Chapter 50: Pig Killing

The entire brigade compound was packed with people, almost every household sending someone to watch the pig slaughter. The excitement in the air was no less than that of a crowd watching a movie.

The children were especially thrilled. They jumped around in the open field, shouting, “We’re killing pigs and eating meat!”

Normally, the adults would have scolded them for being noisy and maybe even given them a smack, but today, everyone was in such a good mood that the laughter and cheers filled the entire place.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “They’re here! The pigs are coming!” Instantly, all attention shifted to the procession.

Su Yue looked up just in time to see a fat white pig being carried in upside down. Its front and back hooves were tightly bound with rope, a pole threaded between them so two strong men could carry it. Behind them, several others followed, and altogether five pigs were brought out.

In the middle of the field, a large bench had been set up, with a basin placed beneath one end to collect blood. The butcher pressed a pig onto the bench, while three other men held down its body to prevent it from struggling. The pigs, which had been relatively quiet before, suddenly erupted into frantic squeals, as if they sensed the fate awaiting them.

This was the first time Su Yue had ever seen pigs being slaughtered in person. In the past, she only went to wet markets or supermarkets, where the meat was already neatly butchered into cuts. Though she always knew it was pork, the raw brutality of the process was something else entirely.

Now, seeing it up close, she was honestly shocked. Her gaze fixed on the butcher as he sharpened his knife with practiced strokes.

Watching her wide-eyed curiosity, Han Aiguo couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head. He was sure she would be frightened once she saw the blade flash and the blood spill.

The butcher finished sharpening his knife, gave a loud shout, and in one swift motion, stabbed into the pig’s neck. Before Su Yue could even register what was happening, her vision went dark. Han Aiguo had covered her eyes with his broad hand just in time. Around them, people shrieked, and children screamed in terror.

A few seconds later, he lowered his hand. Su Yue peeked and saw the pig already lying lifeless, its neck slashed open in a gaping wound. Blood poured into the basin below, the metallic stench filling the air until it was nauseating.

Su Yue shuddered. Compared to this, killing a chicken was nothing. Luckily, Han Aiguo had shielded her eyes earlier, or else she might have screamed right along with the children.

She looked up at him, and he gently patted her back. “It’s alright. Don’t be afraid. I’ll cover your eyes again when they kill the next one.”

Nearby, Zhang Cui’e and her daughter Wang Yaru happened to be standing within sight. From a distance, Wang Yaru saw every gesture, every bit of care Han Aiguo showed Su Yue. Her eyes burned red with jealousy.

Why? she fumed inwardly. Why does Su Yue get such love and attention? She’s nothing but an outsider, a latecomer! That man was supposed to be mine, but she stole him away!

Zhang Cui’e was also fuming. She couldn’t hold back a sharp, sarcastic jab. “Some people just love pretending in front of men. Shameless! Who knows how many men they’ve bewitched with that act?”

Su Yue snapped her head around, glaring at the mother and daughter. She knew perfectly well their barbs were aimed at her.

Zhang Cui’e had always borne a grudge. Ever since her daughter’s failed scheme to entrap Han Aiguo by pushing herself into the water and losing both dignity and money in the process she had harbored nothing but hatred. At home, she often railed against Han Aiguo, calling him a beast, and slandered the Han family as inhuman. She never forgot to insult Su Yue either, cursing her as a meddling rat, a dog sniffing around others’ business.

After word spread of Han Aiguo and Su Yue’s budding relationship, Zhang Cui’e’s scolding grew worse. Every morning, she would stand in her vegetable garden, shrieking at the top of her lungs, calling Su Yue and Han Aiguo adulterers, accusing them of sneaking around, blaming Su Yue for seducing him into breaking off the marriage with her daughter.

Everyone living near the Wang household heard it. Gossipy neighbors even went out of their way to report it to Old Lady Han.

But since Zhang Cui’e never mentioned names, only using vague phrases like “a shameless man” and “a shameless woman”, there was nothing Old Lady Han could do. She was furious, of course, but Su Yue persuaded her to let it go; better to ignore a madwoman than stoop to her level.

Su Yue had never wanted to waste energy trading vulgar insults with someone like Zhang Cui’e. It would only make her a laughingstock. But now, Zhang Cui’e dared to humiliate her face-to-face, and Su Yue decided enough was enough.

She sneered and fired back, “Some people pretend all they like, but they’ll never seduce a man because they reek of rot inside. Men can’t stand the stench, so in the end they can only marry leftovers no one else wants.”

Her words hit like a slap.

Everyone knew the Wang family’s failed engagement with Han Aiguo, and how Wang Yaru had schemed to trap him afterward. News of her ruined reputation had spread throughout the brigade, scaring off any suitors. Matchmakers tried again and again, but none of the men were willing.

After all, Wang Yaru was nearly twenty, already considered an “old girl” in the countryside. Her reputation only made things worse, and even men who had once been interested quickly backed off.

The Wang family grew frantic. Zhang Cui’e’s daughter-in-law was constantly berating Wang Yaru, calling her shameless, while her elder brother pressured their parents to quickly marry her off. In the end, with no other options, they had to accept a match with a lazy, good-for-nothing man from the neighboring team who, despite being in his twenties, had never managed to find a wife.

The whole brigade knew about it. It was a favorite topic of gossip over meals.

Now, with Su Yue throwing it in their faces, Zhang Cui’e and her daughter nearly choked with rage.

Zhang Cui’e shrieked, her curses venomous: “Su Yue, you shameless vixen! Seducing men left and right! You should die a horrible death, fall and break your neck, or better yet, be struck by lightning!”

Her shrill voice cut through the air. People stopped watching the slaughter and turned instead to watch the drama unfolding.

Su Yue’s face darkened at the vicious words, but Han Aiguo’s expression was even worse. His eyes were like steel as he fixed them on Zhang Cui’e. “Old Zhang,” he said coldly, “it’s not too late to apologize now.”

The intensity of his glare made her instinctively take a step back. For a moment, she felt a flicker of fear. But with so many people watching, she forced herself to stand firm.

Hiding her panic, she straightened her back and spat defiantly, “Why should I apologize?! Did I say anything wrong? Everyone, look and judge for yourselves! Han Aiguo was engaged to my daughter. Now he’s been bewitched by this little vixen Su Yue! It’s because of her he broke off the engagement. My daughter’s reputation has been ruined by these two, and that’s why her marriage prospects are ruined!”

Han Aimin was furious when he heard Zhang Cui’e’s words. “Old Zhang, stop spouting nonsense! It was your family who came to break off the engagement because you disliked my eldest brother’s broken leg. Now you’re saying something completely different. Don’t you have any shame?”

Zhang Cui’e stomped her feet and pointed fiercely at Su Yue, cursing, “Your eldest brother and this little vixen had already hooked up long ago! They deliberately set a trap to harm my daughter. Otherwise, why would they have gotten married so quickly? Suspicious! Bah! Do you think we’re all fools?”

Su Yue grabbed Han Aimin, who was about to shout again, and sneered, “How exactly did we harm your daughter? Did we deliberately break Han Aiguo’s legs? Did we force you to regret it, or force you to break off the engagement?”

“I… I…” Zhang Cui’e faltered, unable to provide a reasonable explanation. In the end, she could only repeat stubbornly, “Anyway, you two hooked up long ago and deliberately harmed my daughter!”

Su Yue’s voice grew cold. “Old Zhang, you’re just slandering us because our family exposed your daughter’s true colors. But have you looked at her clearly? What kind of ‘good thing’ is she? None of the men in the nearby production teams dare to marry her. Even that second-rate man only agreed because your family asked for nothing in return. And yet she still has the nerve to stand here talking like this? If I were her, I’d hang myself from shame.”

Su Yue finished speaking in one breath, secretly giving herself a thumbs-up in her heart. That was a perfect hit; harsh and straight to the bone. All those months listening to Han’s third daughter-in-law scolding people had clearly paid off.

Her words pierced Zhang Cui’e and Wang Yaru like knives. Wang Yaru immediately covered her face, bursting into tears as she accused Su Yue of bullying her. Zhang Cui’e, enraged beyond control, lunged forward to scratch Su Yue. “You little bitch, I’ll scratch you to death today!”

Su Yue quickly ducked behind Han Aiguo. He stepped forward, and before anyone could clearly see his movement, he struck out with his fist. To outsiders, it looked as if he had only blocked Zhang Cui’e to stop her from hurting Su Yue.

But in the very next moment, Zhang Cui’e screamed like a slaughtered pig and collapsed to the ground, rolling in agony.

The crowd was stunned. No one understood what had just happened.

Su Yue glanced calmly at Han Aiguo, then rolled her eyes. Pointing at Zhang Cui’e writhing on the ground, she said sharply, “Stop pretending. He only blocked you, and you’re already acting like this? Are you trying to blackmail us?”

The onlookers also felt she was faking it. They had clearly seen with their own eyes, Han Aiguo hadn’t struck her at all. He hadn’t even pushed her. As for all that wailing and rolling? That had to be an act.

An old lady in the crowd scolded, “Zhang Cui’e, stop being ridiculous. You attacked first, and they didn’t even fight back. Yet here you are, shrieking and crying on? You’re getting old, have some shame!”

But Zhang Cui’e really was in excruciating pain. Her body felt as though it were splitting apart. She wanted to faint, yet she couldn’t. When she tried to shout back, the pain left her speechless.

Panicked, Wang Yaru cried out, “Mother, what’s wrong with you? Where did you get hurt?!”

At this time, the brigade’s security director, who had been waiting to share the pork, reluctantly stepped in. Normally, he didn’t bother with petty disputes, but Zhang Cui’e’s shrieking was disrupting the distribution of meat. He asked with impatience, “What’s going on here?”

Through sobs, Wang Yaru accused, “Han Aiguo and Su Yue beat my mother! My mother must be badly hurt!”

The security director had witnessed the scene earlier. In truth, he didn’t believe Zhang Cui’e was injured at all and suspected she was blackmailing. Still, he asked calmly, “Where exactly is she hurt?”

Wang Yaru was at a loss and turned to her mother. “Mother, where are you injured?”

Zhang Cui’e’s face twisted in pain as she managed to squeeze out, “My ribs… no, my stomach… and my back… it all hurts!”

Hearing this, the crowd snickered. Even if someone had hit her, there was no way she could be injured everywhere at once. One fist couldn’t land on multiple places simultaneously. Clearly, Zhang Cui’e wasn’t even trying to make her story believable.

The security director’s face darkened. He leaned toward the branch secretary, whispered a few words, then said aloud, “Fine. We’ll send a few women to check Zhang Cui’e. If she’s injured, Han Aiguo will cover her medical expenses. But if not, then it will be considered blackmail, and I’ll deduct two kilograms of meat from Zhang Cui’e’s family as compensation to Han Aiguo’s household.”

Han Aiguo nodded in satisfaction.

Zhang Cui’e’s heart trembled. She widened her eyes, wanting to object. But just as she was about to speak, she felt another stab of pain and reminded herself she truly was hurting, so she decided she must have been injured. If that was the case, surely the Han family would have to pay heavily. So she swallowed her protest.

Neither she nor Wang Yaru objected further, so the party secretary arranged for several women to take Zhang Cui’e into the brigade office to check.

Five minutes later, the women returned. Their faces showed everything from gloating amusement to disdain. The eldest among them spoke to the security director and branch secretary: “Zhang Cui’e has no injuries at all. She’s faking.”

The security director nodded firmly. “As agreed, deduct two kilograms of meat from Zhang Cui’e’s family and give it to Han Aiguo.”

Moments later, Zhang Cui’e stumbled out, clutching her stomach with tears streaking her face. “Impossible! He hit me, I really was beaten! I wasn’t pretending! You can’t take away my meat!”

But no one paid her any attention. The accountant was already calculating her family’s share of pork. “Her family’s total is six kilograms and two grams.”

The branch secretary ordered, “Give them four kilograms and two grams. Deduct two kilograms and give that to Han Aiguo’s household.”

The butcher quickly cut out the portion; half lean, half fatty and handed it over.

When Zhang Cui’e saw how little was left, her heart bled. The pain of losing meat nearly outweighed the pain in her body. She collapsed to the ground, kicking her legs, wailing, “Heavens above! They’ve taken away two kilograms of my meat! How can four kilograms feed my family? This will cost me my life! Is there no justice in the world—?”

Unfortunately for her, no one cared. Everyone was focused on waiting for their share of pork.

Because of this, Su Yue and Han Aiguo were lucky enough to end up with seven kilograms of meat instead of five. The Han family, after the division, included Old Lady Han, Han Aimin, Su Yue, and Han Aiguo. With their limited work points, the four of them should have received only five kilograms. But thanks to Zhang Cui’e’s antics, they now had seven.

Even so, Su Yue thought seven kilograms wasn’t much. She went to the branch secretary to ask if she could purchase more with cash. He agreed and sold her another three kilograms at market price. Altogether, she had ten kilograms to take home, which made everyone around green with envy.

On the way back, Su Yue whispered to Han Aiguo, “What did you do just now? I saw Zhang Cui’e looked like she was in terrible pain, but she wasn’t actually injured. What happened? I almost thought she was lying.”

Han Aiguo replied calmly, “Nothing serious. I just struck her acupressure point. It makes the whole body ache, but leaves no visible injury such that not even a doctor could detect it.”

“Really?” Su Yue was stunned. “There’s such a method? Did she suffer internal damage?”

Han Aiguo shook his head. “No, it’ll just hurt for a month or two. After that, she’ll recover.”

Su Yue guessed this was some special technique of his, and her admiration for him grew. She clung to his arm, shaking it playfully. “Why are you so amazing?”

Han Aiguo pursed his lips and looked at her deeply. “I still have plenty of time to be even more amazing.”

Su Yue: …This man actually dared to have shameless thoughts at such a moment.

Her cheeks flushed red, and she glared at him. “Be serious.”

Han Aiguo’s eyes brimmed with laughter, as though her scolding were the sweetest praise.

When they returned home, Old Lady Han was overjoyed to see the meat. But when she heard what Zhang Cui’e had done, she was so angry she wanted to storm over to the Wang household and fight her.

Su Yue quickly persuaded her. “Mother, forget it. She’s already been punished. Losing two kilograms of meat is enough to make her heart bleed. Let’s not waste our energy.”

Old Lady Han muttered curses under her breath but eventually calmed down. Then she eagerly asked Su Yue, “How should we eat this meat?” By now, she completely deferred to Su Yue’s judgment in matters of food.

Su Yue thought for a while. “Let’s save two kilograms for dumplings during New Year. Keep another two kilograms frozen for holiday dishes. As for the rest, we’ll cure it with salt and air-dry it into bacon. Bacon keeps well and tastes delicious.”

Old Lady Han nodded happily. “Good, we’ll do that. I’ll fetch some cabbage and make dumplings now. The dumplings you make are the best!”

Her mouth watered as she spoke. She grabbed a shovel and hurried off to the vegetable garden.

Su Yue, meanwhile, handed several food coupons and some cash to Han Aimin. “Aimin, go to the supply cooperative and buy more salt. We don’t have enough to cure all this meat.”

“Alright, sister-in-law!” Han Aimin, equally excited, ran off at once with the money and tickets.