老茶馆

成chéng都dōu的de一yī条tiáo老lǎo街jiē上shàng，有yǒu一yī家jiā开kāi了liǎo一yī百bǎi多年duō nián的de茶chá馆guǎn。木头mù tou房子fáng zi，竹zhú椅子yǐ zi，门口mén kǒu挂guà着zhuó一yī块kuài旧jìu旧jìu的de牌子pái zi。

On an old street in Chengdu stands a teahouse over a hundred years old: wooden rooms, bamboo chairs, a faded sign at the door.

每měi天tiān早上zǎo shang六lìu点diǎn，茶chá馆guǎn就jìu开kāi门mén了liǎo。第dì一yī批pī客人kè rén是shì附近fù jìn的de老人lǎo rén，他们tā men带dài着zhuó自己zì jǐ的de茶chá杯bēi，一yī坐zuò就是jìu shì一yī上午shàng wǔ。

It opens at six each morning. The first guests are old neighbors who bring their own cups and sit the whole morning.

这里zhè lǐ的de规矩guī ju很hěn简单jiǎn dān：一yī杯bēi茶chá十shí几jǐ块kuài钱qián，坐zuò多久duō jǐu都dōu行háng。茶chá没méi了liǎo，喊hǎn一yī声shēng添tiān水shuǐ，伙huǒ计jì提tí着zhuó大dà铜tóng壶hú就jìu过来guò lái了liǎo。

The rule is simple: a pot of tea costs a dozen yuan, sit as long as you like. When it runs low, call for water and the server comes with a big copper kettle.

长zhǎng嘴zuǐ铜tóng壶hú是shì这里zhè lǐ的de特色tè sè。壶hú嘴zuǐ有yǒu一yī米mǐ多duō长zhǎng，伙huǒ计jì站zhàn在zài桌子zhuō zi外面wài miàn，手腕shǒu wàn一yī翻fān，滚gǔn水shuǐ就jìu从cóng高gāo高gāo的de地方dì fāng冲chòng进jìn茶chá杯bēi，一yī滴dī也yě不bù洒sǎ。

The long-spouted kettle is its pride. The spout runs over a meter; the server stands back, turns a wrist, and boiling water arcs high into the cup without spilling a drop.

上午shàng wǔ十shí点diǎn以后yǐ hòu，人rén渐渐jiàn jiàn多duō了liǎo。有人yǒu rén在zài下棋xià qí，有人yǒu rén在zài聊liáo天tiān，有人yǒu rén什么shén me也yě不bù做zuò，就jìu看kān着zhuó街jiē上shàng的de人rén走zǒu来lái走zǒu去qù。

After ten the crowd grows. Some play chess, some chat, some do nothing but watch people pass.

四sì川chuān人rén管guǎn这zhè叫jiào摆bǎi龙lóng门mén阵zhèn，意思yì si是shì坐zuò在zài一起yī qǐ说闲话shuō xián huà，天tiān南nán海hǎi北běi，什么shén me都dōu能néng聊liáo。

Sichuan people call this setting out the dragon gate: sitting together for idle talk about everything under the sky.

角落jiǎo luò里lǐ，几jǐ位wèi老人lǎo rén在zài谈tán一yī笔bǐ生意shēng yi。四sì川chuān人rén谈tán生意shēng yi不bù在zài办公室bàn gōng shì，在zài茶chá馆guǎn。茶chá喝hē透tòu了liǎo，事情shì qing也yě就jìu谈tán好了hǎo le。

In a corner, old men talk business. Sichuan people do business not in offices but in teahouses; when the tea is drunk through, the deal is done.

茶chá馆guǎn的de一边yī biān，还有hái yǒu掏tāo耳朵ěr duo的de师傅shī fu在zài干gàn活huó。细xì细xì的de银yín签qiān在zài客人kè rén耳ěr边biān轻qīng轻qīng转zhuàn，客人kè rén闭bì着眼zhuó yǎn睛jīng，舒服shū fu得děi快要kuài yào睡着shuì zháo了liǎo。

Along one side an ear-cleaning master works, a slim silver pick turning gently by a customer's ear; the customer's eyes close, nearly asleep.

一yī百bǎi多年duō nián了liǎo，这zhè条tiáo街jiē上shàng的de高gāo楼lóu起来qǐ lai了liǎo，马路mǎ lù宽kuān了liǎo，只有zhǐ yǒu这zhè家jiā茶chá馆guǎn还是hái shi老lǎo样子yàng zi。

For over a century the street has grown tall buildings and wide roads; only this teahouse stays the same.

中午zhōng wǔ，茶chá馆guǎn里lǐ来lái了liǎo几jǐ个gè游客yóu kè，举jǔ着手zhuó shǒu机jī对duì着zhuó铜tóng壶hú拍照pāi zhào。伙huǒ计jì也yě不bù恼nǎo，反而fǎn ér把bǎ壶hú嘴zuǐ举jǔ得děi更gèng高gāo，让ràng他们tā men拍pāi个gè够gòu。

At noon a few tourists came in holding phones at the copper kettle. The server wasn't annoyed; he raised the spout higher so they could shoot their fill.

下午xià wǔ三sān点diǎn，阳光yáng guāng从cóng木mù窗chuāng照zhào进来jìn lái，落là在zài盖gài碗wǎn茶chá上shàng。有人yǒu rén眯mī着眼zhuó yǎn睛jīng打dǎ盹dǔn，茶chá壶hú里lǐ的de水shuǐ咕gū嘟dū咕gū嘟dū，像xiàng这zhè条tiáo老lǎo街jiē的de心跳xīn tiào。

At three in the afternoon sunlight slants through the wooden window onto the covered-bowl tea. Someone dozes with half-shut eyes while kettles murmur, like the heartbeat of this old street.

收shōu茶chá钱qián的de时候shí hou，老lǎo客人kè rén把bǎ钱qián放fàng在zài桌zhuō上shàng，伙huǒ计jì从来不cóng lái bù数shǔ，也yě不bù多duō问wèn。这zhè种zhòng信任xìn rèn，是shì几jǐ十shí年nián一yī杯bēi茶chá一yī杯bēi茶chá泡pào出来chū lái的de。

When the old customers pay, they leave the money on the table and the server never counts it or asks. That kind of trust was brewed cup by cup over decades.

茶chá馆guǎn墙qiáng上shàng挂guà着zhuó一yī张zhāng老lǎo照片zhào piàn，是shì五wǔ十shí年代nián dài拍pāi的de：一样yī yàng的de竹zhú椅子yǐ zi，一样yī yàng的de铜tóng壶hú，只是zhǐ shì喝hē茶chá的de人rén换huàn了liǎo一代yī dài又yòu一代yī dài。

On the wall hangs an old photograph from the fifties: the same bamboo chairs, the same copper kettles, only the tea drinkers have changed, generation after generation.

有人yǒu rén问wèn老板lǎo bǎn，为什么wèi shén me不bù重新chóng xīn装修zhuāng xīu一yī下xià。老板lǎo bǎn说shuō：客人kè rén来lái这里zhè lǐ，喝hē的de不bù是shì茶chá，是shì老lǎo成chéng都dōu的de日子rì zi。

Someone asked the owner why not renovate. He answered: what guests come to drink here is not tea, but the old days of Chengdu.