Chapter 41: The Annual Pig Slaughter (Part 2)

Mu Mian didn’t pay attention to her dog. She was already being pushed forward and had taken two steps ahead.

Alright, fine, she’d give it a try.

She would try, and the pig would die.

Mu Fugui held the pig’s head down with pride. Worried that his daughter might get nervous with so many people watching, he even gave her some guidance. “That was great just now. Aim at this angle and strike hard—one cut will do it.”

Mu Mian wasn’t actually nervous. She smiled at her father, then patted the pig’s neck. “Sorry, buddy.”

As soon as she finished speaking, with a crisp “puchi” sound, the knife went in white and came out red.

The pig struggled a few times before falling still.

Except for Mu Fugui, the other men who had been holding the pig down all twitched at the corners of their eyes. The onlookers, who were standing farther away, weren’t as affected since they weren’t as close to the scene.

But from their perspective—

One second, this little girl was smiling sweetly at her father like a beloved daughter. The next second, she had stabbed the knife into the pig’s neck without the slightest hesitation.

What a fierce little girl!!

Mu Fugui, however, didn’t think his daughter was fierce. He only felt that she had inherited his skills and proudly declared, “When we have time, I’ll take you to the slaughterhouse for a tour. Next time, let’s try butchering a cow!”

Then, before he could finish basking in his pride, Zhao Meihua, who had arrived a step late, smacked him on the back. “What nonsense are you talking about? Mian girl isn’t even as tall as a cow yet.”

Zhao Meihua had rushed over upon hearing that her granddaughter was killing a pig, only to arrive just in time to hear this ridiculous remark.

Mu Mian handed the butcher knife back to her father. “Grandma, I’m not going. Don’t worry!”

Being a butcher was definitely not part of her future career plans.

Mu Fugui looked a little disappointed, but he quickly put the thought aside.

After all, once the pig was scalded and scraped, it still needed to be butchered.

This part, no one else could do—only his skilled hands could manage it.

By the time they officially started distributing the meat, it was already late in the morning.

Meat distribution in those days was done per headcount. Even though many pigs had been slaughtered in their brigade that day, the population was large, so each family only received a small portion.

Since Comrade Mu Fugui had helped with the butchering, their family got a bit more—about ten pounds of meat in total, with over three pounds of fatty pork.

Back then, people preferred fatty meat since it could be rendered into lard.

After all the excitement, that evening, the scent of cooking meat wafted from many homes.

Some families, however, couldn’t bear to eat it and put it away, saving it for the New Year’s feast instead.

Because Comrade Mu Fugui had worked hard all day, the Mu family also had meat for dinner that night.

The aroma in the kitchen was so tempting that Shiyi drooled uncontrollably, wagging its tail so fast it practically left afterimages.

Afraid it wouldn’t get a single bite.

—

A few days after the pig slaughter.

A heavy snowfall blanketed the ground, and the river froze over, becoming smooth and slippery.

Some children, bundled up in thick cotton coats, weren’t afraid of the cold and ran around on the frozen river, sliding back and forth.

Others brought their small sleds, having the time of their lives.

That day, Xu Lele dragged her little sled to the Mu family’s house. Naturally, in the middle of winter, no one was outside—people either stayed by the heated brick bed or kept busy indoors.

Mu Mian was helping her grandmother cut shoe patterns. She had just finished when she heard Xu Lele’s voice ringing through the courtyard.

“Sister Mianmian! Sister Mianmian! Are you home?”

Mu Mian cracked the window open slightly, poked her head out, and replied, “I’m here.”

Xu Lele was thrilled. “Come on, let’s go play on the river!”

The old lady put away the fabric and sewing kit in front of her. “Go on and play, you don’t need to do this.”

Mu Mian called out, “Wait for me a moment,” then shut the window.

She also had a sled—one that Comrade Mu Fugui had made for her earlier that year. She hadn’t had the chance to use it yet.

After bundling up from head to toe, the two little girls chattered excitedly all the way to the river.

They barely met anyone on the way. After all, in winter, people who wanted to chat did so indoors. No one stood around in the cold for long conversations.

Those still outside at this time were either running errands or kids playing.

Xu Lele rattled on, “Aunt Chunfeng just came to chat with my mom. She said Dazhuang and the others went too. I wonder if Shi Xiaolian went?”

Mu Mian answered confidently, “She definitely wouldn’t go.”

This person was never one to join in on lively gatherings.

Right now, she was definitely staying home. Either she was busy helping her mother with chores, or she was quietly figuring out ways to make money.

Xu Lele said, “Then next time, we can go to her house to play. My sister-in-law taught me a new way to play with string figures yesterday. I bet none of you know it! Hehe… When the time comes, I’ll definitely win!”

Mu Mian agreed, “Alright, I’ll go call you when we’re going.”

It had been days since she last saw Shi Xiaolian, and she really missed her. There weren’t any entertainment facilities in this era.

Even though she spent time helping her mother and grandmother with chores at home, there was still a lot of time left unfilled. She hadn’t come up with any new ideas for drawing picture books yet.

She had written several articles, but she wasn’t satisfied with any of them.

Maybe chatting with Shi Xiaolian would help her dig up some gossip.

As they continued talking, they unknowingly arrived near the river.

In the distance, the excited shouts of little children could be heard. Who knew what they were playing to have such a great time?

Xu Lele couldn’t wait and quickened her pace. “Hurry, hurry! They must be having a competition. Let’s go join them!”

Before they even reached the spot, Mu Mian and Xu Lele saw two little boys around the same age wrestling on the snow-covered path ahead.

They had fallen onto the snowy ground, locked in a scuffle that looked just like a wrestling match. They were completely absorbed in their fight.

Xu Lele stopped in her tracks. “Who is that? Why are they fighting?”

Everyone was bundled up in thick winter clothes with hats and face coverings. From a distance, it was hard to recognize them.

Mu Mian took a closer look. “It looks like Dazhuang and… Dajin?”

Their families were neighbors, living just a few houses apart.

The two often played together. However, Dajin was older than Dazhuang by about three or four years.

Dajin wasn’t particularly tall, but that was because his parents were both short. Right now, he and Dazhuang looked about the same height.

Xu Lele curled her lips in disdain and said in a rather dismissive tone, “These little boys are always like this, fighting over every little thing. But give them a few minutes, and they’ll be fine again. I just don’t get it.”

As she spoke, Mu Mian had already led Xu Lele to the entrance of the small path.

The two boys were still locked in their fight, completely oblivious to their presence.

Since they were blocking the way, Mu Mian had no choice but to speak up. “What are you guys doing? Move aside and let us through~”

Dajin, still fuming, grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it at Dazhuang’s head. At the same time, he turned to yell, “Mind your own busi—”

The last word got stuck in his throat the moment he saw who was standing there.

He had cut himself off so abruptly that he even choked a little.

Dajin coughed a few times and patted his chest.

Oh no… Why did it have to be her?!

Dazhuang pushed Dajin off and scrambled to his feet. “Sister Xiao Mian, he stole my sled!”

His tone carried an oddly aggrieved sense of tattling to an adult.

Just moments ago, Dajin had been shouting aggressively. But now, he stood off to the side, looking uncharacteristically well-behaved. He wasn’t even coughing anymore and instead spoke with a grievance of his own. “He agreed to let me use it first!”

Dazhuang argued, “I don’t want to let you use it anymore!”

Mu Mian, who was now forced into the role of mediator: “………………”

She had only spoken because they were blocking the path.

But now, under their pitiful, expectant gazes, she couldn’t bring herself to just say, “Can you two move aside?”

She turned to Dajin. “You didn’t bring your own sled?”

Dazhuang quickly cut in, “He did! But he went too fast and crashed it. Now it’s broken. He couldn’t fix it, so he tried to take mine!”

Dajin retorted, “You promised to let me use yours!”

Dazhuang stubbornly repeated, “I don’t want to anymore!”

Xu Lele scoffed, her tone full of disdain. “You two are fighting over something so small? You’re really still kids.”

The two boys, now being looked down on by an eight-year-old: “………………”

Mu Mian cleared her throat and looked at the broken sled. “It’s just a little cracked?”

Dajin nodded. “It pinches my butt when I sit on it.”

Dazhuang huffed. “I told him to go home and ask his dad to fix it, but he refused. He just had to come and take mine.”

Dajin refuted, “You said I could use yours first! That’s why I didn’t want to go home!”

As the two continued their back-and-forth, Mu Mian bent down to examine Dajin’s sled. The reason it couldn’t be put back together was that something was stuck in place.

With a slight adjustment and a quick push, she snapped it back into place. Then, she tapped it against the ground a few times.

After a few simple fixes, she handed the sled back to Dajin. “There, it’s as good as new.”

Dajin was momentarily stunned before instinctively saying, “Thank you, Sister Xiao Mian!”

When it came to acting like an older sister, Mu Mian was a natural. Even though Dajin was four years older than her, she didn’t think anything was strange about it at all. “No need to thank me~”

With that, she grabbed Xu Lele’s hand and headed toward the river.

Behind them, the two boys, now reconciled, followed along while whispering to each other.

Dajin muttered, “She’s actually pretty nice… not like what my dad said. My dad told me she slaughters pigs without blinking and that if I ever provoke her, she might swing a butcher’s knife at my neck.”

Dazhuang, in a knowing tone, said, “My mom once said Sister Xiao Mian loves to kick birds. But after all this time, I’ve never seen her kick anything. Adults just like to exaggerate.”

Dajin nodded in agreement.

Mu Mian, who had overheard everything from the front: “……”

A butcher’s knife at someone’s neck? Seriously?

In the eyes of those uncles and aunties, just how fierce did they think she was?!

She was obviously sweet and adorable, okay~