早上六点，天还没完全亮，我家楼下的兰州拉面馆已经开门了。
At six in the morning, before the sky is fully light, the Lanzhou noodle shop downstairs from my home is already open.
老板是甘肃人，二十年前来到这个城市，靠一双手把两个孩子养大了。
The owner is from Gansu; he came to this city twenty years ago and raised two children with his own two hands.
我常常坐在窗边，看他拉面：一块面在他手里拉长、变细，几秒钟就变成了细细的面条。
I often sit by the window and watch him pull the noodles: a lump of dough stretches long and thin in his hands, turning into fine noodles in just a few seconds.
面条放进锅里，牛肉汤的香味慢慢飘出来，整个小店都是热气。
The noodles go into the pot, the aroma of beef soup slowly drifts out, and the whole little shop fills with steam.
一碗标准的兰州拉面讲究“一清二白三红四绿”：汤清、萝卜白、辣椒红、香菜绿。
A proper bowl of Lanzhou noodles follows the rule of "one clear, two white, three red, four green": clear soup, white radish, red chili, green cilantro.
老板说，汤是半夜三点开始熬的，牛骨头要煮五个小时以上。
The owner says the soup starts simmering at three in the morning; the beef bones must be boiled for more than five hours.
客人大部分是赶时间上班的人，十分钟吃完一碗，吃得满头是汗，然后走进外面的冷风里。
Most customers are people rushing to work: they finish a bowl in ten minutes, heads covered in sweat, then walk out into the cold wind.
有人问老板，为什么不多开几家店，多赚一点儿钱。
Someone once asked the owner why he doesn't open a few more shops and earn a bit more money.
他笑着摇摇头：“店开多了，汤就不是这个味道了。”
He smiled and shook his head: "Open too many shops, and the soup won't taste like this anymore."
凡是好吃的面，后面都是一个人几十年的耐心。
Behind every bowl of good noodles, there are decades of one person's patience.
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Key words 生词
拉面lāmiànhand-pulled noodles
讲究jiǎngjiuto be particular about
熬áoto simmer; to stew slowly
萝卜luóboradish
辣椒làjiāochili pepper
香菜xiāngcàicilantro
Grammar note 语法点
靠 (to rely on)
靠 + noun expresses the means by which something is achieved: 他靠一双手把两个孩子养大了。
很多学生靠奖学金完成了大学学习。— Many students finished university by relying on scholarships.
凡是…都… (every… without exception)
凡是 introduces a whole category, and 都 confirms the rule applies to all of it: 凡是好吃的面，后面都是几十年的耐心。
凡是来过这里的人，都想再来一次。— Everyone who has been here wants to come again.
Check yourself 小测验
1. When does the owner start simmering the soup?
2. In the rule 'one clear, two white, three red, four green', what is red?
3. Why doesn't the owner open more shops?