Beautiful prose about retaining nostalgia

1

"The sweet spring springs from the dew well, and the stone mill turns the world." In the past, people's lives in the countryside were inseparable from two treasures. These two treasures were what the villagers relied on to live their lives. No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, sunrise or sunset, they are silently making contributions to the villagers. These two treasures are the "well and stone mill" in the village.

There is an old well in the center of the village. Every morning, there is an endless stream of villagers coming to fetch water. The sound of the turning windlass is beautiful and pleasant, and the turning of the windlass brings good days for generations. This well has abundant water, so the villagers take good care of this old well as if they were an old friend. During the holidays, a bright red silk tie is tied on the well frame, which makes it look particularly festive. Therefore, the old well becomes one of the most beautiful scenery in the village.

I remember that there was a flood one year, and the old well was submerged in the vast ocean. Only the sharp derrick emerging from the water could be vaguely seen, and the location of the old well could be identified. Every household is worried that children will fall into the well, and a colorful flag is placed beside the well to remind people to be careful. The wind blew, and the blue waves rippled on the water. The fluttering flag looked like a sail on the water.

After the floods receded, the villagers came up with the idea of ??digging wells in their houses. Drilling a well is a technical job, so a well-drilling master was specially invited to select the location and make the well walls. The walls of the well are made of two-inch iron pipes connected together, more than ten meters long. There are densely packed small holes under the iron pipes, which are covered with plastic screens. My father said they are water inlets. The uppermost mouth of the well wall is more than one meter high, and is about the thickness of a bowl. There is an arcuate shaft installed on it. An iron rod is passed under the shaft, and a piece of black rubber is inserted into the iron rod to serve as a suction cup.

When everything was ready, my father invited several villagers to come and help. Under the command of the well-drilling master, the villagers began to select a site. The location of the well was selected near the north wall of the outhouse of my old house. One meter away from the wall. First dig a well pit here half a meter deep and 30 centimeters wide with a shovel, and then put the drill bit into the well pit. "The drill bit is hollow, with a pointed head underneath, and a hole for muddy water in the middle." When the well is drilled to a certain depth, the drill bit is lifted up and the two-inch iron pipe is lowered into the drilled deep well. The well-digger connects the prepared iron pipes section by section, then lowers them into the well and extends them to the bottom of the well. Then fill the outer periphery of the well wall with soil and compact it so that only a small section of the well pipe is exposed.

After the well wall installation is completed, the next step is to remove the sediment from the bottom of the well. A long and thin iron bucket is tied with a thick rope. The bottom of the iron bucket is pointed and has a round hole. It is covered with rubber. After placing the iron bucket at the bottom of the well, several people pull the rope and use a heavy He squatted down and smashed the iron bucket repeatedly, and the mud at the bottom of the well was taken out into the iron bucket. People pull the rope together and fish the mud to the ground again and again. This is called a pottery well. It usually takes one day to drill a small well. As the adults kept pulling the ropes to dig out the sediment, less and less sediment was recovered, and most of the bucket was filled with muddy water. It won't be long before the water you bring up will be very clear.

After the well is drilled, the well driller begins to install the well head for pressurizing water. The well head is made of an iron pipe with a mouth as large as a bowl. It has a movable finale and the suction cup mentioned earlier. , hold the iron rod with your hand and move it up and down, the well water will be pressed up and flow into the water tank. Everyone tasted the hard-drained well water together and praised the sweet and lubricating well water. The folks also praised my old house as a geomantic treasure. The key is that it can produce sweet and clear water.

My father said, "It is not easy to dig a small well. Choosing the location is very important. If we live in the same village, this family can draw water, but that family cannot." Drilling a well is a blessing. Some people just can't get water out of their houses. They have no choice but to choose a location in the yard or vegetable garden. Sometimes they get lucky. Therefore, the old well in the center of the village is still useful. Villagers who have not dug a well have been drinking water from the old well, and the old well has been providing a steady supply of water to the villagers.

The water from the pressurized well in my house is sweet and clear. My mother said, "The well is dug into the underground river, so the water veins will continue to flow." My father was also creative and opened a small skylight on the roof of the house facing the wellhead. Don’t underestimate this small skylight. The reflection of the blue sky can be directly projected into the well, so you can see the flowing water waves at the bottom of the well. .

In the hot summer, the water in the well in the old house becomes even cooler. Put a bowl of cold water on it and drink it. It is very thirst-quenching, not to mention very satisfying. Every morning, I would stand in front of the well platform, grab the iron rod with my hand, and press it lightly, and the water would flow into the water tank. The water source in the village is weakly alkaline water, so there are many long-lived elderly people in the village, including more than ten elderly people in their 90s. They are all in good health, have no illnesses, and are in good spirits.

The soil in my hometown contains alkali. Therefore, the well water of every household in the village will be very lubricated. Washing clothes with alkaline water will be very clean. Villagers drinking alkaline water will lubricate the intestines and rarely get sick. Therefore, The water source in my hometown has been nicknamed "holy water". It is a blessing for the people in the village to be able to drink such sweet well water.

I remember that there was a severe drought one year, and the old well in the center of the village dried up. Only the small well in my house still had enough water, and all the neighbors came to my house to fetch water. Every morning, the sound of pressing water can be heard from the outhouse. Ever since we got this well, the water tank has always been filled with water. There is also a big tank in the yard. My mother took a pipe from the well mouth and pressed the water here, and the water would flow along the pipe. In the water tank. My mother said, "Put the water in the sun to dry it, and the water temperature will increase. You can use it to wash clothes, water vegetables, and take a bath. Every household will imitate this little invention."

Let’s talk about the well in the center of the village. In winter, because water is often drawn from this well, the sides of the well platform and the walls of the well will be covered with ice. Over time, the ice layer slowly thickens, and finally the ice layer gradually thickens. I can't even put the bucket in. My father found some young men with shovels and long ice drills on their shoulders. First, use a pickaxe to remove the ice on the well platform, leaving an open area. Then use an ice pick to pierce the hard ice cubes, making a crisp sound, and the white ice cubes fall into the well water, making splashes. In one day, more than half of the ice around the well wall was knocked off. There was little ice under the well wall and the space was very spacious.

The next step was to fish out the ice cubes that had fallen into the well water. I saw my father standing by the well platform, holding the rope tightly with both hands, shaking the rope left and right, so that the bucket could be lowered, and the ice floating on the water would be lifted. The ice cubes poured into the bucket obediently, and then the windlass was slowly turned, and a bucket full of white and transparent ice cubes was seen, shining with luster.

At this time, women who like to eat ice swarmed over. Some simply picked up a large piece of ice from the iron bucket with their hands and held it in their arms. Once the ice cube touched their clothes, it would stick firmly to their clothes. No matter how hard you tear it, it won't fall off. You can only run home holding a large piece of ice, as happy as holding a big jade in your arms.

　二

The warm sun in winter slowly passes through the village like a child who has just learned to walk. When the frost flowers on the windows meet the sun, they quietly melt into a blurry pattern. . At this time, the countryside is the quietest, with only the sparrows landing on the eaves, staring at a pair of bright little eyes, looking left and right, chirping, and singing winter songs.

The sky gradually darkened, and the stars stretched out and slowly appeared on the sky. Using a flashlight, my mother and I went to the well and used a kitchen knife to cut off the ice on the well wall. I tied the small basket with a rope and stood far away from the well platform. The small basket was placed under the edge of the well. The chopped ice cubes fell into the basket. I turned on the flashlight and worried about my mother's feet. My mother was kneeling with one leg. On the ice of the well platform, the kitchen knife made a crisp sound when chopping on the pure white ice, which was transmitted over the silent village...

"Mom, that's enough. Come home quickly." Mother promised. , stood up slowly, holding a small basket in his hand, and tiptoed out of the ice-covered well platform. After arriving home, my mother put the ice cubes in the small basket into the basin, poured cold water into it, rinsed it, took out a large piece of ice, and poured the remaining ice cubes into the water tank.

It was so cold. I hurriedly sat on the hot kang. My mother had already smashed the ice cubes into small pieces with an awl. I picked up a piece of white ice with my frozen little hands and put it into my mouth. The ice cube suddenly sticks to the tongue, so I don't dare to tear it off, fearing that a piece of skin will fall off my tongue. After a while, the temperature in my mouth will melt the ice cube, and the ice cube will fall off the tip of my tongue obediently. Then, he chewed it loudly and his mouth was filled with ice coldness. It was a satisfying experience.

In the cold winter, people's hearts are hot. Therefore, northerners have a habit of eating ice when it gets colder. In addition to eating ice, I also like to eat frozen persimmons, frozen pears, and candied haws.

Frozen pears should be slowed down for a while first. Put the frozen pears in cold water and they will slowly soften. Take a bite of the cold and sweet taste. Frozen pears not only quench your thirst, moisturize your lungs, but also are nutritious. Therefore, eat frozen pears and frozen persimmons. , is the favorite of northerners.

People in the village not only like to eat frozen pears and frozen persimmons, but also like to eat hometown delicacies, golden "sticky bean buns." Mother put the steamed sticky bean buns on the curtain and took them outside to freeze In the twelfth lunar month of winter, in less than ten minutes, the sticky bean buns were frozen as hard as rocks. Mother collected the frozen bean buns that were very hard and put them in a small jar in the warehouse, saving them for eating slowly.

I like to eat frozen bean buns the most. I take out two of them every time and sit by the firewood pile, basking in the warm sunshine in winter. Facing the frozen sticky bean buns, I try my best to eat them. I took a big bite, leaving only a few teeth marks on the bean buns. The frozen bean buns had to be chewed slowly. I was impatient and kept chewing on the sticky bean buns. A group of chickens, ducks, geese and dogs gathered around me, watching me eagerly. It was no less than an earth-shattering performance. My audience was very enthusiastic, and the old hen made a little noise from time to time. Clucking sounds...

Three

There is a stone mill behind my old house. It has been idle for many years. The stone mill has become a good place for children to play. This stone mill has a round base, neatly arranged stripes on it, and a smooth and shiny edge. Place a stone roller on top of the stone mill, and install a log on the smooth stone roller. When pushed by hand, the stone roller will rotate and make a rumbling sound. The stone roller feels heavy when you first start it, but once it starts moving, it becomes very light and rolls around the center point in circles.

When I was young, I saw my grandfather grinding millet and corn grains with a stone mill. Grandpa placed the millet on the stone mill, spread it out in the center of the stone mill, and then pushed the wooden pole on the stone mill. The round and large stone roller would slowly roll. After a few rounds, it would grind out golden of Xiaomi.

I remember that when I was 10 years old, I went to the mill to help my mother work. The mother brought the donkey from the village and hitched the donkey to the mill. This stone mill had two layers, like the current hamburger shape. In order to prevent the donkey from eating the grain on the stone mill, the mother put a mask on the donkey's mouth and covered the donkey's eyes with a thick cloth so that the donkey could not eat the grain on the stone mill.

However, this method is not completely effective. If you encounter a clever and slippery old donkey, it will be a different story. The donkey would bully the children. When my mother came home for dinner, she asked me to look at the stone mill. After my mother left, the donkey could somehow tell that it was the children who were watching the millstone, so it started to make a fuss about the millstone, stopped grinding, and grew longer. His tongue stuck out from the edge of the mask and licked the grain on the stone mill. I was frightened and shouted loudly, but the donkey ignored my shouts and continued to go its own way, frantically destroying the grain on the stone mill. I was so frightened that I started crying, and my crying attracted my uncle in the yard. It's strange to say that when my uncle arrived, he just gave a slight shout, and the donkey obediently turned around and started grinding hard.

In my memory, watching a stone mill is one of the most difficult tasks. It is difficult because I am particularly afraid of donkeys. There are two donkeys on a stone mill, one in front and one behind. There is a space less than one meter wide. My mother has told me that the ground cornmeal must be collected with a dustpan from time to time, and corn kernels must be added to the top of the grinder. The diligent donkey grinds in circles, grinding out a cornmeal The energy was increasing, and I tried several times to rush into the small space left by the two donkeys. Before the dustpan touched the millstone, the donkey's footsteps would chase my heels, and I could only follow the donkey in front in circles. Run and try to leave the millstone several times before you can successfully escape.

At this time, I heard someone shouting "Change the donkey", which meant that the donkey needed to rest and put on a new donkey for grinding. I shouted "Oh" and the donkey immediately braked. I used my little hands to remove the rope from the donkey and timidly led the donkey out of the mill. When the donkey came outside, it suddenly fell to the ground and rolled. I was so scared that I dropped the rope and ran away. Go and watch from a distance. The donkey finished rolling and got up and ran to the donkey shed. I took another new donkey into the mill, randomly put on the reins and mask, and then unloaded the other donkey. Because of my previous experience, I completed it smoothly this time.

After being busy for a long time, another donkey was also tied to the millstone. After checking that the reins were fastened, he shouted "drive". The two diligent little donkeys kicked off their four hooves like arrows from the string, turned over their hooves and showed their palms. , grinding in circles quickly, the millstone made a rumbling sound, and the ground cornmeal fell like snowflakes and piled up like a mountain...

The mother finally came and began to circle around the millstone while collecting the ground cornmeal with a dustpan. Cornmeal, while adding corn kernels to the millstone quickly, I stood and watched my mother's skillful movements, admiring and feeling ashamed...

The era of grinding grain with stones is gone. The funny watching experience has been stored in my personal files and has become a treasure of my childhood. Nowadays, the stone mill has long withdrawn from the stage of history and is quietly placed in my backyard. The stone mill is like a weathered old man, watching the peaceful life of the villagers. The rut marks on the stone mill record the vicissitudes of time and the growth rings of the villagers' lives.

"The shepherd boy returns and rides on the cow's back, playing the piccolo without any tune." The beautiful countryside has vast sky, high mountains, dark mountains and crimson sunset. The country road is long, the sunset stretches out, the universe is dazzlingly beautiful, and the world has changed. Nowadays, the good life of the villagers is taking a qualitative leap. Farmhouses and pastoral scenery are the life that people most yearn for. The stone mills and pressure wells have completed their glorious historical missions and are being cherished and protected. In the hearts of the villagers, they still have deep feelings for the stone mill and the water well. These two treasures in the village are old friends who are always worthy of respect by the villagers. Today, the villagers are full of energy and confidence. Achieving a well-off life is the goal of the villagers. By 2050, the lives of Chinese farmers will be even richer.

Keep the nostalgia, be grateful for your hometown, and let your youth look back again and again in the surging homesickness, quietly blooming with a pure and beautiful touch. The two treasures of my hometown, "the old well and the stone mill," have long been placed deep in my heart, synchronizing with the nostalgia, silently guarding my distant home, watching the sunrise and sunset, feeling the lights of thousands of homes, and accompanying the folks into the new era. era.