Dough Sculpture

The morning light in Shanghai is divided into two halves - one is the cold light of the glass curtain wall of Lujiazui, and the other is the broken warmth of the alley on Yuyuan Road, which happens to fall on the vermilion signboard of "Zhao Ji Dough Sculpture". Zhao Yanxu is always kneading dough in the shop. According to the old ratio of "three, six and one", the dough is kneaded like a piece of warm jade. When he gives Master Rabbit some "divine eyes", it is just a craft to make a living. Until that night, Grandma Wang's granddaughter was crying at night, and the rabbit he had brought suddenly opened his eyes, his gold-pink pupils were frighteningly bright, and he waved the medicine pestle and dispersed the dark shadows in the room. Later, when I looked through my grandfather's old account book, I saw the yellowed pages that read: "The dough sculptures contain spirits, inheriting the sincerity of the Han Dynasty sacrifices, and continuing the interest of the Song Dynasty fruits." It turns out that the door gods mixed with locust leaf juice can keep watch at night, and the Shanxi noodles wrapped in jujube paste can set up the stove. These old crafts that are said to be "outdated" actually hide the souls of thousands of years. In this story, the dough sculptures are not exhibits, but living creatures that can ward off evil spirits and grant wishes; guardianship is not just about guarding a store, but blending the roughness of Shandong, the delicacy of Beijing, and the simplicity of Shanxi into the realism of Shanghai. Now, the wooden door of "Zhao Ji" is ajar, and the fragrance of glutinous rice wafts out - the eyes of the newly kneaded noodle figure on the desk seem to be shining quietly.