Qijiang, my nostalgia, my knot

My ancestral home is in a small village called Guo Fugao Temple in Qijiang, Chongqing.

From then on, this bloodline was like a defined component, regardless of whether I agreed or not, like it or not, it forced me to be separated from this country that sounded a bit remote, barren and backward. The place has some unclear connections.

Although I am an aboriginal resident of the old area of ??Chongqing Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., in order to find a career when I was growing up, I went to Qijiang Chongqing Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. No. 4 Plant to study for several years, leaving behind some youthful dreams and classmates’ friendships. As for the many school friends who still work there, they often come and go with each other during festivals and birthdays over the years, expressing their feelings.

To this day, I still vaguely make phone calls and send WeChat messages to some relatives and cousins ??from my ancestral home, lamenting the cold weather and exchanging greetings. Therefore, the complex with Qi Jiang in this life is destined to have a beginning and an end.

Qijiang has always been an important node on the "Southwestern Sea Channel". It is claimed online that Qijiang is known as the "South Gate of Chongqing", "Western Gear City" and "Hometown of Chinese Peasants' Printmaking". However, these It's all in the past, and it's only reasonable to bring up old things now just to find some opportunities to use the topic and create something new.

To be honest, my initial impression of Qijiang was not particularly good. There, the fields are thin, the soil is thin, the slopes are steep and the valleys are narrow. Whether it is the natural conditions or the resources, there is really nothing worth remembering.

People who have never been there even think that it is a Jiapigou with poor mountains and poor waters, poor resources and unfavorable people. But where there is water, soil and people, Qijiang is Qijiang, and its existence naturally has its reasons.

The territory of Qijiang River is densely covered with streams and rivers, and the rocks are abrupt. The unique climate and geographical environment have created the hard-working character of Qijiang people and nurtured a distinctive local culture.

Due to the infiltration of Feng Shui and the nourishment of the mountains, the complexion of Qijiang girls looks like a radish driven by water. It is plump, delicate, juicy and crispy, and it is still passed down to this day.

There are poems to prove it: "On Purple Street in Dongxi Town, nine out of ten girls are good." In the past, trackers on the Qihe River often shouted like this: "What kind of food did you eat last night----" ----Salty-------Cook------, are Yaomei's dimples still there------still there------ -" When the men in the village heard this, I dare not say that they would be obsessed with it and their hearts would be filled with excitement, but at least they would not be indifferent, unless he was really weak.

Although there are other situations that are not wildly interesting, the content is suspected of being shy. Once you hear it, you will listen to it, and you will get it after watching it. If it is not good for the media, it is better to accept it as soon as it is good and forget about it.

Although the products in Qijiang are not very famous, most of them are imported vulgar goods. The prices are not high, but they are affordable. Such as beef jerky, rice noodles, radish threads, etc. In recent years, old bacon, leaf cake, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots and fresh bracken have also been developed.

As for the production of thick and strong iron pots, it was already the glory of Qijiang in the last century.

The terrain of Qijiang is uneven. Relatively speaking, Zhenzi Street is relatively flat. It is located in the hinterland of Qijiang and is also the grain-producing center of Qijiang. The legendary Zhenzi Street has no steamer (used for steaming rice). wooden cookware). I asked some local elders whether this was the case, but they all gave different opinions. In the end, I still don’t know.

It is estimated that in the early years, grain output was low and vegetable porridge was the main meal, so the steamer was not used much, so naturally no one sold it. But a guess is just a guess after all, and it's not a big deal. It doesn't matter. As time goes by, it becomes difficult to have such leisurely thoughts.

Looking back on those days when I was studying in Qijiang, I felt that my life was a bit unfair. How much I learned is still in my mind. Unlike my classmates, who studied their majors hard during the day and chased campus girls at night. By half a year, the relationship had settled, making her classmates and classmates envious.

When I think about it, I blame myself for being a latecomer in thinking and not being as good as others, and I blame others for being the first to get there. The east is not bright but the west is bright. Although there is little progress in knowledge and emotions, I have learned a lot about the principles of life. Although the school is not as good as Huangpu Qingbei, it is a place for teaching and educating people after all. I have to thank my principal for this.

The principal's surname is Li. He is short, somewhat thin, and has a fair and rosy face. His walking back and forth posture with his hands behind his back gives him a somewhat knowledgeable and dignified appearance.

Occasionally, I met him at school. I couldn't dodge him, so I had to bite the bullet and call out "Hello, principal". I didn't care whether he answered him or not, and quickly escaped from his sight in a roundabout way.

Because of awe, I never dared to ask his name.

The principal only gave us two lessons during my studies. The opening ceremony was nothing more than words of encouragement to learn and become talents as soon as possible. The content was common across the country, so I was not very impressed. When we graduated, he said a lot, and most of the words were sincere and thoughtful. , only the sentence "Those who are afraid of hardship will have to endure hardship all their lives" are simple and shocking, and it still bothers me.

After two years of study, my professional knowledge has almost remained intact, but this instruction from the principal has stuck with me for nearly thirty years.

I also said that one of my teachers is also named Li. It is said that his father’s generation has something to do with movies, and he is considered to be in the entertainment industry. Influenced by art since childhood, although he teaches physical education, he is good at writing beautiful chapters.

When he was studying at Qijiang Sigang, he would take us to play basketball in the afternoon and write behind closed doors in the evening. During the summer physical education class, we were all driven to swim in the Sanjiang River. He taught me the two strokes in the water step by step.

Later, due to personal abilities and the needs of the superior department, after several transfers, he was finally transferred to Chongqing Iron and Steel Group's "Steel Flower" magazine as editor. From then on, I had no reason to go to him. Asking him for advice makes me laugh...

Just when his career was at its peak, God was jealous of his talents, and he suddenly passed away. I was shocked at first, and then fell into deep contemplation for half a month. In the end, I still didn't find a suitable reason to comment and blame my teacher.

I think there should be a reason for his choice. As his student, I can understand any of his teachings, just like a bird can sometimes follow Dapeng to practice flying and flying in the high mountains. Practicing wings, but in the end you will not understand the ambition of the big roc to fight against the sky.

What I can do is to stand on his grave during the Qingming Festival every year, pull out the thatch on the grave, light two candles and one stick of red incense, and after a period of silence and tears moistening the corners of my eyes, Bowed several times respectfully, and then said to him in a low voice: Teacher Li, students, you are here...

These were difficult and heavy topics in Qijiang's past. Many years have passed, Qijiang There have also been huge changes.

The former desolation of Hedong has long been transformed into a key development zone with numerous high-rise buildings and businesses. Three old and new bridges tightly bind the economy on both sides of the Qihe River.

The urban construction in Qijiang is in full swing, and the construction of new rural areas is also surging.

Twenty towns and villages have successively opened resorts, farmhouses, plantations, happy farms, art festivals, flower shows and other special economies, attracting countless citizens to go outing in Qijiang New Countryside on weekends to put their mood in the spring. Go to the farm to adopt grain pigs, palace chickens, flower and fruit trees, and enjoy a fresh, environmentally friendly, low-carbon life in the original ecological environment.

In March of spring, when the peach blossoms turned shyly with blushing faces, the pear blossoms in Fenghuang Mountain in Yongxin Town, Qijiang bloomed again.

I invited some of my classmates from Qijiang to drive there to enjoy the flowers. I haven’t been here for a long time, and the pear blossoms were blooming in the wind along the way.

Before we even go up the mountain, colorful flags are flying on both sides of the road, slogans are everywhere, and the slogans of building a town through tourism, revitalizing the town through tourism, and making the town strong through tourism are overwhelming.

"Qijiang affairs cannot be relaxed for a day." This is the local government and farmers who are working hard to fulfill their promises at a speed of seizing the day.

Drive to the top of the mountain and look around the mountains and below: Tens of thousands of acres of pear orchards, pear blossoms like snow, pear blossom girls dressed in white gauze are warm and hospitable, walking through the pear blossoms to meet, talk, laugh and take photos with tourists .

In the farmyard, the simple aunts and sisters brought us thick and strong wide benches, the honest elder brother handed us home-grown local cigarettes, and the well-behaved mountain girls let us taste the sweet and intoxicating tobacco. Pear wine, tasting the mellow and delicious pear blossom paste, unknowingly brings us into spring.

Walking in this sea of ??flowers, the development and changes of Qijiang over the past few decades can’t help but make us sigh with emotion...

Qijiang, I will come back when I have time, because it has already been in my blood Infused with your ingredients.

My growth, my maturity, my family affection, and the people who taught me and accompanied me, those souls, those unforgettable teachings, and those past events as beautiful as pear blossoms, It lingers in my heart all the time...

Qijiang, your love, your simplicity, your kindness, and your paranoid generosity towards me are all deep in my heart, and I have connected with one unreasonable person after another. If I don’t get rid of my constant homesickness, I will never be able to forget it in this life.

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About the author:

Shiguo noon, original name: Liu Lin, a native of Yubei District, Chongqing, ancestral home of Lijiaping, Guofugao Temple, Qijiang District, once used the pen name: Hanxing Lengyue, Enlightenment Practice . He has worked as a technical worker, publicity officer, corporate newspaper editor, corporate secretary, functional department chief, director, material department secretary, engineering project department secretary, etc. Member of Chongqing Municipal Research Association and member of Chongqing Photographic Artists Association. He has been studying literature for more than 30 years, and occasionally has essays and photographs scattered in municipal newspapers and poetry magazines.