Northwesterners like water from the bottom of their hearts. This kind of preference is different from that of people in the South. There are many rivers in the South. People there are almost dependent on and use water sources, just like their lifestyle of living by water and living by water since ancient times. They also like the north and northwest. There is a magical yearning for the mountains, Gobi, and grasslands in other places. Similarly, we Northwesters’ love for water and Southerners’ yearning for mountains are the same.
As a northwester, I am lucky. Because since I was a child, I have not only been with mountains, but also a long-running river, the Wei River, which nourishes my poor and small soul.
The Wei River, also known as the Wei River in ancient times, is the largest tributary of the Yellow River. The birthplace of the Wei River is on the north side of Niaoshu Mountain in Weiyuan County, Dingxi City, Gansu Province. The Wei River mainly flows through Tianshui, Baoji, Xianyang, Xi'an, Weinan and other places on the Guanzhong Plain, and then joins the Yellow River in Tongguan County, Weinan City. It spans eastern Gansu and central Shaanxi, with a total river length of 818 kilometers and a total drainage area of ??134,766 square kilometers.
Moreover, the river landform of the Weishui River is also quite good. It is bordered by the Qinling Mountains running east-west to the south, and Liupanshan Mountain is a barrier to the north. According to the basin, the Weihe River Basin can be divided into two parts: the loess hilly and ravine area in the west and the Guanzhong Plain area in the east.
In Tianshui, the Wei River flows through Wushan County, Gangu County and Maiji District, with a total length of 270 kilometers, accounting for about 30% of the total length of the Wei River basin; the area along the river is 1,000 square kilometers, accounting for approximately 7% of the total area of ??the Wei River Basin.
When I was young, I didn’t know that Weihe River had such rich geographical knowledge. All I know is that starting from my home and heading east, I took my father’s motorcycle for ten minutes and stopped at the highest point of the mountain road. Standing on a high hill and looking down, I could see a long jade belt. In the morning, it is silver, at dusk, it is golden; in spring, it is flowing, and in winter, it is still.
Throughout the year, it lies quietly on the plain, accompanied by the surrounding mountains, the buildings on the plain, and the smoke from cooking stoves in the dusk, silent and silent. . Many years later, the once low-rise buildings have turned into dozens of high-rise buildings. The children have grown into adults, old people, and some have even fallen asleep forever. Only the Weihe River is still quiet. The earth, silently, protects the mountains and trees here and nourishes the children and grandchildren here. The Weihe River is different from people. It is more able to withstand the loneliness of the years.
In my memory, the first time I got close to the Weihe River was when I was not yet in elementary school, about four or five years old. Dad likes to play suona and plays it very well. This is very famous in our local area. Firstly, daddy is highly savvy and can endure hardships. Secondly, it’s because daddy has an extraordinary suona master. This master’s surname is Zhang, I call him Mr. Zhang, and he lives in Weishui Valley (the name of the village, 12 kilometers away from Gangu County, built on the mountain). Not only does he play the suona extremely well, but he also has excellent moral character and is highly regarded in the local area. of fame. My father often took me to visit his old man. Everyone in his family also liked me when I was a child, except of course the ferocious big yellow dog.
Weishui Valley, as the name suggests, is on the edge of the Wei River. Every time in the summer, at dawn, Mr. Zhang’s youngest son, Brother Xiao, would take me to play by the Wei River. In our hands, we always hold a canned glass bottle and two homemade fishing rods. The bottles are used to hold small fish, and the fishing rods are used for fishing, but I always end in failure. We started from Mr. Zhang’s house and walked through the winding paths paved with bluestone slabs, passed through one house after another, came to the main road, then passed through a train bridge hole, and arrived at the edge of the Weihe River. superior.
The sky is bright blue, and white clouds are floating freely in the blue sky. Looking around, there are patches of green farmland in the distance, and the old farmers are working hard in the fields, sweating like rain. , in the fields of rapeseed flowers, butterflies of various colors are often chasing each other. The Wei River crosses the endless farmland and divides the Sichuan land into two halves. One half is spring and summer, responsible for nourishing all things, and the other half is autumn and winter, responsible for harvesting sweat.
Brother Xiaohu and I stood on the shore with fine sand and pebbles, looking at the water in the Weihe River. We saw that the water was crystal clear, and there were countless pebbles at the bottom of the river, one after another. The little gray fish was swimming around at the bottom of the water. For a while, it swam in the water, and for a while, it got into the pebbles at the bottom of the water. The surface of the Weihe River is very wide. Looking along the long river, you can see the buildings and mountains in the distance. When the sun comes out in the morning, the river surface is sparkling and very beautiful. But at noon, when the sun is at its reddest, the river surface will reflect beams of dazzling white light, making people feel dizzy.
The first time I saw the Wei River, I was very shocked by such beautiful water, clear water, and water with small fish. As a child living in the mountains, I believe nothing can make my heart happier than seeing the flowing river water. Brother Xiaohu and I would stand by the river for a while, then we would both take off our clothes and pants, step on the fine sand and pebbles, and slowly walk into the water. The river water is warm, warm, and very comfortable. The pebbles under your feet are round and smooth, and it feels strange to step on them.
What’s even more fun is that when we stand still in the water, one after another small gray fish will swim towards us and rub against our feet and legs, which is both uncomfortable and comfortable.
Going further, you will find the deep water area of ????the Wei River. The current there is very fast and the water is relatively turbid. Most people do not dare to play there. Several times, I wanted Brother Tiger to take me to play in deep water, because I really wanted to see what the underwater world was like! Is there a Dragon King's Palace under the water? Is there a beautiful and mysterious mermaid? But for safety reasons, Brother Xiaohu still didn’t take me there.
Brother Xiaohu can swim and has excellent water skills, but I can’t swim. I want to learn to swim, but I am afraid of water. How timid and cowardly I am! Therefore, although I often played by the Weihe River when I was a child, I never learned to swim. This is a big regret of mine!
We played by the Wei River all day long. When the sun sets in the west, the Weihe River is coated with a layer of golden brilliance by the setting sun on the horizon. Similarly, the farmland, trees, homes, and train tracks on both sides of the Wei River seem to be covered with a glittering coat. At this time, the old farmers in the fields stopped working and went home singing Qin opera and humming tunes; the butterflies were tired of flying, so they flew far away together; the river was also sleepy, and they flowed to their homes in the east. But we are not tired at all, because the glasses in our hands are filled with small gray fish, and our pockets are filled with various styles of pebbles. This is our harvest throughout the day!
If sometimes we forget the time while playing, Mr. Zhang and his father will come to pick us up with flashlights and teach us a lesson. After the lesson, the two adults would hold my and Brother Xiaohu's hands, talk and laugh, and walk slowly to Master Zhang's house, with the big yellow dog following behind us, barking.
After dinner, we would come out of the yard and sit on the deck chairs or straw mats outside the door to enjoy the cool breeze. In my memory, there is a moon every summer night at Mr. Zhang’s house. Under the bright moonlight, the Weihe River flows quietly. Brother Xiaohu and I are half lying on the straw mat, staring at the glass bottle. The little fish were swimming around inside, while Dad and Mr. Zhang were lying comfortably on the deck chairs, smoking cigarettes and talking about the rights and wrongs in life. If they get excited, they will play a suona song. When they are happy, they play the inspiring "General's Order"; when they are sad, they play the resentful and tearful "Sacrifice to the Soul". The sad and joyous suona sounds floated into the ears of Brother Tiger and I, into the dreams of the people in the Weishui Valley, and into the moon that exuded little silver light. Those tunes, those sounds, and those stories were all... With the rolling water of the Weihe River, it flows into the depths of the years.
In the next four or five years, almost every summer vacation, I would stay at Master Zhang’s house for at least a week and spend my childhood.
After graduating from elementary school, I transferred to the county town. Every Sunday, a group of our classmates would ride bicycles to the Weihe River. It was just then that something tragic happened.
The Weihe River has long changed its appearance. The once rolling Weihe River water has shrunk into very thin streams; there are many excavators parked on the riverbed. It was once flat and covered with fine sand and The cobblestone riverbed was destroyed beyond recognition by these cold-blooded, ruthless machines. There are even some rivers that are filled with all kinds of garbage. The river water is trapped tightly and turns into green stinky water. In these green bubbling stinky water, needless to say, no small fish can be seen, not even a single aquatic plant can be seen. None can be seen. Weihe River, like a seriously ill old man, is dying on the hard bed of time, but the children it raises are never seen.
My classmates and I stood on the bank of the Wei River, listening to the sound of the only section of water, and seemed to hear helpless lamentations. Lamenting this era, lamenting the people in this era, lamenting ourselves, while moving forward, ruthlessly abandoning the river that nourished us behind the years.
It was at that time that we spoke out everyone’s dreams by the dying Wei River. Some dreams are to be admitted to Gangu No. 1 Middle School in three years, some dreams are to become a calligrapher in the future, some dreams are to be a film and television star... I dare not say my dream, because it is too difficult. Maybe that is not a dream, but an expectation, a deep expectation.
Less than half a year later, another sad thing happened. My father's master, Mr. Zhang, unfortunately passed away due to advanced lung cancer. My father took me to attend Master Zhang’s funeral. At the funeral, I met the little tiger brother I played with when I was a child, and the big yellow dog that barked whenever he saw me. But that day, it did not bark at me, but curled up in the corner of the yard and wiped away tears. I knew that it was crying for Mr. Zhang. Mr. Zhang’s tomb was built on a mountain in the Weishui Valley, with the mountain as its back and facing the Weihe River. On the day of the burial, my father played a suona for Mr. Zhang with tears in his eyes. The sound of the suona made everyone present cry, the big yellow dog also cried, and even the water of the Wei River wiped away tears. Of course, I was the only one who saw it.
Since then, I have never gone to the Weihe River to play. Because I am afraid, I am afraid that I will see it covered with bruises, I am afraid that I will hear the sound of it gasping for breath, I am afraid that as soon as I see it, I will think of the dead Master Zhang, and similarly, I am also afraid that it will look at me. A look of resentment.
Until now, I have been to many cities, seen many rivers and lakes, and the sea in the east, but I have never heard of the sound of running water, which is enough to make me miss it while working. , leaving me tossing and turning in the middle of the night. But now, I need to tell the unspoken dream and expectation that I once promised.
I hope that one day, the Weihe River can restore its original appearance; I hope that in the near future, there will be fish swimming in the Weihe River; I hope that many years later, when we become adults or old people, You can still play happily in the clear water of the Weihe River, and the exciting suona sounds will always sound on both sides of the Weihe River. This is not a dream, but it is greater than a dream. This is a kind of love, a love that grows in flesh and blood. This love is called Weishui love.
There is always a river flowing slowly through your heart. I know that this river is the Weihe River.