Chapter 135: The Aroma of Stewed Meat (Part 2)

As a true food lover, he could not let such a big pot of fine broth go to waste; all the nutrition from the stewed bones was right there in the soup.

He fished out all the seasonings from the broth and cracked a few eggs into it, quickly preparing a large pot of egg drop soup. After ladling it into a bowl and sprinkling some cilantro, Liu Heming took a sip. It was delicious—bone broth just had the richest flavor.

“Alright everyone, get ready to eat,” Liu Heming called out once he finished.

Sasha sat at the table, a bit confused. With a basin of bones and a basin of soup, how were they supposed to eat? Were they just supposed to gnaw on the bones?

Liu Heming put on plastic gloves and tore all the meat off the bones onto a plate. It was similar to hand-shredded pig liver; hand-shredded boneless meat simply tasted better.

The dipping sauce was already prepared—just simple garlic sauce that he had mashed while stewing the bones. He put effort into it, and with a light poke of his chopsticks, he could draw out the garlic juices.

The little one nearby had grown impatient, mouth wide open. Liu Heming picked up a piece of meat, dipped it lightly in the garlic sauce, and fed it to the child.

The temperature was just right, and the little one chewed it eagerly. The mix of meaty aroma and garlic flavor was evident from the child’s squinting eyes and happily kicking legs—it was clear the taste was just perfect.

But today’s delicious treat for his daughter wasn’t just the meat and soup; there was something even tastier.

While the others had started eating, Liu Heming picked up his kitchen knife again. Holding a large bone in his left hand, he gave it a firm tap with the back of the knife in his right. With a crack, the bone split open, revealing the bone marrow fat inside. Gently, he used his chopsticks to scoop out a long piece of bone marrow fat, which landed on Alex’s small plate.

Seeing this greasy-looking bone marrow fat, the little one frowned. She had never eaten anything like it before, and it looked really oily.

Liu Heming smiled, cut the bone marrow fat on his daughter’s plate into two pieces, then rolled them in the garlic sauce dish and placed them in front of her.

Hesitantly, the little one leaned in and sniffed, but couldn’t catch much of a scent. Still, trusting her dad, she popped one small piece into her mouth.

“Wow, it’s so smooth and not greasy at all. It’s really yummy!” she exclaimed after just one bite, her eyes immediately fixed on the remaining piece.

This time, she didn’t need Liu Heming’s help. She picked up the other piece herself, lightly dipped it in the garlic sauce, and with a gentle slurp, sucked the rest of the bone marrow fat into her mouth.

Well, that settled it—his daughter’s satisfaction was the top priority. He grabbed the kitchen knife and cracked open all the remaining bones, extracting the bone marrow fat inside.

But even though he wanted to spoil his daughter, he couldn’t let her eat all of it. Too much might make her feel sick, and she might end up disgusted by it later.

He gave the little one just a small portion, set aside some for Robin, and after a moment’s thought, bravely offered some to Sasha as well. In the end, he only had the broken bits left in the basin.

Sasha hesitated briefly before trying a piece. It was indeed quite tasty, and she ended up eating the rest of the pieces quickly. Only after finishing did she notice Liu Heming sneaking glances at her, which made her a bit embarrassed. She managed to keep from blushing, but just barely.

The boneless meat paired with the bone broth egg drop soup created a rich, hearty meal. Even without any staple food, everyone was full, and little Alex had worked up a sweat on her forehead from eating so eagerly.

“Dad is the best cook,” the satisfied little girl said, hugging Liu Heming’s neck and giving him a big, oily kiss on the cheek.

Even with his face now greasy from the kiss, Liu Heming was overjoyed. He felt his daughter was becoming more and more adorable.

Little Alex wasn’t one to play favorites. She ran over to Sasha, hugged her neck, and planted a kiss on her cheek too. “Mom is the prettiest mom.”

“You’d better go wash up quickly, or you’ll get grease all over yourself,” Sasha said, gently tapping her daughter’s cheek.

“Okay, I’ll go wash,” the little one nodded obediently and then scampered off toward the house.

“Dexter, I think we need to talk,” Sasha said, watching their daughter run off.

“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Liu Heming stopped cleaning up, feeling a little nervous.

“It’s about Alex,” Sasha said seriously.

“Even though you’re very good to Alex, I think there are aspects of your parenting that need improvement. You can’t indulge her in everything—she’s still young and can’t tell right from wrong on her own.”

“If you keep treating her this way, it won’t be good for her growth. You need to learn to say ‘no’ to her so she can develop proper values.”

Liu Heming was stunned; he hadn’t expected Sasha to bring this up. He thought about it—their daughter was very well-behaved and never made unreasonable demands.

“Like her wanting to sleep with you—that’s not good. We should encourage her independence. Otherwise, she’ll develop a habit of relying on her parents to fall asleep. I didn’t know much about it before either, but I started having her sleep on her own this year. She was upset at first,” Sasha continued.

“Oh, alright. I’ll be more mindful in the future. Honestly, when Alex acts cute, I just can’t bring myself to refuse her. I always feel guilty toward her and want to make it up by giving her everything and being there as she grows up,” Liu Heming said with a wry smile.

“And our Alex is truly the most well-behaved child I’ve ever seen. Thank you for raising her so well. Without a wonderful mom like you, Alex wouldn’t be the sweet and understanding girl she is today.”

Hearing this, Sasha rolled her eyes at him and walked straight toward the house.

Liu Heming was puzzled and scratched his head. Had he said something wrong? Their daughter really was well-behaved, and that was thanks to Sasha’s efforts.

Thinking back on it, he sighed to himself. The issue wasn’t with their daughter—it was with her dad, meaning himself. Probably, his very existence was a big problem for Sasha.

He felt a bit down. His daughter couldn’t stay by his side forever. In the future, he’d mostly have to visit her. The thought was bothersome—how happy he would be if he could tease this little one every single day.