“There are very few young people like you who come to buy vegetables.”
Auntie Xie is a fishmonger in the market.
At that time, I was still working as a food editor in a newspaper in Gannan, and after work, I planned to go home to make a “Gannan fried fish” for my family, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle the fish, so I was I was hesitant. Finally, it was the fishmonger who opened his mouth first.
“Young man, want to buy fish ah? “
“Well, I’m going to make a small fried fish. “
The fishmonger said with a smile: “Oh, auntie here just over 1 catty of grass carp, to make a small fried fish is suitable, today are almost sold out, cheaper for you. “
After getting my nod of acquiescence, she nimbly picked up a fish, fell stunned scales, take out the internal organs.
I secretly sized up the busy woman in front of me: short, with a fashionable blonde wave on top of her head, and the waterproof rubber clothes and shoes are out of place, angular cheeks embedded in a pair of Danfeng eyes, lips also smeared with lipstick.
This aunt is quite sophisticated, I thought to myself. At this point, she suddenly got up, the killed fish into the bag handed to me: “young man, the fish I have given you chopped, go home and rinse it can do. “
I opened it and saw that the fish had been sliced into large, even slices, with the head and tail neatly arranged on top. I paid, thanked, and the aunt waved her hand: “Come back next time! “
From then on, I only buy fish from my golden-haired aunt, and I heard people in the market call her Auntie Xie. Once you get acquainted, every time you go to buy fish, Auntie Xie dragged me to talk about family life, from her words, I know she has 2 daughters, one of which is about the same age as me.
Speaking of this, Auntie Xie sighed: “You young people, ah, like to hold the phone computer play, I will not play, so and the family two can not talk, now like you to buy food young people rarely. “At the end and instructed me:” But, young man you have to lose weight, can not eat so much! “
In October, the “community group purchase” in this small third-tier city of Gannan blossomed, just I live in the district, there are three platforms, eight pick-up points. The so-called “pick-up points” are actually roadside community convenience stores – whether they sell lamps, or glass. Or do glass, as long as there are stores, all become the territory of the e-commerce platform.
In the elevator of the district, the advertisement of “0.01 yuan to grab the emperor citrus, 72 yuan to grab 4 jins of beef” is played in turn, and the administrator of the neighborhood committee has also become the “community leader”. The administrator of the neighborhood committee has also become the “community head” and sends out the group purchase information several times a day in the owners’ group and friends’ circle.
I also bought 1 cent a catty of navel oranges, 18 yuan a catty of pig’s feet and 5 yuan a piece of fish on the platform, only to find that the navel oranges are like plain water, barely quenching a thirst; the fish is frozen, even if marinated in onion, ginger, garlic and wine, it still tastes sheepish and fishy.
“Just be cheap, just solve a meal casually, and do not have to go out to buy, a little more convenient. “Family members are so relieved. But I am a person who takes “food” very seriously, and within a few days, I came back to Auntie Xie’s fish stall.
The market is not as lively as it was, 6 p.m., most of the vendors are closed, and even the latest closing of the spice store also pulled down the curtain – in the past, this time is the “evening peak” of the market, even after work, do not want to cook young people, will come around to buy some noodles for dinner.
I walked through a row of cold stores and came to a long white tube light. Auntie Xie sat expressionlessly on the fish stall, and only when she saw me coming did she put on a smile: “Here you are, young man! “
I swept around, sat down on the chair where Auntie Xie just sat, and opened the box as usual: “Auntie, now there are ads for community group buying everywhere, many people buy fish on the community group buying, do you know? “
The words just came out, I suddenly realized that the Internet, she may not understand. When I was about to change the subject, Auntie Xie put down the fish in her hand, looked at me and said, “How could I not know? She nodded with her hand to the surrounding vendors: “This is the community group purchase, so we have no business these days, look, now there is no one. “
After saying that, she began to busy again with the fish in hand. In the fish pond, the oxygen tube gurgling bubbles, fish around a circle, greedily sucking oxygen, setting off a wave, I looked away, I think the surface of the waves, as if “the wave of the times I felt that the waves on the surface of the water were like the “waves of the times”.
Two
“Business was good at that time”
Auntie Xie, whose real name is Xie Baozhen, was born in 1970 in the small county of Shuixi in Ganan.
In the 70s, Gannan was poor, belonged to the Taiwan Strait front, not to develop industry, the small county is surrounded by mountains on both sides, suitable for the growth of navel oranges or fresh crops, two sides of the water, but even the planting of rice fields are not a few. Aunt Xie in the parents to 19 years old, only 1 meter 47: “then hungry oh, every day to the mountains to fold horsetail, put in the sun, the sun is not so astringent as a meal, head full of stone women (lice) have no strength to catch, thinking of matchmakers to propose marriage, to marry themselves out on everything is good. The first thing you need to do is to get married. “
In 1990, Auntie Xie’s eldest daughter was born, and after 20 years of starvation, Auntie Xie did not have enough milk. Hard-working is the nature of Hakka, looking at the mountains and hills of the cascading peaks, she discussed with her husband and decided to sell fish for a living.
At that time, except for urban areas, all roads in Ganan were basically mountainous. Thanks to the blessing of God, Auntie Xie’s house was not far from the Ganjiang River. On every even numbered day in the lunar calendar, when the Hakka people went to the pike (market), the couple would go to the river to buy fish. The fish bought in enamel pots, and then picked up a stretcher to Gan County, Hu Gang and other towns farther away from the river to sell.
“You do not see now to Hu Gang in a short drive, (then) so far! Goodness, picking a pot, walking there for hours. “Auntie Xie looked at me with her mouth wide open. I was amused by her pompous expression.
Although those days were hard, but speaking of it, her eyes were shining.
In 1993, Ganzhou Weifuli was transformed into a farmer’s market – it was formerly the Ganzhou military court during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and in 1927 the Kuomintang launched the “White Terror It was used as a torture chamber in 1927 when the Kuomintang launched the “White Terror”, and was later abandoned until the renovation plan was introduced. Auntie Xie thought the opportunity had come and discussed with her husband to rent a small store with the money she had saved from selling fish for several years.
“We (locals) are very traditional, think here feng shui is not good, and Ganzhou people are more stable, there is no full assurance will not do business, when there are few people doing business, rent here even less people, we think of the grin, how is Wei Fu Li is also the city, the rent is also cheap, so rented down The rent is also cheap, so we rented it. “
Now it seems that her decision was right. Weifuli Market is located in a prime location in the old Ganzhou city, next to Ganzhou Park, where locals still like to go, and 100 meters ahead is the busiest commercial street. After the market was built, the 1st floor sold vegetables and the 2nd and 3rd floors sold clothes and groceries, and for a long time afterwards, shopping at the Weifuli market was a trend for Ganzhou people.
“Business was good then wow, at the most we rented 6 stores! “Auntie Xie crossed her thumb and made a “6”. Auntie Xie crossed her thumb and said “6”. After making money, Auntie Xie built a house in Shuixi, and became the first to build a concrete house in the area, and relatives gathered at her house during the New Year holidays. “But I don’t have much time for my daughter. “Aunt Xie said after a pause.
Later, the eldest daughter went to Wuhan to study architecture, and graduate school, full prize to study in Germany, came back to enter a unit in Wuhan as a civil servant. But these, Auntie Xie is also these years to know: “I am with her, anyway, I do not understand, many people in Jiangxi do not let girls study, I let her read. Then do civil servants in Wuhan wow, ready to set down in Wuhan. “
However, the comfortable days did not last long. 1999, Auntie Xie’s husband suffered from intestinal cancer, she thought about it, she thought the problem was selling fish: “selling fish is too hard, there is no meal, he also smoked, eat betel nut, and got intestinal cancer. “
Her husband could not continue to sell fish, Auntie Xie returned the stall, leaving only 1. She consoled herself: “Just do not have to be so tired. “In addition to selling fish, Auntie Xie took her husband around to seek medical help. Ganan area popular belief in traditional Chinese medicine, the two families traveled to all the major hospitals, to no avail, turned to hope in Chinese medicine and prescriptions, selling fish to save money, soon scattered all over the place.
In 2001, Auntie Xie’s youngest daughter was born, but her life did not get better. Her husband, who had been home sick for a long time, became suspicious – one afternoon, she was washing her hair at the hair salon in the market when her husband burst in, pulled her hair in front of everyone and asked, “Are you having a man outside? Are you having a man outside? “
“What the hell, just talk nonsense. “Auntie Xie spit, touching the top of the blonde waves, said,” I was really beautiful, until now there are still old men chasing me! “
The tug-of-war between the two families continued until 2016. At the end of that year, the husband passed away. It may be his mistrust of Auntie Xie during his lifetime, or the return of the family to poverty due to illness, or perhaps the thought that he left the three mothers and daughters to leave the world at a young age, speaking of which, Auntie Xie blurted out, “Ah, he finally died. “With a grim giggle, the topic came to an abrupt end.
Over the years, the savings are taken to the husband’s treatment. The relatives who used to be there at New Year’s Eve began to avoid Auntie Xie, afraid she would manage to borrow money. She was named a poor household by the Shuixi Township government, and not long after, she was removed, feeling too ashamed.
After the death of her husband, she intends to continue to do in the only remaining stall. She calculated an account: stall monthly rent of 2,000 yuan, 1,500 yuan warehouse; selling fish water and electricity needs, 500 yuan per month. At least she is also an old trader, acquaintances, wide access, some years ago to develop the market, save a number of fixed purchasers, a month of steady and steady can earn a 6,000 blocks, if you happen to hotels, stalls more goods, but also to earn more.
However, now it seems that this goal is more and more impossible.
Three
Lost fathead fish
Outside the market, it was already dark, Auntie Xie pulled me and opened a community group buying App.
“This is the community group buy, right? ” she asked me.
“Yes. “
Auntie Xie frowned and said that for the last 2 months, the turnover of the fish stall was only 2,000 or so, and most of the goods were still ordered by the hotel. In the vegetable market, not many people come to buy fish at all.
The APP page flashes “Today’s bonus benefits”, click on it and a message pops up. “You have got 85.59 yuan, promotion cash out. There is also a 1-cent serving of fruits and vegetables, which you can receive by doing the task.
I asked Auntie Xie what she thought of these marketing strategies, she did not think: “Although I do this is a small business, but business people are the same, it is impossible to lose, just like the supermarket, how much money you buy you can draw color TV, the purpose is not to sell more goods? No treachery is not business, now give you, later to get back several times. “
Listen to her finish, I a moment of silence. It was already late, I said goodbye smoothly, carrying the fish back. After arriving home, but inside a long time can not calm, think about it, or to the unit took four days off, decided to go to Aunt Xie’s stall to help. Auntie Xie refused me at first, fearing that I might get hurt, and after a few times, she reluctantly agreed to let me arrive at 8:00 the next morning.
But there is no reason to go at 8 o’clock to sell fish? The next morning, I got up at 5:40 a.m. and came to Auntie Xie’s fish stall at 6 o’clock.
“Why are you here so early? “Auntie Xie was surprised to see me.
“The fish were sold out at 8 o’clock, you still want to cheat me? “
She nodded: “The young man is indeed quite resourceful. “
But I was still a step too late – Auntie Xie’s fish stall was busy at 3am. Before dawn, she took the hotel reservation list, to the warehouse to prepare the goods one by one. The condition of the hotel generally have fish ponds, send live fish to the line; chain restaurants and stalls are not, she has to kill the fish one by one, remove the scales and gut, packaged, waiting for the hotel to come to pick up, or sent before the opening of the lunch market.
After preparing the reserved fish, the morning market at the vegetable market started. Auntie Xie filled the fish pond in front of the stall with water and fetched a batch of fish from the warehouse and poured them into the pond for customers to pick from. By the time I arrived, she had finished all this work and asked me to sit down. I waved my hand and said no. I stood behind the fish stall and put my hands in front of my belly, like a waiter in a restaurant preparing to serve customers.
In those days at the end of December, Ganzhou was only 3 degrees, and the darkness and dampness of the vegetable market made the cold even more biting, and I wore two sweaters but was still cold enough to stamp my feet. Auntie Xie was sitting on a chair, squinting, her calloused hands were red with cold. I asked Auntie Xie: “Is it cold? She said she had gotten used to it.
7:30 a.m., dawn, it is reasonable to say that the old man and woman to go out to buy vegetables, but I looked around and found that the market is still cold and clear. Seeing me standing aside dry anxious, Auntie Xie did not raise her head, said this is the way it is these days, nothing.
The hour hand pointed to 10 o’clock, and finally came the first customer. He asked for a male fish (fat head fish), I put on my apron, follow the example of Auntie Xie, nimbly pick up a fish from the water – I did not expect, the fish is really strong, the fish tail a sweep will throw my face, I hurried to unload it to the board, close my eyes, manipulate the back of the knife, towards the fat head knocked a few times, the fish finally did not move.
Scraping the scales is a delicate job. The scales of fathead fish are small and slippery, so it’s not easy to do. Auntie Xie instructed me to scrape clean, otherwise it would not taste good. After scraping the fish several times, I touched it from top to bottom to make sure it was clean, then cut it open from the head, removed the internal organs, and carried out the fish bubbles separately to keep for the guests. Since Ganzhou is near Hunan, I guess its fish bubble and head are made into “chopped fish head”, and the body is a The body is a “Hakka fish ball”.
After handing the fish to our guest, we received our first payment of the day: 39 RMB. I took off my apron and groomed my fish scale-stained hair. Auntie Xie looked over at me, smiled and asked, “Fun, huh? “
After that, two or three customers came one after another, buying more than 1 catty of grass carp; there are also just ask not to buy – once, the customer stopped in front of the stall, I smiled and greeted: “Master what fish you want? “
“Young man, how do you sell this perch and grass carp? “
“Grass carp 7 yuan, perch 13 yuan a pound. “
The words just fell, the man left without looking back – in the community group buying APP, bass 9 yuan 9 a catty, grass carp 1 catty as long as 2.99 yuan.
The fathead fish sold for $39, which turned out to be the largest retail sale of the day.
After the first half of the day’s business, the smell of food rose from the market. Vegetable vendors have brought their own small rice cooker, the family brought food, heat it up to eat.
After the meal, Auntie Xie intended to go to the river to get some goods. On the road, our electric tricycle drove over the newly repaired tarmac road, the coastal scenery from the eyes, Aunt Xie suddenly pointed to a certain place, said: “So this is all hillside, we were ‘to the dike’ is in this side of the fish. “
The location of the intake is more than 20 kilometers from the market, Auntie Xie no better choice: “Now the riverside near the city are made into attractions, selling more expensive fish than we are. “Fishing boats, I watched the fishmongers come and go quoting the purchase price: grass carp 3 yuan a catty, carp 2 yuan a catty, perch 8 yuan a catty, male fish 2.5 yuan a catty. At first glance, the gross profit seems to be quite high, I silently calculated an account and found that after deducting the rent and utilities, 1 fish actually do not earn much money.
But forgive me, there will still be guests with a smile on their face, to wipe a few cents off our money.
Four
Restaurants also use community group buying
On the 2nd day of helping at the fish stall, it was still 6am.
When I thought of going home the day before, I told my family and relatives about what I had seen at the fish stall, but they were not interested and thought that it was really superfluous for me to help out, “I can write about it by reading a few reports “. I ignored it, thinking it was better to keep my feet on the ground.
Five restaurants ordered this day, but none of them had a dispenser, so Auntie Xie had to deliver it herself. I am a food editor and I know the restaurants in Ganzhou like the back of my hand, so I took the initiative to lead the delivery task. I couldn’t resist my begging, Auntie Xie agreed: “By 10:00 no one will come to buy fish, I’ll go with you. “
After 10 o’clock, there were no more customers. We will send the fish basket by basket to the electric tricycle to move, a basket put up is a “thud” a sound. The five restaurants I ordered from had done promotions at the newspaper I work for, and the owners and I have a good relationship. However, that day, as their “supplier”, I suddenly felt unnatural – As far as I know, the grass carp and sea bass that they buy the most will be transformed into the signature dishes “Gan Nan Xiao Yao” and “Charcoal Grilled Deep Sea Bass” at the night market. The “charcoal-grilled deep-sea sea bass” is sold at 48 or 88 yuan a piece.
When business was at its peak, Auntie Xie used to “take” most of the restaurants in Ganzhou. Speaking of this, she is still a little resigned: “originally also to retail to wholesale, is that the dead old man abduction (referring to the husband). “Now also from her goods, there are only a few left,” the restaurant does not care so much about the quality of ingredients, what is cheap to buy what, in the community group buy, the second day to the door. The second day will be delivered to the door. Before XX House, XX Yue (several Ganzhou famous stores) are sent by us, now they do not come. “
I reassured her: “Three points are destined for heaven. “Auntie Xie stifled a sigh and did not speak. Electric tricycle parked in front of the restaurant, without waiting for my hand, she lifted the dozens of pounds of baskets and moved step by step to the back of the kitchen.
After delivering the fish, we returned to the market to continue business. Auntie Xie’s cell phone rang, WeChat payment alert has received the day’s 22nd payment, followed by today’s total business, a total of 774 yuan. The next delivery of another spicy hotpot store, my task for the day is complete.
X-Light Hot and Spicy Hot” is a new store in the pedestrian street of the mall. I entered the door with the sliced fish, the boss is a fat woman, she took the bag, raised her head and asked me.
“Young man, you are Aunt Xie’s new helper ah? “
“Yes. ” I answered.
“Tomorrow we don’t deliver that order for now. ” she instructed in a soft voice.
“Ah, why? “
Seeing my puzzled face, she guided me to a freezer and pointed her finger at the bags of fish and chips stacked in the corner of the freezer: “We’ll use this first, bought on the group buy, let’s see if it works. “
Five
“Bodhisattva will forgive me.”
On the last day of helping out, I planned to arrive early. At 2:30 a.m., the alarm went off, and as soon as I lifted the quilt, I instantly regretted it – it was too cold, too. That day, the temperature in Gannan, near Guangdong, had dropped to minus 1 degree.
When I came to the warehouse, Auntie Xie was already busy. Seeing me coming, she passed me a few sheets: “According to the hotel’s needs above, take one by one, kill it, and pack it in a black bag. “
The warehouse is very dim, in the reflection of incandescent light, the back of each fish is black, it is difficult to distinguish. Thinking that each kind of fish anyway, I fished up a few nets first. Fish of all sizes fluttered their tails and jumped on the wet concrete floor, splashing sewage on their hair, faces and clothes. We both pay no attention, wipe a sleeve, and continue to work on the matter at hand.
To tell the truth, I had never killed before. When I first killed the fish, I did not even dare to look, if the side observer, must feel the scene is comical – a big boy squatting on the ground, eyes tightly closed, pursed lips, grabbing the fish with one hand, picking up the back of the knife with the other hand, smashing the head of the fish, smashing did not smash accurate do not know. The deepest feeling is to pull out the guts of the fish with your hands – I can feel its internal convulsions, and then a tug, the whole set of internal organs will be pulled out.
Kill more numb. In the end, I was almost expressionless as I slapped the fish, scraped the scales, gutted it, and tossed it aside, one, one, another.
After killing the fish all morning, Auntie Xie’s hands were blistered red and swollen.
After all the fish were processed, it was already 5:00 in the morning. In the dimly lit stall, I turned on the front camera to take a closer look: the corners of my eyes were bloodshot, and my hair was stuck to my face, bleeding a scarlet mark, and my mouth tasted fishy. I felt as if I was a midnight butcher.
Auntie Xie patted me: “Young man is okay? “
“Don’t feel too good, want to throw up. “I said.
She told me to wash my face and rinse my mouth, and bought me soy milk, saying, “It’s like this at first, you’ll get used to it. “
These fish to the hands of customers, is countless people after a hard day’s work dinner, friends and family banquet to give people a good home – Aunt Xie comforted me so.
She also said: “We are the people who do the work of killing, so more kindness, every Lunar 15, I will go to the river to release fish, which is taken from nature, back to nature. I have been selling fish for 30 years, I have never done a bad business, I kill fish to feed my two daughters, this is the justice of God, the Bodhisattva will forgive me. “
I am not a saint, every day shouting “do not kill”, just a moment can not afford this scene. Leaning back in the chair to rest for a moment, they began to prepare for the morning market, the results of a busy morning, there are only two people to buy fish.
Thinking about the bustling Weifuli market more than ten years ago, it was a bit like a lifetime ago. Back then, vendors were pushing carts selling freshly baked rice noodles and oil cakes, while old people got up early to buy breakfast and carefully select the day’s fruits, vegetables and fish. The sound of hawking and bargaining surrounded the market. And now, this steaming image has evaporated and the Weifuri market is as pale as a dead city.
“There are only four fish stalls left. “Auntie Xie said, “There were 3 rows of fish sellers, 12 fish stalls, and everyone rushed to come, but now there’s no one here to rent. “
She took inventory of the only remaining stalls with her sight, raised her chin and pointed across the street: “I am okay oh, my daughter is all grown up, the vegetable seller across the street, the son did not go to school, got married and had a grandson, the family is selling vegetables here, now they do not do it anymore, to go to Guangdong to work, later are not I do not know how to do. “
That morning there were only three baskets of fish to be delivered. I carried the fish baskets alone to the dark back kitchen, the black plastic bags spread, the smell of blood permeated out, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me through the plastic bags, my mind whirled into a hallucination – I imagined I was a fish, caught by the merciless hands, knocked unconscious, skinned, and then ripped out the internal organs, and then sent to the table, let Someone at the table bragged, “This is a descending blow to animals. “
That day’s turnover was only 446 yuan, very dismal. But perhaps, this kind of dismal days are not long.
Before leaving, I asked Auntie Xie: “If you stop doing it one day, where will you go? “
Auntie Xie smiled at me: “I ah, I will go to my eldest daughter ah, she has long asked me not to do, think too hard, but we are rural people, hands idle. “
I gave her a red envelope, but she refused to accept how: “You work for me for free and I still charge money, too unethical. “
I could not resist, went next door to the mall to buy some tonic, put on the fish stall, and left.
When I said goodbye to Auntie Xie, it was noon school time, looking at the children walking through the playful, I did not feel a trace of volatility, mood like the weather that day, cold and calm.
A foot into the community elevator, the sound of shouting to meet the face: “xx preferential 0 yuan to buy, promote more good gifts to send. “
I listened to the cheerful music, like attending a funeral.
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