Chapter 101: Three Pigs

"By the way, these are the things I promised to bring everyone last time. I've been too busy lately and haven't had time to come to the County. Sister, please help me distribute them to everyone. You and Sister Liu Yun keep three pairs each, and give everyone else two pairs each."

"This bag of tea leaves is a gift for our Ershu."

This time, An Yinan brought everyone pure cotton socks. In the modern era, they would cost ten yuan for three or four pairs, but here, given their elasticity and quality, they could sell for one yuan a pair.

Sister Liu Yun helped her when she bought medicinal herbs last time, and she wanted to repay that kindness.

Once the socks were handed out, the people at the State-run Restaurant became even more enthusiastic toward An Yinan.

Last time it was towels, this time it was socks.

They just helped by making a few more steamed buns or the like; this was their job, and they were more than happy to do it.

An Yinan walked over to the Xiaomei at the front desk, who was also smiling happily while holding the new socks—especially since they were given by her idol.

Bubbles were practically rising in her heart.

Seeing this, An Yinan couldn't help but take half a step back, steadied her mind, and then walked forward.

"Nan Nan." Xiaomei already knew that An Yinan was younger than her, so she had changed how she addressed her, calling her Nan Nan directly, but the adoration in her eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"I want to open a voucher to buy a pig. Is that easy to do?" An Yinan asked.

The canning jars had arrived; she wanted to stew meat sauce and then mail some to everyone.

"A whole pig?" Xiaomei thought for a moment.

"It's almost the New Year, and pork is hard to come by during the holidays. It's still early now, why don't you order a bit more? It's easy to get a voucher to pick up a pig now, but during the New Year, there's only a daily supply, and you won't be able to get even an extra ounce of meat." Xiaomei was considering things for An Yinan.

Besides, it was freezing cold now; if the meat was portioned out and buried directly in the snow, it could be eaten until the start of spring.

"Then let's make it three," An Yinan decided immediately upon hearing this.

Xiaomei was startled; she had thought getting two would be impressive, but she asked for three just like that?

She quickly filled out the order form. She had bought things a few times before, so she was already familiar with the process and didn't need any instructions.

"Nan Nan, how many steamed buns are you bringing this time?" Xiaomei asked.

An Yinan waved her hand. "Not this time. I'm going to pick up the pork in a while, and I'm afraid I won't be able to carry that much. We'll talk about it next time I come to the City."

After collecting the money from Sister Liu Mei, she hurried to the waste recycling station. She hadn't been there for a few days and didn't know if the old man had been eating well.

"The firewood is in the backyard." When it snowed last time, the snow wasn't cleared in time, and a room in the backyard had partially collapsed. This had drawn the attention of the County, and the snow in the back was now cleared promptly.

An Yinan went to the backyard, skillfully stowed the items into her space, and left fifty meat buns for the old man, along with five jin of white liquor, some fried peanuts, and a bag of grain.

She couldn't come often, so she decided to just give a bit more this time; no one knew when the heavy snow would come.

After finishing her business in the County, she went to the Meat Processing Plant to pick up the three pigs. It was still that chubby girl; upon seeing the voucher from the State-run Restaurant, she didn't hesitate at all and immediately pulled someone over to slaughter the pigs.

"There are six sets of pig offal today, plus three pig heads. Do you want them?" The chubby girl smiled, her eyes disappearing, and her arms were so plump that you couldn't tell the difference between her upper and lower arms.

An Yinan always wanted the pig offal and pig heads, so the chubby girl asked; these would become her extra income.

"Yes, please pack them up for me." An Yinan nodded, paid for the meat according to the weight, and handed the change to the chubby girl.

The chubby girl wiped her hands on her apron and tucked the change away.

"I won't charge you for the offal from these three pigs; you can just take them," the chubby girl said.

An Yinan nodded to express her thanks.

She tied the processed pork to the back rack of her bicycle and rode away, amidst the pained gazes of everyone watching.

They weren't pained because she was carrying so much meat; they were just pained for that brand-new bicycle. That was a lot of money; how could anyone bear to use it to haul pork?

An Yinan found a secluded spot, untied the rope, and tossed the meat into her space.

She pushed the bicycle back to the village.

By the time she returned to the village, the sky had already gradually darkened. She hadn't felt it while busy, but now she was actually a bit hungry.

"Sister, Li Xiu'e left some food for you. I kept it warm in the pot." Beibei heard the door open and knew his sister was back, so he hurried out to greet her.

An Yinan tossed her basket into the storage room and quickly washed her hands and face. Beibei set the meal on the table, and the hot meal made her whole body feel warm.

"I bought some pigs. I'll stew meat sauce tomorrow," An Yinan said.

"That's great!" Beibei was extremely happy. Whether it was mixed with rice or noodles, the meat sauce his sister stewed was always delicious.

An Yinan carried two pig heads and two sets of pig offal to the house next door. Zhao Qiu Hua opened the door and was startled.

"What is this?" The smell was really not great.

An Yinan coughed twice. "Pig offal. I went to the City today and bought some pork, and picked up two pig heads and two sets of offal while I was at it."

Zhao Qiu Hua thought back to the stir-fried pork intestines Nan Nan had made last time and seemed to have more tolerance for this stinky smell.

Li Xiue heard their conversation and came out wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket.

"Pig offal? What's best to use to wash it?" Li Xiue hadn't processed it before, but having eaten what An Yinan made last time, she naturally knew she would know how.

An Yinan thought for a moment. She had used white flour to wash it last time, but Li Xiu'e and the others would certainly find that too extravagant. "Just use wood ash to wash it; wash it a few more times."

"Oh, right, these are gloves. Wear them when you wash it so you don't get frostbite." An Yinan handed over the gloves. They were rubber gloves with a very soft feel. Hospitals had already started using these, and although the doctors used them with great care, her taking them out wouldn't seem too out of place.

"The pig heads should be fine once they're cleaned and braised," An Yinan thought.

"By the way, we're having rice tomorrow. I'll steam rice in my room, and I'm planning to stew some meat sauce. I'll bring a jar over later. When you don't feel like cooking, just boil a pot of noodles and scoop some meat sauce on top; it'll be a meal, and it's very fragrant." An Yinan nodded to herself, fearing they wouldn't believe her.

The two of them rolled their eyes in silence. They were living very comfortably now and didn't have to maintain a superficial relationship like they did in the front yard. Not to mention the two men, even An Yinan and Xie Yuanyuan were very casual. Xie Yuanyuan didn't care about big or small matters, and An Yinan prepared the ingredients and let them do as they pleased.

They were both exhausted and enjoying it. They were exhausted because they were constantly researching new dishes. Since they became responsible for everyone's food, they were almost developing into chefs. The dishes were truly different every day, and in a week, it could be said that they were different every single day.

But they were very happy to have everyone's trust. Every time, An Yinan would bring over wild rabbits, pheasants, roe deer, sometimes even half a deer, and that wild boar meat.