piece could see nothing but darkness. Since Zhenzhen communicated with the Red-braised Chicken Piece through her consciousness, none of the family members in the yard noticed anything unusual.

The water was ready, the knives were sharpened, and Li Musen, along with his wife and children, came over. The butcher, who had already been informed, also arrived with his tools.

Everyone gathered, and Li Muwu, holding a hemp rope, led the group to the pigsty. But when they opened the small door, everyone stood stunned. The fence had collapsed, and a large hole had been knocked out of the pigpen. The Red-braised Pork had somehow escaped.

The butcher, staring at the scattered fence, was dumbfounded. “I’ve killed pigs for years, but this is the first time I’ve seen a pig escape from a pigsty.”

Li Muwu was shaking all over, heartbroken about losing their 300-pound fat pig. Thankfully, the snow had stopped last night, and Red-braised Pork’s tracks were still clearly visible. He adjusted his hat, his face turning pale, and rushed back into the house to grab a hunting rifle. “Wait here, I’ll catch it and stew it for sure.” Li Muwen and Li Mosen quickly followed, while the butcher pulled a slaughtering knife from his bundle and joined them.

Zhenzhen, sitting on the Kang eating pine nuts, heard the commotion outside. She immediately sent Li Mingzhong to check what had happened. After a quick round, Li Mingzhong returned, furious. “Red-braised Pork has run away.”

When Zhenzhen heard that Red-braised Pork had escaped, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I didn’t know Red-braised Pork was so clever.” She put on her cotton jacket and called Li Mingzhong to follow her outside. At that moment, Li Laotai entered and immediately scooped Zhenzhen up in her arms. “What are you doing?”

“Watching my dad catch Red-braised Pork,” Zhenzhen said while squirming to get down.

Li Laotai squeezed her buttocks and said, “Stay here. No one’s taking you up the mountain in this cold weather, and there are outsiders around.”

Zhenzhen reluctantly agreed. Li Laotai then let her down. “You can play in the yard, but don’t leave it.”

Zhenzhen obediently agreed, and she and Li Mingzhong walked around the yard. Inside the chicken coop, the Red-braised Chicken Piece, hearing Zhenzhen’s voice, repeatedly asked to be let out. Zhenzhen, annoyed by the constant pestering, opened the chicken coop door.

The Red-braised Chicken Piece jumped out and, with a triumphant tone, asked, “Did Red-braised Pork run away?”

Zhenzhen, crouching by the snow, picked up a snowball and threw it at the Red-braised Chicken Piece’s head. “How come I didn’t notice that Red-braised Pork had such guts? When I saw it yesterday, it was just stuffing its face and being clueless.”

“Isn’t it just that? Red-braised Pork really has no professional ethics. After we raised it for a year, it actually ran away.” The Red-braised Chicken Piece’s tone dripped with contempt. “If it were me, I wouldn’t run.”

“Aren’t you afraid of having your neck chopped off?” Zhenzhen tilted her head and gave it a sidelong glance.

“That’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m a chicken with ideals and beliefs. If you don’t believe me, try killing me. I won’t run away,” said the Red-Braised Chicken Chunk proudly, puffing up its chest and flaunting its loyalty to Zhenzhen.

“Stop kidding around. Hurry back to your nest. I’m going to check on Red-Braised Pork,” Zhenzhen said as she took off her coat and lay down on the kang, sending her consciousness out to track down the whereabouts of Red-Braised Pork.

When Mingnan and Mingbei raised Red-Braised Pork, it was with the intention of having a big, fatty pig for meals. So, they fed it pig feed three times a day, a mix of wild vegetables, sweet potato flour, and sweet potato leaves. Red-Braised Pork could eat a whole bucket of food each day. While other families raised pigs that weighed over 200 pounds, Red-Braised Pork looked like it was pushing 300 pounds with ease.

Red-Braised Pork was heavy and strong. After breaking open the pig pen and fence, it went running blindly in the dark, somehow managing to find its way up the mountain. Li Muwu and his group followed the footprints left by Red-Braised Pork, and upon reaching the foot of the mountain, they saw the red pine forest covered in thick snow. They hesitated for a moment.

Since the beginning of winter, the snow had hardly stopped. The snow in the red pine forest was at least half a meter deep. The traces left by Red-Braised Pork showed how deep the snow was, and anyone entering would likely have the snow up to their thighs.

However, while humans struggled through the snow, pigs would struggle even more. The snow might have covered Red-Braised Pork’s head, and it was anyone’s guess how it managed to make its way up the mountain.

With Red-Braised Pork’s tracks to follow, the family found it easier to ascend. Not long after, within 200 meters, they spotted a large fat pig lying exhausted in the snow, panting heavily. Li Muwu, seeing that Red-Braised Pork was nearly out of breath, quickly took out a hemp rope from his chest and securely tied it, then dragged the pig down the mountain through the snow.

Zhenzhen’s consciousness returned to her body, and she opened her eyes, telling Li Mingzhong, “We found Red-Braised Pork.”

Li Mingzhong, lying in his own bed, asked with great curiosity, “Did Dad beat it? Did he kick it a couple of times first, then slap its ears?”

Zhenzhen paused, looking at Li Mingzhong with suspicion. “How do you sound so familiar with that process?”

“I just saw something similar the day before yesterday at Old Wang’s house in the front yard. His son was supposed to be betrothed to Old Li’s daughter, but Old Wang had fought with Old Li when they were young and didn’t like the idea of a marriage. So, Old Wang’s son ran off with Old Li’s daughter. They only got as far as the Red Guard station before Old Wang caught up with them and beat the son all the way back home. I watched Old Wang kicking his son the entire way, and it was hilarious. I spent the whole afternoon sitting in his house watching. The son was beaten just like our Red-Braised Pork,” Li Mingzhong said, with his hands waving and a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

Zhenzhen looked at him helplessly. “Can you understand that you’re a wolfdog? Your purpose should be to conquer the forest, not to watch other people’s drama.”

“I also chased rabbits up the mountain in the summer, didn’t I?” Li Mingzhong protested with some indignation.

“Then why did you run when you saw the black bear?” Zhenzhen recalled how, in the summer, when they encountered a black bear on the mountain, Li Mingzhong had been the fastest to run. If not for her supernatural powers, the bear wouldn’t have backed off, and the group would have been eaten.

“Of course I ran! I couldn’t beat it!” Li Mingzhong said without any shame. “If I got eaten, who would find a dog as good as me?”

“If you got eaten, I’d just raise a wolf. It’d be much more capable than you,” Zhenzhen said, rolling her eyes at him.

Hearing this, Li Mingzhong quickly ran over, his front paws resting on the edge of the kang, looking at Zhenzhen with a fawning expression. “A wolf can’t be as loyal as me. How about you lie down and let me give you a back rub? It’s really comfortable.”

Just as he finished speaking, a commotion sounded from the yard. Li Mingzhong darted out, rushing to the front to watch the excitement, his face full of excitement.

Zhenzhen, sitting on the kang, helplessly shouted, “Li Mingzhong, come back here!”

Li Mingzhong ignored her, eagerly watching Red-Braised Pork, which had been restrained on a long bench.

Zhenzhen continued shouting from the house, but Li Mingzhong didn’t come back. Instead, Li Laotai came in, thinking that Zhenzhen was feeling bored and immediately brought over a bowl of thawed frozen pears and persimmons for her to eat.

“Are you feeling bored, dear?” Li Laotai asked, placing the bowl on the kang and wiping her hands with a towel. “Grandma will turn on the radio for you.”

She walked to the cabinet, staring at the three identical buttons on the radio, looking a bit confused. “How do I turn this on?”

Zhenzhen quickly stepped on a stool, leaned over the cabinet, expertly twisted the switch, and tried tuning the channels. She happened to land on a channel broadcasting Journey to the West. After climbing down, she grabbed a frozen persimmon and took a bite. The persimmons, hardened by the cold, were filled with golden honey juice inside, fragrant and sweet—better than ice cream. However, since she was young, she could only eat one before Li Laotai took the bowl away.

“Eat too much and you’ll get a stomach ache. If you’re still craving it, you can have more in the afternoon.”

Meanwhile, in the yard, Li Muwu and the others quickly slaughtered the pig, drained its blood, and then placed Red-Braised Pork in a large basin to scald its hair. By the time Journey to the West finished on the radio, the pig was already being butchered.

Over the years, this was the first time the Li family raised pigs. Apart from the pork, the thing the family most looked forward to was making a pot of fragrant blood sausage. After draining the blood, Wang Sufen took a stick and stirred it in the bucket continuously until the pig’s blood slowly cooled. Then she added chopped scallions, ginger, pepper, salt, and other seasonings, along with some pig fat. After it cooled, they could start stuffing the blood sausage.

While Wang Sufen was busy, Liu Xiulan was not idle either. She took the intestines aside and repeatedly rinsed them with salt and cornmeal until they were completely clean and odorless. After that, she tied the cleaned intestines tightly and placed a funnel on them, while Wang Sufen used a spoon to carefully fill them with the blood mixture.

After the blood sausage was stuffed and hung outside to dry, they had nearly finished cutting the pork. The large bones with thick layers of meat were thrown into a pot to boil. Once they were about 70-80% cooked, they added the chopped sauerkraut and the blood sausage to the pot.

While they were stewing the pig’s dishes, the family was busy preparing red-braised pork. Even Grandma Li came down to help, using a large pot from the east room to steam buns, bake pancakes, and cook rice.

Pig organs like liver, heart, large intestines, and stomach were also meant to be served for guests that day. While the stewed dishes were simmering, Wang Sufen quickly prepared those items. When the red-braised pork was done, they immediately added the organs to cook.

The aroma of meat filled the entire house, making Mingnan and Mingbei crouch in the kitchen, unwilling to leave. They kept adding firewood to the stove, and when Wang Sufen wasn’t looking, they quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks, each stealing a piece of the red-braised pork and stuffing it into their mouths, savoring the juicy taste.

Mingdong and Mingxi were calmer, but they couldn’t sit still either. From time to time, they went out to see if there was anything they could help with, while also glancing at the stove. Li Mingzhong, on the other hand, was hopping around excitedly, chasing his own tail like a mad dog. Mingbei looked at Li Mingzhong, who was acting like a lunatic, and couldn’t help but nudge Mingnan: “Do you think that stupid dog is going crazy?”

Mingnan swallowed the meat in his mouth, looked at Mingbei disdainfully, and replied, “Don’t call it stupid. You never know, it might end up smarter than you.”

After a busy morning, Grandma Li set a table in both the east and west rooms. The west room was for Li Mu Wen and the neighbors who came to help, drinking wine together, while Grandma Li led her daughter-in-law and grandsons to eat the meat in the east room.

Wang Sufen separately took a steamed bun and a bowl of red-braised pork, as well as a pot of stewed pig dishes, for Mingdong to deliver to Guihua.

Zhenzhen looked at the greasy red-braised pork in the bowl and immediately forgot about the red-braised pork that had tried to escape earlier. She sat on the kang, took a piece of meat, and stuffed it into her mouth. It was tender but not greasy, lean but not tough. This was undoubtedly pork raised on their own grains and wild vegetables, and it tasted delicious.

There weren’t many steamed buns, as Grandma Li had planned to save them for the evening when the guests had left. One reason was because they were precious, and the other was that having white steamed buns was a rare luxury at the time. So, at lunch, only Zhenzhen and Guihua had rice, while the others still ate pancakes. However, these pancakes were made with pure cornmeal, without any added sweet potato flour, making them a rare treat.

Holding half a bowl of rice, Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and scooped up a bit of soup with meat to mix with the rice. One bite, and it was so delicious that tears nearly came to her eyes. She had never tasted such good pork in her life.

It was clear that Zhenzhen wasn’t the only one who thought this way. Looking at the boys who were gobbling down their food, Grandma Li smiled as she took a sip of wine and said to Wang Sufen, who was gnawing on a large bone, “Such good dishes, you and your sister-in-law should drink a little.”

“No, no. After we finish eating, there’s still a lot to clean up in the kitchen and yard,” Wang Sufen shook her head repeatedly. There was still plenty of work to do after the guests left.

“Just a little, there aren’t many chances to enjoy a nice drink like this in a year.” Grandma Li instructed Mingbei, whose mouth was covered in oil: “Go get your mom and your third aunt some wine.”

Mingbei stuffed two pieces of blood sausage into his mouth, ran to grab a wine cup, and, without waiting for instructions, poured the wine and sat back down on his seat.

Seeing the whole family praising the blood sausage, Zhenzhen, who had never tried it before, became curious. She stood up, grabbed a piece from the pot of stewed dishes, and put it in her mouth. It was tender and smooth, far better than the duck blood she used to eat in hot pot in her past life.

Aside from these two dishes, another dish that everyone really enjoyed was the plate of offal. After it was boiled in a large pot, it was sliced and served with garlic paste and soy sauce—an excellent dish to go with wine. When Wang Sufen was cooking these, she also added a large piece of pork belly to the pot, and once it was cooked, it was sliced and served separately. Zhenzhen thought it looked a little like garlic-flavored sliced pork.

Because Zhenzhen was young, Grandma Li was afraid the garlic would be too spicy for her, so she didn’t let her dip it in the garlic paste. Instead, she gave her two slices on their own. Although it didn’t have the salty flavor, it highlighted the natural aroma of the pork.

The whole family had a hearty meal of pork, even Li Mingzhong got to eat his fill. The bones Zhenzhen threw to him were mostly still covered in meat. When Grandma Li wasn’t looking, she secretly threw two pieces of red-braised pork to Li Mingzhong.

After a year of anticipation, Li Mingzhong finally got to eat the red-braised pork, and he was so happy that he kept chasing his tail again, turning into a silly dog.

Liu Xiulan, after finishing the bones, handed them over to Li Mingzhong, and casually asked, “Do you think this wolfdog was scared when it was young? It doesn’t seem very clever.”

Li Mingzhong suddenly stopped in his tracks. He was about to bark in defense to prove that he wasn’t stupid, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the bone fell out. He quickly picked it up, but his mouth was still blocked, and he was frozen in confusion. Zhenzhen, watching from above, couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

———

Author Note:

The red-braised pork and other animals are all normal, ordinary animals without any intelligence. Only Zhenzhen can communicate with all animals.

Some readers didn’t like this part, so I changed some earlier content. Now only the talkative red-braised chicken pieces and gossipy Li Mingzhong can communicate, while the red-braised pork is just a farm animal acting on instinct.