Father's Land Mother's River

Chapter 53 The Son of the Sea

The singing competition had reached its climax, and cheers from the camp resounded throughout the bay.Liu Xiaonan was still standing on the edge of the rocky cliff, looking at the deep, calm and shimmering sea under the night.

"Let me kiss you!" The affectionate call was like endless surging waves, hitting his chest wave after wave.

"It's my first time." That first kiss, full of love and sadness, was injected into his life like a fresh blood.

A girl gave him the most precious first kiss, what else could he ask for?Just keep it all in your heart.

Wang Aiqing walked through the pine forest and found Liu Xiaonan.Standing beside Liu Xiaonan, she asked softly, "Have you talked to Wu Yanli?"

Liu Xiaonan said: "We've talked. She said that her family introduced a partner to her, and the conditions in all aspects are quite good. She is very satisfied."

Wang Aiqing hugged Liu Xiaonan's arm and said: "I once asked your elder brother, what would he do if I went back to the city with the child in my arms, what would he do? Your elder brother only said one sentence, accepting this fact , even if it hurts."

Liu Xiaonan said: "Master Wang, I understand what you mean. There is no hatred or pain in my heart, but some regret and loss."

"That's good." Wang Aiqing pulled Liu Xiaonan back and walked back: "I believe you can correct your position and get back together. Come back with me, and return to the middle of everyone, and you will be happier."

After the singing competition, everyone returned to the tent to rest.After tossing and turning all night, Liu Xiaonan woke up early the next morning.He walked along a gentle slope on the right side of the cliff, walked down the cliff to the edge of the bay, and walked deep along the gravel road surrounding the bay.

There is a layer of mist in the bay, and the distant scenery is hazy, like an illusion.

It seems that the tide is ebbing, the water level of the bay has receded by more than two meters, and the sandy beach is exposed, densely covered with large and small caves, all kinds of small crabs are busy looking for food on the beach, or rebuilding the caves while the tide is low .

After turning a corner, a small hill appeared on the side of the road, with layers of terraced fields, and apple trees were planted on the top and bottom of the mountain, and the branches were covered with green apples.

There lived a family at the foot of the mountain, and three bungalows were built along the foot of the mountain. Roosters crowed and dogs barked, and the smoke from the kitchen rose straight up.

Turning around the foot of the mountain, there are several separate reed ponds in front of you. A tidal ditch zigzags through them, and birds chirp cheerfully from the reed ponds as tall as a person.

It turned out that the bay showed a slight upward trend. Not only is the terrain flat and open here, but also the trace of the highest tide can be clearly seen.Pieces of tidal flats are exposed, only the water flows in the tidal trenches, and the reed ponds are just small wetlands with different depths.

The gravel road under the feet leads to the reservoir, and the appearance of the reservoir can only be seen when you get closer: a stone dam is built in the valley, and the rainwater from the surrounding mountains gathers here along the valley, forming a reservoir that is not too large.

The water in the reservoir is full and will flow down the overflow channel into the wetlands and down the tidal trenches into the sea.The tidal trench running through the wetland and the sea is washed out in this way.

Standing on the stone dam of the reservoir, it is the end of the bay.The mountains are densely wooded, the water in the reservoir is clear, the reed ponds are lush and lush, and the bay is like a swimming dragon, reluctantly swimming into the sea.

Liu Xiaonan returned along the original road, and everything in nature would make him curious, moved, and stopped, even if it was an unknown bird, some plants he had never seen before, or a group of small birds looking for food on the coast. Crab.

Of course, the family living here alone will attract his attention even more.

Turning around the foot of the mountain again, Liu Xiaonan saw a man carrying water and vegetables.In the flat vegetable field at the foot of the mountain, vegetables such as cucumbers, kidney beans, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes that he is familiar with are planted.

A tall, strong, dark-faced man, wearing a faded old military uniform, fetched water from the reed pond and watered the vegetable garden one by one.

The man was only in his thirties, and Liu Xiaonan stood beside him and asked curiously, "Brother, isn't the water in the reed pond salty water? Will it not cause alkali when poured into the vegetable field?"

The man straightened up and looked at Liu Xiaonan: "Are you here on vacation?"

"Yes." Liu Xiaonan said: "My hometown is also in the countryside, guarding a big river, and the low-lying land often suffers from alkali, so vegetables and crops cannot grow well."

The man picked two cucumbers from the cucumber rack, handed them to Liu Xiaonan and explained, "Try it. The sea water can't reach the reed pond. The water in the reed pond is fresh water seeped from the mountains and reservoirs, so it doesn't have alkali."

Liu Xiaonan was also polite, biting a crispy and tender cucumber and said, "I found out that only the elder brother's family lives here, don't you usually feel lonely and boring?"

The man simply put down his burden, lit a cigarette and smoked, and chatted with Liu Xiaonan: "My family is an outsider, there is a lack of water and land in my hometown, and the wind and sand are still strong. What I plant does not grow. I have to come out to find a way out because of the hardship. The transportation in this mountain is inconvenient, and there is no one to contract the orchard, which gave us a chance. Loneliness is loneliness, but facing the sea, there are mountains, water, and land. The climate is good, and no one bothers you. It is better than my hometown. too much."

Liu Xiaonan felt that the man had a story to tell, so he continued to chat: "Brother was a soldier, right?"

The man said: "See? I have been a soldier for three years, and I also wanted to go out and make a way. Unfortunately, there is no cultural army. I will stay in the army. After returning from the army, I will farm the land and herd sheep as usual. Later, the sheep could not be herded, so I had to leave my hometown."

Liu Xiaonan was deeply touched: "I am also from the countryside, but I just work in the city and have a better reputation. I also thought about being a soldier and going to the military academy, but unfortunately I failed the physical examination. The fate of a person is really unpredictable. What mountain is singing what song?"

"You said that there is a big river in your hometown, so there must be a lot of land guarding the big river?"

"Not only is it abundant, but it is also very fertile, and the harvest is guaranteed during drought and flood. One ridge is more than 500 meters long, and two ridges are one mu. When plowing the land, you can't find a small stone or a scraping board."

The man looked envious: "Run out after guarding such a good place? I don't think there is anything good about the city."

Liu Xiaonan smiled and said, "Brother is not very old, how could he agree with my father's ideas? My father is a mine worker. After the land was contracted, he bought a lot of books on agricultural science and technology. He planned to return to the countryside to work hard after retirement."

The man said affirmatively: "You don't understand, the land is the root of a person and the life of a person, and your father is a fallen leaf returning to the root."

Liu Xiaonan was shocked that no stranger knew her father better.

A woman came from the back door of the house and said to the man: "When you go home to eat, the food will be cold, why are you still talking about it if you don't pour the vegetables?"

The woman is young and beautiful, but her height and frame are comparable to that of ordinary little men.The man said: "I met a little brother who is also from the countryside, so I chatted a little more speculatively."

Liu Xiaonan looked at the woman and said to the man, "Is it sister-in-law? She is so beautiful."

The woman giggled loudly and cheerfully, pretending to be dissatisfied and said to the man: "Everyone says I'm beautiful, but you don't want to praise me more and look at me more."

The man said: "Even if you are a fairy, you will get tired of watching it every day."

The woman said: "If I were a fairy, I wouldn't sing with you here that you carry water and come to water my garden."

Liu Xiaonan looked at the two casually chatting and laughing with great interest, perhaps this was just a part of their daily self-regulation.The man asked Liu Xiaonan to wait, and entered the house by himself.

The woman led Liu Xiaonan to the apricot tree in the backyard, and plucked the yellowish red apricots for him to eat.Apricots are sweet and not sour at all.

The world is full of fragrance in April, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple begin to bloom.There are also two apricot trees in the backyard of Liu Xiaonan's house. His mother said that he was planted by his father in the year he was born. When he grows up, the apricot trees will bear fruit, so he can eat apricots.

Apricots begin to ripen in late June and early July, but now they have passed the ripening period, and there are no apricots on the market.Perhaps because of the unique geographical environment in the mountains, the apricots here have just matured.

The man came out of the house, holding a large plastic bag, picked cucumbers, tomatoes, apricots, filled it, and handed it to Liu Xiaonan.Liu Xiaonan refused, and the man said, "I won't sell it when others buy it with money. These days when people in your factory come on vacation, few people talk to me about the truth. As if anyone has never seen money, I won’t sell any of them. You are different from them, and our buddies are destined.”

The woman also said: "Melons, fruits, pears, jujubes, whoever sees who bites, you can take it if you give it to you. It's rare for your elder brother to be happy."

The man said: "When you come on vacation in the future, don't forget to come and sit down."

Liu Xiaonan waved goodbye to the solitary couple and walked back along the gravel road.The sea water in the bay has receded, exposing a large beach, and many people are chasing the sea to dig for clams.

He has seen the true face of the sea, and he is not very interested in chasing the small sea, let alone carrying a bag of vegetables and fruits in his hand.He walked up the rocky cliff along the gentle slope, and saw Wu Yanli standing on the rocky cliff, looking around, as if looking for him.

Liu Xiaonan said, "Why don't you go down and play in the sea?"

Wu Yanli said: "I didn't see you at breakfast, I don't know where you went, I left breakfast for you."

Liu Xiaonan handed the bag to Wu Yanli and said, "I was strolling along the bay and met a family. After talking for a while, they gave me these things. You can eat them."

Wu Yanli took the bag and said, "I don't usually like to talk, but I can talk to anyone, I don't understand you."

Back at the campsite, Liu Xiaonan ate a bowl of porridge and a few fritters that Wu Yanli had left for him. Wu Yanli ate apricots, and was silent for a while.After a restless night, they all know that there will never be a return to the way they were before.

Wu Yanli asked in a low voice: "When the novel is published in the future, will you still show it to me?"

Liu Xiaonan said, "Of course, as long as you still like to watch it."

Tears glistened in Wu Yanli's eyes: "Xiaonan, we will all be well in the future!"

Liu Xiaonan replied affirmatively: "Definitely, we will all be fine!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, with bitterness, reluctance and blessing mixed in their smiles.

"Master, I've been looking for you everywhere." Guan Xiaoyun recklessly broke into the tent and shouted.Seeing two people sitting opposite each other, with tears in Wu Yanli's eyes, Liu Xiaonan lowered her head and immediately understood everything.She wanted to leave, but Wu Yanli called to stop her.

Wu Yanli stood up, glanced at Liu Xiaonan and said, "Xiaoyun, let's go play on the beach."

The two girls walked out of the tent, Guan Xiaoyun glanced back and asked, "Master, is Xiao Nan okay?"

Wu Yanli rubbed her eyes and said, "Xiaoyun, don't hate me, and I don't want to hurt Xiaonan either. But my parents are firmly against it, so what can I do?"

Guan Xiaoyun comforted Wu Yanli: "I don't blame anyone. If I want to complain, I can only complain about one urban hukou and one rural hukou. It's not your fault."

After the two girls left, Liu Xiaonan sat alone for a while, stood up, walked out of the tent, and walked down the cliff to the beach.The tide is high, and there are layers of waves on the sea, pushing each wave towards the coast.

Liu Xiaonan swam towards the sea facing the waves, aiming at a dark sea surface, where the color of the sea water was obviously different from the surrounding area.I swam closer and dived into the sea, only to find that it was a deep trench under the sea. Long and wide kelp grew from the bottom of the deep trench, swaying gently like a dense forest.

Liu Xiaonan walked through the kelp bushes, feeling the smooth kelp rubbing against his body, there was no noise or trouble, he was a free fish, or a bird flying in the jungle.

A small black fish that was as long as one finger was dangling in front of him, wagging its tail slightly, neither moving away nor approaching, as if leading the way for him.He stretched out two fingers and gently pinched the little black fish's tail.

The little black fish was frightened, swung its tail quickly and swam far away, then turned around and swam back after calming down, observing Liu Xiaonan through the diving goggles.

Liu Xiaonan lowered her hands, controlled the balance of her body by swinging her legs, "stopped" in the sea, and smiled with a kind expression.

The little black fish pecked at the diving goggles, and seemed to feel that it was impossible to communicate with this big guy, so he turned around and swam away without any hesitation.

Liu Xiaonan swam out of the kelp bushes, feeling somewhat lost and sad.He lay on the sea, looking up at the sky, rising and falling with the waves.

(End of this chapter)