Meng Xiao Ni could see ghosts.
This was the reason she had been abandoned as a child. This was also why she intentionally avoided many people, and as a result, unwittingly rejected forming close relationships with anyone. It was just like how those working in the funeral services had minimal social contact with others. People generally seemed to avoid topics related to death, deeming such things as taboo and inauspicious.
Meng Xiao Ni had the ability to see ghosts since she was a child. Growing up in the orphanage, she had thought to herself that it wouldn’t be bad to work in a funeral home when she grew up, since the salary was rather high. Then she gave up on the idea. It was because she liked people, and the refreshing aura of life that emanated from them.
Unlike humans, ghosts are used to damp and cold places. Even if they could roam anywhere on this vast earth as they pleased, they could never create any semblance of “liveliness”. She left the train station and got on the bus.
Even when the gates of Hell opened, and crowds of ghosts gathered, Meng Xiao Ni could only sense “coolness”, and never “liveliness”. After another half hour, Meng Xiao Ni finally arrived at her destination—her family’s little eatery. Meng Xiao Ni had a suspicion that all the small eateries in the world operated their business on the first floor and lived upstairs.
She dragged her luggage to the entrance of the eatery, and poked her head in. “Ma, Pa.A” By this time, most of the customers have already left. There was only one an old regular drinking beer at his table. He turned towards the door in surprise. “Why, isn’t this Xiao MengB? Why have you come back?”
Meng Xiao Ni smiled in return. “It’s nice to see you, UncleC. I’ve graduated, so I came back.”
“You’ve already graduated from university? The last time I saw you, you were still in high school!” sighed the old regular.
Meng Xiao Ni brought in her luggage and looked around the utterly unchanged dining room. She nodded and replied, “Yes. During my four years in university, I only came back for the New Year. The high-speed rail ticket is too expensive.”
The cheapest second-class ticket already cost five to six hundred RMB. A return trip would be a thousand.
The old regular sighed. “Time is passing by just too quickly.”
Meng Xiao Ni glanced towards the stairs. “Where’re my parents?”
The old regular gestured towards the ceiling. “Your mother is upstairs. Your father went out.”
Meng Xiao Ni started to lug her luggage and backpack up the stairs. “Uncle, please continue to eat. I’ll go up to put my things away.” The old regular nodded.
As Meng Xiao Ni climbed the stairs, she met her mother.
Mother Meng Mu was in her thirties when she adopted Meng Xiao Ni. She was not young anymore, and never paid much attention to maintaining her appearance. When she saw Meng Xiao Ni, wrinkles formed around her eyes and forehead as she broke into a big smile. “Ni NiD, why are you back already?”
Meng Xiao Ni smiled bashfully at Mother Meng. “I’ve graduated. Didn’t I tell you over the phone that I’d be back today?”
Mother Meng rapped her head with her knuckles. “Ahh, I’ve completely forgotten. Little eateries like ours have suddenly become trendy this year. Many have even come from other cities just go around eating, and we’ve had a lot more customers. You know that high school students have graduated a few days ago right? Many of them have come here to play and eat.” Indeed, every city has been trying to boost local tourism in recent years.
Meng Xiao Ni nodded. “It’s a good thing. If this goes on, we don’t need to spend on advertising.”
Mother Meng wiped her hands and smiled. “Your head is just full of ideas. You’re the smartest one in this family—Ma, Pa, and the eatery, will all be relying on you in future.”
In the past, most stores were rented. Mother Meng and Father Meng went against the grain, and with great determination, years of frugality and hard work, they managed to save enough to buy their own store. Later, the city underwent major urban development, and even built a high-speed rail station. Even though the Meng’s eatery looks plain and unattractive, in terms of location, it is on prime real estate. It was under the care of this talented and determined couple that Meng Xiao Ni grew up well.
She nodded firmly. “Mm.”
Mother Meng was heartened. She went forward to take Meng Xiao Ni’s luggage. “Come, come. See if you have anything you don’t want in your room, and pack them away. In the year you’ve been away, there’s been many changes in the house.” Having not seen her daughter in a year, Mother Meng couldn’t help going on about this and that for quite a while.
For example, she’d gotten a carpenter to make a bookcase for Meng Xiao Ni. They’d also experimented with a new hot pot dipping sauce in the kitchen, as they’d heard that dipping sauces with lots of beef pieces have become popular.
Every anecdote she recounted was full of life and gave of the aura of fireworks. Meng Xiao Ni’s eyes formed upturned crescents, as she smiled and listened. This was exactly why she liked people so much.
Mother Meng prattled on about everything from their house to the eatery. Then, she said seriously, “Your father and I were thinking, if you come and work in the eatery immediately after graduation like this, it might be hard for you to find a husband. So, we took some money and bought an apartment, about a hundred square metres. It will be ready next year. This way, you’ll at least have some assets when looking for a partner.”
Meng Xiao Ni was stunned.
Mother Meng spoke about buying an apartment as if she had simply gone to the market to buy some vegetables.
Meng Xiao Ni was well aware that the apartment had probably cost them their entire savings. She had asked for neither tuition fees nor living expenses from her parents precisely because she wanted them to have some savings for their retirement. The law only allowed couples who are thirty and above to adopt, and her parents were well in their thirties when they’d adopted her. Twenty years flew by, and they were now in their fifties, and approached retirement.
Meng Xiao Ni took in a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Ma, it’s still to early for me to consider marriage.”
She did not even want to consider the idea of leaving her parents.
Humans become ghosts when they die. Even in death, she wanted to be together with her parents.
The older generation tend to be sticklers of traditions and norms. Upon hearing Meng Xiao Ni’s words, Mother Meng turned rigid. “How is it too early? The apartment will only be ready next year, and then it will need renovating and furnishing, which will take at least another year or so. What if you meet someone in the meantime and the apartment is still not done?”
“……Ma, what if I don’t meet anyone?”
At this, Mother Meng softened. “There’s no hurry, and I’m not trying to pressure you.” Meng Xiao Ni nodded resignedly.
“Let’s take it slow with the renovation and furnishing. Let’s focus on the hot pot eatery first. There’ll be money for the renovations in future. I will make a lot of money for you both.”
Mother Meng giggled at her words. “Okay, be sure to make a lot of money.” Mother Meng knew that Meng Xiao Ni was being serious, but she had no idea just how big and grand her plans were.
When Meng Xiao Ni was working on her thesis, she took reference from popular online stores and brands and had drawn up a reasonable plan for the store. She even looked up an alumnus to redesign the storefront, and collected all sorts of recipes. These were all recipes related to hot pot cuisine. As the eatery was still small, recipes needed to be carefully selected. They needed to reflect local character, and also taste delicious. She didn’t take her plans out immediately for Mother Meng to see.
Mother Meng’s eyesight was failing with age, and she’d never seen a business plan in her life. It will take a while for her to understand Meng Xiao Ni’s plans.
As Meng Xiao Ni put away her things in her room, Mother Meng continued to fuss over her. “Do you want to eat hot pot? You haven’t eaten well on the train, right? I heard that food outside our province is all bland and flavourless.”
“I had noodles, with shrimp and kamaboko. I even added some of our homemade chilli powder,” reported Meng Xiao Ni, a little proudly.
At the words ‘shrimp and kamaboko’, Mother Meng knew immediately that Meng Xiao Ni was referring to cup noodles.
She hurried towards the door. “My little Ni Ni, I knew you wouldn’t take good care of yourself. I’ll go heat up a pot for you, come quickly to eat. It’s getting late, your father and I are going to bed soon.”
The sky outside was completely pitch-black. Meng Xiao Ni nodded and replied hurriedly, “Just slightly spicy please! I can’t fall asleep if I eat food that’s too spicy at night.”
Mother Meng’s heart wrenched. “You’ve stayed away for too long, and now you can’t even stomach spicy food.”
Meng Xiao Ni didn’t know to laugh or cry at Mother Meng’s dramatics. Fengdu’s version of “slightly spicy” is considered by outsiders to be “extremely spicy”, handfuls of chili and Szechuan peppercorn used liberally as if they cost nothing. She wasn’t too concerned about the spiciness, but rather, was afraid that her appetite might get over-stimulated and she would eat too much.
As Mother Meng went downstairs, Meng Xiao Ni hurriedly finished unpacking her luggage. Her small room quickly filled up, desk and cupboards crammed full, as she took everything out. When her room was fit for living in, she quickly left her room and ran downstairs for supper.
The old regular was already gone. Father Meng was just coming in, a box of cigarettes in his hand. The moment he saw Meng Xiao Ni, he quickly hid the cigarettes behind his back, and put on a stern expression. “Oh, Ni Ni, you’re back.”
Father Meng’s cigarettes did not escape Meng Xiao Ni’s sharp eyes. She out on an equally stern expression. “Pa why did you buy cigarettes again? I thought you’d already quit?”
Meng Xiao Ni winked frantically at his daughter. But it was already too late.
Mother Meng was bringing out a steaming pot, and had heard the exchange. “I knew you were up to no good! Give me the cigarettes! And where did you get the money to buy them? Hand over your private savings right now!”
Meng Xiao Ni stuck out her tongue at Father Meng, then ran over to get the ingredients for her hot pot. She won’t be able to stop the Battle for Private Savings between the couple now.
“This, this and this…” Meng Xiao Ni took a bit of each ingredient, greedy for a taste of everything. She was already drooling just from the act of selecting her ingredients.
The Meng’s hot pot was truly very tasty. The homemade hot pot base1 was perfected after years of trial and error, as were all the dipping sauces2. Every hot pot joint’s soup base is a unique blend of herbs and spices, and all boast that their sauces are “secret recipes”.
Meng Xiao Ni set her ingredients on the table and went off again to fetch some dipping sauces. She then rubbed her hands together in anticipation and started eating. She reached out her chopsticks and dipped a slice of tripe3 in and out of the pot.
Tripe only requires eight dips in a boiling hot pot. This way, it will be at its most tender and will not be overcooked. The perfect slice of tripe is a little springy and chewy, evenly coated in the hot pot base and finished off with a swirl in the dipping sauce dish.
In the mouth, it is slightly hot, slightly spicy, and slightly numb all at once. The experience of chewing perfectly cooked tripe is simply sublime. The slightly reddish sesame oil coated Meng Xiao Ni’s lips, staining them red. She involuntarily closed her eyes in pleasure. As expected, it is only at home that she can enjoy a truly authentic hot pot that is so delectable, and cheap to boot.
Meng Xiao Ni’s parents had been quarrelling over the pack of cigarettes for a while. They then turned to look at their daughter and saw the light in their daughter’s eyes as she ate with gusto. In an instant, their quarrels were forgotten as their hearts warmed. Her little face, which looked nothing like theirs, reflected the joy that they’d always hoped and striven for.
Mother Mend turned back to Father Meng and huffed fiercely. “You can smoke, but if I find you smoking in Ni Ni’s presence, I will chop off your legs!” Father Meng nodded hurriedly, and responded with a grin.
Gourmet Glossary: A primer to whet your appetite
1 Hot pot base: There are a wide variety of hot pot bases. Generally, there are two types of hot pot bases— broth types or mala/spicy types. Examples of the former are chicken soup, mushroom soup, tomato soup, to name a few, and such types can be drunk as a soup. On the right, is a typical mala version, which is that the Chongqing hot pot is. It is mainly red chili oil which made with beef fat and different kinds of spices, such as bay leaf, clove, cinnamon and so on. This is usually not for drinking, but rather, to dip the ingredients in and allow them to soak up the flavour. 
2 Dipping sauces: The dipping sauce is an integral part of the hotpot experience. Chinese hotpot restaurants typically have a sauce bar with a large selection of different ingredients and condiments, from soy sauce to sesame oil, from chili powder to cilantro, from garlic to vinegar. They may also put out already blended “secret recipe” sauces. There aren’t any rules to how to mix the sauces, but there are variations in the preferred ingredients across regions. (E.g. sesame paste in the North.)
3 Tripe: A type of edible lining from the stomach of ruminant animals. Beef tripe is a very popular ingredient in China and is not limited to hot pot. It is loved for its chewy and crispy (meaning to say it has a firm bite, rather than crispy like fried chicken) texture.
Terms of Address
A Ma: Mum Pa: Dad
B Xiao Meng: It is common for acquaintances and friends to call one just by their family name (in this case, Meng). As an elder, he adds a diminutive, Xiao 小 (little) in front of the family name which adds a tone of endearment.
C Uncle/ Aunty: A common way of addressing your elders, even if they’re not blood-related.
D Ni Ni: It is common for parents to add the diminutive Xiao 小 (little) to a contracted form of their child’s given name. In this case, ‘Ni’ in ‘Xiao Ni’ 晓妮. Note that while the word is phonetically similar, her parents are not calling her by her full name ‘Xiao Ni’ 晓妮, but rather, 小妮. To make it obvious that her parents are calling her by a term of endearment, I decided to go with ‘Ni Ni’, as it would otherwise seem like they’re just calling her actual name because the spelling is the same.
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