It's not easy to find this shop.
Tongfu Middle Road subway station get off, around into the Longdaowei Market, a long street is lively and crowded, the vegetable stalls on both sides are fresh and rich, the navigation here lost its direction, asked the neighbors to know, but also take a little footsteps, turn into the Dragon Island Tongjin.
This is a more tranquil old alley, high walls, wooden eaves, stone road, the air is filled with sweet fragrance from time to time, under the shade of the trees, "Ying Ji Restaurant" four big characters come into view.
Elderly Guangzhou people almost all know this shop, opened for 38 years, 7 brothers and sisters partner to operate, every year the winter solstice began to fry the New Year's Eve, fried heap, egg powder, crispy horn, crispy horn, sugar ring, rice cake, many tricks, good taste, only sold for 2 months.
The storefront is not large, it is better to be clean, and various New Year's eves are made in it.
Opposite, there are two small stalls, fried and cooled New Year's Eve are full, covered with plastic wrap, and the color is festive and attractive in the sun.
After lunch, 65-year-old Xian Chaoqun got busy, she ranked sixth among her brothers and sisters, because she could speak Mandarin, she naturally became the "talker" in the store.
The Xian family brothers and sisters took a group photo, and the second from the left was Xian Chaoqun.
After the brothers and sisters finished cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks, they also began to sit together, and the noodles, kneading the dough, pressing the filling, opening the conversation box, lightly driving the road, frying piles, egg scatters, and crispy corners immediately jumped into the dinner plate.
Frying pile, the Tang Dynasty has a poetry cloud: "Greedy for him fried in oil, love like jackfruit". Round and flat, fist-sized, wrapped in bursting grain, sliced sugar, sesame seeds, peanuts, generous portions, sweet taste.
The egg is scattered, mixed with sesame seeds, minced garlic, egg liquid, and southern milk, and rolled into a thin slice in the middle of the knife, flipped into a twist shape.
Crispy horns, also called oil horns, are in the form of flower buds, usually with eight or nine flower edges, and the filling is made by stirring sesame seeds, peanuts, lotus paste, and walnut kernels.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun shines into the alley, and the ticking of bicycles is incessant.
Master Liang set up a large cauldron outside the store, lit the fire, poured oil, and prepared to fry the New Year's Eve. He and Xian Chaoqun are fellow countrymen, used to drink all day in his hometown and do nothing, and then was brought to Guangzhou by the wash family, did more than 30 years in the store, from the young man has been dry until the hair is gray, experienced "fried New Year's Eve has no know-how, willing to give good oil, fried one to change, the other is the need to master the oil temperature, 150 ° C is more appropriate. ”
Before frying, Master Liang will also use thermometer to strive for no difference.
The hot oil is boiled, the fry is piled into the pan, and there are a few sounds, and the fine oil flowers boil instantly.
After 15 minutes, fry the heap into shape, scoop it up and set aside to cool, golden in color, carefully tear open a piece, sweet and crispy, and fragrant. The eggs are loose and ready to come out in 3 minutes, crispy and delicious with a hint of saltiness. Crispy horns, to be fried for 15 minutes, small and exquisite, the taste is rich, pure Lao Guang taste.
Mainly doing neighborhood business, YingJi's New Year's Eve is cheaper than outside, and it only rises by up to 2 yuan per kilogram per year.
Earn a word of mouth, small profits and high sales, just like when the store first made it.
"The reason why it is called Ying Ji is derived from my father's name." Sin Chaoqun said.
"In the 1980s, when business was popular in Guangzhou, my father transformed the place where the family lived into a stall and sold fast food to neighbors and migrant workers, at affordable prices and not bad taste. Later, someone suggested that the New Year should be fried at the New Year, and my father had no experience but was willing to learn to do it, and he worked hard over time and made a name for himself. ”
After Xian Chaoqun's brothers and sisters took over the store, they still adhered to the original intention of their fathers, and there was also a deep gratitude to the neighbors, she said, a small shop can open for so long, feed so many people, and the New Year's Eve can go out of the alley, all because of the support and suggestions of the neighbors - "They think it is too sweet, we will have less sugar, they like to burn it, we will fry it for a long time." ”
At checkout, Inje was still counting with a traditional abacus.
In 38 years, a city is enough to complete the transformation, a store is more or less floating, and a group of people have also moved from youth to old age.
Xian Chaoqun can't remember how many years of supper she sold and how many people she knew, but there are always some stories that she remembers deeply, such as customers who rushed from Shenzhen and Panyu, overseas Chinese who bought dozens of pounds of relatives in the United States to send to the past, neighbors in their 80s who are still willing to help in the store... They are all The warmth and nostalgia of Ying Ji and their own years.
The "second sister-in-law" in her 80s often helps to make fried heaps and egg scatters in the shop, not a penny.
In the past few years since the media is hot, the "Ying Ji Restaurant" has also become more and more lively.
Several brothers and sisters of the Xian family have become accustomed to dealing with various media interviews, but also invite them to eat the New Year's Eve that has just come out of the pot" The taste of old Guangzhou is endless. ”
A pot of New Year's Eve, all-encompassing, the taste of reunion and the human feelings of ironing are all melted into the filling.
Brothers and sisters also enjoy the current days, not far from each other, and this store is like a chain, guarding here, is to keep a bigone, no matter how busy, how tired, always feel warm in the heart "Guangzhou people are very homesick, no matter how good it is outside, they will always want to come back." ”
However, there are also regrets, the elders are getting older, the hands and feet begin to slow down, and the younger generations in the family are not willing to take over" Doing this business is still too tired, and can not make much money, young people have their own hobbies and ideas." ”
How many more years will it be?
"Keep doing it until you can't do it." Sin Chaoqun said with a smile.
After nightfall, the alley returns to tranquility, closes the door of the store, and the day is over, and the brothers and sisters say goodbye and go home separately. The footsteps are not hurried, the wind through the hall is just gentle, and there is no fiery oil and choking smoke where it finally stops, but it is also a small world that warms the heart and is only visible to oneself.