(a)

"Jingle bell!"

The door of Xianglin Hall was pushed open, and the small copper bell on the door frame shook happily.

"Ahh

The person who came in was Reimu, who was covered in snow, snow and cold, rubbed her neck and hammered her back, like a little old man, and walked into this warm hut with little energy.

"Obviously, it took a lot of effort to defeat the main culprit of the mutation, but this time, the sky is still so cold, and I suddenly feel it," she muttered, "Life is completely boring!"

"Where are you from?"

Mori rinnosuke wiped the glass lenses covered by the water mist, and when he turned his head, he saw Reimu's half-dead virtue, and then complained. He was now sitting cross-legged at the small round table in the middle of the room, with chopsticks in his hand, apparently about to start eating.

There was an induction cooker on the small table, and the large soup pot on top of it was boiling. Around the stove were a circle of small bowls containing dipping sauces such as soy sauce, sesame paste, scallion oil, and hot sauce, as well as condiments such as chopped green onions, minced garlic, and chopped coriander—anyone with a discerning eye could tell that they were eating hot pot.

Sure enough, should I say that it is true, if you don't eat hot pot, how can it be considered winter?

Coincidentally, Tokiko, who was sitting opposite Rinnosuke, lifted the lid of the pot, and a rich, unique aroma of old beef soup filled the room in an instant. Just sniffed lightly, and the gluttonous worm in Reimu's belly couldn't stay any longer, and it started to make a fuss with a "grunt".

Speaking of which, it's really time for lunch.

"Shhh...... Hah-"

Reimu took a deep breath, and a touch of intoxication instantly crept up her face, dyeing her face as white as winter snow with a hint of spring cherry blossoms.

"It's beef hot pot......"

She muttered a little inarticulately, and by the way, she sucked back the hara that had flowed to her mouth. When he came back to his senses, Rinnosuke was shocked to find that this guy was already sitting down beside him, and even mixed the seasonings, holding the bowl and preparing to start.

"On the obsession with 'eating' alone," Rinnosuke shook his head helplessly, "You are also at the peak......"

Reimu ignored him, and stretched out his arm to grab himself the biggest, best piece of beef brisket with the tendons that had been boiled until transparent. Feeling the warm gravy spilling out of the dense lean meat, mixed with the slight spiciness of the sauce, melting in her mouth along with the elasticity of the beef tendon and the toughness of the beef, Reimu's expression was immediately overwhelmed by happiness.

"Hah...... It's good to be alive......"

She opened her mouth and sighed as she chewed. Fortunately, she couldn't see her expression at this time, because in Rinnosuke's eyes, it was a disaster.

"Eat slowly, be careful not to burn!" Rinnosuke persuaded in a parental tone.

"No, no!"

Reimu inhaled the cool air with his mouth while continuing to eat. Tomorrow morning, she will find that her oral mucous membrane has been burned with holes, but at least today she is still refreshed.

"Ahh

It was only then that the late Toki realized the problem. She slapped her chopsticks on the table, stood up, pointed to Reimu's face bulging like a goldfish bubble from being stuffed with beef, and shouted:

"I took a fancy to that piece of meat first! I started waiting as soon as I got out of the pot, and you guy ...... it."

"The first strike is stronger. ”

Reimu said this, munching on the meat, completely as if this crested ibis monster did not exist. Toki was trembling with anger, but he had no choice but to look at Rinnosuke with the little eyes of the pear blossom and rain, hoping that he would say a few words for himself.

"Okay, okay, there's a lot of meat. Rinnosuke smiled and said, "It's enough to eat, don't worry." ”

"But ......"

Seeing that his only savior was not partial, Toki simply put down his heart, and as if angry, he quickly picked up the meat and stuffed it into his mouth one bite after another. It doesn't matter if you can taste this way of eating, the primary goal at the moment is to win over this rice witch.

"Wow, this is a declaration of war on me!" Seeing her like this, the witch didn't get much angry, of course, the speed of the chopsticks didn't go down, "Yes, I accept your challenge!"

"The poor ghost witch retreats!" Toki swallowed the meat in his throat, chewed the meat in his mouth, and held the meat on his chopsticks, and even had time to roar in his throat, in a sense, he was also a talent.

"Who are you talking about poor ghosts?" Of course, in this regard, Reimu is definitely not far behind.

These two people are fighting with each other with chopsticks, eating with a mouthful of oil, their faces are bulging like hamsters, and their eyes are still round. They stared at the meat in the pot with big eyes, as if they were fighting, and refused to relax for a moment. This comical scene made Rinnosuke angry, and he couldn't help laughing, and he was really helpless.

"Eat slowly, don't be afraid of choking!"

As soon as he said this, he saw that the two calves had calmed down together and stopped all movements. Two pairs of bamboo chopsticks fell down one after another, making a crisp sound, and at the same time, the two of them also fell on the table together, and the movements were as neat as if they had colluded to play a prank.

"Water...... Give me...... Water ......"

Reimu turned his head and looked at Rinnosuke with a look of help. Her face was white and blue, blue and purple, and her voice was hoarse as if she was about to die of thirst in the desert. The toki on the other side also looked at it at this time, and its state was exactly the same as Reimu.

"Hey......" Rinnosuke lowered his head and sighed, "What did I say......"

Later, Reimu and Toki both ate enough, but Rinnosuke didn't eat enough.

(b)

"Hum hum, hum hum, hum-"

Yuyuko clapped her hands and hummed a song, as if she was about to be resurrected. On the small square table in front of her lay a steaming pot of mutton, and the charcoal fire was blazing brightly underneath—that was why she was so happy.

"I said, Yuyuko-sama......" The soul demon dream sitting opposite her looked a little uncomfortable, "Ming...... Obviously, they have all failed, and the spring collected has not been retained at all...... Why don't you seem to care at all?"

The room where the two of them are located is a viewing room facing the courtyard. Beyond the open gate is the blooming westward demon. Under the falling cherry blossoms and rain, occasionally a few pieces fall on the dining table in the room, and the mood is really good.

Thanks to the spring breeze released by the westbound demon at the end of the mutation, the injuries on the demon dream have been healed. The pot of mutton in front of her was stewed just right, and the aroma that overflowed from under the lid alone was enough to whet her appetite. Youmeng should have opened her mood and appetite, looking forward to a good meal like Yuyuko, but at this time, she couldn't be happy.

In the final analysis, she hasn't been able to get used to this kind of loser mentality, which is very characteristic of Gensokyo, leisurely and relaxed, and a little happy.

For the samurai, defeat is a rather humiliating thing, and it is necessary to try their courage and self-spur. It's really hard to understand how to enjoy cherry blossoms and eat meat like this, and laugh and play like no one else.

"Even if you care, what can you do?" Yuyuko said with a smile, "I care, I regret, I cry bitterly, can I get back what I lost?"

"Those literati and in ancient times, when they all felt sad, it seemed that they could make the fallen cherry blossoms return to the trees by crying a few more handfuls of snot. In fact, they can't, they can't, they can't save even their own lives that will eventually die. Those who suffer from gains and losses, and hold on to their treasures and do not let go, are just mortals with short lives and short ambitions after all. ”

"This is the underworld, the realm where the dead leave, and you and I are beyond life and death. Here, let the dead pass away, and there is no need to keep it. This is what I learned from this change. ”

"So," Yuyuko lifted the lid of the pot with one hand, and held chopsticks in the other hand, and reached into the pot, "What a westbound demon Sakura, the daughter of Fujimi, I don't bother to care about this old thing that hiccups thousands of years ago!

"Uh-huh, this meat is so delicious!"

Looking at Yuyuko's slightly bulging cheeks and the happy color on her face, Youmeng was a little relieved, but also a little helpless, as if she had a comprehension, but it was difficult to speak, so she had to smile bitterly and shake her head.

Perhaps, when she is older, she will be able to understand this state of mind!

"Eat quickly, Demon Dream, why are you stunned? If you don't eat it, there will be no more!"

"Got it, Yuyuko-sama, you eat slowly, don't get hot!"

"I'm a ghost, how can I get burned...... Hiss...... It's hot!"

"Really, why are you in such a hurry, and no one is robbing you of ......"

Sure enough, if you don't eat hot pot, how can you be considered to have survived the winter?