Chapter 273: The Wild Duck
“Yue Wa Zi, now I finally understand why Aunt Yangliu praises you every day for being clever. You really are smart — excellent in every way. Today you cooperated perfectly. You deserve praise.”
Zhang Dawei was overjoyed — it had been a long time since he felt so proud and triumphant.
“Did you see that? Captain Huang was so worried we wouldn’t go that he hurriedly said I should bring you along early tomorrow. I’ve never seen him so impatient.”
Ning Xiyue smiled and nodded, agreeing with the captain.
“I saw it too. I understand — Captain Huang is only thinking of his team, just like you care about ours. Both of you are excellent leaders for your teams.”
“You don’t know, a few days ago I actually asked their team’s cattle manager if we could trade for a calf. Earlier, I learned that the neighboring team also wanted that calf, so the old fellow hesitated and wouldn’t give an answer. Today, though, he agreed immediately and even offered a good deal — all thanks to you, Yue Wa Zi. Without you, he wouldn’t have agreed so quickly.”
“I just did what I should. Honestly, the real skill was yours, captain. You said it, I just helped a bit, and the matter was perfectly resolved.”
Ning Xiyue didn’t think much of it — she was only doing what she believed was right.
Captain Huang’s concern about the calf, everything he did today, was for his team’s sake. Uncle Dawei intervening was also for the Dayu Team’s benefit. Her cooperating with the captain was the same: for the team and for herself.
“So, half the credit each — success achieved together.”
The captain patted Ning Xiyue’s shoulder with a smile and thought for a moment.
“Here’s the plan: from now on, you’ll work with your aunt in the mornings, and in the afternoons you can return to the clinic for consultations. That way, neither side suffers.”
“Thank you, captain. I understand.”
Ning Xiyue was delighted. She no longer had to work all day. Afternoons would allow her to rest if no patients came, and it wouldn’t affect her work points.
Having a useful skill really made a difference. Being on the same page as the captain made them nearly invincible.
Seeing that nothing more required attention here, and with this area partially taken by the coal mining team with people coming and going, she decided it wasn’t convenient to linger. She checked the time and suggested leaving.
“Captain, I’ll head home now. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Go ahead.”
Zhang Dawei tidied the documents on his desk, then remembered something and called out to Ning Xiyue, who was already at the door: “Oh, before you go, tell Zhao Jianshe at your Youth Academy to come over. I want to talk to him about your second brother’s matter. Also, meet here tomorrow morning at 6:30 — the earlier we go, the earlier we return.”
“I will be on time, definitely.”
Ning Xiyue pinched the strap of her crossbody bag, opened it, and glanced at the acceptance certificate inside. Seeing the bright red stamp made her smile. She put it back in the bag and walked lightly toward the Youth Academy.
By the time she returned, it was around 4 p.m. She smelled a lingering scent of fermenting grain in the air. The yard was empty — had everyone eaten dishes cooked with rice wine mash at noon and then gone to sleep?
Shaking her head, Ning Xiyue didn’t enter the yard. She took the side path to the back kitchen.
Approaching the kitchen, she realized why the air in the yard smelled that way. It wasn’t just leftover rice wine mash — Chen Ye Chu in the neighboring kitchen was cooking something with it.
A small stove burned at the doorway. On the stove, a clay pot bubbled and gurgled. Fragrant steam rose, carrying a sweet aroma of rice wine mash mixed with spicy and savory notes.
What meat was being braised? It smelled amazing.
Inside the kitchen, Chen Ye Chu came out holding a bowl and stirring with chopsticks, then sat by the stove. Seeing Ning Xiyue, she greeted her: “Xiyue, you’re back.”
Ning Xiyue inhaled the aroma.
“Yechu, what are you braising? It smells incredible.”
Chen Ye Chu didn’t answer immediately but beckoned mysteriously.
“Come here, I want to tell you something.”
Ning Xiyue thought she had something important to hear and walked toward her.
A small gray dog followed her, playing with a little white dog sitting at the kitchen entrance. The gray dog pretended to circle the white dog to assert dominance, then trotted after Ning Xiyue.
Ning Xiyue wasn’t surprised. The gray dog still remembered when the white dog tried to sleep in its bed, so it always asserted itself. She didn’t bother interfering — so childish, yet the white dog never gave up.
She pulled her gaze from the two animals and looked at the stove.
“Smells even better up close.”
Chen Ye Chu lifted the clay pot lid with a dishcloth and proudly said:
“Xiyue, look! I’m making rice wine duck. Later you can bring a bowl and take some.”
After closing the lid, Chen Ye Chu held Ning Xiyue’s hand and sat down, her face beaming with joy. She whispered:
“Xiyue, do you know where this duck came from?”
“No, where?” Ning Xiyue shook her head, thinking perhaps it was traded through some marketplace.
“This duck has quite a story. A few days ago, Yaoyao saw wild ducks by the river while fishing. Today, after getting your rice wine mash, I remembered the ducks. Yaoyao, Yu Zhiyu, and I went to the river reeds to look.”
Chen Ye Chu stirred the duck eggs in the bowl excitedly as she spoke:
“Hey, we actually caught a pair of fighting wild ducks! We also collected over a dozen wild duck eggs from the nearby nest. We processed the ducks outside before coming back. One duck was traded to other youths for some items, leaving me half a duck and half the eggs — that’s what’s in the bowl and pot.”
No wonder the yard was empty — everyone must have been busy with the duck meat.
“You’re lucky! In just a short time, you got two wild ducks. Amazing.” Ning Xiyue gave a thumbs-up in genuine admiration.
Chen Ye Chu added another piece of firewood to the stove and said:
“I saw a lot of wild ducks in the reeds. When we left, I even heard their wings flapping. If you’re free tomorrow, we could go back — maybe we can catch more wild ducks.”
Ning Xiyue loved outdoor activities for hunting wild food — other things could be skipped, but for food, she had to go.
“That sounds great! If we heard wings, there must be more ducks. Catching them is a bonus. I have to go to Dayu Team with the captain to castrate pigs early tomorrow morning, but I’ll try to come back as soon as possible. Should I come straight there or go with you?”
Chen Ye Chu was delighted with the answer. She wasn’t in a rush — the whole day was free.
“No rush, we’ll wait for you. The reeds are there, the ducks won’t escape.”
“Okay, it’s settled then.” Ning Xiyue raised her hand and high-fived Chen Ye Chu to confirm.
Chen Ye Chu held the bowl in one hand, high-fiving with the other. They reached an agreement.
“Wait, I think the meat is done.”
She lifted the pot lid, pressed the meat with a spatula, and scooped out two pieces of duck, offering them to Ning Xiyue.
“Let’s taste it and see if it’s tender.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Ning Xiyue pinched a piece of meat from the spatula and put it in her mouth. Chen Ye Chu ate the remaining piece.
“Mmm~ the taste is really good, so flavorful. Yechu, excellent skills.”
Ning Xiyue habitually made a satisfied sound when tasting food, but this time it genuinely expressed how delicious it was. The rice wine flavor had fully soaked into the duck, and the chili’s spiciness and Sichuan pepper’s numbness were completely infused into the meat, making it spicy, numbing, and aromatic.
Chen Ye Chu was generous with her ingredients. This pot had a lot of spices and her secret braising sauce. The flavor was comparable to what restaurants could make.
Ning Xiyue experienced what it meant to savor food endlessly — eating this piece made her want another. She could remember this taste for life. The duck soaked in this sauce was perfect with rice.
Chen Ye Chu was pleased by the compliment. She went inside and brought out a rice bowl, filling it completely with duck meat — half a duck’s worth. This bowl contained half of the meat, given to Ning Xiyue.
