1. Unknown is the beginning of everything.
Birds are flying on the lake.
The 30,000-mu-wide waters of Long Fu Lake, the landmark aquatic conference center, the ecological scenic island and other landscapes are surrounded by clear water, with reeds and cattails adjacent and the river exposed. Gray cranes, storks and wild ducks compete for food and nests. To the south of the lake is Li Ji, where I once lived. According to legend, I rode an ox past my single father, Meng Zhuze, and saw that the surroundings were quiet and quaint, with vast smoke and waves, and I thought that I was peaceful, so I lived here for nine years. Every day, he stayed by the lake, listening to the waterfowl singing in the wind. What did he understand in the days of being alone with heaven and earth? This is a mystery.
Among the reeds, I heard the voice of reed warbler. Egrets stood on the sandbar, with the leading one flying in the air, followed by others, drawing a beautiful arc in the air. "Look, what a beautiful bird ..." The fellow traveler exclaimed in a low voice. My eyes were attracted by the screams. The waterfowl, covered with dark black feathers, was alert and capable, staring at a pair of black bean-like eyes and looking at the cruise ship.
The tour guide said that this is a common waterbird in the lake-black waterbird. Long Fu Lake is a paradise for birds because of its vast waters. It is said that there are more than 30 common kinds. In the admiration of everyone, I leaned against the cabin, looking for the figure of the black water chicken, and recalled many past events in my mind.
When I was a child, there was a pond in the west of my home and endless rice fields in the north. When rice seedlings grow, offspring of waterfowl are born one after another. At that time, I liked to walk in the fields. The earth was silent, and the crops honestly followed the hands of the seasons and rushed to their respective hours. They are always content, but the most difficult thing to satisfy is people. The hard work of digging will lead to all kinds of unhappiness, which will make women chatter in a narrow space. They turn acne into saliva and tears and show them in front of their men or close companions. However, in the field, can you cry in front of a blooming dandelion or complain in front of a few hardworking ants? I can't. Therefore, compared with the complexity of urban life, the countryside adheres to its own principles. Year after year, from birth to death, everything is simple and orderly.
One day in summer, I suddenly wanted to visit my own field. As an unexpected guest, it didn't let me down. You'll show your ears before you reach your knees. The paddy field has become a three-dimensional picture, and every rice is trying its best to stretch upward. No one can estimate how much energy the soil contains. The ridge is narrow and short. It seems clear when the stage should be handed over. I was thinking about it when suddenly, a black bird appeared in front of me. I didn't notice where it came from. It's a chicken. It is very small and covered with hair. I stopped for fear that I could scare it away with a lift. It also stopped and stared at me with black bean eyes. Tilt your head and look around. It seems to tell me whether there are reinforcements. I met a bird on the ridge. I've been here countless times. Birds and insects, including cows and sheep, ran away when they saw me. Now, it stands there and doesn't seem to give in. We are very different in size, but we are all lonely. I quickly judge each other's strength with human wisdom: I have more than ten years of life experience, but newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. I can cross the ridge, but it cannot; It can fly into the sky quickly, but I can't. Suddenly a little panic in my heart-panic in the face of an unknown and unidentified opponent. I have never seen this kind of bird, let alone infer whether its arrival is auspicious or fierce. I remember the year before last, a parrot suddenly fell from my paulownia tree, and my knowledgeable second uncle happened to visit. Father asked him to identify it. He put up the arbor with his hands, looked up for a long time, then shook his head and left my house without saying a word. The action of shaking your head and the mysterious figure are still a mystery.
The mystery is still unsolved, and every time I think about it, I can't help but form a knot in my brow. I don't know if the bird across the street is also engaged in such a tense psychological struggle. Time seems to have stopped. In the vast fields, all people, trees, crops, weeds and insects have disappeared. In the spotlight, it's just me and it. In fact, we don't have to be enemies, we can be friends. As written in fairy tales, the world is a whole, and man and nature live in harmony ... I am stuck in the same place and can't move forward or backward. My nervousness and embarrassment must be seen through by it. Just when I was in a dilemma, it glanced at me, leaned down and disappeared into the depths of the rice field. A confrontation, so disappear in the invisible. The ridge is empty as if nothing had happened. I breathed a sigh of relief, as if I heard it giggling from the depths of the rice bushes.
Later, I often think about it. This lovely bird tactfully solved my embarrassment in front of strangers. I buried this matter in my heart alone and learned to be kind to every creature from now on.
The paddy field is close to the pond, so bird prevention is needed after autumn. Usually pull a few hemp ropes around the rice fields and hang a few plastic bags to pretend to be majestic. There are many kinds of plastic bags, such as red, white and blue. The national flag is swaying in the wind. The wind is very strong, and it purrs. Father also tied two scarecrows, most of which were tied brown with old straw. Scarecrow wears a worn reed hat and a jacket shot down by his father. When the wind blows, they also purr. Scarecrow tied up, a rice field in the north, one in the south. From a distance, it looks like this. Knocked on the washbasin. The washbasin has been damaged by alkali for many years, so the sound is divergent and there is a metallic sound when knocking.
The task of driving away birds is basically left to me. Prepare a long bamboo pole and come to the field and wave it a few times. When the sun is not good, move to the shade and play your own game.
Since that meeting, I often feel that I have a friend who met me once in the reeds beside the lotus pond. It is growing, it is humble and full of enthusiasm and curiosity about this season. I don't feel bad when such a friend comes to eat.
Is that what my father thinks? Every autumn, when rice is ripe, there are always several ridges in the paddy field next to the pond that are eaten by waterfowl, leaving only bare stalks. Mom is always angry, but dad says, "Have some. They are also creatures. If we have to live, so must they, right? "
The so-called kindness is nothing more than turning a blind eye. Everyone can enjoy the gift of nature. Is there such a farmer by Long Fu Lake? I think there must be. Otherwise, how can there be so many birds by the water, and how can their songs be so fresh and loud? After walking away, the reeds have become ink marks on the horizon, but in front of my eyes, it seems that there have been a pair of black bean-like eyes shining. Standing on the sandbar, it watched us go away, gentle but not supercilious. It seems that I am used to going to Qiu Lai in spring, and I know how to get together and leave.
The husband only lives in the house, but he goes with him.
There are two things on the beam of grandpa's old house that have impressed me so far: one is the thorn tree hanging above the stove, and the other is the hat hanging below the swallow's nest. Every morning, I am always woken up by the sound of grandma pulling the bellows. When I open my eyes, I see the hot air on the lid, which floats in clusters. When I meet the thorn tree hanging on the beam, it will spread out, and there will be a warm feeling in the room. Thorn trees absorb grass ash and replace it every other year. As for the hat, it is hung under the nest to pick up swallow droppings, and it is also cleaned once a year. Swallows like hard-working families, and people in their hometown are proud to live in swallows' home (grandma warned us many times not to poke swallows' nests, otherwise our eyes would be blind). Therefore, there will generally be gaps in the beams above the wooden doors to facilitate the free movement of swallows. Villagers love swallows, so they naturally cherish their nests. Hanging a hat is the best of both worlds. Swallow is such a kind of bird, diligent, simple, not noisy. Bring spring mud, eat pests, and have a loyal attachment to the owner of the former residence (it is worth looking forward to every spring). Sleeping at night, people and birds sleep together, and no one is uncomfortable. There are guests at home, the host and guest greet each other, have a heart-to-heart talk, drink and guess boxing, and the swallow on the beam can't stand the chatter. Under such circumstances, everything seems to be happy.
At that time, the feelings between people were warm. Neighbors gave each other newly picked apricots (with fluff), newly dug baskets of peanuts (with fine sand between grains) and newly torn old corn. Put the whole sunflower through the wall. In autumn, no, in midsummer, every household is covered with shells.
Coincidentally, I also saw such an old house in Caodian Village, Shan County. The eaves tiles on the roof have peeled off a lot, revealing the thick grass inside. Wooden doors and windows, brick foundation, adobe wall, the Spring Festival couplets on both sides of the gate have turned white, and it seems that no one has lived there. Out of curiosity, I pushed open the door left unlocked. Looking up, I suddenly saw a swallow's nest on the beam and a hat hanging below it. In a flash, many unspeakable feelings welled up in my mind. Is that the mystery of "Tao leads to the tangible outside world, thinking into metamorphosis" in front of Laojun Temple? Is it the compassion of "there are many poems and books in the Yellow River since ancient times, and goodness is the first song in the world"? Is it the glory and pride of "the spring is full of thousands of miles of plains, and moving stories are endless"? Maybe, maybe this expression can't fully describe the taste.
The house is dilapidated, but the hat under the beam is very eye-catching. I think, a pair of swallows will come back on time every spring. They are not far from Wan Li for a commitment to stay together. They flew in and found that the owner of the original home was still there and their nest was still there. At that moment, did they have a strong sense of belonging? The owner of the former residence went out and came back, waiting to make a pot of tea. Suddenly, he heard the chirping of Liang Yu, and he thought that flowers would bloom and fall every year. The world he is waiting for is still there, his home is still there, and he still has the strength to guard this nest until the old acquaintance comes to accompany him again. Will there be a kind of relief and gratitude?
Near noon, after visiting several projects, we were told that the dining place was Caodian Village, which was said to be vegetarian. I can't help wondering what vegetarian food is-probably snacks such as wild vegetables and wild onions like farmhouse music! Gradually approaching the destination, the first thing I saw was several women holding a handful of steamed bread and walking towards the village auditorium. We followed the footsteps of these people into the auditorium and saw such a scene: the old people and children in the village gathered for dinner, bustling and full of people. Volunteers in red vests shuttled through the crowd, handing out steamed bread and soup. There are many people eating, but everyone has a fixed dining position, so they are busy but not chaotic. I asked an old lady around me: How long have you been eating in the canteen? Pay by yourself or in the village? If you are sick, you don't want to eat the food in the canteen. Can you turn on a small stove? Aunt responded very seriously.
My heart was touched by this inexplicable feeling when I quit my job and stopped disturbing them for dinner. Our group was also arranged in another house, with a wooden sign hanging at the door, which read: "Caodian Village Left-behind Children School". Walking in, there are square tables and benches, each with a plate of tofu and cabbage, two steamed buns and a bowl of yam and tremella porridge. The food is delicious and I'm really hungry. I ate a meal for nothing and listened to the person in charge of the village to introduce the situation, only to know the origin of the village canteen. Many young people here go out to work, leaving mostly old people and children behind. Mr. Li from the village came to the capital to work hard, and then returned to his hometown to start a business for the benefit of the people. He provided all the food and drinks in the canteen by himself. Two meals a day, the food is mostly seasonal vegetables, light and healthy. Everyone gathered in the canteen to eat and chat while eating, which was also very lively. It is said that after a few months, the villagers not only fell in love with vegetarianism, but also became normal. At first, all the cooking tasks were done spontaneously by the villagers, and all the work was in vain. After a long time, everyone felt guilty and paid the chef who was in charge of cooking. "Let the old people have a sense of security and dependence", the Datong society advocated by Confucianism has been realized in the canteen of Caodian Village.
In the village affairs column of Caodian village, I noticed the "honor list" posted. It records the donations and materials in the village, the deeds of respecting the elderly, and the good deeds done for the village and parents. The afternoon sun is shining, and the handwriting on the honor roll is particularly eye-catching. That's a badge. No, not on the village people's skirts. Worth everyone's pride. The words "glory" and "kindness" have a constant affection. This kind of goodness should be the sun, right? Rising from the east, it radiates brilliance, gives others light and heat, and also makes your life clear and thorough. Suddenly, I remembered the bird's nest and hat under the beam of the old house. I think those vagrants who work outside the home, wandering in a foreign land, put themselves in the migrating team, with a piece of mud at their feet and thoughts in their hearts. The dust of the city is hunting. What is goodness? The so-called kindness is nothing more than caring for you so that all people, old and young, can rely on it. In this way, all people who follow the footsteps of the season will feel at ease.
3. Success means success, but people say I am natural.
When I was about to leave Caodian Village, I met Chichiwa, a little beauty among the volunteers, another woman. They came out with buckets of vegetables. I thanked them for their hard work and invited them to take a group photo as a souvenir. They readily agreed. When I typed this article, I still remember the smiles on their faces. In the bright sunshine in April, the trees are growing and the fruits of the branches are beginning to take shape. These people who are enthusiastic about public welfare have a bright color on their faces. For example, this kind of goodness should be a crescent moon, right? It radiates brilliant light from the sky, spreads every space in the world and warms the corner of the soul.
And such eyes seem to be often seen in Heze's land. In Confucius Institute, Ceng Zi Memorial Hall, Zhou Ziqi Memorial Hall, Dingtao, Chengwu ... Because of this, so many masters have naturally emerged in this land. I wrote down those glorious names one by one: Shan Juan, Lao Zi, Ceng Zi, Bole, Liu Bang, Lv Hou, Four Gentlemen, Zhou Ziqi and modern heroes and mortals. They, for this land, provide a profound heritage, so that everyone who comes near her will feel awe and sigh.
With deep respect and attachment, we left Heze. On this bank, I saw people like grandpa take their grandchildren to school in the early morning. In the car bucket, a green sheep stood firmly. The mechanic spread out all his equipment, the sun came from the east, and his iron box gave off bright light; The mother took out the odds and ends in her son's trouser pocket and soaked the trousers in the basin. White-haired Weng picked fresh Sophora japonica; Mussels crawl slowly and come out to bask in the sunshine on sunny days. Shiny names, solid stories and beautiful eyes. On the other hand, in this land more than 2,000 years ago, philosophy grew in the East, and bells rang through the wilderness. I never ride a green cow (migratory birds fly back every year with strange dust under their wings. Idealism, realism and romanticism are like seeds buried deep in the ground. ) The house in the village passes by the window, and it is still its favorite color-black eaves and black tiles are layered, just like the Tao Te Ching written by Lao Lang, one chapter, two chapters and three chapters, until infinity. And the words of this chapter, the spirit cultivated by the words of this chapter, have become warm wind, glittering and translucent rain and dew, moist dew, providing eternal nourishment for this land and our nation.