In this old street in Xiaozhangzhuang Village, Lucun Town, there is an elm tree that has grown for nearly a hundred years on the only remaining south gate of Guozi. Elm grows above the arch culvert doorway facing south of Guo Zi, and grows out of cracks. There are three branches on the short and thick trunk, and each branch is flourishing. Lush branches and leaves, dark vertical and horizontal tree lines are like ravines carved by years, which are more majestic in roughness. Speaking of this elm, you can't leave this south gate, because this elm is attached to its body, and its age is naturally younger than this south gate. People living near Nanmenguo, old and young, are in awe of this tree, and even the whole village dare not treat it lightly, so it can be called a fairy tree.
Although the growth of trees has been slow for nearly a hundred years, this is the reason why the soil in the crevices is poor! I always feel that I am growing up with perseverance. This is probably why I don't know the age of the tree. When the old people said they noticed, the pier-shaped trunk was already as thick as the mouth of a teacup. The elm tree growing in the wall does not face the sky directly, but leans against the south side of the city gate Guo, like an old man who has experienced wind, frost, rain and snow, overlooking half the village safely and contentedly. Quietly and uncontroversially feel the passage of time and listen to the footsteps passing under its body. And all the legends about it ...
Now look at this elm tree. Its thick trunk stretches out to the eaves like an arm and crosses an alley, just like building a bridge for the alley. In this quiet and smoky old street, I was burned by the smoke from the kitchen. Today, Guo Zi, the south gate of the city, still holds the elm tree like an old man in his twilight years. They have become the symbol and guardian of this street. I remember walking alone under a tree when I was a child, and I was always a little timid. Because two hutongs meet under the south gate, such as a V-shaped culvert to the street, a main street is formed. If you walk under that tree, you must pass a door like a culvert, perhaps because the potential in the door is much lower than that in the street. The branches and leaves of elm trees cover half the street, making you look gloomy all day, just like an unsmiling elder. When I was a child, I followed my father to the vegetable garden and had to go through this culvert-like road. The smooth slate wall in the cave arched in the bucket carried by my father, limpid and rippling. Strangely, in spring, the elms of that tree are never picked, and strings are hung on the tree with fragrance. Under trees and culverts are places where old people often get together to talk, and there are many topics about this elm tree in gossip.
Speaking of this elm tree, it is also very lucky. There is a stone tablet on each side of the arch culvert under the tree, which is said to have been completely destroyed when capitalism broke, but the elm tree and the south gate Guo Zi are well preserved. Probably since then, this elm tree has been covered with many stories, and all kinds of stories have painted this elm tree with mysterious colors, perhaps because this elm tree and Nanmenguo are one, and no matter who the legendary people are, they are inseparable. Both of them have become ancient fossils in the village, just like the dripping sound of Qingxi in rural customs. The roots of the tree are firmly rooted in the crevices on the city gate. They have gone through the years together and experienced the vicissitudes of nearly a hundred years, like the old people guarding the village. When the elm tree looks like a teenager, the seedlings from the roots grow all over the top of the south gate country, as if on the back of an old man. The young trees grow older every year, and the South Gate countries grow older every year. On the South Gate of Guo Ding, a small jungle is formed, with dense branches and leaves facing the sky. This is the descendant of that elm tree, but it grows on the south gate.
One year in late autumn, the leaves were already yellow. People in the street said that someone had found a pile of snakeskin among the thick dead leaves on the Guo Cheng, and others said that a snake had been lurking under the stone on the Guo Cheng. Because of all kinds of arguments, no one dares to go to the gate of Guo Ding easily, and gradually, it seems to be forgotten. I also heard that it snowed heavily in the early years, and the snow hanging on the elm tree turned into ice and hung upside down, which was beautiful. I have never seen it, and it has never snowed so heavily in these years. The old people say that this tree is spiritual and creatures are sheltered by this practice. Perhaps it is a quiet place without worldly noise, which allows the soul to retreat and arouse people's association with this tree.
A long time ago, I heard elm drop blood. I passed the tree and saw the sticky brown-red juice dripping from it. I thought it was really blood. In fact, the trunk of one of the elms is infected with insect pests, and the pathogen has corroded from the inside out. A few years later, the trunk has slowly withered and died. The withered trunk is still on the house over the eaves, waiting for the body to rot in the years.
It is said that one winter, a couple came to the village to explode popcorn, put the stove under the elm tree by the door, and the man went to Guo Ding to collect firewood and light the stove ... I don't know why, the pots and pans were burnt. Maybe, after listening to the people on the street, I shouldn't go to that Guo Ding to break elm branches and collect firewood. As a result, the heart gave birth to fear. The next day, the couple bought incense paper and burned incense and prayed under the tree. Probably trying to seek psychological comfort in this way. Who knows?
Because of this elm tree, many photographers have been attracted to take pictures in the past few years. This leads to many opinions about how elm trees are washed without images. This is only because the photographer always asks the old people nearby to take pictures of them under the tree as the background, but he refuses to wash one for them and send it back, so there is a saying that there is no image after the elm is washed. Kind and simple old people naturally believe it. And these seem to contain unspeakable secrets. Why do you need to know them? Just like this tree, like a flag growing on the South Gate Guo Ding, it has become a natural and dignified place. Absorbing fireworks and guarding silently is a kind of cultivation.
Three years ago, I took a friend to the village and took many photos under the elm beside the old street and Nanmenguo. I asked the old man sitting in front of the door to greet us warmly to stand under the tree and take pictures of the old man and the tree with his mobile phone. She also talked about things like trees without images. I asked the old man to develop the photos and send them to her. I did it, too. The gate Guo, the elm tree and the old people under the tree are clearly printed on the photos. It is a memory, a landscape, and the most simple and heavy culture left by the village after years of precipitation. It belongs to the village and its people.