Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 34 Killing Pigs

The next morning, Chen Fan got up very early, got dressed and went out. He saw Jiang Lili hanging up clothes and couldn't help but widen his eyes, "You've already washed all your clothes?"

Jiang Lili smiled and said, "Captain Yang's family is slaughtering a pig today, so I got up a little early."

Chen Fan carried the basin to fetch water, saying as he went, "I'm a little curious, how do you manage to keep track of time?"

People say you can tell the time by looking at the sun, but what about cloudy days?

Jiang Lili called out first, "There's hot water in the jar. I boiled it this morning, so it should still be hot."

Chen Fan raised his hand, "Alright, I won't be polite."

Jiang Lili watched Chen Fan's retreating figure, grinning happily, and then said, "It's nothing, it was just an estimate, and it's not actually very accurate."

Chen Fan walked into the kitchen, fetching water as he said loudly, "Then why not buy an alarm clock?"

He knew that watches were luxury items these days, costing over a hundred yuan each, but alarm clocks and wall clocks shouldn't be that expensive, right?

Jiang Lili watched him squatting under the eaves of the kitchen wall rinsing his mouth and said softly, "The cheapest alarm clock costs 14.5 yuan, I can't afford it."

Chen Fan looked up at him, rinsed his mouth with water, spat it out, and laughed nonchalantly, "It's okay, I'll be able to afford it someday."

Jiang Lili couldn't help but smile as she watched Chen Fan washing his face with his head down.

Think about it, Chen Fan was rescued by Captain Yang and his team the day before yesterday. He had forgotten where his home was, who his parents were, and even wore other people's clothes. But he seemed to have no worries at all. He ate when he was hungry, slept when he was sleepy, and even had the mind to wander around the village and catch turtles to eat.

Looking at him, and then thinking about myself, it doesn't seem so bad anymore.

Chen Fan quickly and efficiently washed up, carried the basin back to his room, and strode out, saying, "Alright, you can go now."

Jiang Lili followed behind him, and the two walked quickly toward Captain Yang's house.

They encountered many villagers along the way, and they all greeted them.

"Little Chen, are you going to watch a pig being slaughtered?"

Chen Fan didn't know who anyone was, but he figured it was always good to be friendly. "Oh, you're here to watch the pig slaughter? Are you going too?"

This response was significant, as several middle-aged women immediately started chatting with him.

"Yes, but it's not just about watching, you also have to help. Let me tell you, there's a lot to do when it comes to slaughtering pigs."

"Really? Then tell me about it?"

"Oh dear, if you want me to talk, I won't. Anyway, we'll know when we get there whether there's work or not. We can tell at a glance."

"Oh, you must be an expert. In the eyes of working people, there is always work to be done."

"Of course! Diligent people will tidy up everything, while lazy people think they don't need to worry about anything. I think you're pretty good; you'd definitely be a pro at work."

"You flatter me too much. I can't lift anything on my shoulders or in my hands. I have to catch my breath after walking just a few steps. I still need to exercise more."

“That’s different. You know how to cook turtle. In the captain’s words, you’re a skilled worker, while I’m just a laborer.”

"How could that be? Mr. Li said that being able to take good care of crops is an amazing skill. I think you are a skilled worker as well."

"Hahaha, Little Chen really knows how to talk. Sigh, did Mr. Li really say that?"

"How could it be fake? Everyone knows that Mr. Li cares most about the working people. Back in Xipo, he even taught farmers how to grow rice."

"Oh my god, really? Mr. Li can grow rice?"

……

Chen Fan chatted with seven or eight women for a while, and soon arrived at Captain Yang's house. Upon arrival, he greeted the host, "Captain, we've arrived."

Captain Yang was very busy, so he waved his hand at him and said, "Sit down, there's tea inside."

Chen Fan glanced at Captain Yang, who had already turned away to get back to work, and turned back to whisper, "Weren't we called here to help?"

Jiang Lili pursed her lips and smiled slightly. "It's not time yet. After the pig is slaughtered, there will be a lot of things to do. We need to clean the site, wash the pig offal, chop firewood, and cook. That's when we'll need to help. Right now, the butcher and his team are the ones who are busy."

Chen Fan nodded in sudden realization, understanding.

Since there was nothing else to do, he decided to take a look. He had only seen a pig being slaughtered in the village when he was a child, but it had been so long that he couldn't remember anything except the squeals of the big white pig.

At this moment, the empty rice paddy was piled with all sorts of things.

There was a large iron pot, a door panel a meter wide, iron chains, iron hooks, and a large bathtub big enough for an adult to lie in.

However, the most eye-catching item was a pair of gleaming pig-slaughtering knives on a chopping board: a palm-width and foot-long pig-slaughtering knife, a half-foot-square large cleaver, a slender bleeding knife, a hair-scraping knife that looked like a scraper, a small ox-horn knife, and a curved meat-cutting knife.

A young man was sitting on the ground, diligently sharpening a knife, while another person stood guard beside him, preventing the naughty children from getting close. "Liu Laosan, Yang Laoqi, Huang Laojiu, pull your son away. The knife can't come near you."

Chen Fan had originally intended to go over and observe more closely, but upon hearing the shout, he felt embarrassed and refrained from doing so.

Turning my head, I saw a few people building an earthen stove on the far side, near the woods in front.

This can be visited, right?

Chen Fan walked over and squatted down. This wasn't the kind of fixed earthen stove found in kitchens; it was a simple stove enclosed by mud bricks, with a pot that could be placed on top.

The people who were building the stove saw him and chuckled.

One of them said, "Master Chen, you've never seen this before?"

Chen Fan looked up and smiled. "Just call me Xiao Chen, no need to call me Master."

Production team members usually address each other by their names, such as Lao Yang or Xiao Liu, but they would respectfully call someone with a skill "Master".

"Master" is not the same as "teacher." A teacher is someone who learns a craft from an apprentice, while a master is an outsider with whom there is no vested interest. Take Liu Jujiang, for example. He traveled all over the surrounding villages, and even the brigade leader would respectfully call him "Master Liu." This was the respect that ordinary people had for someone with skills in those days.

Chen Fan felt that he was too young in the eyes of outsiders and did not deserve this title.

The man didn't say much, just chuckled twice and said, "Want to give it a try?"

Chen Fan's eyes lit up. "Is that okay?"

Another person laughed and said, "It's just building a stove, what's wrong with that?"

He placed a mud brick on it and said, “Look, like this, arrange the bricks in a circle, leave a gap here, and leave a gap of two fingers between each brick.”

Chen Fan nodded. "I know. This is to facilitate ventilation and make the fire burn more fiercely. If the gap is too small, less air will enter, and if the gap is too large, the heat will dissipate more easily. A gap of two fingers is just right."

The two men were immediately surprised upon hearing this.

"Oh? Is that really true?"

"People who have received an education are just different!"

Chen Fan grinned as he helped them quickly build the earthen stove. Immediately, someone brought over a bucket of water, poured two buckets of water into the pot, and covered it. A piece of ignited straw was placed in the fire pit, and then firewood was added. Before long, a roaring fire was burning, and steam began to rise from around the lid of the large pot.

At this point, it's time to bring the pig into the picture.

(End of this chapter)