Chapter 2: The Pig-Killing Female Scholar

At the age of seven or eight, she would follow the adults up the mountain to chop firewood and gather herbs, effortlessly catching snakes and rabbits; by the age of thirteen, she dared to wield a shiny cow-ear knife, killing a large fat pig with ease. People praised her for her bravery, and she nonchalantly wiped the pig's blood from her face, saying, "Isn't a pig raised to be slaughtered once it is fattened?"

A little further away, there are two barefoot boys peering in with glee. The two slightly older children in front of them were forcibly kicked in by that withered old man.

At the very least, I still hold some status in this household; at the very least, the whole family is afraid of me. This is what Zhang Qingteng thought.

She is still called Zhang Qingteng today

I originally thought it was just an ordinary farmhouse, but look at this family; they are so poor that their home is practically bare. No! They don't even have complete walls!

A single misstep can lead to eternal regret

At this moment, without her urging, the two young boys and girls chattered away, each speaking over the other, clearly explaining the situation.

"Then how do you live?" Zhang Qingteng felt increasingly cold at heart; this level of poverty was simply unheard of.

Elder sister... please, you must not think of doing anything rash! Zhang Jinbao's tongue began to stumble again; if elder sister were to cause a scene and hang herself, it would be truly uncertain whether she could be saved! If elder sister were to die, how would they live!

The sun was at its zenith, and the sunlight did not seem to mind the dilapidation of this house, streaming in as usual through the roof with missing tiles and bricks. In the beams of light, dust could be seen silently and slowly floating. These few beams of light resembled insurmountable barriers, perfectly separating her from the group of people across the way

Zhang Jinbao and Zhang Xiaodie exchanged glances, both harboring the same thought: their elder sister wouldn't be thinking of giving up and no longer supporting them, would she?

A hole has been gnawed in the corner by mice, and it has been enlarged a bit more. It is said that chickens were once raised here, and this was the door left for them. Now that the chickens are long gone, the hole remains, yet even the mice disdain to visit this family that is so impoverished it won't part with a single dime

Initially, it was just a small-scale affair, but later it became increasingly unrestrained. In gambling, one loses nine out of ten times, and one by one, the belongings in the house were sold off, even the fields were sold. Now, apart from this dilapidated house with four drafty walls and a small patch of vegetable garden at the back, the only thing left in the family is these seven mouths to feed

Zhang Qingtian felt that at this moment, he resembled a motherly figure reprimanding her concubines, children, and servants, except that he lacked the gilded little copper fire poker to stir the incense ashes in the delicate incense burner.

A plump, big-eared pig, lively and energetic, transforms in her hands into piles of front leg meat, hind leg meat, tenderloin, pork belly, ribs, large bones, dragon bones, tail bones, ... pig liver, pig stomach, pig heart, lard ... The entire process takes no more than half an hour, and it is guaranteed that not a single drop of pig's blood will be wasted

Looking around, there is not a single piece of decent furniture in the entire house. This long kang, charred and blackened like a book, serves the two most important functions of the home: eating and sleeping

The origin of that child's name is even more perplexing. Her mother, who was working in the fields when she gave birth to her under the window, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen as a red dragonfly flew past her. After giving birth, she decided to name her after that moment.

In recent years, Zhang Xiaodie has not inherited her elder sister's abilities, but she has certainly picked up quite a bit of her temperament. She speaks to me without any courtesy, saying, "How is it not you who lost everything? You only brought back two jin of pig's head meat for a total of two taels of silver. What happened to the rest? Did it end up in some dog's belly? If it weren't for you, would elder sister have been forced into such a distressing marriage, to the point of wanting to hang herself?"

If it were not for her young age in previous years, it is likely that the minimum age for pig slaughter would have significantly increased. Currently, in addition to this age record, she also holds the record for the fastest pig slaughter in Zhalanbao, Beian.

Zhang Qingtian tugged at the corner of the blanket in frustration, feeling deeply regretful. How could she not think to ask that female ghost about her family background?

The boy in front of her, who is both dark and thin, is her second younger brother, Zhang Jinbao, aged 17. The girl beside him, with a head full of blonde hair, is her second younger sister, Zhang Xiaodie, aged 15. Outside, the two who are laughing and playing together, performing monkey tricks, are her third younger brother, Zhang Yinbao, aged 13, and her fifth younger brother, Zhang Yuanbao, aged 10

I ? ''

The entire family resides in a single earthen house, which contains a long kang. It is unclear from which dynasty or era it has been passed down, but it has already become dilapidated and tattered like an old book. The window paper on both sides of the walls flutters in the wind, torn and ragged, and with the precarious window frames, it could fall at any moment, meeting its end.

Zhang Facai is truly obsessed with money! Otherwise, why would he name his son this?

In this family of Zhang Qingtian, there are a total of seven members. The father, the old man outside the door known as Zhang Facai, and the mother, whose surname is Luo and whose first name is unknown, is referred to as Zhang Luoshi. She is the eldest daughter, with four younger siblings below her.

It is precisely because of her exceptional skills and efficient style that she has gained considerable success in this area, and it is for this reason that this entire family has managed to survive until now

He attempted to pounce, but was firmly held in place by Zhang Qingtian's piercing gaze, rendered motionless beside the kang.

Zhang Qingtian secretly criticized the lack of culture in this family, but what troubled her even more was yet to come

Outside the half-open door, an old man, thin and frail, crouched behind a water tank, peering furtively into the room. Beneath the window, a hunchbacked old woman in tattered clothes also lingered. It was unfortunate that her movements were too slow; when Zhang Qingtian awoke, she had no time to retreat and thus had to hide nearby.

It is said that in the three hundred and sixty trades, each produces its own top talent. She, Zhang Qingting, is the leading female talent in the pig slaughtering industry

The main idea!

"I will kill you, you little brat!" Zhang Facai pretended to rush to the door, glanced at his daughter, who had a cold expression, but ultimately did not dare to enter. He shrank back and shouted from the doorway, "Daughter! Don't believe her nonsense, marrying into the Zhao family is fine! If that scholar really dies, you just take the knife and come back! Let's see who dares to stop you! We can find another good in-law!"

Sister! Zhang Xiaodie has already opened her mouth wide and started crying, "You must not think of dying! If you die, how will we live? The bride price from the Zhao family has already been lost by Father, and even if we strip the house, we still won't be able to repay it!"

In the families of the poor, there are not so many distinctions of status; whoever can support the household and provide for the family is the head of the household

It was that girl who timidly called out, "Elder sister..." expressing her inner confusion with her gaze

Hearing this surname, Zhang Qingteng was dissatisfied, it is vulgar

However, these things are completely worthless in the eyes of Zhang Qingtian

Fortunately, it was only a dragonfly that flew by; if it had been a fly or a mosquito, would there be any point in living?

She could only continue to lean on the kang, tracing circles with her fingers on the smooth, polished kang mat, her face set in a tight expression. After a while, she cast a sidelong glance at the two big children huddled in the corner, and spoke coldly.

Zhang Qingteng was taken aback upon hearing this. The scholar is going to die? Wasn't he aiming to achieve the highest honor? ... What ...? ... What on earth is going on?

I was truly careless

Elder sister, isn't it you who supports the whole family?

Indeed! In the surrounding villages, who doesn't know that Zhang Facai has a remarkable daughter, capable of matching two sons from other families

It is merely the "Zhang" of Zhang San and Li Si, a little dragonfly flying in the sky

Elder sister!" The boy exclaimed, finally managing to articulate his thoughts clearly, "You must not abandon us!

You bunch of little rascals! What do you mean I've lost everything? You didn't say a word while enjoying the meat, but now you all come to criticize me as soon as I wipe my mouth!" Zhang Facai stood up from beside the vat, jumping in anger as he scolded.

The boy opened his mouth, but no sound came out

My heart trembles, oh my! How did my sister wake up after hanging and become even more fierce?

The kang mat had deteriorated to a length of only two feet, and it was laid on the sole black cotton quilt, serving as a cushion beneath me. The rest of the area was covered only with straw, and there were no bed sheets at all.

In his youth, his family still had two mu of thin farmland. By working tirelessly for a year, the family could manage to make ends meet. However, in recent years, as the number of children increased and the expenses grew larger, it became increasingly difficult to support the family. This old fellow surprisingly became infatuated with gambling.

Oh? This elder sister clearly remembers, she must be pretending to be confused

Zhang Qingtian grew somewhat impatient, snorted through his nose, and reluctantly explained, "I don't remember anything!"

Zhang Qingting undoubtedly deserves this honor, and thus she rightfully occupies the best spot on the kang at home, along with the only bedding and the utmost admiration from everyone

"Tell me! Who am I? What is going on in this house? Explain everything to me clearly!"

If we are to be poor, let us be poor! She suppressed the anger in her heart, "I heard that I have an engagement, what is going on with that?"