Shrimp is actually shrimp. Shrimp is so small that it is difficult to distinguish between male and female, so it is called by Dingzhen people, which naturally contains some male worship.

Fresh shrimp is delicious, but not as delicious as shrimp sauce.

Shrimp sauce is a famous product in Dingzhen, and the "Changshun" pickles workshop recorded in the county annals continued in the first year of the Republic of China is famous for shrimp sauce. If you can squeeze a name out of a brick-thick book, you can't do anything. In retrospect, the rice bowls of Dingzhen people must have the reputation of "Changshun" shrimp sauce as spicy, prickly and delicious. If you use your imagination, you may have asked a county magistrate to pay tribute to the emperor's old son! Although this unique local flavor can't be served on the big table, the emperor's old son is tired of eating delicacies, and occasionally he may taste them. Maybe he will be "happy" at any time and reward you with a big official. According to county records, many county magistrates in Ding Zhen's county were promoted to government offices. This inevitably makes people suspect that it has something to do with shrimp sauce.

In a word, shrimp paste is a famous product in Dingzhen, with a long history, no doubt.

Years are long, and things are different. By the 21 ST year of the Republic of China, the "Changshun" no longer existed. But there are still some descendants, and this person is the "Summer Palace Guy". The above "tribute" is what he insisted on. The founder of "Changshun" is surnamed Zhao, which is the first of hundreds of surnames. This is an incredible surname. Chen Qiao mutiny, Zhao became the "official" of DaSong. Just as generations of "bureaucrats" inherited it, the owner of "Changshun" was also passed down from generation to generation by "Boss Zhao". Unfortunately, "Changshun" is rich in financial resources, and the incense is not prosperous. It has been single-handedly for several generations. When we get to the "Summer Palace Guy", the situation is even worse. This little Shao Dong was born in Luo. His father, Lao Zi Zhao Boss, is a vegetarian and recites scriptures all day, and he also donated a lot of money to the "Baoguang Temple" in the west of town, but the Luo pot on Xiao Shaodong's back is never removed. After Boss Zhao sighed, he remembered an old saying that everything has a destiny, and suddenly it dawned on him, so he enjoyed drinking and playing mahjong all day. Instead of chanting, put Guanyin Bodhisattva in the shrine and meditate with your head in your hands. Seeing that "Changshun" is declining.

The "Changshun" has six crew members and a bookkeeper. The sidewalk is very big. Behind the shop, there is a workshop surrounded by tall blue brick walls. There are rows of sauce jars in the workshop, so clean that flies and maggots are absolutely invisible. When you walk in, the smell smells good. The six guys hired by boss Zhao mainly do some rough work, such as washing shrimp, chopping, grinding pepper, making wine (used to pickle shrimp) and so on. For technical matters, such as how much pepper to sprinkle on each altar, how much Jiang Mo to add, and how much wine to change, Boss Zhao always does it himself, and has to stall the guys. This is Zhao Jiazu's unique skill. Of course, we must beware of being known by outsiders.

With Boss Zhao drinking more and more, mahjong is getting better and better. Naturally, the three golden characters "Changshun" on the plaque in front of the store gradually darkened. Six guys left four, leaving only a cooking workshop and a sidewalk attendant. The honest manager cried and remonstrated many times, and all he got was a long laugh from Boss Zhao: "You are really crazy!" No money when you are alive, no money when you die, and there is no hope for your child. What's the use of your property? "Mr. Accountant knew that he could do nothing and quietly packed his bags and went back to his hometown.

This year, Xiao Shaodong of Luo just turned ten.

Some people say, "The blind have a clear mind, while the deaf have a good nose and crooked hands and feet." Xiao Shaodong is like this. Although he was born disabled, thin, dry, blue and miserable, his mind is smart. Boss Zhao didn't expect much from him. He didn't even let him go to a private school, so he let him play all day. Little did he know that it was difficult for him to find a place to play. As soon as he went out, he was teased by a group of semi-adults: one minute he slapped the pot on his back, and three or five other people knocked him down and made him climb like a turtle. The master of Diaphragm Sibu Village also arranged folk songs to humiliate him-

Zhao shaodong,

This is Luo Guo,

Carrying a turtle shell,

Cook without a pan. ...

How can a small heart stand so much humiliation? ! He simply doesn't even go to the street and follows the guys in the workshop every day. Look at those people who wash shrimps and cut Jiang Mo ... or grab flies and look around for red-headed flies. If you find the source of the buzz, you will bang, which is extremely accurate and loud. As time goes by, I am familiar with the process of making shrimp paste, and I can help that person. He wondered why he couldn't see the man mixing wine or sprinkling Jiang Mo pepper powder into the jar. Then ask questions. The man knows it, but he doesn't make it clear. He just told him to "ask your boss".

Hearing this, Luo thought for a long time, realized what, and smiled secretly.

One day, Luo Guo stood respectfully in front of his father and Lao Zi and said, "Grandpa, can you pass me the skill of making shrimp sauce?" He lowered his hand, raised his head and looked at Boss Zhao with bright eyes.

Boss Zhao was frightened. Amazing eyes pointed at his son. Thinking; Am I wrong about my son? This little boy is so sensitive that he knows that shrimp paste was handed down from Zhao Jiazu. ...

Since the old accountant resigned, Changshun's accounts have been in a mess, and the boss Zhao doesn't mind. The proprietress is a typical "glutinous rice" woman who only listens to her husband. Being weak, I dare not speak loudly in front of people, let alone give advice. Boss Zhao loves drinking and gambling. What's more, he "stuck" with a Tsing Yi actress in the troupe and often stayed out all night. Since then, the family has gone from bad to worse. Half of the shop has been rented to the silk shop next door, and my body has been hollowed out by wine, sweating all day, coughing and wheezing. Boss Zhao knows that he is dying. After listening to my son's good words, a line of muddy tears could not help but flow down. ...

Boss Zhao passed on the ancestral technology to his son.

Boss Zhao really died soon.

Luo Shaodong naturally became the boss of Changshun. He is busy all day, and the burden of family affairs seems to weigh heavily on his back. He seldom laughs, but when he sees the sky overcast, he frowned. Even in the season when you have to laugh, such as when a regular customer comes to buy a catty and a half of shrimp paste, it's hard and uncomfortable to just smoke a little from the corner of your mouth and squeeze out a smile. Unlike his father, Lao Zi, he never set foot in the smoky alleys of pubs and casinos, but sometimes he goes to the bookstore to listen to a book or two. He only listens to books at night and has no time to go during the day. When I go, I will wait until it is completely dark, then change into the gown worn by boss Lao Zhao, dress up and stagger away. Although the gown does not necessarily add much color to him, it is always long before and short after, and the front skirt flutters like curtain cloth. But he thinks wearing a formal dress is a symbol of status. A young boss named "Changshun" is looked down upon when he enters a bookstore without a gown. The Suzhou sandalwood carving folding fan used by Lao Zhao's boss also reached his hand. When he goes to listen to a book, he must take it with him, even if it is not hot.

"In the second year after Boss Shao took charge of Changshun, two former employees also resigned because Boss Shao pressed his salary twice." The vitality of the "Changshun" has been almost consumed by the boss Lao Zhao. Because of the cavitation in the workshop, most people live on an empty stomach and don't need two assistants. Fewer bosses hold down their wages in order to let them resign themselves. What he means is that the guys hired by dad and Lao Tzu, the son can't tell clearly, ruined his job. It can be seen that boss Shao is a man with considerable calculation.

After the two guys resigned, only two bosses and his old mother were missing on the "Changshun". One day, boss Shao was mixing wine in the workshop when his right eyelid jumped violently. He rubbed his eyelids, but it was useless. Half an hour later, he came home and found his mother dead in bed. The little boss was too sad to cry. He chose a pair of excellent nanmu longevity boards to send his mother on her way. From then on, he believed that "jumping in the left eye is a joy, and jumping in the right eye is a curse."

Changshun is just a bachelor with a lonely boss. However, the boss's heart will not die. He always hoped that when his left eyelid jumped enthusiastically, "Changshun" would flourish again. He invited the unkempt wooden Guanyin out of the utility room, wiped it clean, and enshrined it in the shrine according to the previous pattern. He doesn't know that Guanyin Bodhisattva and Marshal Zhao Gong have different responsibilities. They are totally different. They kowtow three times a day and burn incense three times, which is extremely pious. You can't make money by kissing up. In order to raise money, I had to sell half my shop to the silk shop next door. Now, a partition was cut to Changshun. Silk village is full of gas and deep pockets, and the shop is renovated and looks magnificent. As for "Changshun", even the signboard originally hung on the forehead of the front wall of the store should be removed.

It's amazing that an old shop has fallen to such a state. "Changshun" now has neither servants nor bookkeepers, and even a signboard. What qualifications does Shao Dong of Luo have to be called "Shao Bo"? Therefore, when people come to buy shrimp paste, they just say "hello" instead of calling, and even the posture and attitude of throwing one or two Mao tickets on the narrow counter have a kind of charity atmosphere.

For these, Luo Shaodong doesn't care. He wants to make money harmoniously. As long as you do business in good faith, you will make a fortune one day. He heard the story of "Han Xin's leg was humiliated" in the bookstore, and the spirit of humiliation had already been implanted in his heart. Although there is no signboard, he is obsessed with the red pair on both sides of the store. Every Spring Festival, ask someone to write a picture and stick it on the back wall of the store. The couple wrote-

Cooking fresh food is nothing to envy.

Why do you have to beg for food?

Although this has little to do with a pickles shop that mainly makes shrimp sauce, in the era of Lao Zhao's boss, "Changshun" still has that style. Now, it's 108 thousand miles away. Fortunately, there are very few people who really understand writing and ink, and no one laughs at them.

Zhao Shaodong's back is more bent. He is thin, with two slender Cao Meng legs, and looks like a shrimp. People his age are all adults now, including local ruffians and hooligans. One day, a ruffian suddenly had a whim and said, "Do you think Zhao Shaodong looks like a shrimp man?" At this time, Zhao Shaodong was bending down to scoop sauce from the urn to the customer. When you look at it, it really looks like it. So this nickname spread widely and was repeatedly confirmed.

Zhao Shaodong thought: Shrimp? What happened to the male shrimp? ! I sell shrimp, and I sell shrimp paste. All right, all right! Bending your knees is a burst of laughter. From then on, he accepted this derogatory nickname.

After Zhao Shaodong was called "Xia Gong Lao", pickles like radish strips stopped, and Xia Gong sauce was autocratic. Xia Gong Lao devoted himself to the research of ancestral technology, trying to figure it out carefully. He tried everything from the quality of wine to the degree of wine, from the thickness of Jiang Mo to the amount of pepper. He even boldly added more than ten kinds of Chinese herbal medicines, such as Acorus calamus and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, to the soup of boiled shrimp. In the workshop, a row of sauce jars pickled shrimp sauce with ancestral techniques, and several small sauce jars were used to pour "new recipes".

One day, the shrimp man opened the jar pickled with the latest formula and sealed it for 998 1 day. Suddenly, a strange smell, such as the smell of blue musk deer, came to my nose. Shrimp man couldn't help it. He bent down quickly, stuck out his long tongue and tasted it in the jar. Needless to say, the taste was numb at once, and the strange smell filled the mouth. The guy in Summer Palace was pleasantly surprised. He hugged the sauce jar, slit his throat and shouted, "OK ... Yes ...", but despite a line of tears, he dripped into the sauce jar. ...

The merchant's family, in the words of strangers, is nothing more than a third-class person. First-class "entrepreneurship", second-class "persistence" and third-class "failure". Guy in Summer Palace naturally does not belong to the "prodigal family" such as wanton gambling, debauchery and dissolute life, but it is still hesitant to judge whether he is a "pioneer" or a "perseverer". Of course, he didn't "create" Changshun, but after all, he "created" a new generation of shrimp paste. Said he "held on", but he didn't hold on to the gold plaque after all. The problem is very complicated, and the judgment of whispering behind my back is fruitless, so everyone says, "This shrimp sauce is good now, and it tastes good ..."

Good taste and good business. However, the temperament of the shrimp man is very strange. Some people say that he looks like a shrimp man. But who knows shrimp's temper? This is a big suspense that Dingzhen people have been exploring for a long time. The business of shrimp paste is very promising. If it is a general business, it will take the opportunity to develop and produce in large quantities. Don't worry about that coin. Don't rush into your house. This shrimp guy refuses to hire an accountant or a helper, and still likes to play with those big sauce jars alone.

That guy in Summer Palace didn't want to develop, which made Ding Town people spend a lot of time speculating. There must be something in this anomaly. This trick is just like the recipe that shrimps secretly make in the workshop, and they will never see the light of day.

The situation of Xiagong has improved, and business is no longer haggle over every ounce. He remembers the old adage that "no child will cheat". Even if the baby comes to buy shrimp sauce, it will never make you suffer, and it will often make you pay a little cheaper-I will give you another spoonful of "juice" when the sauce is finished. Everyone knows that the delicious essence of shrimp paste is all in the juice. This kind of cheap, beg every day, will accompany you every day. But remember, if you want to buy three catties and five catties, he won't sell it, and he will ask you with a black face, "Why do you buy so many?" If you answer "eat." He will reply to you, "Eat? Then buy two and go home first, and then come back after eating! " Then I'll give you two sauces, and that "juice" will never be given to you. People want to buy it, but he doesn't sell it. It is puzzling that there are such businessmen in the world.

If you don't sell, you don't sell. Shrimp man earns enough money to support a person's livelihood. Those eyes are full of sly pride. Boss Lao Zhao's gown was also turned out from the bottom of the box and was seen again. Shrimp man wore it into the bookstore again. It's just that I haven't worn it for many years. It seems a little big, spacious and fluttering in the wind. Old shrimps are like sleeves dancing on the stage.

This is undoubtedly a very weighty declaration. When Xiagong guy puts on his gown again, "Changshun" can't fail! However, some people turn a blind eye and still try to narrow down his scope.

He listened to the book with his head held high, his eyes fixed on the storyteller, and he listened carefully. He especially loves to hear stories about men and women. For example, Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru, once they start talking, he will listen carefully and never stop. On this day, shrimp man arrived early before the lecture began on the stage; Shake the folding fan and sit there leisurely. A green scorpion approached him with a smile and asked, "Shrimp, are people in gowns very knowledgeable?" This is a sincere question.

Hearing that someone was so kind and asked such an obvious question, Shrimp Man immediately nodded in affirmation.

"Good, good," lazarillo DE tormes in no hurry, at one point. "Then I ask you, how do you divide the shrimp?"

"This ... this ..." The shrimp guy was trapped, and sweat was dripping from his forehead.

"Alas, alas, you are wearing a gown, you are learned ..."

"This ... this ..." Shrimp guy embarrassed don't know how to reply.

Seeing his thin face and red face, the questioner was very proud and forced him to say, "You have been tossing with the shrimp man all day, and the shrimp mother is certainly not sure ... haha ..."

Another ruffian chimed in: "Shrimp guy is a boy, and the work hasn't been done yet. How do we know the mother shrimp ... "

Laughter broke out in the hall.

Shrimp man can't sit still. With a few drops of brilliant humiliation in the corner of his eye, he angrily withdrew from the bookstore.

On this night's stage, I talked about The West Chamber.

Shrimp man never went into the bookstore again.

White clouds and pale dogs, life is short. One day, Shrimp Man gave up and left. Before he died, he had all the sauce jars smashed into powder.

The history of Changshun is over. There is no shrimp sauce in Dingzhen from now on.

Many years have passed, and the old people in Ding Town will still think of the delicious shrimp sauce from time to time. In addition to feeling, I will also send a few sighs to blame Xiagong: Which one is not to marry a wife casually, to carry on the family line, or to let Xiagong sauce pass on from generation to generation? ...