There is a small village at the foot of the West Mountain, called Liujia Village. The village is not big, with only more than 200 people. Most of the villagers make a living by farming and hunting.
There is an old willow tree at the entrance of Liujia Village, which has been eroded by time. Even the oldest man in the village does not know its age.
At this time in previous years, the willow branches that cover the sky and the sun have already been sprouted with tender willow leaves, layer upon layer, full of green, and the breeze blows, graceful and swaying. But at this time this year, there is no green on the branches. They are dry and brown.
The bark peeled off layer by layer from the trunk, and the yellow willow branches fell rustling down, as if this old willow tree of unknown age had withered and died.
At five o'clock in the morning, when the sky just turned white, the villagers of Liujia Village got up early. Men, women, old and young walked out of their homes one after another, gathered in groups, and walked towards the old willow tree at the entrance of the village.
Today is March 20th, the Spring Equinox, and there is a local custom of offering sacrifices to heaven. It is intended to pray for God’s blessings, good weather, good harvests, and full rice warehouses in the new year.
It's a happy day.
However, the faces of the villagers did not see the joy that should be expected on a festive day. On the contrary, the old people staggered around, shaking their heads and lamenting from time to time; the middle-aged people frowned, walked heavily, and looked bitter; the young people clenched their fists.
Kicking stones, irritable and restless; even the lively children lowered their heads and followed the adults step by step, losing the vitality they should have.
Depression and depression enveloped the entire Liujia Village.
To be precise, the entire southern land is shrouded in this kind of dullness and depression.
Since the beginning of spring last year, for forty-eight days a year, not a single drop of rain has fallen in the entire southern land. Now the rivers have dried up, the lakes have dried up, the earth is cracked, and the grass and trees have withered. What you can see is a withered and dead look. The crops in the fields are connected.
There is no harvest in the season, the people have eaten up all the grain reserves, eaten up all the grass roots and tree bark, and are struggling on the verge of death.
Drought, this demon from the abyss of hell, has raised the sickle in its hand and is ready to harvest the lives of tens of millions of people in the southern land.
In previous years, during the spring equinox ceremony, Liujia Village would place pig heads and three animals under the old willow tree. The old village chief would read the memorial text, and then the gongs and drums would sound. The whole village, old and young, would celebrate the festival happily. But this year it is impossible because it is impossible to do so.
All the food was eaten, and there were no pig heads or three animals left. Even three bowls of white rice were a luxury.
The old village chief's name is Li Degui. He is in his seventies this year and his bones are still strong. If there is no serious illness or disaster, it will not be a problem to live for a few more years. Although he is old, his brain is not confused at all. Nowadays, the drought is raging, and every family
Every household counted grains of rice and cooked them to get by, so although today was a big day for the festival, he did not rigidly follow it and had to prepare pig heads, three animals and other sacrifices. Instead, he asked the villagers to put out three bowls of water. He said
If the sky had eyes, it would sympathize with the sufferings of the people and not blame them.
The villagers followed the old village chief's instructions and placed three bowls of water on the altar under the old willow tree.
At six o'clock, the red sun leaped over the eastern sky, its rays of light piercing the sky. Above the sky, there was no cloud in the sky, the blue was as clear as water, and it was another sunny day.
"Hey," the old village chief stroked his long snow-white beard, looked at the blue sky through the branches of the old willow tree, and sighed. It was another sunny day. If it doesn't rain, how can the people survive?
He shook his head with a wry smile, walked to the altar with a willow crutch, straightened his hair and clothes, and knelt on the ground. Behind him, more than two hundred villagers knelt down.
call
A gust of wind blew by, and pieces of dead willow branches fell down, hitting everyone on their heads and bodies.
An old woman with gray hair tremblingly picked up a wicker stick and held it in her rough and thin hands. Tears filled her sunken eye sockets. She leaned on the ground with her forehead against the wicker stick. She felt so sad that she couldn't help but sob: "
Grandpa Willow is dead."
The old woman's sob aroused the desolation and sadness that everyone was feeling. In an instant, the eyes of all men, women and children were red, and they were sobbing together.
In the hearts of the people in Liujia Village, the old willow tree is more like a close relative who accompanies them to grow up. The bond between them and the old willow tree, especially the elderly, may not be clear, but it is unforgettable. Now the old willow tree is unforgettable.
The willow tree died, and they were very sad.
"Quiet!" the old village chief yelled, scaring everyone into silence immediately.
The old village chief kowtowed three times to the altar, and then said loudly: "I and the two hundred and sixty-three people of Liujia Village, I sincerely tell the God of Heaven and the gods of the four directions: Since our ancestors established the village here, there have been six hundred
In the past few years, there have been countless droughts, floods, and wars. Fortunately, the people of Liujia Village have been protected by the gods of heaven, earth, and the four directions. They have helped the people of Liujia Village to survive every disaster. They have also been blessed by the gods of the four seasons, and wind, rain, frost, and snow have come at the right time.
The grains were plentiful, the livestock was abundant, and then the people of Liujia Village lived and worked in peace and contentment, passed down from generation to generation, and the sparks were immortal. This was a gift from the gods of heaven and earth. Today, during the Spring Equinox Festival, I should have sacrificed three animals with pig heads to repay the protection of the gods of heaven and earth. However,
Alas, the drought is raging, and every household is struggling to survive on just a few meters of land. Today, I offer three bowls of plain water as a temporary substitute. When we get through this difficulty, we will double the supply. I hope the gods of heaven and earth will sympathize with our sufferings and don’t blame us.
.”
"I hope the gods of heaven and earth will sympathize with our sufferings and don't blame us." The crowd shouted.
"Our ancestors have taught us not to hunt in the spring or cut down in the summer in order to nourish the mountains and forests. However, the drought is so severe that we have no other way to survive. We have to go against the instructions of our ancestors and go hunting in the mountains in search of a chance of survival. The spirits of our ancestors in heaven will understand me.
I will not be punished for breaking the commandments, but I hope the gods of heaven and earth and the spirits of my ancestors will protect me and ensure that I, Erlang, will be safe in the mountains and return home safely."
"I hope that the gods of heaven and earth and the spirits of our ancestors will protect me and ensure that I, Erlang Mountain, will be safe and return safely." Everyone followed and prayed.
The nine-kowtow ceremony is over.
The old village chief kowtowed and stood up, turned around, slowly put on a smile on his face, waved to the crowd, and called: "Big boy, little boy, you two come here."
Two teenagers walked out of the crowd. One of them was dark-skinned, with a strong back and strong waist, thick eyebrows and big eyes. His name was Niu Dawa. The other boy was half a head shorter than Niu Dawa. He had the same dark complexion. Although his figure was not huge, he was taller than Niu Dawa.
He has clear lines, well-proportioned and strong, and has an ordinary appearance, neither ugly nor handsome. This young man's name is Zhang Xiaozhu.
The two of them are the same age and have just turned sixteen this year. According to local customs, they should perform the ceremony of coming of age on the Spring Equinox Festival.
Niu Dawa and Zhang Xiaozu stepped forward and knelt under the old willow tree as instructed by the old village chief. The atmosphere at the scene was finally no longer so dull and depressing, and the crowd also burst into laughter.
"Are these two boys the only ones holding adult ceremonies this year?"
"Yeah. Too few. Look at Zhangjia Village next door. There are thirteen this year."
Snapped!
Before the man finished speaking, an old woman raised her hand and slapped her on the back of the head. The old woman twisted her eyebrows and cursed: "You brat, you also know that our village is not prosperous. On weekdays, you are allowed to be with your wife.
Work harder on me and give me more fat grandsons, but you just won't listen. Now you feel disgusted with me."
"Mom, what are you talking about?" The man was so embarrassed by what his mother said that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl in. His wife was even more unbearable, her face was as red as a monkey's butt.
Everyone was also inspired by the old woman's joking words, and started chatting and laughing.
"Hey, we are so old. Before we know it, the big boy and the little boy have become adults. We are really old."
"Isn't that right? As the saying goes, don't compare your age with your children, as they will make you older."
"Lao Niu, should I stay home for this hunting trip?"
"I won't stay. I plan to let him learn a lot. There are still two and a half young men in the family. If something happens, the Niu family will not be able to stop him."
"Bah, bah, bah, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Ahem!" The old village chief coughed twice, suppressed everyone's voices, and said to Niu Dawa and Zhang Xiaozu who were kneeling on the ground: "Dawa, today you will be named Niu Guangmao, which means Lotte, which means Lotte knows his fate.
.”
According to local custom, a child is only given a baby name before he or she reaches adulthood, and a first name is given along with a cousin's name on the coming-of-age ceremony, and recorded in the family tree. If the child is a woman, only a first name is given, and the first name is given when the child is married.
Niu Dawa opened his mouth happily, his big white teeth shining dazzlingly in the sun, but he scratched the back of his head vigorously. He didn't know a few Chinese characters, and he didn't know what "happy to fate" meant, so he looked confused.
"Be happy and know your fate, be happy and worry-free, and live a carefree life." The old village chief understood his confusion and explained.
Niu Dawa understood and was very happy. He immediately kowtowed and thanked: "Thank you, elder, for the name."
"My eldest child has grown up." The mother of the eldest child in the crowd looked at her son with emotion in her heart and her eyes gradually became moist.
The old village chief stroked his white beard and nodded, then looked at Zhang Xiaozu, his eyes suddenly turned pitiful, and he sighed and said: "My child, you were abandoned under this old willow tree when you were a baby, except for 'Zhang Xiaozu'
There is nothing else that can indicate your identity. Because you have a name and a surname, we cannot adopt you and raise you under our knees. Instead, we let you grow up eating the food of hundreds of families. This is not because we dislike you, but because we respect your parents.
Your birth and the gift of giving me a name. Although I don’t know where your roots are, at least I let you know what your surname is, and at least you know the surname of your ancestors.”
"I understand." Zhang Xiaopeng kowtowed heavily, then turned around and kowtowed to the crowd, choking with sobs and saying: "Without the care and support of all the elders, I, Zhang Xiaopeng, would no longer exist in the world, so everyone in Liujia Village is my closest relative. I'm so grateful."
A great virtue, a small pawn will never forget you."
"You brat, if your parents hadn't given you your name, I would have taken you under my knees and raised you as my own son."
"A good boy, who values love and justice, and is a man."
"Good boy, good boy!"
"We are very happy to watch you grow up."
Most of everyone's words were compliments, because Zhang Xiaopou was indeed a well-behaved and sensible child. He would compete for every job in the village. He also had a sweet mouth and a smart mind, which made him very popular.
like.
"Son," the old village chief called Zhang Xiaozu back and asked, "Do you hate your biological parents?"
Zhang Xiaozhu remained silent. He had asked himself this question no less than a hundred times in the dead of night. At first, the answer in his heart was hate, very much hate. Why would he live without supporting them? But as he grew older, and
Thanks to the careful teachings of the elders of Liujia Village, he gradually let go of the hatred in his heart, but he also didn't like it. He could only say that he didn't hate it and didn't want it. But now, his inner thoughts became complicated, he hated and wanted it at the same time.
"I don't know, little soldier. I would like to listen to the teachings of the village chief." Zhang Xiaozu couldn't explain his feelings, so he had to turn to the elders for help.
Elders have great wisdom.
"I'll show you something." The old village chief smiled and stroked his white beard, reached into his arms, took out a piece of white cloth, slowly unfolded it and handed it to Zhang Xiaozu.
This chapter has been completed!