…travel would be rather inconvenient during this stretch.
So beyond keeping up with the day-to-day work obligations, I spent most of the time at home with family — tending to my bonsai collection, reading, doing reviews and reflections, getting in some exercise — and using this quieter period to prepare better content to share with everyone after the holiday.
The few times I did go out were for a handful of social dinners. Nothing more.
I did make one personal trip to Laobanzhāi Noodle House — a bowl of noodles and two slices of brined pork. Simple, and entirely satisfying.
Not many people know this place. It tends to draw the older crowd, the kind who grew up with its particular character. The noodles run on the softer side, with a heavy, salty depth to them. Their knife-fish noodles are what they’re truly famous for — worth seeking out when they’re in season.
As for breakfast — well, this might get a laugh out of you.
Most days it’s a bowl of pao fan, a salted egg, and a cube of fermented tofu. Nothing remotely special about it.
Pao fan is exactly what it sounds like: yesterday’s cold leftover rice, brought back to life with a pour of scalding water. The salted eggs are the real Gaoyou salted duck eggs — the genuine article — where one poke of a chopstick sends a tide of golden oil flowing right out. Paired with white fermented tofu, one bowl leaves you feeling clean, light, and quietly content.
Finish breakfast. Tidy the house. Turn around and pour yourself fully into the work ahead. Genuinely fulfilling.
Life, when you start subtracting from it, really does get better and better.
And of course — to all the brothers and sisters out there traveling right now: may these next few days bring you nothing but joy. Rest well, recharge fully.
Just don’t push yourselves too hard, and stay safe. We’ll catch up after the holiday. ☀️ 🤗 🎉