Prose: Wild chrysanthemums

More than thirty years ago, in late autumn, golden wild chrysanthemums appeared in the mountains of Funiu Mountain in the hometown of western Henan, swaying and trembling in the increasingly cold wind. The rod is thin, the leaves are sparse, the flowers are thin; if they are trampled on, they will still live as long as they are not broken; the flowers are gnawed away by cattle and sheep, as long as the roots can still grow leaves and bloom in the following spring. When the warm autumn sun shines, the wild chrysanthemums are happily shining with golden light, which can be seen from afar, adding a bright color to the poor and remote areas of this side.

Grandpa waddled up the hill, digging up wild chrysanthemums, transplanting them into the small courtyard of the family, filling them with tattered pots and pans, and placing them on the stone platform in the courtyard, and as soon as people came in, they could see the small courtyard vividly. At that time, my grandfather was nearly eighty, hunchbacked, thin and dry, with a white goatee, just like Li Qingzhao's "people are thinner than yellow flowers". Grandpa was born in the late Qing Dynasty, read private schools, read and hyphenate, so he grew a literati temperament, had a mood, and was not an ordinary mountain village man. His old man also knew the efficacy of this wild chrysanthemum, and anyone who had a headache and brain fever heard him say:

"Get some chrysanthemums and boil them!"

The image of Grandpa and wild chrysanthemums is forever frozen in the deepest recesses of my young soul.

More than twenty years ago, I often went to Jiujiang on business, and I was surprised to find that in this ancient place called Chaisang County, wild chrysanthemums grew everywhere in autumn, next to the road, in the field, on the hillock, on the riverbank... Looking carefully, the wild chrysanthemums here are similar to those in the hometown, but they are born in the southern country, and there is no lack of water vapor nourishment, so they appear to be fat and exuberant, the color is more and more bright, and they grow piece by piece, which is eye-catching. I suddenly remembered Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, who lived in Chaisang, loved chrysanthemums, planted chrysanthemums all over the house, and had a poem "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the South Mountain". Suddenly, he realized that this was the chrysanthemum that the upright Tao Gong loved, and it had passed through thousands of years of wind, frost, snow and rain, and had been breeding endlessly to this day. Walking in this land full of wild chrysanthemums, I feel that my soul is also purified.

After my father retired, he lived in his hometown town, and when he had some spare time, he began to serve flowers and plants, planting peonies, moons, and of course chrysanthemums. He cultivated and grafted various chrysanthemums to produce new varieties. His father was very thin with his grandfather, but almost all he cultivated were chrysanthemums with large, plump and rich buds, which was amazing. In addition to watching at home, the father also took out a few pots on the day of the market and placed them on the street; immediately attracted the past men and women, one of the old men admired the father, talked and exchanged with the father, and practiced the art of raising chrysanthemums, and the two became friends for a long time. In the autumn and winter, my father moved the chrysanthemums into the house, which was not heated and cold, but the flowers could hold on until the flowers fell out in the spring. When I came back for the New Year, I lay in the flower room, smelled the faint fragrance of chrysanthemums, and couldn't help but remember my grandfather and his wild chrysanthemums that had passed away for many years.

In the city, it is extremely difficult to see wild chrysanthemums, often see the chrysanthemum exhibitions everywhere in the autumn, which are all varieties and shapes professionally cultivated by gardeners, exquisite and luxurious; but always feel that these chrysanthemums lack natural nature, and are not durable, and at the end of the exhibition, people disperse, and the flowers can't stand loneliness, shrugging their heads...

Because I was thinking about wild chrysanthemums, I ran to the flower market and bought a pot of skinny chrysanthemums with small flowers. In the spring, on the balcony, the leaves grew, which were very dense; but before long, small aphids grew on the leaves, more and more, trying to kill in various ways, but they could not do it, and finally had to bite their teeth and discard.

This autumn, I am nostalgic for wild chrysanthemums again. She is a tough, incorruptible and peaceful flower, passing through spring and summer to autumn flowers, in addition to pleasing to the eye, it can also clear the heat, detoxify and calm the spirit. When I was with my grandfather and father, I always felt that they were plain and quiet, and they were always tolerant and persuaded to persuade others to complain and be upset and angry. How precious is it that a person who has endured wind and frost to the twilight of his life has more or less gradually developed the character of wild chrysanthemums!

2017.10.21