The little days of being drunk with yellow wine and book ink as a roommate with Lu Xun
Day 1: First encounter, Mr. Lu Xun and his "drinking dishes"
The high-speed train "swooshes", the scroll of water towns outside the window has just been spread out, the buttocks are not warm, "Shaoxing North Station" has arrived! 🚄 This speed is faster than I finished reading "From Baicao Garden to Sanwei Bookstore"! Out of the station a wet wind enveloped the... huh? A light, fermented mellow aroma? Yes, it tastes like yellow wine! This "city fragrance" is amazing! The fennel bean smell of "Kong Yi Ji" seems to be floating in the air.
1, go straight to Lu Xun's hometown.
It has just finished a light rain, the bluestone road is shiny, the white walls and black tiles complement the newly washed greenery, like an ink painting soaked with water. 🌧️ There are crowds of people in front of the small "morning" desk at Sanwei Bookstore. I seem to see little Lu Xun memorizing the book with a sad face. The soap pod tree in the Baicao Garden is covered with green shade, and under the roots of the mud wall there are several modern versions of "Xun Ge Er" "in search of He Shou Wu" squatting, which is very cute. 😄
2, lunch time, is the collision of souls!
At a small restaurant near the scenic spot, I decided to order yellow wine drunk chicken🍗 and fennel beans. The chicken is so tender, soaked in amber yellow wine juice, the entrance is first cool and smooth, followed by a warm and mellow wine aroma spread from the tip of the tongue to the throat, not very rushing, is that long fragrance, feel the soul is shaoxing's old wine tank pickled into the flavor! Fennel beans, hard, salty and sweet, chewing and chewing, really has the illusion of drinking with Kong Yiji in the air - "Not much? Not much!" Served with a bowl of white rice, absolutely! It's not eating here, it's clearly "eating culture"!
3, walk to Kurahashi Straight Street in the evening.
The fireworks are rising in the human world! The "fragrance" of Shaoxing stinky tofu dominates half the street! The golden and crispy shell, poke open is tender white tofu heart, drizzled with sweet and spicy sauce or shrimp sauce, one bite down, "stink" and "fragrance" fight in the mouth, finally wonderfully blend into an addictive freshness! 😋 Another yellow wine popsicle 🍦, ice cold, milky aroma mixed with threads of wine aroma, like eating solid wine, instantly relieved the "heavy taste" of stinky tofu, and dispel the boredom of late summer. The creamy pancakes 🥧 sold by the old lady on the street are like an egg tart hat, sweet and savory, with a simple ancient taste. Holding these snacks, sitting by the river and watching the awning boat sway, the boat girl occasionally hums a few incomprehensible but rhyming tunes, this little day, wow!
Day 2: The fragrance of ink, the rhyme of water and the ancient town on the tip of the tongue
1, Book Saint Hometown.
It's not as noisy as Lu Xun's hometown, it's more like walking into a living picture of a literati. The old walls of Jishan Street are mottled, and the water of the ink pool is deep and green. It is said that Wang Xizhi used to wash his pen here, blackening a pool of water! Think of your own written words…cough, disturbed. I found an old book at "Grandpa's Bookstore", and the boss stamped it with the red stamp of "Book Saint's Hometown" with a smile. It was full of ceremony!
2, tried the three fresh dishes🍲.
A large bowl of fish balls, meat skin, river shrimp, asparagus slices, green vegetables... gurgled and tumbled in the rich white soup. The soup is fresh! It is a fusion of the essence of various ingredients, a bowl in the stomach, warm and comfortable, feeling the whole person has been nourished by the warmth of Jiangnan. No wonder it is the signature dish of Shaoxing people during the holidays and hospitality!
3. In the afternoon, take a awning boat🛶 tour of East Lake.
The boatman uses a long pole to open the ball. The boat drilled into the Tao Gong Cave of Qijue, the light was dim, the stone walls were wet, and you could only hear the crisp reverberation of the pole-pointed stones and the sound of gurgling water, which really meant a bit of exploration. Seeing the natural "bright moon on the water" wonder in Xiantao Cave, one has to admire the miraculous workmanship of nature. Sitting in the rocking boat, watching the green bamboos reflected in the water on the cliffs on both sides, my heart also became quiet.
4, night kill to Anchang ancient town! 🏮
The setting sun dyed the galleries golden, and the banks of the river were covered with shiny red Anchang sausages and sauce ducks and dried fish. The air was filled with the rich aroma of sauce and meat, mixed with the unique moistness of the water town. This is simply the live version of A Bite of China! I bought a small piece of sausage and eat it directly. It's salty, fresh and fragrant. It's rich in fat but not greasy. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes! The shop of Renchang Sauce is full of rich sauce aroma. Buy a bottle and take it home. The stir-fried dishes and noodles are all the taste of Shaoxing. Watching the old master pull white sugar 🍬 is a kind of enjoyment, the golden malt sugar is pulled to long and white, like becoming magic, buy a piece, sweet thread, with the aroma of caramel, sweet in childhood memory.
Day 3: The majesty of Lanting Yayun and Dayu
1, the last day dedicated to Lanting.
As soon as I entered the door, my eyes were full of greenery and the stream was gurgling. Several big white geese 🦢 are swimming leisurely in the goose pond. They are worthy of being the pets of the book saint, with their own fairy spirit. Standing at the curved water flowing, imagine how Wang Xizhi and others "ranked and sat second", drinking wine to compose poems, the wine glass floated in front of whomever the water flowed in front of whoever composed poems... This kind of literary elegance is really elegant to the bones! I experienced writing calligraphy in the scenic spot (although it was written like a ghost drawing symbol), but the atmosphere was full! I bought a supposedly good lake pen and went home to practice calligraphy (hopefully not a furnishing).
2, lunch outside the scenic spot, ordered prunes and vegetables button meat 🥩.
The black and bright dried plums are spread on top of the oily and translucent pork belly. The skin is soft and bouncy, the fat melts in your mouth, the lean meat is crispy and not burnt, and all the essence is absorbed by the dried plums! The characteristic savory, slightly sweet and fermented flavor of dried plums perfectly neutralizes the greasiness of the pork belly. Steaking two bowls of rice is easy. I feel like I have regained all my strength. I can climb Mount Kuaiji again!
3. The Mausoleum of Dayu in the afternoon 🏞️
It's another kind of weather. solemn and majestic. Climbing up the mountain, standing under the statue of Dayu and overlooking the lush greenery of Kuaiji Mountain, a sense of history emerges spontaneously. The story of "passing through the house three times without entering" is particularly important when I hear the lecturer tell it here. The wisdom and tenacity of water management is the spirit engraved in the bones of this land.
Shaoxing on the tip of the tongue is a flowing customary sign:
• Yellow wine, is flowing blood: it not only appears in the jug, but more integrated into the tenderness of drunken chicken, the coolness of popsicles, and the wonder of milk tea. The Shaoxing people have drunk yellow wine in thousands of ways, which is deeply rooted in dependence and wisdom.
• Sauce tank, is the magic of time: the savory flavor of Anchang sausage, the mellowness of Renchang sauce, and the special flavor of dried plums are all inseparable from the quietly fermenting sauce in that tank. This is the most simple trust and use of "time" and "microbes" by Shaoxing people.
• Snacks, the human fireworks of the market: the "fragrance" of stinky tofu floating ten miles, the sweet burden of creamy climbing, the fun of pulling white sugar, are the most vivid life in the streets and alleys. Walking and eating is the right way to incorporate shaoxing.
• Water, is the stage of life: the river that shuttles by awning boat 🛶, the beautiful water of East Lake, the vastness of Jian Lake... Water shapes the scenery of Shaoxing and nourishes the rich products of the land of fish and rice (fish, shrimp, rice), and is the source of delicious food.
Goodbye, Shaoxing! In three days, he slipped out from the shadow of Lu Xun's "social animal", dipped some literary air in the ink of the book saint, was shocked by Dayu's courage, and finally, the slight intoxication of yellow wine and the savory aroma of sauce goods, completely conquered the taste buds and heart.
This city has the air of books, the smell of human fireworks, the agility of water, and the mellowness of wine. Next time, come again in a different season. I heard that shaoxing in winter with a pot of hot yellow wine will have more flavor. 🍶