The story of a hotpot of glutinous rice at three o’clock in the morning and a group of gluttonous drinkers

I have wine, do you have a story?

Oh, no, I have glutinous rice, do you have a story?

Miss Shangguan/Text

In my hometown, the correct pronunciation of "糁" is "sá".

I often hear people say that life is not enough for those who have not cried bitterly late at night. But in this small town, things seem to have changed. It is impossible to live without someone who eats a bowl of grits late at night.

At three o'clock in the morning, everyone in the city fell asleep, but Naoxiang began to wake up.

After the frost, the weather became cooler and cooler. In the deep alley, the leaves of the plane tree began to turn yellow.

I have calculated that the time it takes for a leaf to fall from the branch, dance around and finally fall to the ground is 5 seconds. In this desolate night, they bid farewell to the world and began reincarnation.

Between the night and the fog, the number of diners in the rice dumpling restaurant gradually increased, and under the yellowish light, it became a third kind of stunning color.

This is probably the earliest coming and going of people in this small town.

Dry a bowl of glutinous rice flour, it is a local flavor.

Cooking a bowl of grits in the early morning is a story.

At this point in the article, it seems like it’s time to talk about the theme of the story, about this old city, about some nostalgia, about a bowl of the taste of the city, about you, and about me.

Under the sycamore tree, the lights of a rice dumpling restaurant came on. The first pot of glutinous rice is served starting at three o'clock in the morning. Because the Tou Guo Grits are rich in oil, the soup is thick, and the flavor is rich, many people just go for it.

3:08 minutes

The first person to walk into the Nut House was an old man, surnamed Lu, 66 years old, a retired teacher.

Uncle Lu said that his family lives nearby, and he has been drinking this taste for decades, but he can never get enough of it. If he doesn’t take a sip one day, he always feels like there is something missing in his mouth. something.

The uncle took a sip of rice flour, and then lovingly touched the teddy dog ??named "Shunzi" at his feet.

"Now that I am getting older and sleep less, I often sneak around here."

As he said this, the uncle burst into laughter.

3:25 minutes

"I drive a taxi and work the night shift. After running around, I come here to have a bowl of grits. After drinking, I go straight home to sleep." The person who said this was the taxi driver. Brother Zhang, the car master.

Master Zhang, a 45-year-old taxi driver, has worked in many jobs, including chef, loader and warehouse manager. Five years ago, I rented a taxi, and from then on, I was accompanied by the night of this city.

The night shift master is hard work, there are few people, and there is little work. The eldest brother said that at the beginning, at two or three in the morning, I was so sleepy that I yawned all day long. However, an unexpected bowl of glutinous rice dumplings relieved my sleepiness and made my stomach feel warm.

No, drinking as much as you want has become a habit and you can’t live without it.

After saying that, he picked up the bowl and drank the remaining grits in one gulp.

3:47 minutes

A young girl rests her head on a boy.

They are in their third year of college this year, and they just went to climb Mount Tai on the weekend.

In order to come back to class on Monday and save some money, they bought the cheapest train and took five hours, arriving at around three in the morning.

"Are you watching the sunrise?" I asked them.

"Well, you know, the moment the sun jumped out, it was really magnificent." The boy excitedly tried to describe his mood to me.

The girl looked up and looked at the boy tenderly.

I have to sigh, it’s great to be young, you can love someone without hesitation, you can be crazy and do things you will never do again, you can be poor, you can have no money, you can You can take the cheapest train, eat barbecue at roadside stalls, and drink a bowl of glutinous rice dumplings together, but you have the most indomitable and passionate heart.

4:03 minutes

Uncle Li, who is in his 50s, has dark and rough skin, and white cement splatters on his trouser legs and clothes. He walked in with a safety helmet. , a construction worker.

The construction site is not far away. In order to meet the deadline, construction is often done day and night. Therefore, I come here late at night to drink a steaming bowl of glutinous rice dumplings and eat a few brightly colored fried dough sticks to warm my stomach and body and give me the strength to work.

Uncle Li said that his family lives in the countryside dozens of miles away and has two children. The eldest daughter is in her second year of graduate school in Beijing this year, and her son has just been admitted to a university in the south this year.

"The two children are sensible and know that things are not easy at home, so they never dare to spend money randomly. But, as parents, I always feel that I owe my children too much, and I am afraid that they will not be able to eat or wear well outside." Something..."

I saw something bright shining in Uncle Li's eyes, maybe tears, maybe hope for the future.

Okay, uncle, let’s not talk about it anymore. It’s all in this bowl of grits and done.

4:36 minutes

I told four stories about three o’clock in the morning. The fifth one is about myself.

Six years ago, I didn’t like to drink grits. I always think it tastes weird, salty, numb and sour, which is really not to my liking.

Six years later, I began to fall in love with this strange smell.

It is indeed incredible, but life is an incredible journey.

In the past six years, I have left this small town and went to the south to study. When you are away from home, homesickness seems to be a compulsory course for every wanderer.

And the taste is the most memorable thing. Therefore, every late night when I think of my hometown, what I immediately remember is the strange smell of that bowl.

Later, after graduation, I went to work in a big city in the north. Because of work, I often work overtime and eat irregularly, and I suffer from gastroenteritis. When I was holding my stomach and turning over and over, unable to fall asleep, I suddenly missed a bowl of steaming rice dumplings.

I am back, back to this small town where I was born and raised.

When I sat at the simple dining table in the open air of the Grit Restaurant, facing the cold morning air, and took a sip of grits, six years later, I truly felt the warmth and aroma of the bowl of grits in my hand.

I suddenly discovered that this strange smell was very much like our lives. The taste of sweet, sour, spicy and salty can only be understood after experiencing some life.

People who drink from the same pot of glutinous rice have different lives and different stories. A bowl of grits is a bowl of local flavor, an early morning is an encounter, and the stories between people and the city are just a bowl of grits in your mouth.