The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 36 Stewed Meat

"Why haven't Yang Ming and Zhang Yang come back yet?" The two sisters soaked in the hot spring for half a day, and it was getting dark before they went home. But when they got home, Yang Ming and Zhang Yang were still not back. Only Sun Fangfang's precious son was crying loudly, and the little guy's diaper was all wet. Wei Qingqing couldn't help but panic.

"He should be... alright, right?" Sun Fangfang said while changing her son's diaper, though she was actually a little anxious herself.

"I've heard that there are quite a few wild animals in this forest..." Wei Qingqing's heart clenched at the thought of how Liu's husband had died.

"Don't scare me... This is a village, how far can they run in a day..." Sun Fangfang was also a little flustered.

"But this village is a mountain village. We're on the outskirts of the forest, and the area behind the Grass Hat Mountain is deep in the forest..." Wei Qingqing took out her phone and started dialing Yang Ming's number.

"The phone is ringing, the phone is ringing..." A ringtone sounded.

"He didn't bring it..." Wei Qingqing became anxious and dialed Zhang Yang's number again. This time, the call went through: "Where are you?"

"We're heading back now. This trip has exhausted us. Ugly Girl, where's my wife?"

"Your wife is changing your son's diaper, you two are really something..."

"Alright, alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. We'll be home in about ten minutes. You guys have already washed the big pot. We'll stew some meat when we get back. It's all pure, natural wild game..." With that, Zhang Yang hung up the phone.

"Where are they?" Sun Fangfang asked after cleaning her son up.

"We'll be home in ten minutes. Those two are so hateful! It's been a whole day and they haven't even called home..." Wei Qingqing said angrily.

"We'll teach them a lesson when they get back... those two bastards deserve it..." Sun Fangfang said through gritted teeth.

About seven or eight minutes later, a clear bark came from the yard. Wei Qingqing and Sun Fangfang exchanged a glance, knowing that the two bastards had returned. They sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed), their faces darkening, and waited for the two bastards to come inside.

"Hehe, we're back." Yang Ming lifted the curtain and walked in, grinning at the two women. His body and face were covered in dried blood, and his hair was disheveled with clumps of wolf fur stuck to it, making him look utterly wretched.

Wei Qingqing's anger turned to worry when she saw Yang Ming's condition. She got off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her voice trembling, "What happened to you? Where are you hurt?"

"Where's Zhang Yang? He..." Sun Fangfang felt a little dizzy.

"It's alright, it's alright? This isn't our blood, it's wolf blood. We encountered a pack of wolves and killed six of them. This blood got on our hands while we were skinning them. Zhang Yang is in the outer room preparing the wolf meat," Yang Ming quickly explained.

"Wolf pack, God...you didn't lose anything, did you?" Sun Fangfang felt like the sky was spinning.

Wei Qingqing was barely able to hold on; her legs were as weak as noodles. Luckily, she was leaning against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to avoid falling to the ground.

In people's minds, wolves are synonymous with cunning, slyness, ferocity, and cruelty, let alone a pack of wolves... No wonder the two sisters were terrified.

"It's alright, it's alright. We climbed up the tree before the wolves surrounded us, and we didn't lose anything..." Yang Ming quickly reassured them.

"Phew, at least nothing's missing! Where's Zhang Yang? Get in here..." Sun Fangfang breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that nothing was missing from the two of them. After calming down, she roared angrily.

"Here I am! Honey, I know your legs tend to hurt in winter, so I made you a few wolf pelts. You can make them into leather pants, which will keep you super warm in winter." Zhang Yang carried a wolf pelt and ran in with a big smile.

"You seemed to have said you wanted to make leather coats..." Yang Ming thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud, only secretly pursing his lips.

Looking at the wolf skin her husband was holding, Sun Fangfang felt a warm glow in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Don't be all smiles and jokes with me, stand properly..." Her voice was choked with emotion.

"Yes, yes..." Zhang Yang quickly responded and stood in front of the cabinet.

"And you, you stand still too..." Sun Fangfang yelled at Yang Ming.

So, the two brothers stood in front of the wardrobe like two schoolchildren who had made a mistake. They looked at each other, both feeling a little embarrassed. It was really embarrassing to be scolded like this by a woman.

"Do you know how despicable your behavior is? You sneaked away without even calling us... no, no, you didn't even tell us. Do you know how worried we were about you?" Sun Fangfang scolded sternly.

"Teacher, we know we were wrong, and we promise we won't make the same mistake again..." Zhang Yang said softly, pointing his index finger and touching the tips together.

"Pfft!"

Yang Mingwei and his wife couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

Concern can cloud judgment. Now that everyone has returned safely, there's no need to worry about how dangerous the journey was. Wei Qingqing's mind cleared up, and she remembered that Yang Ming had the protection of the farm space. Even the lightning hadn't killed them, so a small pack of wolves would be no problem for him. In her haste, she had forgotten about that.

"Stop messing around with me, I'm talking to you very seriously." Sun Fangfang said sternly, first glaring at Zhang Yang, then her gaze slid from his face to Yang Ming's, and then she gave Wei Qingqing a wink. Yang Ming and his wife immediately stopped laughing.

"Yes, yes, wife, next time we go hunting in the mountains, we'll definitely call you. Even if we encounter a pack of wolves, we'll live and die together," Zhang Yang quickly replied.

"It seems you haven't realized your mistakes yet. Stand still and reflect on your actions." Sun Fangfang scolded, then pulled Wei Qingqing to the front yard. The two sisters wanted to see what the brothers had accomplished in a day.

When the courtyard lights are on, the courtyard is brightly lit.

"Not bad, we caught six..." Sun Fangfang inspected the prey, "The wolf pelts are a little damaged but you can't tell."

"There's also a pheasant and a rabbit." Wei Qingqing carried a pheasant and a rabbit. "They're quite plump. What should we eat tonight?"

"What's in this bag? It's thick and long, and it has two balls on it... Why does it look a bit like that thing?" Sun Fangfang asked, holding the two wolf whips.

"You don't know?" Wei Qingqing blushed and whispered, "It must be because your Zhang Yang isn't good enough, so he's using this to make up for it!"

"Your Yang Mingcai is no good! Our beast is so strong!" Sun Fangfang's face also turned a little red, and she quietly put the wolf whip back in.

"These are offal... Fangfang, go get a big basin, let's wash them all, stew them in a pot, take some with you when you leave, and send some to my parents too. But please don't say it's wolf meat," Wei Qingqing said.

In this season, it's not feasible to store meat in the refrigerator; it can only be frozen. Yang Ming's refrigerator has limited space in the freezer, so it can't hold much. If there's too much meat, it has to be eaten as soon as possible. Raw meat already carries a lot of bacteria, and if left outside for a day, it will basically spoil.

"Fine! I told you it was dog meat..." Sun Fangfang brought a large basin from the house, filled it with water, and then soaked all the wolf meat in it. The large basin of clear water instantly turned red.

"After washing it, boil it again in boiling water. Do you think the stewed wolf meat will have any strange smell?" Wei Qingqing said while scrubbing the wolf meat.

"It should be similar to stewed dog meat, right? It's very fishy, ​​but you can add some white wine and ginger. However, I've heard that eating this stuff can cause internal heat." Sun Fangfang also started eating.

"This pot is so big, how much liquor will it take? How about we use some ginger? Our ginger has a strong flavor."

The two of them changed three large basins of water to clean the wolf meat. Then they cleaned the large pot, filled it with water, and started a fire. The pot contained twelve wolf hind legs, twelve shoulder blades and forelegs, as well as ribs and other ingredients. It was filled with the meat. After boiling it twice and the meat had turned white and shrunk, they took it out, changed the water, and boiled it again. This time, they added seasonings such as scallions, ginger, garlic, dried tangerine peel, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, etc. They added a lot of ginger, including two large pieces.

The hearth was filled with firewood, which burned slowly as the two sisters began to prepare pheasants and rabbits.

Wei Qingqing scalded the pheasant in boiling water, quickly plucking its feathers as she asked, "How do you cook pheasant and rabbit?"

"How about we make beggar's chicken? I've only ever seen it on TV, but I've never actually eaten it before." Sun Fangfang skinned the wild rabbit and was gutting it.

"We don't know how to make that thing either."

"Isn't that simple? Just gut the chicken, take out all the innards, stuff the seasonings into its belly, rub salt and other things on its body, wrap it in lotus leaves, cover it with a layer of mud, and throw it into the stove."

"Is it okay? Besides, we don't have any lotus leaves here..." Wei Qingqing was a little unsure.

"It will definitely work. I found this on Baidu. If you don't have lotus leaves, just use mud. Let me tell you, their flesh contains iron filings, so you'd better clean it thoroughly when you're doing it."

"What are you doing with that rabbit?"

"We'll roast it. We'll gather a pile of firewood and roast it right there in the yard."

"If you ask me, let's clean up the pheasants and rabbits today and put them in the freezer so you can take them back with you tomorrow."

"That's great! This is real wild game; you can't buy it at the market..."

While the two sisters were busy outside, the two brothers inside seemed a bit down. Zhang Yang nudged Yang Ming with his elbow and whispered, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"good……"

"What do you mean 'okay'? I feel terrible! How about we sneak out the back door?"

"Okay! You go first..."

"Never mind what I said." Zhang Yang lowered his head dejectedly.

"The phone is ringing, the phone is ringing..." At that moment, Yang Ming's phone rang.

Yang Ming was only standing there to amuse the two sisters. Now that something important had come up, he immediately picked up the phone, looked at the number, and saw that it was Zhang Yingning's.

"Feed? Aunt Zhang?"

"Hey buddy, has your new variety of vegetables passed quality inspection yet? We're waiting for your call."

"Oh! Not yet. Things have been busy at home these past few days, so I haven't had a chance. Tomorrow, I'll go to the quality inspection department to have it tested..."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

The two chatted for a couple of minutes and then hung up. But as soon as Yang Ming put the phone down, it rang again.

"Feed? Who is it?"

"Hey buddy, I got a new number, just letting you know."

"Oh! It's Lao San." Yang Ming recognized the voice; it was Zhang Jianhui, his college roommate.

"What do you mean, 'Third Brother'? Can't you just call me Third Brother?" Zhang Jianhui is from C City, H Province. After graduating from university, he entered a government agency. It is said that he has connections in the family and is now at the level of a section chief.

"Good, good, you're doing pretty well these days, aren't you?"

"Hehe, not bad, being our mayor's secretary..." Zhang Jianhui's voice was full of pride.

"Oh ho, looks like you've entered that circle now, congratulations..." As a secretary, regardless of faction, you're considered a confidant. If the boss gets the meat, you'll definitely get the soup too.

Congratulations to you!

"What do you mean by 'shared joy'? You have to treat us, you know? You're really not being fair, always making us say it outright. Huihui, remember, the boss likes clever people..."

"You stinking peasant, how dare you lecture me? Tell me, what are you doing now? Are you married yet?"

When the relationship is good enough, no amount of teasing can hurt each other. Just like how Sun Fangfang and her husband call Wei Qingqing "Ugly Sister," Yang Ming's buddies knew about Yang Ming's parents' desire for him to get a city residency permit as soon as he enrolled in university. The buddies have been teasing Yang Ming for four years with the term "stinky peasant."

"He did get married, but he didn't stay in the city; he went to the countryside to farm."

「我就说嘛，城市里有什幺好的？哪如娶个媳妇，守着两亩薄地过日子？咱们中国人的土地意识，可是世界上最强的，你自个儿回家种地，叔叔阿姨揍你了没？」

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't go back to the village. I secretly bought a piece of land in a remote mountain valley." Yang Ming sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"..." After a moment of silence, the person on the other end said with genuine admiration, "I never expected you, such a quiet kid, to have such a strong will."

"Get lost! And you better remember this: you're buying us a meal next time..."

"Definitely, definitely. I heard that the second brother opened a hotel across from the Polytechnic Institute. Have you heard about it?" Zhang Jianhui said.

The Polytechnic Institute is Yang Ming's alma mater.

"The second oldest in the dorm owns a hotel near the school gate??" Yang Ming was a little surprised. The second oldest in the dorm was named Zheng Dongfang. He was from J City. His family owned a hotel, but only in J City.

"Hmm! I heard that a particularly delicious sweet potato or something has appeared in the hotel industry in our province. Anyway, I don't know much about it. It seems that Yingning Hotel took the lead, and more than a dozen hotels joined forces to squeeze out the business of other hotels. The second brother's business was also affected. He wanted to go to the headquarters of Yingning Hotel to find out what was going on."

"Extra delicious sweet potatoes and potatoes? He found out pretty quickly?" Yang Ming felt a little guilty; his own vegetable sales had actually affected his good friend's business.

"Of course he knew quickly! That's a lot of money that day! Judging from your tone, it seems like you know something too."

"Of course, those things sell really well in the city, but they're too expensive."

"It's alright, my poor farmer brother. In a few days, I'll treat you to a big meal at the Yingning Hotel to satisfy your cravings. I guarantee there will be plenty to eat..."

"You said it yourself, I won't eat you out of house and home!"

The two chatted for a couple more minutes before hanging up.

"Who called?" Wei Qingqing had appeared behind Yang Ming without him noticing.

"Two phone calls, one from Aunt Zhang who wanted a new type of vegetable, and the other from my roommate. We chatted about some random things."

"Fangfang and I finished preparing the hot spring pool today. You and Zhang Yang should go and wash up together. You're both covered in blood," Wei Qingqing said softly.

"Ugly Sister, you're so kind..." Zhang Yang cheered and ran outside.

"The hot spring pool is in the back mountain, but you don't know it. Let Qingqing take you there." Sun Fangfang's voice came from outside.

"You guys are really something, managing to get the hot spring pool ready in just one day." Yang Ming pinched Wei Qingqing's little nose and pretended to be surprised.

"Of course, we women can accomplish great things too." Wei Qingqing smiled smugly.

When Yang Ming and his group returned from the hot spring, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. The wolf meat stewing in the big pot was already tender and mushy, emitting an enticing aroma that made people's mouths water. None of the puppies in the yard went into their kennels to sleep; they all waited expectantly at the door.

Sun Fangfang was scooping out the soup with a strainer, filling three large basins. Wei Qingqing was also busy, scooping out the broth with a spoon.

"Does it smell good?" Zhang Yang's hair was still wet as he reached out and tore a strip of meat from a wolf leg. "It smells good, really good, but it's a bit thick."

"Of course it needs to be smoked," Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes at him, "Isn't this the broth I'm ladling out right now?"

"If you ask me, let's not fumigate the whole thing, just fumigate half of it..." Yang Ming said at this moment.

"Yes, yes, let's take a bowl of it inside and eat it first. We haven't eaten anything all day..." Zhang Yang carried a bowl of wolf meat and ran into the house.

"Hehe..." Yang Ming chuckled, picked up the kang table, and went into the room.

"These two are just foodies..." Sun Fangfang rolled her eyes and said.

"Hehe, those two have been busy all day, and you punished them, they're probably starving by now." Wei Qingqing chuckled, scooped a piece of boiled meat from her whistle, and threw it into the yard. The puppies immediately swarmed over, howling and scrambling for it.

"Mom, what smells so good? Is it Aunt Qingqing's house..." At this moment, Zheng Bao'er's voice came from outside, followed by the sound of a lock being opened.

"Sister Liu is really something. She's been busy on the mountain from dawn till dusk these past few days. This Saturday, she and her daughter just went together," Wei Qingqing put down her spoon. "You keep cooking, I'll go call them over to eat together."

"Go ahead! Call them over, there's plenty of meat anyway," Sun Fangfang said.

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