郑骁锋
相比于许多古镇，五六米宽的金华兰溪游埠老街，算是相当阔的了。但走在街上，我却经常得在相对的两排脊背中间侧身穿行。街两侧的店铺，每一家都在门前屋檐下摆出了长桌——有很多是拆下杉木门板横过来搭的——每张桌配一两条长凳两三张方凳，背靠背，脸对脸，坐满了人。这条街有四五百米长，目测商铺过百，每家至少摆有一两张桌子，加上室内正儿八经的桌位，每桌多则四五位，少则两三位——毛估估至少有一两千人吧。
这些人都在吃早茶。时间是凌晨五点三十一分。天还呈清灰色，边缘刚开始有些通透。据说，来得最早的，已经吃了将近两个小时了。
几百年来，天天这样。
我们是在半小时前从兰溪城里赶到游埠镇的。
在车上，看着乌蒙蒙的窗外，心中其实有些忐忑，怀疑这里所谓的早茶，会不会只是个传说。由省道边的巷弄进了镇。沿途所见人家，还都是门窗紧闭，路灯昏暗，连声鸡叫都没有，不觉愈发狐疑起来。
此时，身后忽有一位老汉赶来。皮肤黝黑，矮小精瘦，赤膊穿件背心，手里提着一个帆布包，低着头，以前倾的姿势走得飞快，没几步就超过了我们。走出十几米后，突然折返回来，没头没脑地说了一句“我今年九十三岁，每天早上走五里路过来喝茶”。语气不无夸耀，说完也不等我们回话，转身急匆匆地继续走。
兰溪的朋友说，他急着抢位置去呢，我们跟着走就是了。果然，紧随其后，过了一座石桥，便隐约听到有人声喧哗，循之而去，行不多步，过一拐角，忽见灯火通明、热气蒸腾，一条老街座无虚席。
一桥之隔，恍如两个时空。
过桥时，看桥板斑驳，便留心了一下竖在桥头的铭碑。果然是老物件，晚清的，一百多年了，叫永福桥。这应该便是游埠人挂在嘴边的“五马归槽”中的一马。
五马，指的是游埠溪上的五座老桥。游埠的格局，与大部分江南古镇类似，也是以一条水道为中心，两岸河房蜿蜒铺开。不过，细看之下，却能察觉，相比于寻常村镇，游埠的河面要宽上一些，以致于即便在这黎明前的幽暗时刻，依然通达豁朗，少有杭嘉湖一带水乡的阴柔之气。
而此刻，这座镇头更是烟熏火燎、碗碟叮当。却打着茶的名义。
早茶不只广东流行，江南一些地方同样有类似的习俗。比如我去过的绍兴安昌与桐乡马鸣。不过与它们相比，每天凌晨三点就开始的游埠早茶，不仅时间更早，花样也更多。
老街上的铺子，大部分都卖吃食：豆浆、稀饭、包子、油条、馒头、发糕、馄饨、水饺、面条、粉干。各地标配的早点，这里自然都有，仅饼一类，便有烧饼、酥饼、麦饼、煎饼、葱花饼、干菜饼、雪菜饼等;此外还有很多兰溪独有的特色吃食，如鸡子馃与肉沉子。鸡子馃是一种灌入蛋液的肉饼，肉沉子则是一种塞有肉馅的煮鸡蛋。据说整个兰溪有三百多种风味小吃，而在这条街上，就能找到上百种，不仅安昌、马鸣难以企及，甚至相比广州，也不遑多让。
但吃食再多，茶还是主角。每张桌上，但凡坐定的，手里大都捧着个茶杯。茶杯各式各样，并不都是商家提供的，兰溪朋友说，很多老茶客，都是自己带杯子来的，刚才那个老汉拎着的包里，应该就是茶杯，有些讲究的甚至连茶叶都自己带。他们其实吃的并不多，一两个酥饼，加根油条，也就差不多了，但一坐，就是几个小时，而且还都有自己固定的座位。每张桌子上，既有茶杯水壶，又有醋碟筷笼，茶叶与辣酱也都摆在一起。“绿茶五元;红茶五元;老茶两元。”难怪每间铺子，明明是早餐店的格局，却都挂着茶馆的招牌。
早茶，应该是近些年的说法。依照老话，通常是叫“泡茶馆店”。在乡间，这实际上不能算是个好词——我母亲是兰溪人，老家范院坞，距离游埠只有七里路。对爱泡茶馆店的族人，她就颇有微词：“每日只晓得茶杯捧捧，一点生活也不做。”
说这话时，她已经在永康落户了。确实，相比人多田少、家家户户都得外出打铁打铜补贴日用的永康，兰溪人的日子过得是要懒散许多。但我认为，这句抱怨，应该还隐藏着一种作为兰溪人的自傲。
永康位于浙江中部丘陵地带，瓯江与钱塘江两大水系的分水岭，即鲫鱼背的位置，境内大部分是山地，早年穷苦，吃来吃去，不是洋芋番薯，便是霉干菜萝卜丝，稍微有点特色的，只是两种饼，一种无馅一种肉馅。永康与兰溪同属金华地区，倒也出好火腿，却只敢过年过节碎切了撮上几粒当作料，根本舍不得整块蒸了吃。
但在兰溪，却经常可以吃到大块的火腿。甚至有人还提倡，火腿本来就应该单独蒸煮，并且只能佐茶，不能下酒，否则就辜负了这一番腌制的真味。
说这话的兰溪人，名叫李渔。
才子佳人，缘起缘成。作为戏剧家，李渔编剧，以结局圆满而著称——他从来舍不得让任何一位主角在自己笔下遭受委屈。
这种精心设计的大团圆，在文学创作上的利弊暫且不提，至少，从中可以发现，李渔存在这样一条逻辑：既然是才子，便有资格享受这世间最美好的东西。
爱园林、爱美女、爱鲜花、爱锦衣、爱美食。因此，戏剧之外，李渔理直气壮地追逐着各种类型的欲望，也将自己训练成了一位百科全书类的生活家，饮食方面，尤多心得创见。其《闲情偶寄》中，便有大量相关记载：“声音之道，丝不如竹，竹不如肉，为其渐近自然。吾谓饮食之道，脍不如肉，肉不如蔬，亦以其渐近自然也。”
读李渔的饮食文字，很容易联想到游埠人做肉沉子。据当地老饕介绍，别看小小一枚肉沉子，其实讲究不少：比如肉馅必须二肥八瘦，且得细切粗剁，不可成糜，不然口感软塌，毫无筋道;佐料有葱、姜、盐和绍酒等，花样虽多，但调味宜淡不宜浓，否则便会抢了鲜蛋的清香;灌馅更是考验功夫，得先把生鸡蛋敲到茶盅里，用筷尖在蛋黄上戳个小洞，再将肉馅一点一点塞入，动作要轻，呼吸要稳，稍微毛躁，便会撕裂蛋膜，前功尽弃。
走在游埠老街上，那些背对街心、以杯盘遮面的茶客，经常会令我有种深不可测的感觉。这种感觉，来自明人的一则笔记。万历年间某天，有位孤身旅客，在衢州西门码头，登上了一艘商船。此人衣着破旧，容貌平凡，脖颈间还长了个小小的瘤子，混在人群中毫不起眼。不过，同坐一船的王士性听到他的龙游口音后，却露出了意味深长的微笑。
王士性，與徐霞客齐名的晚明大旅行家。一生游迹几遍全国，所到之处，对地方风物人情，广事搜访，悉心考证，练就了一双洞察世事的慧眼。那个旅客一上船，王士性便看出，这其实是个大手笔的巨商，猥琐与寒酸只是伪装，若论资产，很可能整艘船的货物加起来，也不及他身上的那个瘤子：“龙游商贾，其所贾多明珠、翠羽、宝石、猫眼类轻软物。千金之货，只一人自赍京师，败絮、僧鞋、蒙茸、褴褛、假痈、巨疽、膏药内皆宝珠所藏，人无知者。”（王士性 ·《广志绎》）
正常情况下，这段龙蛇混杂的航程，注定会在游埠停靠一程;而那位乔装打扮的龙游巨贾，也免不了要在老街上捧一捧茶杯。
所谓游埠，其得名由来，便是因为龙游。明清商界，包括徽商晋商在内，有“十大商帮”，龙游商帮，便是其中之一。
龙游，是浙西门户衢州下面的一个县，钱塘江的南源衢江，自西向东横贯过境。借此水路之便，邑人逐渐形成外出经商的谋生方式，发轫于南宋，活跃于明中叶，清乾隆年间最为鼎盛，境内长期有半数以上的人从事商贾，在珠宝业、印书业、屯垦业、长途贩运业都有重要地位，足迹东到沿海，南到福建，西到四川，北到北京，海外到日本、吕宋等地，因此还得了句“遍地龙游”的俗谚。
“游埠”的“游”，指的就是龙游 ：它是钱塘江航道之上龙游过来的第一个船埠——老街边上的溪水直通衢江——故而素有“钱江上游第一埠”之称。
汽车普及之前，船运始终是最经济便捷的出行方式，而在浙江水路交通网上，兰溪堪称一大枢纽，溯江而上可至衢州，进而入闽赣;顺江而下可至杭嘉湖，进入太湖流域，号称“七省通衢”，每日都有数千艘船舶靠岸投宿。而这数千艘船舶中，有一大部分会将锚落在游埠。
或许很多人不知道，游埠开埠于东晋，而兰溪建县于唐，镇的历史比县还要早上几百年。开发游埠，与钱塘江航运需要在此过驳有关。所谓过驳，即将甲船的货物搬卸至乙船。由于衢江段水浅滩多，要汇入金华过来的婺江后，才能通航大船，因此若要逆水上行，只能化整为零，拆作小船;下行船只，也同样得在这里重新装配货物，以将小船调换成大船。
因此，游埠实为南方各省物资的转运点和集散地。到明清时，已然是店铺林立，商贾云集，与桐乡乌镇、湖州南浔和义乌佛堂，并称为“浙江四大古镇”。
如此一个大码头，在此营生的船员与搬运工人数量之多可想而知。相比淮扬与广东，游埠小吃的口味普遍偏咸偏油，价格也便宜许多，原因或许便来自他们 ：卖苦力的汉子出汗多，容易饿，自然吃不得太清淡，更吃不起太贵。
游埠的航运码头性质，同样还能解释镇上吃食店的营业之早。行船人家，落帆起锚，候的是风和潮，行泊没个定数，再说只有人等船，哪有船等人？等装货，等卸货，等搭船，等接客，等起风，等涨潮。总不能干等吧，抓把花生，泡壶粗茶。这一等，在江南等出了一个几百年的早茶。
“小小金华府，大大兰溪县。”航运时代，兰溪虽然只是一个内地小县，但不仅在浙江中西部，即便是在整条钱塘江流域，也是仅次于杭州的重要码头。明清就有“小小兰溪赛苏杭”之说，民国时，更是被誉为“小上海”，繁华程度不仅在金华诸县市中首屈一指，即便在整个江南都算是富庶之地。
龙游商贾再有钱，也只是过路财神;兰溪经济的发达，交通优势之外，主要得益于发达的中药行业。地方志记载，兰溪中药业肇始于明初，清代康雍乾年间最为鼎盛。邑人所开设的药店遍及江南各府县镇直至川陕湖广，并有许多发展成为知名药号，被称作“兰溪帮”，与浙江慈溪、安徽绩溪合称东南“药业三溪”。
李渔的家族便是在江苏如皋开药店的。兰溪中药行业的发源地是诸葛村。这个国内诸葛亮后裔的最大聚居地，自从元至正年间，诸葛亮的第二十七世孙诸葛大狮迁居于该村，至今已有七百余年，将一句“不为良相，便为良医”的祖训发扬到了极致。
而游埠，是进出诸葛村最近的码头。也就是说，每日凌晨，在游埠捧着杯子等船的茶客中，有一大部分属于中药行当——用我母亲的话是“吃药饭”的。事实上，她也是“吃药饭”长大的：她那位中年早逝的父亲、我从未谋面的外公，便是药店的一名伙计。
李渔的一辈子，活得并不轻松。用药如用兵。有时候，我会猜想，“不为良相，便为良医”，或许只是个幌子，诸葛亮传下的，从来就只有一本兵书。诸葛村的族人，不过只是将书中的人名，替换成药名来运用罢了。只是纵然征伐八方，但兜兜转转，终究还是要回到最初的码头。再次端起茶杯时，昔日的青葱少年，却已是白发苍苍。这些在处方上参透生死的老药师，眼底早已波澜不惊。在他们的脸上，我隐约看到了李渔洗尽油墨后的沧桑表情。
早上八点。游客越来越多，很多本地老人渐次散场。我们也准备离开。回程时，看到那位理发师居然还在躺椅上睡觉。刚来时，我就注意到了这间开在老街街头、用剃刀的老式理发店：不仅是因为一条早茶街，打头第一家却是间理发店令人有些不适应，更纳闷它为何也跟着凑热闹，三四点便亮灯开张，我突然很想给自己理个三十年前流行的发型，并且想象着——
当我在那张躺椅上起身，再次睁开眼时，能不能在那面灰蒙蒙的镜子里，看到一条老河，逆流而来？
Youbu the Ancient Town and Morning Tea in Jiangnan
By Zheng Xiaofeng
Compared to most ancient towns， Youbu has relatively spacious streets of five to six meters wide. Still I had to sidle when walking along the street， which was packed by local people enjoying morning tea. There were at least one to two thousand of them， to estimate conservatively.
That was back in 2021， a random autumn day， 5：31 in the morning. In Youbu， every day begins like this for the last hundreds of years.
Half an hour ago， on the way from downtown Lanxi to Youbu， I was still doubtful about the latter’s grand morning tea routine being nothing but a legend. But my doubt was soon cleared up after I crossed a stone bridge and found myself in front of a brightly lit old street， full of hustling crowds. It turned out the stone bridge was an intersection of two totally different worlds.
As shown by the name plate， this bridge was called Yongfu Bridge， built in the late Qing dynasty （1616-1911） over a hundred years ago. It is one of the five old bridges across a local stream. Youbu has a waterway-centered layout just like most ancient towns in Jiangnan （south of the Yangtze River）， yet its river is relatively wide， letting in more light to lift the darkness before dawn.
Morning tea is not only popular in Guangdong but in some parts of Jiangnan as well， Anchang in Shaoxing and Maming in Tongxiang for instance. But compared to them， Youbu’s morning tea begins much earlier， at 3 a.m. and in a more diversified way.
On Youbu’s old streets， most of the vendors sell food：
soy milk， rice， steamed buns， steamed cakes， wontons， dumplings， noodles， fried vermicelli ... And there are many unique Lanxi snacks， such as pancakes filled with egg and meat as well as meat-stuffed boiled eggs， allegedly 300 kinds in total.
However diverse the snacks are， the hero is tea. For customers sitting at every table there is always a tea cup in their hands， and some frequenters even bring their own tea cups or tea leaves. They normally don’t eat much， but would remain seated at the table even when they have already finished eating. These people were called “tea house people” in the old days — often negatively. Just like my mother once complained about her folks， “Everyday they just fool around holding a cup of tea， doing nothing.” At that time she had already left Lanxi and settled in Yonghang， where local people are much more hardworking than their Lanxi counterparts and used to eating frugal meals.
For example， Yongkang people find it too luxurious to steam and eat a whole piece of ham for a single meal， which is a common practice for Lanxi locals. A Lanxi-born historical celebrity even claimed that ham should always be steamed in large pieces separately and served with tea. This celebrity’s name is Li Yu （1610-1680）， who is an ancient dramatist and believed a talented man is entitled to enjoy the most beautiful things in this world.
Youbu got its name because of Longyou， a county in Quzhou city and the gateway to western Zhejiang. And Youbu is the first boat port past Longyou along the Qiantang River channel — that"s why it is known as “the first port on the upper reaches of the Qiantang River”. Furthermore， it is in fact a transshipment point and distribution center for goods from and to the southern provinces. By the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing dynasties， it was already packed with stores and merchants and was considered one of the “four ancient towns of Zhejiang”.
There are large docks in Youbu， and you could imagine the size of crew members and porters working there. Compared to those of Huaiyang and Guangdong， the snacks in Youbu generally taste more salty and oily and cost less money， maybe that is because of those hard laborers：
they sweat heavily from toiling， get hungry easily， and naturally need high energy food that are at the same time inexpensive.
The nature of Youbu being a port can also explain why local food stalls open so early in the morning， because people have to wait early on the dork so that they will not miss the coming boats， and while waiting they might as well grab a handful of peanuts to go with a pot of tea. They were the reason， the people waiting on the dock， that Jiangnan had gradually developed a habit of having morning tea since hundreds of years ago.
During the period when water transport was playing a leading role， Lanxi was a significant port in the entire Qiantang River basin， second only to Hangzhou. In the Ming and Qing dynasties， it was said that “the small county of Lanxi could rival Suzhou and Hangzhou”， and it was not only the most prosperous among the counties and cities in Jinhua， but also the most affluent in Jiangnan as a whole.
Lanxi’s developed economy， in addition to transportation advantage， is mainly attributed to its traditional Chinese medicine industry.
The birthplace of the Chinese medicine industry in Lanxi is Zhuge village， to which Youbu is the nearest port. That is to say， every morning among the tea-drinking crowds， a bulk of them are living on the traditional Chinese medicine — in my mother"s words， they are “feeding on medicine”. In fact， she herself also grew up “eating medicine”：
her father was a pharmacy worker.
Soon it was 8 am. Tourists were gathering， and many local seniors who found it too overwhelmed to stay on began to leave one after another. We were also ready to leave. On the way back， I found the barber I saw earlier was still sleeping in the recliner chair — when I arrived， I noticed this old-fashioned barbershop on the street， which seemed strange to me not only because it was the first store I saw on the street specializing in morning tea， but also because it opened just as early as other food stalls at 3 to 4 a.m. Suddenly I felt like giving myself a haircut that was popular thirty years ago， and started to imagine if I woke up in that very recliner chair and I could see myself back in the old days， embracing the river of history that was flowing back towards me …
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