Hotpot Restaurant Chapter 10
Heaven knows why a phoenix would need vaccination.
Guifeng also knew for the first time that he was able to lie for a hot pot.
This was probably part of ‘growing up’.
Guifeng, who was long past his formative years, thought about all these with a blank expression, calmly pecking at his bowl of tofu.
It was delicious.
Meng Xiaoni had smelled the smell of hot pot all day and thought she was sure she couldn’t bring herself to eat any. Contrary to her expectations, when the hot pot was ready, she found herself enjoying her meal very much. The taste of the spicy hot pot base was much better than she had imagined.
Father Meng and Mother Meng also did not expect this—— that their daughter’s first attempt at making a hot pot base resulted in such a resounding success.
They tentatively dipped in a piece of tofu skin1.
There were various kinds of tofu in hot pot restaurants.
The tofu skin in the Meng’s eatery was of the fried variety. Place the commercially sold tofu skins into a wok of hot oil and fry them; before eating, just dipping them briefly into the boiling hot pot would do. Tofu skin itself is a cooked ingredient, and what frying does is to change its texture, giving it a crisp chewiness that is vastly different from the original. The fried tofu skins also absorbed the soup juices much more readily.
The taste of fried tofu skin dripping with piping hot spicy soup was just simply sublime. Especially in this case, where the hot pot base itself was already so tasty, the still slightly chewy tofu skin was much more delicious than the vegetables soaked in soup.
People who have never eaten tofu skin cannot imagine this kind of taste. Because tofu skin is such a plain and ordinary product, it tends to get easily overshadowed by other more enticing things like youtiao and other fried treats.
Father Meng put a piece of fried tofu skin into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and couldn’t help nodding.
He did not use any dipping sauce, and the tofu skin tasted entirely of the flavour of the spicy hot pot base.
The spices used in the hot pot base was not too overpowering. With the addition of wine, the soup tasted even more rich and mellow. The chewy texture of the tofu skin and the sufficiently spicy soup base could only be evaluated with one word— “delicious”.
Mother Meng also tasted a piece of tofu skin, and was also nodding soon after.
Presently, the hot pot base could definitely be considered a success.
With more people eating together, ingredients went into the pot quickly, and the meal also went by quickly.
Halfway through the meal, Meng Xiaoni added more soup into the hot pot2, and the small family continued to eat.
There were also two categories of hot pot soup—red soup and clear soup; some shops even chose to add plain water directly to the pot. The most important thing to note when adding soup was to ensure that it does not alter the taste of the original hot pot too much.
To prevent the spicy hot pot from getting too salty, some people might add clear soup to it. However, this would easily result in the dilution of the spicy flavour. It’s like drinking water right after eating something spicy—a strange taste and sensation.
Of course, Meng Xiaoni chose to add red soup.
The red soup used in hot pot restaurants tends to be lighter than the spicy hot pot base, but definitely not too plain.
After adding the soup, no one thought that there was much difference. Everyone continued to eat happily until they could finally eat no more. One by one, they set down their chopsticks, then had some fruit to end the meal.
Father Meng nodded his head with great feeling, “The flavour is really good.”
Mother Meng seconded, “If you can consistently recreate the same taste, I think it will work.”
Meng Xiaoni smiled happily, “Mm.”
Guifeng picked at the chilled lychees. There was a much larger variety of fruits in the human realm than in the underworld.
After a long day of work, Meng Xiaoni took a shower and lay flat on her bed, her arms feeling a little weak.
She didn’t receive any phone calls today.
Meng Xiaoni took the phone in her hand and again made sure there were no missed calls or unread text messages today.
There was not a single missed call, and the several unread messages were all spam.
She tossed the phone over to the side and let out a small yawn.
Guifeng was walking around on her bed with stiff, formal strides, and looking rather comical.
Meng Xiaoni finished yawning and turned to look at Guifeng, wondering what in the world the little parrot was doing.
Guifeng walked to one end, turned around, and continued to stride.
Walked to the other end, turned around, and continued to stride.
Meng Xiaoni watched on and felt even sleepier.
Drowsily, she tilted her head and continued to watch for a moment, before she closed her eyes unknowingly and slid directly into dreamland.
After walking in this manner for a long time, Guifeng finally managed to digest some of the food in his stomach and recovered some of his energy. It turned and found that Meng Xiaoni had already fallen asleep, but she was not covered by the quilt at all.
Not only was she not covered by the quilt, the quilt was also stuck under Meng Xiaoni’s body.
If Father Meng and Mother Meng saw this situation, they would have quietly covered Meng Xiaoni with part of the quilt that wasn’t stuck under her.
But Guifeng was not Father Meng and Mother Meng.
It flew swiftly to Meng Xiaoni’s stomach, stepped on her soft belly, squatted down, and pecked.
In her dream, Meng Xiaoni was walking into the darkness. It was very, very, dark, the kind of pitch-black that had not even an ounce of light.
Something feels like it was about to burst out from her stomach!
The feeling was extremely strange and frightening. She woke up with a start; her hand flew to her stomach… and grabbed on a bundle of soft feathers.
The unfamiliar feathery sensation increased her panic; Meng Xiaoni broke out in cold sweat.
Guifeng, who was suddenly caught in her grip, spoke with difficulty, “…Human, I suggest you let go of me.”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Meng Xiaoni quickly let go and let out a long breath. “I was scared to death; I thought something was going to pop out from my stomach.”
Guifeng’s feathers were all messed up. It seemed slightly annoyed, he jumped off to one side and started to preen. “Get under your quilt and go to sleep.”
“Hmm?” Meng Xiaoni stared blankly at the preening Guifeng. It took her a while before his words fully registered. Her eyes widened as she responded, “I fell asleep just now.”
After such a scare, Meng Xiaoni was quite awake.
She obeyed Guifeng’s words, got under her quilt and lay down, closed her eyes for a while, then opened them again and stared at the ceiling.
Guifeng finished preening and walked over to the side of Meng Xiaoni’s head. He laid down very naturally, in a sprawling posture that was completely different from that of the normal sleeping posture of a regular parrot.
As Guifeng’s little head was facing Meng Xiaoni, when Meng Xiaoni turned her head, her eyes looked straight into Guifeng’s slightly glowing red ones.
“Do you want a small pillow?” Meng Xiaoni asked Guifeng again.
Guifeng, “Turn off the light and go to sleep.”
Meng Xiaoni, who couldn’t satisfy her desire to fuss over Guifeng, reached out resignedly to turn the light off. “Goodnight.”
Guifeng, “…Goodnight.”
Meng Xiaoni was really tired and soon fell asleep again.
Without Guifeng’s interference, Meng Xiaoni did not have any dreams or nightmares this time. She gradually moved from shallow sleep into a deep sleep, losing consciousness completely.
Guifeng closed his eyes and also fell asleep.
Time crept towards midnight.
A light breeze blew; Guifeng opened his eyes and looked at the human figure that was gradually appearing in the room.
The man carried himself with an air of nobility. He wore an inky black robe that was embellished with trails of red pistils. The robes hung almost to the ground, and from under it peeked out a pair of slightly curved, pointed-toe shoes.
His face was smooth and beardless, which bore a majestic appearance and featured a pair of sharp, slanted brows. At a first glance, one couldn’t help but feel a tremor in his heart, and start reflecting on themselves. But upon closer observation, one would unexpectedly be able to detect a hint of benevolence in his expression, which contrasted sharply with his face.
The man had not yet spoken, but with his hands behind his back, and his straight upright posture, there was no doubt that he would speak in the formal manner of a long-time official.
Guifeng did not say anything, but gave a cold snort.
“About today’s trip, everything is inappropriate.” The man began nagging in his strange manner of speech straight-away, without any preamble. “I have come here personally just for you.”
Guifeng felt that the way he was sprawled on the bed was not dignified at all, so he got into an upright posture with one swift motion. “What could I have done to have disturbed King Yanluo3 into personally making a trip here?”
If an ordinary human were present, their eyes would definitely be wide with shock— shocked at King Yanluo’s appearance and dress, and shocked at the attitudes with which the pair behaved towards each other.
This was clearly different from the depictions in myths and legends.
However, there was no ordinary human present.
King Yanluo was still rather civil to Guifeng, “The rules and regulations between Hell and the human realm are much more stringent than before. Even though you have seniority, you cannot just run away from home as you wish. That volcanic eruption…”
Guifeng looked at King Yama. “What the hell does that have to do with me?”
King Yanluo was about to open his mouth to speak again when Guifeng continued, “What the hell does that have to do with you?”
King Yanluo, “……”
If this crude manner of speaking were to be overheard by the spirits of the underworld, their illusions would’ve been shattered. The outer appearance was just too different from the inner personality.
King Yanluo Wang felt that it wasn’t appropriate. “It’s not…”
Guifeng reminded him, “About today’s trip, everything is inappropriate.”
King Yanluo, “……”
So, he should not have come out today.
King Yanluo thought about what the other Yama Kings had told to him, and couldn’t help but sigh deeply, “Even then, you shouldn’t come here to Xiao Meng either.”
Guifeng knew that Meng Xiaoni was special.
He flew and rested on Meng Xiaoni’s bulging form under the quilt. He raised his head arrogantly, rather like a fox pretending to be a tiger, or a dog threatening someone on the strength of its master’s power. “What? Did King Zhuanlun ask you to come? That smiling tiger is not a good person.”
King Yanluo, “…he has not been a ‘person’ for a long time now.”
Guifeng, “…”
That wasn’t the point at all.
Hell was divided into ten courts, each overseen by a Yama King. King Zhuanlun4 presided over the Tenth Court, and King Yanluo, the Fifth Court. While carrying out their respective duties, they’d had many exchanges over related matters.
The two of them were very clear about the relationships between the ten Yama Kings, and did not bring up King Zhuanlun again.
Having gained the upper hand, King Yanluo could now try to have a proper conversation with Guifeng. “The human realm is developing more and more rapidly, and it’s the same in Hell as well. In the underworld, a single movement from one with great power could easily unbalance the present hard-won stability.”
He looked at the Guifeng, as he persuaded in a low and gentle voice.
Guifeng’s small eyes bore an expression of faint contempt.
King Yanluo’s tone gradually grew friendlier, “You are the esteemed phoenix; as one who’s been through the Dragon and Phoenix Wars, and the fall of the gods; you of all people should understand the importance of ‘conservation’.”
Well, ‘understanding’ is the easy part.
Guifeng replied, “King Yanluo, not everyone can be like you. Of all the ten Yama Kings, only you are in charge of Wangxiang Pavilion. Only you can remain calm while watching everything that goes on in the human realm every day.
King Yanluo avoided the topic of Wangxiang Pavilion5; instead, he asked Guifeng a little warily, “With your ability, it’s not really a difficult task to make the trip from Hell into the human realm to borrow ‘that’6. Even so, why did you have to make such a trip? And why did you come here, to Xiao Meng?”
“Coming to the human realm is a personal matter,” replied Guifeng. “Meeting Xiao Meng Po was an accident.”
He returned to the spot where he had been sleeping. “You should go back. How can a dignified Yama King be running around like this? Sooner or later, Hell will be ruined.”
Though he an answer that was not really an answer, King Yanluo chuckled in spite of himself.
He knew that no matter how much he pressed, he wasn’t going to be able to get anything more out of Guifeng; he saluted, arms raised, with one hand before the other7; before retreating back to the underworld.
Guifeng resumed his sprawling posture and closed his eyes; the bed was really soft.
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Footnotes:
T/N: !! The plot thickens!! (Or, in this case, would it be more apt to say that the pot is getting spicier?) If you recall, from Chapter One, that Meng Xiaoni told the couple on the train that her nickname in school was ‘Granny Meng’, also known as ‘Meng Po’ (‘Po’ meaning Granny in Chinese). Meng Po is the one who serves soup to wipe out the memories of ghosts before they get reincarnated. I’d been wondering why a Yama King would call her Xiao Meng (Little Meng), a diminutive used as a term of endearment, but when Guifeng let slip and called her ‘Xiao Meng Po’, everything made sense… and then also, not really (still, so many questions!)
A note on the footnotes: The mythology used by the author seems to most closely follow the pantheon and folk religion that is influenced by Taoism from around the Tang dynasty. There are many varying versions of who the various characters and their roles are, as well as the Underworld’s landmarks, but I will be using the one that is closest to the version chosen by the author.
———-
1 Tofu skin: 豆皮 doupi or 腐皮 fupi, also known are bean curd skin; This is the skin that forms at the top of fresh soy milk when it is boiled. It can be in large fresh sheets or dehydrated, and comes in all forms: thinly sliced, dried, or tied into knots, each with their own applications. This simple ingredient can result in a variety of tastes and textures just by varying its form. The picture on the left is the non-fried version and the one on the right is the fried one that is mentioned in the story. The fried one usually has a slight crispy texture even after being dipped in the boiling hot pot and I’d highly recommend trying it if you ever get the chance!
2 A hot pot meal typically lasts at least a couple of hours, and during that time, because the soup is continuously boiling plus being absorbed/ drunk by the diners, the pot will need to be topped up with soup. This also prevents the overall pot from tasting too salty from all the ingredients that were put in it.
3 King Yanluo: 閻羅王Yanluo Wang; King Yanluo is in charge of the 5th Court, Great Hell of Wailing. Those who are sent here had indulged in killing, stealing, misconducts and intoxicants. Those with more severe karma are sent to other hells to clear their karma after ascending the Tower of Hometown-Viewing. In some versions, Yanluo is also the ruler of the entire Underworld.
4 King Zhuanlun: 轉輪王 Zhuanlun Wang, literally, Wheel-turning King; Ruler of the 10th Court. Here, there is a ‘Wheel of Reincarnation’ and the ‘Pavilion of Forgetfulness’ (or ‘Naihe Bridge’ in some versions). After serving their sentences, prisoners arrive at the 10th Court where King Zhuanlun passes final judgement. The prisoners are then brought to the ‘Pavilion of Forgetfulness’ where Meng Po hands them a soup that makes them forget their past lives. They will then go through the ‘Wheel of Reincarnation’— Samsara. Depending on the prisoner’s past life, they would be reborn either as a human or an animal. Some would be reborn into a life of ease and comfort while others into sorrow and suffering.
5 Wangxiang Pavilion: 望乡台 Wanxiang tai “Home-Viewing Pavilion”; a pavilion every soul passes through in the Underworld. From there, they can see their loved ones in the world of the living for the last time, and cry out their farewells. In some versions, this is a place where evildoers all have to ascend and watch their loved ones suffer as a result of their wrong-doings.
6 ‘that’: The author used □ □ in the original text, so the item King Yanluo is referring to is still a mystery for now.
7 Salute: A formal hand gesture made to show respect to the recipient. Usually made when meeting the other party and once more before leaving.
