mesbooks Chapter 1 A Slaughterman's Day
Chapter 1 A Slaughterman's Day
At one in the morning, the small town seemed to have been put on silent, the once bustling streets falling silent. But it was in this quiet night that several electric vehicles and cars broke the silence, heading towards a secluded place on the outskirts of the town.
Hongxing Slaughterhouse, a state-owned factory that has been operating for many years and only becomes lively at night. For the factory's long-time employees, they seem to be used to this nocturnal work style, drowsy during the day and wide awake at night!
When Yuan Linghan arrived at the security room on his electric scooter and clocked in as usual, Grandpa Wang, who was sitting inside, suddenly smiled and said, "Little Han, I heard from people at the factory that you're planning to quit?"
"Sir, you really know everything! My resignation hasn't even been finalized yet, and the news's already out in the open?"
"Is it really necessary to ask about such trivial matters in our factory? Well, you're still young, there's no need for you to waste your time here."
Although slaughterhouses are state-owned, and working in a factory is considered a secure job, how many young people can truly endure dealing with animals and the smell of blood every day?
As a veteran employee of the slaughterhouse, Mr. Wang has seen many new employees come and go. However, most of these new slaughterhouse workers do not last more than three months. They either resign or are transferred away from the slaughterhouse.
The so-called slaughterhouse worker is what is commonly known as a pig butcher, and some people also call those who do this job a butcher!
The slaughterhouse now has only eight full-time slaughtering employees, the other seven of whom are all over forty years old. Yuan Linghan is the youngest, and his performance since joining the company has been recognized by the veteran workers.
Unfortunately, this slaughterhouse, which has been operating for over 20 years, is about to undergo an industrial upgrade. Professional slaughterhouse workers, including Yuan Linghan, will lose their place in the workforce and eventually be reassigned as butchers.
Even though the factory leaders highly regarded Yuan Linghan and promised to reassign him to another position while he remained employed, Yuan Linghan ultimately chose to resign, just like the other experienced workers, after learning that the factory equipment was being upgraded and that slaughtering pigs and cattle would be mechanized.
After changing into his work clothes and entering the workshop, several experienced workers who were chatting saw Yuan Linghan and said with a smile, "Xiaohan, why did you resign too? Didn't the factory manager say before that he could arrange for you to be a cutting worker?"
"Master Xu, you've all left, leaving me all alone in the factory. How could you be so heartless!"
Spending time with these slaughterhouse workers, who were old enough to be his father, naturally made him speak more casually. Looking at Yuan Linghan's feigned grievance, a cold-faced slaughterhouse worker next to him, smoking a cigarette, said, "Little Han, we're old, you're still young!"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Linghan smiled nonchalantly and said, "Master Han, it's precisely because I'm still young that I want to go out and see the world. With the skills I learned from you, if things really don't work out, I can always set up a meat stall!"
After chatting with the experienced workers for a while, team leader Zhao Sihai, who had gone to sign contracts, finally returned. He clapped his hands and said, "There's a lot of work today, so everyone might have to work hard. It's the Dragon Boat Festival, so we need to make extra preparations."
Although Zhao Sihai was also a slaughterhouse worker, several of the experienced workers in his slaughtering team were older than him. Whenever he assigned slaughtering tasks, he would speak in a friendly and polite manner, which everyone was used to.
When it was time to assign the task sheet to Yuan Linghan, Zhao Sihai said with a regretful look, "Xiaohan, are you really sure?"
"Uncle Zhao, I've really made up my mind. But don't worry, I'll definitely stand guard until the very end."
"Sigh, you're still young, it's good for you to go out and explore. I'm assigning you to slaughter a cow today, is that alright?"
"No problem! I'll definitely handle any task you assign me perfectly."
Yuan Linghan, having received the task order, didn't waste any time and immediately went to the workshop where cattle were slaughtered. Seeing the cattle that needed to be slaughtered and dissected that night, he instructed the temporary workers to drive the cattle into the passageway, and then retrieved a long needle.
Locating the Tianxin acupoint on the top of the ox's head, the long needle was inserted. In the words of other experienced practitioners, this is called "calming the mind and guiding the qi," so that when the knife is stabbed later, the ox will not struggle violently, allowing it to die more peacefully.
Compared to when he first started working, seeing the pork and beef being brought in and slaughtered in a line, Yuan Linghan still found the scene somewhat cruel and bloody. But after becoming a slaughterhouse worker, this mindset gradually changed, until now he was completely unfazed.
After the cow was slaughtered and bled clean, the temporary workers took it to the dissection table to wait for Yuan Linghan to come and dissect and cut it up. Compared to the clean and efficient slaughtering process, the dissection and cutting up were the parts that really took time.
For street vendors, the pork or beef they bring to the market to sell is already cut into pieces. Unlike pigs, whose hair is scraped off before leaving the factory, these cows need to have their skin completely removed.
After slaughtering the eight cows assigned for the day, Yuan Linghan switched his butcher knife for a skinning knife and quickly began cutting into the still-warm cow carcasses. Watching the hides gradually peel away under the skinning knife, the temporary workers standing nearby were filled with admiration.
"Master Yuan's craftsmanship is simply art. I heard that the cowhides he skins can fetch tens of yuan more!"
"It's a pity he resigned!"
"Sigh, I wonder if they'll have machines to help with skinning the cattle after they switch to machines for slaughtering!"
"Probably! I don't know what the factory is up to. With our factory's annual slaughter volume, spending so much money on professional equipment, I really don't know what they were thinking. They should use that money to give us more money!"
These temporary workers were all hired by the slaughterhouse on short notice. Yuan Linghan was already used to their whispers. Whether it was praise or criticism, he could now take it all in stride.
When he first became a slaughterhouse worker, the temporary workers he recruited often complained about his poor skills. Now that he's skilled, isn't it only natural that he receives praise and compliments?
After completely skinning the cow, Yuan Linghan began to gut the cow, removing its head and feet. The entrails that were removed would be processed by temporary workers and then packaged together for sale.
Once all eight dissection tables were filled with dissected beef, the temporary workers responsible for cleaning the internal organs were still busy at work. Glancing at the clock in the workshop, it was almost six o'clock; Yuan Linghan knew the vendors should be waiting outside.
Arriving at the office, which was packed with vendors, Yuan Linghan squeezed through the crowd and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhao, my mission is complete."
Upon hearing this, the beef vendors immediately smiled and stepped forward to offer cigarettes, saying, "Master Yuan, were all the cattle delivered from the factory today slaughtered by you?"
If outsiders heard this, they would think Yuan Linghan was a veterinarian!
"Yes, the factory slaughtered eight cows today, and I handled them all myself."
For these vendors who come to the slaughterhouse to buy their goods, having dealt with the factory for years, they naturally know which slaughterer handles the cleanest pigs or cattle. And the pigs and cattle that Yuan Linghan handles are very popular among the vendors.
As the team leader, Zhao Sihai, seeing the vendors preparing to buy goods, said at the opportune moment, "Alright, now that the cows have been slaughtered, let's go weigh them! We slaughtered eight cows today, that should be enough for you to sell."
Some vendors who were familiar with Yuan Linghan would offer him a pack of cigarettes when they went to the workshop to pick out meat. Yuan Linghan would then make a gesture after taking the cigarettes, and the vendors would nod with smiles, everything understood without words.
For butchers, to buy good meat, they need to know which cut of pork and beef is better. Although meat from slaughterhouses is generally safe after inspection, there are still differences in quality!
If the meat sold is of good quality, butchers can attract more regular customers and don't have to worry about not selling all the meat they buy on the same day. Rather than relying on luck, they prefer to find familiar slaughterhouse workers and inquire in advance about which meats will be of higher quality that day!