Taste buds are the gates of emotions. Every dish involves some people, a memory and a life. For me, hot pot can instantly remind me of my deepest memory. That year, with a beautiful vision for the future, with the voices of our families and earnest expectations, Ling He and Xiaoyun and I came to the magic capital Shanghai to find a new world of our own here.

After a few days of bunking in my hometown, we began to look around for a house. We finally decided to live in a basement of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech. Although there were no windows, it was dark and humid, the air smelled of mildew, and there was no air conditioning or heating, the three of us felt happy and satisfied, and finally we had a stable place to stay, and the price was very cheap. Then we started the process of anxiously looking for jobs in labor service centers and talent markets. Because the three of us have no high education, there are many twists and turns in our work. We wait and wait, either the other party despises us or the salary is too harsh. In a blink of an eye, more than ten days have passed, that is, there is no suitable job, and there is little money left. Every day we can save, and sometimes a steamed bread is a meal.

That day, on my birthday, Linger and Xiaoyun got money from nowhere, and bought Chinese cabbage, vermicelli, ham sausage, pork belly, mutton kebabs, onion, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, coriander, red 999 Chongqing hot pot bottom material and so on. They repeatedly told me that you are the birthday girl today, so don't worry about anything, but be happy. We will make a delicious hot pot to celebrate your birthday. We haven't seen meat for several days, so we can solve our problems. The three of us washed, washed and cut the pork belly, first refined the pork belly in Ritz, then put the prepared ginger slices, boiled them with water, unpacked the hot pot bottom materials and squeezed them into the pot. Salt, soy sauce, pepper and pepper were put in one after another, and when the pot boiled, mutton hotpot, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and vermicelli began to be boiled ... The whole room was fragrant and full of warmth and happiness. Mix sesame sauce, Chili oil and garlic paste and put them in three small dishes. We brought the pot to the dining table with the induction cooker, and planned to add vegetables while eating. Looking at the red pot full of delicious food, we smiled at each other, picked up a bottle of coke, raised a glass to drink, and shouted "Happy Birthday" in unison! I like to eat vermicelli and ham sausage in hot pot. It's very spicy and hot. I smack my mouth with coke and my mouth is full of oil. They like to eat mutton and mushrooms, and they can really satisfy their cravings. Three pairs of chopsticks are pounding in the pot. We continue to add vegetables while eating, dip in dishes and sauces, and have coke. We have been eating for a long time, and under the dim light, it is our happy smiling face. That night, we three girls ate up a pot of food, all of them ate until they were full and drank until they were full. Later, under the shout of Reiko, we began to make microphones with our fists in our hands and sing happy birthday songs loudly in Chinese and English. The cloud later sang Chen Chusheng's "Did I Tell You" until she choked up and wept bitterly. She said that she remembered the person she had secretly loved.

"When the train enters this strange city?

Is that a neon that I have never seen before?

I opened the letter you sent me when I left?

suddenly, I feel so missed?

a city where there is no snow in winter and no night?

I heard someone cheering and someone crying?

I'm used to shuttling through the night full of temptations

Has anyone told you that I love you very much

At night in this city ... "

Now eight years have passed, we have all been upgraded to a wife and mother. Except for me, they stopped in different cities and performed different lives. We don't have to live in the basement anymore, we have learned a skill, and we have a stable source of income, and our lives are gradually improving. No matter how time changes, the hot pot that night must be rooted in our hearts, deep into our bone marrow, and will never be forgotten.

In the most difficult moment of our life, life is tight, we are not able to find a job smoothly, and our future is bleak. But with our mutual support and encouragement, we have the hot pot with that color and fragrance, which has warmed us for a long time ... I miss them on every birthday, and I miss them every time I mention hot pot. In Chen Chusheng's songs, I miss them. There is a smell of youth, a story of youth.

qi fan qi Wei journal