love cafeteria

Chapter 8
The silent late night is a time when stories are prone to happen.After staying here for a long time, I found that no matter whether it is winter or summer, or the flowers are blooming and falling, in the small space of the canteen, there are scenes of human melodramas, joys and sorrows, and joys and sorrows.I am here permanently, and I am just a spectator in identity, but every time I unknowingly, I gradually blend into it.

It was another late night, and it was raining lightly outside. There were not many customers in the store, and almost none of the regular customers came.I sat behind the bar counter bored, listening to the clear and dull sound of raindrops hitting the window sill outside, and thought to myself that there were times when the rain in Hangzhou was so bleak.While I was in a daze, the door opened, and a man and a woman came in, followed by a damp and slightly cold rain and wind.Neither of them opened an umbrella, and they were all wet. Both men and women were handsome, like two daffodils side by side, but there was a faint sadness between their brows.I don't think it's funny, such a young man is in his youth, so there is nothing to worry about. Most of the time, he just expresses his sorrow for writing new words.

The two picked a table and sat down.The girl flipped through the menu and ordered a stew and a steamed egg with meat. The young man flipped through the menu and put it down again, and asked me, "Boss, do you have lotus leaf porridge here?"

"Lotus leaf porridge?" I nodded, "Yes, what else do you need?"

"No need, just a bowl of lotus leaf porridge will do."

The girl frowned: "You just drink a bowl of porridge?"

"Well, I don't have an appetite." After the young man finished speaking, he put his hands on the table to support his chin, looking listless.

I turned into the kitchen and took out a fresh lotus leaf from the refrigerator.To make lotus leaf porridge, lotus leaf is the most important raw material, and it can also be said to be the soul of lotus leaf porridge.Mix white rice with rock sugar and cook porridge. When it is almost cooked, cover the porridge with lotus leaves and continue to simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.During these 15 minutes, the blood and bones of the lotus leaf porridge coagulate, and all its flavor and essence are formed here.After the pot was boiled, the rice grains were crystal clear, and the fragrance of lotus and rice blended together harmoniously, and a pot of light green lotus leaf porridge like jewels was presented in front of you.

I took out the food they ordered one after another.When the young man saw the green lotus leaf porridge, a trace of surprise flashed across his lifeless face.The two of them were relatively silent, only eating, which made people feel that this was a young couple who had a quarrel.The young man quickly finished his porridge, then sat there fixedly, staring at the air in front of him in a trance.Seeing him like this, the girl couldn't help but sighed and said, "Can you calm down a little?"

The young man replied indifferently: "Time does not wait for me, you can't be calm."

"It's useless for you to torture yourself like this. Many things are not based on your will. If you go on like this, you will break yourself." The girl stroked her long hair on her forehead, "I will make you I brought you here to live, and I hope you can think about it in a quiet place and don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are a smart person, so you should be able to figure it out." The young man just smiled sadly and didn't comment.

After eating, the girl stood up to pay the bill and asked, "Boss, do you stay open so late every day?"

I said, "It will be later."

"That's good." She looked back at the young man, "This guy is a nocturnal animal, and he is used to hunting for food every night. Since you have supper so late here, I don't worry about it."

The girl was about to leave after paying the bill, so I took out an umbrella from behind the bar and handed it to her: "It's windy and windy outside, so let's use this first."

The girl gave me a grateful look and said, "Thank you, I will bring you the umbrella when I come next time."

The girl walked away with an umbrella, and the young man sat there alone, wondering what he was thinking, and was in a daze for no reason.I went over to clean up the dishes, looked at the direction the girl was leaving, and asked, "Aren't you following?"

"I'm not leaving." He turned his head, looked at the dark night outside the window and said, "I live in the front, the house I just rented. Xiaohui said that it is quieter than the downtown area, but I think that no matter where you are Same, no difference."

Xiaohui should be the girl who just left. Although I am not a gossip person, the relationship between these two people is arousing speculation. "Young man, what's your name?" The wind and rain were bleak, there were few diners in the store, and this young man had been sitting still. In order not to make the atmosphere too dull, I started chatting with him.

"Boss, do you usually read books?" He asked out of question.

"Oh, books, I usually read a little if I have time."

"Well." He seemed a little relieved, "Then have you heard of the name Ouyang Gan?"

I thought about it and shook my head.In my impression, there is no such a strange name, like a character in any martial arts novel.He smiled, his expression becoming more and more sad.Then, he took out his mobile phone to log in to the network, and opened a webpage for me to view.On the webpage is a brief introduction of Ouyang Qian, a young writer who has published several novels.There is also a photo of this person on the webpage. I glanced at it, raised my head in surprise, and looked it over. Isn't it the young man in front of me? "Are you Ouyang Qian?" I asked.

He leaned listlessly against the table and nodded.I couldn't help being a little awed, and I admire the writer from the bottom of my heart.In the noisy and flashy world, this group always maintains a rare calmness, watching all kinds of people with cold eyes, and then tells it on paper with magnificent language.For life, they are a group of true artists.Ouyang Qian took back his mobile phone and said mockingly, "I have to use this method to let you know me. I'm such a useless person."

I didn't quite understand the meaning of this sentence, so I couldn't help but startled for a moment, and said, "Isn't this pretty good?"

But he shook his head: "As a writer, I've failed too much. But...tonight, I'm quite successful. Boss, the lotus leaf porridge you made is delicious."

"Thank you." I replied with a smile, lotus leaf porridge is actually one of my unique skills.

He sighed and looked out of the window again: "The lotus leaf porridge you made tastes like the one my teacher made."

"teacher?"

"Yes, my university teacher was also my first mentor on the road of literature. He took good care of me back then, and often let me eat at home. He is best at making lotus leaf porridge. The teacher once said to me , with my talent, I will definitely be famous all over the world in the future. But..." He smiled wryly, and his tone was full of melancholy, "It has been nearly ten years since I graduated. Ten years, I I didn’t even have the courage to go back to my alma mater to see the teacher.”

I suddenly understood why this young man was so desolate.As a writer, perhaps his greatest wish in this life is to be "famous all over the world" as his teacher said, but the fact is that he is still unknown, mingling in the world like an ordinary person, which makes his heart brave the wind and waves. I can't let go of my heart.I comforted him and said, "Fame is something that you can't come across."

"Hahaha." He suddenly laughed wildly, "Boss, you are a sensible person, you can tell that you are an old man. Indeed, fame is something that is hard to come by. How many people are born sissies, but get famous by plagiarism. This is simply a joke made by God."

Facing his sharp comments, I was a little speechless, and could only reluctantly answer: "Uh, you have to learn to be content. At least, your girlfriend treats you well, and it can be seen that she cares about you."

"Boss, you made a mistake, that's not my girlfriend." He said lightly, with a mocking smile on his lips.

"Oh, so who is she?"

"My responsible editor recently urged me to write a novel, but I couldn't arouse my interest in writing anyway, so she dragged me to this place, saying that it is quiet and remote, which will help me think about my life .Understood." He spread his hands and said, "I was exiled here, haha... The water of the Canglang is clear and can wash my tassels, and the water of the Canglang is turbid and can wash my feet!"

He didn't say the last two sentences, but whistled them out.There was a long howl, and the lingering sound was tactful, making the rainy weather even more miserable.I have not come into contact with many writers, so I don't know if he is the only one like this, or if all the writers are so depressed.

two.
Since that night, Ouyang Qian has come to eat supper every night.He ate very little, just wanted a bowl of lotus leaf porridge, and occasionally added a side dish. The time he came was not fixed, sometimes at eight or nine o'clock, sometimes eleven or twelve o'clock, it all depended on his mood.

This night, he came late, with a sleepy expression and a listless look.He looks like this almost every day, and I didn't bother to talk to him anymore, so I just made lotus leaf porridge and brought it over.

Yingzi smelled the porridge, sniffed hard and said, "Oh, it smells so good, boss, what kind of porridge is this?"

I said, "Lotus leaf porridge."

"Lotus leaf porridge? Good name. Give me a bowl too."

Eggboy seemed to have discovered some new world: "Oh, Yingzi, aren't you a carnivore? Why are you interested in porridge again?"

"Fuck you." Yingzi scolded, "You are only a carnivore, you will definitely be a meat steamed egg in your next life." Then she turned to me, "Boss, ignore him, I want porridge."

"No more, let Mr. Ouyang make a round." I said helplessly, "He only drinks a little porridge every day, and he lives on this lotus leaf porridge. Don't follow suit."

"Which Mr. Ouyang?" Yingzi was curious.

"Ouyang Gan." I pursed my lips towards that side, "here, he is frowning and listless every day, like a troubled son."

Yingzi froze for a moment when she heard the name, then stood up, walked to Ouyang Gan and looked him up and down.Ouyang Gan, who was drinking porridge, raised his head and glanced back at her listlessly: "Madam, what do you do?"

"You are Ouyang Gan?" Yingzi's tone was full of surprise, "Could it be Ouyang Gan who wrote novels?"

At that moment, I clearly saw a dazzling spark flashed in Ouyang Qian's eyes, and the spark was fleeting, like fireworks flashing across the endless night sky.At that moment, even if it was only half a second, his whole expression changed. He was a vigorous, restless, sharp and profound young man.But just at that moment, the blooming fireworks went out, and he still looked listless and weak, "Oh, you know me?" He asked lightly.

"Yes, I have read your book "The Ferocity of the Rivers and Lakes". The ending is very tragic, and they all died in the end. I have been sad for a long time because of this."

"Don't mind, it's just a novel creation, and the characters are all fictional."

"But..." Yingzi wanted to say something else, but Ouyang Qian ignored her and lowered his head to focus on the lotus leaf porridge in his bowl.

Eggboy was a little annoyed, and said sarcastically, "Are all young writers nowadays so arrogant?"

"Little writer?" Ouyang Qian raised his head and stared at Eggboy, with a hint of sullen expression on his expression.

Eggboy didn't show any weakness, and looked straight back. The eyes of the two were tense, and the air was immediately filled with the smell of gunpowder.I hurriedly stood between the two of them, and together with Yingzi, I extinguished the flame that had just been lit.Danzai's meat steamed egg was almost finished, and was dragged away by Yingziqiang.Ouyang Qian drank his porridge calmly, then stared at the air for a long time as usual before leaving.

From that night onwards, Yingzi seemed to be possessed, and came here early every day just to see Ouyang.But Ouyang Qian's time is not fixed, it depends entirely on his mood, sometimes he comes very early, sometimes he comes very late, so waiting takes up most of Yingzi's night time.Her move aroused the dissatisfaction of her friends Dan Zai and Qiao Gongzi.

Eggboy remembered what happened that night and was still aggrieved: "Hmph, isn't he just a small writer, and he doesn't have much fame, so why pretend to be a big-tailed wolf?"

Mr. Qiao also complained about Yingzi: "Yingzi, what's so good about such a guy, don't you consider yourself a strong woman now, why are you falling in love so soon?"

Yingzi's face flushed immediately: "Who is falling in love, don't talk nonsense with the surname Qiao. I just read his book, and I have some questions, so I just want to talk to him."

The three debated endlessly about whether Yingzi had fallen in love.I brewed a pot of tea, poured a cup for the old dean, and said with a smile while drinking: "Girls like Yingzi are really rare among young people nowadays."

The old dean said: "Yingzi is a good girl. That person named Ouyang Gan looks like he doesn't like oil and salt, which is quite unusual."

I said, "That guy is depressed, he's been melancholy all day long."

"Oh, that's terrible. Look, Xu Wei's self-mutilation, Fan Gao's suicide, and Haizi's lying on the rails are all because of this. If this thing is not handled well, it will easily cause serious trouble."

"That's right." I sighed, "I don't understand what these cultural people are thinking."

That night, Ouyang Gan came very late, and there were no other customers in the shop.His face was haggard, his eyes were bloodshot, and he could see that he had been suffering for a long time.

I took out the prepared lotus leaf porridge, he took a sip, sighed, and I said, "What's the matter, isn't today's lotus leaf porridge delicious?"

"No." He shook his head, "I think of my teacher again. Boss, the lotus leaf porridge you make tastes exactly like his."

"Hehe." I laughed, "No matter what kind of cooking, if you cook it carefully, the taste will be the same."

"Hardly..." he murmured and repeated.

"Look at you, what have you been doing recently?"

"I'm writing a novel, but I haven't had any inspiration, which is why I was exiled here by the editor." He smiled wryly, and then thought of something, "By the way, boss, can you tell me about your story?" story?"

"my story?"

"It's the story of your canteen. Why is it called 'Deep Love Canteen'? Why is it always open at night? To be honest, I feel very curious, and I always feel that there must be some unusual story behind it. If it is convenient, can you tell me Let me talk about it, maybe it can inspire me."

"There's nothing unusual about it. It's actually very simple. After all, it's just because of the commemoration of love."

"Remembrance of love?"

I lit a cigarette, and in the smog, I slowly told Ouyang Gan my story.

Ten years ago, when I was in the chef training school, I was classmates with A Ling.Because of our common love for cooking and the same philosophy, A Ling and I became a couple.After graduation, Carole has always dreamed of opening a restaurant of her own. It doesn't need to be very big, but it is exquisite, and can provide a temporary resting place for people who travel back and forth in the city.But because of financial reasons, we have been unable to realize this idea, and A Ling and I can only temporarily work for others.Every day, like other office workers, we repeat the same life from nine to five. In addition, we often have to work overtime until late at night.A Ling has never given up on the plan of running a restaurant, and she even named the future restaurant - Deep Love Canteen.I asked her why she was named this, and she replied: If you love, please love deeply.She wanted the name to be a testament to our relationship.During those days, although we lived in boring busyness and lonely poverty every day, because of the nourishment of love, I felt that those days were the happiest time.Speaking of which, I took a long puff of smoke and said to Ouyang Gan: "You know, in this world, beautiful things are always easily broken."

Carole left me forever in one autumn night.That night, she worked overtime very late. After leaving the company, she was a little hungry, so she didn't go home directly, but wanted to buy some supper.But it was early morning at that time, and most of the city had already gone to sleep. Where could there be a place that sold late-night snacks?She was hungry, and walked for a long time in this lonely city. At a crossroad, in front of a speeding car, A Ling was as light as a butterfly...

This is my story.

After I finished speaking, I shook off the soot that had accumulated for a long time.Ouyang Qian was silent, and after a while he asked: "Later, you quit your job and opened this beloved cafeteria?"

"Yes, you asked me why I only open at night, because I want to provide people who are running around in this city with a place where they can temporarily rest their mind and body at night."

"Boss, you..." He was thinking of words, "The story you told is very..."

"It's flat, isn't it?"

"No, I'm very touched."

I smiled: "The truth is plain, life is like this, like a river with no end in sight, flowing straight forward, you don't know when it will suddenly turn and flash you. , we can only face it calmly, any complaints are useless, living in this world, how many things people can achieve, ability is secondary, it is all due to the current situation."

"Currently?" He shook his head and looked up at me.

"Some things don't depend on our will. This is the truth that I have realized by being so many years older than you." I said with a smile, "No matter what life is like, we have to face it calmly."

Ouyang Qian was silent for a long time, as usual, staring at the air in front of him in a daze.At last he stood up and left without a word.He didn't tell me his story, and the story of the teacher who made lotus leaf porridge delicious.He must have carried a lot of expectations from others.I don't know whether such a life is lucky or unfortunate.

After that day, Ouyang Gan seemed to disappear.Yingzi still waits stubbornly in the cafeteria after get off work, and only goes back lonely when it is very late.In the beginning, Mr. Qiao and Danzi would wait with Yingzi, but later on, they gradually lost their patience.Eggboy was furious when he mentioned Ouyang Gan, and muttered: "I really don't understand what's so good about that guy that he can make Yingzi you so fascinated? I really didn't know that you like big-tailed wolves!"

Mr. Qiao also persuaded: "Yingzi, you used to wait here every night for him, even a fool can see what you mean. But this guy is just a rock, there is nothing worth yearning for about this kind of person."

Yingzi ignored them, and asked me with red eyes: "Boss, will Ouyang Gan come?"

I shook my head: "To be honest, I don't know. He left without saying goodbye, maybe he will come again, maybe he won't come again."

Yingzi's nose twitched, tears swirled in her eyes, almost falling down.I hurriedly said: "Yingzi, don't be sad, when he comes, I will call you right away, okay."

Yingzi choked up and nodded.

three.
At twelve o'clock in the morning, the wall clock on the wall struck "dang", like a duty-bound guard.Egg Boy is engrossed in watching his performance on the TV show, commenting a few words about the direction of acting correction from time to time; "Friends of Women" Qiao Gongzi is discussing with Yingzi the new trend of the future development of women's underwear, hoping to be able to make a difference in the design The old dean sat in the corner and read the newspaper, paying attention to the current news of the day; I sat behind the bar, made a pot of tea, lit a cigarette, and smoked silently, enjoying the quiet time in the early morning.

The door opened with a "squeak", and Ouyang Gan walked in without warning.

I froze for a moment, then said, "Here we come."

"I'm sorry, boss, I disappeared for so long without saying hello to you." He was still the same as before, with a listless look, but there was a kind of brilliance in his eyes that he didn't have before, "I talked to you that night. After chatting, I suddenly missed my teacher very much, so I went back to my alma mater to visit him."

"Oh, that's it, so I went back to my alma mater, how is the teacher's health?"

"Thanks to you, the teacher is in good health, but he has some symptoms of amnesia due to old age. When I talk to him about the past, I don't remember many of them. However, he still remembers how to make lotus leaf porridge. The lotus leaf porridge made by the teacher The porridge tastes very similar to the one made by the boss."

I smiled and said, "Of course. Didn't I say that no matter what kind of food you cook with your heart, the taste will be the same. How about it, do you want another serving?"

He also smiled: "Come here, I can never have enough lotus leaf porridge." I took out the lotus leaf from the refrigerator, put it on the porridge that was about to be cooked, and waited for 15 minutes for the blood and bones to coagulate.After the pot was boiled, the rice grains were crystal clear, and the aroma of lotus and rice blended together harmoniously. The sweet and delicious lotus leaf porridge made the night less hard.Before drinking it into his mouth, Ouyang Qian just took a deep breath of the aroma of the porridge, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.Satisfaction——I am a little surprised that this depressed young writer has learned to be satisfied now?

When Ouyang Gan was drinking the porridge, Yingzi's eyes were fixed on him, and she wanted to say something, but she hesitated.Eggboy and Mr. Qiao have been egging on, but Yingzi just can't muster the courage to say a word.I realized that I should do something at this moment, so I said to Ouyang Qian: "During the time you were away, someone was waiting for you in my shop every day until you were very late."

"Oh?" He raised his head unexpectedly, "Who?"

I pouted in the direction of Yingzi: "This is the girl, one of your hardcore readers."

Ouyang Qian stood up solemnly, walked towards Yingzi, and bowed politely: "Thank you for your support, I will work harder in the future. However, you are waiting for me every day, what can I do for you?" something?"

Yingzi murmured, the more critical the moment, the more unable to utter a single word.Mr. Qiao was anxious, he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Chen Yingzi, if you miss this village, you won't have this shop."

"You, you...do you have a girlfriend?" Yingzi finally plucked up the courage to ask this sentence, and hurriedly lowered her head and rubbed the corner of her clothes.

Ouyang Gan stared at Yingzi, smiled and said: "No, but I think so. It will be available soon." This answer surprised us all. Looking at Yingzi again, she raised her head and looked at Ouyang Gan in amazement, with a small face Already flushed with shame.Happiness comes too fast, always by surprise.

Just then, the door opened with a creak, and a girl came in with an umbrella.I always feel that this person looks familiar, so I took a closer look. Isn't this the editor Xiaohui who "exiled" Ouyang Gan here at the beginning?Xiaohui and Ouyang Gan met each other's eyes, they smiled tacitly, and then held hands together affectionately.This move stunned everyone, and they couldn't react for a while.Xiaohui put the umbrella on the bar and said to me, "Boss, thank you for the umbrella."

I said, "You're welcome, it's just an umbrella, and I asked you to make a special trip."

"I came today, on the one hand to return the umbrella, and on the other hand to pick him up." Xiaohui turned her head to look at Ouyang Qian, and said with a sweet smile, "The banishment order has been cancelled."

Ouyang Qian looked at Xiaohui again, and said: "I want to announce to everyone that my relationship with Xiaohui has been formally established. Thank you everyone who loves the cafeteria for taking care of me during my 'exile' , without you, I don’t know when I will be able to open my heart. At the same time, I’m here to say goodbye to everyone today. I’m going to travel to Hainan with Xiaohui for a period of time, and pick up the wind by the way. Goodbye everyone, and the boss, I will always remember It smells like lotus leaf porridge."

Ouyang Qian and Xiaohui left arm in arm.It wasn't until half an hour later that Yingzi regained her strength and burst into tears, no matter how much we tried to persuade her, she couldn't persuade her.Alas, life is like this, and nine out of ten unsatisfactory things.

Three months later, Ouyang Qian's new book was published, and he specially mailed me a copy.The cover is beautiful, and the title of the book is great, but what attracts me the most is the first sentence at the beginning of the book: "Maybe our life should be spent like this: quietly watching others become famous or rich overnight, and then calmly Live your life."

Lotus leaf porridge

Raw materials Main ingredients: half a cup of rice, three pieces of lotus leaves, a little rock sugar.

Accessories: Lily.

practice:

1. Put half a pot of water in the casserole, tear a few pieces of dried lotus leaves and put them in the pot until the water boils.

2. Boil the rice in the water pot, put some rock sugar and five pieces of lilies.

3. Boil on high heat for 10 minutes, then turn to medium and low heat for about 10 minutes.

4. Boil until the rice is soft and rotten, and the soup is thick enough.

(End of this chapter)