"Seeing off guests in a green pavilion reminds me of Cangxi County the most." This is a poem written by Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, about Cangxi County.
Cangxi, Sichuan is my birthplace. This is a small town famous for its "pear" since ancient times.
The scenery here is beautiful, close to mountains and rivers, and is rich in snow pears with various varieties, including Cuiguan pear, Fengshui pear, Hulu pear, Crown pear, Longyuan pear, Yuanhuang pear, Qiuyue pear, Crystal pear, Qiubaili et al.
Cuiguan is small and cute, with jasper-like skin, smooth and transparent, and as thin as gauze fabric. The fruit has a lot of pulp, juicy and sweet juice, which melts in your mouth and is as sweet as honey, making people addicted to it.
Xueli is a big tree with a simple and honest appearance. It is heavy in the hand and represents the joy of harvest. In fact, as long as the pears produced in Cangxi are of top quality, no matter which variety they are.
With the development of the times and the grand annual Pear Blossom Festival in Cangxi County, Cangxi pears are also exported to all over the country and are deeply loved.
It is said that even people who don’t like pears can’t resist their sweet temptation.
I grew up here and have eaten many different varieties of pears, but I only love the pear fruits produced by the pear tree behind my home.
I heard from my grandfather that this pear tree was planted by my great-grandfather, whom I have never met. It has not been grafted or specially cultivated. It is different from any of the above varieties, but the pears on that pear tree are the most delicious and special pears I have ever eaten.
Speaking of the pear tree behind the old house, we have to talk about the love story of my great-grandfather and my great-aunt.
My great-grandfather was born into a scholarly family, and due to special opportunities, he studied abroad and drank foreign ink for several years. He was a great talent known all over the country at that time.
Because of his handsome appearance, elegant manners, and pure and gentle nature, the matchmaker has almost crossed the threshold.
My great-grandmother was an orphan. She lost her mother at the age of seven and her father at the age of fourteen. Her grandmother felt sorry for her but took her home to raise her.
Because of this incident, my great-grandma’s uncles broke up and separated their families. I heard that on the day of the move, there was a bustling crowd from morning to night. The great-grandmother was protected in her arms by her grandmother, and she watched the huge family fall apart.
It was a coincidence that my great-grandmother and great-grandfather became neighbors. However, at that time, the daughter's family was raised in a boudoir, and they never had the opportunity to meet each other.
Maybe they have heard each other’s names, maybe my great-grandfather passed by my great-aunt’s house one day and saw her leaning over to water the vegetable patch in the yard.
Maybe they thought they would be separated from each other through that fence for the rest of their lives. Unexpectedly, a sudden disaster will closely connect the fate of the two people.
As we all know, China in the 1930s and 1940s experienced a transition from turmoil to rebirth. At that time, Cangxi County was relatively stable amidst the chaos, but bandits were often intruded upon.
Because my great-grandfather’s family was a wealthy family, unfortunately, they were targeted by bandits. At that time, my great-grandmother and grandmother heard the news and went to the countryside to seek refuge in advance. My great-great-grandfather was also very lucky, and he avoided disaster even when he was out for business.
The frightened old people who had suffered a serious disaster at home went there one after another. Later, something seemed to happen, which caused the great grandfather's family to fall into decline, and the villagers avoided him.
At that time, my great-grandmother showed a kind of courage that ordinary people could not match. Not only did she use all the dowry that her grandmother had saved for her to help her great-grandfather take care of the family's funeral, but she also took care of the sick mother-in-law. Grandpa took care of him at home.
She took good care of her great-grandfather and grandma, regardless of the gossip among her neighbors, and shouldered the burden of food, clothing, housing and transportation with her weak shoulders.
At that time, my great-grandmother’s house was also affected. The house collapsed and only one side room was left. She hired people to build a thatched house and learned to farm. At first, my great-grandfather was not very talkative. My great-grandmother was afraid that he would be bored, so she went around buying books for him to read.
At that time, someone tried to persuade my great-grandmother, saying: "Girl, we all know that you have a good heart. But this is not how you help others. Doing this will stain your innocence and make it difficult to marry in the future.
"
When I was young, my great-grandmother was very beautiful, with big eyes looking up at Shenfei, and her skin was as white as snow. There were many people who liked her. Under such circumstances, many matchmakers still came to propose marriage, but they all Grandma refused.
In this way, everyone understood what Grandma was thinking, except Grandpa, who was immersed in sadness and did not respond. Grandma was worried that her wait would be in vain. I was worried that my great-grandfather, a white-faced scholar, would not live a peaceful life with my great-grandmother.
Some people also said that my great-grandfather was full of ink. Even if his family was in ruins, he was still a diving dragon. How could he fall in love with an illiterate person? Orphan.
My great-grandmother must have been attracted to my great-great-grandfather early on, otherwise she would not be so attached to him without asking for anything in return.
That morning. , the sun was shining brightly, and my great-grandmother returned home after carrying water. She poured the water into the water tank, put on her apron skillfully, and went to the kitchen to prepare for cooking.
My great-grandfather was thin but tall. The figure appeared at the door, and he said with a smile: "I used to be full of ambition, but now I only have tenderness. ”
My great-grandmother was startled when she heard my great-grandfather’s voice, and then stopped what I was doing and looked at him at a loss.
My great-grandfather smiled softly and then said : "I used to think that a good man has ambitions everywhere and a real man should make a difference. It wasn't until I experienced so many things and met you that I realized that happiness is just staying with one person, wrapped in fireworks, and living a good life. "
The great-grandmother understood that this was the confession of the great-great-grandpa, and blushed with embarrassment. She lowered her head and grabbed her apron and said, "Are you...are you hungry...confused?" I didn't think about this..."
The great-grandfather took out a silver bracelet from his arms, took the great-aunt's slender hand, and choked up: "This is what my mother left for her future daughter-in-law. I just went to propose marriage to my grandma, and she agreed that you should marry me. I promise you that from now on, as long as I am here, I will never let you suffer. ”
The marriage was settled in this way. Everything was kept simple at the wedding. The two of them wore new clothes and worshiped in front of their grandmother. After the marriage, the two began to build their own new house.
The location was chosen by my great-grandfather, and the two built the current old house brick by brick. After that, they opened up wasteland to grow vegetables and went to the market together.
My great-grandfather taught my great-aunt. My great-grandmother taught my great-grandfather to sow seeds. While my great-grandfather read poems, my great-grandmother did needlework. Although she may not have understood it, she was definitely laughing and laughing. Life was peaceful.
Three years ago, a natural disaster struck, and people in my hometown fled. Because my great-grandmother was pregnant, my great-grandfather decided to stay in his hometown because he was reluctant to leave her.
The two of them still lived a life of working at sunrise and resting at sundown. My great-grandfather loved my great-aunt very much, and because she wanted to eat pears, she went out alone for several days to find them, and finally brought back a bunch of them. Saplings were planted all over the house.
In the end, only the pear tree in front of the old house survived. When the pear tree bloomed, my grandfather also fell to the ground.
After the disaster, people. When we came back, life was getting better and better. There was a school in the village, and my great-grandfather became the first teacher. They gave birth to several more children, and each of them was healthy. Grandpa became the first teacher in the local area. A college student.
My great-grandfather passed away at the age of sixty-one, and my great-grandmother lived in the old house for another twenty years, under the pear tree that they had loved all their lives. Witness.
The culture of "pear" has existed since ancient times. The Shangshan pear culture can be traced back to the Qin and Han Dynasties and is the origin of many historical stories.
The most popular one is "Kong". The story of "Rong Rang Pear", the pear here represents humility, brotherhood and brotherly respect.
Because "pear" is a homophonic word for "li", there is a saying that pears (li) cannot be separated, which has placed great trust in people. I hope to stay together with my family and loved ones forever
Today’s Cangxi is also famous for its “pear” culture. The beautiful and fairyland-like Pear Blossom Festival is Cangxi’s tourist card and its sweet taste. Cangxi Snow Pear is a reflection of the beautiful soul of Cangxi County people.
The times are advancing, and the people of Cangxi County are also following the footsteps of the times, working hard, forging ahead, and being simple, just like the Cangxi snow pear, which is inconspicuous on the outside but rich on the inside.
The pear tree in my old house is still there. It also represents a kind of family inheritance. The love story of great-grandfather and great-grandmother represents "If you want to have the same person, we will never be apart (pear)" , that is unswerving loyalty to family, marriage, and love.
The sound of the wind blowing the leaves is like the arrival of an old friend.