Fog Township

Yizi Street is a narrow alley. Because of the wetness and rain in the tea dam, the eaves on both sides of the street are so wide that they are connected to each other, layered on top of each other, covering the sky and the sun. In this way, even if there is a heavy rain outside the alley, the alley It can also keep shoes and socks from getting wet. The narrowest part of the street can only allow one person to pass sideways. Villagers passing through here have to put down their baskets and unload their burdens.Lao Niang led A Ming to the snack bar that he frequented every day. The owner of this small shop was the famous "ciba family" in the village - Ms. Li.Her family has been making glutinous rice cakes for three generations. As long as she can remember, she has learned the craft of glutinous rice cakes from her grandmother, and has [-] years of skill in her hands.Apart from the careful selection of ingredients, the Ciba of Chaba is most special in that it is baked with bluestone.The blue stones are all local materials, selected from the deep mountain cliffs in the upper reaches of the Chaba River. After the stones are taken, they are hammered with a chisel hammer and ground into thin slices of uniform thickness. They are dried next to the stove for several days before they can be used.The snacks in Chaba have their own traditions. Although almost every shop sells the same products, each shop has one or two unique specialties. The smoked tofu from Grandma Zhang's house is crispy on the outside and mellow on the inside, which is a must.

Ya Niang and A Ming each asked for a piece of glutinous rice cake.Ms. Li quickly picked out two palm-sized round glutinous rice cakes from the dustpan, and placed them on the bluestone that had been simmering over the charcoal fire.Both La Niang and A Ming were curious about the changes of the glutinous rice cakes after being in contact with the bluestone. As the temperature rises, the glutinous rice cakes gradually change from flat and small to swollen, from porcelain white to light burnt yellow, followed by a faint fragrance of glutinous rice .Madam Li took out two pieces of bamboo leaves from the basket next to her and put them on the table, then quickly picked up the hot baked glutinous rice cakes, put them on the bamboo leaves, then put the bamboo leaf glutinous rice cakes in her palm, and scooped a spoonful of soybean flour It's really wrapped up.

"Here! Take it, be careful not to burn it." Ms. Li said with a smile, "You two have such a good relationship. You are so old, you can still play with one piece." While handing another piece of rice cake to A Ming, she continued to joke : "When will you have your wine?"

Hearing this, Amin's neck turned red with shame, but the prostitute didn't care about it.Amin was so ashamed that he could not speak coherently, and said eagerly: "Eat... what kind of wine do you want? Your family runs a wine shop, why do you need to eat other people's wine?"

Although the prostitute's face was as clean as autumn water, but when she heard others put her and A Ming together, she was overjoyed and boiled, like water about to boil, with thin fish-eye bubbles.Seeing Amin's embarrassment, she hurriedly said: "Ms. Li was joking. I just hit it off with Brother Aming. We are real buddies. Don't you think so? Brother Aming." After taking a breath, he quickly nodded and said: "Yes! Yes! We are just friends." After speaking, he hurriedly stuffed the glutinous rice cakes he had just picked up into his mouth, but it was too hot, and immediately spit it back.Seeing his appearance like this, Janny and Madam Li giggled unanimously.

Before he knew it, the sun had already set in the west, leaving a rouge blush on the horizon.The water vapor from the river valley rises, forming a mist that shrouds the streets and alleys of Chaba.Amin bid farewell to the prostitute and walked home. After crossing the Moon Dam and walking up the river, Amin's home was there. Grandma had already prepared dinner. Amin pushed open the old wooden door, making a dull sound.

"Is that Amin? Come and eat!" Grandma was still making the last vegetable tofu soup in the kitchen.

"Yeah. I dug a big basket of ear roots and came back today." Amin put down the bamboo basket, went into the kitchen, helped wipe the table, put the bowls and chopsticks, and brought out side dishes.

The grandparents and grandchildren sat opposite each other.As usual, A Ming served a bowl of soup for his grandmother. This is a habit that grandma has developed since she was a child. She must drink soup before eating. The old people said that it has the effect of warming the intestines and nourishing the stomach.

Grandmother looked at A Ming and said, "What a good folded ear root! We pick out the tender ones and eat them with cold salad, and set aside some of those roots for seasoning, and let the rest be dried for medicinal materials."

Amin readily agreed, nodded and said, "Okay, I'm going to do this too." Grandma gave Amin a piece of garlic tofu that was fried until golden on both sides.

Grandma took a sip of the wine that was placed beside her.This is a popular drink in the Chaba area. It is fermented with boiled sorghum and put into a pottery urn. When drinking, it is mixed with boiling water and stirred well, and then the drink is absorbed through a thin bamboo tube.Grandma is very addicted to the taste of this kind of wine. It has a strong aroma and a sweet aftertaste.The grandmother took another sip, then stopped her chopsticks, and looked at A Ming meaningfully. There were complex emotions in those eyes. A Ming couldn't read anything, and only vaguely felt that her grandmother was preoccupied.

"You had a good time playing with that girl," the grandmother said.

"Well, you also know that I don't have any friends in Chaba except her. I blame me for being bored and out of gregarious. My peers don't like me very much, but she cares about me a lot. It's been like this since I was a child, and I'm used to it. Play with her." A Ming's tone was a little cheerful, and when he mentioned provoking a girl, the words came out of his mouth, he didn't need to think about it before finding words to express, his words were natural and flowing, maybe he didn't even notice this expression different.

"Then you like her?" Grandma asked seriously, looking directly at Amin.

A Ming was caught off guard by this question, his face turned white and red, and said: "Grandma! Why do you say that, I have nothing to do with her, I'm still young, I haven't thought about it so much."

The grandmother smiled and said, "It's not young! In our Chaba, 16 years old is considered an adult. Didn't the Zhou family's daughter get married at the age of [-] last month! Tell grandma the truth, do you like her? Don't be embarrassed!"

A Ming regained his composure, and said: "Actually, I don't know how to behave when I like someone. I just feel happy and at ease with her. Maybe I'm used to it. I can't tell, I really can't tell." As he spoke, Amin rested his chin with his hands, and quickly searched for the memories related to prostitutes in his mind. The memories from his childhood to the present made him feel ashamed and flustered. Most of the memories were prostitutes covering him. , he looks like her follower, in fact, others think so, but he himself doesn't want to admit it.

When grandma heard this, she probably knew all about it, and said, "It's better to let things take their course. I won't hinder you in your affairs. You can decide for yourself. After all, you have to walk your own way and live your own life. "Amin originally thought that grandma would speak out for helping you, because you are famously capable in Chaba. In terms of appearance, there are no girls in Chaba who can compare with her. To marry such a granddaughter-in-law who is one in a million is something that others can't wait for.A Ming felt strange, but couldn't think of the reason, so he changed the topic and didn't think about it.

The tea dam in early summer is already a bit sultry, and the nightfall has not receded the humidity and heat in the air.Amin was so bored that he walked out of the room and climbed up the high moon dam.The moonlight tonight is still not very clear, the moon is always like a girl who is going out for the first time, shyly hiding in the thick clouds, rarely seeing its bright face.Amin found a clean slate and sat down, and the crisp sound of insects sounded all around.He stared blankly at the thick clouds, only seeing a hazy halo of the moon.Sometimes I really get tired of the clouds, and I can't see anything clearly, A Ming cursed inwardly.Suddenly, a cool breeze blew from nowhere, making the moso bamboos and plantains on the roadside rustle.A Ming went to see the long buds of the broad plantain stretching out. After this strange wind, the clouds cleared and the fog cleared, and the moonlight became brighter, and the distinct texture of the plantain leaves could be seen clearly.A Ming naturally looked towards the night sky, a crack was blown open in the cloud, and the moon just slipped out deftly, as if to show his favor to his insinuation just now.

The moonlight illuminates everything quietly.The river, the reeds, the bamboos, and the plantains are all covered with thin silver gauze.Amin recalled his grandmother's words, and asked himself in his heart: "Do I really like provoking women? No! Maybe I should like her. She is as bright and clear as the moon in the night sky, and I am a handful of reeds by the river. Does the prostitute like me? No! Maybe she just thinks of me as an ordinary playmate." The fog on the river gradually thickened, and it became confused. After the moonlight briefly met the mountains, it was finally covered by thick clouds and recovered. hazy state.