Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 2
The path indicated by the older sister was easy to follow. With the heavy bamboo basket in tow, Song Shi’an approached the dark gate, where the lively chatter of many people reached his ears.
“Finally, it’s pig-killing day!”
“I’ve been standing here for ages; don’t push in front of me!”
“Xu ge-ge, why aren’t you coming out?”
Indeed, as the older sister had suggested, a group of women, girls, and a few bashful shuangers huddled together, crowding the entrance of the butcher’s shop, shaded by a sycamore tree.
Making use of his slight stature, Song Shi’an managed to slip in sideways, weaving through the crowd and positioning himself at the front with his basket of various-sized chickens.
This butcher’s courtyard was more spacious than the Song Shi’an’s family house, open and large, featuring a big black pig tethered to a millstone in the center.
Song Shi’an observed the black pig with a pointed snout and two elongated fangs protruding from its mouth. One of its hind hoofs was ensnared in a trap, oozing blood. Even with its front and rear hoofs bound by ropes, it still howled and struggled relentlessly. The two burly men trying to restrain it were drenched in sweat.
“This thing is incredibly strong. Butcher Xu, if you don’t come out, us, fellow men, won’t be able to hold it down much longer!”
Before the sentence was completed, the wild boar toppled from the millstone, sending everyone rushing toward the exit. Fortunately, due to the pig’s injury, its ferocity didn’t rush towards anyone immediately.
Song Shi’an also sprinted a couple of steps before courageously turning back. He witnessed a figure racing out of the main room, arriving first and reaching the wild boar faster than the other two hunters.
He extended his foot and delivered a well-aimed kick to the wild boar’s heart. The butcher’s knife sliced precisely through the pig’s neck, and at the instant the blood spurted out, Song Shi’an couldn’t help but applaud and exclaim, “Well done!”
The older sister and the women turned back; their cheeks flushed.
Butcher Xu only raised his thin eyelids to look at Song Shi’an before lifting the wild boar and carrying it toward the herringbone wooden frame near the millstone.
This scene was, in fact, quite gory, but with so many onlookers, even the blood on the ground added to the festive atmosphere.
The two astonished hunters rushed to assist in holding the frame and hoisting the pig. Butcher Xu was remarkably strong; he was already ten paces away before they could lend a hand.
“Xu ge-ge is so handsome!”
“The way he slaughters pigs is so majestic!”
Song Shi’an couldn’t help but draw a parallel to the scene where fans fervently supported their idol. It wasn’t their fault.
If Xu Zhongyue hadn’t emerged, Song Shi’an wouldn’t have known that a butcher could be as remarkable as him.
Butcher Xu was extraordinarily lean and stood out among the crowd. He was also pale, as pale as jade. He had delicate eyebrows, handsome eyes, slightly pursed thin lips, and for convenience while working, he wore only a short navy-blue coat. His chest and arms were lean and covered in lean muscle.
When he exerted force, the veins bulged on his jade-like muscles, which was quite mesmerizing.
Song Shi’an looked at him, then at himself, who had nothing but a pair of fleshless arms. He was so envious that he wanted to throw away his own physique.
.
“Wait!”
Song Shi’an found an empty basin in the corner and positioned it beneath the wild boar’s neck. The lifeless pig was hung upside down on a wooden frame by its head and feet to facilitate the blood draining process.
He was well aware that the key to the deliciousness of pork lies in the skill of the butcher. If the pig’s blood wasn’t drained thoroughly, and it seeped into the meat, the taste could become fishy and unpleasant, making it hard to consume.
Under the wooden frame was an artificial trench, which faced the outer part of the courtyard. It had likely been used for bloodletting for many years, people here must consumed pig’s blood too!
“Use a basin to collect the pig’s blood, add some salt to coagulate it, and you’ll have delicious ingredient for cooking. The shape complements the taste, and it’s nutritious!”
“Blood… can you actually eat it?” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“The smell is so strong, yuck…”
People around him began to move away, but Song Shi’an was secretly delighted and continued to observe Butcher Xu Zhongyue.
What an expansive field of expertise!
Xu Zhongyue casted a glance at him with his dark eyes, then turned and went back inside, holding a porcelain jar.
When he handed it over, Song Shi’an attempted to open the lid and indeed found a jar of coarse salt inside.
At the time, salt refining technology was not as advanced, and even the best-quality salt had coarse grains and wasn’t entirely white. He carefully selected some and sprinkled it evenly into the pig’s blood.
After some time, the clean blood did indeed coagulate into a rich, crimson blood clot.
Xu Zhongyue raised an eyebrow, unfazed by the whole basin of pig blood. He switched knives, placed the black pig back on the millstone, gutted it, removed the bones, and separated the tendons.
Deboning an entire pig was a skillful job. Without knowing how to precisely separate the connections between the bones and tendons, cutting the pig into pieces would be a challenging task.
Butcher Xu’s movements were incredibly deft. He’d pulled up his right sleeve, and half of his strong chest and upper arms gleamed brilliantly white in the sunlight.
The boning knife sliced through the pig with ease, first extracting the intestines and then dividing the pig into eight portions.
Song Shi’an had only ever witnessed mechanized butchery in a slaughterhouse. This was truly an eye-opening experience. When the knife’s movement paused, he couldn’t help but applaud three times.
“Xu ge-ge, I’d like the pig’s front hooves. How much is this wild boar meat? Give me a discount!”
“Excuse me, I want those ribs and the fat meat beside them!”
The meat of the wild boar was leaner and tougher compared to regular domestic pork. In ancient times, people preferred using the fat meat to render lard and consumed the residue. It wasn’t as popular as domestic pork, but it was five to ten cents cheaper per pound. Due to its affordability, many loyal customers of the butcher quickly snapped up the pork.
Xu Zhongyue received his share of the money and handed the earthen jar containing the money to the hunters. They shared the proceeds with smiles on their faces. Only then did Song Shi’an step forward and say with a grin, “Xu ge-ge, could you sell me this at a discounted price?”
Xu Zhongyue glanced at the bloody mess on the ground where pig hearts, lungs, livers, and large intestines were piled together, having been stepped on several times.
“Take it away.”
Song Shi’an hesitated, saying, “I only have ten cents left, and I’m not sure if it’s enough. If not, I’ll give it away later…”
Xu Zhongyue reiterated in a deep voice, “Take it away.”
The hunter who taking care of the money and stored it, kindly helped explain Xu Zhongyue’s meaning.
“Little shuanger, don’t worry. What Butcher Xu means is that the pig’s urine makes the meat smell so bad that not even beggars would want to eat it. If you’re willing, you can take it all without having to pay much!”
The surprise was quite sudden, and Song Shi’an began mentally naming dishes he could make. He inhaled deeply and looked up to confirm, “Are you really giving it all to me?”
From listening to the crowd’s discussion, Song Shi’an had a rough understanding of Butcher Xu’s situation.
Xu Zhongyue had only arrived in Qingjiang Town three years ago but had already established himself as a skilled butcher. He helped people slaughter pigs, buy and sell their meat, and quickly saved enough money to purchase a house and land.
Song Shi’an thought that if he could reliably obtain pork from Xu and open a stew shop showcasing his culinary skills, he could attract many customers and make a good living.
Xu Zhongyue, although reserved, was not one to take advantage of others. In the world of business, steady transactions were key.
“And this…” Xu Zhongyue squinted, thoughtfully saying, “Take the blood clots as well.”
“Xu ge-ge, you might not be skilled in cooking. Since you’re willing to give me this much pork, would you allow me to use your kitchen? I can make a braised blood tofu dish for you to taste.”
Song Shi’an had been helping out in his family’s restaurant since childhood and had developed the habit of expressing himself clearly and mellifluously. Although he spoke quickly, his words were articulate and smooth. Furthermore, his voice was as sweet and tender as pearls falling on a jade plate.
Xu Zhongyue remained silent for a moment, treasured hi words like a gold.
“Okay.”
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Butcher Xu’s kitchen was much brighter than Song Shi’an’s home. A fire was burning in the stove, with the flames springing to life when the door was opened. There were containers of oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic cloves and ginger hanging from the beam. Most gratifying was the countertop, inlaid with a row of smooth, mirror-like green bricks that bore no traces of oil.
The key to making pig’s blood tofu was eliminating the fishy odor, a method that wasn’t particularly difficult but rather meticulous.
Xu Zhongyue leaned against the door and watched as Song Shi’an divided the pig’s blood in the round basin into four portions. He crushed garlic cloves, cut up the ginger into shreds, and added them to the water. He poured the pig’s blood into the water, seasoning, and salt, and then lifted the unsealed wine jar at his feet, smelling it before looking at Xu Zhongyue with his large, dark eyes.
Xu Zhongyue nodded, and Song Shi’an poured the strong wine into the water. He then covered half of the stove and let it simmer over low heat.
When the water started to gently boil, Song Shi’an scooped a spoon into it to skim off the foam. He continued this process, carefully stirring the spoon again. By the time he removed the pig’s blood from the water, it had congealed into four lumps resembling coagulated fat. They were tofu-like in texture but silkier.
Song Shi’an placed the lumps in cold water and left them there, turning his attention to a half bag of white flour. Immediately, he had an idea.
As the heir to the Song Family Noodle House, Song Shi’an had been learning dough kneading from the time he learned to read at the age of five. His hands moved swiftly, leaving a few afterimages.
He kneaded the dough quickly until it was elastic, then used his core strength to slam it onto the cutting board, flattening it into sheets before cutting it into uniformly thick, long, and slender strips.
He switched out the pot of water, reheated it, and skillfully placed the noodles into the boiling water.
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Xu Zhongyue changed his position, leaning against the door as he unknowingly gazed at the delicious food. The braised sauce enveloped the steaming pig blood, cascading over the snowy-white, chewy noodles. Song Shi’an sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions and completed a large, fragrant bowl of braised pork and blood clot noodles. He brought the bowl to Xu Zhongyue.
Xu Zhongyue ate in silence, his pace quickening as he continued to consume the dish.
The pig’s blood was free from any fishy odor and offered a fresh and flavorful taste. The ginger and garlic provided a delightful hint of spice, stimulating the palate.
The noodles were perfectly chewy and satisfying. In mere seconds, he polished off the entire bowl.
Xu Zhongyue cast a nostalgic glance at the sauce residue at the edge of the bowl and gradually set the bowl and chopsticks down.
Song Shi’an had grown accustomed to his silent nature in a short span of time. Without the need for words, he knew that Xu Zhongyue had thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
Song Shi’an hoisted his basket, intending to collect the leftover pigs on the ground, but to his surprise, Xu Zhongyue took a step forward, picked up a bucket, and said, “I’ll give it to you.”
Song Shi’an smiled and reached out to touch the bucket handle, thinking that Xu Zhongyue was genuinely generous. However, when Song Shi’an attempted to lift the bucket, it was clear that it was heavier than Song Shi’an had anticipated.
In his slight embarrassment and silence, Song Shi’an realized he had been careless.
He was indeed lacking in physical strength.
“Then, thank you.”
Xu Zhongyue lifted the heavy bucket with ease, and took over the basket from Song Shi’an. The drowsy hens in the basket awoke and began clucking loudly.
‘Cack, click, click, click, click, click!’
‘Hero, please spare our lives!’
“Let’s go.”
.
The day was growing late. Xu Zhongyue followed Song Shi’an through the streets and alleyways. Along the way, Song Shi’an accidentally took the wrong route twice, but Xu Zhongyue didn’t blame or tease him. This gesture moved Song Shi’an deeply, and a warmth filled his chest. Finally, he found the way back home.
Standing at the entrance, the two of them exchanged farewells.
He used to rely on his parents at home and on his brothers when he went out, he hoped to form a brotherly bond with Xu Zhongyue, a man from another family. However, he was wary of appearing too hasty on their very first day of acquaintance.
In the end, he mustered his courage to express his feelings.
“Xu ge-ge, thank you for today. Can you… can you entrust the pig’s water to me? I’ll frequently prepare delicious dishes for you in the future!”
If Song Shi’an decides to start a braised food restaurant business, he could consider partnering with Xu Zhongyue.
His heart raced as he looked at Xu Zhongyue, who was bathed in the gentle glow of the sunset and evening breeze.
“Okay.”
Song Shi’an couldn’t hide his excitement and even stamped his feet. “Great!”
As they finally closed the courtyard gate, both men lingered for a moment before parting ways. Song Shi’an concluded that forming a blood alliance must be on the horizon, regardless of the different source of the blood.