That jujube tree , still sticking to the hometown
text/Huang Yongjun
That jujube tree is still sticking to the hometown, living independently in an extremely distant place.
It seems that it has been several centuries apart from me. I once tried to approach it, but the invisible barrier seemed like a mountain frozen by time, out of reach.
It was transplanted to my house one day in spring. At that time, it was more than one person tall, with sparse branches, like a newly grown hairy child. It is the only tree and the only green scenery in my yard. Years passed, and it seemed to grow faster than me, with the canopy and roof flat, and the trunk as thick as the bottom of a bowl. Spring is here, and its withered black and thin branches burst out with small green beads, gradually stretching, sprouting, and growing into leaves. Its leaves are first goose yellow and then bright green. It seems to be coated with a thin layer of wax on the surface, which is smooth to the touch. Later, small bones began to grow at the roots of the leaves, as big as rice grains, and yellow. Before they knew it, the millets bloomed into buds, and five or six leaves held fruits like lotus pods and swayed, spreading a sweet fragrance in the gentle spring breeze. This fragrance has settled year by year and has become one of the beautiful memories of childhood and hometown.
The summer heat is unbearable, and the wheat harvest is rushing to catch up with the hottest ten days. When I got home at noon, I just wanted to find a piece of shade and drink a large bowl of cold boiled water. The jujube tree in my house has not grown up yet, and it is mottled, but it is the only tree in my house, the only little green shade in the yard under the sun. Wash your face, drink a sip of water, and even if you take a breath, you are willing to stand under the tree. Although it is so hot, you look up at the green leaves and feel a little cold air sucking in. Especially in the evening, the sun hid behind the gatehouse, and the yard was covered with a large shade, and the jujube leaves became energetic. The family members who worked hard for a day seemed to be reborn, sweeping the yard, pouring water, and cooking. I quickly spread the oars under the tree and seized the most comfortable area in the yard. When my sisters finished washing up and setting up the small dining table, I had already secured the cool spot. The temperature gradually dropped, and the yard became lively. People visited each other, joked and joked, and various ghost stories were also spreading and spreading under the moonlight. I lay under the jujube tree and listened to them telling stories. The branches and leaves of the jujube tree were moving in imagination, so that all kinds of shadows became blurred and blurred until they fell asleep.
At some point, dense dates began to accumulate on the tree. It may be that autumn is getting deeper and the luster of the leaves is weakened a little. The dates appear from behind the leaves, all of them are full of energy and shine brightly under the illumination of the autumn sun. Some mature early, some are a little later, and some are the same color as green, purple, bright red, red and yellow, colorful, and a tree is like a colorful oil painting. Of course, there is also the affordability of eating dates. It turns out that when my family didn’t have a date tree, I had two sources of eating dates. First, I will go to steal, distant relatives, close neighbors, with courtyard walls, without courtyard walls, round and sweet, and sour trees that can be climbed, I will leave my enthusiastic figure. The second is a gift. The people in the countryside are as honest as dates. The dates in their yard are ripe. They beat them with a pole for a while, picked up the round and bright ones, filled a dustpan and brought them to the neighbor's house, and the sound of the dates is as sweet as: "Auntie, try my new dates." After eating the dates given by the aunt and aunt for many years, our jujube tree finally gave birth to our jujube trees, so my mother sent me to deliver them from house to house. At that time, I seemed to finally give myself a name, with my face bright and bright, full and proud like a date.
As I get older, I am more and more interested in reading. My desk is close to the window, and I can see this jujube tree at any time. It is pleasing to the eyes in spring, shade in summer, and enjoying the fruits in autumn. Winter is here, the jujube tree has no leaves and no fruits, and its black and bare body is exposed in the cold wind. But I feel that it is not as naughty as it is. The vigorous trunk is twisted upward, and the branches protrude iron-like thorns, poking into the sky, making it look like a lonely hero. At night, it was late at night and I was sleepy and tired. When I walked out of the house, I saw the bitter cold wind. I looked up and saw the branches of this jujube tree under the stars, like thin and hard arms, reaching towards the vast sky full of stars.This aroused countless imaginations and inspired the young people to strive for progress. After I went back to the house, I washed my face and continued to study until late at night.
In this sense, the jujube tree is still my good teacher and friend.
I go further and further along the path of reading, studying, and working. Over the past few decades, my hometown has become more and more like a legend. The old house collapsed and the courtyard wall collapsed. Only this jujube tree is still sticking to the hometown. The branches and leaves are flourishing every year, and the fruits are abundant every year. Sometimes I think, is it waiting for me? And I definitely can't go back. It is destined to be lonely in the years to come.
Yes, it will stay alone and inspire me to move forward tenaciously in a foreign land.
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