Chapter 12.1

After the first snowfall, the weather got colder and colder. Su Ying added an oil heater to her room—though it used a lot of electricity, it was really warm.

The renovation was basically finished, but Su Ying’s follower count was stuck at about 800,000—not going up or down. She had reached a bottleneck. What could she do next? Renovation wasn’t a long-term plan. More importantly, she needed to find a consistent theme for her account’s future. Thinking back on the themes of her videos—sharing life—what kind of life did Su Ying really want?

Now, back in the village without the pressure of work, the slow pace of life was all about the basics: rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

In the coming days, Su Ying paused updating her account, wanting to find a new direction before deciding what to do next. Soon it would be Chinese New Year. The village was preparing to slaughter the year pigs. They hired a professional butcher who would arrive in the village on the 26th day of the 12th lunar month. Every household that raised pigs would slaughter theirs for the New Year.

On the morning of the 26th, the village was already filled with the sounds of firecrackers—the festive spirit growing stronger. Su Ying woke early. Her mother’s close friend, Aunt Xiang, had raised two pigs this year, each weighing over 300 jin (about 150 kg). The families had arranged to help Aunt Xiang with the slaughter that day.

After breakfast, the family arrived at Aunt Xiang’s house. Smoke was already drifting from the kitchen chimney. Inside, Aunt Xiang and her daughter, Yanni, were boiling water in the kitchen. Yanni had come home early for winter break from her teaching job.

“Hi Aunt Xiang, Yanni,” Su Ying greeted.

“Come on in, sit down!” Aunt Xiang invited them to sit by the stove. It hadn’t snowed that day, but it was still cold. Sitting by the fire was warm and cozy.

Aunt Xiang poked around the firewood with tongs, pulling out a foil packet wrapped in some soot and ashes. She wrapped it in a damp cloth and handed it to Su Ying. “Here, some hot sweet potato.”

Su Ying carefully unwrapped the foil to find a plump, steaming sweet potato. It was very hot, so she broke it in half and gave one half to Yanni. The sweet potatoes were red-fleshed, perfectly roasted—soft, fragrant, and sweet. The two girls blew on the pieces and ate them in small bites.

The firecrackers sounded closer and louder. Only a few families in the village raised pigs, so the butcher’s main job was to finish off the killing. The rest of the work was done by the families themselves.

Aunt Xiang’s husband, surnamed Lin, was standing outside waiting for the butcher’s arrival. Su Ying called him “Uncle Lin.” When the butcher arrived with his tools, Lin set off a string of firecrackers already prepared and hanging on the doorframe, covering his ears as the crackers popped about a dozen times.

Su Ying’s father got up and went out to help Uncle Lin. The pigs hadn’t been fed for a couple of days, only water. The night before, they were put into their pens. First, the pigs to be slaughtered were weighed together with their cages: one was 402 jin including the cage; the cage alone weighed 56 jin, so the pig itself was 346 jin. The other pig was 423 jin, so 367 jin without the cage.

The butcher came with two apprentices. Uncle Lin, Su Ying’s father, the butcher, and his two apprentices—five men total—knocked down the two pigs and tied their legs with rope. Aunt Xiang and Su Ying’s mother carried boiling water from the kitchen to the largest basin, which was bigger than the pigs.

Five men held down the pigs’ legs and bellies while the butcher swiftly slit the pigs’ throats with a white knife, letting the blood drain into two big basins.

Then the pigs were placed in the large basin of hot water for scalding. The motionless pigs were dunked in the water by the men, while Su Ying’s mother and Aunt Xiang took tools to scrape off the hair. Su Ying and Yanni kept boiling more water on the stove.

After one pig’s blood was drained, the butcher and apprentices went to the next household. Uncle Lin gave the butcher a prepared red envelope (money gift). One pig finished dehairing and rinsing, and the other was put into the scalding water.

Su Ying’s father and Uncle Lin worked together to hang the pigs upside down, then cut them open, remove the innards, chop off the heads, and split the bodies in half. They started to cut up the pork into neck meat, ribs, front legs, hind legs, tenderloin, backbone…

Slowly, one pig was cut into pieces. The innards were separated too: liver, heart, lungs, large intestine, small intestine, vermicelli sausage, and kidneys. The hardest to clean were the large intestines, which Su Ying’s mother and Aunt Xiang took to wash. Since the pigs hadn’t eaten for days, there was very little residue inside.

They soaked the large intestines in 60-degree water to remove sticky fat clumps. After the first wash, they threw out the water and added flour and vinegar, put on gloves, and rubbed the intestines thoroughly, flipping and repeating three times until perfectly clean.

The small intestines were good parts. After washing clean with baking soda, they used a funnel to prop them open and tied off the ends.

Then they prepared pig’s blood sausage. In a basin, they put chopped green onions and ginger, scalded with boiling water to soak, then added salt, MSG, pepper, and thirteen-spice powder. When the water cooled to about 30 degrees Celsius, they removed the onion and ginger pieces.

They cracked in three eggs and mixed evenly, then poured in filtered soybean oil. According to the seasoning water volume, fresh pig’s blood was added at a 1:1 ratio. The mixture was funneled into the small intestines, filling them about 90%.

When the water was barely bubbling but not boiling, they put the blood sausages in to cook with green onion and ginger slices to remove any smell. The water temperature had to be controlled—not boiling but hot—cooking for ten minutes, then covering and simmering for another ten minutes. Stabbing with a toothpick and seeing no blood meant they were done. The sausages were taken out to cool.

Pig lungs were washed by inserting a hose into the trachea, flushing with boiling water to inflate the lungs, draining water, and washing until the lungs turned white. The pig liver was soaked in water to remove blood, and the kidneys were halved and cleaned of the white tendon inside.

By midday, all the innards were cleaned. Su Ying cooked a pot of porridge in a clay pot, added fresh assorted pork offal seasoned with salt and ginger shreds, adjusted the taste with more salt, and sprinkled chopped cilantro on top. This Cantonese-style clay pot porridge was delicious and warming. Everyone was served a bowl, enjoying the rich flavors.

After the porridge, the pig butchering continued. Killing pig dishes couldn’t be missed.

In the afternoon, the pig fat was rendered in a stove set up in the yard. The rendered lard was clear and put in a big basin to cool. Su Ying mixed some of the crispy lard bits with barbecue seasoning to make a tasty snack to go with drinks.

Yanni wasn’t good at cooking, so she helped Su Ying in the kitchen. Su Ying poured lard into a wok, added rock sugar to caramelize, then added star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and white angelica root for fragrance. The heat was low to release aromas. Then she added ginger slices and put in the large intestines to stir-fry.

After the intestines were colored, she poured in beer, just enough to cover the intestines. Soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt were added to season, and the pot was covered to cook. The large intestines needed about two hours of cooking.

Other parts like pig heart and tongue were added at corresponding times to cook together. After three hours, the large pot was filled with plenty of green onions, completing the braised dish.

The dish was soaked in the braising liquid and kept warm over low heat.

How could pig slaughtering be without the “kill pig dish”? Pork belly, leftover innards, and the freshly made blood sausage were boiled with water and sour pickled cabbage that was cleaned and drained. After half an hour, the sour cabbage was added with green onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, salt, and thirteen-spice powder. After cooking for another half hour, the big chunks of belly, liver, intestines, and blood sausage were taken out, sliced, and put back to boil again.

The “kill pig dish” was ready. The banquet was about to start. The remaining parts were portioned and put in the freezer. The yard was washed with boiling water, and a table was set in the main room for everyone to enjoy a hot meal of “kill pig dish.”

In the center of the table was a hot pot filled with the kill pig dish. The sour cabbage was laid on the bottom, followed by pork belly, liver, intestines, and blood sausage, beautifully arranged.

Yanni prepared a dipping sauce for the kill pig dish with light soy sauce, mashed garlic, vinegar, and some sesame oil. Simple but delicious.

Then came a large platter of braised meats: sliced pig tongue, large intestines, and pig heart. A little alcohol on the side made it perfect.

The two families gathered together, lively and warm. Su Ying’s father and Uncle Lin both raised their small glasses and drank together.