Chapter 367: 461 chapters, the aroma wafting from the hot pot

461 chapters, the aroma wafting from the hot pot

461 chapters, the aroma of the hot pot

—— —— —— —— A branch of red apricot blossom extending over the wall

Outside the gate, waves of heat roll; the stalls on the street, any frozen goods with the word "ice," are selling well. At this moment, in the whole city, indeed the whole of Zhongguo, on the streets scorching like a blazing sun, you won't find a stall selling hot pot?

Although, in this hot summer, the hot pot has temporarily left us. But, regarding the ingredients of the hot pot, friends will say a few things——

Whether it's beef hot pot, mutton hot pot, dog meat hot pot, or horse hot pot, in short, it's all mixed stew. Throw all kinds of edible things together and stew.

Whatever flavor you taste, that's what it is. Although this hot pot is not a banquet, not high-class, but it's convenient to eat, tasty, and flavorful.

I've looked through lots of data on recipes, wanting to check the history of hot pot. But I wasted a lot of effort. It's clear that hot pot is a makeshift eating method modern people threw together; for now, it doesn't even count as a recipe.

Hot pot is not a new cuisine, nor is it the Ming dynasty. It's a kind of mixed stew from the folk, a street snack.

This hot pot is easy and simple to make. Even someone who hasn't studied cooking for a day can do it. The method is very simple: scallions, garlic, chili, oil, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, with beef, mutton, dog meat……

Once everything is ready, just put it together and stew.

That steaming hot pot, in the cold winter air, gives off a rich aroma. That aroma not only alleviates hunger and thirst but also dispels the cold. People gather around the hot pot, eating the food inside while chatting about street‑corner gossip—it's truly harmonious. At this point, who still cares whether the hot pot belongs to some cuisine or is high‑brow……

Am I talking about hot pot? No! I'm talking about myself too! I'm talking about the work I wrote for friends to read, yes!

Recently, many friends have approached me through various channels with many questions: Are you writing fantasy fiction? Miscellaneous writing? Essays? Jottings? Reflections? After‑thoughts? Documentary literature? My answer: No!

My correct answer is: hot pot literature——mixed stew.

Mixed stew, what's wrong with that? Take all the themes from famous works ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, throw them together in a stew. Then put them in the big "restaurant" that is Qidian, and let friends sample them for free. All right? Now you have no doubt about what I'm writing——mixed stew——hot pot style——founder——Liu Guozong.

Friend, I hope that in this "hot pot," that steaming aroma can bring you, in the scorching summer, the happy recollection of enjoying hot pot in winter………………………

Qian Zhongshu's 《Wei Cheng》______that too is in the season of "July heat"———"On a ship sailing from the Indian Ocean to China, the cabins are full of people: French, German‑exiled Jews, Indians, Annamese, not to mention Chinese………." Then that great writer Qian selected one or two "typicals" from among them, and then, with an east‑west hammer and a north‑south stick, he began from those two.

But I just like his way of saying it.

So I also imagined imitating the great writer Qian's way of writing, but I didn't want to follow in his footsteps.

I want to walk my own path.

But I know: "The road is long and far, I will seek high and low."

My "stewed hot pot," I don't know whether friends will like to taste it, whether it suits their palates; it still awaits the test of time…………..

A Western dramatist said ______when a work comes out, if everyone says it's good, you have utterly failed; if everyone says it's bad, you have also utterly failed. But I am the opposite of that dramatist———no failure at all.

This shows the work has its own characteristics.

A work that nobody says is good and nobody says is bad—that's what utter failure is!

What I say, right? Friend!

Above, these are what I occasionally think of.

Cao Xueqin's red‑faced confidante Zhiyan Zhai said Cao Xueqin wrote 《Dream of the Red Chamber》 using the technique "one tree, thousands of branches; one stream, myriad tributaries; unintentional casual strokes, hidden pulses reaching a thousand li." A tree, with tens of thousands of branches on it, the branches chaotic but the trunk orderly, is also called "form scattered, spirit not scattered"; many small streams flow into the sea, thousands of rivers converge into the sea, seeming like random, casual scribbles, but actually it is the result of deliberate planning……………………………

Those who know Xueqin, it is Zhiyan Zhai;

"Weiyun comrade:

Your opinion on the use of semicolons is correct……Lü Shuxiang;

Those who know Weiyun, it is Lü Shuxiang;

……………………………………………………

Those who know me, it is you, friend………………….

It's getting late; below, I'll continue to stew the "hot pot," offering you friends a free tasting. I'm truly sorry to let you eat hot pot in this scorching heat, but I hope my "stewed hot pot" lets you taste its aroma and brings you good fortune…………………………

(Heart with the disaster area, emotion with the disaster area: may peace, courage, confidence, and strength accompany the people of the disaster area! Be with them!)