Xi Gu Hai's Prose

Xihaigu refers to the poor mountainous areas in the south-central Ningxia. Because of the long-term drought, it was identified as an uninhabitable area by the relevant departments of the United Nations in the 1970s, because the annual precipitation there was less than 300mm, but the evaporation was as high as 1, 500mm. From June 5438 to early February, 2009, the author and photographer went deep into Jiudao Village, Wangli Town, Haiyuan County, the hinterland of Xihaigu, and reported the living conditions of the villagers under drought.

In Jiudao Village, the most planted crop is potato (potato). Its greatest advantage is drought tolerance and short growth period. It can grow as long as it rains a little in autumn. In the driest time, the yield per mu can be three or four hundred kilograms. In addition, some crops are sorghum, corn, millet and so on. Sometimes you can grow some watermelons. These plants can only be harvested from the sky. Take wheat as an example, as long as it rains a little, the yield per mu can be thirty or forty kilograms. In dry years, if 5 kilograms of seeds are removed per mu, only a dozen kilograms of wheat can be recovered. If there is drought, there will be no production and no grain harvest.

Luo Yongzhi, 68, has been living in this village. Luo Yongzhi poured baskets of snow into the cellar, twisted the snow with rough hands, and said confidently that the cellar water would be fine next year. I saw a glimmer of light in Luo Yongzhi's eyes, just like talking about how beautiful his daughter is. He also said that at this time last year, if it didn't snow, he would let several children carry bamboo baskets and go to the distant ravine to carry ice cubes. Every household goes to look for ice. The brackish water at the bottom of the ditch (so-called brackish water, that is, water with a salt content of more than one gram per liter of water) forms ice, the top layer is relatively pure, and the water below is too salty to drink. This kind of brackish water is not available in every gully. So, we have to queue up in order to buy ice.

Stories related to water

In Xihaigu, you can hear many water-related names: Shuiwa, Quanyou, Haibo and Dajiang. Place names, the drier the place, the more water names are: Shiquan, Shoushuishui, Shuanghe, Xiashuihe, Caowa, Xiangshuigou and Longchiwan. Glancing at these place names, I thought I was in Zeguo, a water town.

In Jiudao Village, the word we hear the most is water cellar. Don't underestimate the humble water cellar, it is more grateful to the people of Xihaigu. Digging a hole, leveling the yard and saving rainwater are the experiences handed down by our ancestors and passed down from generation to generation for a long time. People use this to get the most basic domestic water. Luo Yongzhi's family has three water cellars. The shape of water cellar is very similar to that of water well, but its internal structure is different. They all have wellhead and well site. On the other hand, wells can ooze water and are inexhaustible, but water cellars can't. Under the cellar, a round or square water tank was built with cement to store water. On the ground, there is a flat area for collecting water. When it rains, rainwater can flow into the cellar and be stored. The cellar can't seep, and people are eager for a sudden rainstorm one day to let more water flow into the cellar. If it doesn't rain for a long time, we have to wait until winter, go to the distant mountain top to carry snow or ice, turn it into a cellar and support the family's life. The storage of water cellar depends entirely on rain. If it doesn't rain for a long time, the cellar will gradually dry up, which is the most deadly. There is a waterwheel in the village with two iron cans on it, and animals are put on it to pull water in the Huangguan Irrigation District of Guanqiao Township dozens of miles away. Pull 1 ton of water costs 50 yuan, which can last for half a month. There are also water sellers. Like rural vendors, water sellers drive jumping cars and pull two tin cans to sell water from door to door. There are also families who have no money to buy water. In desperation, they had to drink bitter salt water.

There is a saying in Xihaigu: a mouthful of water, two tears and a ladle of water is heaven. And every household in Jiudao Village can tell you many legendary stories about water. For example, some women in the village were forced to make a living and fell in love with water sellers. The villagers finally saw through the tricks and drove away the vendors. When the man heard about it, he used up all his savings, bought land in other places, moved his family and left Jiudao Village. For example, getting married is related to water first. In this area, the wealth of a family is mainly reflected by the amount of water stored. When the matchmaker goes to the man's house, the first thing to do is to inquire about the property at home, that is, to see how many cellars there are at home first. It is difficult for a family with few puddles to marry a wife.

Luo Yongzhi has five children, three daughters and two sons. The eldest daughter is married to the seventh battalion, which has three water cellars, and the draft is no problem. Luo Yongzhi is very relieved. The second daughter is stubborn and fell in love with a young man in Houshan Village when she was in the market in Wangli Town. Marriage here is still the fate of parents, the words of matchmakers. But the second child insisted on dying, desperate to combine with that young man. This is a very sensational local news. But I haven't lived a year, and my second child can't stand it. The boy's house in Houshan Village has only one water cellar, which often dries up, so he has to eat bitter salt water. The second child refused to drink bitter salt water and wanted to go back to Jiudao Village, but her husband's family wouldn't let him. Over time, the second child was a little abnormal and was sent back to Jiudao Village. The third daughter, Luo, just got married and just returned to her family. With our arrival, flowers are extremely exciting and novel.

Two sons are working outside, and the eldest son goes to Xinjiang to drive a long-distance bus for others to run and transport. In Jiudao Village, many young people go to Xinjiang to drive for others. Most of the area there is the Gobi desert, which requires continuous driving all night. In a car, two drivers take turns to change shifts. As a result, some people had an accident because of overwork and never came back. Some people came back on crutches. The second son lives in Shizuishan City, Ningxia, and makes a living by smashing coal. The so-called smashing coal is to smash the whole coal into small pieces. The second child, with his wife and children, can earn 2000 a month in Shizuishan city. Eldest brother and second brother haven't come back for two or three years. They would rather work as coolies outside than come back to drink the bitter water here.

Thirsty cows and wolves

In addition to people living in the wasteland of Xihaigu, there are a large number of cattle, sheep, dogs and other livestock living, and they are also facing serious drinking water problems. Dogs are very good and can move freely. Cattle are the most miserable, chained and unable to move. The water in the cellar, of course, is impossible for them to drink. What should we do?

I drove the cow to a distant ravine to drink bitter salt water, but the cow didn't want to drink it. What should I do? People in Jiudao Village have come up with a way to trick cows into drinking bitter salt water. On top of the bitter salt water, they sprinkled a layer of bran that cows like to eat, and the cows drank one layer and sprinkled another. Then all the cows drank bitter salt water. If those thirsty cows see bitter salt water, they will plunge into it and keep drinking. When a cow drinks water, its belly bulges like a huge drum. Still drinking, if we don't stop it, the cow will swell to death. The driver had to whip the cow with a whip, and the cow reluctantly raised its head. It turns out that most people are far away from the salty ditch, and some cows can only come to drink a backwater for two or three days. The cow is too thirsty to drink water. It won't stop by itself unless someone whips it.