The Reincarnation of Duck Blood

Old Li took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and his eyes drifted out the window. The sky was gloomy today, like a rag, hanging grayly, making people feel stuffy.

He remembered what he had seen on TV the other day. Xiaolongkan, a famous hot pot restaurant in Beijing, was actually recycling the leftover duck blood from customers, washing it, and serving it back to the table. This incident caused a lot of uproar, and Old Li's heart was also up and down.

He is an old customer of Xiaolongkan. He has loved this flavor since he was young. At that time, Xiaolongkan was just a small storefront, with a few greasy tables. The boss was a short, fat man with a strong Sichuan accent, who shouted every day: "The duck blood is tender and smooth, and the tripe is crispy. This is authentic!"

Old Li just loves this taste. The hot pot rolls, and the red oil wraps the duck blood, trembling, like a newborn baby, so tender that you can pinch out the water. One bite is fresh, fragrant, spicy, and very tasty, and it can be ironed from the tip of the tongue to the stomach.

But now? Old Li sighed. Nowadays, people's hearts are like the weather, unpredictable.

"Recycled duck blood..." Old Li murmured, "What is this? Isn't this fooling people!"

He remembered when he was young, people were so honest at that time. Those who sold tofu would never fake it, and those who sold fried dough sticks would never use overnight oil. Neighbors, if any family made something delicious, they would bring it out, one bowl for you and one bowl for me, and share it.

But now? Old Li shook his head. People's hearts have changed, becoming like that duck blood, and you don't know how many times it has been rolled in the pot.

"Dad, what are you thinking about?" His son walked in with a bowl of noodles, interrupting Old Li's thoughts.

"Nothing, I just remembered the Xiaolongkan incident." Old Li took the noodles and took a couple of bites.

"Hey, nowadays, you can't be sure of anything you eat." His son also sighed, "You should eat out less in the future, I will cook for you."

Old Li didn't speak, just lowered his head to eat noodles. Although these noodles are not as delicious as Xiaolongkan's duck blood, they are reassuring.

He suddenly remembered Lu Xun's "Human Blood Steamed Bun". Can the steamed bun dipped in human blood cure diseases? No. What about the recycled duck blood? Can it make people feel comfortable? No, either.

Sometimes the world is like a reincarnation, good and bad, all mixed together, making it difficult for people to distinguish. Old Li only hopes that this reincarnation can turn slower, and don't turn people's hearts away.

He looked up at the window, the sky was still gloomy, but Old Li's heart seemed to light up a lamp.

He knows that there are always some things in this world that will not change. Like his memory of Xiaolongkan, like his obsession with this duck blood, like the little hope he still has for this world.