Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 398 Wild Boar Meat Sausage (2)_1

Chapter 398: Chapter 398 Wild Boar Meat Sausage (2)_1

As the year drew to a close, pork was not cheap, costing twenty-five Wen for a pound. Wild boar meat was rarely seen in the market, but affluent families always sought novelty and freshness, willing to pay fifty Wen per pound if necessary. These three hundred pounds of wild boar meat could be exchanged for two large fatty pigs. To simply chop it up for sausage filling for the New Year is truly squandering!

Mo Yan couldn’t outright say her family did not lack silver or pork, so she found another reason: "My father has been under the care of several teachers at the Academy and hasn’t properly thanked them for their kindness. With the New Year approaching, we can only make some sausages to present as New Year gifts."

This was not something Mo Yan made up on a whim. After all, in an era that honored teachers and valued education, giving New Year gifts to educators was customary. It didn’t need to be anything particularly valuable, but it had to be presentable.

"So that’s the case, then you do need to prepare some fine goods. Those wild boar sausages are indeed respectable!" Aunt Cai had meant well with her remarks, without any other implication. Hearing Mo Yan’s explanation, she repeatedly expressed her agreement, "Wait until next year when your father passes the imperial examinations and becomes a Scholar, then you’ll likely have to hold a banquet to express your thanks to his teachers!"

A surge of joy went through Mo Yan’s heart, but she modestly replied, "Every year there are numerous students attending the provincial exam, but only a few succeed. Who can tell what will happen next year!"

Aunt Cai heard this and quickly elbowed her, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, girl, how can you speak such discouraging words? If you’re not at ease, why not have your father burn more paper offerings to the ancestors on the thirtieth to bless him with success?"

Mrs. Xiong and Mrs. Zhou also voiced their agreement repeatedly. In their eyes, Mo Qingze was knowledgeable and diligent; even without ancestral blessings, he was capable of passing the exam to become a Scholar.

Burning paper to seek ancestral blessings? Mo Yan felt embarrassed upon hearing this. If ancestral blessings were effective, what need would scholars have for enduring toils like tying their hair to the rafters or pricking their thighs, and for the hardships of years of study?

Aunt Cai, however, thought it was a good suggestion and even urged Mo Yan to pray at those efficacious temples. In the village, many people believed in this. Every spring, they would sincerely bring incense and candles to the temples to pray for their wishes.

Although Mo Yan had such an extraordinary experience as being reborn with a Space ability, she was not keen on achieving her desires through praying to deities or Buddha. Regarding Aunt Cai’s suggestion, she simply laughed it off.

Perhaps sensing Mo Yan’s lack of enthusiasm for the matter, Aunt Cai did not persist and instead inquired about her son, Wang Pangtou. She was genuinely concerned that her son wasn’t performing well enough and that Mo Yan would be dissatisfied, risking Wang Pangtou’s job at the shop next year.

Mo Yan understood her concerns and offered reassurance, "Brother Fat Head is willing to work hard and can do it. If he has no other plans for next year, I would like to continue hiring him to watch over the shop!"

Aunt Cai was thrilled and quickly responded, "Not at all, there are other people to work at home, we don’t need him for that. If you don’t mind, let him continue. If he dares not to give his best, you just scold him, I won’t have any objections!"

Mo Yan smiled, "As long as Brother Fat Head is willing to work hard and learn from Grandfather Li, even if he leaves our rice shop in the future, he won’t have trouble finding good work. You can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Cai’s crow’s feet deepened slightly. It wasn’t the monthly income of seven hundred Wen from her son that she valued, but that her son’s horizons had broadened and he had learned plenty from Manager Li. These skills were his means for the future, something that seven hundred Wen could not buy.

Mrs. Xiong and Mrs. Zhou were quite envious, but not jealous. Their sons were still too young; even if Wang Pangtou were to be rendered unsuitable for the job, it would not be their sons’ turn.

The three hundred pounds of wild boar meat were plenty, and it took six people working until the lights were lit before they turned all the meat into sausages. These sausages were tied with cotton thread, section by section, each one pricked with a sewing needle several times to prevent bursting when drying.

In the end, the sausages were hung on several clean and slender bamboo poles in a well-ventilated vacant room, to be brought out and sunned on clear days to prevent mold.

Aunt Cai and the other two worked hard cutting meat all day. Mo Yan had intended to pay them a wage, but not a single one would accept it. Unable to let them labor for free, she firmly handed each of them a cured wild rabbit she’d taken from under the eaves.

After the three left, Mo Yan and the others began preparing dinner. Except for special days, dinner at the Mo household was usually simple. In the cold winter, they often ate soup with pastries or noodles with baked cakes, warming the body and nourishing the stomach.

The baked cakes were ready, and just as the noodles dropped into the pot, Zhenzhen rushed in, asking anxiously, "Big sister, wasn’t Dad supposed to have the day off today? Why has he not returned yet?"

The Yun Zhao siblings ran in after her, their faces filled with concern, obviously worried about their foster father, Mo Qingze.

Mo Yan had thought something serious had happened but was relieved upon hearing this and explained, "The roads are all covered with snow right now, and since we can’t go to pick up Dad by carriage, I reckon he plans to walk back tomorrow morning."

Tomorrow would be the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, the eve of the Lesser New Year. Changshan Academy chose to let out today in hopes that students living near Jing City could get home for the Lesser New Year. But with the heavy snowfall, the roads were increasingly difficult to navigate. Horses and carts, let alone people, found it hard to move. Lizhong and the other two found traveling inconvenient and stayed at the shop, unable to return for several days.

After listening to Mo Yan’s explanation, the worries of the three children eased. Zhenzhen came over with a grin, grabbed a baked cake from the basket, and bit into it hungrily while recounting the farcical events at Wang Dali’s house.

Mo Yan had anticipated trouble, but did not expect it to arise so swiftly, and could only remark inwardly that villains would eventually meet their match.

Once the noodles were cooked, the three dogs returned home on time after playing all day on the mountain. They hadn’t brought back a single rabbit fur, but Mo Yan was thoroughly pleased.

Ever since that night they were extorted by Wang Dali and others, she had prohibited Little Flower from taking the dogs hunting in the mountains too frequently to avoid further trouble. Under Little Flower’s command, the dogs obediently brought back a rabbit only once every few days.

Most of the dogs’ owners didn’t say anything about it, but a few villagers came round, indirectly asking about the reason. Mo Yan merely mentioned the heavy snow in the mountains and the cold weather, and that Little Flower was reluctant to go up there. The villager left regretfully, unable to change the situation, since Little Flower did not belong to her...