That place, that name, that legend
The terrain of this town is very special, like a huge washbasin with one side missing and an abrupt middle, surrounded by mountains on three sides, backed by high rocks, and in front of the mighty Jialing River. A winding river meanders along the edge of the basin bottom, meanders through the quaint Ming and Qing dwellings at the foot of the mountain, and flows with a gurgling stream-leisurely, natural and serene, telling eternal feelings. There are various ancient temples embedded in the town, such as Yu Palace, Wanshou Palace, Longwang Temple, Yuanjia Temple, Guanyin Taoist Temple and Diaolou. Its historical remains are faintly visible. The street still retains the bluestone pavement, and there is only one road and one waterway in and out of the town. When I think of the thick Zen bells coming from afar and the lingering incense smell in the temples in the town, I have an emotion-the land of Feng Shui, which is my hometown "Dragon Girl Temple".
The name "Dragon Lady" also carries a beautiful and mysterious legend. As the name implies, "Dragon Lady" is the daughter of the Dragon King. When this legend originated is unknown. I heard it from my mother. My mother said she heard it from her mother. Let's pass it on from generation to generation! Every dragon lady knows. It should be the early years of the Ming Dynasty. Because of the long time, this story has no plot, only the appearance of the story.
According to legend, a long time ago, there were three large, medium and small rocks on the Jialing River. Their bottoms should be connected, but they are independent, and they float out of the river in different sizes, separated by twenty or thirty meters. We have always called them Little Dragon Pan, Middle Dragon Pan and Big Dragon Pan. In the misty morning light, you can often see little fairies lying on the small Longyan, taking the river as a mirror and dressing up in front of the mirror. Legend has it that it is the daughter of the dragon king, but it disappeared as soon as the sun came out. It is said that there is a hole under the rock that leads to a temple on the shore, and then a temple is built.
Na shan na shui na childhood
I spent fourteen spring and autumn years in my hometown, which was my childhood and adolescence. It can be said that all the streets and alleys in my hometown have my footprints, and I have my figure in any corner. I put my fun among the mountains and rivers here. This place should be regarded as my childhood paradise. There are no mountains here, only high rocks with different shapes, such as Malanyan, Dabaoyan, Liufoyan, Ertengyan and bergamot. There is no sea here, only winding streams, including reservoirs and ponds, such as Jialing River, Xiaohegou, Yuzixi, Gao Yan Reservoir and Chenjiayan. Bricks and tiles, a tree, a leaf and even a spider web in the corner are all so familiar and kind, and they all have our stories. Every time I see or think of these peaceful feelings of returning to my hometown, I feel "I was young once …" from time to time.
I remember going to Dabaoyan for treasure hunting with seven or eight friends when I was a child. According to the legend of adults, there is a long hole at the foot of Dabaoyan Mountain, which leads from the mountain to Jialing River. An expedition has been there, but it didn't make it to the end. We always guess that there are many "treasures" in it, and this idea always makes us want to move.
One day, when you have a partner, you will ask if you dare to go. Everyone is very brave, very brave, and used the word "dare". So without telling the adults, we prepared some simple tools, such as torches and iron bars, and found the hole. Everyone hesitated. Seeing that the hole was dark, wet and bottomless, no one dared to take the lead. We use the method of "scissors, stone and cloth" to decide who will come first. As a result, the lost partner couldn't play, so everyone pushed it around. Finally, the little friend "Zhao Bazi" said boldly: I will go. "Zhao bazi" carefully took the flashlight and the cat got into the hole around his waist. We also crustily skin of head and followed nervously, and found many animal bones at the mouth of the cave, and there was an unpleasant rancid smell. I got goose bumps all over, and everyone was scared to death. I couldn't help thinking about it, but the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. After about ten meters, the cave became narrower and more rocky. He also scared his companions, but the leader was scared anyway. His foot slipped and his hand loosened, and the torch fell to the ground and rolled out down the slope. At this time, there was a burst of abuse and screams in the hole, and he fumbled outside the hole in a panic. After everyone came out, there was nothing but swearing! We returned disappointed, leaving regrets. Later, for some reason, I never thought about whether there was a "treasure" in the cave and never went to that place again. Maybe regret is the best thing.
I still remember one day I was willful, happy and free, but I paid the price.
It was a summer weekend and the school was closed. Early in the morning, a group of our friends picked up tools such as plastic buckets and wire hooks and went up the stream to catch crabs. They moved stones, dug caves, hooked cracks and held fish and shrimp with bamboo dustpans. In less than two hours, the bucket was full. Crabs are big and small, big and small, as big as fists. Fish and shrimp are relatively small, the big ones are not as big as cigarette butts, and the small ones are only as small as matchsticks. They are packed in small glass bottles found in the garbage, and a little water is as beautiful as a kaleidoscope. We can enjoy them all the way and feast our eyes on them. Although our neck, forehead and two calves are covered with dense mosquito bumps, it looks scary, but we don't care at all. However, a little friend's finger was caught by a big crab, and the crab hung on his finger. This is the worst time. At that time, I only heard him shout "Ouch, Ouch ……", so we quickly helped him take it off. He casually secretly wiped away his tears and went on. ...
When we came to Chenjiayankou and saw two strong cows bathing in the water, we drove them away with mud and stones, and soon the water in the weir was clear. We all took off our shorts and undershirts, threw away our sandals, and jumped into the deepest part of the weir naked, with the flood reaching our chins. Generally speaking, the water is only below the knee, and the water is very shallow. From time to time, cows and mosquitoes sneak up on us, and it is normal to be bitten. After playing in the water for a while, we hurried back and got crabs to eat at a partner's house. His parents are not at home, so we are very free. Let's clean the crabs together, chop firewood to make a fire, wrap the crabs in pumpkin leaves for barbecue, and add some salt to fry them. It tastes fresh, but it's long. ...
After eating crabs, everyone felt that they didn't have enough to eat and play, so they agreed to continue to catch crabs by the Jialing River. When we came to the Jialing River by a remote path and avoided the eyes of adults, it was sunny and the big wooden boat that was ferrying was panting on the shore of the dock. Five or six fishing boats in Jiangshuiwan quietly snuggled up next to the cargo ship and dozed off. In the natural steaming place, everyone took off their clothes and jumped into the river to swim without thinking. For a while, we compete in diving, for a while, to see who can swim further, and for a while, we rob each other of the small Longyan in the river and monopolize the highest point of the small Longyan. This is what we call "mountain climbing". Although it is dangerous, we are fearless until we are exhausted. We have completely forgotten this purpose. We built a Haloxylon ammodendron board from top to bottom with mud on the shore where the tide had just ebbed, and went naked into the water. In an instant, we became "clay figurines" and "white radishes". It's funny. Sometimes we wrestle with each other to compete for strength. Tired, just lie on the beach and put a big "big" word, rest on all fours and enjoy the sunshine, beach and river in this paradise. ...
Suddenly, the whistle of "Woo … Woo …" came from the river not far away. At this time, the only passenger ship between the town and the county is about to return to shore. Accidentally, the afterglow of the sunset also fell on the river, sparkling, near dusk, but we are still immersed in this happy play. Until my father-in-law suddenly stood in front of me with a bamboo brush in his hand, my excitement suddenly dropped to freezing point, and I quickly picked up my underwear and ran home while walking. As usual, he took off his pants and squatted on the bench, silently enduring the pain of the flesh and blood brought by the bamboo brush, knowing in his heart that he could never defend himself. This is experience, otherwise, he will think you are an adult's mouth, and the end will be even worse. His old man scolded, "If you don't do your homework, just play, which will make you remember for a long time." .
Hehe, joy begets sorrow! Or describe it as "first make you crazy, then let you die." Playfulness, willfulness and freedom may be children's nature and an indispensable happy element in childhood.
That person, that thing, that feeling
Although it has been a long time, there are always some people in this town who are deeply imprinted in my mind-childhood friends. Some partners have forgotten their names, only their nicknames, and some partners have forgotten all their names, but their childhood voices and smiles are still faintly there. When we grow up, we still cherish our friendship. Even though we are scattered around the world because of our study, work and life, some of us have not heard from each other, and some of us have not seen each other for decades. Also want to find opportunities to contact more, want to get together often. Although we get together from time to time, we are very satisfied and full of joy.
Nicknames are very popular in small towns. Their nicknames are louder and more interesting than their names. Maybe it's because of that era! What the hell, shriveled skull, bazi, colored dog, airbag child ... There are too many nicknames, and all those who don't have nicknames have nicknames.
There should be a "wonderful" story behind every nickname. They are all my childhood friends. We used to lie on the stage and watch Sichuan opera performances together, but we just joined in the fun. Once crowded into the crowd selling medicines for children, pigs and pesticides watched together, provoking the so-called wandering around; I also squatted on the ground together and watched curiously as the tinker mended the pot ... Our story added a few fireworks to the town, and there were many stories, often feeling that the place was small and the world was big!
Few people in town call their names, and I am no exception. I have a nickname. If someone suddenly calls you a nickname or nickname now, you will feel very kind, because basically all the people in your hometown are greeting you. No matter how the years change, they still call you by your nickname or nickname as in the past. Perhaps this is the simple mind and straightforward character of your hometown people!
There is one thing in my hometown that I can't let go. I am often sorry, and the longer I go, the deeper I owe.
There is an old man in Xiaohe Street. People here, old and young, call him that. He is ten years older than my father-in-law. I heard that he was a pig killer when he was young. His old and slightly hunched body can never hide his tall image when he was young; A wrinkled face can't stop those kind eyes. The mouth that has lost its teeth is rolled out from time to time, and the sparse white hair is always wrapped around twice. I often wear long dark cotton-padded jacket trousers of the Qing Dynasty, and the clothes on the neckline, cuffs and chest are always shiny. He wore a rope made of dark cotton around his waist. He looked energetic, but he was still senile when he walked. The most conspicuous is the cigarette stick that has been inserted obliquely at the waist and is more than 1 meter long. This is his image tag.
What fascinates our friends most is this long cigarette rod. We always want to touch it, just like a group of kittens always like to play with half a wool hanging in the air. Wherever he is, as long as his friends find him, they will gather around excitedly and secretly play with the cigarette rod. Sometimes when he is bored, he will pull out his cigarette rod and pretend to hit us. Naturally, we will all get out of the way, and his face will immediately show a smug smile. Sometimes when some children didn't dodge, he held the cigarette rod high and patted his head with a smile. We felt nothing when we touched his head, and then we ran away. Sometimes he will take the initiative to raise the cigarette rod to "provoke" us, as if this has become our inherent way of greeting, and he enjoys it and has become our playmate over time.
However, I still regret the accident. Once, I rushed to pull out a cigarette rod from his waist, but the cigarette rod hung on his belt and I couldn't take it off. I pulled him to the ground because I used too much force. He seemed to have hurt his hand, so I ran away in fear. Other friends ran away like frightened birds and the town suddenly became quiet. I spent several years in remorse and fear, until his injured hand healed, before he met me and looked at me with a smile. There is no point in blaming me, and I put down this "heart disease" stone hanging in the air without telling adults about it. But my heart was full of regret and shame, and I always wanted to apologize to his old man. However, he didn't say his apology until he left the town for good a few years later. He apologized so far, leaving a lasting regret!
The night in the town is very beautiful and unique. Standing at the entrance of Ertengyanshang Highway, overlooking the night scene in the distance, the quiet rock mouth environment instantly makes you feel far away from the noisy city, refreshed, and unconsciously you will take a deep breath of the coolness of this night, and your mind will ripple. I am amazed at the harmonious embrace of traditional culture and modern civilization here. On the one hand, there are scattered lights in the town, and on the other hand, there are bright lights in the 157 military glass factory, which makes the town more traditional and simple.
After a hundred years of wind and rain, the town has always been quietly nestled in the embrace of rocks, writing love songs and pastoral songs here; Quietly embedded in the Jialing River, it shows the beauty and mystery here. She is more like a great mother, who gave birth to generations of simple and kind dragons.