Prose: Guijiashi Old Tea House

I like the old streets, the polished bluestone slabs, the narrow and crooked streets, the shops that have been handed down for generations, and the old teahouse.

One winter morning, before dawn, the old street was somewhat chilly. The Qinhua Hotel on the street corner was not open yet, but a few dim lights were lit in the small farmers' market in the center of the old street. Facing the dawn of the morning, the old street slowly wakes up, igniting the fireworks of the day and starting a new day.

It only takes more than 1 steps to get back to the old street in Jiashi City, and then walk from west to east. The old street is too narrow for cars to cross. There used to be a middle school, a primary school, a blacksmith's shop, a restaurant, a supply and marketing cooperative, a lace club and a hostel in Laojie, which was quite prosperous and was an important market town in the east of Xushi and the north of Heshi in Changshu.

With the merging of villages and towns, the once prosperity naturally disappears, and the old street gradually declines, just like an old man who is dying, surviving and watching the sunrise and sunset alone. It doesn't know which day it will be demolished or even forgotten in such an ever-changing era.

drinking morning tea is not a patent of Changshu people, but it is their favorite. Old tea drinkers don't demand teahouse conditions, a square table and several wooden chairs; A thermos bottle and a cup of green tea are steaming, which is what we want.

The old street in Guijia City is quiet in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, and the old street life has never disappeared. The custom of drinking morning tea has been enduring for a long time. Drinking morning tea here is different from that of Cantonese people. It is more like a lively market, unpretentious like fruits and vegetables naturally growing in the fields, with a strong local flavor.

The teahouse has no signboard, and it is very inconspicuous. The light is not bright, and the interior is very simple. The hot air from the tea is intertwined with the smoke from cigarettes. Through the gap of time, the leisurely time in the teacups clearly appears before our eyes ...

The appearance of the old teahouse is reminiscent of an elderly man wearing a robe and jacket. The teahouse is alive and well, but it doesn't look scared.

At the first light of the morning, tea drinkers come from all directions, like ducks swimming for tea. They often come to the teahouse at dawn, sit down at this square table and start a day of drinking morning tea.

The ground of the old teahouse is dark and shiny, and the diffuse smoke makes people timid. He Duoling, a painter, said that this is the dirty matter, and a brick and a beam can't be whitewashed. Slogans before the reform and opening up were posted on the old walls, and the surrounding walls were dim and old-fashioned. Every nook and cranny has a historical deposit.

The water in the aluminum pot boiled, and the water vapor overflowed, and all the teahouses came alive in an instant, and they were also injected with the breath of survival.

Only one person's teahouse owner pinched a handful of tea leaves and put them in a teacup, then took a kettle to pour water. Suddenly, the discerning water drew a beautiful arc and slowly poured it into the teacup along the spout. At this time, the tea drinkers were in no hurry to drink tea. After a while, the tea soup became stronger, and then they picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Although the teahouse is simple and simple, it has become a paradise for ordinary people. People who come to the teahouse to drink tea are all nearby villagers, either drinking tea, eating a bowl of noodles or buying a handful of fresh vegetables.

The people who come here for tea are all elderly men. They regard the teahouse as a good place for friends or leisure. Make a pot of tea, chat and talk, and stay for a long time. If you want to sleep, just take a nap. It's very pleasant.

Every day, most people who come here are acquaintances. Even if they can't name names, they all look familiar. The chatterbox has already been opened, and even the cooking skills of the daughter-in-law can be talked about on the tea table. Listening to other people's stories, thinking about their own good things.

These people may have never been to the city for coffee or milk tea in their whole lives, but they may have spent the most unforgettable time in such an old teahouse.

there is a saying that "one side of the soil and water will nourish one side". Perhaps, only the old teahouse is the best place for them to relax and enjoy their seemingly uneventful little life. I believe that people here will live a long life. People often say that drinking tea contributes to longevity. Presumably, it is not only the role of tea polyphenols in tea, but also the carefree mentality when drinking tea.

As the sun rises, there are more and more pedestrians on the street. Sunlight came in from the window and lit up the wrinkled face of the tea drinker. Tea drinkers are still leisurely drinking tea, still so calm and carefree, facing the people who passed by the teahouse or what happened, their calm expressions are like those of people outside the world.

In fact, all the tea leaves in the teahouse are very low-priced coarse tea, but the tea drinkers don't care about the taste of the tea. While drinking the tea with relish, they are chatting all over the world. Occasionally, people who come to the teahouse take out a pack of tea from their pockets and show off to some old friends: "I brought good tea today, the authentic West Lake Longjing." Then, after pouring out the old tea and distributing it to everyone's teacups and pouring boiling water, everyone tasted it and praised loudly: "Good tea, good tea!" "

Teahouse is not only a place to drink tea, but also a place to solve conflicts between neighbors. If two families have conflicts and quarrel, they will say, "Let's go to the teahouse to reason together!" Therefore, it gradually formed the custom of going to the teahouse to judge if there is something unfair.

Here, both sides can freely state the course of the incident and their attitudes. Tea drinkers listen to both sides while drinking tea, and make fair judgments to convince others. In the end, most of them come in anger and leave with a smile.

Teahouse is a slice of memory. When you chew it carefully and smell the tea, history quietly flows away between cups and lamps ... I thought all the tea drinkers had left, but when I turned around, I saw an old man sitting alone in a corner, staring blankly into the distance. That kind of scene is lonely. Is he reminiscing about his fleeting time? Are you thinking about his good old days? The smoke from the burning cigarette filled his eyes ... He was happy after all. Because in his lifetime, there is at least such an old teahouse for him to come and sit here, even if it is only to recall the good old days ...

Old street is the warmest memory in my heart. Now Guishi Old Street, like a dying old man, has experienced too many vicissitudes, just longing for a deep sleep. The people who live here are generally old people who don't want to leave. They are nearly old, with gray hair and hunched bodies, welcoming the first light outside the window, and the sunshine is soft and warm.

when the old street is empty and people are gone, they can never go back. I'm just a modern man with a little retro. Tomorrow, when I'm old, will the old teahouse still be there? The old teahouse is a simple emotion in the depths of memory. Perhaps, one day the old street, the old man and the old teahouse are gone, but it is also a precious memory.

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