Jianshui grass sprouts rice noodles, reading people by the lotus pond

This article is a prelude to the official writing of Jianshui, and tells about my efforts to become a person who reads by the lotus pond when I was 14 years old. (nonsense)

There is a Jianshuicaoya rice noodle shop near where I live. Due to the construction of the subway in front, a fence was built, and even the entire street in this shop was "hidden" and it was not easy to find.

At first, it was a lumen recommended by a friend here, and I found it along the navigation instructions. Those who sell lo mein will not sell them when they are outdated, and diners have to go there before 1:00 noon. We didn't know the rules, so we fell short the first time.

But I accidentally found that there was a Jianshui grass sprout rice noodle next to it, and the accent of the boss and the clerk was Jianshui people. On a whim, I went in and sat down. I ordered beef rice noodles in red soup and rice noodles with grass sprouts in clear soup. It is also the practice of crossing the bridge rice noodle, but the ingredients are put into the soup. In addition to the seasoning, the hat has crispy meat, boiled meat, grass sprouts, and two quail eggs. The rest of the rice noodles and rolled noodles are left to the guests to cook by themselves, as much as they eat, no extra charge.

Although this signboard is made of Jianshui grass sprout rice noodles, the variety it sells is still a bit complicated. It may be that they left their hometown and came here, and have made certain improvements according to the tastes of diners. In Jianshui, a rice noodle restaurant usually sells only one kind of rice noodles, but the grades are different. The price may vary from 6 yuan, 7 yuan, 8 yuan, 10 yuan, and 12 yuan. The more kinds of hats (meat) are added, the higher the price, which is very fair and affordable.

The taste of this grass sprout rice noodle is similar to the famous grass sprout rice noodle anywhere in Yunnan. It is thick and fragrant, or some stores simply leave the seasoning packet of bridge soup, and the others are not much different. Besides this bowl of soup, I miss the taste of crispy meat. What is often eaten in Kunming is small pot rice noodles, without crispy meat. Having been to this Jianshui grass sprout rice noodle, I thought to myself, this should be the best crispy in Kunming.

Sitting here too, I recalled the time I lived in Jianshui and recalled more details. Where to go, what to eat, what to play, who is around.

The first time I was impressed with Jianshui was around 2012. At that time, I saw many children reading in the Confucian Temple, sitting by the lotus pond, in the pavilion, under the eaves of the corridor, under the trees, and on the steps.

For me at that time, the Confucian Temple was just a place to play. I came all the way just to see the view. But being in it, everything inspires my imagination: someone was reading here in the past, and standing here can hear the sound of reading. I have a good impression of "love reading", so I looked up and saw the imaginary scene, I was surprised and happy, and I was speechless.

At that time, I thought that I would also come here to study in the future.

When I was fifteen years old, I was really studying next door to the Confucian Temple, which was only separated by a wall. There is even a mahogany door that leads directly to the Confucian Temple. I came too late, the door was closed all the time, and only during the annual sacrifice to Confucius, the school's students who participated in the Confucian sacrifice ceremony were allowed to pass through there.

I heard from my classmates who used to study here. In summer, they go to the Confucian Temple through that door, pick lotus leaves and lotus pods in Taiye Pond, and then send them to the school cafeteria. The kind aunt will cook lotus leaves. Porridge and lotus seed porridge are given to them to eat. But I'm too late now to have this opportunity.

On the day of enrolling in school, I was in adolescence and had a big fight with my parents. They threatened me and stopped sending me. I was angry and anxious, thinking that I would eventually not be able to become a person who reads by the lotus pond, so tears flowed down my cheeks. My parents just put their anger out, and they only have such a "magic weapon", and they still sent me there.

I still remember that it was raining that day, but when we arrived it was unexpectedly sunny and the road was slowly drying. The reading scene I once saw in the Confucian Temple, I saw it again under the phoenix tree in the school, so I was surprised and thought: This is why I came here. In every corner of the school that seems to be leisurely, there are people reading.

At that time, I hadn't realized the essence of education, and I had fantasies about "loving reading". I was happy to see others reading, not to mention reading by the lotus pond and under the phoenix tree.

Now that I think about it, it's not entirely the result of my youth and ignorance. That was eight or nine years ago, and it was even more so in Jianshui. I have a blind confidence in this place: it is too obsessed with time, confident in its own experience, and willing to lag behind the entire era. It was the same eight or nine years ago, and it is the same today.

I can't help but talk about Jianshui, so I really set off for Jianshui, which is not much different from what I imagined.

After I came back, I sat in the Jianshui grass sprout rice noodle shop in a foreign land, watching the steam rising from the soup bowl in front of me. Coming back here in ten years is the same as when I came back to the noodle shop in Yongzhen Lane, Jianshui today.

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