Being a pork butcher requires getting up very early, then working until at least six or seven in the evening, and if you're really tired at noon, you might need to rest right there at the pork stall.
The main thing is, saying hello to these pieces of pork every day, apart from being sticky and greasy, the strong smell of pork sticks to your body over time.
Butchers like He and others, having been in the trade for twenty or thirty years, have grown accustomed to the smell, but what they fear is Uncle Zhou's son, who's just graduated from university, wouldn't want to do this job for all the money in the world.
"So Zhou, what does your son say?"
Butcher Zhu asked.
"My son says, Dad, do you know why I worked so hard at my studies? It was to avoid selling pork!"
When Zhou the butcher first said it, the other pork butchers laughed.
