Compared to the exquisite brunch, the morning market in the old town and the soy milk shop on the street corner on a weekend morning are more like a tempting snack wrapped in the aroma of daily life. The crispness of fresh vegetables, the golden color of freshly baked dough sticks, mixed with the bean fragrance wafting from the soy milk shop, without any elaborate arrangement, only the comfort of two people picking and choosing among the sounds of their sales pitches, allowing the excitement to gradually warm up in the warm aroma of daily life.
Set the alarm clock early in advance – the good things at the morning market need to be grabbed as soon as possible. You carry a canvas shopping bag and plan to buy some of her favorite strawberries; she has a neat bun hairstyle and is carrying a small handbag, saying she wants to find that handmade rice cake hidden at the end of the alley. Just as you reach the entrance of the morning market, you are surrounded by the continuous shouts: “Fresh spinach! So fresh!” “Hot fried dough sticks!”
She pulled you into a fruit stall filled with various fruits. The stall owner’s aunt smiled and handed you a strawberry, saying, “Girl, try it. It’s just picked from the field, very sweet.” She took a bite and her eyes shone brightly: “It’s so sweet! Much fresher than what you get in the supermarket.” You asked the aunt to weigh two pounds, and then casually picked up a bunch of green grapes: “I’ll also buy some for you. You can eat them as snacks this afternoon.” She secretly squeezed your palm: “You’ve bought too much, there won’t be enough to eat.” You shook your head with a smile: “Not much. As long as you like it, it’s fine.”
Halfway through the shopping, she smelled a strong aroma of rice. Her eyes lit up and she pulled you towards the end of the alley, saying, “This is the rice cake shop! My colleague told me it’s super delicious last time.” There was already a small queue in front of the stall. The owner was busy cutting the steamed rice cakes into small pieces. You and she waited for ten minutes and finally bought two pieces of brown sugar rice cakes. The freshly cooked rice cakes were steaming hot, and when you took a bite, it was soft and sweet. The red sugar syrup flowed down your fingers. She hurriedly found a tissue to wipe her hands, and you smiled and helped her wipe off the sugar stains on her fingers, saying, “Eat slowly, no one will snatch it from you.”
When your stomach started growling, you remembered that there was a well-known soy milk shop at the exit of the market. You led her over there and as you pushed the door open, you saw the rising steam. The owner of the shop came over smilingly: “What would you like? There are sweet soy milk and salty soy milk, and there are also freshly fried sugar cakes.” You ordered her sweet soy milk and sugar cake: “She likes sweet food, so this sugar cake should be freshly fried.” And you also ordered yourself salty soy milk and tea eggs: “Salty food with tea eggs is just right.”
Find a small table close to the wall and sit down. She is still nibbling on the rice cake, occasionally looking up and telling you some interesting things about the morning market. When the soy milk and sugar cake were served, the sweet aroma of the soy milk mingled with the oil aroma of the sugar cake. She scooped a mouthful of soy milk with a small spoon and her eyes curved into a crescent shape: “The bean flavor is so strong! It’s much better than the one I make at home.” You peeled the tea eggs in your bowl and handed them over: “Try this one, it’s well marinated.” She took a bite of the tea egg and broke half of her sugar cake for you: “This sugar cake is super crispy. Have some too.”
After having breakfast, she returned to the market. She stopped at a stall and picked up a fresh daisy: “This color is so refreshing. Buying one and putting it in a vase will definitely look nice.” You paid the money and handed the daisy to her: “It matches your dress perfectly for today.” She smiled and held the daisy in her arms, as if it were a bunch of little suns.
As she was leaving the market, she was holding daisies and strawberries. You were carrying green grapes, rice cakes and the remaining soy milk, walking along the gradually bustling street. Suddenly, she said, “Next time let’s come earlier, okay? Let’s go and buy those freshly baked meat buns. I heard you have to wait in line for half an hour.” You nodded and reached out to help her brush off the stray leaves on her hair: “Sure, bring a thermos too and bring the soy milk back. We can still have hot soy milk for lunch.”
The beauty of having a date at the morning market, the morning market and the soy milk shop, is not about having exquisite food, but rather seeing the light in each other’s eyes – the light of being charmed by a single strawberry, the light of being satisfied by a bite of rice cake, and the light of excitement and anticipation when queuing together at the stall. These moments filled with the flavor of life are as warm as soy milk and as sweet as rice cake, hiding the fluttering of love in the hustle and bustle of the market, being both real and tender.