Memories of rivers and paths in my hometown

? My hometown is an ordinary village in xiaohe town, Xun County, Henan Province. Because there are many Han surnames in the village, it is called Hanjiadian, or han cun. At the southern end of the village, there is a small river crossing from west to east. In fact, it is a ditch dug for flood discharge, so people in the village call it "Nangou".

? When I was a child, there was a lot of water in Nangou. In summer, the boys in the village go swimming in the river. The land on both sides of the river is lower than that in the village. When the water is big, the fields on both sides of the river will be flooded. Therefore, the land on the south bank of Zhongnangou in memory does not dare to plant soybeans, and it is best to plant sorghum. Generally, the river can only cover half of sorghum. In autumn, the river fades, and the red and heavy sorghum ears will basically not affect the harvest. When the water rises in summer, there are fish in the river, so the children secretly go to the river to touch the fish and cook it. Parents are always worried that something will happen to their children by the river, so there are always adults who go to the south of the village to find their children and shout their names while walking.

? By the time I was in junior high school, there was not much water in the river, and even in summer, the water would not overflow the bank. There is no junior high school in our village, and all the children in the village have to go to Liuzhuang village on the south bank of Xiaohe, so we have to pass through this small river ditch every day after school. In order to facilitate children to go to school, a small bridge was built on the river, crossing the bridge, and walking south along the path between the ridges, you can walk to the village where the school is located. All the happy stories happened on this path during school.

? This path is very narrow. After school, a dozen children walked along the path together, and some went to the fields on both sides of the path. After a long time, the wheat seedlings on the roadside were trampled down, and the fields of sixty or seventy centimeters next to the path could not grow crops well. The owner of the land was afraid that these student dolls would continue to trample on the wheat seedlings, so he dug many pits and ditches on the roadside. There are often students who accidentally fell into the pit last night while rushing to study for themselves. They got up and patted the soil to continue running, fearing that they would be late for class and had no time to complain.

? In early spring, willows sprouted on both sides of the river. On the way to school, the students left the willow branches, slowly loosened the willow bark, pulled out the junior high school students, and made a small willow flute with clear voice and thick business. Although I can't play, I can blow out the sound, and the students are very happy. The river is flowing, the willow flute is melodious, the students are laughing, and the path in early spring is cheerful. Unknown wildflowers, red, yellow and white, bloom on the slopes on both sides of the path. After hibernation, the wheat seedlings in the wheat field began to grow desperately, green, breezes blowing, green waves rolling, one after another. In March and April, the light pink apricot blossoms in the fields are in full bloom, followed by pink peach blossoms. Around May, white pear blossoms are not far behind. There is a folk saying: peach blossoms bloom, apricot blossoms decline, and pear blossoms follow. Colorful spring, warm sunshine, rising temperature, swallows flying, students singing on the path, the voice of endorsement, the voice of farmers working in the fields, the path is full of joy and excitement.

As the weather gets hotter and hotter, from the season of wheat flowering to harvest, the longer and fuller the ears of wheat are, and it is also a harvest season. "Goo goo, barley ripens first." When the cuckoo began to sing, the wheat began to turn yellow. On the way to school, I dragged two ears of wheat to rub in my hand, leaking green wheat and chewing it in my mouth. The smell of wheat spread between my lips and teeth. On the way back from night lessons, I heard someone whispering in the wheat field, and the naughty boy went in and took a look. It turned out that a man and a woman were in love, so laughter sounded in the silent summer night. In the moonlight, I saw two people walking away, so everyone left with a smile.

? In autumn, the corn in the field grows tall, and a gust of wind blows, and the leaves of the corn rattle. Crossing the path at night, the cornfields on both sides are eerie. Small partners usually go hand in hand. Once they were alone, they quickly ran across the path until they saw the lights of the distant village. There are traces of broken corn stalks on both sides of the path. Maybe another greedy child broke the corn stalks and used them as sugarcane. When we were young, it was difficult to eat sugar cane. Many children have never seen sugar cane. Corn stalk has a sweet taste, and everyone calls it "sweet stalk". In the season when corn is ripe, adults who are tired of breaking corn in the field will also sit on the floor, chewing half a corn stalk beautifully and sucking sweet juice.

? In winter, when the river freezes, bold boys stop taking small bridges and take short shortcuts to slide directly across the ice. Adults are always worried that the ice is too thin and dangerous, so they are warned every time. In winter, the path is empty and unobstructed, even the graves in the field can be seen at a glance, but we are not afraid. Because we have to walk back and forth on this road four times a day, we are too familiar with this path, too familiar with the grass and trees here, and of course, those round graves are just mounds. In winter, the north wind blows bitterly, because we walk from south to north after school, and the cold wind blows on our faces like knives. When the wind is strong, I dare not walk straight, so I walk backwards to the south and look back from time to time for fear of hitting obstacles on the road or falling into a pit on the side of the road. There are often traces of fire on the roadside. The most important thing in the countryside is firewood. There are piles of corn stalks and hay everywhere on the roadside. You can pick some to warm yourself up.

2065438+I went back to my hometown in July 2008, went to the river with my nephew, crossed the small bridge and walked south along the path for a while. This river has been dry for many years, and its banks have been leveled by farmers. On the east side of the bridge, along the river slope, some people planted many poplars, which have grown to the size of a bowl, and almost no traces of the river can be seen. Some people planted crops on the river slope west of the bridge. The bushes and weeds on the river bank no longer exist, and it is not clear where the shore is and where the river is, but the part at the bottom of the river is lower than the field next to it, and the original position of the river can be vaguely found. The river has been destroyed beyond recognition and lost its former style. The path is still there, but there are no ditches and pits on both sides of the road, which is flatter and straighter than before. You can stand by and watch from the bridge until the end of the road. On the west side of the path is a grape trellis, and the corn on the east side of the path has just grown half a foot high. All the children in the village are going to junior high school in the town now. There is no junior high school in Liu Zhuang Central School, only primary schools are left, and the students are all from Liu Zhuang. Children in our village will never go to school along this path again, and the path has lost its former excitement.

? Rivers and paths give me too many memories. I often dream of picking dates by the river and chasing butterflies by the roadside. There are also many dreams of learning to swim in the river. From the west to the east of the bridge, the river widens, the water flows slowly, the field of vision is wide, the grass is green and the river is clear. I often bring my husband and children into dreams, play by the river and rest on the grass. Over the years, I have been far away from my hometown, visited many places and seen rivers, lakes, seas and tall buildings in many places. The scenery is beautiful, but only the rivers and paths in my hometown make me unforgettable. Unfortunately, that beautiful river and that cheerful path can only exist in my memory and dreams.