Changshou Town, Pingjiang County: Old street life and the joy of going to the market.

In the morning on the ancient street, people slowly wake up to the sounds of simple hawking. The heavy wooden doors in the alley were pushed open by their owners, with a creaking sound, as if thousands of years of thoughts were shaken off; the mother-in-law at the entrance of the alley was sweeping and cleaning, with her body bent at 90 degrees, repeating her work; on both sides of the street Shops were opened one after another, sorting out goods and preparing to welcome customers; on both sides of the street, uncles and aunts carrying bamboo baskets took up positions and began the two-hour market. While urbanites go to the supermarket once a week to stock up on daily necessities, people in the old streets still retain the custom of "going to the market" on 147, 258 and 369. Except for the New Year holidays, most of the people who go to the market in the old street are elderly men, middle-aged women and children. Most of the young and middle-aged people go out to work. As a result, the market was no longer as crowded as before. Although going to the market is more free and more comfortable than visiting the supermarket, it should be done quickly because after eight o'clock, the vendors or people going to the market in the old streets will gradually disperse. Therefore, at 5:30 in the morning, villagers from a radius of 10 to 20 miles or even further will come to Changshou Street. Over time, it has become a unique scenery on this ancient street. Because it was not a holiday, the market was not crowded. The owners of the shops facing the street had placed their goods outside the store, making the streets on the left and right even narrower. However, the street where stalls were set up in the market was only about 200 meters long, but it was miserable. These vendors pushing tricycles and bicycles. At a quarter past six, the streets were already crowded with people. The women all had big baskets hanging on their bodies, containing all kinds of fresh ingredients. A leg of lamb was exposed, and the chickens and ducks were in the big basket, stretching their necks, like There is a pet, and a sheep's head is resting on the ceiling. The butcher with a knife is cutting the meat, weighing it and calculating the price. There are large dustpans on the ground, filled with various dry goods. There are no seafood parallel imports in Changshou Street, and there are not many types of fish, probably grass carp and crucian carp. The only thing that is more popular is the home-baked fire-braised fish, which is sold at almost every street stall. In the tricycle, there were sweet wine in jars, glutinous rice cakes in dustpans, chickens, ducks and geese in bamboo cages, and the cart carried bundles of sweet potato powder wrapped in newspapers. The yellow fried meat is piled up into a hill; the green alkaline water rice dumplings are used by the locals for breakfast. After buying them, my mother-in-law and aunties tear open the rice dumpling leaves and walk around. All kinds of wild fungi are piled in the woven bag, and you can smell a strong aroma when you lower your head slightly. The most surprising thing is that Changshou Street is rich in unknown herbal medicines. According to vendors, these dried herbs can be used to make soup, porridge or mixed into stir-fries. It is really dazzling and magical. We who live in the city have never experienced such a wonderful feeling, so close to nature. Get close and communicate with every stranger without any warning. At 7:50, the crowd gradually dispersed. These vendors carried empty dustpans and pushed tricycles with only a few vegetable melons left, and returned to the countryside. The day that belongs to Changshou Street really begins with the first ray of dawn that breaks through the thick clouds. #