Great Chu's custom held that the New Year's Eve dinner should be eaten only after nightfall, and it was a meal attended to with much attention to detail. It wasn't simply about having fish and meat on the table, but also about continuing to eat the leftovers until the third day of the first lunar month.
Although eating leftovers for three days was not beneficial to one's health, this custom carried within it a family's hopes for a good year to come. Moreover, it was an occasion that came but once a year, so Mo Yan prepared food to last for the three days.
The food supply at home was very abundant. Half a month ago, she had bought half a pig; half of this was cured with spices to make flavorful bacon, and the other half was minced to make spicy and fresh sausage.
