Picking mulberries

Although there were a few chattering voices in his ears, Cui Dongxu ignored them and ignored them, because the scene in front of him surprised him too much, it seemed familiar, yes, it was similar to the scene that appeared in his dream.

The mulberry gardens on both sides of the road are full of verdant green at a glance, and the mountains on both sides surround this cluster of green into a green sea.The difference from the dream is that there are no rows of willow-shaded paths in front of me, and the mulberry garden is not as endless as in the dream. The mountains on both sides are in front of my eyes, and the diameter of the circle is no more than three or four kilometers. The dotted villages are not dotted in Songhai as in the dream, but nestled at the foot of the mountain according to the east and west mountains. Different from the small buildings in the dream, they are all bungalows with white walls and black tiles.

The entire Songhai is a two-way, two-lane concrete road in front of you, and the villages on both sides are all machine-plowed roads paved with gravel, criss-crossing the cement road, forming a network of meridians.Cui Dongxu and the others came early. The rising sun in the east had just revealed half of its face from the top of the mountain.The smoke from every household in the village rises, curling up in the air to form a thin layer of gauze mist, which floats to the mountainside and gradually connects with the morning mist, lingering with the mountain, just like the ink landscape painted by a painter.

After driving for less than 10 minutes, the car arrived at the bottom of the Sanghai Sea. Cui Dongxu and the others thought they had arrived at their destination. Unexpectedly, the mountains on both sides did not meet here, but were separated by a distance, forming a funnel mouth. The concrete road passes through it, and looking up, the mountains on both sides stand like two huge door gods, as if a mountain gate has been opened for the guests who enter it.

After the car entered through the funnel-like mountain gate, there was another scene in front of us. Although the mountain roughly formed a circle around the plain, it was much larger than the circle just now, and the field of vision was wide. The mountain at the end is indistinct.It turns out that according to the direction of the mountain, Longgong Township is roughly in the shape of a gourd. There is only one concrete road in and out of Longgong Township. Coming from Qingyuan, the road leading to Longgong Township Government is from south to north.When I first entered the realm of Longgong Township, that is, when I entered from the gourd mouth, all I saw were mulberry gardens, but after entering through the big mountain gate that is equivalent to the waist of a gourd, the lower half of the gourd is where Cui Dongxu is driving now. , On the left side of the road is a large watery rice field, and on the right side is a mulberry field, which is clearly separated.

There are scattered children leading cattle to graze beside the rice fields, and the sound of chickens and dogs barking in the village comes and goes.There are ponds of different sizes inlaid in the paddy fields like bright mirrors. By some ponds, a few young cowherds are waving bamboo fishing poles to hook trevally. Under their waving, the silk threads draw silver arcs. From time to time, lively, blue-white and silvery greedy trevally fish will be hooked out of the pond.

The seedlings in the rice fields are just planted, and some fields are still watery without seedlings, and a few egrets perched on the rice fields are dotted among them, which is very eye-catching.Swallows flying over the rice fields sometimes land on the electric wires above the rice fields in twos and threes like musical notes on a stave, and sometimes pass over the backs of cows grazing.From time to time, a group of unknown birds flew from the distant hills, twittering and passing by in front of the car, and scattered into the mulberry garden on the right without a trace.The villages at the foot of the mountain are quiet and lively. Groups of old ladies and daughters-in-law are washing clothes and household items in the pond in front of the village. The sound of pounding clothes is mixed with the sound of pots, pans and ladles. Jojo's ear piercing made Cui Dongxu, an urbanite who had never been to the countryside, feel very fresh.

Although Sang Tiao'er on the right side of the road is not tall, his sight is blocked when sitting in the car, except for Sang Tiao'er who just glanced at him, he can't see the specific situation on the right hand side.Although there is a diversion canal between the mulberry garden and the road, the mulberries covered with mulberry sticks can be seen very clearly, purple, red and green, appearing crystal clear in the dew, which makes people salivate.As the sun rose higher and higher, there were more pedestrians on the road. Cui Dongxu followed the school bus ahead and slowed down, just in time for the restless women in the car to enjoy the rural atmosphere.

In the second half of the gourd, I drove slowly for about 10 minutes, and finally arrived at the destination-Longgong Township Government.

The township government is a two-storey building, which looks dilapidated because it was built for a long time. The awnings on the top of the windows are covered with moss. It made the whole building a little angry.

The township government is located at the foot of the northernmost mountain in Longgong Township. Behind it is a large bamboo forest. Behind the bamboo forest is a large mountain. In front of it is a small river winding down from the mountains in the northeast. Sangtian on the east side is closely connected to the foot of the mountain, and the road from the west is the boundary. There is not a single family at the foot of the mountain on the east side, and the villages used to be all at the foot of the few mountains on the west.

The people who received Cui Dongxu and the others were Ma Zhigu, director of the sericulture office in the village, and several of his subordinates. While having breakfast with them in the cafeteria, Ma Zhigu introduced the main situation of Longgong Township to everyone.From Ma Zhigu’s introduction, Cui Dongxu and the others learned that the main industry of Longgong Township is sericulture. The villagers’ cocoons are purchased by the township, and then sent to the county to be reeled into silk and woven into brocade, and then sold to those cloth enterprises in Zhejiang. The silk is of high quality, and the silk from Longgong Township is very popular for export.However, there are also some local villagers who use their own traditional methods of reeling and weaving silk. The most famous one is "Luqiu silk". It used to be a tribute, but now because of the small quantity and high price, those celebrities and rich people who like silk flock to it. .

Although there are more than [-] villages in Longgong Township, they all live according to clans. The largest number of people are the surnames Qiu, Zhuang, and Wednesday. In the small gourd, the villages in the big gourd behind are all people with the surname Qiu, and the most famous Luqiusi is from the Qiu clan.There is a local jingle "the daughter-in-law of the Zhuang family's Qiu family, and the daughter-in-law of the Zhou family are from the west", which means that there are many intermarriages among the three surnames. Most of the villages with the surname Qiu are at the foot of the mountain to the west of the big gourd, and the local people refer to the Qiu clan as the west.

Cui Dongxu's mentor, Gong Yaping, has an extraordinary reputation. Many scientific research achievements have been used in practice. He is a famous person in Qingyuan City and a guest of the leaders. Professor Gong Yaping will come to Longgong Township to carry out practical activities. The county has long been He greeted the village and arranged for someone to accompany him.Later, the itinerary was changed due to a temporary change. Gong Yaping and his several professors could not come to the village, so the reception method was simplified. Knowing that the main purpose of these masters and doctors was to relax, Ma Zhigu was arranged to be in charge of the reception.

According to the existing characteristics of Longgong Township, Ma Zhigu provided three ways for Cui Dongxu and the others.

The first way, those who like fishing will arrange to go fishing in Liujiu Reservoir.The reason why it is called Liujiu Reservoir is that the reservoir was built in [-]. It is located at the foot of Huatian Mountain and Dougou Mountain in the east of Longgong Township. However, due to the many mountains in Longgong Township, there are natural creeks and streams everywhere, so it is not a problem to ensure agricultural irrigation. The Liujiu Reservoir can be said to be a follow-up work of the national water conservancy.Anyway, it’s a waste to leave it there, so the village bought a lot of fish fry to stock in it. The reservoir has never dried up. good place to go.The reservoir is not far from the township government, cross the stone bridge over the small river in front of the township government, and walk through the mulberry fields for more than ten minutes.

The second way is to enjoy the scenery.Although the mountains in Longgong Township are not particularly high, they also have their own characteristics. There are bamboo forests and fruit forests. There is a cave under the Shatuo Peak on the east side of the gourd waist. There are many strange stalactites in it. , It is very meaningful to take pictures as souvenirs.

The third way is to go to the mulberry field, which was originally a priority job in the village.Although the professors didn't come, it is not ruled out that some studious graduate students will come with research tasks. Besides, even if you don't collect mulberry specimens for research, it is now in the peak period of mulberry, and picking mulberry is quite interesting.

Everyone didn't expect that Gong Yaping's face would be so great, and the village would arrange it so thoughtfully. They were very excited and chatted together.In the end, a few couples went to Liujiu Reservoir, but most of them still went to Shatuo Peak, and they all wanted to go to the cave to see something new.Only Cui Dongxu and another person named Xin Fenghua said that they were going to visit the mulberry garden. Xin Fenghua and Cui Dongxu were the only ones who did not have a girlfriend among the people who came this time. It's not pretty either.Regardless of whether you are dedicated or not, going to the mulberry garden is the most sensible anyway. Ma Zhigu, the director of the silkworm industry office, thought so in his heart, so he accompanied many people to swim in the cave, and ordered the strongest swimmer The subordinates went to lead the fishers and also served as security guards.He didn't care about Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua, anyway, the mulberry garden was right in front of him, so he could go wherever he wanted, and just go back to the cafeteria when it was time to eat.There was a new cadre in the Sericulture Office who was originally in charge of logistics support. Suddenly, Ma Zhigu forgot to assign him a task. This young man named Qiu Shangzhi took the initiative to act as Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua's guide, and accompanied Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua. Mulberry research.

Qiu Shangzhi was about the same age as Cui Dongxu, and he was assigned just after graduating from university. Young people were also easy to communicate with, and the three of them became acquainted after a while.From Qiu Shangzhi's introduction to them, Cui Dongxu had a preliminary understanding of the geographical features of Longgong Township.

The township government is located on the hillside of a bamboo forest in the northeast of Longgong Township. The slope is not steep. The mountain behind the bamboo forest is called Niubei Mountain. Although it is not particularly high, it stretches to the entire northern end of Longgong Township. It is the largest mountain in Longgong Township.Connecting with Niubei Mountain in the east is Huatian Mountain. Although it is not very high, it has tall trees and dense forests. The small river in front of the township government originates from the mountain stream between Niubei Mountain and Huatian Mountain.

According to Qiu Shangzhi, there are still mountains behind Huatian Mountain, and the altitude is much higher than Huatian Mountain. There are many rare animals and plants in the mountain, and it is one of the earliest ecological protection bases in the province.Cui Dongxu was very interested when he heard it, but it was a pity that Huatian Mountain blocked his view and he couldn't see the situation on the other side of the mountain.To the east is Tianshan Mountain, and to the south is Dougou Mountain, which is connected to the Shatuo Peak at the waist of the gourd all the way to the south.

The road that Cui Dongxu and the others came to run through Longgong Township is called Tan Road. According to legend, it was first built by Lu Qiu Tanheng, a local rich gentry in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, to benefit the neighbors. The main road is called Chengtan Highway.During the reconstruction of national highways in the mid-80s, Tan Road was merged into Provincial Highway 309, widened to both sides, and the millennium-old hemp stones were pried off to build a concrete road, but the local people still call that section of road Tan Road.

Tan Road turns westward at the foot of the bamboo forest slope where the township government is located. Go straight through the mountains to the north.Qiu Shangzhi said that after passing the Luosi Peak on Tan Road, there is the border of the adjacent Qingxi Township, which is the most famous hometown of folk songs and tea in Qingyuan.

At the west turn of Pojiaotan Highway of the township government is the location of Longgong Township Middle School and Central Primary School.The elementary school classrooms are one-story brick and tile houses, and the middle school teaching building is a two-story building, which is much better in terms of floor space and newer than the township government. Public toilets are hidden in the bamboo forest behind.At that time, the rural school only had a half-day holiday for May Day. When Cui Dongxu and the others passed by, it was the time when the students came from home to go to class.The village cadres accompanied two visitors from the city to point and point at the edge of the mulberry garden. The group of students, who were new for a while, chattered and laughed constantly behind their backs.

Backed by Niubei Mountain and close to Tan Road, there are two villages. Touqiu Village is the closest to the school, and Qiqiu Village is the closest to Luosi Peak.While walking and chatting, Qiu Shangzhi roughly explained to Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua what he could see in front of him. Longgong Township is divided according to the terrain. They are collectively referred to as small gourds, and the area between Shatuo Peak, Fumo Peak and Niubei Mountain is called Big Gourd.

The villages in the small gourd in the front live with mixed surnames, and the villages in the big gourd at the back are all members of the Qiu clan. There are twelve villages in total, and it is said that they are all descended from an ancestor named Luqiu Yunbo.Luqiu Yunbo had nine sons. When the sons grew up, they had to share their meals. He distributed the fields according to their personalities and preferences. The descendants of the seventh son, the other sons all lived at the foot of the mountain in the west.In the later development, the population of some villages gradually decreased, and the descendants of the fifth and eighth sons of Luqiu Yunbo withered, and the village names of Wuqiu and Baqiu disappeared later.Some villages are becoming more and more prosperous. Erqiu is divided into two villages, Daerqiu and Xiaoerqiu, Sanqiu is divided into Upper Sanqiu and Lower Sanqiu, and Liuqiu is divided into South Liuqiu and North Liuqiu. In Qiqiu, in addition to Qiqiu Village at the foot of Niubei Mountain, there are two other villages at the foot of the west mountain, Dongxiao Qiqiu and Xixiao Qiqiu. Now the Qiu family villages in Longgong Township have a total of Touqiu Village, Daerqiu, Xiaoerqiu, Shangsanqiu, Xiasanqiu, Siqiu Village, South Liuqiu, Beiliuqiu, Qiqiu Village, East Xiaoqiqiu, West Xiaoqiu, Jiuqiu Village, etc. twelve.Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua were confused by Qiu Shangzhi, Erqiu and Sanqiu. They couldn't figure out which village was which Qiu. They only knew that the people living in the big gourd were all from the Qiu family.

When Cui Dongxu was about to ask Qiu Shangzhi which one of the twelve Qius he was, suddenly there was a rush of class preparation bells from the school behind, and the group of students on the playground flocked to the teaching building. Some students who were on their way to school heard Until the ringing of the bell, all trots were used.

Cui Dongxu, who was interrupted by the urgent ringtone, looked away from the school behind, and when he came back and turned to lean on Qiu Shangzhi next to him, he suddenly heard a girl's voice shouting "Yangyang, slow down...", Cui Dongxu also Before he could react, he was slammed into his waist, and he staggered forward. Fortunately, he took a few steps back and didn't fall. The little guy who hit him bounced back and fell to the ground.

A thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl rushed over from behind the little boy, pulled the little boy up on the ground, and said sorry to Cui Dongxu with an embarrassed smile.The little boy looked about six or seven years old. After being helped up, he patted his head and muttered, "Sister, it's all right. I thought I had hit a telephone pole, but it didn't."

Cui Dongxu thought it was fun, and was about to ask him if it hurt, when he glanced at the little boy, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, the girl had already dragged the little boy and ran away for a long time .

The author has something to say:

Thank you all old friends for your attention and promotion.

Sunshine is here to bow and thank you!

I would also like to extend my early New Year greetings to all loyal friends, and wish the dragon and horse spirit in the year of the horse to be successful and rich immediately! ! !