But I have to go back this year. My father went to his hometown during the Spring Festival. There is no reason not to worship in my hometown. So a few days before Qingming, I returned to my hometown thousands of miles away. After the short worship ceremony, my heart was a little heavy. Seeing that it was still early, I decided to take a walk in Guanyin Village, not far from my old house.
Guanyin Village is a mountain peak located at the junction of Shucheng and Huoshan. The altitude is not high, more than 600 meters. However, as the saying goes, "the mountain is not high, and there is a fairy, so it is named." It is said that Guanyin Bodhisattva once appeared here, so villagers from four villages and eight villages came here to pay homage, and this place has become a fairy mountain that the surrounding people are eager for. Every first and fifteenth day, pilgrims gather together and push each other.
I walked along the flat and clean cement road to the direction of the hut. It's a sunny morning. The sunshine is very good, but there are also chilly spring breeze blowing from time to time, which makes people feel chilly occasionally. But from time to time, clusters of red azaleas appeared on the roadside of Shankan, which suddenly made my eyes shine. Looking around, the rolling mountains are lush, and the azaleas struggling to squeeze out from the layers of green trees are like clusters of burning torches, burning the silent mountains. My heart felt relaxed, and the whole person suddenly floated up like a balloon, as if to rush into the sky and have a good look at my long-lost hometown.
Turning a mountain pass, I saw a woman in red with a straw hat in one hand and mumbling something under a Toona sinensis tree in the distance. I'm curious, what is this? I hurried to her. When I approached, I saw her straw hat covered with a veil. I can't recognize who that is. I stood behind her gently and listened to what she was saying-it turned out that she kept repeating a sentence: "Go to the queen bee, go to the queen bee ..."
How familiar this scene is! Oh, I remember. My grandfather courted wild bees in this primitive way when he was alive. Spring is the season when bees leave their cages. The new queen bee will leave the nest with her loyal followers and start a new stove. In the process of finding a new home, they really flock to fly. At this time, the old farmers who find them will keep throwing sand at them. Bees can't stand the strong sandstorm attack, and they will choose to land nearby, or cling to the trunk, or gather at the edge of the ridge. Next, farmers will find a straw hat nearby, put honey or sugar on the top of the hat, and then hang the straw hat on the bees, patting it with their hands and shouting constantly. Usually as long as some bees climb up, other bees will follow, and soon the bees will be harvested. I just saw such a bee-picking scene when I was a child, and I haven't seen it for many years.
While I was standing daydreaming, the woman in red took off her straw hat and lifted her veil. She said happily, "Hello, Teacher Peng, when did you come back?" Looking intently, it turned out to be my wife Gui Zhi (I once taught her eldest daughter Jed junior high school Chinese for two years). I haven't seen Gui Zhi for many years. His figure is slightly fat, and his face is plump, but his skin is very good, white and red. His smiling face is full of sunshine and confidence.
But that's not how I remember Gui Zhi. About twenty years ago, she married from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. At that time, the nine families were really surrounded by one family. I remember that Zongjiu's mother died early, and his father led a hard life with four children. Almost every winter, Zong Jiu's father wears a pair of big blue shorts and stays by the fireplace to spend that miserable winter. After Gui Zhi took the door, the couple were diligent and firm, and soon turned the thatched cottage into three big tile houses. Life is getting better and better, but Gui Zhi is not happy because she has given birth to two girls in a row. She felt that her father and neighbors looked at her strangely, which made her very unhappy. Her sallow and emaciated face is full of melancholy and grievances, and she is becoming more and more reticent.
One morning about ten years ago, before dawn, Zongjiu rode a motorcycle to the morning market in the town to sell tea. At Tongjiahe Bridge, he was pushed to the bridge by a pickup truck collecting tea, and then he was overturned under the bridge with his car and people. Fortunately, the local villagers rescued them in time and sent them to the hospital, but the consequences were serious. He suffered a brain injury for a long time, and even had difficulty in speaking, let alone working hard. The accident perpetrator escaped, and his family owed huge debts for treating Zong Jiu. The burden of serving the elderly, taking care of her husband and raising children all falls on this frail woman. Once, I went home to visit my parents, walking along a mountain road, and met her stumbling down the mountain with two bamboos at Shimen, when it was raining autumn rain. ...
"Oh, I arrived here from the county seat early this morning. Congratulations on making a fortune! " I'm really happy for her. "Ha ha, this is the second cage of bees I collected in the wild this year. In recent years, environmental protection has been done well, and almost all domestic bees have been raised, so there are many cages in spring. " Gui Zhi raised his hand to lengthen the "straw hat" and said excitedly, "As far as this cage of bees in my hand is concerned, you can sell 500 yuan when you get it in Xiaotian. But, I don't sell. Now local honey is very popular, and it is difficult to buy nearly a catty for 200 yuan. " "How many cages are there in your house?" I asked. "I have four or five cages. Last year, I sold nearly 5,000 pieces of honey. " She couldn't help laughing when she said this. "Go, just my bees go. It's time for lunch Come to my house for lunch. " She refused to let me walk home with her. A few minutes later, she arrived at her home. The two-story building is clean and tidy, and both sides of the main hall are covered with awards from her two daughters in different periods. She poured me a cup of tea and said with a smile, "This is my new tea before the Ming Dynasty this year-authentic Huoshan yellow bud, pure natural, pollution-free and green. Give it a try. " I smiled and answered her, "Are you advertising?" She smiled: "This is how village cadres publicize." When I lifted the lid of the cup, a strong orchid fragrance penetrated into my heart, and I couldn't help exclaiming loudly, "How delicious! It smells like an orchid. " Gui Zhi said, "Yes. In recent years, the government has vigorously advocated ecological greening, and it is not allowed to dig orchids and azaleas privately. There are many orchids and azaleas next to my tea farm. These tea trees naturally exude the fragrance of orchids and azaleas. " Drinking this fragrant yellow bud, it seems that there are blooming orchids in front of my eyes, which are fragrant and clear, turning mountains and rivers into a fragrant world.
Gui Zhi was chatting with me while preparing lunch. I am very concerned about how her two daughters are now. When Gui Zhi saw me asking about her two daughters, she immediately put down the vegetables she picked and sat next to me. She was very excited and said, "My two daughters are very disappointing! The eldest daughter had to lose you at the beginning. " I waved and said you're welcome. "My eldest daughter, Emerald Gonggong University, is now working in a securities company in Hangzhou. Last year's year-end award was 6.5438+0.8 million. The youngest daughter, Mingyu, has just been admitted to Nanjing Medical University as a graduate student this year and will enter school in the fall. " At this point, her eyes are a little red. I know, raising two daughters, and being so excellent, she must have paid a price that ordinary people can't pay. I sincerely said, "Congratulations! Your two daughters are both hardworking and excellent, which is inseparable from your careful upbringing. It's not easy for you to come all the way! " She choked up and said, "Oh, you were plagued by long-term injuries in those years, and your life was really hard!" I am the only one inside and outside, but fortunately I met many kind people. Not only my relatives and friends helped me, but also the village gave me a lot of help. "I'm a little curious:" How can the countryside help you? " "For a long time, I was sick and injured, and the serious illness rescue solved most of the medical expenses. The township civil affairs office issued a grant and returned it to the consolation money at the end of the year. The eldest daughter had no money to go to college, so the village opened a green channel and gave me an interest-free loan. To tell the truth, if it weren't for the care of the party and the government, how could I survive those two years? "There were tears in her eyes, and I couldn't help being deeply moved." Now, share the joys and sorrows! "Gui Zhi continued to cook, saying," Over the years, she has been getting better and better, and she has almost recovered, and she has gone out to contract projects. This building was built four years ago. Do you think it's okay? "Gui Zhi wiped her eyes and smiled, and her smile was full of happiness and joy." It's not just good, it's wonderful. The house is built, and your daughter is older. You should enjoy it. "I sincerely congratulate her." It is still early. But now I don't want to be as busy as before. Now the road at home is good, and tea is expensive. I pick tea at home in one tea season, and my income is quite good. "She gushed," Now the government is developing tourism here, and the County Cultural Tourism Bureau has built a sightseeing platform in Guanyin Village. You haven't seen it yet. I'll go with you after dinner. "
Gui Zhi is very agile. Soon, a table of peasant-style food was put on the table. She brought another bottle of "Daughter Red" and proudly said to me, "This is Shaoxing old wine that my eldest daughter brought back from Hangzhou. It tastes good. Give it a try. " I couldn't beat her. I had a little drink. It was really good! I'm not so much tasting wine as tasting the happy life in Gui Zhi.
After dinner, Gui Zhi took me along the winding path to the top sightseeing platform. Wow, although I was born and raised in Sri Lanka, I have never been to the top of this mountain since. Everything in front of me shocked me-the platform was built on the cliff at the top of the mountain, and there was no shelter on the railing. There is an endless blue sky overhead and rolling mountains at the foot. The infinite scenery of Shuhuo Six Mountains is unobstructed, and the vastness and grandeur of Dabie Mountain can be seen. Overlooking all around, country roads crisscross and extend in all directions, and mountains and rivers flow in all directions, which, like big blood vessels and small blood vessels, are constantly giving strong motivation and vitality to my hometown. Those low earth houses have almost disappeared, replaced by buildings of different shapes; Most of the mountain roads with narrow intestines are upgraded to wide and flat cement roads; Many kinds of terraces that are difficult to irrigate halfway up the mountain are planted with poplars; Bamboo forests, chestnut forests and tea valleys can be seen everywhere. ...
Being on the platform is really refreshing and enjoyable. I have a good vision and have been thinking for thousands of years. I don't think I think of heaven and earth, there is no limit and no end, but I feel the rapid changes in my hometown. Just as I was reminiscing about the past, Gui Zhi said, "Since the establishment of this sightseeing platform, people have come to climb mountains to enjoy the scenery every day. When they walk off the high platform, they often bring back some local products, such as tea, fungus, native chicken, local honey and bamboo shoots ... It used to be difficult to sell in the street, but now they don't have to go out to buy them. Hong Ju's family next door to my house runs an ecological farm, and the business is good. " After a pause, she added, "Not only individuals but also groups have come. Last year, a group of painters from the provincial capital came, and a dozen people came to sketch. The Hongju family received them and opened two big tables. This year, another group of writers came to see the scenery ... "Gui Zhi, like a real tour guide, drew charts for some treasures.
Listening to Gui Zhi's introduction and looking at the beautiful rivers and mountains in front of me, suddenly, Tao Qian's poem came to mind, "Birds love the old forest, but fish in the pool miss home." Open up wasteland in the south and return to the garden. "Maybe, in the near future, I will choose a place in Shan Ye, build a few huts here, invite three or five friends, drink fragrant tea from mountain springs, sip coarse grains to enjoy the beautiful scenery, climb mountains and overlook, and recite Tang poems to express my feelings. Hometown, I will eventually merge with you and become a bright and desolate azalea in front of the cliff.
At this moment, I saw Gui Zhi in red talking about "comments" and taking selfies from different angles on the platform with excitement. Blue sky and white clouds, green mountains and green waters, red Gui Zhi, everything is the most beautiful. ...