Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Li Long said to Halim:

"Let's kill one and cook it first. The water in the pot is already boiling. I think you're good at cooking meat. We'll kill the sheep later. You can cook it first. It's up to you what seasoning to add. Just let them kill and skin the sheep first."

"Okay." Now that he was here, Halimu would follow Li Long's instructions.

"Let's get started." Li Long said to Yu Shanjiang and the others, "Kill one first and eat it. Then kill the rest and skin and gut them. You will be responsible for these two tasks. Uncle Luo and the others will do the cleaning of the internal organs."

"Okay." Yushanjiang smiled, and then said to Talihar and the others:
"Boys, get started! Do your own thing..." What he meant was that the five of them should kill each other.

Talihar had already jumped over the wall and into the circle without even opening the door. After he entered the circle, he asked:

"Li Long, can you just slaughter this sheep casually?"

"You can kill them at will, they are all fat anyway." Li Long waved his hand. The ewes with lambs have been separated into another single pen - I guess some people who sell sheep don't know that some of the ewes they sell have lambs, while others don't care at all and sell them in groups, regardless of whether they have lambs or not.

Talihar was in the pen. With quick and light movements, he grabbed a sheep's leg and knocked it down neatly. Then he tied up three of the sheep's hooves with a rope he carried with him, leaving only the front hoof free, and then carried the sheep horizontally to Buick who was waiting outside the fence.

Buick took the sheep and held it in the snow. When he went over to wait for it, Tarihar had already laid down another sheep and was ready to tie it up.

Amantai also jumped into the sheep pen, doing the same thing as Talihar.

Li Long said to Lao Shu Luo:
"Uncle Luo, we don't need to rush. We can take as much sheep's blood as we can. We can't keep up with others in dealing with the internal organs, so we don't need to rush. We can just take our time and get as much as we can today."

Then he repeated the same words to his sister-in-law Liang Yuemei and others.

Liang Yuemei and the others naturally had no objection, but Yang Laoliu, who was gathering a pile of corn stalks that had been gnawed by sheep outside the stable and preparing to start a fire, was a little unconvinced. He said while holding the firewood:
"How can it be that fast? They have to kill, skin, and gut, but we just take out the internal organs and clean the stomach and intestines. How can they be as fast as us?"

"Haha, Uncle Yang, you'll know after you watch. They are professionals in slaughtering sheep."

Li Long did not explain much. There is a saying in later generations that is often used to slap people in the face, which is "Don't use your hobby to question other people's professionalism." Compared with people like Yang Laoliu who deal with internal organs, Yushanjiang and his people are really professionals in slaughtering sheep.

Li Long also joined the action. It was already the end of the year, and even during the day, the outdoor temperature was more than 20 degrees below zero. For convenience, Halimu and his friends had taken off their coats.

So Li Long followed Yang Laoliu and the others and planned to light a few fires outside the pen, even if it would only increase the temperature by a few degrees, to make it more comfortable for slaughtering sheep.

Li Long thought that if he continued to fatten the sheep like this every year, he could find time next summer to build a shed next to the stable. It would be better to slaughter the sheep in the shed in the winter, at least it wouldn't be so cold.

It seems that I was negligent.

Four fires were lit around the place where the sheep were slaughtered. The fire was made from corn stalks that had been gnawed by cattle and sheep, which were more burn-resistant than grass stalks. Some rotten wood and branches that Uncle Luo picked up when he was cutting grass in the summer were added in the middle. The fire was very strong and lasted long, unlike wheat straw and reeds that burned out quickly. It was pretty good.

When snow-related floods come down at the turn of spring and summer, they will bring some driftwood from upstream. No one is interested in these things, so Uncle Luo will pick some up and keep them when he has nothing to do.

Older people like to collect everything they think is useful. Anyway, the yard is big and there is space to put them.

After the fire was lit, Yang Laoliu hurried to collect the blood. At this time, Talihar and Yushanjiang had already slaughtered two sheep respectively.

Uncle Luo and Old Six Yang held basins to collect the blood, stirring it as they went along.

"Hey, this blood is so good!" Yang Laoliu said unconsciously.

The New Year is late this year, and those who raise pigs at home have not yet started to slaughter the New Year pigs. Those who participated in the slaughter of pigs last year know that when slaughtering pigs, some people will make mistakes, not stabbing in the right place, and the blood will not spray out, and finally all go into the cavity.

The blood in the cavity cannot be wasted and must be scooped out, but the blood is almost coagulated, which is not good.

The same principle applies to slaughtering sheep. If you don’t slaughter them properly, the blood will flow back.

Yu Shanjiang and his men separated the hair on the sheep's neck, and used a knife to cut and poke its neck. The blood spurted out immediately. The sheep's front hooves that were not tied were kicking hard, but its body was pressed down by the butcher and could not move. The blood spurted out with the movement of the front hooves, and it was all flowing blood.

It looks exciting.

The blood in the two blood basins was poured together. While Uncle Luo and Yang Laoliu were dealing with the blood, Yushanjiang and Talihar had already started to skin the animals skillfully.

Start peeling from the legs, and make a cross-shaped opening on the chest. The knife must have been sharpened yesterday, and it was very sharp. With one cut along the skin, the sheepskin was cut open like a thin line. Li Long had sharp eyes and could see a thick layer of fat under the skin.

Uncle Luo and Yang Laoliu ran to collect the blood again. Five people killed the sheep, and they had to collect the blood four times. There was one time when Li Long saw that he was not in time, so he ran to get a basin to collect it himself.

Then I saw how smoothly the skin was peeled off one by one, as if there was no unnecessary effort at all. The fat on the skin and meat came off easily with a single stroke of the knife.

This smooth and flowing movement gives people a feeling of "I can do it too", as if it is too easy.

After just a few glances, he peeled off a small half of the sheep's skin and then switched to the other side.

"Next year, plant a few stakes here so that you can hang the sheep on them." Halimu said to Li Long while skinning the sheep. "That way, skinning will be easier."

"Okay, let's do this next year." Li Long readily agreed.

While Yang Laoliu and the others were busy, they would occasionally look at Halimu and the others skinning the sheep. They saw that in just over ten minutes, the sheepskin was almost peeled off, and the fast Halimu was already ready to gut the sheep!

He was a little bit unconvinced and moved closer to take a look, wanting to see whether these guys would reduce the quality in order to speed up, such as leaving some flesh and fat on the leather, or even making a hole.

absolutely not!

The skin is clean, and the whole sheep's flesh is covered with a thick layer of fat and blood-red skin, which looks very beautiful.

Just as Li Long said, this guy is really professional.

Yang Laoliu watched them peeling the skin, but Yu Shanjiang and the others didn't pay much attention. They would occasionally look back and smile, as a greeting.

These herdsmen coming out of the mountains were still relatively shy and simple at this time, and were not very good at dealing with strangers.

"Really professional." Yang Laoliu exclaimed when he came back to deal with the offal, "The skin was peeled so cleanly."

"Not only peeling the skin, but also watching them cut the meat later." Li Long smiled, "If they want to clean the meat thoroughly, even dogs won't even chew the bones."

"Is this true?" Yang Laoliu asked, "No way?"

"Really? But we won't try it. We eat meat and bones, so we have to leave some meat on the bones. If they get serious, they won't leave even a little tendon on the bones!"

This time, everyone was really impressed.

Halimu was the fastest. Because he needed to cook the meat, he placed a basin next to him and simply put the internal organs into the basin.

The peeled sheepskin was spread on the snow. There were no flies to bother him at this time, so Halimu simply started to remove the bones on the sheepskin.

When cooking meat, the bones cannot be too big, and there cannot be too much meat left on them. He removed the bones and cut the meat while exclaiming:

"This sheep is so fat! Look at the fat on it! Oh, when I chew on the meat later, my mouth will be filled with...it will definitely smell delicious!"

Although Li Long felt that he might not be able to eat it later, Halimu and the others did not think it was unpalatable at all.

When eating meat at this time, you should pick the fat ones!

Half an hour later, Halimu brought a large basin to cook the meat, and Liang Yuemei and the others had already started working. The stomachs and intestines of several sheep needed to be cleaned.

A pile of cut meat was on the sheepskin. These were frozen and cut for cooking in winter. The warm water was already mixed. Two of them worked together. Uncle Luo and the others also joined in. Li Long was still there holding a basin ready to collect blood, because the boys were ready to slaughter the second sheep.

The unloaded sheep heads and hooves were thrown into a basket. When Mrs. Lu and her friends came back, they would pick some up and take them back for processing.

Li Long quickly collected a large basin of sheep blood and then changed the basin. Sheep blood is not as much as pig blood, but there is a lot of it. These guys were very enthusiastic about slaughtering sheep, and in the morning, more than 20 sheep were slaughtered.

Uncle Luo and Liang Yuemei had just finished cleaning up the entrails of the twelve sheep. After cleaning up the entrails of the sheep, the hearts, livers, lungs and stomachs had to be put back into the stomachs.

Anyway, Chief Hu said that these offal would be weighed together with the meat and sold, so Li Long was naturally happy about it.

Oh, and there is also intestine fat. These sheep not only have a thick layer of fat on their bodies, but also a lot of intestine fat on their intestines. Ordinary sheep don’t have much intestine fat, but these sheep have almost double the amount of intestine fat or even more.

Soon, besides the smell of blood, there was also the aroma of mutton nearby. Halimu didn't care about it after cooking the mutton, and came back to slaughter the sheep. When slaughtering the sheep, he would occasionally bring the knife close to the fire to warm it, because after the sheep was slaughtered, the blood would quickly cool down, and they would also feel cold.

Li Long has seen it several times. When Yushanjiang or Talihar were cutting open a sheep's belly, they would put their hands into the sheep's cavity to warm their hands.

After all, although the smell in the freshly opened cavity is unpleasant, the temperature is actually over 30 degrees Celsius. Compared with the minus 20 degrees Celsius outside, it is simply a paradise for hands!
By the time the mutton was cooked and Halimu washed his hands in warm water and sprinkled salt on them, Yushanjiang and his men had already slaughtered more than twenty sheep.

This time, Yang Laoliu and the others were completely convinced, and they finally understood what Li Long meant by professionalism.

"Okay, wash your hands and eat meat." Li Long greeted everyone, "After eating, take a break and then continue working."

He had already counted them, and had already cleaned up and put the entrails into the cages of fourteen sheep, and there were still twelve cages left, but the entrails had not yet been processed.

After processing, Li Long directly put the meat into a sack and put it in an empty room. Anyway, the temperature inside was low and it froze. This warehouse was specially cleaned and there were no rat holes, so there was no need to worry about the meat being damaged by rats.

Li Long, who was watching these gangsters outside, was also there. Uncle Luo would come over to take his place later, and Li Jianguo, who was helping out, would have to take some meat back for his father and mother.

The old couple actually wanted to come and help, but Li Long refused. It was so cold that it was okay for the younger ones to come, but the older ones were better off not staying here.

Even Uncle Luo and the others, who are in their fifties, Li Long still lets them rest from time to time.

When you enter the yard, you will find that the aroma of meat is even stronger. There is a thick layer of oil floating on the pot.

The pieces of meat in the boiling broth look extremely tempting.

The meat that Halimu put into the pot was not very big, only the size of a fist, and there was not much meat on it, but it was cooked very well, and a hole could be made when you poked it with chopsticks. It was very good for people like Lao Luo, as at least it was not difficult to chew.

Liang Yuemei stood in front of the pot, holding a big spoon in her hand to share the meat with everyone. Next to her was a new, freshly washed enamel basin with some ice chips in it. There was one for each person, and half a piece of naan - it was not that she was reluctant to give the whole thing, but mainly because she wanted everyone to eat the meat, and it was okay to eat less naan.

Li Long and his team would eat meat this way from time to time in the mountains, but the team rarely ate it this way. Liang Yuemei was fine, and when Lu Dasao and Deng Guilan took the bowls to serve the meat, their faces were full of smiles.

Liang Yuemei said:
"When you come back in the evening, take some cooked meat back to your family. There's plenty of meat."

Even with Halimu and his group, as well as Uncle Luo and his group, they still couldn't finish eating all the bones of this sheep. After all, even after slaughtering the sheep, there was still more than 30 kilograms of fat, including the bones, and the fat was very thick. There was a thick layer of oil on the pot with a diameter of 1.2 meters!

Everyone ate casually, either by the stove or by the fire outside in the snow, chewing a piece of meat or a piece of meat naan. Li Long also cut some fritters by the stove, and anyone who wanted one could grab a handful and put it in the bowl. This stuff was very refreshing.

Li Long asked his sister-in-law to serve him two pieces of lamb neck - Liang Yuemei originally wanted to serve him two large pieces of ribs. The main reason was that the thick meat on the ribs had a layer of fat, which looked very satisfying, but Li Long refused to eat that, he just wanted to eat the lamb neck meat.

"What's so delicious about the meat on it?" Although Liang Yuemei was a little confused, she still served Li Long two pieces of neck.

Everyone has no objection to eating lamb fat, and everyone can eat it, and can eat several pieces!
Li Long admires it very much!
He couldn't eat it anyway.

Mutton soup, naan, tender lamb neck meat, and a little bit of mutton skin sprouts, perfect.

It's because the weather is so cold, otherwise Li Long thinks it would be perfect if he could dig a trench and make some red willow barbecue.

It’s a little bit of a flaw, but to be honest, in this day and age, being able to eat big chunks of meat is already a great luxury.

Li Long was very full with two pieces of meat and half a piece of naan. After finishing his meal, he washed the enamel basin with warm water and put it away. He went to add some firewood to the fire outside, and then took the brick tea that had been brewed in the morning and poured it into the basins of Yushanjiang, Halimu and others who had also finished their meal.

Brick tea can remove fat. People in northern Xinjiang drink this tea to clear their throats after eating pilaf, and it is also suitable for this purpose.

"You guys are amazing." Li Long said as he poured tea for them, "You don't need to kill so many this afternoon. Kill another ten or so and we can deal with the rest tomorrow. I'll take you around the county and then send you to the mountains."

"We will change people tomorrow." Talihar said with some regret, "Alema and the others will come tomorrow. They also want to come down the mountain to take a look."

Li Long said subconsciously: "Then come down. After New Year's Day, when this matter is over, I will take turns to bring each of your families down the mountain to play. How about that? The elderly can also come down and have a good look around the county."

This idea immediately excited Halimu and others.

But after thinking about it, Halimu said:
"How about the beginning of spring? At least until March? It's too cold now. It's also cold down in the mountains. The old people don't want to leave their winter dens."

That's right, Li Long realized that he was a little anxious. Although the mountain is colder than outside in winter, the winter nest is still good. It's hard to say on the way out.

Then let’s put this matter aside for now and deal with it when it gets warmer.

After resting for more than twenty minutes, Yushanjiang stood up and went to slaughter the sheep.

They came here to help Li Long. Now that they have eaten the meat and rested, they might as well get back to work.

In fact, when they came here, they had never thought about how Li Long would treat them. Now they had enough fat sheep, just like how they treated Li Long when he came here, so Yushanjiang, Halimu and others felt that Li Long really regarded them as friends.

When you need help, call a friend.

Li Long did not talk to them about the wages for slaughtering the sheep, which made them very happy.

Helping friends doesn't require payment.

According to Li Long, they only need to slaughter a dozen more sheep in the afternoon. However, the sun is better at noon, and although the outdoor temperature is still very low, it is the hottest time of the day.

Yushanjiang and the others moved much faster, perhaps because they had become more skilled. At around six in the afternoon, when the sun was setting, Li Long forced Yushanjiang and the others to wash their hands and knives, change their clothes, and then eat meat.

The fire in the stove under the meat pot had not been completely extinguished. Although it was not turned on, the soup pot was hot.

Although Yushanjiang and the others were unwilling, they still listened to what Li Long said.

Moreover, young people like Talihar and Buick really want to visit the county.

Therefore, they were all rude when eating, just gnawing on a few bones in a hurry and finishing the meal.

Li Long collected some bones and planned to take them back to feed Xiao Hei in the yard.

The dogs in the stable also had a good meal today. Usually they eat the same food as the wild boars and red deer in the pen, a mixture of cornmeal and oil residue, plus some leftovers, so today it was a snack.

Don't complain about the poor food they eat. Most rural dogs feed on leftovers and pig food.

Li Long also gnawed on a piece of bone. This time he took a leg bone, the kind with bone marrow inside. After eating it, he also gnawed off a piece of thigh bone. He gave the thigh bone to Liang Yuemei, saying that Li Juan would like this one more.

Yushanjiang and his team were about to leave, but Lao Luoshu, Li Jianguo and their team had to continue, after all, the intestines and stomachs had not been cleaned yet. Lao Luoshu told Li Long and his team to leave without worry, and that they would stack the 48 sheep in the warehouse after they were done.

Li Long then drove away with Yu Shanjiang and the others. The department stores and markets in the county were still open, so they could go shopping. (End of this chapter)