(A note of thanks to Xue Wu Ying Fei 2012 and Yi Lou Ting Yu Ling for their generous contributions. Si Ye He will endeavor to update frequently.)

Since mid-December, heavy snow had fallen every day. Aside from their morning lessons with the Master, the family members spent the daylight hours warming themselves by the kang. Even the usually most energetic Xiao Bao stayed quietly indoors. The snow outside was piling up higher and higher, and with only ten-plus days left until the New Year, Er Niu and Madam Huang had already begun discussing what supplies would be needed for the celebration.

This era placed immense importance on the New Year; no matter how meager one’s life, some form of preparation was always necessary. For the Lin He household this year, the observance was particularly significant. In the past, poverty meant that although they prepared for the New Year, limited resources meant there were never any truly special delicacies.

This year, Er Niu and Madam Huang intended to celebrate grandly and have a prosperous New Year. Their discussions often circled back to the specifics of the New Year’s feast. The way this region celebrated was quite different from the southern customs Lin He remembered from her previous life.

In her past life in the South, the New Year celebration primarily centered around the Eve’s dinner—a night where many dishes were prepared, and the family gathered merrily. This place, however, resembled the northern traditions she vaguely recalled, where preparations for the New Year began as early as the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth of the last lunar month.

This involved steaming buns (mantou) and corn breads (wowo tou) as staples, wrapping dumplings, and frying various treats. There were many chores around the house. On New Year’s Eve itself, the main meal was served at noon; the evening was reserved for dumplings. After the first day of the New Year, for the next few days—from the first to the third—one could not use knives for cutting or chopping; only leftover dishes and dumplings were consumed. It wasn't until the fourth day that one could use a kitchen knife again.

Lin He sat on the kang, listening to Er Niu and Madam Huang debate the menu. It always ended up being the same few items: radishes stewed with meat, cabbage stewed with meat, radishes with vermicelli—nothing novel. Since arriving here, Lin He had eaten variations of these dishes daily; even the finest fare would eventually become tiresome. Lin He began thinking about whether she could create something truly delicious for the New Year celebration.

What contemporary foods could she make with the resources available here? She pondered for a long time. Some required ingredients she lacked; others were simply non-existent in this era. Suddenly, she overheard Madam Huang mention cured pork (larou), which sparked a memory of modern sausages.

Recalling descriptions of how sausages were made in her previous life, Lin He concluded that making sausages should be feasible.

Sausages were a wonderful thing—delicious, and Lin He knew how to make them. Simply put, the process involved curing the meat with salt, seasoning it, stuffing it into casings, and air-drying it for seven or eight days. Properly dried sausages wouldn't spoil. To eat them, one would typically steam them. However, air-drying was impossible now due to the heavy dampness; she would have to rely on smoking/roasting them instead.

Lin He made up her mind to try making sausages. She could eat them herself or give them away as gifts. Once roasted dry, they would keep well, so making a large batch wouldn't be an issue. The only hurdle was that roasting sausages required an oven. She would need to devise a roasting apparatus first.

In her past life, Lin He had seen a very simple type of oven made from sheet metal, lined inside with a thick layer of yellow clay, heated from below by fire. This should work for roasting sausages.

Lin He shared her idea with Er Niu and Madam Huang. They were long accustomed to Lin He’s eccentric notions and asked no further questions. If it worked out as she predicted, it would indeed be a fine thing, and ultimately, it was just a matter of spending a little silver; after all, it was the New Year.

She set to work immediately. Lin He instructed Da Bao to go to town and fetch a large metal bucket. Then, she went outside and dug up some yellow clay. Once the apparatus was built, slow-heating the clay with a small fire would dry it out, making it suitable for use as a roasting oven.

Making the sausages, however, was a labor-intensive process. First, they needed to buy quality meat and pig large intestines from the street, along with whatever seasonings were available in this era. While the concept sounded simple, the execution was quite complex. Lin He and Madam Huang minced the purchased meat together, carefully removing all sinews, bones, and lymph nodes. The meat was then salted and seasoned. The traditional ratio for sausage seasoning involved adding a small amount of salt, a bit of dark or light soy sauce, some sugar, a splash of white liquor, and a touch of pepper per kilogram of pork. To this, she added pine nuts and MSG, mixing everything well and letting it marinate for an hour before stuffing.

She noted that this recipe could be adjusted according to personal taste: less salt for those who preferred it less salty, less sugar for those who disliked sweetness, and chili powder for those who enjoyed spice, and so on.

However, this era lacked so many of those ingredients. They would simply use what was on hand; the flavor couldn't possibly be too bad.

Next came the stuffing. Lin He recalled seeing people use a plastic bottle cut in half, its top half serving as a makeshift funnel onto which the casing was stretched. The meat mixture was then pushed through the funnel into the casing, using chopsticks to slowly push it through the length of the intestine.

Since plastic did not exist in this time, Lin He had to make do, using a small ladle and chopsticks in tandem to painstakingly pack all the marinated meat into the casings.

Once filled, Lin He asked Madam Huang for some thin twine and tied the sausages she had stuffed into manageable sections. She then used a needle to prick a few small holes in each section of the casing. This measure was to prevent the sausages from bursting when they were eventually steamed or boiled.

With that, Lin He’s task of stuffing the sausages was complete.

Lin He placed the sausages into her homemade roasting oven to dry. After some time, when the aroma began to waft out, Lin He decided it was nearly done. She asked Chen’er to pull out the firewood, then carefully lifted one sausage out. The rich, savory scent immediately filled the air, making mouths water. Lin He sampled a small piece and found it nearly perfect. She stopped the fire and transferred all the sausages out.

Xiao Bao and Lin Chen couldn't help but circle around Lin He, buzzing with excitement. It was the first time they had smelled something so fragrant, and they begged to try some. Lin He gave each of them one sausage. Xiao Bao swallowed his in three quick bites and cried out for more. Seeing his ravenous look, Lin He felt both exasperated and amused. Xiao Bao ate four or five before finally patting his stomach and declaring he couldn't eat anymore.

Madam Huang and Er Niu couldn't help but praise the result. The meaty fragrance had spread throughout Lin Family Village, making everyone who smelled it drool. Food options were truly scarce at this time, especially something this aromatic.

Madam Huang and Er Niu were overjoyed. Although this required spending money on meat, the pig intestines themselves cost next to nothing, and the process was similar to making larou, but the result was far superior in taste. Furthermore, several sausages would make excellent gifts during the New Year celebrations.

The family, tired from a day of effort, felt immensely satisfied. Madam Huang and Er Niu began discussing whether they should buy more meat and pig intestines the next day for He’er to make another batch. Some for themselves, and some to give away, as one always needed gifts for the New Year, and they hadn't decided on anything suitable. This was a perfect option—it could serve as a dish or a snack for the children, and best of all, it wouldn't spoil. What a wonderful thing this was.