【Introduction】
“Life is like a play, all depends on the performance.”
“As we go on living, we come to understand.”
“How can there be a perfect solution in this world, without failing the Buddha and without failing you?”
These golden phrases sound profound but, upon closer inspection, feel hollow and powerless. Life isn’t filled with so many grand truths; it’s just about the mundane essentials like rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.
In several decades of life, how should we live? This question has troubled countless people. Some say we should live for ourselves, while others say having money is enough. But as I grow older, I increasingly feel that living well relies on enriching oneself.
But here’s the problem: an ordinary person, without a big house or a distinguished family background, how can they enrich themselves?
Today, I want to share with you the simplest method of enriching oneself: treat your three meals a day well, and that’s enough. Don’t overcomplicate life or drown yourself in hard-to-understand tomes. The truth of life often lies hidden in ordinary days.
01 **, nurturing wisdom
Nowadays, there are quite a few people who can fill their stomachs. Even if a family is deeply in debt, they won’t go hungry—at worst, they might eat simpler meals. For people in their fifties or sixties, not having food to eat is not an issue anymore. They have savings and pensions; they may spend everything this month, but next month they will still receive living expenses.
What we lack is exquisite food. With the fast pace of life, many people just hastily eat a few bites without caring much. Take Aunt Wang, whom I know, for example; she always rushes to finish her meal and hurries off to dance in the square or attend some lecture, completely missing the point.
In fact, if we are willing to spend some time studying gourmet food, we would realize that this is far more useful than reading those dull books.
My friend Xiao Li is an example. He is obsessed with making meat sandwiches, mastering everything from the technique of baking the bread to the method of slicing it. He constantly innovates and always brings new surprises.
“Do you know?” Xiao Li excitedly told me, “I found that slightly charring the bread makes it taste even better.”
He even records his insights into making the bread; he has already compiled several notebooks.
“This is much more interesting than the reports I write at work,” Xiao Li laughed, “Every time I flip through them, I learn something new.”
The wisdom of food is limitless, hidden within our daily lives. Just pick up the kitchen tools, and the wisdom flows from your fingertips; why seek distant gains when the close ones are right there?
02 Affordable food, nurturing wealth
Buying groceries is an art. Some can manage three meals a day for as little as ten yuan, and their quality of life may not be worse than those who spend fifty.
My neighbor Aunt Zhang is a master in this. She has developed a set of tricks to lower living costs.
“Go grocery shopping in the afternoon,” Aunt Zhang mysteriously told me, “Many stalls will restock, and the produce will be fresh and cheap.”
She also suggests avoiding out-of-season vegetables, “Seasonal vegetables are not only cheaper but also more nutritious.”
Aunt Zhang often visits different stores to compare prices, “The same item can vary greatly in price.”
Sometimes, she goes directly to the farmers’ fields to buy vegetables. “The freshest and most affordable,” she laughs, “and the farmers appreciate me for helping them sell their goods.”
Regarding meat, Aunt Zhang has her insights: “It’s not about buying expensive; it’s about buying ordinary and making good use of it without wasting a thing.”
She also suggests reducing the number of kitchen tools, “We are just a small family,
