Chen Kaisong: Ancient and Modern Legend Coffee Fragrance

Dinnertime

It is customary to go to the Niucheshui Mansion deli food center at noon on weekends. After eating Niangjia mixed vegetable rice, they turn a few corners and patronize a coffee stand with the sign of "ancient and modern legends".

Although the sign of this humble coffee stand is domineering, the decoration is quite simple, such as ordinary glass cabinets and utensils for making coffee and tea, and an old blue coffee grinder.

The owner of the stall is a good-looking old man in his 70s. Every time I see the three of us, I always smile and say, "you're here", which makes people feel very kind and feel at home.

I remember my first visit because I happened to meet my boss grinding coffee beans. The mellow smell of coffee made my wife and I involuntarily addicted to coffee, so we decided to order a cup each and decided to find a place to sit down and taste it.

At that time, the coffee on the market cost 70 or 80 cents a cup, but the boss "dared" to sell it for one yuan. The boss probably saw the doubt in my mind, so he introduced his coffee to me while he was making coffee.

Teach the knack of making coffee

The old man said that his coffee, pay attention to the original taste of coffee, from the first taste to Huigan, full of coffee fragrance, and without sour. He also proudly said that the coffee outside would be fried with sugar, butter and other additives before being ground into powder, and his coffee beans did not have any additives, so they were more mellow and healthier. He also taught me several tricks of making coffee on the spot, reminding me that when I make coffee at home, I have to stir the coffee with a stick in the same direction, heat the cup first, and so on.

The old man did not brag, and the mellow aroma of coffee really made me think that yuan was definitely worth it. After that, as long as my wife and I passed oxcart water, we would ask the boss to buy coffee. Over the years, my wife also found that the old man is quite good at making tea. Hot tea is fragrant but not astringent. My son, who did not touch coffee before, also fell in love with coffee after following me to the house. In this way, the coffee and tea bought by my family of three increased from "two cups of coffee" to "two cups of coffee, one coffee C without sugar, and one cup of tea black".

After forming a coffee relationship with the boss, as long as the wife and I show up, the old man will always find time to have a few pleasantries with us. We later learned that the boss's face was ruddy because he ate organic food; he had children and grandchildren, and he sold coffee to pass the time and earn some pocket money, so he closed at one or two o'clock every afternoon after lunchtime.

In mid-February this year, I took advantage of my work and came to the door alone. As a result, the stall was not closed. I didn't think so at that time. How did I know that when I came to the door again last week after eating curry, I was surprised to find that the sign of "Legend of Ancient and Modern Times" was gone, and the stalls were empty; the cabinets and the old coffee grinders were gone.

Sell coffee and sell warmth.

Looking at the empty booth, my wife, son and I froze on the spot. My wife then said, "Oh, no. Where can I find such a good traditional coffee?"

That afternoon, we didn't drink coffee and went home with regret.

After many days, my wife and I still mentioned this old man from time to time, and we found that apart from the coffee smell that the old man soaked with his own hands, his kind and kind smile also made us feel lost.

Thanks to this kind old man, a corner of the ox cart water cooked food center has the common memories of the three of us. To me, this kind of memory is priceless, far more than that dollar.

The coffee is seasoned with sugar and butter, but the old man adds aroma to the coffee with his own intention, sincerity and kindness. Old people sell coffee as well as warmth. This may be the reason why legendary coffee is so unforgettable to me.