After the separation, I took my whole family to eat delicious food and drink spicy

The first ray of sunlight in the early morning penetrated the mist and gently sprinkled on the small houses in Lijia Village, covering this quiet village with a faint golden glow.

Li Xiaoxiao woke up from the warm bed, stretched, and felt the fresh air coming in from the window, feeling particularly relaxed.

She got up quickly, washed up briefly, and started a busy new day.

In the kitchen, Mrs. Bai had already lit a fire. The flames were jumping, reflecting the mother's kind face.

While Bai was adding water to the pot, she said to Li Xiaoxiao, "Xiaoxiao, go see if Butcher Zhang has arrived. We need to start early today. The weather is good, so we need to kill the pig quickly."

Li Xiaoxiao responded, put on her coat, and walked out of the yard quickly.

Although the winter sun is not strong, it is enough to dispel the chill of the night.

She walked along the village path, greeting the early-rising villagers from time to time, and soon arrived at Butcher Zhang's house at the east end of the village.

Butcher Zhang is a middle-aged man with a sturdy build and a beard. He looks very strong.

He was sharpening a knife in the yard when he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw it was Li Xiaoxiao. He smiled and said, "Xiaoxiao, it's you, so early. Where's your mother? I just finished sharpening my knife and was just about to go over."

"My mother has already prepared it at home. Let me rush you." Li Xiaoxiao said with a smile, "Uncle Zhang, today it all depends on you."

"Don't worry, leave it to me." Butcher Zhang patted his chest, picked up his pig-killing knife that was shining with a cold light, and followed Li Xiaoxiao to the Li family.

When I got home, the yard was already crowded with villagers, all waiting to see the pig being slaughtered.

Li Xiaoxiao's family raises their own pigs. They are fat and strong, with shiny fur. You can tell at a glance that they are good pigs.

Li Xiaoxiao, Li Fang and Li Linlin stood aside, feeling excited and a little nervous.

As soon as Butcher Zhang arrived, he expertly took command. He first had several strong young villagers help herd the pig out of the pen, then tied its hooves with ropes to prevent it from struggling. Then, he walked over to the pig, gently patted its head as if to comfort it, and then plunged his knife into its throat, his movements clean and precise, without a trace of hesitation.

With the pig's scream, blood gushed out and flowed into a large basin prepared in advance.

The villagers took a few steps back, some covered their mouths and noses, and some stared at the scene with wide eyes.

Although Li Xiaoxiao had seen pigs being slaughtered before, he still felt a little uncomfortable every time he saw this scene.

Once the pig had completely lost all signs of life, Butcher Zhang began his skilled work. He first bled it, then removed the hair, gutted it, and removed its internal organs. Throughout, Butcher Zhang's technique was deft and swift.

The villagers were talking about it, some praised Butcher Zhang's cooking skills, and some talked about the price of pork this year.

Li Xiaoxiao was busy helping Bai boil water and handing tools, and occasionally helping with some trivial matters.

Finally, with everyone's help, the whole pig was cut into large chunks of meat. Bai looked at the meat with a satisfied smile on his face.

Li Xiaoxiao had already discussed with the Bai family before that after the pig was slaughtered, it would not be sold. All of it would be used to make bacon, and some would be kept for their own consumption. Now that the weather is cold, fresh pork can be kept for a long time.

Bai gave Zhang the butcher twenty coins, skewered a piece of meat and a pig's foot, and asked Zhang the butcher to take them home, which made Zhang the butcher very happy.

In rural areas, most families would sell the pigs they slaughtered directly, earning enough money to have a prosperous New Year. However, it was a unique sight in the village to see Li Xiaoxiao's family slaughtering a pig and keeping all the food for themselves. The sight of the large chunks of pork in the yard made the villagers watching from outside drool.

Li Xiaoxiao looked at the villagers, pulled Bai to talk in a low voice, then raised his head and said loudly, "My dear uncles and aunts, my family is slaughtering the New Year pig today. We will have a pig-killing dinner later. Everyone here can come in and have a taste."

The villagers outside were very excited after hearing what Li Xiaoxiao said. The weather has been good in recent years and the villagers' lives have been much better, but eating meat is not common.

This was undoubtedly a ray of warm sunshine on a winter's day, illuminating everyone's heart. The villagers smiled and agreed, some even politely declined, but their feet involuntarily moved towards the Li family's courtyard, their faces filled with anticipation and gratitude.

Seeing this, Mrs. Bai was also very happy, and quickly called Li Xiaoxiao, Li Fang and Li Linlin to help prepare the pig-killing meal.

Aunt Chen and Aunt Zhang from next door went straight forward to help. In the kitchen, the fire became more prosperous, and the water in the pot was bubbling with steam. Aunt Chen and Aunt Zhang sliced the meat that Bai had washed. While Bai was stewing the meat, she was washing the cabbage.

The air is filled with the tempting aroma of meat and fresh vegetables, making people salivate.

Soon, the yard was filled with long tables and benches. The villagers brought their own bowls and chopsticks. They were standing or sitting, chatting and laughing, waiting for the pig-killing dinner to officially begin.

Li Xiaoxiao, Li Fang and Li Linlin were busy among the crowd, serving tea and water. Although they were young, they felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment and happiness on this festive day.

Finally, with Mrs. Bai's shout of "Dinner is ready", all the busyness turned into delicious food.

Plates of steaming pork, fragrant stews, and refreshing vegetables were served one by one. The villagers sat together, tucking into the brown rice and meat, laughter and joy echoing throughout the Li family courtyard, a festive atmosphere filling the air.

At this time, Su came in with people from the first and second houses. Su smiled and said, "Xiao Xiao, I heard that your family invited us to a pig-killing dinner. You won't refuse to welcome us, will you?"

Li Xiaoxiao looked at the faces of the Su family and wanted to kick them out, but after thinking about it, she decided to forget it. It was just a meal, wasn't it? She could still afford it.

"Grandma Su, since you are here, just eat. Then leave quickly after you finish eating." Li Xiaoxiao replied.

Seeing that Li Xiaoxiao didn't chase them away, the Su family members took their bowls and chopsticks and went to the nearest table and started fighting for the food. Li Xiaoxiao looked at them with disgust, but didn't say anything.

After the meal, the villagers dispersed reluctantly, but the warmth and joy remained in everyone's heart.

After everyone left, Aunt Chen and Aunt Zhang helped to clear the dishes. Aunt Chen said angrily, "Cui Niang, haven't you seen the Su family's behavior? Not only did they eat for themselves, but after that they filled the bowls they brought with them with meat and vegetables and took them home. Aren't they ashamed?"

Li Xiaoxiao beside him burst out laughing, "Auntie, why do you look even angrier than us?"

"You little girl, don't I feel sorry for you?" With what they did, if we didn't let them in and even gave them meat to eat, you'd dream on!" Aunt Chen was furious.

"Forget it. After all, they are my husband's family. I won't bother with them this time." Bai also said.

After hearing what Bai said, everyone stopped talking. After everything was cleaned up, Bai gave Aunt Zhang a piece of pork belly and asked her to take it home to feed the children. Aunt Zhang hurriedly said no, but couldn't resist Bai's enthusiasm, so she happily accepted it and went home.

Mrs. Bai took out a small basket, put two ribs, two big bones, and a large piece of pork belly in it, and handed it to Aunt Chen, saying that she would take it back to nourish Guihua. Aunt Chen accepted it with a smile.