Tofu Flower Text/Xu Xin

　　Saturday morning to go to Liyuan shopping, at the door to see the free tofu flower advertisement, thinking that it is free anyway, into the door can not take care of the scenery, straight with the guidance of the advertisement to Taoyuanju.

　　After entering the park, walk about 100 meters to Taoyuanju.

　　Along the road is a towering tree, in the middle of a cobblestone path, quaint and quiet. The chairs and stools in the shop are made of wood, brushed with a layer of varnish, revealing the original color of the wood, and the chairs are boxy and elaborately carved on them. The table is the style of the Eight Immortals table common in the countryside of Jiangnan, which is covered with a thick layer of glass, and the carvings on the tabletop are clearly visible through the glass.

　　At this time, there were no customers in the shop, and within a few minutes of me sitting down, the tofu flowers were served. Tofu flowers are served in a small bowl with a green pattern, on which a small handful of yellow shrimp is placed, and a black soy sauce is spread. The spoon is pure white ceramic, a very small one. I slowly mashed the tofu with a spoon, stirred well, and scooped a little into my mouth. Not salty, not light, and a little umami, everything is just right, just like the old days.

　　Children who grew up in Wudi, Jiangnan, who did not grow up eating tofu flowers?

　　Isn't it a great treat to eat a bowl of hot tofu flowers in autumn and winter? Looking at the warm bowl of tofu flowers in front of me, I glanced at myself when I was a child buying tofu flowers in the alley in front of my house.

　　When I was a child, I lived in a single-family house on the other side of lixi bridge. Every Sunday at three o'clock in the afternoon, an old woman rides a tricycle carrying two buckets of hot tofu along the small alley outside the wall, selling tofu flowers.

　　It was always on that afternoon, waiting with my ears open for the sound of shouting. Old and far away, just appeared at the mouth of the alley, the long tone will be transmitted across the house to my desk, "Tofu Flower Oh", the voice is hoarse, as if it will turn, shuttling through the alleys of Jiangnan. I immediately dropped my pen and ran to the balcony to watch her slowly and leisurely pedaling through the slender alley, the afternoon sun hitting her, with a cheerful rhythm, swaying with her back.

　　On such a weekend, I didn't have the heart to do my homework, so I sat at the desk early and thought about when she would come over to sell tofu flowers. While pretending to write and write there, he planned the route to run outside the fence later, and the time to run out. Running slowly, she rode over, and without seeing you, she couldn't eat, and the only thought of this weekend was lost; running too fast, she had to wait there for her to ride over. For a child who is eager to eat hot tofu flowers, how difficult it is to wait. Moreover, standing there, being seen by the neighbors, I will be asked if I have done my homework, and I will be embarrassed and unable to answer.

　　So, as soon as I heard the sound, I quickly ran downstairs with a cigarette, asked my mother for money, took the bowl, pushed open the courtyard door and ran to the alley outside the wall, standing in the middle of the road waiting for her. The tofu was placed in a wooden barrel, covered with a small lid, and covered with a thick cotton cloth to keep warm, even if it was three or nine days to buy, it was still hot. She takes your bowl, tosses a few coins in your hand into the iron box, removes the thick white yellowing cotton cloth, and uses a large iron spoon to lightly beat two spoons of pale yellow tofu into the bowl. Then, grab a handful of coriander, green onions, squeezed vegetables, use a small spoon to put salt, MSG, and finally, pick up a small bottle, pour a layer of black slimy soy sauce-like stuff. A bowl of tofu flowers is completely presented in your hand.

　　When I got home, I sat down at the table, gently mashed the tofu with the kitchen spoon, stirred it a few times, and you could eat it. In fact, it is only half a bowl, not even how delicious, but I can eat it for most of the day. This is idle time stolen from the homework pile. The warm tofu, combined with the salty taste of squeezed vegetables and the umami taste of soy sauce, is really excellent.

　　Later, my hometown was demolished, and I left home to go to college, and the tofu flowers in my memory disappeared. However, in every winter afternoon, in the warm sunshine, the sound of selling tofu flowers will always come from childhood dreams and float in the alleys of Jiangnan...