The leisurely life of farmers in mountain villages

Chapter 107

The winter in the small mountain village is extremely cold. At two o'clock in the afternoon on the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, snowflakes began to float in the sky. Gradually, the snowflakes became bigger and bigger, turning into heavy snow.

The cold weather can't stop the people's enthusiasm for the New Year and their happiness. In the breeding area, Wang Shaodong is boiling water in a small shed, and at the door of the shed, there is a big rooster with tied thighs in front of Wang Fumin.

This big rooster is very beautiful, the comb is big and red, and the feathers are smooth and shiny.

"Dad, I didn't expect it to go so smoothly." Wang Shaodong smiled.

Wang Fumin also smiled and nodded: "I really didn't expect our family to go so smoothly this year. Thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, we have to burn more yellow paper for our ancestors this year."

The heavy snow fell more and more, and soon the yard outside the small shed turned white.

The current kitchen of the Wang family is very simple, a small shed with one side open.

Zhao Shiling is currently busy chopping stuffing and making dumplings in the house, while Wang Fumin and his son's job is to kill chickens.

I still remember when I was a child, every New Year, Wang Shaodong would scream in fright every time he saw his father killing chickens, but next time he would still appreciate his father's cruel operation with apprehension.

Every time Wang Shaodong was frightened and screamed, his father would laugh and laugh at him for not being brave enough.

Every time he thinks of these clips, Wang Shaodong will be moved and sigh for a long time.

Speaking of which, in his current memory, that was more than 30 years ago.

The water boiled, and the snow outside had spread a thin layer on the ground.With such a large amount of snow, it won't take long before there will be a thick layer of snow on the ground.

While sharpening the knife, Wang Fumin glanced back at Wang Shaodong, who was looking at him, and said, "Dongzi, when you were young, when you saw me killing chickens, you screamed in fright, do you remember?"

Wang Shaodong scratched his head in embarrassment, watching his father sharpen the knife: "Really, I, I don't remember."

Wang Fumin shook his head and said, "Oh, it's been more than ten years, and you've grown into a young man."

As he said that, Wang Fumin grabbed the chicken, squeezed the neck of the chicken, and pulled out the fine hairs under the big cock's neck. The knife was about to be put on it, but Wang Shaodong looked away in fright.

Wang Fumin didn't seem to notice the subtle movements of his son next to him. The blood vessels of the big cock were cut, and the blood of the chicken flowed into the big white bowl prepared in advance.The chicken blood must be drained, otherwise the cooked chicken will turn red and have a bloody smell, making it unpalatable.

Chicken blood is one of Wang Shaodong's favorite delicacies. Whether it is chicken blood fried with coriander, or chicken blood stewed from mushroom stewed chicken, they are all chewy and delicious ingredients.

However, since childhood, the elders always said that eating chicken blood will make the face look old, and they always don't like to let their children eat chicken blood.

After draining the blood, Wang Fumin threw the big rooster into the courtyard.The big rooster fluttered and struggled on the ground, and the blood drops stained the snow on the ground red.

It was so cold, the chicken fluttered a few times, then lay in the snow and struggled a few times, its legs couldn't move.

Wang Fumin poured a pot of water that Wang Shaodong had boiled into the big bucket, and then poured in two scoops of cold water.

"Son, boil another pot."

Wang Fumin handed the large teapot to his son Wang Shaodong, and asked him to continue boiling water.

The chicken that was bled was dead after kicking its legs, and after about 5 minutes, it could start to shed its hair.

Killing chickens is a technical job. Some people who don't know how to kill chickens chop off the heads of chickens, but the chickens are still alive, which would be embarrassing.

The process of hair removal is also very particular. It must wait until the chicken is dead, and then the requirements for water temperature are relatively high, and the water temperature should be between [-] and [-] degrees.

The water temperature is too high, the chicken is cooked directly, and the chicken skin will be taken off when the hair is plucked.

The water temperature is too low to scald the pores of the chicken skin, and it will be more difficult to pluck the hair.

Seeing that the chicken was almost dead, Wang Fumin tested the temperature of the water and found that it was almost there. Then he picked up the chicken from the patio and soaked it in the vat until it was scalded repeatedly.

Wang Shaodong boiled another pot of water, then went to the big house to do other work.

There was a stove burning inside the big house, and the temperature inside was ten degrees higher than outside.The temperature inside the patio was already below zero, but inside the house it looked like thirteen or fourteen degrees.

On the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, every household is busy.

Wang Fumin was still busy killing chickens, but after Wang Shaodong arrived at the house, he began to help his mother make dumplings.

It is a custom for northerners to eat dumplings during Chinese New Year, which is the same as eating rice cakes in the south.Now the dumplings made by Wang Shaodong and Zhao Shiling are mainly eaten on the first and second day of the new year.This year the Wang family made a lot of money, the relationship with their neighbors is very good, and they have hired so many hired workers. It is estimated that there will be a lot of people who will come to their house tomorrow to pay New Year's greetings, and some will stay at their house for dinner at noon. Not a lot, so they have to make a lot of dumplings.

When eating dumplings during the Chinese New Year, there are still some things to pay attention to. On the first day of the new year, the dumpling fillings must be vegetarian. Generally, cabbage and tofu are better.It is a custom in Taohualing Village not to eat meat on the first day of the new year.Customs, however, always change as society advances, and in later times they become less common.

In 2002, many families still followed these traditional customs. As for the reasons why everyone did this, there is no way to verify it.

Wang Shaodong packed a few to sleep, and then Zhao Shiling felt that her son was too slow, so she asked him to chop stuffing.

In 2002, there were no stuffed dumplings in the market, so each household had to chop the stuffed meat by themselves.

Dumplings stuffed with meat are eaten on the second day of the new year, but they have to be wrapped on the [-]th day of the new year.People who celebrate Chinese New Year don’t like to work too much, so they finish all the work at the time of New Year’s Eve, and it will be much easier during the Chinese New Year.

In fact, compared to the stuffing made by machines, the stuffing made by the old-fashioned method is more delicious.

The minced meat is not afraid of fineness, the longer the chopping time, the better.

Wang Shaodong's minced meat hadn't been chopped yet, so Wang Fumin brought in the plucked and coiled rooster, put it on a big plate, and put the big plate on the table in the family hall.

The ancestral tablets have been invited up, and the wine cups and tea bowls are also set up, and the incense is burning, but the rest of the offerings are not yet ready.

The chicken was put on the plate, and then Wang Fumin put a big carp on the big plate, and also put it on the table in the family hall.

Wang Fumin was busy placing the offerings on the table in the family hall, while Wang Shaodong was busy chopping the stuffing. Zhao Shiling was making dumplings at a high speed. The New Year's atmosphere in the Wang family was getting stronger and stronger.

(End of this chapter)