One

Eight years ago, when I left Lijiang, I thought I would come back again. Even so, this trip to Shuhe Ancient Town was motivated by my daughter.

The wedding photography studio where my daughter works has set up a location in Shuhe. As a photographer, my daughter will go to Shuhe once in a while when her work requires a long time.

My daughter once sent me a postcard from Shuhe and wrote these words: Lijiang is beautiful, Shuhe is beautiful, wisteria flowers are beautiful, and waxed pork ribs are beautiful. I was still thinking to myself, this girl can write a postcard without forgetting to eat.

In mid-May, my daughter went to Shuhe with her colleagues to take wedding photos, so I took advantage of the situation and grabbed a few friends, and went to Lijiang together, choosing to stay in Shuhe Ancient Town.

II

There are no direct flights from Haikou to Lijiang, they are all connecting flights. After waiting for several hours at Guiyang Airport, we rushed to Lijiang Shuhe Ancient Town without stopping.

The accommodation was at the inn that my daughter had booked before. My daughter and her colleagues were already waiting for us at the inn.

After the taxi turned into a small road from the wide and flat road, it continued to drive on the narrow alley in a familiar manner. It was so dark around that it was difficult to see what was on the roadside.

Further forward, through the dim lights not far away, I saw buildings close together on the left, a wilderness on the right, and a few cars parked on the narrow road.

Just as we were wondering where the driver was taking us, we heard the driver say, “We’re here, right here.”

Just at this time, my daughter called and asked if she had arrived. I said yes. As soon as I finished speaking, I saw my daughter trotting out.

When mother and daughter meet in a foreign land, a warmth spreads in the cold plateau night.

The name of the inn we stayed in was "Hanshe", located at the end of the street in the ancient town, opposite the Songyun parking lot. And this inn is not the one closest to the roadside. It is located behind a row of shops, and there is also an "Adu Inn" next to it.

My daughter prepared a late-night snack for us - Lijiang's famous local chicken rice noodles. Each portion also comes with a local chicken leg. We ate it hot and dispelled the cold.

The person on duty at the inn was a handsome young man. Later I found out that he was the second shopkeeper. He didn’t talk much, but his attitude was very good and considerate. A few of us chatted for a while, and I saw that it was too late, so I asked my daughter to go back to their office first. The second shopkeeper said several times that I would send them back, but my daughter and my colleague said no, and they just walked there.

After my daughter left, we settled down and washed and rested ourselves. With the aroma of wood filling the room, I had a comfortable sleep.

三

Before arriving at Shuhe Ancient Town, I did some homework. I checked some information about Shuhe Ancient Town on the Internet.

Shuhe Ancient Town is located in the northwest of Lijiang. It is called "Shaowu" in Naxi language. It is an important post station on the Tea Horse Road and the best-preserved market town. In 2005, it was selected as one of CCTV's "China's Charming Towns".

Shuhe Ancient Town is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with well-proportioned houses and mostly stone roadways. There are one inn next to another in the ancient town. It is said that there are thousands of inns, and there are seven or eight hundred of them registered with the official website.

Folk houses are an extremely important part of the architectural complex in Shuhe Ancient Town. The typical structural layout of Naxi folk houses is: flowers are planted in small courtyards, trees are planted in large courtyards, and flowers and fruits are fragrant all year round. In some cases, water is diverted into the hospital to store water. The water forms a pool and is paired with pavilions, creating a unique and elegant scenery.

At present, most of the residential buildings in the ancient town have been converted into inns. On the basis of retaining the wooden structure, they are also equipped with glass materials, which improves the lighting in the room and makes the accommodation more comfortable. The inn is in harmony with Shuhe Ancient Town, simple and innocent, with roughly the same structure but each with its own characteristics.

In the morning, the sunlight penetrated through the carved gaps in the wooden door and hit the bed, teasing my cheeks. The dazzling light woke me up directly. I felt so comfortable.

With a "beep" sound, I pushed the wooden door open and saw the small cherry tree and apple tree in front of the door. There were some green apples on the apple tree.

Last night’s dew wetted the bluestone slabs in the courtyard. The flowers and plants were moistened by the dew, making them appear greener, with crystal clear and bright colors in the emerald green.

There are deck chairs, swings, and hanging baskets in the courtyard, which is quite atmospheric. Sitting on the swing, looking up and looking along the simple green tiles and eaves, the sky on the plateau is exceptionally blue. Against the background of the blue sky, those simple houses have a sense of vicissitudes and confusion.

Some people say that the ancient buildings in Shuhe are full of life and passion. The passage of time makes these decadent buildings that incorporate modern cultural elements appear honest and simple, and also present a diverse vitality. and vitality.

IV

The small bridges and flowing water in Shuhe Ancient Town are dizzying. Flowers everywhere bloom especially warmly and unrestrainedly under the sunshine of the plateau in May, when the fragrance is gradually fading. It makes people feel like they are walking into a dream.

Yunnan is the kingdom of flowers, and it’s true. It is said that the flowers in Yunnan bloom in 365 days, and once they bloom, they are boundless and endless. I saw someone on the street carrying a basket full of flowers at very cheap prices. God loves Yunnan so much.

The wind on the plateau blows from different directions. It is cool and refreshing, and you feel like you have traveled through time in an instant.

We can go anywhere and visit any inn. The hosts are very welcoming. It is completely conceivable that the Naxi residents of the ancient town have lived in this simple and peaceful environment for generations, guarding their homeland and not competing with the world.

The spring water from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is led to the door of every household, forming a unique landscape of small bridges and flowing water in the ancient town.

The spring water is clear and transparent, bitingly cold, and the water plants are lingering. Washing your face with such crystal clear spring water may be able to wash away a trace of boredom in your soul.

There are no cars in the ancient town. Horses and small electric three-wheelers are the means of transportation or transportation. It is a long way for tourists to walk to their accommodation, and the luggage is heavy, so the store uses a tricycle or rents horses to carry the guests' luggage to the inn.

On the streets of the ancient town, you will often see young backpackers, either in groups or alone. The young people are as bright as the sunshine on the plateau in May, and as fragrant as the flowers blooming under the sun.

Walking on the stone road, I touched every corner of the ancient town with my eyes and felt the tranquility and tranquility with my heart.

五

The shopkeeper I met at breakfast was a beautiful lady from Guangzhou. At first glance, her Mandarin was very standard. Later I found out that her mother was from Nanjing and she grew up in Nanjing. of. What is very interesting is that her partner, her childhood sweetheart, was actually born in Wenchang, Hainan, and they grew up in the same military compound.

The landlady’s family ran an inn in Shuhe for several years, and then went abroad. The inn was rented to others, so she would go to Shuhe every year to settle the rent. After retiring last year, I simply went to Shuhe and partnered with my classmates to manage the inn and run a restaurant called "Ya Nanju", killing two birds with one stone.

It is worth mentioning that some of the delicious vegetables eaten at various eating places in Shuhe cannot be named. These vegetables are all grown by the local Naxi people in Shuhe. They are fresh, tender and crispy. , sweet and refreshing.

The proprietress was very enthusiastic. She knew that we wanted to eat barbecue, introduced us to roast lamb legs, and took us to the inn of her old friend Dapeng, who was born in the 1980s from Xilingrad, Inner Mongolia.

Dapeng also runs an inn and has a studio full of paintings, which are the works of his brother. Dapeng occasionally drinks wine, drinks tea and plays cards with friends, occasionally organizes art salons, and also makes roasted lamb legs. Of course the lamb legs are flown over from Inner Mongolia, and roasted lamb legs are generally not open to the public.

Dapeng’s inn is not far from Humble House, just a few minutes’ walk away.

As soon as we walked into the yard at dusk, we smelled the fragrance. It was true that "the fragrance is already hitting our noses before we see it." No wonder this was a famous dish that Genghis Khan liked to eat.

After entering the house, there was a charcoal stove on the table, and a roast leg of lamb was placed on the table. The roast leg of lamb was "sizzling" dripping with oil, but the owner was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that he was getting dipping water (dipping sauce). ) went.

When he saw us, the sweaty Dapeng greeted us like an old friend, "Are you here?" Then he started to use his hands to cut the mutton slices and remove the bones for us.

A few of us drank Shuhe's famous green plum wine, and Dapeng drank beer with the son of the proprietress of "Yananju". We all had a great time talking about our family backgrounds and encountering various experiences.

Everyone is together, not like strangers, just like neighbors visiting each other. This artistic conception is somewhat consistent with the name of his inn, "Good News".

Six

The names of Shuhe Inns have their own characteristics, and they all sound nice. No, "Yun Zhi" Inn, just look at the business card "If the wind stops, Yun Zhi" , there will be the comfort of clouds rolling and relaxing.

The enthusiastic young boss made us Pu'er tea. Knowing that the big-headed girl had a cough, he also brought us a cup of brown sugar ginger tea.

Several of his friends from Chengdu, Sichuan happened to be drinking and chatting in the inn. The boss told us that one of the sisters was his landlord and they were good friends. The boss also invited us to taste his home-brewed cherry wine (many people in Shuhe Ancient Town make their own sparkling wine), and his friend also brought us a plate of braised chicken feet brought from Sichuan to drink with us. In a foreign land, we felt the warm affection.

A drizzle fell from the sky, and the stone streets of the ancient town were wet. On the plateau in May, the weather is so casual, alternating between hot and cold, so you can see people wearing shorts, shorts, scarves and shawls everywhere on the streets, as well as jackets, trousers and down jackets.

Pedestrians in twos and threes, walking slowly and whispering, and the romantic lights perfectly form a simple but three-dimensional picture, carrying the coldness after the rain in the south of the clouds in May in summer, the blurred lights It was as if I could hear a kind of low singing in the color.

I sat in the seat by the window. There was gurgling water under the open window sill, and the faint fragrance of the window lattice moistened by the rain entered my nose.

On the table by the window, there is a bouquet of pink roses in a large vase, most of which look like they are still in bud. They look like the tenderness of a flowery woman's low eyebrows in the light.

I don’t want to say anything at this time, I just want to be in a daze, a glass of wine, a pot of tea, a boundless imagination, and a quiet and peaceful slow time.

Seven

In 2008, before I came to Lijiang for the first time, this picture lingered in my mind: an inn, in front of the inn, with small bridges and flowing water, and weeping willows, nourishing the scenery. There are flowers and plants, a woman caressing a cute puppy, the puppy squints its eyes lazily, a meter of sunshine, and people coming and going.

After arriving in Lijiang, Yi Dong’s heart stored imprints in a certain corner.

But now, standing under the blue sky of the plateau again, bathing in the wind of the plateau, the imprint of that year has filled in some content. That graceful feeling, which can make people sing, must have the same feeling. Emotional person.

There are many tambourine shops on the streets of Lijiang, as well as many disc-selling shops. Wherever there is music, you can hear the lively and enthusiastic sound of African tambourines and musical instruments.

Passing by a tambourine shop, Lijiang Xiaoqian's "In a Moment" hit the ear drums. A young and beautiful woman wearing a Naxi shawl beat the tambourine along with the music in the speaker, and was intoxicated in the world of music. Here, no wonder there is music to interpret the theory of Lijiang, and I experienced it.

Every time I hear this music and this drumbeat, I am completely petrified and can no longer move forward.

I couldn’t resist buying a tambourine. I really like the cheerful and unrestrained rhythm of that drum. It is an expression of joy and happiness, it also inspires the courage to forge ahead, and it is also a kind of emotional catharsis.

That day, when I returned to my humble home from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the rainy and snowy weather, the big shopkeeper happened to be there, and he warmly invited us to taste high mountain tea, drink the Maca wine he brewed himself, and chat together.

Brother Chen, the head shopkeeper, is from Hsinchu, Taiwan. He has a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, a nice smile, enthusiasm and cheerfulness, and is very nurturing. He did not treat us as strangers at all.

Brother Chen was born in the 1970s. What surprised us is that he is a diamond king.

Brother Chen’s sister and brother have both gotten married and have children, and live a regular life. He is the only one who lives outside the siege. He has enough to eat and the whole family is not hungry. He feels that he is living a good and happy life.

Almost all the inns in Shuhe are run by outsiders like Brother Chen. Brother Chen visited Shuhe a few years ago and fell in love with the environment here. He preferred the quietness here to the hustle and bustle of big cities. So after handling the business in Guangdong, Brother Chen opened an inn in Shuhe. The second shopkeeper, Shou Shou, was a tenant of his inn before. They became friends and then stayed to run the inn together.

Talking about the initial difficulties of starting a business, the hard work and ups and downs, these are difficult for people to understand and understand. After going through ups and downs like this, in fact, I didn’t assume how much money I could make by running an inn. I just wanted to be free, relaxed and comfortable. Brother Chen said that this is the meaning of running an inn.

That’s true.

On that day, our flight to Kunming was around 11 o'clock at night. I discussed with the two shopkeepers whether we could check out at night. They both said the same thing: It's okay, you can just stay. Get a good night's sleep before going on a plane. There is no extra charge for the room at all. If you are in a hotel, the room rate will be calculated on a one-day basis during this time period.

Staying at the Hanshe Inn feels like home. Going in and out is like going shopping and then going home. The inn has a kitchen, which is fully equipped with pots and pans. Guests can use it at any time if they need it, and there will be no extra charges other than the room rate.

William, the cute and sensible puppy in the inn, remembered us after just one look at us on the first night. Brother Chen said that the little guy was very good at looking at strangers.

Speaking of happiness, the big shopkeeper even moved out his family’s belongings and happily gave us the beef jerky and cheese that his friend in Ordos had just sent him.

Shuhe Ancient Town, an important post station on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, can be seen with its simple cultural customs.

　Eight

Here, I would like to use a little pen and ink to talk about Beast Beast, the second shopkeeper of Hanshe Inn.

Zhousheng is born in the 1980s. He doesn’t have much smile on his face and is a slow-moving person, but his cold handsomeness has gained the upper hand. I really didn't expect that Beast Beast doesn't smoke or drink. In a place with such a unique atmosphere, Lijiang cannot be said to be incomprehensible, but if you don’t drink some wine, you will always be missing something.

When walking on the streets of Shuhe Ancient Town or eating and drinking tea, people ask: Whose house are you staying at? , we answered: Humble House, the person who asked must be suddenly surprised: Oh, beast home. It is conceivable that Beast Beast is well-known in the ancient town.

One time when we were drinking tea, we learned that Beast was unmarried. At first, I thought it was because I hadn’t found a suitable girl to marry yet. Unexpectedly, Beast said, “People like me are not suitable for marriage.” It was really scary. I jumped.

Shou Shou is from Xianyang, Shaanxi Province. His parents have three children. Shou Shou has two sisters, both of whom are married. However, Beast Beast thinks that he has traveled a lot, seen many people and things, and has his own unique views on marriage. His parents were worried about his affairs, and he had gone on many blind dates and met some girls, but they eventually separated after dinner.

Zhoushou asked, you are also parents. If your child is unwilling to get married, will you be anxious to force him? This question stopped me. Although I am an open-minded and sympathetic person, no matter what, I do not want my children to not get married. Putting aside for the time being the traditional "men marry women" and "carry on the family line", it is natural for a person to do something at any age and follow the laws of nature.

And Beast Beast said that what he considers more is that he likes Lijiang and he will choose to live in Lijiang. Once he talks about marriage with a girl, it involves that the other party may not be willing to live with him in Lijiang. . Furthermore, when you get married, you will consider having children. Then how to solve the problem of children's study? It is not realistic to live with either parent or stay in your hometown. Beast Beast said that just like this, he cannot give a perfect explanation to the girl, so at present, he will not plan for marriage, and feels that he should be considerate and responsible for the other party.

After listening to what he said, I looked at that angular face and couldn't help but feel sorry for this child.

Some people say that Beast Beast gives people the impression of being cold-tempered, but I feel that he has much more experience and accumulation than he can carry at his age.

In Shuhe, a place with thousands of inns, the humble abode may not have anything special, but the two innkeepers, two men with an age difference, came together by fate. In the slow time of Shuhe, they abandoned their impetuousness and cunning, and guarded their own happiness and loneliness. This reminds me of another saying, "Only by being able to endure loneliness can we maintain prosperity."

Every experience is a kind of maturity. Brother Chen and Shou Shou, I can't reach their ideological realm, and it's hard for me to peek into their open or closed hearts, but I can't help but feel an inexplicable respect in my heart.

Some people say that any state of life corresponds to a choice. When there is a choice, there will be gains and losses. Yes, the so-called best of both worlds is very rare. Best wishes for their future.

　九

That day, it rained all night in Shuhe Ancient Town. The lingering rain entangled people's emotions in a complicated way, making it difficult to sort out.

The rain accumulated into small pools on the uneven stone road, and the alley in front of Hanshe Inn felt like a rain alley. It's just that the alley is not long, and it's impossible for a girl with a lilac-like oil-paper umbrella to walk by.

In Shuhe Ancient Town, it seems that there is a story hidden in every corner, and every person who stops in Shuhe has a legend in his arms.

If I came to Lijiang eight years ago to travel and see the scenery, then eight years later, I came to Lijiang to see this old friend. A wonderful encounter, there is no agreement, but it is reasonable and fate will follow. The blue sky on the plateau and one meter of sunshine are within reach, yet so far away.

The spacious courtyard of Hanshe Inn looks even more peaceful in the drizzle. Wooden floors, wooden stairs, and wooden balconies are full of poetry in the bath of rain.

The raindrops falling from the eaves dropped one by one on the stone steps, slowly beating the time of Shuhe Ancient Town.

At this time, what was wandering through my mind was Wen Tingjun's "Putong trees, rain in the middle of the night, no matter how separated the love is, it is bitter. Every leaf, every sound, the empty steps drip into the light."

Lijiang is such a place: meet some people, make some friends, drink tea and tell stories together. Fate from all over the world, the mottled legends of ancient towns and houses, and those uneven lives like stone roads.

　十

Shuhe is so beautiful, the people are as quiet and simple as the scenery.

Others may look at Shuhe from a historical and cultural perspective. Indeed, this is an ancient town with profound cultural heritage. When I look at Shuhe, I like to experience its simplicity and nature through the eyes of a little woman, just like wandering in front of my own house.

I was attracted by the bayberries, cherries and mulberries on the fruit stalls in the alleyway. I sat in front of my house and basked in the sun while peeling lettuce with a knife. I squatted by the ditch and washed vegetables in the clear and transparent water. The woman and the old man who was sitting in the field peeling broad beans also caught my eye. Behind him were the rapeseed flowers that had passed their flowering season and were forming seeds.

The scene of a rather elegant northern woman sitting on a stone bench while a Naxi girl braids her hair is also a very intuitive and beautiful picture in my opinion.

Every lane in the ancient town is a stone road. If you suck on a pair of clogs and step on the stone slabs, the sound of tapping may be comparable to the rhythm of the African tambourine.

When I get old, I really want to borrow a place like this. A free-traveling bluestone lane, a small bridge, a puddle of running water, a singing waterwheel, a low fence, the sunshine jumping in one meter of flowing water, and a piece of colorful flowers blooming.

Some people say that Lijiang is a place where you can meet in love all the time, but I feel that while others may have a love affair, I meet those quiet and simple scenery, and those that blend into the scenery of the ancient town. of interesting people to meet.

I left a few messages on the walking time guestbook: I like the feeling of stepping on the stone road, I like the small bridge and flowing water, the sunshine in the water, and I like the slow time of the river.

When I am in my old age, I don’t know who can accompany me to sit quietly in front of such a court and laugh and talk about life. I am willing to wait in the quietly flowing time, leaving a thought and a bond. In the simple and peaceful Shuhe Ancient Town, let the thoughts sprout, let the bond blossom, and let the thoughts bloom under the sky of the plateau. .

I’m waiting for you in Lijiang!