There is a thousand-year-old cypress behind the big house
High and beautiful
There is a big cypress behind the house in my hometown in Shahe. My mother is a famous local chef. No matter which family has a wedding and funeral, she will hold a banquet. When people from other villages look for our house, people will point to the big ancient cypress tree behind the house and say that it is the big cypress tree. Over time, the big cypress tree behind the house became the geographical indication of our family.
This big cypress tree has been said to have been around for thousands of years. The tree is more than 20 meters high, and the trunk is surrounded by four people. It is divided into two main branches and trunks about two meters of the main trunk. These two main branches are long and are basically the same height, with branches and leaves scattered on all sides, some grow upwards, and some droop downwards, and the crown of the tree is round. Magpies rest on the trees every year, and they chirp non-stop before dawn. If someone's bees come out, they will be the first choice, and they will embroider a big bee castle on the branches of the tree.
After experiencing wind and rain, although the cypress is old, because we often cultivate soil and fertilize it, it is still growing lushly, like a green sky net, spreading its wide body and standing there motionlessly, day after day, year after year, sheltering our home from wind and rain without regrets.
In my hometown, it is dozens of miles in a radius, and there is only one big cypress tree like this. When summer comes, people like to rest under the trees, and people living nearby also bring their rice down to the trees to eat. It is common for the village to hold mass meetings, and it is also a common thing to discuss under that tree. When outsiders come to the village, many people have to go to the big cypress tree to see what is going on and find the old man to learn about the history of the tree. In order to allow this unique cypress species to reproduce, it is said that some experts have tried to cultivate offspring for it, but unfortunately, this big cypress has lost its "fertility". Although it bears fruits, it cannot grow small saplings.
Since our family moved under this big cypress, we have formed an indissoluble bond with it. It was hot, and the family sat on the exposed roots of the cypress tree to rest, drink tea, set up a gantry formation, and discuss housework. The wheat, corn, soybeans, peas, rapeseed, etc. that have just been harvested from the field are usually piled under the trees to prevent it from getting wet by heavy rain. My father dug a red potato cellar next to the tree, put the newly dug red potato cellar into the red potato cellar, and covered the mouth of the cellar with corn stalks to prevent freezing. When eating, move the corn stalk away and take it layer by layer. The red potato placed at the bottom is used as the red potato seeds for the coming year.
As the saying goes, a big tree attracts wind. I remember one summer one year, it was windy and heavy rain. The wind and rain had lasted for three or four days. The strong wind and rain broke the tree that was thick as a basin on the right branch of the cypress tree. This tree was more than two meters long. When it fell down, it fell horizontally in the gutter behind the house. There was no tree of all sizes that damaged the house, and only dozens of small green tiles were lost. There are often thick dead trees under the trees. The firewood rice made with it as fuel emits a strong cypress fragrance, with a unique flavor.
When I was a child, every year during the Chinese New Year, my mother always greeted her children and grandchildren under the big cypress tree, lined up in a row, and gave New Year's money one by one. Although each child only costs five or ten yuan, don’t mention how happy he is to get a brand new New Year’s money. Then I used a point-and-shoot camera to give a family photo. The adults and children in the photo were all smiling happily.
Ancient trees and famous trees are not only treasures in the forest, but also witnesses of history, carrying the nostalgia and memories of a village. In the past, the scenes of us doing farm work, taking a nap under the big cypress trees always appeared before my eyes. It witnesses the vicissitudes of the world, the changes of our family and the growth of everyone. Winter goes and spring comes, it grows freely, and its roots are permanently rooted in the depths of my memory.
The ancient cypress tree has naked roots, tangled roots, standing tall like a giant standing tall. Life is like a tree, all passing through the four seasons in the prosperity and withering, and experiencing the various aspects of the world and the warmth and coldness of human feelings.
Let time flew by, the old scenery is still there, and the family affection will never change.Every time I go back to my hometown and see big cypress trees and old houses, my admiration for big cypress trees and indescribable emotions always surge into my heart in an instant, becoming the most beautiful scenery in my heart.
END
Source: Sichuan Provincial Local Chronicles Work Office
Author: Zhang Houmei
Supplier: Guangyuan Municipal Local Chronicles Editing Center
Pictures: Fangzhi Sichuan
