Qingwei | distant rural memories

With the widespread popularization of modern agricultural mechanization in recent years, villagers have become more and more convenient and relaxed in spring planting and autumn harvest. My father was also able to get rid of the busy farm work and often came to Zouping to stay for a while. After tea and dinner, my parents like to tell my two young sons some interesting stories about their hometown, and if my wife and I happen to be at home, we will randomly interject a few words. At this point, they chatted more vigorously.

As for the truth or falsity of the story, given the age and the word of mouth, the parties have long passed away, and it is impossible to confirm them one by one, let alone folklore?

One day in the early winter of 2017, I accidentally learned that Wenyou WangJie had a copy of the "Gazetteer of Binxian County, Shandong Province", so I asked her to help me check some historical evolution and village name changes in Wangjia'an Village in Lize Town, Binzhou Economic Development Zone.

Kung Fu pays off, Sister Wang will send me 3 WeChat pictures, the above written records are clearly visible. The first is the name of the 16 natural villages in the North Chen District of Zezhen in 1984: "Jiebei Chen, Liu Baojia, Jiebei Zhao, Gao Ciguan, Sujia, Wang Zhuangji, Liu Shangwen, Soap Household Guo, Liang Jia, Wang Jia'an, Xiaozhuang, Yantou Feng, Yantou Zhang, Yantou Xia, Yantou Li, Vegetable Garden Dong". The 2nd and 3rd pictures are the specific situation of the village where I was born and raised, Wang Jia'an Village; "Wang Jia'an, formerly known as: Wang An, Wang An." It is located 37.5 miles southwest of Xinbin City, 5 miles northwest of the district station, and 2 miles west of Huimin County. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Zongli was moved here by The Huimin King, and because there was a nunnery in the eastern part of the village, it was named Wang Jia'an. Falsely accused Wang An. There are also Yang, Guo, Liu, Zhang, Su, Lü six surnames... The Party Branch was established in 1950. "The lower page number is page 201 of the gazetteer.

The information of "Xiaozhuang" (called Xiao Zhua by the old family) was only filmed in the first half, not completely filmed, but it aroused my desire to find out. This is the place where I played with my friends, collected firewood, and played dates! More than a decade ago, when I was in middle school, I passed by there every day, and there was still a family living there. Now there are not even those broken walls and ruins, only the deserted name on the map.

Not long after, another literary friend happened to publish several "Walking Nostalgia" series of essays in Binzhou Literature, so I contacted her in the group to help shoot more information about Xiaozhuang on page 202 of Binxian Gazetteer. On Sunday afternoon, we received this precious picture on WeChat: "Xiaozhuang." Former name: Yanjia Xiaozhuang, Xiaozhuang. In the second year of Hongwu, the Yan clan moved from Zaoqiang to this village. Because there are few people in Zhuang, it is called Yanjia Xiaozhuang. The Yan clan was extinct, and the Wang clan moved in from the Wang Family Nunnery and changed its name to Xiaozhuang. Since 1961, he has been in power with Wang Jia'an. ”

After returning home, I inadvertently talked to my father about the "Geographical Names of BinXian County in Shandong Province" and talked about "Xiaozhuang". Father, perhaps because of a little wine, happily opened the conversation box. The father said, "Do you know that there used to be a capable man named Yan Hu in Xiaozhuang, who was infinitely powerful and famous in eight villages in ten miles?" I said, "I haven't heard people say it, and I can't find more information on the Internet." The father said, "You are not busy today, and I happen to be free, so I will give you a nagging, and this story was told to me by your grandfather and grandfather." Yan Tiger real people your grandfather has not seen, you should listen to a story. ”

It is said that before the liberation, there was a young descendant in Yanjia Xiaozhuang, who grew up with a wide waist and a round waist and infinite strength. Because his ancestors have been honest farmers for generations, when he was born, his ancestors did not leave much savings, the family only had three thatched houses, a mat of soil kang, and could not afford to buy cattle and horses and other livestock, although there were several acres of land, but also rely on the sky to eat, often eat the last meal without eating, life is stretched. His parents spent a long time in bitter water, and they were old and frail, sick, and did not leave the medicine for many years. Therefore, he was still unable to marry his daughter-in-law until he was in his thirties, and unfortunately became a bare stick.

But he did not feel discouraged at all, and still happily and happily collected the crops, and all the agricultural work in the fields of ploughing, planting, yun, scooping, and harvesting would be done, purely a crop handle. Especially when the corn is harvested and sown in the autumn, it can show his superiority in agricultural work. As we all know, when sowing winter wheat, it is necessary to level the land first and then sow seeds. When his home is on the ground, it is a landscape, and the side of the path is crowded with spectators watching the liveliness. Only to see him hang the loop strap on his shoulder, pull his legs forward with force, even if he stands on two people or presses a large stone, he can pull faster than other people's old cows.

Of course, there are many things that make this person different. For example, after he finishes planting the land, he will help other poor families to cultivate the land for free, and they will not collect money, as long as they manage a meal. Even if there were landlords and rich peasants who came to hire him, he would not do it according to the daily wages. Whenever there were ordinary people in the village building new houses and raising two high "house mountains", he would come uninvited, without saying much, and specially hand up large and heavy adobe blocks. He seemed to have the inexhaustible strength to throw the west head and then the east head, which attracted people's praise. When the host family does not need to be persuaded to eat at noon, he will drink and eat vegetables in a big mouth, and he will not delay his work in the afternoon. According to the village masters, once he ate a cage of nests that had just come out of the pot, and many people were suddenly calmed. In a village with closed news, coupled with the fact that Yan Laohu has been alone, his actions have become mysterious and have become legends.

One year, just after the New Year, many people from Xiaozhuang and Wangjia'an met to go to Huimin Huji Town to catch a book club. Yan Laohu went a little late, so he hurried forward. When I passed a small bridge in a certain village, I felt a little hot on my body, so I took off the sheepskin jacket sent by my relatives. He was a straight-forward, acute man, and he felt that the sheepskin jacket was in his hand and was not able to run hard, so he took a large stone that was no longer used in the mill and pressed the sheepskin jacket under the big tree at the head of the bridge. When he returned from the dark sky in the afternoon, he remembered that the sheepskin jacket was still there, so he ran quickly. At this time, there happened to be two people who liked to take advantage of small things, trying to lift the stone to take away the coat, but due to lack of strength, they lifted it several times and could not lift it.

Yan Laohu pretended to be idle and happened to meet, slowly approached, and asked, "Two big brothers, or will I take the handle?" The two did not know the details, smiled and said, "That feeling is good, you come to take the handle, we will be good friends in the future." Unexpectedly, Yan Laohu alone picked up the stone, threw it into the river, and then without saying much, leaned over and picked up his clothes and turned his head to leave. The two of them were a little confused, and it took a long time before they reacted, and quickly caught up with them and asked, "Brother is from which village, this big sheepskin jacket was discovered by us first, how do you pick it up and walk away?" Yan Laohu smiled lightly, "You don't have to inquire about it, who in the east doesn't know Yan Tiger." ”

The two of them knew that they had suffered a dumb loss, and they were extremely ashamed, but they felt that they could not swallow this breath, so they pondered secretly taking revenge. After a few months, they heard that Yan Laohu's family had just bought a ewe, and the two thieves planned to steal the sheep in the middle of the night. On this night, the moonlight was dim and there was a slight breeze in the fields. The two thieves sneaked into the village, followed the good points of the day, walked through the jujube forest, and touched the sheep pen of Yan Laohu's family. Just after arriving at the sheepfold, I suddenly felt that something was wrong, and a wind came from behind. As soon as I turned back, I saw a big white tiger lying five or six meters behind me, staring at them with angry eyes and a high spirit. The two could not care about their faces, and escaped from Xiaozhuang with a rolling belt. Even if you rush to the market and do business in the future, you must go around the small village. They said to everyone that the "Yan Tiger" was really a tiger, no wonder the power was infinite, we all saw him appear in his original form, nothing to provoke him!

The son on the side listened to the story and asked, "Grandpa, is this true?" The father laughed: "When we were young, the older generation said so." For so many years, Yan Tiger has no descendants, and no one knows whether it is true or not. Since people say so, we listen to it, which village does not have clever and eccentric legends. ”

Yes, some things really don't have to distinguish between Ding and Ding, just leave a piece of thinking, leave a piece of beauty for the children.

About author:Wang Dongliang, post-80s, member of the Provincial Prose Literature Association and member of the Binzhou Writers Association. Worked for Shandong Dongwang Sugar Industry Co., Ltd. Occasional articles are published. In 2020 and 2022, he won the Binzhou Daily Newspaper Great Plains (Biennial) Literary Creation Award.

One point no. Sugar industry breeze