It is not easy to make a good "pot handle" in a big teahouse. To entertain tea guests from all directions politely, you must always run, watch and ask questions. You should not only have the skills of "smiling at a monk's face", "starling's mouth", "ears" and "flying legs", but also practice the stunt of mixing tea with one hand. When the customer is full, he can put a dozen tea bowls on his wrist with one hand, with his little finger as the bottom, as steady as Mount Tai, and only listen to a few swish sounds. A dozen tea bowls are placed in front of the customer smoothly while stirring water. Especially when there are many people and the desktop is too wide to approach, the pot handle will hold the copper pot high and flush the water into the tea bowl from the back of the head or the top of the head of the tea drinker. When the tea was almost full, the right hand suddenly closed and tilted, the spout did not leak, and the table did not spill at all. Without excellent wrist skills, the movements will not be so clean and neat.
Tea drinkers in teahouses in the old society were everywhere in all walks of life. Although the walls of the teahouse are plastered with "no discussion on state affairs" and "no discussion on military affairs", tea drinkers still talk about everything, from ancient times to modern times, at home and abroad, far and wide; Strange things, social news elements are not mentioned; Many people like to chat and listen to the news in the teahouse. Some lazy people and local ruffians can sit in a teahouse for a day with a bowl of tea.
"green gang" and "Red Gang" often take teahouses as their activity bases. "Yexing" and businessmen often do business and see the goods clinch a deal in the teahouse.
From time to time, they whisper, gesture and bargain. Unemployed workers are also looking for employers and jobs in teahouses. Some teahouses also introduce prostitutes as tea customers. Some teahouses have casinos behind them, with smoke lamps for people to smoke opium. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, cigar smoke disappeared from teahouses, but people still like to relax or engage in other social activities in teahouses. Especially in recent years, the teahouse has more complete equipment and more elegant shop layout. The slogan of "five stresses, four beauties and three loves" and the propaganda of family planning were posted on the surrounding walls, and some newspapers and magazines were ordered for tea drinkers to read. The customers who come to the teahouse for tea are not what they used to be. In the morning, most of them are retired workers, old farmers and old residents. After getting up early, walking and exercising, they will stop at the teahouse and spend a few cents to make a cup of tea to refresh themselves. Bird people will also take the birdcage into the teahouse and listen to the birds singing while drinking tea. At noon, most rural people come here to quench their thirst, inquire about the news in the city, spread the wonders of the country and learn about getting rich. In the afternoon, there are the most tea customers and the most complicated people. Retired people come here to find a leisure place to rest. After work, employees go to the teahouse to drink tea and chat, posing as a "dragon gate array", which can relax muscles and adjust their spirit and physical strength. There are also friends in the teahouse. When friends visited each other, the host waved and said, "Let's have tea in the teahouse." So the host and guest leisurely walked into the teahouse, sipping tea and eating melon seeds, talking freely, playing cards or chess, and having a good time. These are called "eating leisure tea". Some people sit in teahouses not to drink tea to quench their thirst, but to hear about literati or folk art singing. This is called "eating books and tea". In recent years, the market is booming and commodity trading is very active. Teahouses are also important places for businessmen to exchange information and negotiate business.
People in southern Shaanxi have always had the custom of mediating civil disputes in teahouses. Both parties to the dispute invited reasonable and respected people as mediators, and * * * went to the teahouse to have tea together, and at the same time told the facts and explained their reasons. After the mediator arbitrates, the tea money shall be paid by the losing party. This is called "tea". In the old society, people thought that "the yamen in the world faces south, and you can't get in without money." When there is a dispute, you don't want to complain to the court, and many mediators invite people to the teahouse. Today's people's courts enforce the law fairly. However, some people are willing to go to the teahouse to mediate disputes because they are afraid of prosecution trouble.
Teahouses in southern Shaanxi provide thoughtful and enthusiastic services for tea customers. They sit for a day with a cup of tea, and as long as they don't change the tea, they don't add money. Teahouse owners will never look down on each other or order them to leave. When you need to add water, just lift the lid of the tea and the waiter will come and adjust the water immediately. It is getting hotter and hotter in summer, and the teahouse also hands overheated towels to the tea drinkers to wipe the sweat. Many people think that it is worthwhile to spend a few cents sitting comfortably in a teahouse and drinking happily.
In the past, people in northern Shaanxi lived in poverty and ate very little, so there was no need to drink tea, so there was no custom of drinking tea. Now life has been greatly improved, and more and more people drink tea. Generally, we mainly drink green tea and black tea, and most of them make their own drinks at home, so we don't have the habit of sitting in a teahouse and drinking tea.