Sharing Wine and Talking of Life
Shi Wei Yue Shang
Meng Chuxi never imagined her life would be turned upside down at a cultural relics exhibition—all because she glanced at a figure in a painting and dreamed her way back a thousand years. In the impoverished yet tranquil village of a millennium past, Meng Chuxi, rescued by a mute girl from Zhou Village, looked at the scrawny little thing before her and decided to roll up her sleeves to nurture this bean sprout. The villagers all said the mute Zhou girl was a jinx, having brought misfortune to her father, mother, and even her husband. Yet unexpectedly, after picking up this woman of unknown origin, her days began to flourish. The people of Zhou Village, who once pitied Zhou Qingwu, ended up envying her beyond measure. Who knew that the simple rhythms of daily life—firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea—could bring such happiness? This is a farming and food fiction set in an alternate universe, where I aim to write about every edible thing I know, fulfilling my culinary dreams on paper.