游埠古鎮與江南早茶

鄭驍鋒

相比于許多古鎮，五六米寬的金華蘭溪游埠老街，算是相當闊的了。但走在街上，我卻經常得在相對的兩排脊背中間側身穿行。街兩側的店鋪，每一家都在門前屋檐下擺出了長桌——有很多是拆下杉木門板橫過來搭的——每張桌配一兩條長凳兩三張方凳，背靠背，臉對臉，坐滿了人。這條街有四五百米長，目測商鋪過百，每家至少擺有一兩張桌子，加上室內正兒八經的桌位，每桌多則四五位，少則兩三位——毛估估至少有一兩千人吧。

這些人都在吃早茶。時間是凌晨五點三十一分。天還呈清灰色，邊緣剛開始有些通透。據說，來得最早的，已經吃了將近兩個小時了。

幾百年來，天天這樣。

我們是在半小時前從蘭溪城里趕到游埠鎮的。

在車上，看著烏蒙蒙的窗外，心中其實有些忐忑，懷疑這里所謂的早茶，會不會只是個傳說。由省道邊的巷弄進了鎮。沿途所見人家，還都是門窗緊閉，路燈昏暗，連聲雞叫都沒有，不覺愈發狐疑起來。

此時，身后忽有一位老漢趕來。皮膚黝黑，矮小精瘦，赤膊穿件背心，手里提著一個帆布包，低著頭，以前傾的姿勢走得飛快，沒幾步就超過了我們。走出十幾米后，突然折返回來，沒頭沒腦地說了一句“我今年九十三歲，每天早上走五里路過來喝茶”。語氣不無夸耀，說完也不等我們回話，轉身急匆匆地繼續走。

蘭溪的朋友說，他急著搶位置去呢，我們跟著走就是了。果然，緊隨其后，過了一座石橋，便隱約聽到有人聲喧嘩，循之而去，行不多步，過一拐角，忽見燈火通明、熱氣蒸騰，一條老街座無虛席。

一橋之隔，恍如兩個時空。

過橋時，看橋板斑駁，便留心了一下豎在橋頭的銘碑。果然是老物件，晚清的，一百多年了，叫永福橋。這應該便是游埠人掛在嘴邊的“五馬歸槽”中的一馬。

五馬，指的是游埠溪上的五座老橋。游埠的格局，與大部分江南古鎮類似，也是以一條水道為中心，兩岸河房蜿蜒鋪開。不過，細看之下，卻能察覺，相比于尋常村鎮，游埠的河面要寬上一些，以致于即便在這黎明前的幽暗時刻，依然通達豁朗，少有杭嘉湖一帶水鄉的陰柔之氣。

而此刻，這座鎮頭更是煙熏火燎、碗碟叮當。卻打著茶的名義。

早茶不只廣東流行，江南一些地方同樣有類似的習俗。比如我去過的紹興安昌與桐鄉馬鳴。不過與它們相比，每天凌晨三點就開始的游埠早茶，不僅時間更早，花樣也更多。

老街上的鋪子，大部分都賣吃食：豆漿、稀飯、包子、油條、饅頭、發糕、餛飩、水餃、面條、粉干。各地標配的早點，這里自然都有，僅餅一類，便有燒餅、酥餅、麥餅、煎餅、蔥花餅、干菜餅、雪菜餅等;此外還有很多蘭溪獨有的特色吃食，如雞子馃與肉沉子。雞子馃是一種灌入蛋液的肉餅，肉沉子則是一種塞有肉餡的煮雞蛋。據說整個蘭溪有三百多種風味小吃，而在這條街上，就能找到上百種，不僅安昌、馬鳴難以企及，甚至相比廣州，也不遑多讓。

但吃食再多，茶還是主角。每張桌上，但凡坐定的，手里大都捧著個茶杯。茶杯各式各樣，并不都是商家提供的，蘭溪朋友說，很多老茶客，都是自己帶杯子來的，剛才那個老漢拎著的包里，應該就是茶杯，有些講究的甚至連茶葉都自己帶。他們其實吃的并不多，一兩個酥餅，加根油條，也就差不多了，但一坐，就是幾個小時，而且還都有自己固定的座位。每張桌子上，既有茶杯水壺，又有醋碟筷籠，茶葉與辣醬也都擺在一起。“綠茶五元;紅茶五元;老茶兩元。”難怪每間鋪子，明明是早餐店的格局，卻都掛著茶館的招牌。

早茶，應該是近些年的說法。依照老話，通常是叫“泡茶館店”。在鄉間，這實際上不能算是個好詞——我母親是蘭溪人，老家范院塢，距離游埠只有七里路。對愛泡茶館店的族人，她就頗有微詞：“每日只曉得茶杯捧捧，一點生活也不做。”

說這話時，她已經在永康落戶了。確實，相比人多田少、家家戶戶都得外出打鐵打銅補貼日用的永康，蘭溪人的日子過得是要懶散許多。但我認為，這句抱怨，應該還隱藏著一種作為蘭溪人的自傲。

永康位于浙江中部丘陵地帶，甌江與錢塘江兩大水系的分水嶺，即鯽魚背的位置，境內大部分是山地，早年窮苦，吃來吃去，不是洋芋番薯，便是霉干菜蘿卜絲，稍微有點特色的，只是兩種餅，一種無餡一種肉餡。永康與蘭溪同屬金華地區，倒也出好火腿，卻只敢過年過節碎切了撮上幾粒當作料，根本舍不得整塊蒸了吃。

但在蘭溪，卻經常可以吃到大塊的火腿。甚至有人還提倡，火腿本來就應該單獨蒸煮，并且只能佐茶，不能下酒，否則就辜負了這一番腌制的真味。

說這話的蘭溪人，名叫李漁。

才子佳人，緣起緣成。作為戲劇家，李漁編劇，以結局圓滿而著稱——他從來舍不得讓任何一位主角在自己筆下遭受委屈。

這種精心設計的大團圓，在文學創作上的利弊暫且不提，至少，從中可以發現，李漁存在這樣一條邏輯：既然是才子，便有資格享受這世間最美好的東西。

愛園林、愛美女、愛鮮花、愛錦衣、愛美食。因此，戲劇之外，李漁理直氣壯地追逐著各種類型的欲望，也將自己訓練成了一位百科全書類的生活家，飲食方面，尤多心得創見。其《閑情偶寄》中，便有大量相關記載：“聲音之道，絲不如竹，竹不如肉，為其漸近自然。吾謂飲食之道，膾不如肉，肉不如蔬，亦以其漸近自然也。”

讀李漁的飲食文字，很容易聯想到游埠人做肉沉子。據當地老饕介紹，別看小小一枚肉沉子，其實講究不少：比如肉餡必須二肥八瘦，且得細切粗剁，不可成糜，不然口感軟塌，毫無筋道;佐料有蔥、姜、鹽和紹酒等，花樣雖多，但調味宜淡不宜濃，否則便會搶了鮮蛋的清香;灌餡更是考驗功夫，得先把生雞蛋敲到茶盅里，用筷尖在蛋黃上戳個小洞，再將肉餡一點一點塞入，動作要輕，呼吸要穩，稍微毛躁，便會撕裂蛋膜，前功盡棄。

走在游埠老街上，那些背對街心、以杯盤遮面的茶客，經常會令我有種深不可測的感覺。這種感覺，來自明人的一則筆記。萬歷年間某天，有位孤身旅客，在衢州西門碼頭，登上了一艘商船。此人衣著破舊，容貌平凡，脖頸間還長了個小小的瘤子，混在人群中毫不起眼。不過，同坐一船的王士性聽到他的龍游口音后，卻露出了意味深長的微笑。

王士性，與徐霞客齊名的晚明大旅行家。一生游跡幾遍全國，所到之處，對地方風物人情，廣事搜訪，悉心考證，練就了一雙洞察世事的慧眼。那個旅客一上船，王士性便看出，這其實是個大手筆的巨商，猥瑣與寒酸只是偽裝，若論資產，很可能整艘船的貨物加起來，也不及他身上的那個瘤子：“龍游商賈，其所賈多明珠、翠羽、寶石、貓眼類輕軟物。千金之貨，只一人自赍京師，敗絮、僧鞋、蒙茸、襤褸、假癰、巨疽、膏藥內皆寶珠所藏，人無知者。”（王士性 ·《廣志繹》）

正常情況下，這段龍蛇混雜的航程，注定會在游埠停靠一程;而那位喬裝打扮的龍游巨賈，也免不了要在老街上捧一捧茶杯。

所謂游埠，其得名由來，便是因為龍游。明清商界，包括徽商晉商在內，有“十大商幫”，龍游商幫，便是其中之一。

龍游，是浙西門戶衢州下面的一個縣，錢塘江的南源衢江，自西向東橫貫過境。借此水路之便，邑人逐漸形成外出經商的謀生方式，發軔于南宋，活躍于明中葉，清乾隆年間最為鼎盛，境內長期有半數以上的人從事商賈，在珠寶業、印書業、屯墾業、長途販運業都有重要地位，足跡東到沿海，南到福建，西到四川，北到北京，海外到日本、呂宋等地，因此還得了句“遍地龍游”的俗諺。

“游埠”的“游”，指的就是龍游 ：它是錢塘江航道之上龍游過來的第一個船埠——老街邊上的溪水直通衢江——故而素有“錢江上游第一埠”之稱。

汽車普及之前，船運始終是最經濟便捷的出行方式，而在浙江水路交通網上，蘭溪堪稱一大樞紐，溯江而上可至衢州，進而入閩贛;順江而下可至杭嘉湖，進入太湖流域，號稱“七省通衢”，每日都有數千艘船舶靠岸投宿。而這數千艘船舶中，有一大部分會將錨落在游埠。

或許很多人不知道，游埠開埠于東晉，而蘭溪建縣于唐，鎮的歷史比縣還要早上幾百年。開發游埠，與錢塘江航運需要在此過駁有關。所謂過駁，即將甲船的貨物搬卸至乙船。由于衢江段水淺灘多，要匯入金華過來的婺江后，才能通航大船，因此若要逆水上行，只能化整為零，拆作小船;下行船只，也同樣得在這里重新裝配貨物，以將小船調換成大船。

因此，游埠實為南方各省物資的轉運點和集散地。到明清時，已然是店鋪林立，商賈云集，與桐鄉烏鎮、湖州南潯和義烏佛堂，并稱為“浙江四大古鎮”。

如此一個大碼頭，在此營生的船員與搬運工人數量之多可想而知。相比淮揚與廣東，游埠小吃的口味普遍偏咸偏油，價格也便宜許多，原因或許便來自他們 ：賣苦力的漢子出汗多，容易餓，自然吃不得太清淡，更吃不起太貴。

游埠的航運碼頭性質，同樣還能解釋鎮上吃食店的營業之早。行船人家，落帆起錨，候的是風和潮，行泊沒個定數，再說只有人等船，哪有船等人？等裝貨，等卸貨，等搭船，等接客，等起風，等漲潮。總不能干等吧，抓把花生，泡壺粗茶。這一等，在江南等出了一個幾百年的早茶。

“小小金華府，大大蘭溪縣。”航運時代，蘭溪雖然只是一個內地小縣，但不僅在浙江中西部，即便是在整條錢塘江流域，也是僅次于杭州的重要碼頭。明清就有“小小蘭溪賽蘇杭”之說，民國時，更是被譽為“小上海”，繁華程度不僅在金華諸縣市中首屈一指，即便在整個江南都算是富庶之地。

龍游商賈再有錢，也只是過路財神;蘭溪經濟的發達，交通優勢之外，主要得益于發達的中藥行業。地方志記載，蘭溪中藥業肇始于明初，清代康雍乾年間最為鼎盛。邑人所開設的藥店遍及江南各府縣鎮直至川陜湖廣，并有許多發展成為知名藥號，被稱作“蘭溪幫”，與浙江慈溪、安徽績溪合稱東南“藥業三溪”。

李漁的家族便是在江蘇如皋開藥店的。蘭溪中藥行業的發源地是諸葛村。這個國內諸葛亮后裔的最大聚居地，自從元至正年間，諸葛亮的第二十七世孫諸葛大獅遷居于該村，至今已有七百余年，將一句“不為良相，便為良醫”的祖訓發揚到了極致。

而游埠，是進出諸葛村最近的碼頭。也就是說，每日凌晨，在游埠捧著杯子等船的茶客中，有一大部分屬于中藥行當——用我母親的話是“吃藥飯”的。事實上，她也是“吃藥飯”長大的：她那位中年早逝的父親、我從未謀面的外公，便是藥店的一名伙計。

李漁的一輩子，活得并不輕松。用藥如用兵。有時候，我會猜想，“不為良相，便為良醫”，或許只是個幌子，諸葛亮傳下的，從來就只有一本兵書。諸葛村的族人，不過只是將書中的人名，替換成藥名來運用罷了。只是縱然征伐八方，但兜兜轉轉，終究還是要回到最初的碼頭。再次端起茶杯時，昔日的青蔥少年，卻已是白發蒼蒼。這些在處方上參透生死的老藥師，眼底早已波瀾不驚。在他們的臉上，我隱約看到了李漁洗盡油墨后的滄桑表情。

早上八點。游客越來越多，很多本地老人漸次散場。我們也準備離開。回程時，看到那位理發師居然還在躺椅上睡覺。剛來時，我就注意到了這間開在老街街頭、用剃刀的老式理發店：不僅是因為一條早茶街，打頭第一家卻是間理發店令人有些不適應，更納悶它為何也跟著湊熱鬧，三四點便亮燈開張，我突然很想給自己理個三十年前流行的發型，并且想象著——

當我在那張躺椅上起身，再次睜開眼時，能不能在那面灰蒙蒙的鏡子里，看到一條老河，逆流而來？

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 …