As soon as spring comes, the top of the tender green branches are full of caterpillar-like flowers, and the new tender leaves set off the green flowers, which is very lovely. At that time, grandma would ask me to pick up the flowers under the tree. Pick up the flowers like wool, dry them, grind them, fry them into pancake fruit, and eat them in your mouth, which is not only delicious, but also can prevent headaches, grandma said. I still have the lingering fragrance of pancake fruit in my mouth.
When the ear of flowers falls, the head of the tree is covered with grapes-sized walnuts, which are hairy and have two lovely big ears at the top. It looks so cute! When I couldn't control the greedy bugs in my stomach, I once paid the price of tearing my crotch, climbed up and picked them to taste. I thought the fluffy "rabbit head" should be as tender and delicious as grapes, but it was bitter and astringent when bitten in my mouth, and my tongue was dyed the same color as grass, so I couldn't wash it off. At that time, my grandmother would put on reading glasses and criticize while sewing her crotch.
In the season of filariasis, I remember sitting under the tree every day "enjoying the cool", listening to cicadas, staring blankly at Lu Hua chickens, and leisurely leading a group of chirping chickens to forage under the tree. Anxiously looking forward to the day when walnuts are ripe. Finally, one day, the ripe walnuts fell in my anxious waiting. I picked it up happily, sneaked out of the yard, found a stone, knocked on the soft and hard lines of walnuts, peeled off the pulp like brains, stuffed it in my mouth, chewed it for a long time, and barely swallowed it. When there are too many walnuts, grandma looks at the trees from morning till night like a chicken lays eggs, searches every corner of the backyard, picks up the landed walnuts, wipes off the dust and chicken manure on the walnuts with her sleeves, and carefully puts them into a big bamboo basket. In difficult days, my grandmother is reluctant to eat and won't let me be greedy. Peeled and dried walnuts, in this way, baskets were carried to the market by her, in exchange for money, and then the money was handed over to the counter of the supply and marketing cooperative, in exchange for the oil, salt, sauce and vinegar needed at home.
When I was admitted to high school, my family couldn't afford the tuition of 60 yuan, so my father asked me to drop out of school to make money to subsidize my family. I didn't do it, so I ran to grandma to cry. My grandmother gave me a loving hug and said, "It's a good thing that Qing Er went to school and made progress. How is your father confused? Nothing, you can't afford the tuition, I will. " I looked up and asked doubtfully, "Where did Grandma get the money?" Grandma pointed to the walnut tree in the back garden and said, "Grandma has a cash cow. Walnuts in July and pears in August are not later than your tuition. " When the lunar calendar started in August, grandma really gave me 100 yuan. After receiving grandma's money, I clearly saw that grandma's calloused hands were covered with cracked gaps, and every gap was stained with the rust color of walnut skin. In the future, every time I bring dry food home on weekends, my grandmother will complain that my father is not worthy: "What children are raised!" In fact, at that time, grandma's complexion was not much better than mine. As far as I can remember, her dining table is always full of carrots and pickles. Before going back to school, grandma always stuffed a lunch box and a paper bag into my bag. The lunch box contains pickles fried with peanut oil, and the paper bag contains a large bag of peeled walnuts.
From then on, grandma couldn't even bear to eat walnuts, let alone grandpa, and she exchanged money for my study. Only one year later, grandpa got kidney calculi. After the diagnosis, grandma was too scared to operate, so grandma went to other villages to borrow soil, saying that drying chicken manure skin and grinding it into powder can lay stones in the kidney. Grandma came back without saying anything, and immediately killed a chicken she had fed herself and stewed meat for grandpa. For the first time, she added a dozen walnuts to the pot. That year, grandma never felt bad about walnuts again. Every year when walnuts come down, she sells half and keeps half. Most of the money from selling walnuts became my living expenses. The other half treats grandpa. With grandma's careful care, the land in the countryside cured a serious illness. Within two years, the stones in grandpa's kidney miraculously disappeared.
In the year of taking the college entrance examination, I never thought that my grandmother would be paralyzed and aphasia overnight. When I got home after the exam, I ran to my grandmother's illness like crazy, clenched my yellow hand and cried secretly. Grandma opened her eyes slightly, and there were a few turbid tears in the corner of her eyes. She looked at me stupefied and couldn't speak again. She just raised her hand with difficulty and pointed to the basket on the beam. When I took the basket down, I realized that it was full of walnuts of the same size!
Grandma left me without waiting for me to repay her. That tree didn't abandon me, but it still belongs to me, growing in my life, flourishing and fruitful. Today, I think grandma didn't leave, and she couldn't bear to leave me. Her soul turned into colorful leaves, hanging on the treetops, sheltering me from the wind and rain, quietly listening to me tell the vicissitudes of life and the twists and turns of life.