A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Above and Below, All Connected · 83 / 102
Qing Ping Le · An Age of Peace and Plenty
One old man, one old woman, seated, sipping fish maw. Stir-fried rabbit, its flavor layered with honeyed dates, a long telling of the noisy spring when they first met.
Twice-brewed wine tossed with jade-green florets and sheep's testicles, amber walnuts in a thickened sauce. Sesame flatbread folded around mutton—in this dynasty four eyes meet, the peach tree in full bloom.
Glosses—
Fish maw [yú biào]: the dried swim bladder of a fish;
Jade-green: here it stands for broccoli;
Twice-brewed [dou]: wine brewed over a second time;
This dynasty: the reigning dynasty of the present day.
*This is an original work. If you reprint it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Jiao Wo Lingling.