My Days of Farming and Practicing Martial Arts in Northeast China during the Republic of China Era

Chapter 13 Pork Stew with Vermicelli Every Day?!

The millions of acres of land centered on the source of the Liao River are among the world's finest black soil.

Zhu Kaishan, who had followed, picked up a handful of glossy black soil and sighed:

"If this land were back in my hometown in the Guanzhong Plain, people would fight tooth and nail for it at 30 yuan per mu!"

However, due to factors such as banditry, politics, and a small population, his 130,000 kilos of wasteland were probably not even worth 3000 silver dollars.

In places like Heilongjiang, you don't need to buy wasteland at all; once you clear it out and pay taxes according to regulations, it's yours.

If mechanized production were possible, Lu Xingzhou would have gone there long ago to develop his skills in a more passive, underhanded manner.

However, the soil quality at the source of the Liaohe River is not bad, and its location is basically a traffic blind spot.

To the west lies the Horqin Grassland, and a narrow, winding path stretching over 90 li (approximately 45 kilometers) connects it to Changtu County to the east.

The only road between the north and south is the dirt road we came on. Going north, it's 120 li to Zhengjiatun, and going south, it's 200 li to Faku.

Surrounded by millions of acres of top-quality black soil, Lu Xingzhou had to find a way to acquire it before Zhang Zuolin realized its value.

After making their rounds, the two returned to the enclosure.

In the courtyard, three large iron pots were stewing pork stew with vermicelli, made from two pork patties and over a hundred kilograms of vermicelli.

Three plumes of fragrant mist, dozens of meters high, rose up, standing out conspicuously in the darkness.

The firewood was burning brightly, and the soup in the pot was bubbling away, making the surrounding children's mouths water!

During the most prosperous period of the Republic of China, from 1927 to 1937, known as the "Golden Decade" in Shanghai, the average annual meat consumption per person was only 7 kilograms. You can imagine how low meat consumption was in other regions!

An eight- or nine-year-old girl with pigtails and wearing a patched and tattered cotton-padded jacket was huddled under the courtyard wall, holding a bowl, drool dripping from her chapped lips, staring intently at the iron pot.

Lu Xingzhou even doubted whether she had ever eaten meat in all her life.

Upon seeing him return, Wen reached out and poked Lin Fengyi's waist, who had already tidied up the main house.

Lin Fengyi said somewhat awkwardly, "Sir, you're back. Everyone's hungry. Shall we start eating?"

Whether adults or children, everyone was already dazzled by the aroma of braised pork with vermicelli, but no one dared to touch their chopsticks until Lu Xingzhou returned.

Pretending not to notice their little antics, Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "From now on, you'll be in charge of all our needs in the enclosure—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. You don't need to ask me!"

Lin Fengyi's face lit up with joy: "Let's eat, everyone!"

She served Lu Xingzhou the food and then moved aside to make room for the pot. The children, who were practically drooling, and the woman cooking didn't respond immediately.

It was the strong men who first gathered around the iron pot, holding bowls and scooping out large chunks of meat.

Seeing the meat in the pot rapidly decreasing, the little girl with pigtails, who was staring intently at the pot, was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes, and she pouted as if she was about to cry.

Lu Xingzhou frowned and shouted, "Everyone, stop for a moment!"

Hearing him speak, the men stopped what they were doing, which was them scrambling to put meat into their bowls, and looked at him.

"Eating too much at night will cause indigestion and disrupt your rest, so everyone should eat less and leave some for the elderly, women, and children! I can't guarantee more for now, but I'll make sure everyone can have meat at least once a month from now on, so please don't fight over it!"

At this stage, the pigs are not fattened and generally weigh less than 200 jin (100 catties). After removing the internal organs and bones, the weight is even smaller.

If these strong men with little fat in their bellies were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, the children wouldn't get a single bite of meat.

The landlord said that his wife and children should eat it, and the farmhands had no objections. Only then did the remaining women happily lead their children to serve the food.

He picked out some fatty meat and vermicelli, put them in a bowl, grabbed a few cornbread buns, and went to the side to eat heartily, his face full of longing for the chance to eat meat every month.

Zhu Kaishan knew that Lu Xingzhou was being pretentious and scholarly, so he explained on behalf of the farmhands:

"Master, please don't take it personally. We farmers are not like wealthy families; we have to be very careful with our food. Any good food we have is usually reserved for able-bodied men."

Lu Xingzhou knew this was a social trend, and he was just following the same habit; there was no need to rush the construction of spiritual civilization.

"I'm not blaming anyone. Once we can eat meat every day, no one will fight over it anymore!"

Zhu Kaishan remained noncommittal. Even if he knew Lu Xingzhou possessed some extraordinary abilities, did he really eat meat every day?

Even landlords and wealthy families don't live such extravagantly!

Lin Fengyi brought the prepared pork stew with vermicelli and several large steamed buns to Lu Xingzhou, who insisted on leaning against the wall to eat with everyone.

This braised pork with glass noodles looks delicious. The transparent glass noodles are soaked in the sticky, golden broth, and the pork is so tender that it practically falls off the bone.

Lu Xingzhou, his appetite whetted, picked up a piece of spare rib and put it in his mouth.

"Yue~~~" Dry vomited out the meat in his mouth.

"What is this thing?!"

Lin Fengyi explained in a flustered manner, "Sir, I heard that a young master from a wealthy family like you prefers lean meat to fat meat, so I'll go get you some fat meat right away!"

"No!"

Lu Xingzhou called her over and looked at Wen, who was squatting in the corner with everyone else, eating meat without any regard for his image.

"I'm not blaming you, it's not a matter of fat content, it's just so awful!"

"Disgusting?"

Lin Fengyi incredulously picked up a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. The rich, oily flavor mixed with the aroma of vermicelli instantly filled her mouth.

It's delicious!!

Lu Xingzhou could only forcefully demand, "Go get me some pickled vegetables. When the weather gets warmer, we'll buy piglets and raise them ourselves. They'll taste delicious then."

Although castration of pigs is now common, free-range farming remains the mainstream method. Their varied diet results in a strong earthy and unpleasant odor, and their slow growth and high activity levels lead to tough, less tender meat – it's truly unpalatable.

He had an ample supply of beef in the United States and loved eating beef and lamb, so he didn't realize the problem.

Lin Fengyi didn't understand why the pigs she raised at home tasted so good, but she still obediently took some pickled radishes from the jar.

Lu Xingzhou tore off a large piece of soft steamed bun, the rich aroma of wheat filling his mouth and nose. He chewed the sweet dough thoroughly and swallowed it whole, letting it slide down his throat into his stomach.

Solid, satisfying

The warmth made my internal organs feel incredibly comfortable!

"Delicious! This is the kind of good food humans should eat!"

The wheat, nourished by the intense sunlight of the temperate zone and deeply rooted in the black soil, is ground into flour, making the steamed buns bought from convenience stores in Beijing look like pig swill!

Lin Fengyi, who brought over the pickled vegetables, looked on in bewilderment as she watched him wolf down his dry steamed bun.

Lu Xingzhou ignored her and ate six large steamed buns with pickled vegetables.

Under the eaves not far away.

A little girl with pigtails, her mouth greasy, nestled against a woman in her thirties and innocently asked, "Mommy, the landlord said we'll be able to eat meat every month from now on, is that true?"

"What do you mean, 'really' or 'fake'?! Eat whatever the employer gives you, no complaining!"

"Hmm, Lanni'er isn't picky! It's good enough if we can eat cornbread every day!"

Eating cornbread and steamed buns every day is a dream for many families!

This time, the woman didn't deny it.

The grain and meat they brought were stored in the warehouse. When cooking, the women could see that the host hadn't brought any mixed flour; it was just cornmeal, rice, and wheat flour!

With a loving smile, she stroked her daughter's hair: "Eat up, talking will make your stomach hurt!"

"Mmm~"

Why not dream of white flour buns and rice?

People in this generation have higher moral standards and are more aware of the importance of respecting hierarchy.

They only made large steamed buns for Lu Xingzhou and his wife, and didn't touch the two sheep and dozens of kilograms of beef.

Even if it's just unlimited cornbread, it already exceeded everyone's expectations.

For this food, no gang will dare break through our enclosure!

Lu Xingzhou had no idea that a single meal could make these people treat the enclosure like home, but judging from their satisfied expressions, he could easily imagine what was going on in his mind:

The scene shows villagers with a satiety level of +90, satisfaction level of +100, and public support level of +70.

After the meal, Zhu Kaishan arranged for each family to move into their respective rooms, which showed the thoughtfulness of Steward Sun.

He hired 25 long-term laborers, and together with the Zhu family, they filled 26 side rooms and rear rooms.

They all had large dormitory-style beds, each room could sleep 10 adults and still have room to spare.

These farmhands were mostly families like the Zhu family, consisting of five or six members. With large families, farming wasn't enough to feed them, so they were willing to work for Lu Xingzhou, who provided them with meals, to earn a living at the source of the Liao River.

As for the privacy issue of men, women, young and old sharing a kang (heated brick bed), nobody cares.

Even if he did, Lu Xingzhou would not give up any of the main rooms before establishing absolute authority, as class differences are beneficial for managing the team.

There are seven main rooms. The main hall is used as an office, the easternmost room is the master bedroom, and the two adjacent rooms are used as a bathroom and a study. There are three servants' rooms on the west side, but for now only Sanjiangshui and Niyang live in one of them.

Zhu Chuanwu led a team to keep watch at night, and after they reinforced the collapsed northwest corner, everyone went back to rest.

After daybreak, Zhu Kaishan arranged for the continued repair of the collapsed courtyard wall, the reconstruction of the stable, the reinforcement of the gate, and the organization of farm tools.

Lu Xingzhou didn't need to worry about trivial matters, but there was one thing he had to decide.

Zhu Kaishan: "The ridges are all there, so it won't be too much trouble to prepare. But you need to specify what you want to plant so I can get the workers ready."

It is also the same type of land that has been leveled.

Wheat doesn't have any special requirements for ridges, as long as they prevent drought and waterlogging. Soybeans, however, definitely need to be ridged.

The width and depth of the ridges and furrows must be adapted to the time and place.

Before setting off, Lu Xingzhou had already told Yu Fengzhu what seeds to bring, so they didn't have to think of anything else.

"200 mu of wheat, 100 mu of potatoes, 50 mu of sweet potatoes, and 50 mu of various vegetables are enough for our food and winter food. The remaining 1800 mu will be planted with soybeans."

Zhu Kaishan mainly grows tobacco in Yuanbao Town and also pays attention to grain prices, nodding in approval.

"Master Dong's insight is excellent. Soybean production is low, yet prices have been rising for the past two years!"

Lu Xingzhou smiled but did not explain.

Some things need to be explained clearly, while others can't be told to anyone.

He didn't grow soybeans just to sell them for a few more silver dollars.

If handled properly, he could use soybeans to hold the entire world hostage!