Qianjiang Evening News Hour News Chief Reporter Bao Yafei Correspondent Liang Lei
"Every year at this time of bailu, our whole village will line up at the head of the bridge to wait for the opening pole." September 7 is the white dew season, and it is also the first day of the picking period for hickory walnuts in Wangfu Township, Chun'an County, which is located in the mountainous area.
Pecans are the main cash crop of farmers in Wangfu Township, and for them, pecans are also the most valuable thing in this mountain, so this gift of nature is also known as the "son of the mountain" by the locals. Interestingly, all farmers in Wangfu Township who have pecans at home will wait for the whistle of the unified pole to enter the mountain at five o'clock in the morning of Bailu.
A few days before Bailu, the villagers at home began to prepare various tools for playing pecans early: men spread bamboo poles, gloves, head-mounted flashlights, etc., if there is a defect, they will be replaced at the first time, and the battery car will be fully charged, the women will fold clean clothes, prepare rice dumplings, steamed bread, corn and other traditional foods as dry food, young people who are migrant workers will also ask for leave from the unit in advance, and when they return home the night before Bailu, they will go up the mountain with their families on the same day. Often at this time, it is the most lively time in Wangfu Township except for the Spring Festival.
As early as four o'clock, before dawn, the villagers began to get up to wash and eat, and then slowly walked to the bridge at the entrance of the village to wait for the pole to open, and there were various points of light shining in the darkness.
"Bailu starts at five o'clock with the sound of firecrackers as a whistle, on the one hand, it is a traditional habit in the village, and over the years it has become an indispensable ritual for the people. On the other hand, it is convenient for the unified management of the government, so that the villagers who enter the mountains have a certain guarantee of personal safety and order, and we have also taken over the insurance company in the early stage to provide special insurance services for villagers in need in the form of 80% government subsidies, and 5,008 people have been insured. The relevant person in charge of Wang Fuxiang said.
Firecrackers sounded at five o'clock on time, and the villagers drove the battery car to the mountain in an orderly manner, and the first morning would often pick up the drops scattered some time ago, and when the drops were finished, they would take the poles and start fighting.
Older farmers are more accustomed to picking and beating with old bamboo poles that they are familiar with, but many people also choose copper poles that are more portable and can be removed. "There will be some differences in the feel, but the impact is not large, mainly depends on personal habits, I still prefer copper rods, disassembly is a little troublesome, but with convenience, along the way will not poke others." Villagers in Yanjiaping Village, Wangfu Township, said while waving a pole.
With the passage of time, the sky gradually brightened, the drops on the ground were basically picked up, many farmers have carried large and small sacks, first transported home to unload the goods and then folded back, the large farmers even filled more than 30 pounds of in less than an hour.
Between 10 a.m. and near noon, farmers tend to stop for a while to take a break and sit down to drink some water. Those who are close to home will choose to go down the mountain to eat lunch first, and continue to go up the mountain after the lunch break; those who are far from home will set up a pot on the spot, cook some porridge or instant noodles, and take out the prepared dry food and stomach.
"The total production of pecans this year is the same as last year, not much, the whole picking cycle is about 10-14 days, a small number of large households may pick 20 days, but this year's price is more optimistic, much higher than last year, so the enthusiasm of the people to play pecans this year is also very high." For the sake of epidemic prevention and control, we have persuaded the migrant workers outside the province to return, otherwise the number of people will be even greater. The relevant person in charge of Wangfu Township said that in the previous week, the township was mainly responsible for the duty management of each point, and the next harvest period would focus on the order of picking and the safety of personnel.
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