Chapter 210: Eat to Your Heart’s Content!
Everyone in the family worked hard to prepare a sumptuous lunch, each showing off their own culinary skills and contributing dish after dish to the feast.
Ning Xiyue’s main task was preparing the hot pot base. She made two types — a clear broth and a spicy red broth. When she stir-fried the spices for the red broth, the rich aroma filled the air, instantly making everyone’s mouth water.
And once Father Ning’s stir-fried venison shreds scent drifted out from the kitchen, it was even more irresistible — saliva practically poured from their mouths as their appetites soared to their peak.
Yun Xiulan carried a large bowl of bone broth to the table and announced happily, “Alright, tidy up — it’s time to eat!”
“Okay!”
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan helped carry all the dishes to the table.
There was stir-fried venison shreds, bone soup, steamed venison with rice flour, crispy fried venison bites, braised venison ribs, two bubbling hot pots, and a wide variety of hot pot ingredients — a table packed full of food.
They hadn’t even used up the whole deer — plenty of meat still remained.
Once everyone was seated, Yun Xiulan clapped her hands with a big smile. “Let’s eat!”
Everyone eagerly reached for their chopsticks.
Just as Ning Xiyue was about to dig in, chopsticks in hand, a sudden thought flashed through her mind — her eldest brother, who had gone to the military base earlier that morning, wasn’t back yet.
“Wait, Mom — we’re still missing Big Brother!”
“Oh, right! I completely forgot about him. Alright then, let’s wait.”
Yun Xiulan looked regretfully at the steaming dishes calling out to her, reluctantly set down her chopsticks, and swallowed her saliva. “We’ll wait five minutes for your brother. If he’s still not here by then, he can cook for himself. We can’t let this food lose its flavor.”
After all, there was still plenty of meat left, and the eldest could cook for himself if needed.
Ning Xiyue: “…”
Yep — that was definitely her real mom.
As if she didn’t know that her mother just wanted to dig into Dad’s stir-fried meat right away — the “losing flavor” excuse was completely fake.
Fortunately, just two minutes later, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Since she’d only given the address to her eldest brother, there was no doubt about who was outside.
“I’ll go get the door — that must be Big Brother.”
She hurried over, and sure enough, Ning Zhizhi (the eldest) was standing there.
“Big Brother, come in quick! We were just waiting for you — we’re eating so well today!”
Ning Xiyue grabbed his arm, closed the gate behind them, and practically dragged him inside — worried that their mom wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer.
“Eldest is here — wash your hands and come eat!” Ning Hai called out when he saw his son, mostly to hurry him along so his wife wouldn’t starve.
“Alright.”
Ning Qingzhi quickly washed his hands and sat down at the table.
Ning Qingyuan had already set his bowl and chopsticks out for him.
Once Yun Xiulan saw that her eldest was seated, she picked up her chopsticks again and shouted, “Grab your chopsticks — let’s eat!”
At her command, everyone reached for their chopsticks and started eating.
Ning Xiyue was the first to dig in, picking up a bite of the tender, fragrant stir-fried venison shreds.
It was spicy, savory, and flavorful — not tough at all. The heat and timing were perfect, the meat was well-seasoned, and it paired beautifully with white rice.
Ning Xiyue immediately went and scooped herself a bowl of rice to go with it.
This was the first time she started eating rice even before touching the hot pot — but the shredded meat had been cooked with pickled peppers and pickled ginger, and the taste was just too irresistible and appetite-boosting.
After finishing the shredded meat, she moved on to the other dishes — and quickly realized that every single one was incredible.
The steamed meat was fragrant, the crispy fried bites were crunchy, the bone broth was rich and savory, and the braised ribs practically fell off the bone the moment she bit into them.
Once she finished a whole bowl of rice, she finally started on the hot pot.
She dipped her chopsticks into the spicy broth — so hot and so delicious.
Ning Qingyuan’s face was glowing red as he ate, his chopsticks moving faster than usual. Between mouthfuls, he showered them with compliments.
“This is honestly the best meal I’ve ever had. Sis, your hot pot is as amazing as ever, and Mom and Dad’s dishes are incredible too. I’m so happy right now!”
“It’s all thanks to the quality of the ingredients. This venison is fresh — the deer grew up eating wild herbs on the mountain, so there’s not a hint of gaminess.”
Ning Hai removed his fogged-up glasses, wiped them clean, and set them aside. “You’re all enjoying such a delicious and plentiful meal thanks to our Xiyue. Remember to appreciate her for this.”
Yun Xiulan took a sip of soup and added, “That’s right. Qingyuan, you have to take good care of your sister when you’re out in the countryside.”
“Got it,” Ning Qingyuan mumbled around a bone he was gnawing on, holding it tightly as he worked on it.
Only then did Ning Qingzhi realize that today’s venison feast had come from a deer his sister had hunted herself — and that this meal was something the whole family had prepared together.
He lifted his bowl of soup and thanked his family, feeling a little guilty. He was the only one who hadn’t contributed anything — he’d just come home and started eating.
But this was a close-knit, loving family — no one minded. Their answer to him was simple: Eat, eat, eat.
Everyone was fully focused on devouring the food.
And since it was hot pot, they could keep charcoal burning underneath — perfect for a cold winter day, warming them all from the inside out.
No one had anything planned for the afternoon, so the whole family simply stayed at the table, eating together. When they were full, they rested for a bit before eating again. They even agreed — they’d keep eating until nighttime.
Today, they were going to eat to their hearts’ content!
After the first round, Ning Hai and Yun Xiulan pulled out the textbooks Ning Qingyuan had brought and started testing the three siblings.
Ning Hai held a high school math book and quizzed them on theorems, while Yun Xiulan used a Chinese textbook to test their memorization of passages.
Ning Qingzhi, who had come back late, was completely confused. How did a family meal turn into a pop quiz?
Fortunately, since he had been studying daily during his recent recovery, he quickly composed himself.
As expected, all three of them answered correctly — though the brothers stumbled a bit at times, they still managed to get every question right.
“It seems you’ve all been studying diligently. Special praise goes to your sister — her answers were quick and accurate, and her foundation is solid. You two need to work harder.”
Satisfied, Ning Hai closed the book and looked at Ning Qingzhi.
“Especially you, eldest. Never stop learning — the higher your education, the more competitive you’ll be for promotions. And if opportunities for military academy training come up, your chances of being selected will be much higher. Only then can you seize those opportunities.”
“I understand, Dad,” Ning Qingzhi said seriously, nodding.
Listening to her father’s words, Ning Xiyue felt deep respect. He truly had foresight. In this era, education was often neglected for various reasons — but their family placed great importance on it and stuck to their principles.
It was no surprise their family’s life was steadily improving — the parents planned ahead, and the children worked hard and listened. Together, they all strove to become better versions of themselves.
It was undeniable: knowledge changes fate. Knowledge broadens horizons. Knowledge makes people more open-minded — especially in a time like this.
Once Ning Hai finished speaking, Yun Xiulan scooped some meat from the pot into everyone’s bowls with a ladle.
“You’ve rested enough — let’s keep eating.”
