On the day of this year's Red Wine Festival, because guests from other places came to participate in the series of wine parties in our county, there were many visitors to Dihua Ancient Town, including more than 40 international friends. A few colleagues and I were on duty at the Portable Fake Farm in the west of the ancient town of Dihua.
The first attraction was the large green lawn in the garden, which seemed silent, empty and cool because of its vastness.
After several orientations, I found that this was originally the place where I ran every summer to water the seedlings every summer when I was in my mother's house for more than ten years, and now it has become a garden that is even more beautiful than the park in the city. I can't find the image of the past at all, and I need to keep giving myself a hint, this is the Dihua, the place where I used to leave footprints every day.
Those few rice fields are the places where our children of the same age run around against the sun every day to compete for water and irrigate the seedlings - those seedlings that change from weak to hard, and those rice ears that turn from green to yellow every day under the sun's rays are what we care about the most. The process of rice seeds turning from white pulp to fullness is the process in which we have hope. It is also a day when we are under such a poisonous sun day by day, with our bare heads, faces, and arms not afraid of the dark, and the days of serious watering. Our crazy women run barefoot like deer like boys. On dry days, adults and children look forward again and again, praying for a bigger and bigger water in the canal, hoping that they will occupy the water opening that day. At that time, the most enjoyable thing was to watch the wind blow the seedlings; Watch dragonflies and butterflies rise and fall on the rice paddies like airplanes, swirling and falling, envying their freedom and ease.
It was because of the anxiety, thirst, and hunger of a woman who watched the water flow into her own field under the sun, and whose neck, arms, and legs were peeled off layer after layer...... When the water flows into the ground, there is music and happiness flowing in the heart. After filling the rice field, you can plunge into the Danjiang River outside the embankment and swim heartily, that is happy!
Today, I laugh happily at the thought of this.
Those miserable days are now fond memories, but at the time, the hard work did not feed us, so my generation almost chose to flee the land.
This is now a corner of the ancient town of Dihua - the degree of fake farm.
At lunchtime, we saw an elegant coffee house made of wood and glass, with rows of tables and chairs in front of the door, so we took the lunch box we received there to eat. At the end of the meal, a middle-aged woman of medium height and slightly chubby came out of the house and greeted us and said that it was cool to enter the house, and there was air conditioning inside. We can't say no, just rest here.
After a while, she came out again and invited us to come in and sit down. We went, and it was very neat and warm inside. She was busy pouring water for us. I was a little embarrassed and a little reserved, and told her that we are here today because of work and not consumption. She said, all the people who come are guests, sit down, cool down, and I'll make you tea to drink, no charge. Sit and rest in peace.
After pouring us water, she took a rag and walked out of the room. Through the clear glass walls, you can see that she has carefully wiped the railings, tables and chairs, and even the ground little by little. When a guest arrived, she came back and was busy pouring water. She talks little and is constantly busy. After everyone got up and left, she carefully cleaned up the table, arranged the items on the table, and straightened the chair. I saw her back and forth, and there were fine beads of sweat on the tip of her forehead and nose. But she is always busy, meticulous and serious.
"Are there usually a lot of customers here? How did I find out that the door is usually not open. In the absence of guests, I asked her.
"It only opened here at the end of last year, and there are a lot of people on holidays, and there are not many people on weekdays. Nearby villagers are generally not allowed to come in. The door is strictly guarded. ”
"And your salary?"
"The salary is low, 2,000 yuan a month." She looked up and smiled at me.
"I think you're working hard."
"It's nothing. The staff who work here. Almost all of them are from the nearby villages. When I go to work, I can still do a little work in the field after work, and I can also take care of the affairs of the family. The salary is not much now, and it will be fine later. Her shy face flushed, and she felt very close.
Before the guests arrived, I walked around the path around the lawn in the courtyard of Ctrip Farm. I saw two fat pheasants, like husband and wife, pacing unhurriedly in front of each other, on the grass near the bamboo forest. I asked the security guard next to him, and he said that there was a deer, a yellow sheep, and four or five pheasants in this garden. He said that these animals are not raised, but because of the good environment here, they are attracted. With such green meadows, dense bamboo forests, and large lakes, it is no wonder that some spiritual creatures have been attracted.
I kept going round and round in the garden, and I wanted to see them, especially the deer. Because when I went back to my parents' house the year before, I saw a deer on the side of the long road leading to Songjin Street, which was lined with shrubs on both sides, with a high head, and a light brown background dotted with dark dots. It's so agile, so alert, so beautiful. Unfortunately, it seemed frightened when I encountered it, and it jumped out of the bushes by the side of the road three times and two times, and quickly ran away from me.
"Is this garden business good?" I grabbed my free time and asked the security guard.
"It was full on holidays. You go inside, mark areas A, B, and C, and look at the houses around the lake, more than 30 miles, all full! ”
"Are the guests happy with us?"
"All said that the accommodation was good. The shortcomings are, for example, eating in the garden, the choice of categories is a little less; When I went out of the garden to eat, I felt that it was far away, and the guests were afraid of being slaughtered. ”
"There is still room for improvement. I hope that I can live in it on a regular basis, so that my income will be better. ”
"Well, it needs to be improved. The government is looking for ways to work on integrity. ”
However, I still feel a little melancholy and doubtful, not because the rice fields we once owned are gone, but because I am worried about the villagers in this land - where is the way out for the transformation of society? Will they be the masters of the land? Will their labor be commensurate with their income? I certainly hope that my fellow villagers will get better and better, and not become strangers to this land. I'm ready to wait and see in ten years.
On the evening of June 29, 2024
About author:Liu Yuhua, a native of Dihua Town, Danfeng County, Shaanxi Province, is a member of the Shaanxi Provincial Writers Association and a member of the Shangluo City Writers Association.
Source: Linhe, the copyright belongs to the author.