I remember when I was a child, there was a very large reed pond in the south of the village, about twenty or thirty acres of land, which was the production area of the brigade to engage in side business at that time.
The reeds that grew in the reed pond were all selected and made into materials for reed mats and bucket hats, and almost woven into reeds and became building materials for houses. The offcuts became firewood for cooking and distributed to each household.
That big reed pond was not only the source of income for the brigade, but also the paradise of life in my youth.
Spring has arrived, and the reed pond has gone through a winter of savings, and the tip of the reed emerges from the dead branches and leaves of winter with a vigorous force. I saw that in the entire reed pond, there were ten thousand heads moving, and pointy, light green little heads were lined up one by one, really like spring shoots after rain. Within a few days, a large cut came out, and Tingtingyu stood in the water, brushing the ground with emerald green.
Summer is the most lush season of the reed pond, and the reeds in the entire reed pond grow to a height of more than three meters, and the reed stalks and reed leaves are green, green oily, green and glowing. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, villagers often pick some reed leaves to wrap browns, and the faint fragrance of reed leaves is very refreshing.
In summer, the reed pond is a paradise for birds, many birds, well-known and unnamed, come to nest in the pond, reeds with long pointed beaks, kingfishers with green feathers, wild ducks with dumb heads... Kingfishers' nests are built on reed poles, made of three or four reed leaves, and the nest mouth is suspended upside down from the reed pole. The nest of the wild duck is built at the base of the reed, forming a round pot helmet-shaped nest in the messy reed bush without water. The nest of the reed is not easy to see.
Frogs, and toads also came to join in the fun, cooing and croaking. The turquoise reeds swayed in the wind, dragging their slender bodies and falling together, like a group of green-dressed dancers dancing. Red dragonflies, green dragonflies sometimes land on reed leaves, sometimes fly over reeds. The surface of the water is also covered with duckweed, and there is a long aquatic weed with pointed stems and leaves (locally called water pressed vegetables) These are good feed for pigs, and a few of our friends often come here in the afternoon after school or on Sundays to fish for duckweed, squeeze vegetables, look for bird's nests, bird's eggs, and sometimes really pick up wild duck eggs, which is very happy.
Autumn arrives, the reeds ripen and grow reed flowers. The reed and reed leaves turn from turquoise to gray-yellow, and finally to golden, although they have no green color, but the reed has become hard.
At this time, the most beautiful scenery is to see the reed flowers full of ponds, ripe reed blossoms clumps, clusters like the tasseled on the helmet of a samurai, each reed flower towers high on the top of the reed, the snow-like velvet flowers feel so soft, so warm, and so soft, the autumn breeze blows, carrying them to distant places... With such a gentle blow, the reed flowers began to tremble, and inadvertently, the flowers scattered, and against the fiery red background, they flew out their respective melodies, and just like that. They fly like a little snow in winter, but they are more elegant than snow; They are flying, like mini umbrellas, but cuter than small umbrella bags; They fly, like autumn leaves, but are lighter than leaves. Float leisurely, float freely, with the wind... Drifting into the stream, he travels as a companion; Float to the sky, and it will be the only white cloud; Drifting back to the reeds, it is decorated with snow. Drifting through the field, floating over the branches, falling to the roof, falling into the courtyard, the roof and the courtyard are like a thin layer of snow, floating on people's cheeks, soft, soft, reminiscent of the verse "Yanghua elm pod has no talent, only the sky is full of snow".
When the mature reeds are harvested, they are divided into small ones according to the quality of the reeds, the good ones are used to weave reed mats and bucket hats, the second ones are woven into reeds, and the lower scraps are used as fire materials. Reed flowers are made into reed straw shoes, or padded in pampered shoes, and worn in winter to warm the feet.
Liu Yonglan is a master of weaving seats and fighting signs, after brewing and processing, the reed pieces have become soft around his fingers in his hands, the reed pieces are jumping happily in his hands, extremely well-behaved and obedient, he weaves the reed mat quickly and well, the corners and corners are neat, without leaving a little hair, the whole table is smooth and smooth, others make a mat in two days, he can make it in only one day. According to people at the time, the fingers of his hands were thick and long, and all ten fingers were covered with thick calluses. Because of his good skills, he was named a member of the Five Best Club every year, and was commended and rewarded, for which he also won the favor of the girl, and married another female editor at that time.
Hometown mats and bucket sticks are sold to the surrounding counties and towns with high quality, low price and good quality, and have been well received.
When winter comes, the water surface in the reed pond is frozen, and some of the messy reed rods exposed on the ice are frozen hard and brittle, and with a shovel, all the chattering is broken, packed home in baskets, boiled water for cooking. Rice made with water made from this firewood has the fragrance of reeds. We pump spinning tops and skate on smooth ice.
After the implementation of the production responsibility system, the reed pond was contracted by a villager surnamed Yang, and a few years later, the reed pond was filled in and the current hatchery was built.
Walking around the enclosure of the hatchery, you can still see some reeds growing tenaciously. This plant that thrives on roots is very vibrant.
Goodbye, the reed pond of my youth.
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