Chapter 211: The Pain of Finishing Up
Ning Xiyue looked down at the spoonful of venison her mother had scooped into her bowl. She rubbed her now round belly, took a deep breath, and resigned herself to keep eating.
The more she ate, the more she felt that after this hot pot feast, she probably wouldn’t want to see another hot pot for a very long time. She was truly full to the brim — so full that even looking at the hot pot made her dizzy and nauseous.
That wild deer had produced a lot of meat — about 160 jin (around 80 kg). After removing the hide, organs, and other parts, there were still around 64 jin (32 kg) of pure meat and a mountain of bones.
The five of them had been eating from noon until evening — more than half the day spent just eating. At first, it was fun and relaxing, chatting and snacking as they went. But before long, their stomachs had swelled painfully.
Even after deciding to stop cooking more dishes, they had only eaten about 12 jin of meat. That meant 52 jin (26 kg) of venison and about 90 jin (45 kg) of bones remained.
Now, though, none of them could eat another bite — and yet, there was still a little meat left in the pot.
Thanks to this feast, no one wanted to see hot pot again the next day. But they also didn’t want to waste the meat — and since there wasn’t much left, no one wanted to bother saving it.
Yun Xiulan glanced into the pot, scooped up a big ladle of meat, and stood up.
Who would eat it? That was now the big question.
Her eyes swept around the four seated family members — the message was obvious. Someone had to finish it. But she decided to be polite first before resorting to force.
“Who still wants to eat? I’ll give this spoonful to them,” she asked with a raised brow.
The four seated family members looked at the steaming meat in her ladle with expressions of pure rejection.
The hot pot had been delicious, the meat wonderful — but at this point, nobody wanted to see it again. Nobody wanted to eat another bite.
Finishing the leftovers was the most painful task of all.
Ning Xiyue let out a loud burp. She felt the meat she’d eaten rising into her throat, and that burp almost made everything she’d swallowed come back up.
She quickly ducked her head to avoid her mother’s gaze, shielding her bowl with her left hand while pretending to pick at seasonings with her chopsticks. “I’m good, I still have some left. Give it to Dad or one of my brothers.”
Yun Xiulan’s gaze shifted from Ning Xiyue to Ning Hai.
“I’m already full. You all go ahead,” he said.
Normally, Ning Hai was good at keeping a straight face, but this time, he couldn’t hold it. His nose, eyes, eyebrows, and even the lines on his forehead were full of rejection and suffering.
He pushed his glasses up his nose, pulled a newspaper from his pocket, and pretended to read intently. He even pushed his stool back a little — his way of saying, “I’m done.”
Yun Xiulan didn’t press him. Her eyes turned toward her two sons, now determined.
Ning Qingyuan quickly covered his bowl, glanced at his older brother, then grinned and said,
“Mom, big brother was badly injured not long ago. He needs lots of nourishment to recover. Give all the meat to him — I’m strong and healthy, I don’t need it.”
Ning Qingzhi: What a considerate brother… but totally unnecessary.
If the younger brother was going to play dirty, then the older brother wouldn’t hold back either.
Ning Qingzhi turned to his mother with a kind smile.
“Mom, second brother has been working hard in the countryside, doing heavy labor every day. He needs the extra nutrition more than anyone. Leave the meat to the two of us — you just relax with some tea.”
“Alright, alright. My eldest is the most thoughtful. Then you two will finish it. Especially you, second son — eat more,” Yun Xiulan said, glaring at her younger son.
Then she switched to dialect and barked, “Hands off the bowl. I’ll count to three.”
Startled, Ning Qingyuan’s body trembled. He silently removed his hand from the bowl and handed it to her.
“That’s a good boy.” Yun Xiulan smiled and poured the entire ladle of meat into his bowl. “Eat slowly. I’ll get more for you.”
The next ladle had only half as much meat, which Ning Qingzhi gladly accepted — he preferred it to his brother’s overflowing bowl.
Under the table, Ning Xiyue secretly gave her big brother a thumbs-up.
The older, the wiser.
Her mother’s gaze had clearly been planning to split the meat between the two brothers. But her second brother’s little scheme had backfired spectacularly.
The massive, overflowing bowl of meat even made her stomach churn just looking at it.
She snickered inwardly at her brother’s misfortune, then discreetly pulled two digestive tablets from her pocket and handed them to him in a show of sympathy.
Ning Qingyuan took them miserably, shooting a resentful glance at his smug older brother before stabbing the meat in his bowl with his chopsticks in silent rage.
Under the lingering threat of their mother, he didn’t dare make a scene. Slowly, he began eating again. Each bite was torture — chewing with his mouth, crying with his heart.
Who else could say they’d eaten so much meat they wanted to puke? Only in their house. Once, he craved meat. Now, he hated it.
Why did I open my mouth? Ugh… I despise myself.
He swallowed another mouthful, looked down, and saw there was still plenty left. Tears welled up again.
Ugh, I still don’t know what’s good for me. I never want to see hot pot again. Never want to eat venison again!!
“There’s no more meat left in the pot,” Yun Xiulan finally said, setting the ladle down with what she thought was good news.
“Thank goodness.”
Both Ning Qingyuan and Ning Qingzhi visibly relaxed.
Ning Xiyue also set down her chopsticks, no longer pretending to pick at the seasonings. She stood up, went to the cabinet, and pulled out a box of haw flakes from the supply store, handing out a few pieces each.
Even Ning Hai lowered his newspaper slightly and eventually folded it up and put it away.
“Better to get it over with,” Ning Qingyuan muttered, and in an act of revenge, coated the remaining meat in his bowl with garlic paste and shoved it all into his mouth in one go. A few quick chews, and it was gone.
He washed it down with a sip of hawthorn tea and swallowed two digestive tablets.
All in one fluid motion. Then he dragged over a chair, collapsed into it with his huge, bloated belly, and looked lazily toward Ning Xiyue, holding out his hands.
“Little sis, give me another digestive tablet — and some haw flakes to help my digestion. I’m so stuffed.”
Ning Qingzhi put down his chopsticks too, his face unreadable — but his hands and mouth told the truth. “Little sis, give me one too.”
“Sure, hang on.” Ning Xiyue took out a bottle of digestive tablets and passed one to each family member, along with a few haw flakes and a small packet of herbal digestion tea.
The five of them each leaned back in their chairs, chewing on digestive tablets and nibbling on haw flakes like snacks, occasionally sipping herbal tea.
Half an hour later, after taking turns in the bathroom, their bellies finally felt better — no more bloating or discomfort. Their stomachs felt light, and their hearts did too.
Lounging in her chair, Yun Xiulan didn’t even want to move. Looking at the mess left on the table, she said lazily, “Big one, second one — wash the dishes.”
“Alright! You guys rest. Big bro and I will take care of it,” Ning Qingyuan said cheerfully.
Feeling much better, he moved quickly, collecting the dishes without rushing.
Ning Qingzhi nodded, grabbed a cloth, and wiped the table before pouring hot water into the pot to soak the dishes.
The two brothers busied themselves happily.
Seeing that they were handling everything and even enjoying it, Ning Xiyue turned away and continued sipping her tea, chatting leisurely with her parents.
Yun Xiulan glanced over at the large basin full of leftover meat and bones and frowned. “Xiyue, what should we do with all that meat and bones?”
It was the first time she had too much meat — and it actually worried her. Before, even with money and meat coupons, it was nearly impossible to buy any. Who would’ve thought she’d live to see the day she had too much?
Ning Hai took a sip of herbal tea and suggested, “Why don’t we smoke the meat — ribs too — and use all the bones to make broth?”
Ning Xiyue swallowed her haw flakes and added, “We could also make meat sauce. That way, it’s easy to store and take with us.”
Both ideas were good, and Yun Xiulan decided to do both. “Alright, we’ll follow both of your ideas. We’ll store it for later and even use it as New Year’s goods. We’ll start tomorrow morning.”
With the plan set, Yun Xiulan felt much more at ease.
Ning Xiyue went to get her father’s radio and turned it on to a storytelling program.
Once the channel was set, she and her parents lounged back in their chairs with their eyes closed, tapping their hands to the rhythm and occasionally nodding along.
Hearing the radio, Ning Qingzhi and Ning Qingyuan sped up their dishwashing.
…
The next morning, the whole family got up early again to smoke the meat, make meat sauce, and boil broth. Working together, they finished everything before noon.
They made four slabs of smoked meat, using 32 jin (16 kg) of meat, and hung them above the stove to smoke.
The rest was minced and cooked into spicy meat sauce.
Twenty jin (10 kg) of raw meat went into the sauce, producing 12 jin (6 kg) of finished product.
“Whew, finally done dealing with the meat,” Yun Xiulan sighed, taking a sip of the tea Ning Xiyue handed her. Then her thoughts turned to Ning Qingzhi’s marriage. “So, big one, is the wedding going to be a group ceremony with your comrades in the army?”
