There was a little snowflake a few days ago, but the snow didn't fall as much, and the next one was a break. The sky was still a little gloomy, and the wisps of cold wind swept up the sparks in the brazier, and they were extinguished as soon as they floated out of the brazier.

A gathering like this has not been held by Zhao Yuan and Xiao Zhaozhuang's relatives for a long time. No matter how close the person is, if you don't move around for a long time, the relationship will slowly become estranged.

"Atom, there are a lot of us coming, and everyone is empty-handed." Uncle Xu Mei'e said with a smile.

"It can't exist, auntie, we're glad everyone can come. This time is too busy, I should have gone to Xiaozhaozhuang to walk around. Zhao Yuan shook his head and said.

"Yes, sister-in-law, the Atom family is not short of our little things." Second Uncle Miao Lan said.

"You go and see what you can do, and don't treat yourself as a guest if you know that you are coming empty-handed, there are so many of us young and old." Zhao Chuanyi said to several women.

"I know to help, didn't we just arrive, let's go after a while, Xiaoying is in the house, right?" Several women grabbed a handful of melon seeds and swallowed them.

"In the house, a few aunts and uncles, she is preparing barbecue ingredients, no, she came out." As Zhao Yuan spoke, he saw Meng Ying and several other women who were busy in the house walking out.

"Uncle, uncle, second uncle, second uncle, third uncle, third uncle, third uncle......" Meng Ying was around a waist, with some spices on her hands, and when she heard the movement, she also shouted.

"Xiaoying is getting more and more well-behaved, what are you going to be busy with, just say, let's do it." Uncle Xu Mei'e said.

"It's nothing to do now, let's find a stool to sit on, it's cold outside and go into the house to roast the fire, Uncle Meng, I'll be tired of you in a while." Meng Ying said with a smile.

"Don't bother, I'm just eating this bowl of rice, I remember that your family fed six fat pigs, how many are you going to kill?" Butcher Zhao Meng patted the guy on the side and asked with a smile.

"Kill them all, so I'll have to ask everyone to help later, there are some old clothes in the house, change them when everyone helps." Zhao Yuan answered.

The people of Xiao Zhaozhuang are dressed up to attend today, and everyone has put on the new clothes for the New Year in advance.

"Okay, is the water boiling?" Zhao Gongzi asked.

"It's burned, Uncle Pole, but it's definitely not enough, there are only two pig killing stools, and it's too late to take turns." Meng Ying said.

"The water has been drunk, the melon seeds have been eaten, atom, you see us start." Hearing Meng Ying say that he was ready, Zhao Chuanyi said.

"Okay, let's follow me to change into old clothes." Zhao Yuan nodded and took the men of Xiao Zhaozhuang to change clothes.

"You don't need so many people, there are ten people, uncle, second uncle, third uncle, you don't have to do it." Zhao Yuan saw that everyone was ready to help, and hurriedly said.

"That's okay, we're watching from the sidelines, why didn't the four boys in the bazaar come, and I don't know how to come to help earlier, I think it's in the eyes of money." Zhao Chuanyi nodded, looked around at the absence of his two sons, and said.

"It's okay, we have enough manpower, and business in the market is relatively good these days, but I asked Uncle Tao to inform them, and I'll come over for dinner next morning." Zhao Yuan waved his hand and said.

Zhao Yuan took Zhao Laowu, Zhao Gongzi, Zhao Tieniu and several other men from Xiao Zhaozhuang to the house to change clothes, while Shao Meng, Guo Du's five brothers and Yao Yuan, Jia Yang, Jia Xian, and Jia Jian went to their place to change clothes.

"The clothes are all here, you pick a well-fitting one to change into." Coming to a guest room, Zhao Yuan found a place to put his old clothes and said to a few people.

"Okay, but atomic, these clothes are not old, it's a bit of a waste to wear them like this to kill pigs, I knew we brought one from home." Zhao Gongzi flipped through the old clothes that Zhao Yuan said, and said with a sigh.

"Uncle Pole, it's okay, just wash it if it gets dirty, these clothes are all prepared for work." After Zhao Yuan finished with a smile, let them change first, and walked towards the kitchen.

"Brother Yuan, you first mix the pot with pig's blood and mix the seasoning, we have already washed the basin." In the kitchen, a group of women are sitting, gossiping, choosing and chopping vegetables, and on the stove, a large steamer is steaming rice.

Fortunately, the kitchen of Zhao Yuan's house is big enough, otherwise there are so many people, and it really can't be turned around.

"Okay, I'll get it." While talking to the aunts and uncles, Zhao Yuan washed his hands in the washbasin on the side, preparing to mix the seasonings.

There can be six pots of pig blood from six pigs, except for leaving two pots of fresh ones for cooking cabbage soup, the other four pots are intended to be used by Zhao Yuan to make pig blood tofu and pour some blood sausage.

Put salt, spiced noodles and boiled soybean oil in the pot to ensure that the pig's blood is smooth and tender. Meng Ying actually knows how to do it, but she is afraid that she will not be able to grasp the amount of various seasonings.

Zhao Yuan prepared the seasoning differently, marked it, washed his hands, picked up a basin, and walked out of the house.

Zhao Gongzi and a few people had already changed their clothes and were waiting on the side, and a large group of children ran up and down, playing games, and they didn't feel that it was cold outside at all.

"Come, Shao Meng, you go and bring out a few pots, which will be used to catch the pig's blood in a while, and take a few more buckets to fill the pig's water." Zhao Yuan said to Shao Meng and the others.

When you are ready, you will start killing the pigs. The butcher Zhao Meng picked up the prepared paper money, asked Zhao Yuan to call Meng Ying out, and took her outside the pigsty to worship the god in charge of livestock and poultry, and let everyone start catching pigs.

The six big fat pigs in the pigsty seemed to know that their lives were short, and they screamed harshly, which made Yao Yuan, who had been raising them, quite unbearable.

After a while, the six big fat pigs turned into pieces of pork, which were placed in a large basin and salted.

"It's fat, atom, your pig is almost four fingers fat." Zhao Meng said with a smile.

"It's Yao Yuan who raised them well, and this year, these pigs have eaten a lot of feed." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

In this era, everyone likes fatty meat, and a big fat pig like Zhao Yuanjia is exactly what most people like.

After the pig was killed, the women took nearly half of the pork to the kitchen and began to prepare various pork dishes.

Stir-fried pork slices with sauerkraut, stewed pork ribs, stewed elbows, fried pork meatballs, stir-fried kidney flowers, stir-fried pork liver, pork tenderloin for barbecue......

"Let's not change our clothes back yet, let's go to the fish pond and catch the fish." After finishing here, Zhao Yuan said to everyone.

"Yo, it looks like we're going to have fish and meat today." Zhao Chuanyi joked and said loudly.

"Uncle, uncle, we're going to fish too."

Hearing Zhao Yuan's words, Luoluo and the children, who were watching the pig slaughter, also clamored to follow.

Rural children, such a bloody thing as killing pigs, they don't pay much attention to it, and no one will feel afraid, even if it is a little timid Luoluo and Xiaoya.

"Okay, let's all get over." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

As long as a few people hold a long bamboo sieve tied to a long bamboo pole side by side, most of the fish will not be able to run away, especially in winter when the fish are not very active.

"It's rare to catch fish like this, let me get one." Zhao Chuanyi said with a smile.

"Uncle, I'll take one too." Luoluo also said on the side.

"This one is quite heavy, Luoluo, you can't afford it." The big head Zhao Xianyu said a word, but he was eager to try.

Except for the housewives who cooked, basically everyone came to the fish pond and watched Zhao Yuan and them catch fish.

"Only catch more than two catties of fish, and wait for the rest of the fish to stay in the fish pond." Zhao Yuan spoke, and took the lead in picking up the long pole bamboo sieve and stretched it out towards the fish pond.

"Come, together, don't let the fish run to the side." Zhao Chuanyi, who was holding a bamboo pole sieve, said with a smile.

Driven by the long pole and bamboo sieve, the big fish in the fish pond soon fell into the "sieve", and the fish out of the water struggled to beat, but the sieve was relatively large, and it was concave in shape, and most of the fish could not run away.

After Zhao Yuan caught a big grass carp, he handed the bamboo pole to the eager big head behind him, and let them play with the half-grown children.

By the fish pond, there was not a burst of cheers, and the scene was extremely enthusiastic.

"Atom, how is this fish in your house, this pond of fish, I'm afraid there are more than a thousand catties." Zhao Si looked at the bucket basin by the fish pond that was almost full of fish, and asked in surprise.

"Doctor Zhao, the fish of the old man's family are raised with specially formulated feed, and there is also herbal powder mixed with you to help prepare." Tao Pu said with a smile.

"No wonder this fish is so well raised." Zhao Si didn't feel strange when he thought of the medical book that Zhao Yuan gave him, and said with a sigh.

…………

All kinds of dishes made of pork, plus fish and chicken, in the afternoon, this meal for nearly 100 people was ready, but the barbecue stove had already lit a charcoal fire to grill meat and vegetables for everyone to eat, the meal was so slow that everyone did not feel hungry.

During the meal, Zhao Yang and Zhao Qing's families in the market also came over. A sumptuous pig killing feast, coupled with sweet rice wine, was happy for a while, and it ended when it was almost dark.

The adults of Xiao Zhaozhuang crowded the donkey cart and ox cart when they came, plus the carriage and donkey cart sent by Zhao Yuan's family, and returned to Xiao Zhaozhuang with the fish and meat that Zhao Yuan gave them. As for the children, they stayed at Zhao Yuan's house like the last Yuan Festival, ready to play for two days, and when it was time to catch the market, they would go back with the adults who came to catch the market.