Chapter 33 Say Yangzhou ①

Say Yangzhou ① ①Editor’s note: The author said in an article: “…I once wrote a short article pointing out these problems of Yangzhou people. Later, the Commercial Press refused to include this article in the collection of essays “You and Me”, fearing that it would be repeated. The case of 'gossip about Yangzhou' has arisen." According to the author's wishes, this article is still included in "You and Me". In the tenth issue, I saw Mr. Cao Juren's "Gossip about Yangzhou", which is much more interesting than that famous book.But that book said too badly about Yangzhou, and Mr. Cao said it too well; it didn't say too well, he had never been there, and what he said was only the impression he got from his poems and history.These are naturally the side of Yangzhou, but the past has passed, but now Yangzhou can no longer give us that kind of dream.

I went to Yangzhou from the age of seven and lived there for thirteen years before going out to study.The family is of Hakka nationality, and my father often works on errands in other provinces, so he has no contact with the local virtuous elders.At that time, I had no part in their elegant affairs, such as visiting victories, reciting poems, gambling on wine, famous calligraphers and painters, and cooking delicacies, and I was not good at them at all.Therefore, it is a pity that although I have lived for so many years, I cannot be a Yangzhou expert.What I remember is that during the recovery period, my father was ill, and a high-ranking hooligan was ripped off in the name of the military government; also, during the few years in middle school, I saw the so-called "dumpling regiment" rampant. "Duzi" is a Yangzhou dialect, sometimes referring to those "timid" people, sometimes referring to those who don't care. Needless to say, the "Duzituan" belong to the latter category; most of them are the sons of gentry families, relying on the influence of their families or "gangs", they make noise in various public places, such as not buying tickets for the theater, booing, etc. There are also cases of champering lawsuits and molesting women.What's even more strange is that the servants of the big country gentry can command the chief of the police district, and can swagger through the city in a big way-this is all happened in the fifth and sixth years of the Republic of China, not the era of the autocratic monarchy of the former Qing Dynasty.At that time, I was full of vigor, and I was full of anger when I saw it; but I was so soft-spoken, so I had no choice but to hold back my breath.

In the past, Yangzhou was a big place, as Mr. Cao said in his article; now that the salt business is out of order, it can be regarded as a small town without any "fallen children". But the average person still forgets the reason for grandeur, thinking of himself as beautiful, and hardly knows how high the sky is and how thick the earth is.This is really the so-called "Yelang arrogant".Yangzhou people have the name "Yang Xuzi"; this "xuzi" has two meanings, one is to make a fuss, and the other is to report less and more. In a word, it is not far from bluffing.They also have a name of "Yangpan". For example, if you buy something expensive, people can laugh at you as "Yangpan"; or if the price of a store is too expensive, you can ask him, "Do you think I am a Yangpan? "The plate is held out for others to see, which just describes the Yangzhou people who play with style.There is also the so-called "Shang School", which ridicules those who imitate the extravagant life of salt merchants, which is even more magnificent.But here we are only talking about the general situation, and there are naturally hardworking and honest gentlemen; among my respected and beloved friends, there is no shortage of Yangzhou people.

When mentioning the place name Yangzhou, many people think of the place where women are born.But when I grew up, I never saw an outstanding woman on the street. Maybe women didn't go out on the street at that time?However, the so-called "bring out women" in the past actually refers to aunts and prostitutes; the word "chu" is the same as the word "chu" for wool and apples.There is a section on "Yangzhou Skinny Horse" in the book, and I remember such things; but I don't know anything about it.However, the trend of taking concubines and courting prostitutes has gradually declined, and the phrase "becoming a woman" will probably lose its meaning sooner or later.

Many people think that Yangzhou is a place to eat well.This guarantees you are right.When people in Peking usually mention Jiangsu cuisine, they always think of it as sweet and greasy.Now that I have Huaiyang cuisine, I know that Jiangsu cuisine also has non-sweet dishes; but I thought it was heavy in oil, which was different from the lightness of Shandong cuisine.In fact, Zhenjiang cuisine is really oily, and it often makes you feel helplessly greasy when served on the table.If Yangzhou cuisine is prepared by the cooks of the salt merchants, although it is not as bland as Shandong cuisine, it is still moist and neat, and it will never be greasy.Not only is it delicious, but the color is also beautiful and pleasing to the eye.Yangzhou is also famous for its noodle restaurants.Fortunately, the soup is mellow and delicious. It is the so-called white soup, which is made from all kinds of soup, such as chicken, duck, fish, etc. Fortunately, it is as thick as eating bear's paw.There is also clear soup, which is just chicken soup, which is not surprising.Experts eat noodles with "big cooking"; usually pick the noodles in a bowl and pour soup, "big cooking" means to cook the noodles in the soup for a while to make them more delicious.

Yangzhou is most famous for its teahouses; they are full in the morning and in the afternoon.Eat the most tricks.After sitting down and making tea, some sellers came to buy odds and ends, with a dark wicker basket on his arm, and the basket was filled with some small cattail bags with melon seeds, peanuts, fried salt beans and so on.There are also those who fry ginkgo, and the ginkgo is exploded in an iron pan on the burden, and there is a sound of shovels.You have to tell him before you fry.Stir-fried until the shell burst, exposing the bright yellow kernels, shoveled in a wire hood and sent over, it was hot and fragrant.There are also those who sell five-spice beef, let him grab some and spread them on the dried lotus leaves; ask the waiter to bring some good sesame soy sauce, mix it with it and eat slowly, or buy some white wine from the seller of odds and ends—everyone in Yangzhou drinks it Liquor - drinking.This is called the waiter hot dry.Beiping now eats dried shredded rice, which is called boiled dried shredded rice; it is very thick and good as a dish, but not necessarily suitable as a dessert.Hot dry silk first cut a large square of dried white tofu into thin slices quickly, and then cut it into thin strips, put it in a small bowl, pour boiling water on it, and the dry silk will be cooked; force out the water, knead into a cone Like, pour sesame soy sauce, put a pinch of dried shrimp and shredded dried bamboo shoots on the tip, and it's done.It was too late to say, but it was fast at that time. I just watched the dried tofu being cut, and it was served in the blink of an eye.The hot dried shredded rice is well cleaned and does not prevent you from eating other things.Next is the Xiao Long Dim Sum.The soup dumplings sold in Huaiyang restaurants in Beiping are really good, but they are rare in Yangzhou; it is really the name of Huaiyin, and Yangzhou should not steal its beauty.Yangzhou's Xiaolong Dim Sum is stuffed with meat, crab meat, bamboo shoots and meat. Needless to say, the most delicious ones are vegetable buns, cabbage siu mai, and dried vegetable buns.Choose the most tender vegetable, chop it into puree, add a little sugar and a little oil, steam it until it is white and hot, and it will be easily melted in the mouth, leaving a trace of aftertaste.Dried vegetables are also chopped, and a little sugar and oil are added, which is just right for dampness; chewing carefully, you can chew a little olive-like aftertaste.In this way, it is not too much to eat everything.If there is a dinner, go there as calmly as possible.But only experienced tea drinkers can be so measured; occasionally, locals and outsiders who go to the teahouse once in a while can't help but gobble it up and walk out with their stomachs in their hands.

Yangzhou tours are mainly based on water and boats, which have been recorded in other documents, so I will omit them here.There are many historic sites in and outside the city, such as "Wenxuan Building", "Tianbao City", "Leitang", "Twenty-Four Bridges", etc., but few people pay attention to them; the only one people often go to is "Meihualing" in Shi Kefa.If there is a considerable holiday, it would be interesting to invite two or three people to go for a quiet and ancient visit; of course, you must bring some peanuts, spiced beef, and white wine.

Made on October 14, 1934. (Originally published in Issue 16 of "Human World" on November 20, 1934)