The yard is in the countryside, and it seems that it should also be in the countryside, because the owner is a countryman. The yard is not large, a few points, a two-story small building, between the main house and the stove room embraces a small fish pond of ten square meters, a few koi in the pool, a few crucian carp, although the value is different, but get along well, quiet, and the world has no dispute, drinking water, spitting freely. I never knew if the fish were sad, because I had never seen their tears. There is a flower jar in the middle of the pond, planted with water lilies, quietly waiting for the flowers to bloom.
The surrounding wall of the courtyard is connected to a fence, and the fence is crawling with wisteria and clouds, separating the hustle and bustle from the outside. The roses lean against the walls, and in May, the flowers bloom in full bloom. Under the ziwei tree in the Mashiyuan Dam, it is covered with pebbles picked up by the owner from the riverbed in front of the door, and it also smells of small river water. Every pebble once had a dream of travel. The first half of their lives were certainly not round, angular, and after a long journey, they stumbled and grinded round, soaking in the river for a long time, and also had a moist feeling. Today, the stone has stopped the footsteps of dreams in the small courtyard and quietly accompanied the starry sky sun and moon. The purple weed flower falls on the stone, the stone kisses and hugs hard, and the stone sometimes remembers, recalling the mountains and rivers it loved, and recalling the sweet and sour and bitter spicy in the journey. The stone was thinking: I ran away for half a lifetime, or the original stone, this is the destination. Since then, the years have not been wavering, and the rest of my life is no longer sad and happy.
There are camellias planted in front of the fish pond, flattering and vulgar, not boastful and not crazy, there are several lotuses in the flower jar, the summer lotus leaves are like small umbrellas, covering the sun for the fish, the lotus is in the mud, the lotus is white and unstained, the lotus says to the lotus: Meet you, I don't know what to do, all the clouds are transformed into the appearance of loving you, from then on, the galaxy is open, and the whole life is not for others, just for you.
A swing chair is placed in front of the lotus flower, and the hostess often holds a book and sits on a chair and gently shakes, bathes in the winter sun, is so warm that she squints and falls asleep, or does not shake lightly, is in a daze on the chair, thinking that no one knows the heart, and may be digesting a certain emotion.
There must be bamboo in the courtyard, and the hostess especially loves bamboo. Under the east wall, several bamboo trees are repaired, the four seasons are verdant, and the snow pressure wind is still straight. Persimmons guard the bamboo, after the autumn leaves fall, the persimmons fade green, become red, unusually lovely, like a tree of beautiful lanterns, festive, each seems to have a thought, and sweet. But it's not sweet at the beginning, it's sweet after the frost.
The black persimmon with the iron green trunk has a nice nickname: vase orchid, commonly known as golden marbles, whose flowers are shaped like bottles and scented like orchids. In autumn, the trees are full of golden fruits, and there must be thousands of them, attracting countless birds to peck at them. The shade under the golden marbles tree is the paradise of orchids, orchids are ordinary downhill spring orchids, not the so-called noble varieties such as plain flowers and lotus petals, no one praises how good its color is, but once in the spring, it will give you a garden full of orchids, and the noble varieties of orchids can not distinguish which is more fragrant.
How can there be less plums in the courtyard? Plum has three red plums and white plums, which have accompanied the owner for decades, and after several migrations, they fell in love with the yard and took root. In the winter, the buds with full stems are conceived early, and despite the jealousy of the hundred flowers, they begin to spit out their fragrances wantonly in the waxing moon. The petals are lubricated and transparent, like amber or jasper carved, ice and jade, and the fragrance is wafting. She has experienced wind, frost, rain and snow, cold and warm self-knowledge, disdainful of the envious eyes around her, straightening her proud bones, elegant and calm.
Jade-white perfume lilies, fiery geraniums, purple weeds with splendid flowers for 100 days, and romantic punctuality in the moon season are the minimum respect for the fiery red summer, lively and lively, interpreting the good wishes of people who are born like summer flowers.
Where there are flowers, there must be fruits, and the solid Dharma talks about results, which is philosophy. In May, the cherries are ripe, in the autumn the courtyard pears hang branches, grapes climb all over the shelves, bunches sway in the wind, this plant also follows the owner for decades, never abandoned, the stems are slightly old. There are only two white grapefruit plants, gifted by a stranger, each fruit is dozens of fruits, large and round, sweet after frost, slightly sour, imperfect but normal, everything is imperfect, such as life always has flaws. Lemon was a little unconvinced, but she struggled to adapt, and she believed she could bear fruit.
Peony is called the king of a hundred flowers, blooming flauntingly, high-profile as soon as it appears, but the flowering period is very, very short, and a few storms will fall. And ping-pong chrysanthemum, Japanese chrysanthemum, yellow, white, red, pink and other colors. In autumn, with the yellow leaves of ginkgo biloba, faintly without arguing, understanding each other, very harmonious, no wonder the speaker is as light as a chrysanthemum.
Hydrangea flowers, the flower buds are large, and the flowering period is long, there is no color in the beginning, the same color as the leaves, and then slowly absorb the essence of the sun and the moon, and experience more, only to be colorful.
The owner has Tujia ancestry, and the stove house is naturally indispensable to the fire pit. The three feet in the fire pit are the soul of the fire pit and the totem of the Tujia family, which is philosophical, smoky, self-explanatory, and stable. The three feet witnessed the comings and goings of the host and guest in the courtyard, recorded the rise and fall of the master's family, and a fire pit represented a home. Fire pits were often covered with bacon and smoked with wood. Guest, cut the best piece, wash and stir-fry, the side dishes are self-grown in the two old vegetable gardens, temporarily pulled, washed hands to tear off the pot and bacon, the most flavorful. Roasting the fire while the fire, listening to my parents talk about the old things many times, every time I listened, I had a different feeling.
The largest tree in the yard is dangui, with branches like umbrella covers. And the Mid-Autumn Moon, Dangui is the most affectionate, its fragrance is rich and abnormal, such as brewing a year's wine out, drunk on the heart of the host and guest, under the tree refreshments, under the stars, the sky and the south of the sea and the north of the chat, sometimes the father and uncle light a cigarette quietly, silent, thoughts do not know where, or nothing to think, in a daze, some like the Zen Enlightenment, but also like a prayerful dialogue with the ancestors.
The owner has no musical talent, but loves the rhyme of the piano, does not confuse the beginning of playing musical instruments, flute and guqin are touched, no level, self-entertainment does not dare to entertain people, blowing and sweetheart listening, blowing to the flowers, grasses, fish and insects to listen, heard the harmony, and settled down.
If the small courtyard is famous, it should be called for washing tea to house the soul and the tired body.
Photo: Gan Xiuzhen