Chapter 222: Leisurely Preparations
The large wooden bucket placed in the center of the underground storage room contained various meats that had been slaughtered and cut into pieces.
Taking out two whole ones would be inconvenient no matter how she thought about it, so Su Ning decided to slaughter them on the spot.
After leaving the storage room and arriving at the hilltop for aquaculture, she used her spiritual power to first select two pigs about the same size as the ones for the mission outside.
Around two hundred pounds each, they could only be considered mid-to-low grade in the pigsty, far from reaching slaughter weight, but they were just right for her needs.
After selecting them, she cleaned the two pigs thoroughly, slaughtered each one and split them into two large halves, then put them into the largest hemp sacks.
Next were the cattle and sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese. If not for fear of it being too exaggerated, Su Ning really wanted to take more out.
However, besides these to bring back to the team, she also planned to pack up the New Year’s goods for each family first and send them out while seizing this opportunity.
For mailed meat, it wouldn’t be good to prepare fresh ones. Although the weather was cold and the temperature low, being wrapped for ten days or so would still make them stink no matter what.
She touched her chin and thought for a moment, then decided to directly make them into smoked cured meat, which not only kept for a long time but also tasted great.
Say do it, do it!
There was a lot of meat to prepare this time, and the kitchen in the small courtyard was relatively small, not convenient for working.
So at a spacious area by the river at the foot of the mountain, she directly lit several fireplaces and wooden racks.
She first strung ropes through the meat that needed to be smoked, and the fireplaces were burning several large fruit trees she had specially found in the orchard.
It was said that using branches and leaves from apple trees, pear trees, and mountain walnut trees would produce a unique fresh fragrance. The smoke generated during smoking would be minimal and better preserve the original flavor and nutrition of the food.
She didn’t lack fruit trees; she could just replant the dug-up pits later.
First, she coated the meat evenly with salt and let it cure on the side. Once cured, she hung them one by one on the bamboo racks.
Once she had hung pieces of similar size to fill all the racks, she stopped, turned her head, and used her spiritual power to start making cured sausages, blood tofu, and other special New Year’s dishes that were must-haves on the table here for the holiday.
Fortunately, it was in the space, and with spiritual power, she didn’t have to do all the work herself. Otherwise, just this preparation would take a lot of time and energy.
……
For the Fu family and Zhang Family preparations, they were the same: two chickens, two ducks, two geese, two fish, two pieces of beef, two lamb legs, four pieces of pork, six cured sausages, plus two pieces of blood tofu.
The reason for choosing even numbers was for good luck during the New Year.
For the Zhao Family in Shanghai City and the three Xiao Qiao brothers, the two families were about the same, except for cured sausages and blood tofu, just one chicken and one duck each.
She hadn’t forgotten the families of Yan Ziyu in the northeast and Yan Zijing in the northwest either, but because their current situations were special and the packages they handled would be opened and inspected in advance, she didn’t dare to overdo it and only prepared small amounts of cured meat.
As for those close by in Gu City, she could deliver them before the New Year without issue.
Looking at the hemp sacks neatly stacked in the yard, Su Ning clapped her hands with a smile on her face: Mission accomplished!
Busy in the space, she had forgotten the time. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was almost six in the afternoon.
No wonder her stomach was deflated and growling. She hadn’t eaten all day; how could she not be hungry?
It had been a long time since she cooked in Peach Blossom Spring. Today, she would eat in the space. By the time she finished dinner, it would be completely dark outside.
She picked a few handfuls of rapeseed and a few green onions from the vegetable garden, and took a piece of fresh cured sausage smoked today.
In high spirits, Su Ning prepared to make bamboo tube rice for herself.
……
After finishing the cured sausage bamboo tube rice that made her drowsy and content, and nibbling a few after-dinner fruits, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and quietly slipped out of the space.
This dead corner was still as quiet as it was that morning.
She stayed in place for a few seconds until her eyes adjusted to the darkness, then unhurriedly turned on the flashlight taken from the space.
The small courtyard was only one wall away from this dead alley, making it convenient to transport back and not too eye-catching.
Against the corner of the wall, she stacked the previously prepared items neatly one by one, then took out some worn-out large baskets to temporarily cover and conceal the things.
After finding nothing amiss, she ran lightly and quickly toward home.
In less than two minutes, the panting Su Ning had already returned to the small courtyard gate and raised her hand to knock on the door.
“Creak——”
Very fast, as if someone was waiting right behind the door. As soon as she lowered her knocking hand, the gate was already opened.
In fact, the Zhang Family members saw her go out all day, and with night falling and her not back yet, they were naturally worried. Zhang Qi was just about to go out to look for her when he heard the knocking at the door as he reached it.
“Ning Ning, you’re finally back!”
Seeing her, Zhang Qi’s heart that had been in his throat dropped back into his chest. “Why did it take so long? Did something happen?”
“Nothing, just the wait for the goods took longer. Older brother and the others have already helped transport the things to that alley over there. Hurry and come with me to pick up the shipment!”
“Let’s go!”
Hearing this, Zhang Qi wasted no more words. Although he didn’t know what connections she used or what things she bought, leaving them out in the open—if discovered by someone—would be trouble.
“Wait, older brother, there’s a lot of stuff. Let’s bring the wheelbarrow!”
“Where is it? I’ll get it.”
“In the storage room, covered with hemp cloth.”
“You catch your breath first. I’ll drag it out right away.”
Hearing faint voices but seeing no one enter, Zhang Fu puzzledly walked out of the main hall and bumped into his son hurrying toward the storage room.
“A Qi, who are you talking to? Is Ning Ning back? Where is she?”
“Yes, Ning Ning is back. She’s at the door, Dad. Don’t wait—I’m going to get the wheelbarrow.”
Seeing his anxious expression and him waving at the person, Zhang Fu turned and walked to the gate. Once out of the yard, he saw the person slightly leaning against the door, clutching her stomach and panting.
“Ning Ning, what’s wrong with you?”
“Godfather, I’m fine. I just got a stitch from running back. I’ll be okay in a bit.”
Looking closely at her little face, aside from the two flushes left from running, there was no sign of discomfort. Zhang Fu nodded with relief.
Before he could speak again, Zhang Qi, who had gone and returned, pushed out the single-wheeled cart with both hands.
Upon learning the two were going to move things, Zhang Fu, feeling he still had some strength, ignored their persuasion and followed closely behind to help.
After going back and forth three times, they finally brought everything into the small courtyard.
“Ning Ning, how much did you buy? What are all these things?”
Gulping down a big mouthful of warm tea, feeling the dry mouth relieved, Zhang Qi turned to look at the person slumped on the grass mat.
He didn’t know what was in these sacks, but each one was heavy. After several trips, it nearly broke his old back.
He couldn’t speak loudly outside and feared making too much noise, so he held back from asking. Now he had to get a clear answer.
“Ning Ning, you didn’t take everything that guy had, did you?”
“Heh heh, pretty much.”
Setting down her tea cup, Su Ning walked up to the two of them in a few steps and pointed to the hemp sacks marked differently.
“These are for mailing. The rest, besides the gifts to send out, are for me to take back to the old residence for our own use.”
Untying two nearby hemp sacks, she continued, “Besides the grain, the rest are all slaughtered meat.”
“Hiss——”
Looking at the snow-white rice and whole slabs of pork, Zhang Fu and Zhang Qi couldn’t help simultaneously sucking in a breath of cold air.
They knew she wasn’t simple, but they didn’t know her connections were this extraordinary!
Whether this top-grade rice or so much fresh whole pork, ordinary channels didn’t have them.
“There won’t be any danger, right?”
“No problem at all. Godfather, older brother, rest assured.”
“Ning Ning, as long as you know what you’re doing. But in the future, try to have as little dealings with them as possible—just in case.”
“Okay, I know, older brother.”
Clutching his still pounding little heart, Zhang Qi changed his expression and pretended to wail in pain. “It’s over. My savings for a wife are going to bleed badly this time.”
“Hmph, anyway, we already have Xiao Qiu now, so no rush. As for your wife who’s still who-knows-where… you can slowly start saving from scratch!”
Was it necessary to hit so hard? Indirectly urging marriage too?
“Heh heh heh, th-this is just joking with Ning Ning.”
Zhang Qi’s mouth twitched, he wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, and quickly changed the topic to avoid falling into a pit. “Ning Ning, how much did it cost? Older brother will reimburse it all.”
