Chapter 17: Cleaning the Pig’s Head

Li Xiangdong smiled, “I’m using them as wine bottles. Inside are the two catties of Erguotou I just bought.”

“Why buy loose wine? You could have just taken some from home. Binzi, remember to grab my two bottles of Tongzhou Laojiao when you leave later.”

Qian Bin readily replied, “Alright, Dad.”

Uncle Qian was a generous man, and Qian Bin’s personality was just like his father’s. When their group of childhood friends got together to eat and drink, it was usually Qian Bin who paid for the majority of it.

“We can’t do that, Uncle Qian. We’re already embarrassed enough as it is. How can we take your wine too?”

“That’s right, Uncle Qian. If you do this, we brothers won’t dare to come over anymore.”

The three of them, Li Xiangdong, Xiang Lin, and Zhang Sen, quickly refused. Qian Bin paying for the pig’s head and offal was a matter between them brothers; they couldn’t let an elder contribute.

Besides, drinking some loose wine was fine for them. Tongzhou Laojiao wasn’t cheap; a bottle cost two yuan and eighty cents, and it required a liquor ration coupon!

Uncle Qian didn’t insist. “Alright then, we’ll save these two bottles. When Binzi’s wife’s baby is born, we old and young men will drink them at the full moon celebration.”

Only then did Li Xiangdong remember that Qian Bin’s wife was about to give birth. No wonder he hadn’t seen her when he entered the courtyard; she was probably resting in her room.

He clasped his hands together and said, “Uncle Qian, let me congratulate you in advance. When my big nephew has his full moon celebration, I will definitely have a couple of drinks with you.”

Why did he say that? Of course, it was because he knew Qian Bin’s wife would give birth to a big, fat boy.

Uncle Qian’s face was all smiles. He fanned himself a couple of times with his cattail leaf fan and said loudly, “What nephew or not? In our Qian family, it’s the same whether it’s a boy or a girl. I like daughters very much too.”

He said that, but Li Xiangdong’s words seemed to have scratched an itch in his heart, making him extremely happy. The Qian family had only had one son for three generations, so he certainly hoped his daughter-in-law could give him a big, fat grandson.

“Then you young men get busy. I won’t get involved. I have to go to work at four in the afternoon, so I’ll go back to my room to rest for a while.”

Li Xiangdong said, “You should get some good rest. The body is the capital of the revolution. The back kitchen is still counting on you, Uncle Qian.”

“You child, you really know how to talk. Now that you’re back from the countryside, you must come and visit Uncle Qian’s house more often.”

After Uncle Qian stepped over the threshold into the house, fanning himself, he turned back and said to his son, “Binzi, remember to bring the braising spice packet later. I specially prepared that for the restaurant. The braised meat will taste authentic.”

“I know, Dad.”

Qian Bin replied. After his father went into the room, he stood up and pounded his numb legs. He was a bit fat and couldn’t squat for too long.

“Dongzi, you’re too damn good at talking. Your mouth is like it’s been smeared with honey. You’ve charmed my dad so much he doesn’t know which way is north, even giving you the braising spice packet. Why don’t you just become my dad’s son?”

The braising spice packet was their Qian family’s secret recipe. His father usually never let outsiders use it. Even in the back kitchen, his father would watch over it the whole time, afraid that someone would learn the recipe.

Xiang Lin, while picking at a pig’s ear, said in admiration, “Dongzi’s mouth is famously skilled. Otherwise, how could he have married a wife while living off his dad’s relief grain in the countryside?”

Zhang Sen followed up with a jab, “Isn’t that the truth? When Dongzi had his blind date with his wife, he said he was good at studying, had high moral character, was helpful, and was even named a ‘Five-Good Student’ by the school, with the walls of his house covered in award certificates.”

After a few laughs, Qian Bin asked curiously, “Hey, Dongzi, when your wife found out you lied to her, didn’t she slap you a couple of times?”

Li Xiangdong said, exasperated, “Stop spreading rumors about me. There’s no such thing. My wife fell for my excellent qualities. Hurry up and get to work, get all the pig hair singed off!”

Under the contemptuous gazes of the three, he found a shady spot and squatted against the wall. He even took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a satisfying drag.

After being singed, the pig’s head was black and needed to be scrubbed again. Qian Bin put the pig’s head and the already singed trotters and tail together, found a bucket, filled it with water, poured it into the basin, and began to scrub.

Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen were cleaning the pig offal in the other basin. The pig intestines were sticky and smelly, and the surrounding children had all run far away.

“Binzi, give me the pig’s tail. I’ll wash it.”

Li Xiangdong thought for a moment, then stood up and walked over. He squatted next to Qian Bin and fished the pig’s tail out of the basin.

He planned to stew this and bring it back for his daughter to eat, so he’d better do it himself. Qian Bin’s small, squinty eyes made him look like he was asleep even when he was working. He couldn’t trust him!

It took a lot of work to get it clean. Not only was this thing wasteful to prepare, but it was also troublesome to clean up.

Li Xiangdong saw that Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen were still tearing the white membrane off the pig kidneys and asked, “Are you two done cleaning?”

“Almost done.”

They poured all the washed items into a bucket, and the two large basins were washed clean with soapbean powder and put back in the house.

Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen carried the bucket, while he and Qian Bin followed behind, each holding an enamel mug.

Leaving Qian Bin’s house, they twisted and turned through several alleys. Some places were too narrow, and Xiang Lin and Zhang Sen had to walk sideways. It took a while to get to the main road.

Zhang Sen stopped, put down the bucket, and turned to Li Xiangdong and Qian Bin behind him, “It’s too heavy, my hands hurt. Let’s switch. You two come and carry it for a while.”

Xiang Lin didn’t say anything. He knew his brothers’ characters too well; none of them were diligent.

Li Xiangdong, holding the enamel mugs, didn’t stop and walked right past them. “Switch what? You and Xiang Lin can just switch hands. Hurry up, we’re almost there.”

“What are you looking at me for? I’m the head chef today. Don’t ask me to do the helper’s work.”

Qian Bin wasn’t stupid either. Besides, Dongzi was right. They were almost there, why switch!

Crossing the main road was the north side of the alley, which they commonly called North Chuanban Hutong. This was where the wealthy families lived.

Shi Zhengzhe’s family had a one-courtyard house in the north alley, about the same size as Li Xiangdong’s.

It was said that this courtyard was Shi Zhengzhe’s mother’s dowry. Because the deed was in his father’s name, the subdistrict office had now returned it to the father and son.

The alleyways here were spacious, wide enough for four people to walk side by side. They passed through two more alleys before arriving at Ah Zhe’s house.

“We’re finally here.”

Xiang Lin put down the bucket he was carrying and went forward to pound on the door.