Once the water boiled, Madam Chen used a ladle to scoop it out of the pot and poured it into a wooden tub. Because the family had no basin, she had no choice but to slaughter the chicken right there in the tub.
Blood gushed continuously from the cut in the chicken's neck. Madam Chen placed a bowl on the ground so the blood could drain into it—this was a nourishing delicacy that could not be wasted.
She then carried the bowl, now filled a little more than halfway, over to the stove and set it down safely to prevent anyone from accidentally kicking it over on the floor, which would break her heart.
Chapter 32