Chapter 251: Chapter 250: Time to Slaughter the Fattened Sheep

On a spring morning, the school was filled with the sound of children reading aloud, full of hope and vitality, a pleasure to hear.

Lin Wanwan stood by the sheep pen, watching as Lin Mengjin, Lin Mengbo, and Lin Mengxing, her three first cousins, caught sheep.

Today, the few who moonlighted as “butchers” in the clan had free time, so Lin Wanwan immediately called for them to slaughter sheep for the children to eat.

The sheep had been raised since last year, and now they were wasting feed every day, as they had reached full size and would not grow any more meat.

There was nothing pleasant to watch about slaughtering sheep, and after the three brothers led the sheep out, they took them away.

The smell of blood from slaughtering sheep was too strong to be done in the school, for fear of disturbing the children, so they had to be taken to the clan’s designated slaughtering place, where a large pot was already burning.

Among the children, clever ones had already guessed there would be a sheep slaughter, such as Lin Tiezhu from Lin Mengjin’s household, who quietly hinted to his little friends, “We’ll have mutton for lunch.”

A little friend whispered, “How do you know?”

Lin Tiezhu replied, “I just heard a sheep bleating pitifully, it must have been taken outside.”

“No idle chatter, have you all learned your lessons?” Mr. Chen, the teacher, hummed from the podium, and the mischievous children immediately fell silent, lest the ruler met their hands.

There were currently four teachers in the school: Mr. Chen taught rites, literature, and calligraphy; Lin Wanwan taught arithmetic; a newly invited retainer of Xiao Chong, Mr. Zhong, taught archery and charioting; and Heng Wu taught music.

Among these teachers, Mr. Chen had the strictest rules and demands, often administering punishment with the ruler, making the children cry out. Lin Tiezhu, only interested in archery and charioting, was tough-skinned and mischievous, and naturally the child who got punished the most.

By noon, before class had ended, the rich aroma of mutton soup wafted into the school, making the children drool.

This class happened to be Lin Wanwan’s arithmetic session, and she smiled at the children below and said, “Everyone can smell it, right? Today we’re starting to eat mutton.”

“Oh, oh, oh, we’re having mutton! We’re having mutton!” the kids excitedly cheered, eating meat was the happiest thing!

A sheep weighing 130 kilograms could feed over a hundred and thirty children for more than half a month.

“Those in lower grades who can recite the multiplication table can have an extra piece of meat today.”

“Oh! Teacher, I can!”

“Ah, I, I haven’t learned it yet.”

As soon as Lin Wanwan’s voice fell, the room erupted in shouts of excitement and wails.

“Anyone who can state their parents’ birthdays can also have an extra piece of meat!” After the wave of shouts, Lin Wanwan added.

“I know this!”

“Teacher, my mother was born on the second day of the ninth month, and my father on the seventeenth of June!”

The children eagerly shared, governed by filial piety in ancient times, most children knew their parents’ birthdays, except for the ten Qiong State children who didn’t even know who their parents were and thus looked somewhat dejected.

Back in the school kitchen, Mrs. Qian and others, cooking the meals, smelled the aroma of the mutton soup and chattered, “Wan Niang really slaughtered the school’s sheep for the children to eat, this could have been sold in town to subsidize the school expenses.”

“Indeed, not only did she cook the mutton, but she added lots of spices. The children should be grateful to Wan Niang, as these spices are unaffordable even for town residences, with only wealthy households having the fortune to enjoy them.”

“Wan Niang is truly generous.”

The five clan women who helped in the kitchen also had lunch at the school.

Being able to eat good noodles and white rice daily felt fortunate enough, and now they could even taste mutton soup with spices, something they wouldn’t dare to imagine.

Usually, the children’s bowls occasionally had slices of mutton or pork (modern pork bought by Lin Wanwan), but the kitchen aides wouldn’t snatch the children’s meat, everyone was insightful.

Since their own children also attended the school, sparing a bite for themselves meant more for their kids.

But today was different; it was the first day of sheep slaughtering, and there was too much mutton cooked, so they could also have some.

Lunch consisted of cabbage and mutton soup with white rice. The mutton soup was seasoned by Hua Nong, with barely any gamey taste, causing the children to devour every last drop.

Though school meals might not be lavish, they were filling. Many children, having had lunch, wouldn’t have dinner at home, hence tried to eat as much as possible at noon.

After realizing this, Lin Wanwan instructed Mrs. Qian, responsible for serving meals, that each child could have a maximum of two bowls of rice, no more, and Mrs. Qian complied without question.

Everyone thought Lin Wanwan was distressed over the white rice, but in fact, she just didn’t want the children to overeat, as eating too much could harm their health.

Knowing that some children didn’t have dinner at home, before dismissal in the afternoon, Lin Wanwan would always find various excuses to distribute pastries to the children.

Such as having washed clean, improved in learning, done well on duty, and so on. In short, finding a reason was quite easy.

The five women helping in the kitchen envied the children’s treatment, while other clan women envied the five for their work.

They came in the morning to prepare the children’s lunch, while also having a meal themselves, and each earned thirty coins a month.

Such a beneficial role was naturally coveted by everyone in the clan, and eventually, Lin Wanwan selected five people after careful consideration.

Previously, these women had little voice at home, but ever since they could bring money home monthly, they became more confident, even changing Mrs. Qian’s reserved nature significantly.

It showed that economic strength always determined family status.

Clan members working in the fields outside the school also smelled the meat aroma wafting from the premises, sipping tea at the door with grins.

The scent was so enticing, making everyone hungry.

They all heard the noise when the sheep were slaughtered and skinned in the morning, knowing full well that today the school was feasting on mutton soup!

The thought of the children eating with greasy lips only made them hungrier.

But they wouldn’t have lunch; it was much too wasteful. Farmers didn’t lead lives of three meals a day! If they indulged in three meals daily without care, they would face hunger when lean times came.

Only wastrels lived such recklessly; the people of Lin Family Manor never would.

Still, if there were seafood in abundance, some could not resist, and would cook crabs or shellfish to nibble on, as a treat.

The five women responsible for cooking came out, constantly fielding questions about what they ate today. Receiving the response of mutton soup, they were then asked with cheeky smiles how much meat they had eaten.

The women chuckled and held their heads high, “Each child got four pieces, and we had two each! Ah, the soup, it was prepared by Hua Nong himself, with who knows how many spices, delicious!”

Hearing this, everyone felt as if they had tasted it themselves and burst into cheery laughter.

This evening, the entire clan would receive some offals from the sheep, adding to everyone’s anticipation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep