Chapter 24 2/2

Taoyu heard the voice and leaned her head out from the side of the tall horse. She saw Huo Shu had returned.

She put down the grass and stood up. “Mm-hmm.”

Yuan Huiru heard the voice and came out of the house with a smile. “Ah Shu, this horse is really peculiar. It never eats when I feed it, just stares at me with its eyes wide open, which can be quite intimidating. But it responds to your call alone. Today, when it saw Taoyu, it started making noises like it was going to bite someone. But when Taoyu went over with the grass, it stopped making a sound. Taoyu was so close to it and it didn’t even lift its hooves, letting her touch it.”

Huo Shu looked at Taoyu. “Aren’t you afraid of the horse? Yet you still came to feed it?”

“I saw some fresh cow parsley in the field today when I went to the medicine field. I thought since it carried me back a few days ago, I’d cut some to treat it.”

Huo Shu raised his eyebrows at her words and suddenly patted the black horse in front of him.

Yuan Huiru said, “You two chat for a while. Taoyu, I’ll make some tea for you.”

“Thank you, Madam Yuan.”

Huo Shu brought a chair over to let Taoyu sit in the yard.

“I heard Dad say Master Qiao returned to the village today. Did you go see him? Did he accept you?”

Huo Shu responded, “He asked me to start learning from him tomorrow.”

Taoyu nodded in satisfaction. “That’s great. You won’t have to…idle around anymore.”

“You’re good at reading books and know how to congratulate others.”

Taoyu smiled mischievously.

Looking at her rosy complexion and bright eyes, it seemed she had been doing well these days.

Huo Shu asked, “So happy, is that guy who fixes fish ponds here again?”

Taoyu was momentarily confused, wondering what he meant by fixing fish ponds, before realizing he was talking about the neighbor Zhou Zheng.

He narrowed his eyes and handed some grass to the big black horse before saying, “When the fish pond is fixed, we can raise fish and shrimp. We’ll have plenty of fish to eat then. Of course, I’m happy.”

Huo Shu’s brow furrowed slightly.

“If you need help, you can call me.”

Taoyu turned her head to look at Huo Shu. “Is Huo Big Brother being so helpful? You’re not asking me for work money, are you, or trying to mooch some more injury medicine and a free meal?”

“Master Qiao pays his apprentices every month. Once you have money, I won’t ask you for it.”

Taoyu smiled and pursed her lips. “Oh really? But I heard apprentices don’t get much money.”

Huo Shu nodded in agreement. “Hmm.”

“Only five hundred wen a month before graduation, which really isn’t much compared to fixing fish ponds.”

Taoyu’s cheerful face immediately fell. She glared at Huo Shu.

This guy seemed upright and reserved, but he enjoyed teasing people.

Seeing the little girl pouting, Huo Shu didn’t tease her anymore. “What are you preparing for these days?”

“Looking through medical books and making medicine. With less farm work to do, I might go to Grandpa Zu’s medical clinic for a few days to help collect medicinal herbs and learn medicine.”

“That’s good.”

Taoyu clapped her hands and stood up. “The horse has been fed, it’s getting late. I have to go back and cook. I’ll leave first.”

“Taoyu, have lunch here before going back. Since Uncle Liang is taking Ah Shu to Master Qiao’s, you should thank him properly.”

Yuan Huiru timely intervened.

“Just look, you haven’t even had tea yet.”

“We’re all villagers, it’s no big deal.”

“In the future, there will be plenty of opportunities to eat together. Mrs. Yuan, I’ll leave first.”

Yuan Huiru hurriedly said, “Ah Shu, you should see Taoyu off.”

Huo Shu watched Taoyu put on the small empty basket that matched her figure, and reached out to open the courtyard door for her.

Taoyu saw this and said, “It’s just a few steps back home. You don’t need to escort me.”

Huo Shu responded, “Go ahead.”

Watching Taoyu walk away, Yuan Huiru hurriedly approached and scolded him:

“You foolish boy, Taoyu came to visit and you didn’t even see her off? You should have thicker skin as a man. If she says she doesn’t need you to see her off, you should still do it. You’re too straightforward.”

Huo Shu remained silent, which seemed too deliberate, fearing it might backfire. Nonetheless, he finally said, “Understood.”

Yuan Huiru sighed slightly with a hint of regret but then comforted Huo Shu, “It’s alright; familiarity comes with time.”

“Being taken in by Master Qiao today is a good thing. Let’s celebrate with stewed pork and cabbage for lunch,” she added.

Huo Shu responded with a nod. After Yuan Huiru entered the house, he quietly slipped out the door, heading towards the direction the person had previously walked.

It wasn’t until he saw the person safely entering his own courtyard from the shadows that he returned.

The next day, Huo Shu went to the Qiao family early in the morning.

Qiao Tuzi was preparing to load the livestock slaughtered the previous day onto a cart to be taken to the butcher’s shop in the city.

Most of the village houses were now inhabited by the butcher and his wife, while their children mostly stayed in the houses they bought in the city, only returning home when needed.

Arriving early, Huo Shu helped Qiao Tuzi load the livestock onto the cart, and they drove together to the city.

The donkey cart ran swiftly, turning into Xiaoxi Street and passing through an archway, before stopping at the intersection of Zhenlu Lane.

The Qiao family’s shop was right at the intersection, with a sign hanging above it, reading “Qiao Family Fresh Meat Shop.”

As Huo Shu jumped off the cart, a slim, fair-faced young man immediately greeted them from the shop’s steps, “Master.”

He respectfully addressed Qiao Tuzi before casually acknowledging Huo Shu, “Huo Ge.”

This young man was the other apprentice left behind by Qiao Tuzi yesterday, named Fang He.

He had realized yesterday that this seemingly young lad was not from Mingxun Village, probably coming from his own family, though he didn’t know how long he had been waiting.

Huo Shu nodded in acknowledgment, then, while Qiao Tuzi was opening the shop’s door, he lifted the two halves of pork onto his shoulders, one on each side. Once the shop door was open, he followed in and carried the meat inside.

“Place them on the counter,” Qiao Tuzi instructed.

Glancing at Huo Shu, Qiao Tuzi saw that although he maintained a stern expression, he wasn’t putting on airs. His eyes showed a willingness to work, which pleased Qiao Tuzi.

Turning to arrange the meat in the shop, Qiao Tuzi noticed Fang He trying to mimic Huo Shu’s actions by carrying two halves of meat, only to almost strain his back and drop the meat.

Luckily, he didn’t insist on carrying them himself, setting down the pork and instead carrying half of a sheep.

“Take it easy,” Qiao Tuzi advised.

If this kid hadn’t dared to wield a knife, he wouldn’t have kept him around to teach him even the basics.

The three of them managed to move all the meat into the shop within two trips.

The Qiao family’s meat shop wasn’t large, nor did it have a front shop and back room setup; it was just a storefront. However, being located on the main road, it had a good flow of passersby.

Inside, the setup was simple, with two long counters and many iron hooks hanging from them for hanging meat.

Usually, butchers would cut the whole half of pork into long strips and then divide them into different cuts like two-cut, ribs, pork belly, etc., hanging them neatly on hooks for customers to choose from.

“Usually, we open one half of the meat first, and when that’s mostly sold, we open the other half to prevent spoilage. With the weather cooling down, it’s not so bad, but in May and June, meat can easily spoil, and we absolutely don’t sell spoiled meat in our shop,” Qiao Tuzi explained while wiping the hooks, demonstrating to his two apprentices how to cut a whole half of fresh meat into pieces.

“These animals may seem different, but it’s just a matter of size difference; they all have the same anatomy. Once you learn how to cut one type of animal, the rest are all the same.”

“You two watch closely. First, remove the tenderloin from the spine, then chop it off at the second joint. The smaller part on this side is called the hind leg meat.”

“Then cut into the spine to remove the ribs. The meat around the belly is pork belly, cut it into two pieces, and what’s left is the front leg. Cut off the front elbow, and what’s inside is the fan bone…”

Qiao Tuzi explained and divided the meat, his movements swift and smooth. In just a few sentences, the half of the pork was neatly arranged.

“This technique is simple to explain but not so easy to master. In the end, it’s just meat. As long as you have a knife, you can cut it. It’s just a matter of speed and precision to ensure the meat is cut neatly without spoiling it.”

If good fresh meat was accidentally damaged by poor knife skills, it would affect its appearance, thus affecting its sales and price.

That’s why there’s a knack to it.

“I’m not expecting much from you two today. Just watch for now. You can practice slowly if you’re clumsy, but you need sharp eyes first before your hands can catch up,” Qiao Tuzi said.

Fang He was impressed by Qiao Tuzi’s skill and said, “Master, it takes at least ten years to learn such skills. It’s really amazing.”

“Don’t flatter me; I’m not buying it,” Qiao Tuzi said, making a hole in the arranged meat. “Hang these on the hooks.”

Huo Shu didn’t say a word and hung the pork and lamb on the hooks of the two counters.

After about a quarter of an hour of busy work, the meat shop officially opened its doors.

Qiao Tuzi shouted at the door, “Fresh meat, fresh pork and lamb!”

His voice was loud and strong, much louder than the morning food stalls.

Fang He also followed suit, calling out on the street, inviting people to come in and choose fresh meat.

Huo Shu stood by the counter. While he could do everything else, calling out wasn’t something he could do.

The Qiao family’s shop had been open for quite some time, and the locals knew about it. They usually came to browse. After being closed for a few days, seeing it reopened, groups of people came to the shop to buy meat after hearing the shout.

“These two young men seem unfamiliar. Did Master Qiao hire new help?”

“These are new apprentices. They’re a bit clumsy with words, so please bear with them if there are any shortcomings in the future.”

Qiao Tuzi greeted the customers, “Same as before, two pounds of pork belly?”

“Yes, pork belly.”

A woman with a basket looked at Huo Shu for a moment and said, “Both of them are strong young men. Master Qiao really knows how to pick people.”

Qiao Tuzi smiled, “Let’s wait and see if they can handle it.”

“Master Qiao, it’s been a few days since you opened.”

“Oh, we have lamb today.”

“Do you still have pork hind legs? I’ll pick one.”

Within a quarter of an hour, many people came in and out, not all of them buying things, some just coming to see the excitement.

This was typical of morning vegetable shoppers.

Qiao Tuzi was kept busy, answering questions and cutting meat.

Fang He was quick-witted and helped to greet customers, making Qiao Tuzi’s workload a bit lighter, although he still had to weigh and cut the meat.

“Ah, I’ve been asking for lamb for three times already. Are you selling it or not?”

Today, with two types of meat and more people coming, Qiao Tuzi was busier than ever.

Pork was affordable and popular among ordinary people, while lamb, although good, was more expensive, so fewer people bought it. Qiao Tuzi mainly focused on the pork counter.

Huo Shu stood on the side, and people who came in saw him standing there like the God of Wealth and didn’t dare to approach him, instead going to Fang He.

Qiao Tuzi was still busy with several customers mainly buying pork. Seeing this, Huo Shu went to the lamb counter and asked, “How much lamb do you want?”

A man, impatiently waiting, glanced at Huo Shu, then quickly looked away, coughed, and spoke more gently, “Um, give me half of a whole rack of lamb.”

Huo Shu heard him and took out half a lamb that hadn’t been cut yet from under the counter. Qiao Tuzi, who had turned his head to look at Huo Shu, was about to say that he would help in a moment.

Unexpectedly, before he could speak, he saw Huo Shu take out a knife, cut the leg of lamb smoothly from the second joint, and then smoothly cut off a rack of lamb.

Qiao Tuzi’s eyebrows twitched at the sight. This kid, he’s learning things too quickly.

He closed his mouth, withdrew his gaze, and continued serving the customers.