My Family's "World" (Part 2)
(Serial No. 16)
Yang Yajun
nineteen
I remember that my grandparents planted a lot of flowers in front of their door, and my hometown called them "put away flowers".
In fact, this flower is called hollyhock. Also known as Yizhang Red, Dashu Season, Rong Kui. It is two meters tall and has densely hairy stems. The flowers are inflorescences with single or double petals at the top, purple, pink, red, white and other colors. Flowering period from February to August, capsules, seeds flattened. Kidney shape. Likes sunshine, resistant to semi-shade, but avoid waterlogging.
Planted in one year, the next year naturally germinates, grows, and naturally blooms. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. In the height of summer, it attracts many bees and flower butterflies, and the petals emit a faint fragrance.
Farm yard
Countryside in the eighties of the last century
Now the park is widely planted, and the variety of flowers is particularly popular. Walking in the sea of flowers in the park, I saw the "put away flowers" everywhere, no, the big name is hollyhock flowers, and suddenly remembered that in front of my grandparents' small courtyard, clusters of blooming flowers, as if returning to childhood. A full sense of happiness is born, and there is a special taste in the heart.
My grandmother, wrapped in little feet, walked, twisted her ass and sometimes looked funny.
I always think, such a small "three-inch golden lotus", how did grandma work in the field when she was young?
In the small courtyard of the new house, grandma fed four or five old Luhua hens and ate them with the following eggs.
At that time, I was young, and I still couldn't recognize the laying hens.
It is not uncommon to see a fat old hen, swaggering in and out of grandma's house, without fear.
"Whose pheasant is stealing food again, looking for death!" ，
I thought to myself, picked up a brick on the ground and smashed it at the hen.
Coincidentally, the brick hit one of the legs of the rich chicken mother.
The hen was suddenly attacked.
Fell a big heel, jumped up in an instant, bent his legs, "quacked" and flew out of the adobe courtyard wall with his wings flashing.
"This time it's cheap for you, let me see you again, you're welcome."
I patted my little dirty hand, and by the way wiped my nose with the sleeve of my right hand, and I had a "king" mentality of a victor in my heart.
Inadvertently avenged my grandmother's hens, and I was very proud and accomplished.
Grandma feeds the chickens
Unexpectedly, a few days later, when I went to my grandfather's house to play, I didn't enter the yard, and I heard my grandmother's scolding from a distance:
"I don't know if it's that shameless thing that broke my egg-laying baby!"
"Who messed with my chicken, so vicious!"
"It depends on the owner to beat the dog, it's really lacking in morality..."
Grandma Little Feet, the more she scolded, the more vigorous, and the scolding was filled with crying.
The old man clutched a handful of corn kernels in his hand, as if ready to comfort the injured hen.
I thought to myself, it's broken, I'm in trouble! It turned out that the big hen of Luhua was theirs by grandparents.
"Oh, I see, no wonder that old hen is slowly moving in and out of Grandma's house."
The injured hen at this moment is shrinking into a ball under the eaves. Fried chicken feathers, "cooing" shaking.
One foot curled up, presumably a broken chicken leg.
Grandma threw corn kernels in front of the hen. The hen ignored it and closed her eyes and trembled.
"Hey," Grandma sighed and walked towards the south wall.
Near the adobe wall on the chicken coop next to the south wall, there are two "farrowing rooms" dedicated to laying eggs for chickens.
Inside is covered with thick "wheat straw" (wheat straw), similar to a Buddhist shrine.
Usually, eggs appear one after another.
Collecting eggs is one of grandma's daily jobs.
Today, it's empty. Grandma returned empty-handed. Seeing Grandma Little Foot's depressed demeanor, I began to blame myself in my heart.
I'm too reckless, I really don't understand, I shouldn't hit your baby cock, no one's should hit it.
Grandma, I'm sorry, I was wrong.
Above the chicken coop, there is a dark purple porcelain night pot used by my grandfather and a small porcelain urine pot for grandma.
These two things are all too familiar to me.
In the end, I didn't have the courage to admit my mistake to my face.
Rubbed at Grandma's for a while, looking for an opportunity to slip away.
Years later, the "old tree spirit" was cut down and sold by others.
By then we had already moved out of the old house.
I remember when the tree seller planed the tree, the trees were tall and thick, the courtyard space was small, and when he cut down the branches, he destroyed my old house.
The old mother was entangled in the seller's failure to apologize in time and detained the tree body for a period of time.
Finally, the seller secretly transported the timber away on a windy and dark night.
It is said that the old locust tree that accompanied my childhood was sold to a coffin shop in Xuchengdong Village, where it made a lot of "earthen goods" (referring to coffins).
At that time, people did not have awareness of the protection of ancient trees, and the state did not introduce relevant policies.
Otherwise, this ancient tree is still growing in the yard of my old house.
The old trees are still blooming with lush locust flowers, and in the branches, countless birds nest and reproduce. Maybe it has been included in the ranks of ancient tree protection.
Old village
In many of the old villages I have traveled to, I found many ancient trees, all with "identity cards".
These ancient trees record the historical changes of the village and tell people about the passing past.
Their existence is like a thick history textbook, recording the past years.
Nowadays, in the west of Quyang County (Gongjiazhuang Village), there is an ancient tree over 100 years old, which has been registered and protected by the Quyang Forestry Department.
The villagers regularly celebrate the birthday of the ancient tree every year, hoping that the ancient tree will protect the villagers with peace and auspiciousness.
Speaking of the destruction of ancient trees, there are really too many regrets, which make people pause and sigh.
Rural baby
Seller in the eighties
Quyang Ji Douyan
At that time, in our famous scenic spot in Quyang County, Jidouyan, the thousand-year-old cypresses standing on the rocks were ruthlessly felled by unscrupulous descendants in the era of "breaking the four olds and establishing the four new", and were made into coffins by ignorant descendants and buried in the ground.
Personally, I think what a sad thing, what a pity!
Therefore, I personally believe that if a country, a nation, and even a family does not have historical self-confidence, no cultural self-confidence, does not understand the inheritance of history and cultural inheritance, then for subsequent development, it will lose the driving force and correct direction of progress, which is terrible!
Author: Yang Yajun
(The author is a director of Quyang County Writers Association)
(Responsible Editor: Guo Chenfeng)
(To be continued)