An old pagoda tree in Zhu Yu (I)

When I left my hometown, I still thought about my hometown. What I can't forget most is a tree that often walks into my dreams.

That is a locust tree, not big, a few years younger than me. Sophora japonica should be 30 years old this year, a 30-year-old tree. People sometimes call it an old tree, but I feel that it is not old at all, because it is several years younger than me. Therefore, I called it "Sister" and stood in front of it again and again, saying, "Call Sister, I am your sister."

The tree can't talk, and naturally it won't call "Sister", but I have heard it call "Sister" many times in my dream.

I have been away from my hometown for many years, and every time I go back to my hometown, I have to see that old pagoda tree. Therefore, the villagers often say to me, "What you miss is the old pagoda tree. Don't you miss the people in our village?"

In fact, I know that I miss the old pagoda tree, that is, I miss the people in the village, because the people in the village, like the old pagoda tree, all appear in my dream, but the scene in which the old pagoda tree appears in my dream is different from that in which the villagers appear in my dream. So in this sense, there are still many old locust trees.

I was five years old. It's a spring morning. Grandpa said, come and plant trees with me.

I asked grandpa, what kind of trees should we plant?

Grandpa said he would plant locust trees.

When grandpa said this, I already saw him holding three small Sophora seedlings in one hand and a shovel in the other.

Although I am only five years old, I still know that it is impossible to plant a tree without a shovel. You need to dig a hole suitable for the growth of trees with a shovel, and then you can seriously plant trees.

"Grandpa, when will this tree grow up?" Looking at those saplings in grandpa's hand, I doubt whether such trees can grow up. So, after asking, he pointed to a tall paulownia tree in the yard and said, "When will it grow as big as this tree?"

After listening to my question, grandpa smiled naturally and brightly. Later that day, grandpa smiled and praised me to my father's son. Grandpa said, "This child is very clever. He knows how to compare a small seedling with a big tree."

The father said, "Really? How does she compare? "

Grandpa said, "She pointed to the tall paulownia tree and asked, when will this young tree grow so big?"

Father smiled naturally, but I didn't seem to understand what Grandpa said at that time, but under the guidance of Grandpa,no. Grandpa and I planted those three small Sophora seedlings together. At that time, my grandfather told me that it was better to plant a locust tree than to plant a tree. Once the locust tree becomes wood, other trees are small wood even if they become wood. But grandpa also said that although Sophora japonica can become a great talent, it is not easy to become a great talent, because it is difficult for Sophora japonica to survive and grow into a great talent. It is precisely because of this difficulty that we should plant it well and train it to become a great talent. So, from then on, I know that nothing is better than planting Sophora japonica, because Sophora japonica can be a great instrument!

Before that, there were three trees in the village that were even older than our ancestors, and they were also locust trees. Before Grandpa's grandfather was born, they came to this village before us. They witnessed many things that happened in the village that we didn't know. For example, the story of the Boxer Rebellion, the story of killing devils, the story of the People's Liberation Army pursuing the Kuomintang, and so on. Therefore, the villagers respect the three old Sophora japonica trees more than any old man in the village. One of the three old locust trees, that is, the one at the head of the village, once hanged grandpa with big head. Grandpa with big head is very similar to mine. Grandpa said they were partners when they were young, but later they became old buddies. Grandpa with big head hanged himself on the top of the old locust tree. Grandpa also said that the old locust tree where Grandpa Big Head was hanged was remembered by all the villagers. Grandpa's big head was hung on the lowest branch of the old locust tree. Although this branch has been dry for many years, it has not rotted at all. It is less than one and a half meters from the ground, but it can make Grandpa Big Head stand on tiptoe and hang here, so the villagers say that the old locust tree is very paradoxical. It is precisely because that old pagoda tree is very paradoxical that it has not become a great talent. Two other old locust trees not too far away from it were bought by a rich man at a high price. It is said that after the rich man bought it, he made a luxurious gate with two old locust trees. Inside the gate is a luxury hotel. Hotels are crowded with rich people every day, and money keeps pouring in, making the rich richer. However, the old locust tree with grandpa big head hung on it has been there for many years and has not been sold for many years. Therefore, for many years, the old locust tree has not become a useful tree, so that villagers were cut down when they left the bungalow where their ancestors lived and moved upstairs. It seems that no one in the village knows what it is for, and even the secretary of the township party Committee says he doesn't know what this tree is going to do. Maybe it was cut into firewood and burned, maybe. The village party secretary even said, who knows who was hanged on that old locust tree before we were born?

I feel very lucky. I am lucky because the locust tree planted by my grandfather and I is still thriving. Of course, when I was five years old, my grandfather and I planted three locust trees together. Unfortunately, only this one survived, but this one was preserved when the villagers moved upstairs, and it was not cut down like an old locust tree that hanged Grandpa Big Head.

"Why isn't this locust tree cut down?" I stood under the locust tree, looking at its lush branches and mumbling. I want to ask grandpa, this locust tree we planted has been growing for 30 years. What can it become? Unfortunately, grandpa has already left, so I can't ask him. But from the eyes of the villagers looking at this old locust tree, I know that everyone has remembered it.

"When I saw the old pagoda tree, I remembered the old house and yard where we lived."

"It seems that there is only this old locust tree in the old site of our village."

"Yes, if we don't have this old pagoda tree, people will wonder if our village ever existed?"

……

When I returned to my hometown again, several villagers came from afar, also watching the old locust tree chatting. I didn't interrupt them, and I didn't know what to say, just kept silent. Just as I kept silent, an uncle named twelfth month in the hospital smiled and said to me, "It seems that you and your grandfather planted this old pagoda tree?"

"Yes, it's been 30 years. I remember when I asked him to call her sister. " I said.

"When you let it call your sister, I will stand by your side. Obviously this tree didn't call you sister, but you have to say that this tree called your sister. At that time, I smiled and said, look, she said that trees can talk! How can a tree talk? " Uncle twelfth lunar month said.

"Yes, I clearly heard the tree calling my sister, but others said they didn't hear it." I said.

Uncle twelfth lunar still smiled and said, it's really good. In those years, you and your grandfather planted such an old locust tree. If it weren't for the old locust tree you planted, there would be no shadow in our village now.

Uncle twelfth lunar is right. Now that the village is gone, all the villagers have moved upstairs. The adobe house in the village has long been stripped, and the only thing left is this 30-year-old locust tree. Therefore, I am very fortunate that this old pagoda tree planted by my grandfather and I has become the only symbol in the village. Without such a sign, would our village really disappear?

In this way, the old locust tree stood with the dead in the village and with the dead of our ancestors.

As we all know, a tree that lives longer than our ancestors hides an unknown village history, which is more real and comprehensive than people know. I dare say that although this tree was planted by my grandfather and I, and although it is several years younger than me, I don't know as much about this village as it does. It knows everything that has happened in the village in the past 30 years, and I only know some simple details. A few years ago, when there were many old trees in the village, no one took care of this tree. Due to ignorance of ancient trees and history, people almost cut down all the ancient trees and trees in the village. The person who cut down the tree seems to know nothing about it. They cut down themselves and the ancestors of this village. Now only this locust tree in this village is a few years younger than me, only 30 years old. I began to worry that this locust tree would be cut down one day. Even if I could become a great talent, I would not find the old village when I came back from the city. Any shadow of the old village would not remain in my eyes, but only in my mind. Even if the development technology is advanced in the future, it will not be able to show the real face of the village to the world. So, it's terrible to think about it. So, I put my arms around the old pagoda tree and kissed the eye-shaped scar on the tree deeply.

After a while, I flew from my city to another city in the distance. I feel that the plane just passed over our village, so I have been staring down at the hanging window of the plane to see the old locust tree several years younger than me. Of course, the plane flew so high and so fast that I couldn't see the old pagoda tree at all, but I clearly saw the old pagoda tree in my mind. A few days ago, someone in the village came into town and told me that a pair of magpies were nesting in an old locust tree, and magpies kept flying on it. Think like this, as if the magpie flew to the window of the plane, like a soul who refused to leave, looking at the village where he had lived all his life from the air. So, I looked at the magpie and myself and muttered, "What can an old locust tree have?" What can live with my hometown? "

Second grandpa's cow tied to the pile

It's autumn wind in September again, and I feel cool all over.

In this season, everything on the earth seems to be coming to an end. Crops waiting to be harvested in the field, children walking on their way to school, trees on the roadside are covered with fallen leaves. ...

In this season, I once again returned to the barren land of my hometown.

The old village has moved away, and there is no house on the old site, which is desolate. Weeds naturally took advantage of the loopholes and grew wildly, covering the ruins that should have been exposed in the original village.

More than a year ago, the village was stripped off overnight and replaced by a so-called new community next to the old site. There are not many high-rise buildings, only a few, and four or five hundred people live in the village.

"A few buildings can become a' happy garden'?" That's what I said when I met the village party secretary. I don't blame anything the village party secretary said, because I am taller than him, and he called me aunt. No matter how old he is, he is a junior. Therefore, he can only listen to his aunt.

"There are several buildings at present, and many more will be built in the future. When many buildings are built, men, women and children from more than a dozen villages will move here. By then, the' Happy Garden' will be really happy. " When the village party secretary said this, he smiled at me, and then cried affectionately and said to his aunt, you'd better not be picky. The superior asked us to go upstairs in the village, but we can't do it without going upstairs. Besides, this happy life has to be reflected by going upstairs, right? "

I went to the ruins to see the old things in the village. All the old things are in the old site, even if the village was smashed into ruins overnight, they didn't disappear. I once thought about bringing an old object I love back to the city, but can I think of getting it in the city or an old object? Besides, Sir Zhong has long said that old things are difficult to move, so he gave up. When I went to my hometown before, the old things remained firmly in the old site. Although the overgrown wormwood covered them, it still failed to escape my eyes. However, the old price has lost its original luster and has become a little rusty under the wormwood.

In fact, the old object is nothing special, just hanging up. I don't know why, I like such a post about tying cows, and I feel that it holds my childhood and the history of the village. Of course, the cow-tied pile is different from other cow-tied piles in the village. It grows on land and protrudes from the ground. Sir Zhong tied the cow to it, which was very strong. No matter how noisy the cow is, he won't put the pile in.

"What's good about a cow bolt?" When the village party secretary said this, I stared at him with a smile and said, you know too little. How can you be a village party secretary? The village party secretary still smiled at me and said nothing. He doesn't seem to understand my favorite awesome post at all. Yes, a stake tied to a cow is nothing to see, but what's the story behind it? At that time, there were countless cattle-tied piles in the village, and each of them had a different story. These stories constitute the history of our village, and the most unforgettable thing is that the stake that tied the cow grew up with me. After growing up, it still lies on the ground and still buries itself deeply in the soil.

Niutie is not my family's, but my second grandfather's, the neighbor across the street.

My home faces east, and my second grandpa's home faces south. There is someone in the south of my house, and there is an inlet in the south of my second grandfather's house. Therefore, the older generation said that the second grandfather's home is good in geomantic omen, sitting facing south, facing the water, and the breeze is natural. However, I haven't found out how cool and natural the second grandpa's house is since I can remember. I only know that Grandpa Two has two daughters who have married abroad, and Grandpa Two and Grandma are dependent on each other. Numerous furrows on his face tell the hardships of life and show the vicissitudes of time. When I was in primary school, every day when I came home from school, I could see my second grandfather coming back from outside with the cow, and I could see him tying the cow to the post in front of the door. Then, throw some wheat straw or grass cut from the outside to the cow and the cow will eat it. He squatted on the edge of the bay, smoking a pack of cigarettes. Grandpa's tobacco pouch is very long, almost half a meter. Whenever he smokes, I always like to squat and look at the long cigarette bag in his hand and every long white mist he spits out. At that time, the cow was tied to the stake by the reins and could not walk away by itself. Grandpa two is not tied by the reins, but he can't walk away, as if he were tied to the edge of the bay by an invisible rope, keeping company with cattle. Later, Grandpa Two passed away, leaving Grandma Two alone, but Grandpa Two's grave was in the vacant lot in the east of Bay, and there was an earthen bag standing near Niugang. Of course, the village was stripped completely overnight, and the grave bag of the second grandfather was also leveled. Fortunately, the stake that tied the cow is still there, like Sir Zhong left it there specially to accompany the underground.

Grandpa's cow died several years later than him. In those years, the second daughter-in-law took the reins from the second grandfather and took the cow out early every morning and came back at night. Later, the second grandma was old, and gradually she couldn't farm, and the old cow couldn't do any work. But the second grandma didn't want to sell the cow, let alone be killed, so she let Niu Yi accompany her day by day, and the cow became the only companion of the second grandma. Later, the cow suddenly died, but the second grandmother lived for many years. So everyone in the village said that if Mr. Zhong doesn't die, the cow won't die either, because the cow has Mr. Zhong's life and Mr. Zhong also has the life of the cow. During the period, I went to my second grandma's house countless times to see the old ox she fed and said something that had nothing to do with her. My second daughter-in-law asked me, "Neil, have you read eight volumes?" My second grandma saw a book in my arms. Most elderly people in rural areas can't read, and they often know the degree of learning according to the thickness of books. At that time, there were one or two textbooks for grade one and three or four textbooks for grade two. After finishing primary school, it is the tenth book. My second grandma thought I was going to graduate from primary school when she saw that the book in my hand was very thick. Actually, it's an extracurricular story book, which doesn't mean what grade I'm in.

"I have only read five volumes. This book is a collection of stories. " I said.

"This story can also go to the market? Great! " Second grandma said.

Now many years have passed, and my second grandma's words and kind face still flash in my mind. Maybe it's because of the words of my second grandma, maybe it's because of my second grandpa's tobacco pouch, and the shiny cow stake is engraved in my memory, which also reminds me that the cow stake has roots, and its roots are deeply rooted in the underground of the village. Whoever wants to pull it out will pull it out unless a big hole is dug around the pile. Grandpa two once said that this cow-tied pile is not a cow-tied pile, but a very real jujube tree. When the jujube tree grows to the size of a bowl, the village implements the responsibility field, and all the cows are assigned to their own homes. Grandpa two happily tied it to the jujube tree in front of the door. After dinner, when he came out, he saw that the cow had chewed up the jujube bark, leaving only the place where the cow's head was up. The next spring, when the jujube tree didn't germinate again, the second grandpa simply cut off its stem with an axe, leaving only the root with a hook, and the cow stake was really settled in the village. After a day's work, the cow was tired and tied to a post when she got home. At that time, I often went to see the cows after school and the wooden stakes tied to them. Once, I saw the second grandpa tighten the reins tied to the cow again, saying that the cow was not free to be tied to the post. Grandpa smiled and said, are people freer than cows? I said that people are of course freer than cows, and they can go wherever they want. If you tie the cow here, it is not free at all. Grandpa still smiled and said, you are too young to understand. In fact, people are not as free as cows. People's lives and cattle's lives are tied by a rope, and they are tied to this village all their lives. Our village is a bigger share, and the whole village is bound for life. Even if I have the opportunity to go out, I will return to this village no matter how far away I am. Zhao Botao of the North Campus and Wang of the West Campus both went to Hainan Island after the Huaihai Campaign and returned to the village as members.

Grandpa said here, suddenly remembered something. He waved at me and said that your children are different now and have grown up. It is very likely that there will be no way to tie you down in the village in the future, but you must remember to come back and have a look. I said, look at what? See the post holding the cow? Sir Zhong said it's all right, and it's worth seeing the stakes that tie the cows, otherwise you will miss our village no matter how far you go.

The autumn wind is still there, and I once again bid farewell to the village in the autumn wind. Accurately speaking, I am bidding farewell to the old site of the village, but the original appearance of the village is deeply imprinted in my mind. At that moment, I clearly saw the post where Sir Zhong tied the cow. Although it has been deeply buried in the soil, it still stands in the feeling, singing familiar songs in the autumn wind, as if it were "pulling a big saw, pulling a big saw, grandma's house, singing a big drama"; Sitting in rows, eating fruit, one for you, one for me, and one for my sister when she sleeps ...

Every ballad, sung through the autumn wind and the stakes tied by cows, is like a sob in the memory of the village.