The leisurely life of farmers in mountain villages

Chapter 13
The huge mountain range stretches for tens of miles, but relatively large trees are rarely seen on the mountain.Looking around, a large walnut tree located on the hillside of Wujiayuzi is particularly conspicuous.

Before the 80s, because the entire countryside was relatively poor, there were still relatively few people who could afford coal for cooking and heating, so everyone would go to the mountains to collect firewood.Not to mention the mature trees, even the inconspicuous things such as the ground, fluffy grass, and spider webs were gathered together and picked up as firewood.

Every winter, there are waves of people going up the mountain to collect firewood, both adults and children.At that time, farmers were busy with work all year round.And the children of the peasant family were in charge of the family early, and collecting firewood was a job that the children could do for the family at that time.

Later, after 84, the production was contracted to households, and the situation of each household improved, and all the valleys and ridges were contracted to the villagers. If the coal is gone, I won't go to the mountains to suffer that crime in the winter.More than ten years have passed, and the water grass on the mountain has also become denser, especially in Wujiayuzi, which is far from the village, the thatch grows wildly, and the thatch can be as tall as a person in the dense place.Small animals such as pheasants, hares, foxes, and badgers gradually increased.

Before the mid-90s, wild wolves could occasionally be seen on Wujiayuzi Mountain, but after the end of the 90s, there were no traces of wild wolves.

Wang Shaodong walked along the rugged mountain road with a width of less than 08 centimeters, planning to find a place under the cliff of Yanwangbi’s nose to cool off. It was cool and cool in the shade, I left home at 30:09, and at 30:[-], I finally walked to the bottom of the cliff of Yama's nose.

Steep cliffs cover half of Wujiayuzi in the shade. Even in the dog days, it will make people feel refreshed here.

Wujiayuzi was a barren mountain before it was contracted to the households in 84. Later, the 300-mu mountain valley was contracted to five families in the village, where apples, pears, persimmons, plums, chestnuts, pomegranates, walnuts and other fruit trees were planted. Wujiayuzi also looked alive.

Walnuts in July, pears in August, and persimmons in September catch up with the market.It's the sixth month of the lunar calendar. Although the walnuts on the tree are not yet fully ripe, they can satisfy their cravings.

However, Wang Shaodong didn't like walnuts very much, so he didn't bother to pick a few walnuts from the big walnut tree in the middle of the valley, which was said to be of great significance to the people of Taohualing Village.

The mountains are poor, but the mountain farmers have worked very hard to open up terraced fields on the mountain. Looking around, it is magnificent. Wang Shaodong has to feel the greatness of the mountain people's industriousness.

Sweet potatoes, millet, and sorghum are planted in the uneven mountainous land. Wang Shaodong, who was passing by, secretly picked up two pieces of sweet potatoes and put them in his arms. Watching people not paying attention, he came to the bottom of Yan Wang's nose cliff.

The bottom of the cliff is mostly gravel slabs, and the mountain spring water flows out from the gaps under the slabs, bubbling and refreshing.And that mountain spring will emit heat again after winter, making people feel warm after seeing it.

Lying on the stone slab, he could have a panoramic view of the entire Taohualing Village. Hearing the rustling spring water and the rushing stream beside him, Wang Shaodong felt that the time around him seemed to slow down a lot.

When did Wang Shaodong have such a leisurely time in his previous life.I remember that in the few days after the college entrance examination and the results were not yet available, I was still anxious.After getting the grades, I was frustrated because of the unsatisfactory grades.Later, I went to college and indulged in the Internet, but after I calmed down, I always felt empty.After graduating from university, like a spinning top, work, work, the heavy pressure is like a rope that chokes the throat, and there is no room for a moment of comfort.

Why is life so hard, this is not the life I want.

Wang Shaodong casually threw the sweet potatoes into the mountain spring and let the spring water wash away the soil on the sweet potatoes, while the grasshoppers strung together with two bunches of foxtails were thrown on the stone slab.He casually pulled out a thatch root from the side, chewed it in his mouth, and swallowed the faint, sweet taste with his saliva.

Wang Shaodong smiled contentedly. Above his head, the eaglet just came out of the nest and hovered. He knew that its nest was on a big protruding rock on the cliff of Hades' nose.

In this way, Wang Shaodong greedily enjoyed the comfortable time. After more than an hour, he heard the sound of a loud leather whip not far away.

He sat up and looked, and found that more than 30 meters away from him, Wu Laoer, an old bachelor from Taohualing Village, was driving a dozen goats to the mountain to graze.

In my impression, Wu Lao Er has always been a very happy person. Although he has never found a wife, he always has a smile on his face.

Wu Lao Er has been herding sheep all his life. In his previous life, in 2016, when he went back to his hometown, he met Wu Lao Er who was driving sheep to the mountains to graze sheep. At that time, however, he was much older than he is now.

In 2002, Wu's second child was almost 60 years old. By 2016, he was already in his 70s.

When I was young, I and my little friend Zheng Hui and Zheng Tao’s twin brothers liked to go to the mountains with Wu Lao Er to herd sheep, run all over the hillside, sprinkle flowers, pinch foxtails to braid hair, catch grasshoppers, and lift broken stones to catch scorpions.And Wu Laoer also likes children very much, he will always find a bunch of red plums in the corner of the mountain, and stuff them for Wang Shaodong and the others to eat.

The happiness in the previous life always echoes in the memories of childhood, Wang Shaodong always feels happy when he thinks about it.

Wu Laoer also saw Wang Shaodong, happily raised the sheep whip in his hand, and slapped the whip.

"Boy of the Wang family, you have found a good place!"

Wu Laoer's voice is very loud and full of energy.

In my impression, Wu's second child's stomach is full of stories about gods, ghosts and ghosts. Wang Shaodong and his friends were terrified when they heard it when they were young, but they still couldn't stop.

"Old man, how is it going here?" Wang Shaodong stood up happily, and waved at Wu Erer.

Wu Lao Er nodded, ignoring the flock of sheep foraging along the lush aquatic plants along the road, and walked towards Wang Shaodong with a whip.

"Boys of the Wang family, you've grown into a young man, are you going to college soon?" Wu Er Er squatted down, took a handful of mountain spring water to wash his face, and asked Wang Shaodong with his hips crossed.

Wang Shaodong waved his hands again and again: "No more, no more."

When Wu Laoer heard this, he frowned anxiously: "Why don't you go up?"

Wang Shaodong didn't want to explain, because he didn't think of a suitable excuse yet.

"Grandpa, let's not talk about this matter. If there is any good story to tell me, let me have a good time."

Since he was a child, Wang Shaodong liked to listen to Wu's second son telling him stories, and now seeing him, he is still very interested.

Just as Wu Laoer was about to speak, he heard a shout from above the ridge to the west of Wujiayuzi: "Shaodong, come home quickly."

Wang Shaodong and Wu Laoer followed the sound and saw Wang Shaodong's mother, Zhao Shiling, standing there waving. Wang Shaodong frowned, thinking, is there something wrong at home?

(End of this chapter)