Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 447 - 145: This is How Pigs are Slaughtered_1

Chapter 447: Chapter 145: This is How Pigs are Slaughtered_1

Why is the New Year celebrated in winter? It’s because the farms have little work in winter. Everyone has more leisure time and the right mindset to slowly roam the market, stock up on New Year goods, and indulge in eating, drinking, and having fun during the New Year period.

Even though the New Year is still more than ten days away, the crowd at the market has already swelled. Not only are there more buyers, but there are also more sellers. Ordinarily, if you want to buy kelp, you could only find it in a dried food store. But now, you could see people pulling large and small carts filled with it for sale. Of course, all of them are selling dried kelp, tied into bundles, with a white substance over it.

In fact, this white substance is a good thing which is called mannitol. It’s naturally present in kelp, not the salt or any other substance people imagine. However, people around Sancha River just couldn’t get used to the fishy taste of seafood. They all steam the kelp first to remove the fishy taste before cooking it, which is quite wasteful.

There are also foods like vermicelli, which ordinarily very few people sell. But during the New Year, you could see two large rows of it on the street, with people buying it in quantities of several catties or even dozens of catties. Because these food items can be stored for a long time without going bad, people typically buy enough during the New Year to last a year or even longer.

Vermicelli often get broken into pieces during handling. So, there would be old women waiting at the side. Once the vermicelli seller has left, they would sweep and collect the broken pieces and wash them clean for consumption - people rarely waste anything edible in those times.

Only a small part of these vermicelli sellers makes their own product, most of it comes from the neighboring county - the one with the paper factory. Their vermicelli is quite famous in the nearby areas.

Another must-have for the New Year is fish. Having fish every year, which sounds like "surplus every year" in Chinese, is what the general public is after. So how could there be no fish for the New Year?

As for other things, like couplets and the like, everyone has their own methods. Some would save money by buying red paper to write their own. In any case, everyone needs to prepare in advance. Before the New Year, they need to stock up on food and buns, ensuring that there would be enough to eat until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which marks the official end of the New Year’s celebrations.

During the New Year period, other than visiting relatives, any form of work is avoided, for it is seen as a sign of hardship for the rest of the year.

Every household must have pork. Even the poorest households would manage to cut a few catties of meat so as not to be without meat when guests come over. Those better off would typically buy a ’rump’ - a rear leg of the pig with half the pig’s posterior.

There are also ’gift strips’, something that married daughters and daughters-in-law must bring home to their mother’s family. It’s something every household needs to prepare.

Yan Fei capitalizes on this situation and prepares to butcher his pig for sale.

Outside the entrance to the cattle farm, a new stove has been set up. A large pot atop it is filled with water early in the morning. With a burning flame in the hearth, it’s ready to be used for dehairing the pig.

In addition to this, there’s a simple rack, made from three pieces of wood, where the meat will be hung later.

The pig has already been brought out and left at the entrance for the people passing by to take a look. In fact, upon seeing the rack and the stove, everyone knows that a pig is to be butchered. This is to assure buyers that this is a healthy pig and they can buy with confidence.

On the simple table nearby are placed knives for butchering and dehairing pigs, among other things.

The pig, tied up by a rope around its leg, squeals desperately by the side of the road. It probably foresees its impending fate and senses an ill omen. Unfortunately, this is its destiny. The passing people, lacking any pity for it, point and discuss it cheerfully. Those thinking about buying meat have already begun to ponder which part of the pig they want.

A two hundred catty pig is not considered a big pig in these times, there are pigs from other homes weighing three or four hundred catties. But if talking about the taste of the meat, the large, fat pigs don’t taste good at all. Since most pigs raised these days are not castrated, when raised for too long, their meat develops a strong and offensive odor, ruining the taste.

Markets are inherently bustling places. If a pig is being slaughtered somewhere, it’s normal for passersby to stop for a while and watch. The people at the cattle farm are hoping for this outcome. If people don’t come to watch, who would the pork be sold to later?

There’s no fear of unknown goods, only fear of comparison. This pig, which has been raised for half a year, compared to others that have been raised for a year or even several years, obviously stands out. Moreover, this pig is lively, hopping and skipping around, trying to escape, its squeals loud and clear. Just by seeing this, everyone knows that the pork won’t be bad.

So, even before the pig is slaughtered, people have already begun to inquire about the price.

Heizi is responsible for answering. Since people are asking, they can’t be allowed to leave. There are also those who can’t wait and want to go to the market to buy things first. But there’s no problem, Heizi reassures everyone: "Feel free to come, anytime is good. There are dozens of pigs in the backyard. If you do not believe it, go and see for yourself. All of them are bouncing around, not a single one has any issues."

Nobody doubts these words. Those who often come to the market are all aware of this cattle farm. Many of them supply straw and buy alcohol here often, essentially witnessing these pigs grow up. So why wouldn’t they trust them?

Yan Fei got ready to slaughter the pig now that there were enough eager onlookers.

Just as he was about to begin, he looked at his excited brother Yan Chao, and asked the little guy, "Big brother is going to kill this fat pig, are you scared?"

"Not at all! I want to eat meat!" Yan Chao turned red with excitement, showing no hint of fear.

The crowd was the same, after all, what was there to be scared of seeing a bit of blood splatter? Plenty of people in the village slaughtered their own pigs, who hasn’t seen it before? It’s quite the event and it brings some color and excitement to the New Year festivities.

As Yan Fei was about to start, Gao Rui, Ma Chao, and Heizi all rushed over with ropes to surround the squealing pig. Seeing this, Yan Fei waved them off with a playful smile, "Come on guys, it’s not a big deal, we are just slaughtering a pig here. Just get ready to collect the blood in the bucket."

Then He swept the pig up in his arms and laid it on a small chopping block. Heizi quickly thrust a large basin right underneath and jumped far away. Yan Fei waited until he’d cleared away before stabbing and swiftly withdrawing his knife, causing the blood to spurt out with a hiss.

His actions were incredibly neat and efficient.

"So efficient..."

"Such strength in this young man..."

"Impressive pig slaughterer, he’s a real pro..."

"Look at his skills, he must slaughter pigs regularly..."

There was nothing but praise for his efficient work.

Most people needed at least five or six helpers to slaughter a pig and ensure that it didn’t escape halfway through bleeding out. It was a common occurrence in a rural village for those unaccustomed to pig slaughter. Some were not well-prepared, their blades not sharp enough, and they couldn’t penetrate the pig, let alone spare it any agony.

Once they finally managed to stab the pig, they pulled out the knife with great confidence, only for the pig to scream and scramble back to its feet, running all over the village dripping with blood - it was a common scene and rather hilarious to behold.

But it was also an entertaining spectacle. Pulling together a crowd of men, women, and children chasing after the injured pig, the atmosphere was vibrant and the chatter carried on into the evening.

Some knowledgeable folks heard the last few remarks and chimed in, "Don’t be fooled by his age. He is the boss of a ranch, not a professional pig slaughterer..."

The crowd laughed and admired, "Seriously impressive. Even as a big boss, he’s good at slaughtering pigs..."

Yan Fei ignored the endless praises and chatter. Without pressing down on the pig with his hand, but with his foot instead, he waited for the blood to drain out.

Ma Chao and his crew had the air pump ready on the side. Once the blood was drained, they made a small cut near the pig’s hoof, inserted a metal rod and then one of them started pumping air while another held the pig down.

There had to be someone striking the pig’s body with a stick, so the pumped air would evenly distribute throughout the pig’s body. This was in preparation for removing the pig’s hair. In rural areas when there wasn’t a pump available, human breath was used instead, and the young men took turns blowing air into the pig - a sight to behold.

The pig, fully inflated, looked as if it had gained a few dozen pounds. Yan Fei then lifted it into a larger basin. A few people poured boiling water onto the pig’s body while others started scraping off the hair with knives. It was quite the bustling scene.

Next came the meat distribution. Quite a few people started gathering as soon as the hair removal began, each pointing out which part of the pig they wanted. Some argued about both wanting the same cut, to which Heizi immediately shouted, "Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone, no matter what part you want. We’ve got a whole load of pigs in the yard waiting for you folks!"

Something in his words sounded a bit