Compared to the bustling atmosphere of the popular commercial districts, the old neighborhoods with their traces of time are more suitable for nurturing slowly growing feelings. There is no rush of hurrying about, only the leisurely pace of walking on the cobblestone paths, which enables two people to gradually get closer in the small moments of their interactions.
Choose a sunny afternoon and start your stroll from the entrance of the old neighborhood. First, take the other person into the sugar water shop on the corner that has been open for twenty years. Order two bowls of the signature green bean soup. When the porcelain bowls clink together, smile and say, “When I was young, I always came here. The boss’s skills haven’t changed at all.” As the other person scoops up a spoonful and tastes it slowly, take the opportunity to ask, “Does it taste more refreshing than milk tea?” Without， the taste of the food becomes a natural opening line.
Walk along the wall covered with climbing vines and you will come across a small stall selling old items. Stop and search together. You pick up a rusty iron frog, wind up the spring and place it in your palm to make it jump. The other person smiles and takes a photo of this scene. The other person picks up an old stamp and you lean in to identify the pattern on it, “I visited this place last year. It looks like this now…” The old items are like a key, gently opening the memory boxes of each other.
Walk deep into the alley and find an old bookstore with a window ledge. Go inside and browse around. Each of you choose a book you like, sit on the wooden chair by the window, and the sunlight shines through the glass onto the pages of the books. Occasionally, you look up and smile at each other. Even without speaking, it’s very comfortable. When you are tired from the shopping, sit on the steps outside the bookstore. Share the interesting paragraphs you saw just now, or talk about your favorite books from school days. The voices are blown softly by the wind, and even time seems to slow down.
In the evening, I went to the old noodle shop at the end of the alley to have a bowl of hot soup noodles. The owner greeted me warmly and I casually mentioned the flavor I liked. Looking at his surprised expression, I smiled and said, “When you were visiting the sweet shop earlier, you said you loved thin noodles.” The noodles were steaming hot. We ate and chatted while recalling the amusing things we had encountered, such as the humorous vendor at the street stall and the lazy cat in the bookstore. The aroma of the food wrapped a gentle warmth and quietly settled in our hearts.
When saying goodbye, there’s no need to rush to say “See you next time”. Instead, you can point at the sunset in the sky and say, “Look, today’s clouds look like marshmallows”, then slowly walk to the crossing. Before parting ways, you can smile and say, “Next time, I can take you to the front…”