Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Bring the knife!" a loud shout startled Yezhi, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up towards the center of the dam and saw a thin, black old man in a red vest and rough blue pants, wielding a shiny silver pig slaughtering knife. With a few swift motions, he began skinning the wild boar. The old man worked quickly and accurately, removing the pig's head and peeling back the skin from its four trotters. The knife danced in his hands, and soon the wild boar's skin was completely removed. One Gun Brother helped the old man lift the hanging wild boar onto an Eight Immortals table, cutting open its belly to reveal the red and white meat inside. The surrounding children clapped their hands in delight. The old man found a large clay basin to dump out the internal organs and then started to remove the bones, first taking off two ribs... until the meat was cut into pieces weighing around two pounds each.
In the past, Yezhi had felt nauseated even going to the farmers' market to buy pork, wishing for nothing but clean, neatly cut pieces. Today, however, she found herself watching the entire pig slaughtering process without blinking. She was surprised by her own transformation; survival of the fittest truly applied, and humans were indeed the most adaptable creatures on earth. Yezhi couldn't help but chuckle at herself.
The children all gathered around One Gun Brother and several young men who were dividing up the meat. After a lively commotion, those who received meat couldn't hide their smiles as they joyfully took their portions home to their wives and children, as if it were New Year's Day. By the end of it, there were still sixty or seventy pounds of wild boar left; Yezhi and One Gun Brother each took half. As people began to leave, Yezhi walked over to pick up a piece of leather rope from under the Eight Immortals table. Surprisingly, there were no bloodstains on it; it looked just as it had before, only cut into two pieces.
Back home, Yezhi couldn't wait to wash up. She boiled water for a bath and used soap to wash four times before she felt rid of that bloody smell. Just after finishing her bath and changing clothes, guests started arriving at Aunt Zhou's house—uncles and aunts inviting Yezhi and Aunt Zhou to dinner, insisting they couldn't refuse. In the end, they went to Village Uncle's house, bringing along two pounds of meat and two ribs.
As soon as they stepped outside their door, they were blocked by Cart Master, who was also there to invite them for dinner. Yezhi explained they were going to Village Uncle's house, but Cart Master wouldn't listen. Luckily, Er Zhu came wearing a military cap to escort them away from Cart Master.
Upon entering Village Uncle's home, they were warmly welcomed by his family at the kang table. Normally women weren't allowed at the main table, but since Yezhi and Aunt Zhou were important guests today, no one made an issue of it. Yezhi felt quite at ease; she believed that not allowing women at the table was discrimination against females. However, Aunt Zhou, bound by tradition, didn't see it that way; she preferred sitting with Aunt Li and Mei Zi and felt awkward being at the main table.
Yezhi played with three little kittens on the kang while chatting with Village Uncle and Big Zhu back and forth. Aunt Zhou sat quietly beside them, listening attentively without interjecting. The room was filled with the aroma of meat that made Er Zhu salivate. A moment later, Aunt Li lifted the curtain to bring in dishes: a plate of liver and heart, a plate of white meat with garlic sauce, a large basin of sauerkraut with pork belly, and a big plate of mixed vegetables.
Village Uncle took out a clay jar: "Yezhi, it's a happy day today; you should drink some." Yezhi felt a bit apprehensive; this liquor was genuine stuff—60 proof without dilution—and just one sip made her head spin due to her low tolerance for alcohol. Seeing how Village Uncle poured drinks meant she wouldn't escape this bowl either. Resignedly lifting her bowl, she watched as a reddish liquid poured out with a strong fruity aroma. "This is grape wine!" Yezhi exclaimed in surprise.
"It's Mountain Grape; I know you can't handle white liquor," he replied.
Yezhi took a sip; it was sweet and sour with an alcoholic scent that felt more like juice. She toasted Aunt Zhou with one bowl and then shared another with Village Uncle and his sons. Aunt Zhou tugged at Yezhi's sleeve reminding her not just to drink but also eat more vegetables. Yezhi picked up a slice of white meat with garlic sauce—it was lean with just enough fat—not greasy at all but chewy enough paired with slightly spicy garlic sauce; it was quite good! The sauerkraut with pork belly whetted her appetite without making her feel heavy. Perhaps because it was wild boar meat, its flavor was particularly rich. Unfortunately for Yezhi—the organ lover—she found it hard to enjoy; not only did the wild boar's heart have an earthy taste but also an odd odor. Turning to look at Village Uncle, Da Zhu, Er Zhu, and Aunt Zhou enjoying their meals heartily made her hesitate to spit it out despite grimacing as she swallowed it down. Overall, wild boar could never compare to domestic pork; all those tales about wild boar being delicious turned into false advertisements in Yezhi's mind.
"Yezhi, eat more!" Big Zhu urged when he saw her bowl emptying quickly as he piled more food onto her plate. Yezhi rubbed her sore jaw from chewing too much meat while painfully forcing herself to eat; she couldn't waste their kindness.
After finishing dinner at Village Uncle's house with Aunt Zhou, Yezhi began to feel that there was too much wild boar meat left at home—she needed to figure out how to use it up. Aunt Zhou suggested curing it into cured meat; however, Yezhi thought that wouldn't work since wild boar meat was tough enough already—wouldn't curing make it even harder to chew? Rubbing her belly while lying flat on the kang thinking about solutions, Aunt Zhou rummaged through their room until she found a bottle of medicinal wine. "Girl, take off your clothes; let me give you a massage."
"Auntie, I'm not injured—what do I need a massage for?"
"Earlier at Village Uncle's place you said that wild boar bumped into you; such a big wild boar must have hit you hard—how could you be fine? What if you have internal injuries? No way—we're going to Barefoot for an examination." Aunt Zhou grew increasingly anxious as she pulled Yezhi outside.
Yezhi felt helpless; she had only casually responded when Village Uncle asked about it earlier—who knew Aunt Zhou would take it seriously? She grabbed Aunt Zhou’s arm and pretended her arm hurt so that Aunt Zhou would give her a thorough massage before feeling reassured.
The room filled with pungent medicinal wine scent while soft snores came from Aunt Zhou’s side as Yezhi pinched her nose counting sheep—one sheep... two sheep... fifty-eight sheep...
"Master! Miss Dulisa is here again! She said Xiao Fang looks like a fool in his suit!" Xiao Fang complained softly.
"My dear Leaf," Dulisa said playfully, "which red one highlights my enthusiasm better or does this white one show my elegance more... or...!"
Dulisa, with her long red hair cascading down, wore black silk lingerie adorned with rose patterns. She held up two Long Skirts in front of her chest, asking Yezhi for her opinion.
"How can you be like Xiao Fang? It doesn't matter which one you choose!" Yezhi interrupted impatiently.
"How can you compare me to your silly robot? Are you colorblind? They are not the same!" Dulisa's silver eyes widened, and her rose-like lips pursed in disbelief.
"Xiao Fang is not silly!" Xiao Fang retorted, though lacking any real force behind her words.
"I mean you look beautiful no matter what you wear," Yezhi admitted reluctantly, even though it was true.
Dulisa tossed her long hair and let out a laugh like silver bells. "Dear Yezhi, isn't it obvious? Everyone knows I'm beautiful. Just pick one. Sister, I'm doing this to support you."
"Wait! Support what?" Yezhi's mind felt a bit foggy.
"Of course, the preliminary selection for Ugliest Star! I sent you the dark skin powder via express. Remember to apply it tonight; you have to make it to the next round."
"The preliminary selection is tomorrow; what does it have to do with me? I'm not going."
"Haha, if you don't go, don't think you can hang around Bodria Star System anymore. Coward." Dulisa's silver eyes narrowed, and the smile on her lips froze as the veins in her hand holding the Long Skirt turned a vivid red, revealing her rising anger.
"Master, it's true; Bodria Star System cannot tolerate backing out at the last minute!"
No wonder Dulisa was angry. But she was forcing Yezhi into this situation; if she didn't go, it would be quite straightforward. The handprint was something she had been tricked into giving, but she had indeed pressed it… After a mental struggle, Yezhi resigned herself. "I'll go!"
"That's more like it! Which one looks good?" Dulisa asked cheerfully.
Yezhi almost got dazzled by Dulisa's smile and randomly pointed to one. Only then did Dulisa let her off the hook.
Yezhi got up from the bed and rummaged through a box containing a small silver bottle of dark skin powder. She hesitated about whether to apply it or not. According to Xiao Fang, dark skin powder was a detoxifying beauty product worth 800,000 Bodeton per small bottle. Dulisa really hadn't scammed her; however, the only downside was that within 24 hours, due to detoxification, the skin would darken to varying degrees. Darkening… Yezhi suddenly grinned mischievously and applied all the dark skin powder over herself before happily going to sleep.
The next morning, Yezhi was jolted awake by sharp pains in her stomach and rushed into the pigsty's toilet in the backyard. Lighting a candle, she found that the stone-paved toilet was relatively clean, with a faint smoky scent from burning mugwort lingering in the air. She had done her best to beautify and clean it; while it couldn't compare to 21st-century standards, in Zhoujiatun, Yezhi dared say there was no cleaner toilet than Aunt Zhou's.
As Yezhi weakly exited the pigsty, she missed her 21st-century toilet immensely when Aunt Zhou suddenly screamed, "Ah! What happened?!"
"What happened?" Yezhi was startled by Aunt Zhou's scream and patted her chest while confusedly responding.
"Girl, you are as black as coal." Yezhi rushed into the house like a whirlwind and held up a dim yellow mirror, revealing a girl whose skin was as dark as that of an African.
"Xiao Fang, you are really dark! It will be fine by tomorrow; it's just detoxing."
"Master, really, it will be fine by tomorrow. You have too many toxins in your body; even if your skin can't expel them in time, they can still come out in other ways."
"Xiao Fang..." Yezhi was communicating with Xiao Fang through her thoughts when Aunt Zhou hurriedly pulled Barefoot Aunt and ran to her side. Barefoot Aunt was startled by Yezhi's dark appearance and quickly checked her pulse, furrowing her brow in thought. Aunt Zhou, panting anxiously beside her, asked, "What's wrong? What is it?"
Barefoot Aunt asked about what Yezhi had eaten yesterday, and Aunt Zhou eagerly reported every detail to Barefoot Aunt.
"Listening to the pulse, there’s nothing wrong; she seems quite healthy," Barefoot Aunt said, puzzled.
"Then... then why did she suddenly turn this dark?" Aunt Zhou asked in a flustered tone. Yezhi felt a bit guilty; she should have informed Aunt Zhou first. She wiped the sweat from Aunt Zhou's forehead with her hand and said, "Aunt, don’t worry. Could it be that I’m allergic to wild boar meat?"
"Wild boar meat? Allergic?" Barefoot Aunt and Aunt Zhou exclaimed in unison.
Yezhi's face turned a bit red as she stammered and lied, "I’ve... encountered allergies before when trying something for the first time. Yesterday was my first time eating wild boar meat."
Aunt Zhou stared wide-eyed at Barefoot Aunt, waiting for her answer. Barefoot Aunt cleared her throat and said, "It’s possible. I’ll prescribe you some medicine to clear heat and detoxify. Drink it first; if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to go to the city for treatment."
Yezhi nodded vigorously in agreement. Before Aunt Zhou could see Barefoot Aunt out the door, Aunt Li and Meizi arrived, saying they heard someone say, "Yezhi is sick!" Yezhi found a piece of floral cloth and wrapped herself from head to toe before stepping out of the room and asking, "Aunt Li, Meizi, how did you find out?"
Meizi first laughed at Yezhi's appearance before explaining the reason.
After hearing this, Yezhi could only say that the eyes of the people are sharp. Early in the morning, Aunt Zhou hurriedly pulled Barefoot Aunt away, which several uncles working in the fields noticed. Because Yezhi had distributed meat yesterday and gained unprecedented popularity, news spread quickly from one person to ten and from ten to a hundred throughout Zhoujiatun. Yezhi couldn't help but think that villagers were already coming to visit her...
Comment 0 Comment Count