Xiaochun & Jason | Old Times · Dali Rainy Season

After a day of work, it was getting dark, so I decided to go out. I took Zhamao with me and drove the van towards the ancient city. I didn't have any destination, so I just followed the traffic. After passing the Three Pagodas, I stopped on Cangshan Avenue to process an order.

A car stopped and called my name. It turned out that Xiaochun brought guests back from Huoshan and wanted to take them to Pushi. He said to the guests in a teasing tone: "This is our big boss." If the guests sitting in his Tank 300 noticed my mottled Wuling Zhiguang van, they would inevitably be skeptical. I said I would go to Pushi to find him later.

After processing the order, we drove to Pushi. Xiaochun was waiting for me by the car. Pushi was already closed. It is our tradition to find a place to sit and have a cup of coffee after work. There were not many cafes open nearby at this time. I called Aruna, who was taking Xipo today and had just returned. She happily called us to go over the phone.

Aruna made coffee for us at the bar and prepared some snacks and fruits. Xiaochun and I sat opposite her. We chatted about some things that happened during the team. During the summer vacation, there were many customers and many things to do. Some people got along very well, which made people feel really good and made the work feel very valuable. There were also unsatisfactory situations. Some were regrets caused by incompatible interests, and some were customers who did not have the ordinary kindness and human feelings between people. I didn't want to take on more.

Soon the tailor came. Xiaochun always remembered to call him whenever they chatted. Then they started to tease each other about their current situation, and soon they talked about working together in the late-night canteen many years ago. Many things have been said dozens of times, and every time they chat like this, they can still talk about them again with relish, and sometimes there are some new interpretations. Huahua and Xiaohai are also often mentioned, and these moments are also vivid for them.

Actually, we worked together for three years from 2013 to 2016. But because we had just arrived in Dali, life was new, things were new, and we met a lot of people. At that time, the community in Dali was very small, only in the old town, so the density of life was very high, and all kinds of things were happening. So there are a lot of people and things to recall.

During the five years of losing contact, everyone was scattered in their own lives. It seemed that we didn't have many common memories, and they were often skipped in conversations.

Maybe in the past two years, we have been traveling together again, experiencing many things together, spending time together, and having many new people in our lives and establishing deep connections. Many details are also happening. In a few years, these past few years will become vivid memories, and we will be willing to chew on this time over and over again.

If we can say that we can say the same thing every time and never get tired of it, it is inseparable from Xiaochun's subtle and different interpretations every time. Just like this night, he recalled that there were some late-night cafeteria work in the early morning, and the tailor would open a poetry book from the bookshelf and recite Yeats' poems to him, which made him remember it deeply. Although he always thought Yeats was a woman, it was obviously not important:

Yeats' poem "There are too many cries in this world, you don't understand"

In addition, he turned to an article he wrote ten years ago, after working in the Midnight Diner canteen for a year, and read it aloud with deep emotion.

We agreed to end the chat at 1:30am, but Xiaochun delayed it to 3am because Aruna had to lead a bagel baking experience at 9am. He was still not satisfied, so I said, "We have to go." Aruna still had to pack up, so we went out. It was pitch black outside, so we drove home separately, and Zhamao waited for me in the car.

Dali rainy season

2014-06-17 08:35 Feng Xiaochun

It is the rainy season in Dali again. The rain washes the stone pavement of Dali Ancient City and also washes people's memories. Some memories become more blurred, while others become clearer.

I have been in Dali for two years, and I have been in the Late Night Diner for almost a year. When I first came to the Late Night Diner last year, it was also the rainy season. It always rained every morning. After closing, Jason and I sat on the rattan chairs next to the shortest wooden table by the door, sometimes peeling eggs, sometimes just smoking and chatting while waiting for the rain to stop. There is a Hangzhou Xiaolongbao restaurant a few steps away from the door. When the rain stopped, we went there for breakfast, two soup dumplings and two bowls of white porridge.

Jason is a generation older than me, experienced, rational, unkempt, and has the same sense of humor as me. Guests see him wearing a tight white T-shirt, worn-out jeans, a pair of Crazy Horse leather shoes that look old, or a pair of slippers sold at a street stall for ten yuan. He is from Shanghai and I am from Hebei, one in the south and one in the north, with a twelve-year age gap. I don't know if this counts as a friendship regardless of age, but it doesn't matter.

Until now, when I think back to those days in the late night cafeteria, the most relaxing time was when we chatted casually about any topic. Sometimes we just sat there, drinking a cup of coffee, no one spoke, but it didn't feel awkward, listening to the rain outside, thinking about our own things. Last year's rainy season was spent in our chats. I can't remember what we talked about now, but most of the time I was talking and he was listening. He rarely talked about his own things. If he didn't talk, I didn't want to know. None of these hindered our conversation.

Ten o'clock every day should be my happiest time. It's just the opening time. I put on old Shanghai songs from the 1950s and 1960s and wait for customers to arrive. Many customers are like old friends to me. In addition to food, they bring other things. I don't know how to express it, but I just feel cordial. This time period is the busiest. I don't have time to say a few words to the customers before I plunge into the kitchen to work. When the customers leave, I just say goodbye. But it's good this way, no need for small talk.

Around 12 o'clock, we can relax for a while. Jason and I will announce the end of the battle and sit down to smoke a cigarette and take a break. Jason always rolls his own cigarettes. Every time, he puts the tobacco and cigarette butts on the cigarette paper slowly and evenly, rubs them gently, and finally licks the cigarette paper with the tip of his tongue to stick it, twists off the extra tobacco on the cigarette butt, and then lights it. I also tried to roll my own cigarettes, but I gave up after smoking only half a pack and went back to my Zhongnanhai. I don't have that patience.

After 12 o'clock, the customers are not as crowded as before, and they come in a scattered manner. I prefer this time, the work density is not so dense, the pace is not so tight, I can cook food in the kitchen leisurely and have the energy to chat with customers through the curtain at the door. At this time, I feel happy, which is closer to my ideal late-night restaurant.

There are still many people who enjoy nightlife in Dali. There may be many ways to enjoy nightlife, but some people just want to find a place to read a book, write, or just sit for a while. I remember a few people like this. At around 2 o'clock, when there were not many people in the store, he would open the door curtain and come in, order a bowl of rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice, or just pour himself a cup of bitter buckwheat tea, and sit for an hour. Occasionally, he would chat with me and Jason for a few words, but more often he would just sit by himself. Jason and I both like this kind of guests, who are quiet and do not disturb others.

There was another girl, Jason and I only knew her name was Xiaomao. For a period of time, she came to the store on time between 2 and 3 o'clock every day, poured herself a cup of bitter buckwheat tea, and went to the loft on the second floor to paint. When she was tired, she would lie down for a while. Jason and I didn't bother anyone. Occasionally, when she was hungry, she would make a portion of pickled cabbage and egg fried rice and give it to Xiaomao. She stayed like this every day until closing time and left with us. When the rainy season was about to end, she had to leave Dali. Before leaving, she painted an oil painting with the words "Midnight Canteen" on it. It was quite abstract. Jason and I were not good at painting, but we also placed it on the wooden rack where the cups were placed. Until now, when I think of Xiaomao again, I still miss her and look forward to her coming back again.

Four o'clock is the closing time. The whole ancient city is quiet at this time. It is also the most relaxing time of the day for Jasun and I. If there are not many ingredients to prepare for the next day, Jason and I will sometimes sit in the store for a cup of coffee, and sometimes leave on time. But when it rains, we will chat and sit until the rain stops. I think only Jasun and I know the fun in between.

Except for every Monday, I have been busy since last year's rainy season and it has come to this year's rainy season. Due to the change in my current job assignment, the time I spend working with Jason has also been reduced a lot. But even if I am alone, I still like to sit in the store for a while after closing, listen to music, write a few strokes, smoke a cigarette, drink a cup of coffee, and empty myself for a while. When it rains in the early morning, I will wait until the rain stops. I don't feel lonely.

Every day when I leave the late-night restaurant, walk out of the side alley, breathe the fresh air, step on the cobblestone road in the early morning, and see the lanterns hanging outside as signs, I always think with gratitude: It is enough to live a life like this.

2014.06.17