Chronicle of river race

My hometown is in Jiangnan, which is a state-owned military reclamation farm. I lived there for 18 years.

Sanxi River winds through the village, flows into Fuhe River and joins the Yangtze River, so this place is also called Hesai. Regarding this place name, the word "river" can be understood. What does the word "race" mean? There is no dragon boat race in the river on weekdays. Why is it called river race? I still don't understand this. Anyway, everyone calls it that, and over time we will get used to it. Of course, some people in other production teams on the farm also call us Linshan Formation, because there are many mountains and forests near our village. There are mountains, water and trees. Think of this as a good place.

The scope of the river clan is not large, and it is the floorboard of several small villages scattered along the river. Jose is located at the north gate of Junken Farm in Baota section of National Highway 106. The bridge across Sanxi River is called Jose Bridge, which was built in 1958, and it is the only place for the north to enter the farm. There is an agency shop near Qiaobei Highway, where two or three families live. Cross the bridge, walk south along the highway for about one kilometer, and cross a mountain ridge. There is a row of houses on the east and west sides of the highway. Our family lives in the row of houses on the east side more than 0/00 meters away from the expressway/kloc-. That is a house built in the 1960s and 1970s. The single rooms are all three-story structures, the walls are adobe, and the herringbone roof is covered with rafters and purlins, covered with layers of gray tiles. There are five or six families living in the whole row of houses.

My house is the one to the south of that row of houses. People near the two ends of the house have an advantage, that is, they can build sheds on the side of the house. The shed is an extension of the house and is called a "shelter", which plays a huge role. In the shed, some firewood can be piled on the upper floor, and the lower floor can be used as a temporary chicken house or pig house. In this respect, my father is an expert in building sheds. Although he worked as a worker in a small factory on the farm at that time, when he came back from work, he would help his mother with farm work or join hands with his grandfather to build a shed at home whenever he was free. The place behind the house is a bit cramped, and within two or three meters, it is a highland flush with the eaves. Needless to say, it used to be a hill, and the top of it was already flattened by bulldozers, forming a large clearing like a basketball court, which was usually covered with weeds and low shrubs. The reason why the east-west direction is uneven is that there are many rocks under the highland near the back door of my house, and bulldozers can't help, which forms the present landform.

Come out from the back door of my house, walk up the 45-degree slope parallel to the house, and you will reach the open space on the highland. There are several telephone poles in the open space, which are used by the farm to pull the broadcast line. There is a silver-gray horn hanging high on the last telephone pole in the east. Every morning or evening, the sweet voice of the farm announcer always rings on time. At that time, broadcasting was a good thing. It opened a window to the outside world for the villagers. They learn about the latest farm policies and news from the radio every day, pay attention to the daily weather, get agricultural information and listen to popular radio dramas. In short, the radio accompanied the villagers through many wonderful and happy times. Go back ten or twenty meters from the highland, and there is an irrigation canal. After crossing the canal, all the way to the west, the terrain is low again, and the road passes through here, with rice fields and tea gardens on both sides.

There is also a clearing five or six meters wide in front of my house, and the terrain is low again. Looking around, in front of the door are vegetable gardens, paddy fields, Chinese fir forests, lotus ponds and lakes. Spring is the season when grass grows wildly in peppers. Knee-high pepper grass often surrounds the front and back of the house, cutting off a large piece with a sickle, but it won't be long before they grow back. I hate pepper grass very much, not only because its spicy skin hurts my eyes, but also because it provides a good shelter for small animals such as snakes and weasels to do evil. During this period, chickens and ducklings on the farm often suffer. Occasionally, one or two poisonous snakes called "shrinking head" climb out of the grass. Adults often issue severe warnings to children, and try not to provoke this poisonous snake, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.

Speaking of snakes, one thing impressed me deeply. One day, Zhang Mianjiang, who lives in a row of houses with us, killed a snake. It's a big flower snake. For some reason, it lurks under the bed of the Zhang family and can't be driven away. Rural people are superstitious. Snakes can't fight when they go home, they can only drive away, especially this big snake. Everyone believes that snakes are spiritual. Some people say it must be a lazy snake, otherwise why can't you get rid of it? Or drive away and come back in a few days. There is something fishy about it. Zhang Mianjiang finally got angry and forgot so many taboos. The ancients said, how can others sleep soundly by the couch? What's more, it is a big snake? It's a little scary to think about it. So Zhang found a bamboo pole and patted the snake to catch it, and the snake faded. Children say that bamboo is a snake's uncle, and snakes are not afraid to see bamboo poles. In a word, the snake was finally killed by Zhang Jian, and it hung on a big tree in front of Zhang's house for several days.

Adults say that the serpent was changed by Zhang Mianjiang's ex-wife. The woman died unjustly and came to Zhang Mianjiang to collect debts! Zhang's wife was a flower in the village when she was young. That year, I don't know why, the husband and wife had a big fight. The woman couldn't take it easy for a moment, so she found a short-sighted idea and died after drinking pesticide. It's a pity to think of a woman who lost her life at a young age. People can't come back from the dead, even if there is something big, you can't take this step. Zhang Mianjiang felt deeply guilty that his wife died because of himself. He drank all day and was depressed for a while. But after all, men can't bear loneliness, and the new soil on the grave of their dead wife hasn't dried yet. The next spring, when the cuckoo was singing, Zhang Mianjiang married another wife, Ruan Shi. Two people are affectionate, but they also love each other.