PCJ – Chapter 360 Changes in the Mountain Village

Zhang Jiaohua was worried that Zhang Laojiu’s pork would sell out all at once. In fact, just cleaning that pig would take a lot of time and effort. There was no way to get it done all at once!

“Jiaohua, why are you running so fast? Be careful not to fall into the ditch!” Zhang Qigao shouted when he saw Zhang Jiaohua sprinting ahead.

“Uncle Qigao, I won’t tell you!” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Who doesn’t know that Laojiu is slaughtering pigs? Sister Guifeng has been going around the village ringing her gong and announcing it for days,” Zhang Qigao laughed.

“Ah!” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly stopped, and the pig blood in the bowl he was holding almost splattered everywhere. “You all know?!”

“You little rascal, planning to hog it all to yourself? I’ll tell you, hurry back and call Youping to weigh the meat. If you’re late, there will only be pig hair left!” Zhang Qigao knew what Zhang Jiaohua was thinking and intentionally urged him on.

Sure enough, Zhang Jiaohua ran even faster and soon arrived at the horticultural station.

“Mom! Hurry to Aunt Guifeng’s house to weigh the meat! They’ve slaughtered a pig!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted before even stepping inside.

“I know, take it easy… Oh, you little rascal! I told you to slow down; why did you forget to step over the threshold?”

When Zhang Jiaohua entered, he forgot to step over the threshold and ended up kicking it, tumbling down hard. However, the bowl of pig blood he was holding miraculously landed safely on the ground without spilling a drop.

Liu Qiaoye quickly ran over to help Zhang Jiaohua up and brushed the dust off him. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Otherwise, it would be a pity,” Zhang Jiaohua said, not even caring whether he was hurt; he was more worried about the pig blood spilling. When he looked at the bowl and saw nothing wasted, a smile spread across his face. His pants had torn on the cement floor, and his knee seemed to have scraped some skin, but Zhang Jiaohua didn’t care at all.

“Mom, hurry up and go to Aunt Guifeng’s to weigh the meat! Otherwise, if we get there late, we won’t have anything to eat!” Zhang Jiaohua pulled Liu Qiaoye’s hand, eager to leave.

“That big pig will have at least a hundred pounds of meat; each household can get one or two pounds. You can buy as much as you want. Why the rush? I talked to Aunt Guifeng yesterday and told her that our factory cafeteria needs to weigh more meat. Your dad will go to the town in a couple of days to buy a freezer specifically for storing meat for the factory cafeteria. The workers in the factory said that life in Meizi’ao is too tough; we go half a month without eating meat. In the future, we can store some meat in the freezer, so the workers can eat meat every day if they want.” Liu Qiaoye looked at her son fondly, knowing he was just craving food.

“I’ll go ahead and see Uncle Laojiu cut the meat,” Zhang Jiaohua said as he hopped on his bicycle and sped out.

Liu Qiaoye had no choice but to set aside what she was doing and follow him out.

Zhang Laojiu’s house was crowded with people of all ages, just like during the New Year.

“Old Jiu, you’re quite bold! It’s not even a festival, and you’ve already slaughtered the pig. If no one buys your meat, can your family finish it?” Zhang Jiwang said.

“Uncle Jiwang, you’re stuck in the old ways. What? Just because it’s not a festival, we can’t eat meat? Nowadays, can it compare with the past? In the past, when we slaughtered a pig for the New Year, we had to sell most of it on the street. Now, who goes to the market without bringing back a few pounds of meat? In a bit, you might even be more eager than others to get your share,” Zhang Qigao laughed.

“That’s true. Nowadays, every family has some spare cash; it’s not that they can’t afford meat. The only problem is that the meat spoils quickly when you buy it. Qigao, you’ve earned so much at the tea factory, why don’t you buy a refrigerator?” Zhang Jiwang nodded.

“Refrigerators are too expensive and consume a lot of electricity. The electricity rate in Meizitang is never less than one yuan per kilowatt-hour; a refrigerator uses two kilowatts a day, costing at least sixty yuan a month. That’s over a thousand yuan a year! You could buy two pigs with that! And that’s not even counting the cost of the refrigerator itself,” Zhang Qigao seemed to have calculated it in his mind.

Zhang Jiwang shook his head, “Then forget it. I think putting meat in a jar and storing it in the well can last a few more days. Besides, if Laojiu often slaughters pigs, why buy so much meat at once?”

In rural areas, the electricity from the power station only reaches the substation; any loss along the lines must be shared among the villagers. Additionally, the wages for meter readers and bill collectors also come from the villagers’ electricity bills. As a result, the electricity price for villagers often exceeds one yuan per kilowatt-hour. Some families, even poorer ones, still rely on kerosene lamps.

“In Meizi’ao, only Youping has a home refrigerator. With so many employees at the tea factory, it’s inconvenient without a freezer,” said Zhang Laojiu.

“That’s true. If Youping wants to buy a refrigerator, he can afford as many as he wants,” Zhang Jiawang agreed.

Dingling! Zhang Jiaohua rode his bike into Laojiu’s yard.

“Jiaohua, everyone was just saying that your family should hurry up and buy a refrigerator. With a refrigerator, you can eat meat every day, and you can even have ice pops in the summer!” Zhang Qigao said loudly.

“My mom said that in a couple of days, she’ll let my dad go to the county to buy one. In just a couple of days, we’ll have a refrigerator. From now on, there will be meat in the tea factory cafeteria every day,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Jiaohua, ask your parents when they’ll make bamboo tubes again. We’re all looking forward to eating meat at your tea factory!” Zhang Jiwang chuckled.

“Grandpa Jiwang, your money is all stored in a jar under the bed; why are you worried about not having meat to eat?” Zhang Jiaohua joked.

“You little rascal! When did you find out that my family’s money is hidden under the bed? Did you hide under my bed and discover it?” Zhang Jiwang was baffled by how Zhang Jiaohua knew about the money hidden under his bed.

“That day when I passed by your house, I heard Grandma Hongying say that the money under the bed should be dug out to dry, and be careful not to let it get moldy,” Zhang Jiaohua laughed.

“Jiwang, your family really has a lot of money; it’s all going to get moldy,” Zhang Dayun chimed in as he entered from outside.

“Ah, Dayun’s here too?” Zhang Jiwang was quite surprised. By all accounts, Zhang Dayun’s family was poor, so he shouldn’t have money to buy meat.

“My mom’s eyes are better now. I want to buy some meat to take back so my parents can have a taste. It’s been a while since we had meat, even during the New Year,” Zhang Dayun grinned.

“You all don’t know, but Dayun has earned as much this year as anyone else. Whatever happens at the tea factory, Dayun is involved. Youping and his wife also take special care of Dayun; he does the most work. Now that San Nü Aunt’s eyes are better, and Wanlai Uncle can walk, Dayun’s family will get better and better. Plus, Dayun’s tea in the Tea Mountain is growing fast; by next year, he should be able to harvest tea. Dayun won’t be worse off than anyone else,” Zhang Qigao said.

“Thanks to Jiaohua, my dad’s rheumatism is cured; his leg problems have almost healed too. Now I can work with peace of mind,” Zhang Dayun said emotionally, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Dayun has finally made it through; things will get better in the future. I’ll be visiting a few nearby villages in the next few days to make sure to find you a pretty and virtuous girl. She’ll definitely be a virgin,” Zhang Jiwang often traveled around, knowing which families had good daughters. He had a connection with Zhang Jiaohua’s family since Liu Qiaoye was a match he found for Zhang Youping when working at Fengshui Bridge.

“Dayun, quickly invite Uncle Jiwang back home; prepare good food and drinks. I’m sure Uncle Jiwang will help you find a good girl,” Zhang Qigao laughed.

“Sure, sure! Uncle Jiwang, come over to my house for a drink later. I’ll go get a jar of wine from Uncle Xianyi,” Zhang Dayun was also straightforward.

Zhang Jiwang chuckled, “You think a jar of wine is enough? If you want to invite me, you’ll need at least three jars!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll definitely prepare enough for you, Uncle Jiwang!” Zhang Dayun agreed.