Hotpot Restaurant Chapter 4
A false alarm in the middle of the night.
When Meng Xiao Ni opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but shrink back into her quilt.
There were already sounds of activity coming from downstairs. Familiar sounds of the rousing neighbourhood also drifted in from outside.
“Ah, are you sending your girl to school?”
“Oh yes, I overslept again. I’m going to be late! I’m leaving now!”
The hustle and bustle of the morning grew. Some of the shops around them started to open for business. Delivery trucks could be heard coming down the street.
“Reversing, please watch out! Reversing, please watch out!”
Meng Xiao Ni couldn’t go back to sleep anymore. She kicked off her quilt, and for a moment, lay spreadeagled on the bed, before suddenly sitting up. “I’m up!”
She got off the bed, put on her slippers, and trotted off towards the bathroom.
Meng Xiao Ni observed herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth.
Fair-featured and modest.
Neither beautiful, nor ugly.
A mouthful of foam.
Meng Xiao Ni took a swig of water, gargled, and spat.
She put her hair in a ponytail, washed her face clean and wiped it dry with a towel. At last, she felt refreshed.
She took a deep breath and sighed. She’s home!
She thumped down the stairs and saw Father Meng and Mother Meng cleaning the place with great care. They had set an ultraviolet lamp sterilizer on the table, which wasn’t turned on at the moment.
When Mother Meng saw Meng Xiao Ni, she said hurriedly, “Stay out of the house today. Go out for a stroll or something, we are disinfecting the store today.”
The store smelled strongly of pungent floor disinfectant.
Meng Xia Ni nodded. “Then, will you still be restocking today?”
“We can do that tomorrow. Go out with your friends. Now that you finally have a vacation, go ahead, and enjoy yourself for a few more days,” replied Father Meng.
In other households, parents usually fretted and fussed over their child’s work prospects when they graduated.
Conversely, Father Meng and Mother Meng were encouraging Meng Xiao Ni to take time off to relax and enjoy herself.
Meng Xiao Ni thought for a while before running back upstairs, calling out behind her, “I’m going to look for a contractor today!”
Father Meng and Mother Meng exchanged a look, shook their heads as wry smiles spread across their faces.
“That girl is always like this.”
“She’s just like you!”
Meng Xiao Ni returned to her room and quickly changed her clothes. She ensured that her notebook and USB flash drive was in her backpack, slung it over her shoulders.
She flew down the stairs, light as a bird. “I’m off!”
Mother Meng shouted after her, “You haven’t eaten breakfast yet!”
Meng Xiao Ni replied, “I’ll grab something along the way!”
Fengdu was full of breakfast options.
With the advent of technology and social media, food is no longer confined to its locale. However, even with the culinary boom, Fengdu’s traditional breakfast options unexpectedly took a decline.
As a Fengdu native, Meng Xiao Ni knew just where to look for the best eats even though she only came back every Chinese New Year.
She headed straight for to a small eatery past the market round the corner and entered.
The small eatery was even smaller than the Meng’s hot pot joint. There was a big red sign next to it with the names of some traditional fare written on it.
“Laobanniang1, a bowl of Doufunao2 and two youtiao3 please!”
Meng Xiaoni emphasized, “Well-fried youtiao!”
The lady proprietress answered from the back of the eatery, “Alright!”
Shortly after, the doufunao was served.
A large bowl of white and tender tofu pudding, covered with well-boiled, blistered-skinned soybeans, large slices of green onion, seasoned with an aromatic blend of soy sauce, chilli oil and sesame oil.
Meng Xiao Ni took the container of spicy chilli crisp4 by the table and started heaping dollops of it into her bowl.
“So much spice, first thing in the morning?” The laobanniang said teasingly as she served the youtiao. “Do you like the chilli?”
Meng Xiao Ni tasted some of the chili and nodded. “It’s tasty.”
The mind-numbing spiciness spread directly from the tip of the tongue to the back of the head, making one break out in sweat almost immediately.
She gave the doufunao a few quick stirs and gulped it down the entire generous serving along with her youtiao.
It was such a satisfaction to have a heaping bowl of something piping hot early in the morning.
After Meng Xiao Ni had eaten and paid the bill, she left happily, ready to look for a contractor.
Small cities have their unique advantages.
For example, food and beverage joints are basically within the same area. Similarly, construction and renovation companies were also all gathered in one area.
When Meng Xiao Ni arrived at the building materials market, it was just past nine o’clock.
“Doodulooluudoo, doodulooluudoo——”
Meng Xiao Ni took out her mobile phone and glanced a little warily at the phone number.
She answered the call. “Hello?”
A female voice came over the phone, “Hello, is this Meng Xiao Ni? This is the Fengdu County Public Security Bureau.”
Suddenly alert, Meng Xiao Ni replied, “Hello. I am Meng Xiao Ni.”
“Hello, Last night, we received your SOS message. Did help arrive quickly? How was the situation handled? Has the matter been resolved?”
Meng Xiao Ni nodded, and only realised after a beat that the other party could not see her nod. “Yes. Help arrived quickly, and the situation is resolved.”
“Alright. We are glad to have been of assistance. Have a nice day.”
Meng Xiao Ni replied, “Thank you, have a nice day, too.”
After an exchange of pleasantries, they hung up.
Meng Xiao Ni glanced at the number again. Why is the public security bureau functioning somewhat like a telemarketing company?
Anyway, it’s relief that everything is over now.
She put away her phone, scanned the entire building materials market, and proceeded towards the shade of a large tree.
In order to maximise the space in the marketplace, most of the storeowners kept just enough space for a car to enter, and filled everywhere else with door frames, chairs, tables, etc. Greenery was sparse in such places, and there were only a few trees.
There was a thin old man fanning himself under the tree that Meng Xiao Ni was heading towards.
The old man was wearing a white singlet, his line-creased face revealing his many years.
The fan was a big cattail leaf fan5, used especially in the summer.
Fengdu was already hot in June.
Meng Xiao Ni walked over and looked at the ground. She discovered that the old man with the fan had no shadow. Ghosts appear naturally and nonchalantly in the daytime, as if it was of no issue at all.
The old man noticed Meng Xiao Ni as she drew close. He was so taken aback that he stopped fanning. He opened his mouth and stuttered, “Heibai Wuchang6 looks so… normal?”
Meng Xiaoni, “…”
Sorry to disappoint, but she was not Heibai Wuchang.
Meng Xiao Ni walked up to the old man and looked around. “Uncle, I’m here to look for a reliable contractor. I want to renovate my family’s hot pot eatery.”
The old man took two steps back, as if in attempt to put some distance between himself and Meng Xiao Ni. “Namo Amitabha7… I have never done anything bad in this life. Although I have delayed going to the underworld by a bit, but it’s only because no one came to pick me up. I have nothing to do with the stores here, and I know nothing at all!”
Meng Xiaoni, “…”
The old man saw that Meng Xiao Ni wasn’t going anywhere. He rolled his eyes heaven-ward and shifted his weight. “I’ve been a devout Buddhist all my whole long life, please don’t make things difficult for me…”
Meng Xiao Ni faced the old man and walked straight through his body, then turned, and walked back through.
The old man jumped. “What’s wrong with you?! How could you just walk through a ghost like that?!”
“Uncle, what’s wrong with you? You’re already dead, why are you making such a big fuss?” retorted Meng Xiao Ni.
“You’re the one who can see ghosts! This is very strange!” replied the old man indignantly.
Meng Xiao Ni stepped back. “Ghosts can even appear in daytime. What’s so strange about me? Uncle, will you tell me or not? I’m not here to catch you. My family’s hot pot eatery needs renovation, and it’s the first time I’m here.”
The old man studied Meng Xiao Ni carefully.
He circled Meng Xiao Ni three times, fanning his fan at top speed. He eyed her suspiciously, “You’re really not Heibai Wuchang? I’ve been in this building materials market for three years, and it’s the first time I’m being seen someone.”
Meng Xiao Ni was just about to reply when she saw someone walking from a nearby store from the corner of her eye.
She hurriedly took out her mobile phone and pressed it to her ear. “I’m really not. You’ve been here for three years, so you must know it well.”
The old man turned around and also spotted the person walking out of the store.
Seeing Meng Xiao Ni’s skilful move, his tension eased. He chuckled, “Oh, that’s amazing. It’s been really boring for me here alone. You want to renovate your hot pot eatery? I know all about this. I’ll introduce you to my son’s store. I have a grandson who just finished the high school exams this year. How old are you, little girl? I’ll introduce you…”
At this, Meng Xiao Ni started to walk away. “I’ll just browse around first. Let’s talk later.”
She immediately “hung up” the phone.
The old man trailed after her in a hurry. “Why should we talk later? Aren’t we talking now? I’m in the middle of my recommendation!”
Recommendation? It sounded more like matchmaking, groused Meng Xiao Ni to herself. She selected a store at random and walked in.
She looked around her. This shop sold wooden planks. Samples of planks hung on the walls with their names and prices indicated below.
The old man followed Meng Xiao Ni in, muttering nonstop. “Why are you pretending not to see me? I’m telling you, this store is no good. See these prices? It’s trying to take advantage of amateurs like you.”
The building materials market is just like any other market. Often times, the listed price is different from the actual selling price.
Meng Xiao Ni definitely needed to buy planks. She wanted to make a themed hot pot restaurant.
“Listen to me, this boss doesn’t need the money at all. He’s just opening his business to cheat youngsters like you who don’t know anything. Head deeper into the market, those are the stores that will give you a better bargain,” The old man unknowingly let slip some information.
Meng Xiao Ni past a number of samples, and finally stopped in front of a dark brown plank.
A floor made of deep, dark brown planks like this would like great.
“Why do young people like wood of this color?” The old man fanned himself as he spoke incessantly. “Many people buy this, mostly for their bedrooms. Agh… it’s so dark and gloomy, I personally don’t like it at all.”
Meng Xiao Ni was shopping too early in the day, and she didn’t look like someone who’d spend much.
Even though the store was open, no one bothered to attend to her, as if not in need of her patronage.
Meng Xiao Ni turned and looked around the entire store again, before deciding to go elsewhere.
Seeing that Meng Xiao Ni was about to leave, the old man immediately broke into a huge grin, his eyes curving into upturned crescents. “Little girl, go to my son’s shop. I can give you a discount! You have my word.”
Meng Xiao Ni stepped out of the store, and said to him in a low voice, “Where is it?”
The old man’s ghostly body glided forward eagerly in the blink of an eye. “Come, come, I’ll take you there.”
Translator's Notes
- Laobanniang: 老板娘, literally, Boss (laoban) Lady. Refers to the boss’s wife. In small eateries and food stalls in China, it is common for the boss and his wife to run the whole store by themselves (like in Meng Xiao Ni’s family eatery), so the customers call out to the boss/ boss’s wife directly as opposed to ordering through a waiter/ waitress.
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Doufunao: 豆腐脑also known as doufuhua, douhua, amongst other names. It is a smooth and silky tofu pudding, and has quite neutral taste. Toppings and flavours differ from region to region and it can be served both as a sweet or savoury dish. It is a common breakfast food. Shown in the picture is Sichuan/ Chongqing’s version, which is (of course) a spicy dish usually topped with deep-fried soy beans and chilli crisp.
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Youtiao: 油条also known as Chinese fried doughsticks, Chinese churro, you char kway, amongst other names. It is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough commonly eaten in China and other East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. They are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment to rice congee, soy milk or tofu pudding. Translator’s Note: an authentic Andalusian churro tastes remarkably similar to the Chinese youtiao.
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Spicy Chilli Crisp: An infused chili oil condiment with crunchy bits, made by simmering chili peppers, onion, garlic and seasonings in oil. It is spicy, salty and savoury with an addictive umami, great for adding flavour and texture to anything from sandwiches to desserts. You can use the crispy crunchy bits or just the oil. A popular brand is Laoganma (Pictured on left). - Cattail leaf fan: Also known as Pu fan. A hand-woven fan made from dried cattail leaves that comes in a variety of patterns. Nowadays deemed as a rather old-fashioned.
- Heibai Wuchang: 黑白无常, literally “Black and White Impermanence”. They are two Deities in Chinese folk religion who are in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. As their names suggest, they are dressed in black (hei) and white (bai) respectively. With their tasks as escorts, this was perhaps why the old man mistook Meng Xiao Ni to be Heibai Wuchang and thought she was here to bring him to the underworld.
- Namo Amitabha: the principal Buddha in East Asian Buddhism. The recitation of the Buddha’s name is a ritual for contemplation. Here, the old man is reciting it to call upon his own Buddhist beliefs and ascertain his “goodness” as a ghost.
