In the courtyard of the Cheng Family, Father Cheng, assisted by Cheng Dazhuang and Mother Cheng, skillfully bled and skinned a pig weighing at least one hundred and fifty pounds. The process followed, methodically and in perfect order, with everyone fulfilling their duties. The small yard was a scene of bustling activity.
"That's another basin of pig's blood filled. Including yesterday's, that makes two full basins," Mother Cheng said. Carrying the wooden basin, she stood on tiptoe, carefully navigating the blood-slicked ground to find a clean path toward the kitchen.
Whether it was because a thin layer of ice had formed on the ground overnight or her shoes were simply too slippery, she stumbled. She nearly fell, basin and all. In the split second of crisis, Mother Cheng was only concerned with protecting the pig's blood in her hands, completely forgetting that Father Cheng’s butcher knife was standing upright on the cutting board just behind her.
Chapter 81