Working at an otherworldly junkyard, making a fortune by collecting trash.

Ji Yunli's breathing quickly subsided; she needed to take a nap before going to work in the afternoon.

As the bedroom door closed gently, Chen Chen stared at the watch-like space button on his wrist, his fingertips rubbing against its cool surface—inside lay 5000 pigs, missing their ribs and tails.

He took a deep breath and silently said "take out," and a pig with a piece of meat cut off appeared out of thin air on the plastic sheet laid out in the living room. The aroma of meat mixed with a faint scent of grass spread out—even the local pigs in the countryside don't smell like this.

But the stainless steel knife he usually used for cutting vegetables only made a dull "click" when it hit the pork bone. The blade didn't even chip, but the impact made his hand go numb.

"I should have been more careful." Chen Chen opened the "Butcher Slicing Tutorial" video on his phone, the screen reflecting the sweat on his forehead.

In the video, the butcher wielded a special boning knife, easily removing the ribs from the meat in a few strokes. However, he struggled with that firm lump of pork belly for twenty minutes before barely managing to separate the fat from the lean meat. The pork in the space seemed to have a "preservation" function; even after being left in the living room for half an hour, there was no unpleasant smell. Yet, his arms were already starting to ache, and lifting them felt heavy.

After packing the three catties of pork belly, more than one catty of tenderloin (due to poor technique), and a pig's foreleg that Zhang Xuehua had ordered into bags, Chen Chen glanced at the time—it was already 10:30.

At 11:15, Zhang Xuehua's security door opened precisely on time.

When Zhang Xuehua took the bag of meat, her fingertips touched the pork, and her eyes immediately lit up: "Xiao Chen, this meat is fresh!"

She examined the meat's texture from all angles, then brought it to her nose to smell it. Suddenly, she lowered her voice and said, "Tell me honestly, is this meat from a free-range boar? I ate some free-range boar at a relative's house a couple of years ago, and it didn't taste as good as this. I asked around for half a year afterward, but I still couldn't find any."

Chen Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly recited the prepared explanation: "Aunt Zhang, don't worry, these are pigs raised in the mountains by my friend. They eat vegetables, grains, and grass, and have never been fed commercial feed."

……

When Chen Chen got home, he threw his canvas bag on the sofa and lay down on the floor.

The faint aroma of meat still lingered in the living room, but he didn't want to move at all; his arms ached as if they were filled with lead.

In a daze, he seemed to see the pig on the spatial button "glowing," and recalling Zhang Xuehua's expression just now, he couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, in Zhang Xuehua's home, the kitchen was already filled with the sweet aroma of sweet and sour pork.

When the pork tenderloin was coated in starch and fried, the oil sizzled. As soon as the golden-brown crust was taken out, Zhang Xuehua couldn't resist picking up a small piece to taste—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the meat juice dripping down her lips, even fresher than the one she had at her son's hotel last time.

In the wok next to it, fermented soybean paste was stir-fried until it released red oil. The sliced ​​twice-cooked pork was then poured in and stir-fried. As the pork slices curled up, the oil from the fat was forced out, and mixed with the aroma of green peppers, the whole kitchen was filled with fragrance.

"Old woman, something's not right with this meat today!" Wu Jianguo picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, and then his eyes widened. "This tastes even better than the local pork we eat in the countryside! Where did you buy it?"

Zhang Xuehua smirked smugly: "I bought them from the young couple selling steamed buns downstairs this morning. They were 100 yuan a pound. The steamed buns you praised today were from them. At first, I was worried they might use lymph node meat, but they showed me the test report. It was from a well-known testing center in the city. Isn't your son familiar with the person in charge there? Let him ask them tonight."

"100 yuan per jin?" Wu Jianguo was stunned for a moment, then picked up another piece of pork tenderloin. "It's worth it! Look at this meat, it doesn't get stuck in your teeth when you chew it, and it even has a bit of sweetness. It's ten times better than those frozen meats in the supermarket." The two of them took turns eating with their chopsticks, and in less than ten minutes they finished off both dishes. The stir-fried bok choy on the side of them was barely touched.

At six o'clock in the evening, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from downstairs. Zhang Xuehua's grandson, Wu Lele, rushed into the kitchen with his schoolbag on his back, sniffing the air: "Grandma, it smells so good! Are you making braised pork?"

"Little glutton, we've been waiting for you." Zhang Xuehua lifted the lid of the casserole, and a rich aroma of meat instantly wafted out—large chunks of pork belly were stewed in the casserole until they were glistening with oil, the sauce coated the skin, and could be easily pierced with chopsticks; even the crevices between the bones were filled with fragrance.

She scooped a small piece into Lele's bowl, and the little guy blew on it before popping it into his mouth. The soft, tender meat melted in his mouth, and his eyes immediately lit up like stars: "Grandma, this meat is even better than the steak Auntie brought back from abroad last time! I want to eat it again tomorrow!"

"Okay, Grandma will make it for you again tomorrow." Zhang Xuehua smiled so much that her wrinkles were all squeezed together. She turned around and served her daughter-in-law Wang Mei a bowl of pig's trotter soup. "Xiao Mei, try it. The pig's trotters are stewed until they're very tender. It's good for your health."

Wang Mei took a sip of the soup, so delicious she almost swallowed her tongue: "Mom, your cooking is amazing! The pig's trotter soup I had in S City last time was nowhere near as good as yours."

Wu Suowei, who had been silent all along, put down his chopsticks. He owned several businesses, including a famous five-star hotel in City C. He had eaten countless delicacies, but the taste of this braised pork reminded him of a local pig he had slaughtered in a rural village before. No, it tasted even better than that pig.

"Mom, where did you buy this meat?" He scooped up a spoonful of soup, tapping his fingertips lightly on the rim of the bowl. "It's hard to find such authentic free-range pigs on the market these days. Maybe someone used some kind of advanced technology to season it."

"How dare you talk like that, child!"

"Xiao Chen said it was raised by his friend, and he showed me the test report, which was done by the most famous institution in the city."

Wu Suowei took out his phone, went to the balcony, and called the person in charge of the organization, whom he knew well. Before he could even speak, the person on the other end laughed, "Old Wu, what brings you to call me? Is your chef making a new dish?"

"No, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Why are you being so polite? Just tell me."

Have you tested any pork during this period?

"Wait a minute, let me see."

"Yes. I remember now, there was a whole-body test report for a pig. The meat was really good, with all indicators being excellent, especially the amino acid content, which was nearly 30% higher than that of ordinary pork. The nutritional content was much higher than that of ordinary pork, and the taste was also very good. It was the best pork I've ever eaten."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Suowei returned to the dining table, picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes changed: "Mom, buy more tomorrow. I'll take some to the hotel and the testing agency."

At 7:30 p.m., the small square in the center of the community was already bustling with activity.

Zhang Xuehua, dressed in a red square dance outfit and holding a Bluetooth speaker, had just turned on the music when several of her older friends surrounded her. "Xuehua, why are you late today?" Aunt Li leaned closer, smelling the lingering aroma of meat on her. "What's that smell on you? It's so fragrant!"

"Of course! I could smell it as soon as I came downstairs," Aunt Wang nodded in agreement. "Did you cook meat at home?"

Zhang Xuehua placed the speaker on the stone platform and cleared her throat: "Let me tell you, I bought a treasure today! A free-range pig that cost 100 yuan per catty, stewed into braised pork. My son Lele ate two big bowls of rice with it. My son even said it tasted better than the food at his five-star hotel."

"Furthermore, they even had it tested at the city's testing agency, and there were absolutely no problems. The nutritional value is higher than regular pork, and it tastes exceptionally good. The young couple themselves even eat buns made with that meat!"

More and more people gathered around, and when they heard "100 yuan per catty," no one thought it was expensive—the people living in this community were either retired cadres or business people, and they didn't care about the money; they were just afraid of not being able to buy good things.

"Xuehua, can you buy some for us too?" Aunt Li said, pulling her hand. "My husband has been saying he wants to eat braised pork lately, but I've bought some several times and he says it doesn't taste right."

"Yes, please bring us some. Do you have any offal? My son loves pork liver," Aunt Wang chimed in.

Zhang Xuehua was overjoyed. She took out her phone and found Chen Chen's WeChat account—the contact name was still "Dawn's First Light," which she had added yesterday.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard, forgetting even to turn on the music for square dancing: "Brother Chen, how much pork do you have left? Lots of us want some."

Chen Chen had just woken up and was still chewing on the leftover steamed buns from the morning.

When his phone vibrated, he thought it was a message from Ji Yunli. But when he opened it, his eyes lit up instantly—Aunt Zhang was trying to get him some business!

He sat up straight, his fingers flying across the screen: 【Yes, yes, yes! We have everything from a pig except the tail and ribs, including the internal organs. How many do you want, Sister Zhang?】

The reply came almost instantly: "I need both."

Chen Chen nearly dropped the steamed bun in his hand. Both ends? He stared at the screen three times to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

Zhang Xuehua asked for both ends right away—this wasn't just a customer, he was practically a god of wealth! He took a deep breath and typed another line: 【Okay, do you also want offal?】

[Yes. Five pig intestines, two pig stomachs, ten pig kidneys, seven pig livers, and one more pig stomach. That's all for now.]

"Two pig stomachs?" Chen Chen smiled and shook his head, quickly replying, "[Okay, Sister Zhang, I'll deliver them to you first thing tomorrow morning.]" He then quoted the prices, opening his calculator and rapidly calculating on the screen: a set of pig intestines costs 300 yuan, five sets would be 1500; pig liver costs 50 each, seven would be 350; pig kidneys cost 100 each, ten would be 1000; three pig stomachs would be 600; two pigs weighing 500 jin each, at 90 yuan per jin, that's 90000. Adding it all up, it's almost 93,000 yuan—more than his and Ji Yunli's combined salaries for three months!

He stared at the numbers on the calculator and suddenly felt his fingertips burning.

But then he thought about it again, and realized that 100 yuan per kilogram of pork was indeed several times more expensive than the market price, and even he felt that it was a bit "heartless".

The pork in the space has no cost, and doesn't even need to be refrigerated; the only "cost" is his strength.

He gritted his teeth—he'd make this money first, and then buy a machine to cut the meat once things were more stable.

Before it was completely dark outside, Chen Chen grabbed his phone and ran outside.

He first went to a hardware store next to the farmers' market and spent 800 yuan to buy two special boning knives. The blades gleamed coldly, and the shop owner said they were specially made for slaughterhouses and could even cut open cow bones.

He then went to a shop selling scales and picked out two electronic scales—one 30 kg for weighing small pieces of meat and offal; and one 500 kg for weighing whole pigs. As the shop owner helped him move the scales to the roadside, he joked, "Young man, are you opening a butcher shop?"

"More or less," Chen Chen replied vaguely, but in his heart he was thinking: The pig is a bit heavy, how will he carry it down?

When he took a taxi to the fat man's house to borrow his car, the fat man was lying on the sofa playing games after getting off work.

"What do you need the bread cart for?" The fat man paused the game, staring at the boning knife in Chen Chen's hand. "You're not going to slaughter a pig, are you?"

"I'm delivering some stuff for someone, it's a bit heavy." Chen Chen didn't dare tell the truth. "I'll use it first thing tomorrow morning, and return it to you at noon. I'll also fill up your tank with gas."

The fat man waved his hand: "Forget about the oil, you can use it." He tossed the car keys over. "By the way, when are you going to bring me some of those steamed buns you mentioned last time? They're so delicious."

Chen Chen took the keys and breathed a sigh of relief—the fat man's van was spacious enough to fit two pigs.

At 9:30 p.m., Chen Chen went to the bus stop to pick up Ji Yunli. The streetlights cast long shadows of the two of them. He had just told her that Zhang Xuehua had ordered two pigs when Ji Yunli's canvas bag fell to the ground with a "thud," and the lunchboxes inside rolled out.

"How much did you say? Two?" She grabbed Chen Chen's arm, her voice trembling. "One head weighs 500 jin, and at 90 yuan per jin, that's 45000. Two heads would be 90000, plus the internal organs... Brother Chen, aren't we going to be rich?"

"Keep your voice down." Chen Chen quickly pulled her into the shade of a tree by the roadside. "We haven't gotten the money yet, don't get so excited." But his own heart was pounding, and his fingertips were trembling.

"Shall we still go sell steamed buns tomorrow?" Ji Yunli suddenly remembered what happened this morning. "This morning, a lot of people asked if we were coming again tomorrow, saying they wanted to buy more."

Chen Chen frowned – he had to deliver pigs to Zhang Xuehua early the next morning and cut them up on the spot, so he had no time to set up a stall.

But if I don't go, my promise to the customers that I would "come again tomorrow" will become empty words, and I will be seen as someone who doesn't keep their word.

"Yes, we have to go." He gritted his teeth. "Make fewer buns, only about 100. Set up the stall at six in the morning and close it before seven, then deliver the pigs. Didn't the security guards say we can't set up stalls? We'll explain to the customers that it's just this once, and we'll move to another location afterward."

"Okay!" Ji Yunli picked up the lunchbox from the ground, her eyes shining like stars. "I'll get up at four o'clock tomorrow to knead the dough, so you can rest more."

The night breeze was cool, but their hearts were warm.

Chen Chen glanced at Ji Yunli beside him, who was laughing like a child, and suddenly realized that this job brought them not only pork, but also the "good days" they had been looking forward to for several years.