In the 1960s, when there was no food in a barren belly, it was like a clean sky. Except for common birds such as swallows, magpies, woodpeckers, sparrows and real eagles, no silver wings pierced Wan Li. Only floating clouds. What can be engraved on the normal heart and painted on it can be said to be unforgettable.
The old man's sales promotion method is unreasonable. He didn't shout in the street: sell peanuts, but everyone asked: "Do you eat peanuts?" Just out of the pot, it's still hot. "The voice is so low that only the person being asked can hear it. On the contrary, I am quite afraid of being known by too many people. This kind of selling method is really strange and confusing. As a rule, it must be widely publicized and hyped. Wouldn't it be better to have a big horn? In fact, that centralized society is catching up with the black wind of political movements, cutting off the tail of capitalism and prohibiting speculation and business, not to mention.
When I was still aware of everything and full of curiosity, it coincided with the years when I lived in my grandmother's house. I was less than one year old when I left the meeting. The reason is that my sister who came early competed with me for favor, so I had to give it to her reluctantly, because my mother's thin body could not bear it. At this point, I was separated from my father, mother and newborn sister. At that time, my grandmother's family was relatively well-off.
Grandma's house is not far from mine, and I can still remember the time. Grandpa leaned against the coarse quilt on Xikang all day, buried his head in his deep chest and coughed until his thin back was bent into an arch. I haven't seen him take medicine, just breathe day and night. Dark wrinkled black face with only half-pointed melon seeds. Big JIU took over the title of grandpa's village party secretary. And I became the youngest child in my family.
My aunt and brother are not much older than me. They scramble to climb the kang every day, carrying a bowl of exquisite porcelain with a white background and blue edges. There seem to be some patterns of grass leaves outside. Grandpa used it to hold phlegm. It is also the only bowl with the most exquisite glaze and porcelain light in grandma's house. It was chosen only to clean up the sputum. Every time you throw up to half a bowl, you have to throw it away. At that time, there was no spittoon, toilet paper, blue washing powder and libai detergent. Grandpa's phlegm is sticky and difficult to wash, so grandma will try to use the root of corn stubble as a brush, put two handfuls of soil into the bowl and wipe it clockwise a few times, and it will be basically clean. If you clean it directly, it will be more difficult to wash it.
Grandpa looks like an old man who buys peanuts, and he still wears a lamb belly towel on his head. Even if he can't get off the kang and leave the house all day, his illness is afraid of the cold. At that time, people, both men and women, mostly wore headscarves. Men were basically pure white, and women had blue stripes on their sides.
In my mind, I heard my mother say that my grandfather was a retired soldier. As for which unit I served in, I will continue later. Grandpa was taken away by a mouthful of phlegm. Mother also entered the hospital with tears in her eyes. Neighbor grandma and grandma are sitting on a long bench. I can't tell her expression. There are tears, but there is no sound. I cried, followed by my crying little brother and aunt, who was pushed out of the room where my grandfather had been lying flat on the kang by a group of busy adults.
On the day of the funeral, there was heavy snow in the sky. Before leaving, my mother threw herself on my grandfather's quilt and refused to let go, and her voice became hoarse. Grandpa, like a thin dead leaf, was placed on a rickety wooden bed, and he could no longer hear his cough. In fact, I don't know this is farewell, because I don't know what death is. He was covered with a shiny purple-blue satin sheet with flowers, totems and round birthday words on it. He had never seen such a beautiful quilt before his death, and it was because of this last dignity that he ended his life.
The first snow in winter came decisively, and it was impossible to prevent it, just like grandpa's sudden death. When the snow covered the path, grandpa's red coffin hoisted by hemp rope was sent away by many people around. I also want to go, although the messy bangs are covered with snow and melted by flowing tears. I want to chase grandpa, chasing messy and cold footprints.
Grandma, standing on grandpa's back, holding my frozen hand in front of grandpa's house for the last time.
This kind of memory, for decades, has surfaced countless times, tumbling and cramping, until today …
The old man selling peanuts and his grandfather belong to the same village, and each is a village matter. I remember that he looks very similar. He must have been very handsome when he was young, because he was still very popular with people. I didn't understand when I was a child. In retrospect, it is. He has thick eyebrows and bright eyes. His face is whiter than grandpa's, his lips are thin, his teeth are bright, he has a three-inch beard and is rolling a cigarette. He is tall and thin, with wide shoulders and straight back, long legs and big feet. Every time I see it, I carry a frame made of elm and hold a four-fingered fork. The fork is one size smaller than the normal one, light and easy to take, exquisite and beautiful. It seems that he never can't carry these two things with him, just like a Taoist with a sage like type, never leaving his feet.
There is a street in front of grandma's house, and there is a big pit in the street. The left side of the pit faces the road and the right side is connected with the slope. On the other side, there are people, and the rest of the banks are open. This puddle is a treasure house for the residents nearby. In leisure time, people gather there to chat and rub tobacco leaves, while women take soles and turn strings.
Autumn is still here, and the sunshine temperature during the day is still enough. Most of the crops in the field have been harvested. At night. Calm down. After dinner, my uncle went to the village to discuss things. My aunt and uncle helped my grandmother pick up the sweet potatoes distributed by the production team. The largest slice, dried in the sun, and kept porridge in winter; The middle pieces are stored in the cellar as spring reserves; Steamed buns are eaten as dry food; And almost as thin as a root, except for a small amount of potato meat, only a large bundle of fiber is left, and then it is boiled and mixed with grass foam to feed pigs. As the youngest family member, I am doing what I can with everyone. We are busy under the stupid jujube tree that has picked the fruit, reflecting the early night. However, the dim window paper appeared, and grandpa, who was alone under the kerosene lamp, heard his long cough. It seems that this kind of voice is familiar, constant and kind. It is indispensable for the whole family. Even if you are sick, the family can still be together every day.
After working for half a day, my grandmother gave me preferential treatment, but my aunt and brother could not rest. From the day my grandmother raised me, it was as if I were her own, but the real flesh and blood was not as good as mine. At this point, in those days, my aunt and brother were really not jealous. With the exclusive right, I stepped on the sweet potato and jumped out of the door. At that moment, the yard was full of excitement, with old people, children and mothers with noisy children. There are also young and strong men squatting by the tunnel, discussing farm work in the field and calculating the nearest working point. I stood timidly under the wall. Fingers scratched at the wheat straw mixed into the mud fence. After all, grandma is not around, and I am from another village. There are people who are familiar with me. My elders and young people are called uncles and aunts. They beckoned me to play and whispered, but my feet didn't move. This ancient rural scene is true, simple and warm.
The moon rises slowly and the stars begin to shine. Active children are excited and teased in the soft light. After a day's work, I stayed where I was and watched jathyapple laugh, talk and relax with people. "Look, the moon has fallen." A boy named Erwa stood barefoot by the pit, screaming in surprise. I know him, in the alley west of grandma's house. Taller than me, he has a sister. This time, I finally moved to see the moon he saw.
Looking back at this time, we are naive, naive and naive. We are really happy. There is a wobbly moon floating in the summer rain accumulated at the bottom of the pit. The moon trembled slightly, and the edge was clear for a while, and the sky was restless. It seems that the wind is afraid of being disturbed. Carefully floating in muddy yellow water, several children and I ran over and didn't have time to see enough. Erwa picked up a clay carat and threw it in the past, so the nearest moon rang with the sound of water. Unfortunately, it broke into a large piece of disorderly light and slowly spread until it showed a circle of aura. At this time, the adults began to reprimand the naughty Erwa and shouted to us to stay away from the pit.
When we turned and dispersed in a hubbub, the old man selling peanuts came slowly from the low slope covered with moonlight. Stand on your shoulders, hands crossed and shake, and walk to the center of the crowd. Erwa's excitement broke out again. First, they rushed over and looked at the old man's frame. Others even bumped into each other. I am a girl, and I feel powerless to avoid it. Erwa put her hand in, and the old man began to talk surrounded by children. "Don't worry, children, we didn't do much today, and we are late for work. Just fry a pot, don't rob it, who wants it first." At the same time, he is sitting on a pile of bricks under the wall.
Lift up a layer of autumn grass covered on the surface, "I'll come first, I'll come first", and Erwa fended off the friends around her with strong arms. "What do you do first? Mom didn't bring any money today. You are greedy and won't buy it. " Erwa Niang, who is chatting with her neighbors on the locust tree, said reproachfully. Listening to Niang's reprimand angrily, Erwa's interest and enthusiasm disappeared, and she actually lowered her head and kicked bricks with her toes. "Never mind, Erwa Niang." Then he grabbed peanuts, tore them off the happy Erwa and stuffed them into his little sports jacket. "Oh, uncle, don't spoil him. I really don't have any money today. " "Nothing, let the children be happy first." "How much is it? I'll send it to you tomorrow. " "Not much, 5 points, forget it." Erwa finally smiled through tears. As for the rest, adults have bought 50 cents 1 wool, and there is no effort. Look at the bottom of the box.
Me, not far away. Busy for a while, the old man rolled a tube of dry cigarettes. Because the cigarette holder obviously secretly burned tobacco, the old man actually found me weak. "Hey, Erwa Niang, that girl looks unfamiliar and can't remember whose family it is." "Don't know her? This is Zhou's niece, here. "Erwa Niang tilted her head to grandma's house and introduced it in detail. The old man took a few sips of cigarettes, then knocked the hookah on the sole and put the pipe into his pocket. He bent down to pick up the things in the box, got up and left. I want to avoid it and turn around. "Don't go, girl. There's still something for you." Said, and has handed it to me, warm hand. I was so stupid that I didn't know what to do. Although the saliva is spinning in my throat, I still dare not answer because I have no money. I dare not let grandma buy it without her. At this moment, Erwa and they came running, "I want it, and I won't give it to you. It's stupid. " "Take the prostitute away, don't pay, just leave these and give them to you." Almost at the same time, the adults are also saying, "Take it, grandpa gave it for free, and eat it." Looking at all the people, I slowly raised my hand that I wanted to stretch for a long time. I took away the smell that I will never forget.
When I was immersed in all kinds of surprises and feelings, a young man at the edge of the tunnel said, "Uncle, let's go. The militia will come again later. Don't mess with them. " "Okay, three black, I'm very busy. I will finish today quickly, and you will continue to live in vain. " Looking at the vigorous back of the old man. I saw the clean moonlight on the road behind the old man.
I have an unexpected gain in my heart. Go home.
Standing in front of grandma, I dare not look up, let alone say. Seeing me is more unhappy than going out. She asked strangely, "why are you not happy to come back?" Grandma will argue for you if your child bullies you. " Grandma still pulled me down with a broom, and I want to find fault. My little brother unknown so's aunt. "Grandma is not, you are wrong, not." I was so anxious and scared that I was speechless for a moment. "Not what? What isn't? Just to be clear. What's going on here? You want to die, grandma. " "Two Eva hit you? My brother helped you hit him, but he was dishonest and made trouble all day. " "Oh, no, don't talk nonsense, no one hit me." I am confused by everyone's doubts. "Then why did you go out to laugh and fade when you came back?" Aunt is full of doubts and guesses. Seeing their impatience, I slowly pulled my sweaty hand out of my cloth pocket, spread it out solemnly, and watched by everyone.
"Peanuts, which come of? Didn't grandma tell you not to ask for anything casually? You are not a greedy girl. What's wrong with you today, especially when grandma doesn't lead you? " Grandma said somberly. I am wronged and my eyes are full of tears. "Grandma, I don't want it. It's the man who looks like my grandfather. I have to give it to me. He said he didn't want money. " In this way, my voice was so small that I could hardly hear myself. My head is lower and tears are flowing. "Come on, mom, don't blame the girl again. Next time you meet your uncle, ask how much it costs and give it to others. " Aunt, after all, is two years old, so advise grandma.
Good-hearted grandmother, hardworking, with a group of children, waiting on her sick grandfather, working in the team, busy at home, can't be idle all year round. However, our education and advice will never be based on other reasons. Besides helping the villagers enthusiastically, we will never allow our children and family affairs to cause trouble to others. The kindness and concern for me is an example. She was afraid that I would get hurt if I left my mother, because I was a child without a mother.
"If you want it, you have to return it later." Grandma's tone softened, and my nervousness gradually relaxed. And the wet moon that climbed into the sky seemed to light up grandma's fine-grained face.
That warm night, with grandpa's cough, grandma finished sweeping the yard and started washing clothes. Aunt and brother go to do their homework. Big JIU didn't come back. I have no work to do. Enter the house and climb on the kang to grandpa. "Are you sleepy, Niu Niu, go to bed." Grandpa squeezed his love for me from his narrow throat, but his voice was urgent and trembling. Words fall, head down, buried in the flat chest, huge cough. I jumped up from the kang and brought a bowl of water, which my grandmother prepared not long ago for my grandfather to drink. Send it crooked, small bowl and big hand. When I got on the kang, I wandered around and splashed the dyed coarse cloth kang sheet knitted by my grandmother. After swallowing a few mouthfuls of boiling water, grandpa's cough stopped. He finally raised his sallow face, handed his tired head to the wall behind him, and added a round pillow to his waist. I'm still not sleepy. Grandpa fell asleep with his tired eyes narrowed. The room suddenly became silent. I should be more used to sound.
Out of the window, there was grandma's soup for cleaning clothes. But my hand accidentally touched the flowers in my pocket, so I carefully took them out and put them on the kitchen facing the door on the kang, one by one, large and small. Put one under your nose and smell it, toss and turn. It seems that I can smell the faint smell of earth, and then smell the smell of peanut seedlings. Either way, I'm sure that the shell of hemp seed is wrapped with fragrant nuts. So, I did my homework as seriously as my uncle and aunt, smelled all the peanuts, looked at them clearly and counted their little eyes. The peanut skin was wet with sweat from my hot hands.
At this time, my aunt, who is studying in high school, quietly came in and saw her sleeping grandfather whispering, "Why haven't you eaten yet? It's not good to play again, isn't it quite like it? " Don't be reluctant, I'll buy it for you after eating. "Aunt love dearly seize the promise. But can she really be grandma's master? I'm at a loss. But there is a question buried in my heart, why is the shell of the peanuts sent by the old man pure white, the fingers are not black, and the color is so clean and beautiful, unlike the kind that grandma let me eat for the first time?
About half a month ago, grandma came home from work. I ran out of grandpa's room to see grandma. She was covered in dust and sweaty. "Girl, what do you think this is? Grandma smiled mysteriously and patted the pocket of the big chest blue shirt. "What? Let me see. " "Good food, you will know later." Put down the farm tools, take off the mutton belly towel and pat the floating soil on the clothes a few times. I followed my grandmother with great curiosity.
At dusk, my aunt and brother haven't finished school. I help grandma sift the dielectric residue and pick up the unburned dielectric reef for reuse. Soon, she lit an old straw, put a few corn kernels, and put a shovel of new coal, and the stove fire slowly came up. Set a cauldron and add half a well to boil. I stayed nearby and stared at the stove, hoping for a miracle with all my heart. I saw grandma take out a handful of peanuts with wet soil from the bulging bag, and threw them into the grayish red that fell out of the kitchen gap without looking closely. Now, I finally understand that soon, I will taste fresh peanuts with unique flavor, raise my smiling face and face my kind grandmother. Fresh fruit with sufficient moisture is wolfed down through the hot coal ash, and grandma stirs it up with a fire stick to prevent it from burning. I saw them emitting white gas, filled with the smell of moist and fragrant earth, and the smell of coal and wooden sticks mixed together. I waited patiently and anxiously. This is the most vivid interpretation of grandma's love for me. About ten minutes, grandma used black fruits and branches as chopsticks and put them in a small ladle "to dry and eat, there is gas in it, so be careful to burn your mouth." If grandma gave me a baby, I would want to see it more. Therefore, holding them at home to cool down is simply subversion, and the temperature drops quickly.
Later, my aunt and brother left school, and grandma was afraid that they would rob us of our food, so she gave us a share. It must be me. Burning fresh and wet peanuts tastes completely different from frying dried peanuts. I only remember that feeling, sweet and soft, and my face is like today's sugar-fried chestnuts. Squeeze it open, and the nut skin inside is wrinkled and lavender. You can't stop chewing. It's addictive. Later, I learned that it turned out that the ox cart of the production team dropped several trees on the road when transporting peanut seedlings, which was just picked up by my grandmother.
When the big pot rice is harvested, peanuts are plowed by animals, piled by people, and sent to the threshing floor by horses and chariots. The members picked them to dry. Part of it is handed over to the national grain depot, and part of it is rolled up and distributed to households during the New Year. So people didn't store peanuts at home at that time. Unless, when the field is harvested, the villagers take advantage of the early morning to see that the green camp militia has not made a patrol and secretly pick up some. Therefore, the old man who buys peanuts still has doubts about the source of his peanut blanks.
Autumn is very short. Mom didn't come to pick me up on purpose. She said grandma was ill, lighter than grandpa. She took her sister to work and waited on her when she came back. Father was transferred from Shandong to dig Jiaohe River in the village. If I go back, I won't be able to cope. Grandma loves her mother dearly, even more reluctant to let me go, just stay.
Winter came in the blink of an eye, the earth froze, and farm work went into a dormant state. Grandma can only sew and mend shoes nails at home. My aunt who dropped out of school went to the sideline group of the production team to learn wickerwork craft. In the early rural areas, people lacked cultural concepts and paid little attention to learning. Because they are poor, they are not fully integrated with their concepts, and it is a problem to solve food and clothing. Grandpa retired a little, but he didn't have enough to live.
One day, on a snowy night, I had a sore throat and a fever. The next day, my husband said that my tonsils were inflamed. When I got back from my illness, my grandmother carried me on her back and the road was slippery. She would rather bear the burden herself. On the way down the mountain, I met an old man who bought peanuts. "Sister-in-law, what did you do to the child?" "Oh, eldest brother, my niece is ill, go and see, will you come out this day? Watch your step. " "Never mind, this day the militia don't come out for a walk, how much can sell, the street is sparsely populated, they dare not speculate. How are the children? Not tolerant of things? " Climbing behind grandma's tender, I put my burning head into the red nylon hat. "Come on. Sister-in-law, give some to the children, they can't be sold out anyway. " The old man is generous again, to me, a foreigner. "No, no, eldest brother, you can't always be like this. You didn't give money for free last time. " "What money to give, this is still sick, just be a child." The sincerity, enthusiasm and kindness of the old man have brought infinite warmth and touch in this cold winter. I looked at the old man gratefully. His beard was covered with silver frost. It was not cold, but a flash in the old man's heart.
When I got home, I covered the kang with a quilt, and grandma stuffed the first nut into my small mouth. That kind of crisp beauty and fragrance will be remembered forever. It is better than cashew nuts, Siraitia grosvenorii, pistachios and even many real estate speculators and dried fruit shops in the town. After many years, I tried to find the taste of childhood in the dried fruit shop during the Spring Festival. Finally, no matter how hard the boss preaches their production technology, the so-called chicken sauce flavor, five flavors, barbecue flavor, garlic flavor, salty flavor and so on. Not as good as many times.
Late at night, the snow stopped Enough paper presents a bright silvery white, which is set off by the snow on the windowsill. I asked grandma if she didn't see the fork in the old man's hand this time. Grandma said that the thick snow covered the dung scattered by cattle and horses on the road, so he didn't have to take it.
I understand below. The old man's back frame is looking for an outlet along the street. Peanuts are packed in small sacks, and the box is filled with large kraft paper. Peanuts are sold out. The sacks and kraft paper were folded and stuffed into his trouser pockets, and he picked up dung all the way home. But also to paralyze the militia. I heard about the source of peanuts in a chat between my grandmother and my aunt. The old man's backyard is a 90-year-old mother. When Gao Tang died last year, the old house was empty. However, the spacious courtyard, together with my wife, took several Spring Festival Galas to loosen and thin the soil and fertilize it, and the town supply and marketing cooperative selected the seeds, which yielded immediate results. In fact, some people in the village knew that the old man was stealing peanuts at home, but no one reported it. Because I am easygoing on weekdays, I give more and receive less. So, uncle knows it, but he just knows it and turns a blind eye. Grandma told my uncle to leave other cadres alone and not to let him be stupid enough to make him a sinner. Over time, the old man himself became cautious. His unique secret recipe-dry fried peanuts, has become the kind of snacks that people need now, not only for children but also for adults.
I'm fine, after dinner. Keep the uneaten peanuts like treasures and take them out of a crumpled old newspaper in grandma's closet. This is the last batch. Before eating, smell all the common flowers deeply immersed in the shell, then peel them off and grind them, and an ivory bean kernel appears, which is divided into two petals, an entrance and a package from the germ. Taste the sunshine in the fruit with taste buds and the purity after the wind and rain. In the happy and novel growth, unforgettable childhood and solid memories have endowed life with a long scroll, which has written a timeless chapter in Mika.
When I came home this Spring Festival, I mentioned those distant memories to my mother. I longed for the taste I hadn't seen for years. So, under the big tree in the yard, in front of the stove candy that can be put under the cauldron, my mother and I put on knee-length long-sleeved aprons respectively, just like the farmers in those days, wearing headscarves, but not sheep bellies. Mother asked me to pull out a heavy woven bag from the storage room in the south room and untie my mouth. It turned out to be white sand. I suddenly realized. Mother also carries a bag with peanuts in it.
Today, after the reform and opening up, after the changes and efforts of the historical era, from centralized system to private ownership; After a long period of political and policy development, rural people have free fields, and crops should be harvested this season. Never go back to the ancient times when food and clothing were scarce.
Since their parents returned to their hometown, hard work has become a habit. Restless parents bought several elms behind their house and built a large wasteland with good soil. The family once discussed what to grow. I suggest sowing peanuts. I haven't harvested them myself for a long time. I have lived in a small town for a long time, but I always miss my childhood fields. So, this idea passed, and after a sunny season, it was time to make a wish.
My mother and I are around the stove. She lit the wood pot and put her hand near the pot from time to time to test the temperature. When the cold sand rushed into the hot pot belly, I began to stir with a shovel, repeating from left to right. When the fine sand is dynamic and close to the state of water flow, peanuts will jump in and fry fully, from slow to fast, but the primer should be soft and not easy to burn. You can't stop stirring, or if you move slowly, the peanuts will be burnt by the hot sand. About ten minutes, my mother picked one and tasted it. Cooking takes a little time, and then stick to it for another minute. Move quickly when out of the pot, shovel and hoe into the prepared sieve, shovel and sieve, and finally the color of the sand is almost the same as before out of the pot. I'm surprised. My mother said that the sand should be well preserved. It was washed by my father from the irrigated well water. It is white and clean. Especially suitable for frying dried fruits. In particular, this kind of deep well sand is rich in various natural minerals, and the fruit made from it plays an important role in enhancing fragrance and taste. This makes me understand that the dry fried peanuts in supermarkets and fruit counters in cities will not have this unique taste. After all, the raw materials for frying are very different.
This time, decades of dreams have come true, and the dry and delicious taste made in my hometown is different from the taste in my childhood memory. In the long years, the traditional production technology has once again set up a bridge of the times, so that simple and pure agricultural products can be reborn.
Mom said it's sowing season again. She discussed with her father to cultivate old and new soil in the earthen yard of the neighbor's uncle's house (uncles and aunts have lived in Beijing for many years, so they entrusted their parents to look after the house), harvest all kinds of peanuts after autumn, then reunite for the New Year, and then fry fresh fruits for relatives, friends, colleagues, classmates and neighbors, so that pure family heirloom technology can be spread all over the tip of every family's tongue.
Fortunately, regarding this homesickness and reliving the taste of childhood, let the simple, natural and quaint fragrance continue to spread.
Time flies, and in a flash of my fingers, in the depths of my memory, the old man who looks like his grandfather and buys peanuts has long since become a neighbor with his grandparents, missing them very much and giving me unforgettable childhood and good memories.
With this article, I want to remember those people who left a deep impression on me in my life and left me with eternal memories …
Grandma, grandpa, peanut old man, in the spring of April, I believe you will be there, with fragrant flowers and beautiful foliage. This girl misses you very much. ...
author
Hebei Hengshui Anping people.
Landongzi