On weekends, I met with a few friends to go to the countryside to collect the wind. In the distance, i saw a large patch of cyan, red, and purple mulberries hanging from the branches, flickering and swaying from side to side under the cover of the leaves. So I approached, the view of the crystal clear, the smell of refreshing, the sweet and slightly sour taste of the food, very childhood taste, the mulberry bought in the supermarket can not eat this feeling.
In the past, the locals of Taierzhuang called mulberries mulberries. I remember 30 years ago, when I was still in elementary school, behind my grandfather's house was a small river, with willows on the shore, flowers everywhere, and a large mulberry tree standing in it, which was particularly eye-catching. There is a feeling of "mulberry house hidden in the blue bushes, and the breeze trail is exposed". In late spring and early summer, it becomes an amusement park for children. Will we go under the mulberry tree every day to see the mulberry grow? Grown up? Has it turned red? Is it purple? In that era of material scarcity, mulberries were an excellent snack for children.
The weather has become hotter, the leaves have become denser, and the mulberries have gradually turned purple, which is the happiest thing for us. Several of our friends are agreed to pick together, only pick a few purple and black every day, and those that are not ripe are reluctant to pick. After picking, everyone eats equally and never competes. Eating ripe mulberries, looking at the dusty little hands, listening to the sound of babbling water, I feel that this is the happiest thing in the world. After enjoying the food, sometimes we would be criticized by our parents when we returned home, because our clothes were often dyed red by mulberries and it was difficult to wash off, and it was a luxury to make new clothes at that time.
Although it is located in the center of the town, it is not much different from the countryside, full of crops, vegetable fields, trees, flowers, rivers, and of course, many fences, women and dogs. One day, when a few of our friends were picking mulberries as usual, they were talking and laughing, talking about the great feat of picking mulberries, when suddenly a big dog jumped out and paced around the tree, just not leaving. It may be awakened by our laughter to share happiness; it may smell the aroma of mulberries to share the food; it may be a dog temper to scare us... None of this is known. A few of us shouted in fright. Coincidentally, the second uncle of the Zhang family, who sold dog meat from a neighbor's family, rode a bicycle and passed by the side of the road with a dog fighting tool, and he heard a sound coming over. It is also strange to say that the dog actually wagged its tail and left slowly, which is really "a mountain and water with no way out, and the willows are dark and the flowers are bright and another village." At this moment, the hanging heart suddenly landed on the ground, and we all rushed home in unison. The next day, everyone seemed to have forgotten the horror of the dog, and once again came to the mulberry tree, because the mulberry was too tempting. And at this time, we had one more heart and one more eye, and pulled my grandfather under the mulberry tree to protect us. Grandpa also told us that we can't just play here, there are catalpa trees over there, you can also go to play. But at the time, we really had no interest in catalpa trees.
Today, taierzhuang ancient city, as a national 5A-level scenic spot, has become an internationally renowned tourist destination, attracting millions of Chinese and foreign tourists to visit here every year. The local people who were born and raised all moved out of the ancient city and lived in the residential areas resettled by the government, living a rich life. I often strolled through the ancient city, wandered along the banks of ancient canals, shuttled between pavilions and pavilions, breathed in the fresh air without impurities, pondered the five-flavor life full of variables, and tasted the grand situation of "Shangjia Qi, into the night, a river fishing fire, singing for ten miles, and not hitting the city at night" as stated in the Qing Guangxu version of the "Chronicle of Yixian County".
Walking on the "Back Road", stopping in front of the "Lanqi Pier", I suddenly remembered that this was once the place where my grandfather's house was located, and the mulberry tree was near here. It was mesmerizing to look at the lush trees, touch the seats by the docks, and listen to the beautiful songs of the boat girls. The faint sound of insects and frogs by the river seems to tell people the ancient story of the ancient streets and alleys, and at the same time, it is playing the music of the new era. Looking up at the starry sky, I suddenly saw that the lights in the ancient city were integrated with the stars in the sky, which was very beautiful, which was very imposing as Du Fu said in the "Travel Night Book": "The stars are hanging flat and the wilderness is wide, and the moon is gushing and the river is flowing". At this time, the ear sounded", "The stars are not like the stars, and the moon is not like the moon." The river is not the river, and the house is not the beautiful melody of the house." Could it be that this song was specially created for me by Zhang Quan, Xu Peidong and other artists of the older generation?
This may be what my grandfather called "Sangzi feelings"!
Meng Fanfa
Adult group
Organizer: Shandong Tourism Development Commission
Co-organizer: Shandong Provincial Writers Association Australian Shandong Hometown Association Australian Chinese Federation
French Shandong Chamber of Commerce German Shandong Hometown Association Canadian Qilu Hometown Association
Executive team: Shandong Haidai Traditional Culture Research and Development Center