Ma Chaohu Hungry Water

Hungry for water (past events)

Ma Chaohu

Water, no more, no less, after touching every inch of skin on the body, it is just enough to moisten the soles of the feet , almost not a drop of water is wasted on the ground. Our skin drinks up every spoonful of water. Mother locked the water kiln and said to us with a smile: "You are really hungry." This is the only word I have heard so far that refers to "thirsty" as "hungry".

I was born in a water-scarce place in the north. I remember that at that time, people in our village had to go to a small spring ten kilometers away to pick up water. We often had to queue for several seconds. After waiting in a long queue for an hour, I could pick up a load and go home. This is how I know the idiom "when the truth comes out". Over water, neighbors often have conflicts. Especially in the summer and autumn seasons when water is cut off, relations in the village become even more tense. "Inviting me to drink is not as good as inviting me to drink." This is the most common saying among people in the village.

Raining is a day that everyone in the village looks forward to, and only on such days can everyone get along with each other in peace. At that time, every household had a water cellar to store household water for a long time in the future on rainy days.

Only on rainy days can everyone get along with each other in peace and take a refreshing bath. First, children like us stripped naked and ran and jumped in the rain, shouting and enjoying the touch and coolness that the water brought to us. We also raised our heads and opened our mouths wide to drink the water from the sky. Then, the adults also joined in the bathing procession, but they were far less open-minded than us - the men wore shorts and the women wore long clothes and trousers, which was far less enjoyable than us.

After taking a shower, everyone met each other, and each other was surprised. One person said: "Ah, why have you gained weight?" Another person said: "Ah, you are so white." "Just like festivals, there are too few such beautiful days in our place. They are more dry and hot. Especially in summer, after a day of farm work under the scorching sun, both men, women and children have a feeling that they will be dried out. feeling. The water stored in the water kiln becomes even more precious. My mother locked up our desire for water with a big lock, and the key hanging on her belt symbolizes authority, happiness and joy. We wait for that moment to come.

We four brothers, like four children about to be dried out, lined up in front of our mother naked from oldest to youngest. Mother smiled softly, took the key from her belt, and opened the water kiln. A breath of water hit our faces, and we all gasped. Then, mother picked up a ladle of water from the water kiln with one hand, poured it slowly over our heads, and fanned us with a straw fan in the other hand. Suddenly, the coolness of the water hidden underground, coupled with the breeze, made us all feel so comfortable and screamed.

The water pouring down from the top of our heads slid across our faces, like a small stream, slowly sliding along our necks, across our chests and backs, and then across our thighs and Knees... As the water slid, I could hear the sucking sound of each pore opening its mouth, and I could feel the blood flow in the blood vessels accelerating. Water, no more, no less, after touching every inch of skin on the body, it is just enough to moisten the soles of the feet. There is almost no wasted water on the ground. Our skin drinks up every spoonful of water.

My mother locked the water kiln and said to us with a smile: "You are really hungry."

This is the only way I have heard so far that "thirst" is called "thirst". It's "hungry".