Chapter 9: The Record of Dividing the Meat

  Qiao Lian'ou was also very curious and didn't know what good things were wrapped in that wrinkled paper.

  The paper had clearly been stained with oil or something similar, and when Qiao Lin saw it, her head quickly turned around, she had a general idea in her mind, and was filled with anticipation.

  Song Xiaoshan slowly unfolded the paper layer by layer, and indeed, inside was a piece of meat, a piece of lean meat, a piece of braised pork belly!

  Song Xiaoshan put that small piece of meat under his nose and took a sniff, deeply inhaling the aroma, closing his eyes, and said in rapture: "Ah, it smells so good!"

  "Hurry up, what are you smelling? Give me some, okay? I haven't eaten meat in ages! My mouth is watering just thinking about it." The "greedy eater" indeed lives up to his name, unable to control himself when he sees something delicious.

  At that time, villagers rarely ate any greasy food, and in the winter month, a pig was killed to feed a family for a year. The women at home were frugal and planned carefully so that the family could barely make ends meet until the end of the year. Every time guests came to the house, they would cook bacon to eat. Those mischievous children would often take advantage of the adults' inattention, tear off a small piece of cooked meat, and secretly put it away. When they went out to graze cattle or chop firewood, they would take it out and share it with their companions. At this time, everyone ate, talked, and made noise together, just like celebrating the New Year.

  Although Song Xiaoshan's mother was old, she was still very capable and could raise two fat pigs a year. When the family had meat to eat, it was naturally more frequent, so he often brought some cooked meat out to satisfy his companions' cravings.

  "Don't be in such a hurry, come on, girls first."

  Song Xiaoshan carefully tore off a strip of meat from the piece and handed it to Zhou Xiuyun. Zhou Xiuyun had been staring at the meat with eager eyes, and when she saw Song's action, she quickly reached out to take it and put it in her mouth. However, she didn't swallow it in one bite, as that would be too extravagant. Although the small strip of meat was tiny, its aroma was overwhelming, and she savored it bit by bit, letting the rich and special flavor slowly unfold in her mouth.

  Zhou Xiuyun's family was extremely poor, with three siblings and a father who didn't work honestly, spending his days loafing around outside. Only her mother took care of the household, and even when they ate meat, they had less than their peers.

  Seeing Zhou Xiuyun's enjoyable look, Qiao Lian'ou also felt a strong craving, that long-forgotten feeling and taste seemed to be rising in her mind and mouth.

  "Here, have this one." Song Xiaoshan tore off another piece for the impatient Zhou Yongsheng. Zhou Yongsheng took it and threw it into his mouth, chewing non-stop, saying "It's so delicious, it's so delicious!"

  Qiao Lian'ou was a bit puzzled, didn't Song Xiaoshan just say to give it to the girl first? Why did he give it to Zhou Xiuyun and then also gave it to Zhou Yongsheng? Could it be that she wasn't considered a girl herself? Or, maybe others simply didn't consider her as a girl?

  Still in doubt, Song Xiaoshan tore off another piece and handed it to Zhou Qingdong and his cousin Qiao Yunzhi, who were still relatively calm. The two took it without hesitation and ate it elegantly.

  Qiao Lian'ou suddenly felt a bit angry, thinking that Song Xiaoshan was not giving her face, she was clearly standing one meter away from him, how could he not see her?

  "Here, yours." Song Xiaoshan casually handed a piece of meat to Qiao Lianou, not a strip, but a piece. Although it was only a small piece, if torn into strips, at least three or four strips would be needed.

  Qiao Lian'ou was both surprised and unexpected, what's going on? Treating herself so well, how can she bear it. When she looked up at Song Xiaoshan, the other person didn't even notice her, as if she should be eating that much normally.

  Qiao Lian'ou's heart was slightly disturbed, and for a moment she didn't know whether to eat or not.

  "Haven't you eaten yet? What are you spacing out for? If you don't eat, someone will snatch it away." Song Xiaoshan turned his head around and said softly to Qiao Lianou.

  Qiao Lian'ou hastily tore off a small strip and put it in her mouth, chewing lightly. Mmm, it was indeed delicious. The fragrance of pork, without any additives, was the kind that came from green, non-polluting pigs slaughtered to make cured meat, with a hint of bay leaf fragrance.

  When people in the village make cured meat, they have a habit of taking the marinated cured meat out of the jar, threading it with palm leaves, hanging it on the beam above the kitchen stove, and then burning some cypress branches to smoke. The fresh cypress branches cut from the mountain produce thick smoke and react subtly with the meat. After smoking for 7 or 8 days, the meat is taken down and placed in a dry, well-ventilated area. Cured meat treated this way is fatty but not greasy, with a subtle smoky flavor that is delicious beyond words.

  Since Jiaolong left his hometown after growing up, he rarely had the chance to eat this kind of meat. What's more, even in his hometown, many years later they started using coal and electricity, so it was impossible to smoke and cure meat like before. Today, as soon as he took a bite, two words suddenly flashed into his mind:

  The taste of hometown, the taste of childhood.

  Qiao Lianyu was chewing on the dried lean meat that Song Xiaoshan had given her, lost in thought as she reminisced about past events, and didn't notice that someone beside her had already set their sights on the small piece of meat in her hand.

  "Haha, Song Xiaoshan, what do you mean? You give us a little bit each, but give Qiao Lian'ou so much. What's the reason for that? No way, I want to eat some more!" As he spoke, taking advantage of Qiao Lian'ou's momentary distraction, he pounced on her like a starving tiger and snatched the remaining meat from her hand, then turned around and ran off.

  "Come back, bring the meat back! You scoundrel, you've eaten so much and still snatch meat from girls, what kind of man are you!" Song Xiaoshan reacted quickly, taking a swift step forward, desperately chasing after Zhou Yongsheng who was running into the woods.

  Zhou Yongsheng was fat and couldn't run fast, knowing he couldn't escape, in a state of panic, he stuffed the meat into his mouth and wrapped it around, not daring to spit it out. Enraged, Song Xiaoshan rushed over and pinned him to the ground, raising his fist ready to fight.

  "Stop fighting, let him eat! I've already tasted it earlier!" Qiao Lianou knew that Zhou Yongsheng couldn't beat Song Xiaoshan, and after coming to his senses, he chased after them, hastily shouting at Song Xiaoshan.

  Song Xiaoshan's fist stopped in mid-air, rose from Zhou Yongsheng's body, and lightly kicked him, scaring him: "If you dare to snatch food again in the future, be careful, I won't let this glutton go!"

  "I dare not, I... dare not!" Zhou Yongsheng saw that Song Xiaoshan was really angry and quickly raised his hands in surrender, repeatedly begging for mercy. Because there was a piece of meat stuffed in his mouth, his words were unclear, and his cheeks were puffed out, looking both pitiful and comical.

  "Hahaha……" Zhou Qingdong and Qiao Yunzhi, who were watching the commotion from the side, burst out laughing, holding their bellies in laughter. Qiao Lianyu was also amused, while Song Xiaoshan had originally wanted to keep a straight face and appear profound, but Zhou Yongsheng's appearance was just too ridiculous, and he finally couldn't help but laugh either.

  Zhou Yongsheng saw that everyone was laughing, and he himself felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly got up from the ground, rubbed his buttocks, and vigorously chewed on the lean meat in his mouth, "heh-heh" laughing as he did so.

  "Lotus root, I'll get it for you next time." Song Xiaoshan said coldly to Qiao Lian'ou who was smiling foolishly.

  "Ah-oh-" Qiao Lian'ou replied mechanically, looking at Song Xiaoshan's face full of sweat and youthful vigor, her heart slightly stirred.