Chapter 7 Sunbathing Season and Afternoon Tea in the South

In autumn and winter in the south, basking in the sun was a daily routine.The old men and women at home do not have fashionable needs such as bronze complexion, calcium supplementation and vitamin D enhancement, they just want to keep warm.There is no heating in the south, and it is humid, and the air-conditioning both indoors and outdoors permeates the skin. Over time, the whole body turns blue and cold.So when I saw a sunny day and sunshine, I flocked to it. The best sunbathing environment, such as the eaves and roofs, are actually occupied by cats.People are not as light as cats and dogs, so they have to sit in front of the door or in the yard.The best time to bask in the sun is in the afternoon. After lunch, I burp and shake the wicker chair under the sun.

Basking in the sun is different from enjoying the cool, and few people use bamboo benches.Most of them are good wicker chairs with cotton cushions, and they are made warm and soft, and they come out to sit on.Catch up with the cold season, the old lady and children who are afraid of the cold wear the old man's military coat and hold hot water bottles.There are elderly people who are greedy for enjoyment, and there are also those who move out a big mahogany chair, but they just need help.Squinting to pick the angle of the sun, sit down at a fixed position, tidy up the cushions, lean back once and for all, tap the back of the chair with your fingers, and let out a breath of ecstasy with satisfaction.

The movement of the sun and shadow is a slow and long thing, so basking in the sun can open up other activities, such as afternoon tea time.Common people's afternoon tea in the sun is very simple. A large glass or a large thermos cup filled with dark tea is considered appropriate.This kind of tea is usually not very fragrant, bitter and sweet, with a heavy taste, but it is very digestible.Wu Song said that the wine under Jingyanggang is "vigorous", and the afternoon tea of ​​ordinary people is usually "vigorous".Most of the light and long-lasting good tea is faintly lingering under the green screen window, and is rarely brought under the sun.Children don't distinguish between good tea and bad tea, and after drinking two sips of tea from a bottomless thermos cup, their whole body will be warmed up.

It is smart and simple to serve with afternoon tea while basking in the sun.The two most common ones are sun-dried green beans and shredded bamboo shoots, and shelled peanuts.Green beans and shredded dried bamboo shoots are more suitable for tea than porridge and rice, because their taste is crisp and tough without strong taste, and they are easy to eat smoothly.Some children ate too much green beans and drank too much tea, and by dinner time their stomachs were full and they lost their appetite.Shelled peanuts are better than green beans. Multiple peeling processes, chatting while peeling peanuts is less stressful than cracking melon seeds. It is very pleasant to meet crispy peanuts and warm tea that are easy to peel It's afternoon.

It's cold in winter, so everyone likes to be lazy except for the breakfast hawker.The food sellers see that in the afternoon when everyone is used to enjoying the sun and drinking afternoon tea, they will come here on a small three-wheeler slowly to do business.Those who sell fermented rice shouted, "The glutinous rice should be cut down"; the ones who sold twisted twisted rice and the oil pan were often the same family, with plaques on the carts, slightly covered with white cloth; Sells snacks.Few bought white-cut mutton for tea, and most of them were bought by housewives, waiting to go back to make dinner.Greedy children would eat and drink half a bowl of the sweet wine they bought, and then they would be so drunk that their eyes would open and close, and the women would wrap them in coats and put them on chairs to fall asleep.

Thinking about it carefully, many small snacks such as peanuts, sanzi, and shredded radish cakes when I was a child were all wasted in the afternoon sun in autumn and winter.Autumn and winter are cold in the morning and evening, and I am not interested in eating raw and cold snacks. The elders always say that it is not good to eat too much greasy food, and you need to use tea to scrape the oil, so afternoon tea is the most suitable time.Most of the things that go with afternoon tea have no mysterious taste. In the local dialect, they are called "eat a lively meal".The peanuts and green beans are crunchy and chewy; the sanzi are long and crackling.At three or four o'clock, when the sun is a little weaker, and the tea is empty, I have the right to buy a fried pancake.The pancakes we have are well-faced, deep-fried to make them concave and convex, and rolled with an egg, they are luxurious and noble all at once.When eating cakes, I always have to be persuaded to drink tea, because "it's too oily, drink some tea to relieve it".

Children are gluttonous and eat heavily, while older people are much more relaxed in the sun.Talk slowly, drink tea slowly.There are few who play chess or cards.With half-closed eyes, I chatted occasionally with a few words, and stretched my neck in the sun to relax my back a lot.At dusk, the sun is weak, and the housewives go home to cook. After a while, the smell of hot fish comes out, and the old people slowly put away the chairs, and go home in the twilight.But I often couldn’t wait for that time. At that time, I was young and impatient. I always ate up peanuts at the beginning of afternoon tea, ran to eat pancakes, and wiped my mouth with the oiled paper wrapped in pancakes. After coming back to drink tea, I felt sleepy and fell asleep in the sun.The surroundings are bright, warm and soft, and there are vaguely many cats sleeping lazily on the eaves like me.