So far, I have traveled countless roads, but the journey I took when I went to the countryside is still unforgettable...
First arrived in the countryside
December 1972 On March 19, six of our classmates became educated youths and went to the countryside together to embark on the road to the youth point of the first group of houses in Anjia Commune. In the next three years, the roads we walked most frequently were the roads in the village leading to Youth Point, to the production team, to Dazigou, to the small reservoir, and to the fields.
When we first arrived, the fellow villagers couldn’t remember our names. Among the three female classmates, Chunying was the tallest, I was second, and Shufen was a little petite. The three of us used to line up like this when we walked together. The folks simply called me "big guy, middle guy, and small guy" to distinguish them. Some people also called me "fat girl". Haha, I may have had enough nutrition at that time. . It is winter and there is not much farm work. There is a small reservoir in the ditch. It is planned to store water and build a dam to irrigate the rice fields below. (Haha, I still remember that when I was working, I often imagined the beautiful scenery of fish swimming in the water and thousands of waves of rice in the future.) Men, women, old and young all went to build the reservoir. We rested for a few days and started working eagerly. The men drill holes and fire cannons, while the women bulldoze earth and build dams. We all wrapped ourselves up tightly in the cold weather, but we didn't feel cold at all when we were working. In a short time, the eyelashes on our heads were covered with hoarfrost. Listening to everyone chirping and chatting about home affairs while working, I found it quite interesting, and I forgot about missing home for a moment. One day, Uncle Han, the captain of the brigade, came to check on the progress. He shouted at the foot of the dam: "Miss Song, throw down the shovel and I will use it." This caused a group of junior girls to burst into laughter. I was confused. I didn't know what they were laughing at. Xiao Rongzi from the Old Tang family told me that in their rural areas, girls who get married are called "Send Girl" when they go out. Oops, where are they? After work, a group of "young boys" followed me and shouted: "Send Girl". Girl~~Send the girl away..." I was embarrassed and a little annoyed, but Aunt Han, the women's captain, shouted loudly before driving them away. For a long time, this nickname became synonymous with me, and now I can’t help but laugh when I think about it.
Celebrating the New Year in the countryside
It has been almost two months since I arrived in the countryside. The Spring Festival is approaching. After experiencing the hard life in the countryside, my heart is still full of revolutionary passion to overcome all difficulties. Under the leadership of the old educated youth, we decided not to return to the city and spend a revolutionary Spring Festival with the poor and lower-middle peasants. (The most fashionable and loud rhetoric at the time) In order for people on the 16th and 17th to eat dumplings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Dianli made various plans early and prepared cabbage, pork, white noodles, etc. The food manager, Yu Chunfu, put the pork in a big basin, covered it with a lid, and put a stone on top, for fear that cats, dogs, etc. would eat it in the middle of the night. On the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, before dawn, Chang'an Celebration called everyone to get up. We quickly washed up and started to divide our work. There were not enough household items for chopping stuffing, kneading dough, and preparing firewood. The chief cook gave an order and we all brought our own wash basins for washing (sorry, it was said to be a wash basin, but actually we use this one for all washing) ). The dining tables in the men's and women's rooms were combined into one long strip. We were on both sides, while the female students were kneeling on the kang. There are several people filling a bowl of stuffing. Some are making dumplings, some are rolling out the dough, and some are responsible for making dumplings. Those who don’t know how to do anything go to the kitchen to boil water. Everyone was talking and laughing while they were working. It was steaming inside and outside the house and it was so lively! As the saying goes, "It's easier to work when there are more people." After a while, a large bed of dumplings was laid out on several curtains. Look again, oops! Big ones, small ones, decent ones, crooked ones, haha~~~ Everyone competed, teasing each other and laughing together. Captain Han and Captain Jin came to visit everyone and were very happy to see us so happy. Captain Jin also said: "Children, I'm really sorry for you. Eat more. When you're full, you won't miss home." The two large pots of water were rushing to boil with heat and began to cook the dumplings! The female classmates wiped the north and south Kangs and put them on the dining table respectively. A young man from the countryside served in the army in Zongzhou and happened to come back to visit his relatives. He was in high spirits in his military uniform, so we invited him to come to the Youth Point. Several large pots of dumplings were served on the table, and while we ate, we listened to him tell interesting stories about his time in the army, which made us feel quite novel and envious of him. The male classmates drank a lot of "Erguotou" when they were happy and talked about the affairs of the military and civilians. hey-hey! This is the first time I have left home and not spent the Chinese New Year with my parents. Although it is not particularly lively because there are no firecrackers, it is not rich enough because there are not many delicacies at home, but it makes me feel that it is the most delicious dumpling meal I have ever eaten, and it is the most unforgettable Spring Festival in my life.
Picking Mushrooms
A few autumn rains have awakened the chill in September. The grass leaves and branches on the mountain are covered with water droplets. The breeze blows and the layers roll down, shining like strings of silver beads in the sun. Pine trees (red mushrooms) are quietly emerging one after another. Unable to resist the temptation, Shufen, Chunying and a few elder sisters and I took a break from the busy schedule and made an appointment to go pick mushrooms in the mountains.
As we walked up the mountain road, it became more and more rugged and steep, and the trees were sparse. You could just see the fields below, with patches like a chessboard. The small stream meandered like a bright glass ribbon under the sun, and the sheep There are scattered groups munching grass leisurely, green plants growing in some places are like green carpets, and the mountains in the distance are rolling, what a picturesque scenery! We were deeply intoxicated by it and couldn't help but roar a few times... The woods were dark and silent, and a gust of wind made the trees rustle slightly. In some places, tall weeds sprouted from last year's brown leaves, and the fragrance of pine branches and the moist and refreshing earthy smell were everywhere. We were both excited and a little scared at the same time. The excitement is when you find the clusters of fleshy brown mushrooms in the pine bushes, each wearing a little hat, you can't help but be ecstatic, and you are careful not to hurt it, so you hurry up. Putting it in the basket, the satisfying satisfaction is like picking up a piece of gold. The fear mentioned is that you must always be alert. A long insect (snake) suddenly pops up at any time and can scare you to the point of weakening your legs. At the same time, I am also afraid of getting lost. I have heard from others that I once got lost deep in a dense forest. I climbed over several mountains without knowing it and couldn't find my way home. How scary that was. So we agreed to say hello to each other after a while to avoid getting separated. If you shout and no one responds, it will make you feel "fearful". This is nothing more than two situations. One is that a large area of ??"results" is discovered and one has nothing to do. The other is that one encounters some situation or is too far away to hear. I prefer the former, the latter is really scary. We will be happiest and proudest when we all gain something and go down the mountain to show off the results. Thread the mushrooms into strings, hang them on the window lattice to dry naturally, and bring them to your family when you get home. I think you can contribute to the family. I seem to see my parents and younger brother eating chicken stewed with mushrooms. I feel really happy. It's so sweet and gratifying.
Feeding pigs
In addition to raising chickens, Qingniandian also raises two pigs. The pigs in my hometown are fat and strong, but in comparison, the pigs we raise are a bit "slim". The chief cook asked us to bring back some pig grass after work and take turns carrying water to feed the pigs. What scares me the most is feeding pigs. I can hold my breath and tolerate the stench in the pigsty. The most terrible thing is that I have a quirk. No matter poultry or livestock, I dare not touch anything with fur on the body, but I can't. It makes people think that we are too dirty and afraid of being tired. Today is finally my turn. I calmly scooped up a bucket of pig food, holding the spoon in my right hand, and carried it to the door of the pig pen. The two pigs sniffed and grunted and rushed to the door, making the door squeak. I silently thought about the key points in my mind, - open the door and go in, pour a spoonful into the pig trough, - keep adding until the pig is finished - don't forget to bolt the door again when you come out. I calmed down, gritted my teeth and opened the door. Unexpectedly, the two pigs pounced on the food bucket I was carrying like hungry wolves. They stood upright as if they were hungry, their two big nostrils were flaring, and their long arched mouths were almost touching my hands. I was so frightened that I threw down the bucket and ran away with a cry of "Mom!". Behind me came the howling of pigs. The pigs overturned the bucket and made it scald. I never dared to enter the pig pen again. Later, I took a closer look at the "terrain" and hehe, I finally came up with a good idea. In advance, someone pulled the pig trough to the wall. I moved a stone and stood on it. I looked down through the wall and fell into the trough below. But the pigs kept getting knocked over or inside the trough, so I asked a little boy to help me pull it to the wall. The child asked in confusion: "Sister, why don't you go in and feed me?" Haha, I couldn't say that I was afraid of letting the pig hump. This wastes a lot of pig food, and even the pigs seem to be covered with "plaster". Yan Xiannian, who was in charge of labor management, later found out and joked: "You can tell who fed the pigs by looking at the way they are buried." Hehe! Just don’t let us girls do it anymore.
Around the Gregorian calendar, every family kills the New Year pig, and we haven’t seen any meat for more than half a year. Zhang Lingqiao, an old man, said humorously: "If there is no more oil and water, my eyes will not turn." The last point is Li decided to kill a pig. Although the fat was not fat, the ants still had meat even though they were small. Besides, it was also a pig after all. Captain Han brought tools to help us early in the morning. Shufen asked the head cook if he wanted to feed the pigs anymore. The answer was that they would all be killed, so why should we feed them? Shufen said sadly: "You have to feed him only if you have to kill him." Several of our female classmates were silent. When we bought the piglets, which weighed more than 20 kilograms, we had to feed them one at a time. I secretly prayed in my heart, "Pig, don't leave pigs, sheep, dogs, etc. to be slaughtered by others in the next life."
After three full years, my road to becoming an educated youth was over. But the narrow roads filled with horseshoe pits and ruts still flashed in my mind from time to time.
Even though the road leading to the row house has long been paved with asphalt, even though the well under the big tree has long been filled in, and the villagers no longer draw water from the well, even though the small courtyard for educated youth has been demolished and built, the sister-in-law of the year has become an aunt, maybe all I no longer recognize our group of educated youths, and many of our fellow villagers have passed away, but I still can’t forget the roads, small roads, mountains, and riverside roads that I have walked...