Xu Chenghou knew that his son's family was building a new house, and it would not look good if he added some old-fashioned furniture.
So I made a special trip to Songjianghe and chatted with them for a long time on the pretext that I needed to renovate furniture at home.
After coming back, I made furniture for Xu Shiyan according to the most popular styles.
Wardrobe, standing cabinet, chest of drawers, coffee table, cupboard, writing desk, kang table, side stand, chair, stool.
When Xu Shiyan came back from the mountain, the old man had already made a few large items, and the two of them were busy working on the rest.
In mid-January, Xu Shixiang came back from winter vacation.
I also brought back a set of jdz fine porcelain tea sets for Xu Shiyan. It was very beautiful. It was considered a congratulatory gift to Xu Shiyan.
When Lao Wu comes back, the three of them will make furniture together or help Xu Shixian clean up the house.
I also have to prepare feed for the mouth-mouthed beasts at home, and I’m pretty busy every day anyway.
So busy with work, it soon arrived at the end of the year.
The team is killing pigs to share the meat, and individual families are also starting to kill pigs, make tofu, and are busy preparing for the New Year.
The Xu family caught two pigs in the spring and raised them for a year, which was just 200 pounds. They were fed with pigtails.
Xu Shiyan discussed with his wife that one of the two pigs should be killed before the end of the year, and the other would be killed in the spring.
Spring is busy and we are all tired, and the food is not good and there is no oil or water. It is better to kill them at that time and keep more meat at home.
Since Xu Shiyan moved to Donggang, he has been cared for by his brigade leaders and neighbors. No matter what happens at home, they are always here to help.
Therefore, Xu Shiyan planned to invite people from Yu Shouguang and other brigade, as well as neighbors and friends with whom he got along well, to do the pig slaughter a year ago.
Killing pigs to entertain guests is a time-honored custom. Su Anying didn't care about it. Xu Shiyan did whatever he said.
Therefore, Xu Shiyan notified Yu Shouguang and others in advance and asked them to come to his home for dinner on the 25th of the twelfth lunar month.
I also made a special trip to the Han family to attend and invited the old man of the Han family and brothers Han Limin.
It happened that Han Liwei, the third eldest son of the Han family, was going home to visit relatives, so Xu Shiyan said that they should go there together to join in the fun.
On the morning of the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Jianshe, Yang Chunming, Huang Shengli and others all came to the Xu family.
Everyone entered the pigsty, grabbed a pig that had been hungry for a day and had not been fed, tied it to a bench and killed it.
Everyone started cleaning up together, and the house was also busy cooking.
Xu Shiqin, who works in a tailor shop, often has to take time off to help out at home.
The tailor shop actually stops accepting work after the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. As the New Year approaches, who doesn’t have something to do?
So Xu Shiqin asked for leave, and the master readily agreed.
The men were busy killing pigs, shaving them, disemboweling them, dismantling the pigs and chopping the bones.
The women cut sauerkraut, collect pig blood, clean the pigs, prepare blood sausage, and unload the pigs.
Originally, Su Anying was going to clean the pig unloading area, but Xu Jinping, who was sleeping on the kang, woke up and cried. She had no choice but to comfort the child first.
When Xu Shiqin saw it, he took a basin of pig intestines and went to the water well in the yard, intending to press water to clean it.
Beside the pressurized water well, a man in a grass-green uniform was fetching a bucket of water and carrying it away. The two met each other as they walked away.
"You want to fetch water? Let me help you."
When the other party saw Xu Shiqin, he quickly put down the bucket and stepped forward to help Xu Shiqin unload the pigs and carry them to the pressurized water well.
Then he pressed the handle hard, and clear well water came up gurglingly.
Xu Shiqin didn't know the other person, but he also knew that he should be his brother's friend.
When someone helped, she definitely wanted to thank her. So she smiled at the person and said, "Thank you."
The young man opposite looked at Xu Shiqin, was stunned for a moment, and then nodded.
"You wash first. If you need more water later, call me."
Xu Shiqin and Xu Shiyan look a bit similar, and you can tell they are siblings at a glance.
The other party didn't say anything else, and didn't wait for Xu Shiqin to answer. He turned around and left with the bucket.
Xu Shiqin didn't react. He looked at the other person's tall back and was stunned for a few seconds. Then he smiled, moved the basin to the side, and started cleaning the pig intestines.
By the time Su Anying came out after feeding her daughter, Xu Shiqin had already rubbed the pig's intestines twice with plant ash, and was about to wash them again with alkali.
The aunt and sister worked together, cleaning it again with vinegar, and running it through water twice before taking it back for filling with blood sausage.
If you are killing a pig to entertain guests, you must eat authentic pig-killing dishes.
Pickled cabbage meat and blood sausage, and a platter of pig offal, pork head and so on.
The food doesn't have to be exquisite, as long as it's large and filling, open and cooked, and comes with two bottles of good wine, then it's pretty good.
There were tables on the Kang in the east room and on the floor, and everyone gathered together to exchange cups, drink, and fist-fight, which was extremely lively.
Han Wenzhong is very famous in the field, not to mention that his three sons are all outstanding, and Yu Shouguang and others are familiar with them.
Several older people got together, and the more they chatted, the more they became more and more speculative.
When Xu Chenghou and Han Wenzhong met for the first time, they felt that they had a good temperament, so they chatted while drinking.
Han Wenzhong praised Xu Shiyan for being filial, capable, and kind-hearted, while Xu Chenghou praised the three sons of the Han family for their potential.
Anyway, when men drink wine, they can praise each other.
The table of young people on the floor was also quite lively. Although Han Limin, Yang Chunming and others had never met before, they were friends of friends.
Northeastern people never care whether they have known each other before at the wine table. As long as we drink together today, we will be friends from now on, and we can talk to each other if there is anything.
"Limin, where is your brother serving as a soldier?
This young man is really good-looking, does he have a partner? If not, I will introduce my sister-in-law to him."
Yang Chunming drank a lot and got a little drunk, so he put his arms around Han Limin and inquired about Han Lizhi's situation with a smile.
Han Limin also drank a lot. When he heard people asking about his younger brother, he immediately laughed.
"Are you talking about my third child? He is only twenty-two, and he went to join the army at eighteen, over there in Shenyang.
I don’t have anyone to date, I’m still young, so don’t worry.”
Generally speaking, those who say they are still young and not in a hurry are mostly excuses.
Yang Chunming understood as soon as he heard that his sister-in-law was a rural girl, and the Han family was a participant and a worker.
The shoulders of the two families are not evenly aligned. He is being reckless.
"Yes, yes, my brother is young and has a bright future, so it's not good to think about it too early."
Yang Chunming continued, then poured wine for Han Limin, and the two of them continued drinking.
As the most talked about protagonist, Han Liwei did not drink much.
He has good hearing. Even though the room is so busy and everyone talks loudly, he can still hear the conversation between his eldest brother and others.
Han Liwei lowered his eyes and looked at the blood sausage in the sauerkraut basin in front of him.
"Brother Xu, come, let me toast you.
In the days since I came back, I have often heard my father talk about Brother Xu, saying that Brother Xu is a nice person, very smart, and has a down-to-earth heart, so he is worth getting to know."
Han Liwei picked up the wine glass, approached Xu Shiyan, and toasted Xu Shiyan with a smile.
Xu Shiyan was stunned for a moment, then he laughed and quickly picked up the wine glass.
"No, he's just an old farmer, a little smart but not very smart.
In comparison, no one is as capable as you three brothers. I, Uncle Han, am so lucky.
Come on, let’s not respect each other, let’s go one by one.”
After saying that, the two of them clinked their wine glasses and each drank from the glass.
"Brother Xu, how many brothers do you have? I don't even know them." Han Liwei asked seemingly casually.