Local Prose: Grave on Hometown Land —— Roots of Wandering Wanderers

My hometown is Tengzhou, Shandong. The land is fertile and flat. In recent years, all kinds of potatoes have been planted. At the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the greenhouse has become a scale, and only a vast expanse of whiteness can be seen, but the real face of the land cannot be seen. But when the potatoes are harvested in spring, or the crops in autumn are put into storage, another kind of "landscape" will appear on the vast land, that is, graves that people feel everywhere. Our hometown is called the tomb.

The graves in my hometown are mostly ancestral graves, scattered in the fields behind the village. In recent years, some people find it inconvenient to be on other people's land, so they move their ancestral graves to their own land or exchange land with others. When the graves were moved to their own fields, they no longer had any scruples. In recent years, tombs have become more and more crowded. It is said that many years ago, the state called for leveling graves, trying not to enclose graves and reducing the occupation of cultivated land, but it has rebounded in recent years. Some graves are close to the village, even in front of people's homes, but there is no way. The roots of people's ancestral graves are there, and it is not easy to move away.

When I was young, I was most afraid of graves. I dare not go far when I go out at night. If I pass the cemetery in broad daylight, my calves will tremble. At that time, the village was not as big as it is now, but there were many people. Every family has several children, the output of planting crops is low and the land is expensive. Many graves choose the land by the river, the ditch and the hillside, and the graves are not big. Now the land is not so expensive, and some people have moved their ancestral graves to their own land, which is getting closer and closer to the village. I seldom go home at ordinary times, and I don't know if my family is afraid to go out at night. Sitting in the car during the day is a "sight".

For a while, I couldn't figure out why people in my hometown like to enclose big graves and put them in greenhouses. Can they work without fear? Is it convenient? And now the funeral in our country is becoming more and more exquisite. Although the cremation policy is implemented, the ashes will still be put into big coffins, and there will still be a big grave in the soil and a big grave on the ground. Will this destroy cultivated land? Will it leave hidden dangers for future generations? Sometimes I feel that I am an "outsider". I have been away from my hometown for more than 30 years, and I should not worry about the luxury of my hometown. However, when I go home during the New Year, I often go to the ancestral grave to visit my grandparents. Many ancestors and peers who died in recent years are buried in the tomb of Zhangjiazu. Looking at this ancestral grave, I counted the relatives of the Zhang family that I have seen and have never seen. I suddenly understood the meaning of hometown people's love for leaving graves.

Ancestor's grave is a ribbon, one end of which is connected with the land of hometown, and the other end is tied with the root soul of the wanderer. Is a hometown without ancestral graves still called a hometown? Without the inheritance of the incense on the tomb, can we still find our roots?

There is a family named Meng in our village. In their early years, they were forced by life to travel in the northeast for many years. After the land was contracted, farmers lived a better life. They returned to the village with their married children, not only giving them to themselves, but also giving their land and homestead to their children born outside the customs. At that time, people came down from their roots, but if they could, they were unwilling to leave their hometown and be buried elsewhere.

Now people's ideas have changed, and their lifestyles have also changed. Many young people never want to come back from the day they left their hometown. Other little dolls were born in urban buildings bought by their parents and studied and worked in cities since childhood. Although their registered permanent residence is still in their hometown, they are no longer masters of the country. They don't hate land, but they are afraid of farming; Their roots are still in the countryside, but they are unwilling to return to the countryside; Their parents are still in the countryside, but they seldom go to the countryside. They have wandering capital and reasons to stay away from their homeland.

But they still have strong feelings for their hometown in their bones and a strong sense of identity with their hometown. I am afraid that the most important thing to connect them with their hometown and maintain their connection with their hometown is to go home to sweep the graves during the Chinese New Year holiday. No matter how far away, they also know where their ancestors are; No matter how far they go, they all know how to go back to their hometown to repair their ancestral graves. This is the inheritance of blood, this is the continuation of feelings, and this is the charm of family ties.

Those old people who are still stranded in their hometown or middle-aged people who are still struggling in their hometown are deeply attached to their hometown and reluctant to leave the place where they have lived for decades, but they also give their descendants full understanding and selfless help in their yearning for urban life. They want their children to live a better life in the city, but they also hope that the next generation and even the next generation will not forget their hometown. They don't want to tie the child's legs, nor do they want to completely let go of the child's heart. In addition to old houses and homes, children can also miss home, and the graves of ancestors can remind future generations of their homesickness.

Shandong people attach importance to tradition, inheritance and continuation. Many young people who are wandering outside have really integrated into the city, and some have not yet taken root in the city. Some of them still have to go back. For hometown, everyone is actually a leaf, and the falling of leaves is the wish of every leaf. I think this is the intention of leaving a grave in our hometown. Every year during the Chinese New Year, Tomb-Sweeping Day, the first day of the tenth lunar month, and the seventh, third, fifth and seventh days after the death of the elderly, many young people who are away from home will consciously go home to burn incense and paper for their ancestors and repair graves. This is the most important ceremony for every wanderer who goes out to find his hometown and pass on his affection. It is the tomb of his ancestors, which binds the roots and souls of these wanderers together.

I used to think that going to the grave was feudal in our hometown. It was not until I got old and began to miss my hometown that I realized the thoughts of the older generation. Especially in recent years, every important day of ancestor worship, many people in the city will also set up fruit incense candles on the roadside at night and burn incense and kowtow in the direction of their hometown. They are people who have no time to go back to their hometown. In a special way, they pay homage to their deceased relatives in the distance. This custom has also been recognized by the local government. Many places also provide fixed-point paper burning, which provides convenience for people to remember their ancestors and pass on their affection.

Everyone has roots, and everyone can't forget their roots. Everyone has homesickness, and every homesickness needs to be passed on. The graves on the land of my hometown have taken root, locking the souls of people who work hard outside, making them go further and longer, never forgetting my hometown or living there.