桂花糕

桂花落尽，只留下金黄的记忆，浸湿着雨后的温柔，万里青色朦胧在如丝的缠绵之中。喜欢在这样雨后的日子里独自漫步，铺着清一色石板的街道，烟雨轻拂，青砖黛瓦，满是细细绵绵的情致。

那一天，我像往常一样走在这条古道上，微风拂过，鼻子里钻进了一丝熟悉的香甜气息。循着这丝气息，我瞧见了一位老妇人。她坐在一张藤椅上，在一个小盆里洗着什么。一袭素色民国风长袖，一条素蓝色阔腿裤子，一方深棕头巾，一件深灰印花围裙是我对她的最初印象。

感到好奇，我便走近一看，盆中浸的是鹅黄的桂花瓣，一些腐烂的桂花被拣出来，零落地散在地上，约莫几分钟过后，她将花瓣捞出，放入石臼中，轻轻捣碎。这时候，她抬头瞧见了我，也不惊讶，只是温厚地笑笑：“一个人在这里散步啊？”我点点头。“每到九月中旬左右，我就在桂花树下放个小木箱，收集落花，隔天就能收好多，我在这边支个摊，有人路过要是饿了，买几个便是。”她一边说，手上的动作可没停，在一口小石锅内倒入水、糯米粉，轻轻地搅动，抓一小把糖，烧起火。

时间在老妇人轻柔的动作间悄悄流逝，桂花糕的香味也愈来愈浓。随着桂花糕的出炉，氤氲的气息弥漫着整个小巷。老妇人微笑着递给我一块，四四方方的乳白色糕体带着些许金黄，一股桂花的清香，混杂着丝丝缕缕的甜意，甘而不腻，品着熟悉的味道，我的思绪不禁飘回童年——也是秋天，我同父母到老家探亲，迎接我的是一大片桂花林，浓郁的桂花香气扑面而来。远远望见外婆坐在一棵桂树下，捣着桂花，那富有节奏和美感的动作深深吸引了我，静静驻足在一旁，直到外婆慈爱地笑着，摸着我的头，将桂花糕轻轻塞进我嘴里，嘴里荡漾着属于桂花独有的清甜，幸福感油然而生……

我回过神来，伸手刚想掏钱，老妇人连连摆手：“小姑娘，不用付钱了，再拿几块带回去吧。”我不再推辞，忙向老妇人道谢，转身离开，心中升起一股暖流。

桂花铺满了街道，空气中满是桂花的馥郁清香。嗅着桂花香，品着桂花糕，我内心感慨万千：时光总会吞噬美好的过往，可它抹杀不了这世间最缄默的执着，最深沉的人情。

Osmanthus fragrans are all gone, leaving only golden memories, soaked with the tenderness after the rain, and Wan Li is blue and hazy in the lingering silk. I like to walk alone in such a rainy day, with the streets paved with stone slabs, misty rain, blue bricks and tiles, full of subtle feelings.

That day, I walked on this ancient road as usual, and the breeze blew, and a familiar sweet smell got into my nose. Following the smell, I saw an old woman. She sat on a cane chair, washing something in a small basin. My first impression of her was a plain long sleeve, a plain blue wide-leg trousers, a dark brown headscarf and a dark gray printed apron.

Curious, I took a closer look. The pot was soaked with yellow osmanthus petals. Some rotten osmanthus flowers were picked out and scattered on the ground. After a few minutes, she fished out the petals, put them in a stone mortar and mashed them gently. At this time, she looked up and saw me, not surprised, but smiled warmly: "A person walking here?" I nodded. "Every mid-September, I put a small wooden box under the osmanthus tree to collect fallen flowers. I can collect a lot the next day. I will set up a stall here. If someone passes by, if they are hungry, just buy some." As she spoke, her hand movements didn't stop. She poured water and glutinous rice flour into a small stone pot, stirred it gently, grabbed a handful of sugar and set it on fire.

Time passed quietly between the gentle movements of the old woman, and the fragrance of Osmanthus Jelly became stronger and stronger. With the release of Osmanthus Jelly, the dense atmosphere filled the whole alley. The old woman smiled and handed me a square milky cake with a touch of golden color, a faint scent of osmanthus, mixed with a touch of sweetness, sweet but not greasy, and with a familiar taste, my thoughts could not help drifting back to my childhood-it was autumn, and I was greeted by a large osmanthus forest with a strong osmanthus fragrance. Far away, I saw my grandmother sitting under a osmanthus tree, pounding osmanthus. The rhythmic and aesthetic movements deeply attracted me, and I stood by quietly until my grandmother smiled lovingly, touched my head and gently stuffed Osmanthus Jelly into my mouth. The mouth was full of sweetness unique to osmanthus, and happiness came to my mind ...

I came to my senses and just wanted to pay for it. The old woman waved her hand again and again: "Little girl, don't pay, take a few more pieces home." I stopped refusing, thanked the old lady, turned around and left, and a warm current rose in my heart.

Osmanthus fragrans covered the streets, and the air was full of its fragrance. Smelling the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance and tasting Osmanthus Jelly, I am filled with emotion: time will always devour the beautiful past, but it can't erase the most silent persistence and deepest human feelings in the world.