White clouds are floating in the blue sky, and cattle and sheep are running under the white clouds. Surrounded by green mountains and green water, there is laughter on the shore of the green water.
My hometown is located in the hinterland of the Qinling Mountains. It is the source of the Bashui River, the small south of the Yangtze River in Lanyi, and the back garden of Xi'an. The Xihe Railway and the Shaanxi-Shanghai Expressway pass through the city from west to east, bringing unlimited vitality to the development and construction here. Under the careful care and protection of the majestic Qinling Mountains, the unparalleled Hengling side peaks are steep, the clear springs and stone flows are leisurely and quiet, and the beautiful picture of crisscrossing ravines can be seen from a high altitude. It can be said to be a paradise on earth, a paradise on earth.
Due to the characteristics of the region and climate, some special mountain fruits that are unknown to outsiders are born. These include milk fruit, wild cherry, wild strawberry, schisandra, wild grape, August fried and many more.
When it comes to mountain fruits, everyone in the mountains knows about them. Especially in early summer, a wide variety of beautiful wild fruits appear one by one, kicking off a series of delicious feasts.
"Milk fruit" has an indissoluble bond with farmers and children in the mountains. They all grew up eating wild fruits in the mountains. "Milk fruit", also known as "Chama fruit". How can hard-working and simple people know the true name of this magical wild fruit? It just looks like milk, and it also looks like a wooden horse used by people in the mountains to saw firewood.
From the names given by people in the mountains, we can see their sincere love for this wild fruit. From the time I can remember to now, people in the mountains have always called it this. Maybe it’s because I haven’t studied it too deeply, and I don’t know the subject. I only know that it is edible, has an attractive shape, and is extremely delicious.
In March, the grass grows and the orioles fly. The fruit trees, which have not yet sprouted their yellow buds, charge into the battle and take the lead. It seems that the most beautiful flowers bloom in early spring. The blooming milk fruit flowers give the green hills a festive look. The graceful figure dances and sways with the wind, singing the main melody of youth for people and highlighting the vitality of life.
Snow-white buds bloom on the branches. A breeze passed by, exuding bursts of refreshing fragrance. The blown petals are like snowflakes flying all over the hills, just like fairies scattering flowers, spreading the pursuit of new hopes and dreams onto the fragrant soil.
After the short flowering period, the children watched eagerly every day, counting the days when the fruits would mature. They climbed up the mountain ridge one after another, chasing each other and having fun, looking forward to the early arrival of the fruit ripening season. The milk fruit flowers wither, and the green leaves and first fruits become the protagonists on the tree. Only buds sprouted from the spores, and then slender leaves gradually bloomed, and the entire fruit tree became lush. Pushing aside the leaves, you will find that each green and attractive first fruit sticks out its little head like a child, revealing its cute face.
The first fruit is green at first, then turns to light red. By late spring and early summer, the fruit will be mature. It's red, and from a distance, it looks like small agates hanging all over the branches. The bright color makes people salivate. Under the sunlight, its thin outer skin appears amber, elegant and crystal clear. Go forward and grab the branches and smell it, and the sweet smell mixed with the fragrance comes to your nostrils. Pick one and put it in your mouth and bite it. The fresh juice fills your throat. The taste is indescribably sweet and refreshing, making you happy and reluctant to miss it.
Looking back on the past era, productivity was low and food and clothing were difficult to solve. When the milk fruits are ripe, I throw down my schoolbag when I get home from school and can’t wait to meet my friends to go to the mountains to pick them. This is the happiest thing at that time. We sang songs all the way, holding cans or bean baskets. When they saw the milk fruit tree, everyone ignored the scratches from the thorns and flocked to it. It was a busy scene. When the warehouse was full, there were groups of three or five, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and some climbing trees to play wildly. Everyone talked and laughed, tasted delicious wild fruits, listened to the waves of pines, and watched the birds chirping. If the weather suddenly changes, the friends will run around in a hurry, getting wet and beaten by the drizzle like a drowned rat. When we return home, our parents, who have returned from farming in the fields, offer milk fruits with both hands. Our parents are happy and we are happy.
Recalling the past, the years are so long and the time is hard to forget. Those vivid and interesting pictures often sneak into childhood dream memories. Now that the wild fruits are ripe again, children in their hometown will definitely enjoy the unique childlike fun of picking wild fruits.
This is the milk fruit from my hometown. In fact, it seems to be a very ordinary tree, but it makes people bond with it for life and never forget it.
Whenever this time comes, not only does it make people reminisce about the past, but it also inadvertently evokes a period of nostalgia full of sadness...