The person speaking was a young man around Bai Ye's age, living in the house next to the Bai family, named Zhang Shiliang.
He and Bai Ye had been classmates since childhood, but Bai Ye's academic performance had always been superior, even though Bai Ye didn't continue his studies after high school, while Zhang Shiliang went on to college.
"What's all the nonsense you're talking? Your mom's calling you for dinner!" Old Zhang shot a glare and shooed his son away, then turned to Bai Ye's father, "Don't mind him, he's just talking nonsense. Where are you guys headed?"
"Uncle Zhang, we're going to Nan Zhuang for the market, since the New Year's coming up," Bai Ye replied with a smile, ignoring Zhang Shiliang's comments.
Although they were neighbors, Bai Ye and Zhang Shiliang had never gotten along. Zhang Shiliang was the type who liked to compare himself to others. As a child, he would show off how well his family ate and dressed. Later, when his academic performance was overshadowed by Bai Ye's, he would often speak with sharp remarks. After he gave up on college and went to work, every time they met, he would throw in a few jabs.
"Old Zhang, we're off!" Bai Ye's father didn't say much, just waved his hand and urged Bai Ye to leave.
Once the car started moving, Bai An'an, sitting in the back, muttered, "Zhang Shiliang is so annoying. What's the big deal about going to college? Everyone knows he only got into a second-tier school. If my brother…"
"An'an, the college thing is on you now. You'll make sure to bring pride to Mom and Dad and your brother!" Bai Ye said while driving.
Bai An'an's expression dimmed a little, "Brother, I want to graduate from high school and work, I don't want to go to college."
"What do you mean, not go to college?" Bai Ye's expression grew serious, and he looked at her through the rearview mirror. "You have great grades, always first in exams, why don't you want to continue?"
"But, but…" Bai An'an lowered her head.
"Are you worried about money? Don't worry, your brother's got skills. Once I start selling my marinated meat at the market, it'll make everyone drool. The money will roll in." Bai Ye exaggerated with a smile.
"Stop talking nonsense," Jiang Lan laughed and scolded, "How's your meat so good?"
"Of course! I'm a top chef!" Bai Ye responded with mock seriousness.
Despite the exaggerations, the mood in the car lifted, and Bai An'an even joined in the fantasizing.
Jiang Lan couldn't help but laugh at how the two kids were talking like they were already the richest family in the county. "You two are impossible!"
After a joyful ride, they reached Li Village, where they heard the pig slaughtering had begun. The father and son quickly stopped the car and ran over, while Jiang Lan and Bai An'an stayed behind.
Bai Ye and his father arrived at the village, where there was a plot of land used every year for slaughtering pigs. Before they even got close, they could hear the loud squeals of the pigs.
A fat, big-eared pig was being held down by a group of young men, and a man in his forties skillfully came forward and thrust a knife into it. A loud scream echoed through the air, and Bai Ye shuddered.
Although he was a chef and had experience with slaughtering chickens and ducks, seeing this still made him feel that the animals were suffering.
"If only it could die painlessly."
Luckily, the butcher was very skilled, and someone had set up a basin underneath to collect the blood. Once the blood had drained, they began cleaning and processing the pig.
Bai Ye's father exchanged greetings with a few familiar faces and noticed his son's pale expression. He led Bai Ye to one side.
"Never really seen pigs slaughtered since I was a kid," Bai Ye's father said with a chuckle.
It wasn't until the pig was scalded to remove the hair, scraped clean, and split in half that the father and son made their way in.
Most people around were just watching, not buying much. Bai Ye asked for half a side of the pig, and the crowd parted to let him through.
Looking at the fresh pork, still warm, Bai Ye could tell it was good quality. The meat had at least three fingers of fat, and it was said that the pigs were fed on grain and allowed to roam, so the meat was tight and the color was excellent.
"How much per pound?"
"Others are paying twelve, but for you, I'll give you a discount for half a side," the butcher Zhang said, "This is grain-fed pork, it's delicious. If you don't want it, don't come to me!"
The price was a flat rate for the whole pork, regardless of the cuts, and it was a bit higher than in previous years.
"How much? Twelve?" Bai Ye's father nodded, knowing the price had gone up, especially with the New Year approaching.
He glanced at Bai Ye. "Do you want to buy it?"
"Buy it!" Bai Ye said, gritting his teeth.
The father and son picked out the best cuts and ordered a large half side. The pig had weighed over two hundred pounds, and after slaughtering, the half side weighed over eighty pounds. The butcher knocked off a little, charging them for eighty pounds at twelve yuan per pound, totaling over nine hundred yuan.
Bai Ye transferred the money to the butcher. Luckily, he had earned over a thousand yuan from a recent task, or he wouldn't have been able to afford the pork.
Father and son carried the half side of the pig back to the car, and Bai An'an, already watching for their return, opened the door for them.
The pork, often used to transport goods, was tossed onto the back of the car, resting on a big bag.
"This meat looks good. How much was it?" Jiang Lan asked, inspecting the pork.
"Twelve," Bai Ye's father answered from the front.
"Not cheap."
"Mom, it's the end of the year, so the price is up. But this meat looks great."
"It does look good." Since they had already bought it, Jiang Lan didn't comment further.
"Shall we head to Nan Zhuang?"
"Right!" Bai Ye turned the steering wheel, heading straight for Nan Zhuang.
Nan Zhuang was the biggest market in their area, open only on the fifth and tenth days of each month, and people from surrounding villages would come.
But the Bai family rarely went because it was a bit far. During other seasons, it was a real struggle to get there by tractor in the winter.
It took nearly half an hour to drive from Li Village to Nan Zhuang, but fortunately, the car had a heater, and they weren't too uncomfortable. Bai Ye's father, a little uneasy, fidgeted and said, "I heard running the air conditioning and heater uses a lot of gas."
"Don't worry, Dad. The air conditioning uses gas, but the heater doesn't," Bai Ye replied with a smile, knowing exactly what his father was concerned about.
"Ah, that's good then," his father relaxed.
Half an hour later, they arrived. This time, Jiang Lan and Bai An'an didn't wait in the car but got out together.
Bai Ye was the last to exit the car. As soon as his feet hit the ground, a prompt sounded in his ear.
[Ding. Hidden in this market is a secret marinated meat recipe. See if you can find it.]
[Ding. Random Task (3): Collect all 33 ingredients for the marinated meat recipe. 0/33. Completing this task will grant a huge money reward and random rare item drops. Task difficulty: ★★★.]
Three stars?
Bai Ye's eyes lit up.
Two stars had given him 888, so how much would a three-star task reward him?
And a marinated meat recipe, he really needed that!
It's like when you're sleepy and someone ha