“Get up, wife. I’m taking you to eat pork stew!” Xu Feng said cheerfully.
Honestly, everyone in the village knew that Aunt Cuihua, the Village Chief’s wife, made the best pickled cabbage. On top of that, Xu Feng had been craving pork so badly that he decided to take both sisters with him to get a bowl of freshly cooked pork stew.
Lin Xiyue was sleeping soundly but didn’t get annoyed when her man woke her. Pregnant women often craved sour and spicy food. The moment she heard about the pork stew, her mouth began watering uncontrollably.
“A’Feng, did you really guys catch a wild boar?” she asked, only realizing the implication afterward. She immediately looked him over, checking carefully to see if he was injured.
“Don’t worry, it was Shoushan who shot it. I barely had to lift a finger,” Xu Feng reassured her.
Then he woke up Lin Xixue too, and the three of them washed their faces and applied a bit of face cream. The sisters were already naturally beautiful, but with a little grooming, they looked even more radiant—like lotuses emerging from clear water.
“Bring our biggest bowl. With the number of people going, there might not be a second helping. And grab that bamboo basket too—we need to return it to the Village Chief or he’ll complain.”
The sisters, knowing how hard Xu Feng worked hunting in the mountains, refused to let him carry anything.
When they arrived near the Village Chief’s home, they saw the whole village had come out to join the fun. Seeing Xu Feng arrive with the two sisters, not a single person dared to mock him this time.
“Xu Feng, save me some ribs later, will you?”
“Can I trade something for some pork fat? The kids at home are starving for meat.”
“A’Feng, you know your sister-in-law is pregnant. Let’s trade for some pork too…”
Xu Feng smiled and responded politely to all of them, but didn’t agree to any of it. The pork he’d get today was all going to the sisters. Once the System gave him the reward multiplier, he planned to take the full load into the city to sell.
“Xu Feng, are you all wearing Dacron?” someone finally asked.
He had been waiting to hear that. At least someone in the village recognized quality.
“I sold the deer hide and antlers from last time and bought them with that money. Nothing special about wearing it.”
Hearing that, many villagers looked at him with envy. The poorest family in the village now wore clothes even they were jealous of. It made people feel conflicted.
No one regretted it more than Xu Qiang. Just yesterday, he’d smugly gotten a wild rabbit without lifting a finger. But today, Xu Feng’s group had brought down a 200-kilogram sow. Rabbit meat didn’t even compare. Xu Qiang was so frustrated he couldn’t even bring himself to show up when Aunt Li called him to eat pork stew.
“There you are, kid! The kitchen is a mess right now!”
Shoushan called out. “Quit standing around looking smug—come in and help. You two sisters, help chop some vegetables too.”
Slaughtering a 200-kilogram sow was no small task. Shoushan personally invited Xu Feng and the sisters inside. Plenty of villagers wanted to help, but he didn’t let them. After all, you couldn’t ask people to help for free, and if too many came in, there wouldn’t be enough meat to go around.
A big pot of water was already boiling, and they’d started scalding the pig to remove its hair. After that, they slit open its belly. The sight of the glistening white fat made everyone drool. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
The organs like liver and heart were set aside for stew. Seeing the crowd outside, the Village Chief Xu Li decided to slice off a chunk of meat along with some pig’s blood to make stew for everyone.
The rest of the carcass was divided into six portions—one per household. There wasn’t much of value left on the body, but Shoushan handed all four pig’s feet to Xu Feng.
“Your wife’s pregnant. Take them back and give her a boost,” he said.
No one objected. After all, pig’s feet weren’t that meaty and were more of a goodwill gesture than anything.
Xu Feng gratefully accepted. He never forgot the kindness others showed him.
By now, the stew in the big pot had begun to simmer. The strong smell of pickled cabbage wafted out and made everyone’s mouths water. When the lid was lifted, thick slices of pork fat floated on top—so tempting you couldn’t look away.
“Xiyue, Xixue, bring your bowls over,” Aunt Cuihua called.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the sisters. She liked them more each time she saw them. Before even serving her own grandchildren, she ladled out two big bowls for them.
Then she filled bowls for her daughter-in-law and grandson and had them all go inside to eat.
Standing at the door, Shoushan called out, “The pork stew’s ready! Since there are many people here, let’s serve the elderly and children first!”
With so many villagers, it was impossible for everyone to get a bowl. But no one objected to Shoushan’s arrangement.
Xu Feng didn’t know how to butcher a pig, so he just took a ladle and helped Aunt Guihua serve the stew. He didn’t hold back—every bowl was filled to the brim.
Watching the transformed Xu Feng work diligently, the villagers all sighed, “The prodigal son really has returned.”
“Thanks, Xu Feng!” said Widow Wang as she queued for a bowl. Of course, Xu Feng gave her a full bowl too.
She assumed Xu Feng had feelings for her, not knowing he served everyone the same.
After a lively half hour, the big pot of pork stew was gone. The village’s elders and kids had all gotten a bowl. Then it was time for people to trade their own produce for meat. Xu Feng waited for a break, slung the pork on his back, and headed home with the sisters.
But once home, the three of them were stumped. Xu Feng had always been a lazy rascal, and the sisters were daughters of a wealthy household. It was the first time any of them had such a big slab of meat—they had no idea how to deal with it.
“Xixue, didn’t you learn anything from Wang Jun?” Xu Feng asked.
Lin Xixue looked a little embarrassed. Wang Jun’s game was always bloody—she couldn’t even look, let alone learn how to handle it.
Just then, Widow Wang appeared at the door. “I figured you wouldn’t know how to handle it. Xu Feng, I’ll show you—watch closely, alright?”
Her father had been a butcher, and she had picked up a few skills when she was younger. She wasn’t an expert, but handling 30 kilograms of meat was no problem for her.
“Xixue, cut that fat into small pieces and clean it thoroughly. Xiyue, you’re pregnant—just sit and rest.”
After a few trips in and out, the sisters grew noticeably closer to Widow Wang.
She squatted down, picked up a knife, and first separated the ribs. Then she chopped the rest of the meat into evenly sized chunks.
Xu Feng stood beside her, observing how she handled the meat—but in the next second, he was distracted.
“Xu Feng, go get some salt.”
She looked up suddenly and locked eyes with him. Xu Feng was clearly not watching the pork—he was staring at something else.
Even though Xiyue was sitting right there, Widow Wang didn’t react much. She was older and had seen more in life. So what if he looked? It didn’t cost her anything.
Meeting her gaze and getting caught red-handed, Xu Feng—even with his thick skin—felt awkward.
“Ah… right!” He hurried to the kitchen to fetch the salt. By the time he returned, she had already tidied her collar.
“Be sure to rub the salt evenly. Just hang the meat in the kitchen and let it smoke naturally.”
After curing the pork, Widow Wang started rendering the lard. “Add some water before heating. That way the pork lard won’t have a strong smell.”
Sure enough, the lard she made turned out snow-white and clean. The cured meat was hung up under the kitchen eaves. As she hung the last piece, Lin Xiyue offered to give her some to take home.
“Oh my, I can’t possibly accept that. I already felt bad about taking your White Rabbit candy last time,” Widow Wang replied, trying to refuse.
She and Lin Xiyue went back and forth for a while before she finally accepted.
“Thank you, Sister Xiyue. If there’s ever anything you need help with, don’t hesitate to ask.”
That was the second time Widow Wang had said those words.
At that moment, a System prompt rang out in Xu Feng’s mind:
[Resources spent simultaneously on Lin Xiyue, Lin Xixue, and Wang Xiuli. New function unlocked: Search.]
[8x multiplier triggered. Reward: 420 kilograms of pork.]