During the Qingming Festival holiday again, I was quarantined at home for a long time during the epidemic. My heart, which longed to travel, couldn't help but be restless, and my body remained motionless for a long time, as if I were sick and lifeless. Every time this situation arises, I know that I "owe" the trip.

When at a loss as to where to go in one's residence, home is My college friend Xiao Gu from Gaoyou called me, and I immediately accepted Xiao Gu's invitation to go to Gaoyou.
Gaoyou City is The county-level city under Yangzhou had no opportunity to go to Gaoyou several times before. Coincidentally, Xiaogu's cousin was driving home to pay respects the next morning, so he took the opportunity to hitchhike to Gaoyou to meet Xiaogu. After driving for 3 hours, we finally arrived at Xiaogu's house downstairs in Gaoyou City. Perhaps due to cultural differences between the north and south, the emphasis on Qingming Festival is greater here than in the north.

After a long hour of waiting, I finally met Xiao Gu, whom I hadn't seen in nearly 10 months. The friendships accumulated during our university years make us feel particularly familiar when we meet again, just like joking and entertaining on a university campus. Then Xiaogu rode his little electric donkey to take me to taste the local cuisine. Not to mention, I was already hungry.

Chatting and reminiscing by Gaoyou Lake, reminiscing about the people and events of the past, one cannot help but feel a bit sad. Haha, I am always good at stopping this sadness here.

I am on the way
Searching for the fireworks of Gaoyou


2020 Tour on Gaoyou Street

Mr. Wang once said

To live is to have a smoky aura

Before departing from Gaoyou, I also learned to set a theme for my trip, just like Thomas in Taiwan. I relied on the knowledge or situation I had learned before to search for it in person and then correspond with it. This process was very happy, and anyone who understood it would understand.

As a matter of fact, when it comes to Gaoyou, everyone who knows about it knows the famous writers Wang Zengqi and Salted duck egg. Wang Lao is an extremely fond and foodie in the literary world. He describes the taste of delicious food, "watching live chickens and ducks, fresh and lively melons and vegetables, bright red chili peppers, bustling and crowded". His words are lively and vivid, as if the scene is right in front of him. In his essay "Five Tastes", he mentioned that Shanxi people love to be jealous and eat pickled Chinese cabbage, and even wrote that the number of pickled Chinese cabbage jars represents the financial resources of the old Shanxi people, which is an important reference standard for marriage and marriage. I instantly felt how lovely the people who wrote these words were.

While traveling at Gaoyou, I once talked to Teacher Ma about Wang Zengqi. March 5th is his centenary birthday, and Mr. Wang once said that living is all about smoke and fire. Therefore, this trip was to search for the smoke and fire in his books.
Willful once

I still prefer to act alone. After chatting by the lake, I politely declined the invitation to visit Xiao Gu's house and embarked on this purposeful journey on my own.

On Beimen Street, I looked at a row of old houses on the roadside, which were arranged in a neat and orderly manner on the ground, but each house had a different state at the entrance, making it look messy. The clothes pulled on the utility pole were framed with the cars passing by from time to time, but there seemed to be no sense of incongruity. But fortunately, the sunny day brought a sunset, and the dusk was the gentlest. At that time, the light at sunrise was the softest, and there was an inexplicable emotion. I stood there, carrying my bag, waiting for more than ten minutes until the sun completely set. The people around me passed by from time to time, and I was not affected by them. They also did their own things and completely ignored me. These ten minutes were the happiness that I truly felt.

In the rush on Beimen Street, I couldn't really find that kind of "fireworks atmosphere", which made me feel a bit disappointed. Even when I communicated with Teacher Ma before departure about my idea of visiting Wang Zengqi's former residence, it was destroyed when I arrived, and there was still a lack of time. The locals told me that his former residence was demolished and rebuilt in early December last year, which was somewhat regrettable. However, within a few seconds, I suddenly received a call from my second brother, calling me to return to Nanjing the next day and visit a friend's house on the third day of the holiday. I gladly agreed and decided to stay at Gaoyou for one night, preparing to return to Nanjing in the afternoon of the next day.

2020 Nanmen Street

There is Beimen Street

Naturally, there is Nanmen Street

here

I found it

The next day, I woke up naturally and went downstairs to have breakfast prepared by the hotel, feeling satisfied and embarking on a new journey of searching. I arrived first I visited the Museum of Chinese Philatelists at Yucheng Post Station (I would like to add that the name Gaoyou comes from a connection between post stations and philately, which I don't know much about, so I won't elaborate further here)

After walking through Yucheng Post, we entered Nanmen Street, where we were greeted by a sense of everyday life. Perhaps due to the impact of the epidemic, there weren't too many people going out. But in comparison, I think Nanmen Street is more flavorful. Perhaps there are more old shops opening on both sides of the path, giving it a stronger sense of life!

I strolled down the narrow street and saw elderly people playing chess surrounded by a group. They spoke loudly, as if they were arguing something, but they didn't listen attentively. However, they were all very harmonious, a kind of orderly harmony. Perhaps this was their way of life.

I saw the old man collecting garbage on the street and the aunt lighting a coal stove, and instantly remembered the scenes of my childhood life in the countryside. These childhood memories are buried in the timescale and need some similar scenes to awaken them, which is my own fireworks atmosphere.

Seeing those elderly people sitting quietly in front of their own homes, enjoying sunbathing, I can't understand why they do this. In many places, I have seen them many times, and they observe and feel the world in their own quiet way. Sometimes I wonder, what are they thinking when they sit so quietly? When I think about this age, I may have some new answers.

I was tired and hungry from walking, and suddenly I saw an authentic old-fashioned brand of Yangchun noodles. Gaoyou is the most authentic place to eat Yangchun noodles, with a price of 3.5 yuan that makes people want to shed tears. This kind of fly restaurant hidden deep in the market represents the soul of a local cuisine. A bowl of noodles, a bowl of tea, after finishing the noodles, there are still some small onions wandering in the soup. With one bite, I don't know how much I swallowed the "green elf", and instantly felt that my life was complete.

After finishing the noodles, continue walking forward. In this small town in Jiangnan, just a few steps away, you can see this kind of pavilions and towers with Jiangnan characteristics. The smoke from cooking has its trajectory rising into the sky, the fish seller has her fixed action of serving fish to customers, and every shout of the middle-aged man is similar. At this moment, I think I am slowly experiencing the fireworks atmosphere that Mr. Wang Zengqi mentioned. I can sit here quietly for an afternoon, undisturbed by anyone. Every household or pedestrian I pass by seems to have their own busy tasks, and as I walk on the street with my backpack, I feel a bit out of place. However, for a tourist, being ignored by the locals is also a great psychological comfort, so happiness comes.

I have walked twice on Nanmen Street repeatedly, and one of the reasons why I love traveling alone is that I can walk a road twice without seeking others' opinions, without caring about their feelings, and without answering why I have to walk twice. I can do whatever I want, and life is about a sense of experience.

This is the fireworks atmosphere belonging to Gaoyou

Traveling in Gaoyou

Afterword

Since I returned from Gaoyou, I have been writing these words. However, when I picked up my pen, I felt that I had no ink in my heart and couldn't write words that quoted classics and became coherent like Teacher Ma. Perhaps I should buy a few books by Mr. Wang and read them again, or perhaps I should stay on the streets of Gaoyou for a while longer... Because someone has also said that without reading Mr. Wang Zengqi, it is not enough to talk about life, without experiencing it firsthand, it is impossible to write, let alone write good words. His writing, optimism, and exploration of food are all worthy of our further careful consideration. In a day or two, what we see is limited, and our feelings should be progressive. Let's continue to search for many stories in the book.

The ' The human fireworks are the most soothing to the hearts of ordinary people.
With one original intention, quietly cook life slowly. ''