After returning the cart, I went back home.
I found my mother and wife leading my younger brother, Wang Yi, busy preparing the food for the noon banquet.
I wandered around for a bit, but realizing I couldn't really help with anything, I decided to start soaking the deer antler and deer bones in liquor.
In the countryside, people love to soak a jar or two of medicinal liquor. The method is very simple: if you have a prescription, you prepare the herbs accordingly.
If you don't have a prescription, you just throw whatever you want to soak directly into the liquor, and that’s it!
Wang An knew a very simple recipe: ginseng, deer antler, and goji berries. I forgot the exact measurements, but there wasn't much fuss about soaking this stuff anyway.
I washed two small jars and rinsed them with a little liquor.
The deer antler hanging in the shed hadn't dried out at all; it was frozen rock-hard. I washed it with water and then rubbed it down with liquor!
While rubbing the antler, I felt something was a bit off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was—it just felt strange.
The goji berries were ones we had picked and dried ourselves; they were very clean, so no washing was needed.
I poured sorghum liquor into the two small jars, then tossed in the non-human-shaped ginseng, the deer antler, and about a pound of goji berries into the jars.
Then, I tore a piece of cloth from a clean flour sack, folded it a few times to seal the mouth of the jar, and put the lid on. The ginseng and deer antler liquor was done!
The deer bone liquor was even simpler. The best bones for soaking are the deer spine and leg bones!
Because the spine has spinal cord and the leg bones have marrow! Wang An used leg bones because they were less of a hassle!
A deer has four legs and eight bone segments. I grabbed four bone segments at random, gave them a wash, rubbed them with liquor, tossed them into a jar, sealed it, and put the lid on. Done!
I carried the two jars of medicinal liquor to the west room and placed them against the north wall. Everything was complete!
While grabbing the deer bones, I saw the bones of a wild leopard I had set aside. I’d heard that wild leopard bones were also quite good for soaking!
Although not as good as tiger bones, they were still the real deal! Either way, I’d have to buy more liquor!
After finishing the liquor, I squatted by the stove to help with the fire, when I heard the three big dogs in the yard barking wildly!
They hadn't been familiar with the place for the first few days, so they usually didn't bark at visitors. It was good to see them barking today!
I stood at the doorway and shouted for them to stop, and the three dogs immediately quieted down and retreated to their kennel. They were very obedient!
I saw my Great Uncle Wang Dashu’s entire family walking into the yard, carrying a dining table, stools, and baskets filled with plates, bowls, and basins!
That’s how it was in those days; when one family hosted a banquet, several others would chip in with tables, stools, plates, bowls, and basins, otherwise, there wouldn't be enough "gear" (a general term for tools) to eat with!
The only thing you didn't need to borrow were chopsticks; every household had plenty, all handmade from wood!
Great Uncle Wang Dashu, Great Aunt Xu Yongfeng, and following behind them, eldest brother Wang Yong’s family of four, and third brother Wang Gan’s family of three—a total of nine people!
I greeted them one by one with a smile, and the whole crowd filed into the house!
Great Uncle also had two daughters, eldest sister Wang Xiaoyan and third sister Wang Xiaona. They had already married into other villages quite far away, and with the poor transportation, we hadn't invited them!
A while later, there was another round of barking, and I repeated the same routine!
The Second Great Uncle’s family from the same village had arrived! They were also carrying a dining table and stools, and baskets filled with plates, bowls, and basins!
Second Great Uncle Wang Daliang, Second Great Aunt Yao Ping, and following behind them, second brother Wang Shun’s family of three, fifth brother Wang Li, and younger sister Wang Xiaorong—a total of seven people. Another big crowd!
Second Great Uncle also had a daughter, second sister Wang Xiaofeng, who was already married and living far away, so she wasn't invited either!
Right behind them was my maternal uncle’s family, who lived in Liujiatun, not far from Kaoshantun. Liujiatun was directly north of Kaoshantun, about two or three miles away, just over a mountain!
At this point, I hadn't gone back inside and was still standing in the yard. When my uncle’s family arrived, the dogs didn't bark at all! Once hunting dogs are trained, they really are sensible!
I greeted them one by one. Uncle Liu Deyuan, Aunt Ding Zhengxiang, and my cousin Liu Simeng and younger brother Liu Yongbing—a family of four—also entered the house.
By now, the women of each family were in the outer room helping to cook.
The men were all in the east room, chatting and smoking tobacco that I had traded for roe deer meat!
The children were running wild in the yard!
Whether inside or outside, it was incredibly lively!
Around ten o'clock, my father, Wang Dazhu, drove the sled back with another large group of people, and they all filed into the house!
Perhaps because they were more familiar with Wang Dazhu, the three dogs didn't make a sound!
There were fewer people this time; it was my Great Aunt’s family from Linjiatun, about five or six miles northwest of Kaoshantun.
Great Aunt Wang Yuqin, Great Uncle-in-law Lin Dajiang, and my eldest cousin Lin Hongjun, younger cousin Lin Hongbo, and eldest cousin Lin Dongqing—a family of five!
Lin Hongjun’s wife and two children, and my eldest cousin Lin Dongmei, who had married far away, didn't come.
Following closely behind was my younger Great Aunt’s family, also from Linjiatun!
Younger Great Aunt Wang Yulian, younger Great Uncle-in-law Feng Chengmin, younger cousin Feng Weidong, and younger cousin Feng Ruosi—a family of four, who had arrived by sled!
Younger Great Uncle-in-law Feng Chengmin was also a mountain hunter. To be precise, all the men in his family were mountain hunters!
Feng Chengmin’s father was an old gunner, but he was too old and his stamina couldn't keep up, so he didn't hunt anymore!
Feng Chengmin, his older brother, and his younger brother were all regular hunters! Their family was quite well-off!
That’s why they could afford to keep a horse and come by sled!
By now, all the relatives who were supposed to come had basically arrived!
Actually, my eldest uncle Liu Delin’s family hadn't come, but he worked in a neighboring city and we hadn't been in touch for years, so there was no way to notify him!
At noon, Liu Guilan, who cared about appearances, managed to scrape together eight dishes. Many of them were cooked in the same pot, otherwise, we wouldn't have had enough pots!
Stewed big bones and pork spine, braised pork ribs, stir-fried pork intestines with dried chili, braised pork belly, soy-braised pig trotters, braised venison, pheasant and rabbit stewed with mushrooms, and a basket (a small pot-shaped object woven from thin twigs) of vegetables with dipping sauce.
Since there were so many people, some dishes couldn't be made because there wasn't enough room on the tables!
Including our own family, there were 36 adults and children in total, sitting at two tables in the east and west rooms!
The rooms weren't very big, so people were basically shoulder-to-shoulder, packed in tight!
But the men were clinking bowls—that’s right, bowls, there weren't enough cups!
The women (no derogatory meaning intended, just local custom) who liked to drink also took a sip or two from small wine cups!
The crowd of children was noisy and chirping; the whole house was bustling with voices and incredibly lively!
After the meal, my younger Great Uncle-in-law Feng Chengmin, his face flushed from the liquor, stood in the yard and carefully examined the three dogs for a long time!
Hunters are always extra interested in and fond of anything related to hunting!
Just like a drunkard is with liquor! A fisherman with fishing gear! A horse racer with horses! And a lecher with the opposite sex!
Because they are professional, they are focused!
He said in surprise to Wang An, who was standing nearby: "Xiao An, these three dogs of yours are extraordinary! They are all fierce dogs capable of hard work!"
Wang An asked curiously: "How so, Great Uncle-in-law?"
Feng Chengmin pointed to the largest black dog and said
"See those scars on its back? Those were clawed by a black bear!"
Wang An nodded.
Feng Chengmin continued: "See those scars on its ribs? Those were gouged by the tusks of a wild boar!"
Wang An continued to nod.
Feng Chengmin then pointed to one of the two helper dogs and said: "Look just behind the neck, where there's a patch of missing fur—that was bitten by a wolf!"