Sheng Xiping insisted on dividing the money equally, but the others were stubborn and had no choice but to accept the money in the end.
Everyone sat at Sheng's house for a while, and it was getting late.
"Let's go home and have a look." Wang Jianshe and others stood up to leave.
Zhang Shuzhen had no choice but to persuade her to stay. Wang Jianshe and others said they were too tired after running in the mountains for a day and wanted to go back and rest.
Zhang Shuzhen couldn't keep any more, so she asked Sheng Xiping to take back a piece of the lynx meat that had been separated just now for everyone.
"Although a lynx looks like a cat, its meat is different.
This thing is cooked in a pot first, then the meat is removed and stir-fried with chili peppers. It tastes particularly fragrant."
Lynx is rare and most people have never eaten it. Sheng Xiping had it once at his master's house.
As Zhang Shuzhen said just now, a few years ago a lynx entered the sheepfold of the Great Alkali Farm. Liu Changde took his son and apprentice into the mountains and killed the lynx.
That time, Sheng Xiping ate lynx meat at Liu's house, and it was quite delicious.
The lynx itself is not that big, weighing fifty or sixty pounds. After removing the head and skin, and skinning it, there is only twenty or thirty pounds left.
Sheng Xiping had just chopped it open with a hand axe, and Wang Jianshe and the others just took a piece and sent it home.
"Xiping, don't go out to see me off. Stay home and chat with your aunt.
We'll come find you tomorrow morning and we'll go into the mountains together."
Wang Jianshe and others waved their hands, signaling Sheng Xiping to stay in the house. These are all family members and there is no need to be so outspoken.
Sheng Xiping only followed him to the gate. When he saw that several brothers had left, he turned around and went back to the house.
"Mom, let me heat up the fire and fry the meat. The meat on this thing is so firm that it won't be mushy for a while."
Lynx runs in the mountains all year round, and its body is very strong.
You have to cook it for two hours in advance before you can remove the meat and fry it again.
"Ah, okay, then you can light the fire. I'll seize the opportunity to wadding Qinglan's cotton pants while it's still not too dark."
Zhang Shuzhen felt sorry for her future daughter-in-law who was suffering from the cold, and was anxious to make cotton trousers. As soon as she heard what her son said, she immediately agreed.
So Sheng Xiping was cooking meat over a fire in the kitchen, and Zhang Shuzhen was putting on cotton trousers on the kang in the east room.
The two of them were working and chatting.
"Boss, tomorrow is the 19th, and you guys are still going into the mountains? You can't go to Gao's house to help Haining or something?"
"Well, let's go for a walk in the mountains tomorrow morning and then go to Gao's house to help in the afternoon."
In these years, the conditions of every household were not good. Even if they were getting married and having a banquet, it would not be too extravagant.
The farmyard might be a little better. If the family raises pigs, they can kill a pig or something and be busy.
Like forest farms, most people don't raise pigs and don't have the opportunity to kill pigs.
Even if it is a wedding banquet, it would be good to buy some meat and cook more meat dishes.
As for other aspects, everything is kept simple and not as complicated as before.
"Then when will Qinglan's parents come? Isn't it supposed to be that a small train is coming today? Why haven't you heard that the Zhou family is coming?
Didn’t you ask Qinglan if her parents would come to the wedding banquet?"
What Zhang Shuzhen is most concerned about is that the two children have been together for such a long time, and the adults from the two families have never met.
"Oh, Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou should come over tomorrow.
It seems like someone from the province came to inspect the forest farm or something, and I heard Qinglan say that Uncle Zhou and the others came by car."
Wang Chunxiu is an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Forestry Bureau Hospital, and has a good relationship with the wives of the leaders in the bureau.
I don’t know who I hooked up with, but I happened to be riding in the car that the leader came to inspect.
This way you don’t have to come days in advance, and you can save a few days off.
"I'm thinking about going around the mountains twice tomorrow morning, it would be best if I could encounter some wild animals.
Aren’t our families going to move the day after tomorrow? It’s a good time for Qinglan’s parents to come over for a drink, and the two families can sit down and have a good chat.”
Sheng Xiping and Zhou Qinglan had already discussed this matter.
As an introduction to the move, I invited Zhou Mingyuan and his wife to come over and meet each other.
"Well, okay, then I'll do as you say."
When Zhang Shuzhen heard this, her son's arrangement was quite reasonable, so what else could she say?
Hurry up and make cotton trousers so that Zhou Qinglan can wear them as soon as possible.
Just like that, Zhang Shuzhen didn't ask any questions and just took the time to stuff her cotton pants in the house.
Sheng Xiping was looking at the pot in the outer room, picking up the pieces of lynx meat.
This thing has been stewed for a long time. It took two hours to stew, and I was able to poke it in with chopsticks.
At this time, sisters Sheng Yunfang and Sheng Xitai went home carrying their schoolbags.
As soon as she entered the house, she smelled the aroma of stewed meat, and Sheng Xitai, a foodie, immediately became happy.
Life at home has been so good recently, and we can always eat meat.
"Brother, what are you doing there? What kind of meat is this stew today? It smells so good."
Sheng Xitai approached his brother and asked curiously.
Sheng Xiping was taking out the meat with a picket. After the lynx meat was cooked, it had to be taken out to dry for a while before the meat could be removed.
"Go and do your homework first. I'll have something to eat for you when it's ready."
Sheng Xiping did not answer his brother's question and just asked him to do his homework quickly.
Sheng Xitai didn't ask what the result was, nor was he annoyed. He just answered with a smile and went to the West Room to do his homework.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter what kind of meat it is, as long as it’s available, you can eat it.
Take the lynx meat out and put it in a basin, let it cool for a while, then Sheng Xiping uses a knife to remove all the meat.
Originally, one lynx was not much, and it was divided among five people. In addition, after it was so cooked and taken apart, there was probably only two or three kilograms of cooked meat left.
"Mom, I took off all the meat. You can cut it up a little later and stir-fry it with chili."
After Sheng Xiping finished his work, he went into the room and spoke to Zhang Shuzhen.
"It's already getting dark. Let's put the cotton pants there for now. You are already your age and your eyesight is not good. Just do it when you have time."
After the autumnal equinox, the days gradually become shorter and it seems to get dark earlier in the forest.
It was just five o'clock, and it was getting dark outside. This light was enough for doing other things, but it was not enough for sewing.
Zhang Shuzhen put on the last piece of cotton wool and touched it with her hand. She felt that the thickness was fairly even, and then she nodded.
"Boss, bring me those newspapers. I'll turn the cotton pants over and put them on the board overnight. I'll just quilt them during the day tomorrow."
The waistband and legs of cotton trousers are both inside and outside, sewn together.
Before wadding, turn the lining over and place the wadding on top of the trousers.
When the cotton batting is ready, you have to reverse it again.
Usually, when turning cotton pants, you need to cover the cotton with something to prevent the cotton that has finally been flattened from becoming bulging or getting stained everywhere.
Zhang Shuzhen used several pieces of newspapers of suitable sizes and put them on the cotton trousers, and then rolled them up from the cotton trousers legs to the crotch.
The two cotton trouser legs have been rolled up. Take them out from the crotch, flatten them, and then take out the newspaper.
Following Zhang Shuzhen's instructions, Sheng Xiping cleaned up the panel and placed it on top of his cotton pants.
If you press like this overnight, the cotton will be solid tomorrow, and you won't have to take out cotton all the time when quilting.