Crimson Lips

Spring chives and autumn cabbage, smoke rising from the kitchen beneath a trellis of hyacinth beans.

Water shield, perch, water caltrops and rice, cakes and osmanthus honey.

Abalone and ginseng, delicacies both, savory and sweet, sour and salty.

Three meals a day: with whom shall I eat? Even without meat, I'm happy.

Laozi said, "Governing a great country is like cooking a small fish."

Confucius said, "I do not tire of fine rice or finely minced meat. If the color is bad, I do not eat it. If it smells bad, I do not eat it. If it is not cooked properly, I do not eat it. If it is out of season, I do not eat it. If it is not cut correctly, I do not eat it. If it is not served with the right sauce, I do not eat it."

Kong Ji said, "Everyone eats and drinks, yet few know how to savor the taste."

Mencius said, "As for the mouth and its tastes, everyone shares the same preferences."

Li Bai said, "Let's slaughter oxen and sheep and make merry; surely we must drink three hundred cups at a sitting."

Du Fu said, "In the night rain, I snip spring chives; the freshly cooked rice is mixed with yellow millet."

Su Shi said, "The Yangtze curves around the city, revealing how delicious the fish must be; bamboo-covered hills stretch on and on, and I can almost smell the fragrant shoots."

Tang Lusun said, "I have a failing: I make no secret of my love of good food."

Wang Zengqi said, "I don't eat dusters just because they have fur, nor stools just because they have legs. I don't eat dead people as grand dishes, or flies as little dishes."

Su Qing said, "Eating, drinking, men and women: these are the greatest desires of human nature."

Jiang Xuan carefully smoothed on the lip color she'd just reapplied before adding, "Mm, those are all very incisive points. So, um, can I get the rest to go?"

Actually, this is just a story about a girl who always has to touch up her makeup because of eating.

A food-focused novel, so feel free to dive in. The whole book is complete, and I'm proofreading it quickly now.

Theme: Loving life even amid strange events