As soon as the evening breeze stirred the blue Jacaranda outside the Tuodong Sports Stadium, the burnt aroma of coffee collided with the aged flavor of Pu'er tea. On the afternoon of July 11th at 4 o'clock, a queue formed in front of the "Small Grain Coffee" stall at the innermost part of the "Caiyun Market". A little boy wearing a red jersey stood on tiptoe on the table, watching the barista Lao Zhao's hands rush.
Lao Zhao is from Baoshan and has been making coffee in Kunming for twelve years. He picked up the fine mouthed pot and poured hot water into the filter paper from a high place, causing the coffee powder to swell up. "Look, this is called 'steaming', like warming up before a game." The boy's eyes lit up, and his father laughed from behind: "He just finished his final exams, clamoring to watch the 'Final Special Edition' – the child thought the coffee was called this." Old Zhao handed a small cup and said, "Taste it, it's really special. I added some rose sugar, Yunnan Super Limited Edition." The boy took a sip, smacked his lips and said, "It's like a flower playing football in his mouth," and everyone around laughed.
At the tea table next door, Xiao Jing, a tea artist from Dali, was teaching three Lijiang fans how to "drink through" and brew ripe Pu tea. She poured the tea soup into a fair cup and raised it to the light, saying, "Look at this wine red color, doesn't it look like the water of Dianchi Lake in the evening?" Zhang Ju, a female tourist from Honghe, drank three cups in a row, her forehead slightly sweating, and turned to her companions, saying, "This is even more addictive than watching football." Xiao Jing handed her a piece of cold brewed tea and said, "This one is cool, pair it with grilled tofu.
A circle of people gathered in front of the keychain stall in the shape of a red billed gull in Dianchi Lake, in the city's central area. The vendor Xiaoyang was hanging goods while chatting with fans about the game: "I support the Kunming team, and we drink coffee whether we win or lose." A middle-aged man wearing glasses picked up a keychain and looked at it carefully. "Last year, I watched a rain battle here, but now the stadium has been renovated, and even the market is so exquisite." Xiaoyang took out a photo of the newly opened blue Jacaranda seats in the Tuodong Sports Stadium and said, "There are 40070 seats, each one is shiny, waiting for tonight's final whistle." After saying that, he handed a keychain to the little girl who had been staring at him all along and said, "I'll give it to you. When you grow up, you can also take your child to watch the game
When turning around, the reporter caught an old man named Li Hongjun leaning on a cane. He held a cup of coffee and leaned against a wooden post in the market, drinking slowly. Through conversation, it was learned that he had grown coffee in Baoshan when he was young. "At that time, beans were not sold for a price, but now people all over the city are drinking our own beans, happier than winning the championship," he pointed to the direction of the field. "My legs are not good enough to enter the stands, but standing here smelling the coffee and listening to the voices, I feel like I have already won the final
The evening breeze brought heavy rain, and the warm yellow lights of the market lit up one after another. The coffee stall stood in line in the rain, new customers changed at the tea table, and the grilled tofu fireworks hidden in the greenhouse were filled with laughter and joy. The whistle inside the stadium is about to start, and the cup of "special tune" outside has warmed up the streets – in Spring City, the confidence of a game is never only on the green field, but also in the hands of these people holding cups and chatting with smiles.
Yunnan Net reporter Xiong Ming's photography report
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