One winter in the early 1980s, when the economy was relatively scarce, everyone had to eat with their mouths open. Because of my livelihood, I came to a small town in Yishui County to do small business. It was very cold that winter, and the cold wind roared all night. In the morning, it's even colder, and people dare not make a move. It was a market in the town, and there were not many people on the street, only an early stall and a few deserted rice sheds.

It was about eight o'clock in the morning and there were not many people in the market. The market is late in winter, until a little after 9 o'clock. I was very cold, so I went to a mutton soup rice shed next to me. At that time, there were no formal restaurants in the market, and most of them were oilcloth-woven rice stalls that only came to the market. There is a mutton soup seller beside me. A large iron pot burned more than half of the mutton soup, and a raging fire broke out in the simple stove. The mutton and pepper in the pot roll from time to time, emitting hot air, and the smell of mutton permeates the streets ... The seller of mutton soup shouts two sentences from time to time: "Hot mutton soup, 20 cents a bowl, free to drink soup, warm and satisfying ..." And from time to time, someone goes to drink a bowl, sweating on his head, and his body suddenly warms up a lot.

I found a leeward place and drank mutton soup with relish. Next to me came an old man in his sixties, wearing a shabby cotton-padded jacket with shiny black cuffs and a cotton hat to protect his ears, with deep wrinkles and vicissitudes on his face. He hesitated beside the mutton stall, wondering whether he could not resist the temptation of mutton soup aroma or it was too cold, and finally made it beside me. Then I took out a cage bag from my pocket, took out a tortilla and swallowed it in one gulp. However, I found that the old man only drank soup, not mutton. After drinking the soup in the bowl, he asked for another bowl of soup. After a while, the soup was gone and the rice was full. There were seven or eight pieces of mutton left in the bowl. Then the old man asked for a piece of yellow paper, wrapped the mutton and wrapped it in a cage cloth for several layers. The old man said stiffly, "I can drink a bowl of mutton soup when I go out to the market, but my wife can't even drink soup." I'll take it back and give her a taste ... "

In the evening, the wind was lighter, so I quickly packed my luggage and set foot on my way home. As the sun sets, I vaguely see an old man helping each other on a path near the village, and their backs are getting longer and longer. ...