Whenever I tell my friends about my hometown, they always think that I am from the mountains, and it is cold in the mountains. Of course, there are towering old trees and flowers in full bloom. However, shame is really not worthy of the name. Chaijia Village is located in Xia Ying Town, a suburb of Ningbo, just across the river from Aoliwang Village. This is a Ma Pingchuan with a dense river network. Looking at the mountain peaks from a distance seems to be a hundred miles away, but looking at the fields from a distance is really fertile (the impression in children's eyes). Our family worked hard on this land for generations until my hometown had to leave here and live in a new residential area in order to build Yinzhou Industrial Park.
The environment of the new community is impeccable, the buildings are beautiful and tidy, the roads are wide and flat, the trees are evergreen, the flowers are in full bloom, the coal sanitation is complete and the transportation is convenient. Compared with home, it's like going to heaven. However, the homeland is unforgettable! I still miss my hometown where I left for nearly seven years.
Finally, on a cool morning, I set off on my old tank. Go along Yinxian Avenue, cross the north gate of Peiluo City, turn north along Yingdao Avenue, and you will see the familiar mother river.
River, or that river. It's just cut off and straightened, the stones on both sides are neat, the river is as calm as a mirror, the waterline is shallow and slightly blue, and there are no aquatic plants floating, so it is difficult to find fish and shrimp swimming; On the shore, butterflies dance in the grass, the wind cuts the willows, the shade is like brocade, and the flowers are picturesque. Modern factories are row upon row, high-standard highways criss-cross, endless vehicles replace creaking agricultural vehicles, and the old villagers facing the loess have become new citizens enjoying social insurance. This is really not what it used to be, a different world.
But mother river! Although you have a little more atmosphere and pride, you have lost your aura and exquisiteness.
At that time, although the mother river was not surprising in appearance, it was a flowing river. A trickle of clear water separates the two villages of Chaiwang. Its branches go deep into several corners of the village, which we call grass mouth. Chai Jia has a front grass head, a small river head and a big grass head; The Wangs have Lujiacao, Aoli and so on. At the confluence of the mainstream and the grass mouth (we call it back), there is also a water stop pier, which is said to be mainly for geomantic omen, and secondly to make the water in the grass mouth come alive.
Crossing the small river and numerous water tanks in the second village not only provides convenience for people to drink and wash domestic water, but also meets the production needs of peasant brothers who take boats as the main means of transportation. Jiang Wharf is the best choice for women's parties, where they wash rice and vegetables, wash water and fetch water. Daughters-in-law whisper to their mother-in-law and husband and praise their beloved children. Here they can whisper to each other or speak freely: of course, mothers-in-law will compare how filial their daughters are and how picky their son-in-law is, and finally they will inevitably blame several disobedient daughters-in-law. Ships coming and going on the river are a man's world: in spring, facing the morning breeze, sowing hope with seeds; In summer, they are covered with fertilizer and cultivated in the hot sun to protect their heads; In autumn, they sing songs to express the joy of harvest; In winter, they break the ice and rub mud (rub river mud to prepare fertilizer for the next year), hoping that the next year will be better. No matter rain or shine, no matter wind, frost, rain or snow, as long as a man stands behind the boat, he will hold his head up and look forward, holding the paddle in one hand and pulling it in the other, just between the push and pull of the paddle, stirring up waves behind the boat and letting the boat sail at will. In modern terms, this ship belongs to me. How magnificent and heroic!
This river is a vast world for children to play. Whether at the water's edge or in the water, we can always enjoy ourselves, just like birds flying in the sky. As the saying goes: big snails, small shrimps. Whenever it doesn't rain for a long time and the river is small, we lie on the river bank and watch the grass swaying in the crystal clear river and all kinds of fish and shrimp shuttle through it. No one can resist the desire to fish and touch shrimp, or the desire to fish or go into the water ... Harvest has long forgotten the taste of being scolded; When the river rises, snails crawl along the bank in droves. As long as they hold out two small hands, they can always touch one screw after another, take it home and cut off their tails. When mother cooked it, it became a snack for adults. In summer, this is a natural swimming pool. The big man who has worked hard all day is taking a bath here with bare arms. Children are learning to swim with boards and buckets. In winter, the river freezes, children fly out of the ice and play in the water on the ice ... All year round, geese and ducks wander freely in the water.
But now, there is a cold no sign by the river: no swimming or washing clothes in the river!
Rivers, rivers, when can I see you again?
I stopped by the river for a long time, trying to determine the location of my former residence, but I couldn't find an effective reference. Old, old, I can't even find my home. In desperation, I had to walk on the bridge and look around, oh! Isn't that the old camphor tree by the river in the village where my sister once lived (Majiaqiao, a natural village in Wang Jiacun)? Iron shoes are really hard to find and can be obtained without much effort. It turns out that the bridge where I am now is the former site of the "Peace Bridge" built by Chaiwang Village.
Peace Bridge, how many indelible memories you left me.
Although Chaiwang Village is only separated by a river, when I was a child, I wanted to visit my sister in the Wangs' home, so I got up the courage to take a ferry with a rope, or I made a big detour and walked two or three miles from Xijian Bridge in the west of the village. The so-called ferry is not the kind of big ship that sails and paddles. It's just a duck egg boat (for duck breeders only)-five or six small square and rectangular wooden boats with two straw ropes at each end, which are connected to the banks of Chaiwang respectively. Whoever wants to cross the river pulls the boat aside, then pulls the rope at the other end and pulls the boat to the other side. Don't think that the river is only a dozen meters wide, but the ferry is full of dangers: many people are afraid of sinking, people are afraid of shaking, children are afraid of falling into the water, and the rope breaks in the middle of the river ... In short, timid people are absolutely afraid to take the ferry.
After liberation, the original two private primary schools (Dunmu Primary School and Yinde Primary School) merged into Chai Wangxiao Primary School. All the children of the Wangs will come to Chai's home to study. Crossing the river has become the most worrying thing for parents. After several discussions, it was finally decided that the two villages would jointly contribute to the construction of a wooden bridge, which everyone called the bridgehead. When the bridge was crossed for the first time, the people in the two villages were full of joy, especially the children. Running around the bridge is more lively than festivals. A small wooden bridge provided us with too much convenience, and everyone took care of it carefully in the first few years. But over time, people come and go, cattle trample on the ground, agricultural vehicles collide, there is wind and rain, and there is freezing snow pressure. The wooden bridge is getting older and older, and it is already overwhelmed and in jeopardy. Parents should worry about their children again!
In the 1960s, the Qiaotou Bridge was in jeopardy, and the leaders of the two brigades (the village had been rebuilt at that time) decided to build a stone bridge after repeated discussions. In the collective economy, many people make great efforts and the stone bridge will be built soon. It is very important to choose a bridge name. Men, women and children are talking in succession, and the streets and alleys express their opinions. Finally, it is called "Peace Bridge". Vulgarity is a bit vulgar, which can include the good wishes of the people: Chai family and Wang family live in harmony and peace under the bridge.
......
That river is still that river, the old bridge no longer exists, and there is no trace of hometown. No matter how things change, my roots will stay here forever.