The days when I lived in a cave on a high loess slope (3)

The sky at five o'clock in the morning is no longer dark, and a few stars can still be seen in the deep blue sky. The quiet yard suddenly became restless, and we made an appointment to climb the mountain to watch the sunrise this morning. After a simple wash, led by a relative of the host family (or a junior high school student), we went to the opposite river stone bed and stepped on the stones in the stream.

At the foot of the mountain, boulders lie on the horizon, Robinia pseudoacacia is born sideways, and rivers and stones are everywhere. Go straight along the faintly visible path, set foot on bothriochloa ischaemum, hold the rock wall and head for the top of the mountain. The mountainside rocks are exposed, the rocks are loose, the joints are vertical and horizontal, and the weathering is serious. Looking down, the strata are exposed from old to new and from east to west in turn. The slope of the ditch wall reached more than 40 degrees, so there was no way to climb halfway up the mountain, so we had to lean forward and climb up. Although the slope is mostly covered with grass, you can still feel the looseness of loess when you insert your fingers.

When I climbed to the top of the mountain, the fog filled the mountains and the sky was faintly red. The sun has come out. There are many jujube trees on the top of the mountain. From a distance, the outline can still be seen on the top of the mountain hundreds of meters ahead, but it is blurred in the distance. Looking down, the mountains are covered with green jujube trees and terraced fields. Occasionally, I can see one or two apple trees standing in the jujube forest, full of pride.

Walking in the middle of the top of the mountain, the fog in the morning hit my face. Sunflowers are planted on the slightly inclined slope of the top of the mountain, which may be new species. Many of them have not blossomed yet, and some of them are growing well, and the flowers are tightly packed and not unfolded. Looking at these jujube trees, apple trees and sunflowers, you not only sincerely admire the hard work of local farmers, but also have to feel the harsh conditions in northern Shaanxi, which may be just the tip of the iceberg of extensive farming and meager harvest in northern Shaanxi. The top of the mountain is full of soft loess, so that I have to give up looking for a stone or even a small stone after several searches.

The host family specially prepared potato forks and steamed bread for us in the morning. Potato fork is a local home-cooked dish, which is to shred potatoes and mix them with minced meat and spices. It tastes good. As for the buns in northern Shaanxi, they are really big and strong. Before leaving, my aunt cut the watermelon for us. I picked watermelon when I passed Tankou yesterday. Very sweet. Walking on the mountain village highway, every village that passes by is full of all kinds of fruits. If you are thirsty, pick some for yourself and say hello.

The road to Wang Suli is a little easier than yesterday. Passing through many hillsides, the weathering is very serious. There is a trace of being washed by the ditch below the mountainside, and the residual collapse can often be seen. In the ravine, you can often see leafy Salix and spikes. The hillside is dotted with some green, thin and helpless. Wang Suli is located in Qingjian, Lao She's hometown, where the Yellow River meets the Wuding River. It is a rare basin topography, surrounded by rolling mountains, with trees at the bottom and birds and flowers. There are many towering ancient trees in the village, not only thousands of jujube trees, but also old locust trees and stump trees. Among the green trees, rows of original old caves, antique quadrangles, quiet Zhonghao Village and farmland with fragrant fruits and vegetables set each other off in a unique style. And that magical hut stands on the top of the mountain, like a loyal guardian, guarding the villagers below.

Wang Suli's village name has allusions. It is said that Li Shimin, the king of Qin, passed by and saw that it was already dark, so he stayed here for one night. When I left the next day, I planted a jujube tree. Later, the tree blossomed and planted seeds, but it didn't fall for thousands of years, and new trees grew around the seeds. Now it has become a famous Millennium jujube forest in the local area. In order to commemorate the king of Qin, the local villagers changed the village name to Wang Suli, hence the name. Later, in order to resist bandits, the local people built a stockade on the mountain, also called Qinwangzhai. A beautiful legend, together with jujube trees that can not fall for thousands of years, has made the local government determined to turn Wangsuli into the first folk culture village in northern Shaanxi.

I wandered around alone when everyone was resting. The jujube tree, known as the Millennium old jujube demon, is actually not very tall. The trunk can surround a person, and the bark is wrinkled and covered with dates. Red dates in northern Shaanxi are big, thick-skinned, small-nucleated, good in color and delicious. It is said that these thousand-year-old jujube trees not only do not dry red dates, but also have the best quality. There are several local farmers shoveling dirt and building roads next to the Millennium jujube forest. Because I was idle, I helped shovel for a while. The old man shoveling earth, surnamed Li, specializes in planting dates. His dark skin is covered with wrinkles, his head is covered with a white towel, and he is wearing a worn-out white sweatshirt and a pair of dark blue workers' pants. He said that we came at a bad time, because in July, Wang Suli was like a brazier. All the old dates were sold out, but the new ones were not ripe yet. The old man is very talkative, and he was a little stiff at first, but when he found that I was not so difficult to get along with, he talked endlessly.

When talking about the thousand-year-old jujube trees around him, Li Laohan pointed to the jujube trees and said that the number of dates in China is the best in northern Shaanxi, while the number of dates in northern Shaanxi is the best in Shanghai. Wangsuli is not only close to the river beach, but also has a high altitude, such as a prominent basin with strong sunshine. Therefore, the Millennium jujube trees here can be said to be the best in the country. Moreover, the average temperature in the village is 3 to 4 degrees Celsius higher than that in the surrounding villages, and the germination time of tree species is more than half a month earlier. With sufficient water supply, crops can be harvested twice a year. I found that Qingjian people unconsciously showed pride when they talked about red dates, just like praising their youngest son. Then, he put the shovel on the ground, sat on the handle of the shovel and said, "Where are you spicy?" "My family lives in Guangdong." "Guangdong, ok, yeah (here) is it (generally). Planting dates depends on the sky, and you don't need a penny in case of natural disasters. " At this time, Li Laohan looked at the jujube tree opposite. I heard that people in northern Shaanxi are all born singers. When they are farming or herding sheep in the mountains, they sing to the high loess slope. At my kind request, Li Laohan also sang a song for me.

Not as deep as (ah) the yellow land and not as high as a day.

Roar and believe in the sky, sing our plowman.

A woman with a spirit of water, tiger and Han,

People's sharp point is on the edge of this nine-bend Yellow River.

Boiling sun and moon in the ravine, turning in the grinding road.

The cook in bitter water floated a boat with tears in his balls.

Orchids are full of mountains in Kegougou, Shandandan.

The plowman's wandering in the sky is endless.

The folk songs in northern Shaanxi can only be sung by people in northern Shaanxi, and there is a strong optimism and tenacity in desolation. After Li Laohan finished singing, I listened to the recording for him. As a result, he was embarrassed and showed a shy expression. People in northern Shaanxi are really cute.

When he introduced the local legend to me, he said that Li Shimin, the king of Qin, had led troops through here and stayed here for the night. He was lying on a stone near the village reading a book, but mosquitoes kept biting, so he asked people to order wormwood to smoke mosquitoes. Sure enough, there were no mosquitoes on the stone. Later, this stone was named "Mosquito Free Stone". Up to now, this weather-beaten and mottled stone still stands quietly by the road. Of course, this stone is actually not the mosquito-free stone before. The stone where there were no mosquitoes was destroyed. Now it was discovered later, and it is estimated that it has no magical effect on mosquitoes. Later, Li Zicheng came here with the rebels, and there are still horses tied, dismounted and sitting in court in the village. In fact, none of these legends can be verified, but Wang Qinglun, a scholar in Qing Dynasty, wrote a poem "Wang Suli", which vaguely revealed the mysterious origin between the village and the emperor. Poetry cloud: the valley is narrow and the clouds are deep, and the autumn dusk is bleak. Songtao turns green and shakes Qingfeng, and jujube trees condense rainbows. The stone still bears traces of the king, and decadence is full of ancient customs. The people of China are in a mess of sand and smoke, and geese are flying among the reeds.

We chatted happily, and unconsciously, there were several elderly men and women sitting around, among whom Aunt Li poured me a glass of water. Li Laohan talked with several other villagers about the progress of the work, and then introduced me to the current construction situation in the village. They said that the government said that their village has a bright future, and the villagers should work together with the government to turn Wangsuli into a folk tourism resort. The local government also prepares fences to protect the Millennium jujube forest; Transform five ancient temples in the village, and restore the original appearance of the 100 porous old caves in the village by stages; Pave the road around the village with stones, repair the Qinwangzhai and build a stone step road leading to the bungalow; Transform idle primary school buildings into activity rooms in village positions, set up "farm houses" and convenience supermarkets, and invite people from the city to come to the village to "eat farm meals, live in farm houses, do farm work and experience the fun of farm life". From their words and expressions, we can see some confusion. I don't know if I can do it in the end, but I also feel a little hopeful and vaguely feel that the good days are one step closer.

After a while, the villagers who received us came. He asked me to call him Liu Shu, a veteran and very enthusiastic. Liu Shu showed us around his home briefly. There are four caves at home. The cave is spacious and bright. Behind the window is a big kang that can sleep five or six people. There are two stoves beside the kang, one is big and the other is small. There is a sofa and a simple combination cabinet directly opposite the door, and there is a dining table not far from the stove. The whole cave looks very modern. Uncle Liu also showed us around his main kiln, guest house kiln and sundries kiln, as well as pigsty and bathroom.

The afternoon sunshine in Wang Suli is so fierce that it can turn a bucket of cold water in the yard into hot water. A peach tree was planted in front of the sundries kiln. In front of the guest house kiln is the vegetable garden at home. There are peach trees more than two meters high. Peach trees are full of peaches, some of which are ripe. Although the vegetable garden is not big, there are many kinds of vegetables and fruits. Different vegetables are scattered when they are cooked. There are many kinds in one place, and every inch of land is not idle. Celery and leek before spring; Spinach and cabbage after spring; Cucumber and tomato precede wheat; Eggplant and beans after wheat; There are many kinds of cauliflower and cabbage in autumn, and they are not allowed to leave the air.

When wandering around the village, I found that the caves were all built on the back of the mountain. The caves in the First Hospital are generally built with three to five holes, with the middle kiln as the main kiln and the outermost kiln as the sundries kiln or guest house kiln. I like to build them on the hillside or at the foot of the mountain in sunny places. There are various sunflowers and bothriochloa ischaemum on the top of the cave, which are said to cool down, absorb water and fix the roof. I stopped in front of an abandoned yard. There is an old pagoda tree on the left side of the courtyard gate, and its trunk diameter exceeds 1 m. Lush branches and leaves cover almost the whole courtyard. The architecture of the courtyard gate is also very elegant. There are wood carvings on the door, which are too eroded to see the patterns clearly. The yard is overgrown with weeds, and it seems that no one has lived there for a long time. Broken donkey shed, straw house, sheepfold, stone mill, stone mill, all of a sudden gave birth to my love. The paper posted on the windows of the three caves has been worn out, and nothing can be recognized except the kang stove. It is said that some caves in the village have a history of hundreds of years, and it is estimated that this should be one of them.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, aunt cooked dinner for us. I used to eat sorghum rice and steamed buns in Laoshe Town. Liu Shujia is usually used to eating noodles here. Make the flour into noodles, then pick some eggplant and tomatoes from the garden, add half a potato, dice and boil the soup, and pour it on the noodles. The first time I ate such authentic noodles in northern Shaanxi, I really enjoyed it, and with a little sesame seeds, I almost turned the bottom of the bowl over. Uncle Liu came back and took us to visit Uncle Liu Jinjun's house. In fact, in the next few days, we will work with Uncle Liu Jinjun and Aunt Liu, and learn about the most ordinary life of people in northern Shaanxi through them.

This is the first time I really slept in the cave of the farmhouse in northern Shaanxi, because I slept on the kang, and the cave was particularly warm. Outside the house, insects are buzzing, and the sounds of nature are endless, accompanied by a dream.