The well next to the village
text/Xiang Licheng
With the changes of the times, there are fewer and fewer old houses and old things in my hometown. My father left, which also awakened many childhood memories. Among them, the one who remembers the most is the well next to the village.
The specific year and month of the well dug, few people in the village could say that it was from the Republic of China, some said it was from the Qing Dynasty, some said it was from the Qing Dynasty, and some said it was from the Ming Dynasty, but these were all unfounded. However, with the green moss that is covered with the well wall, it is estimated that it is old enough. The villagers all firmly believe that having a well in the village is a blessing.
Behind the well is a slope. While several large camphor trees bring shade to the well platform, they also bring fallen leaves. This is also a little happy trouble. I remember when I was a child, in the hot summer, women and children liked to sit around the shade of trees near the well. Parents and parents chatted about family matters, but the work in their hands was not lost. Some had soles of shoes, some knitted sweaters, and some washed clothes. There is usually a wooden barrel and a gourd ladle next to the well. Passers-by or those who have finished work will scoop a ladle of well water to drink when passing by. That kind of coolness is quite quenching thirst. Whenever this happens, women will stop their work and make fun of the people who stop to drink water, and there will be a burst of laughter and joy around the well. Children will also come around because people who finish work often bring back some wild fruits and other things from the field, which is their favorite. Whenever men take out the wild fruits, the children will rush forward, and there will be laughter and scolding around the well, "Don't fight" and "Don't grab it".
Whenever water abundance period , the water from the well can reach the wellhead and even overflow. The villagers opened a hole in the well and built a pond of about 4 square meters next to it for the villagers to wash clothes or carry water and water vegetables. The water in the pool is always full, as if it is inexhaustible and inexhaustible.
I don’t remember when it started, and the edge of the well seemed to be deserted all of a sudden because every household was digging a well. Build a roller rack, several drill rods, and several laborers take turns to work. It takes only a few days to drill a water pressing well. If there is a water pressing well in your own yard, there is no need to go to the well to fetch water. My father is a nostalgic person and he still often goes to the well to pick up water. He always says, "The water in the water pressed well is not as good as the water in the well."
Slowly, even my father doesn't go to the well to pick up water, because he has to salvage the leaves in the well before every time he picks up water. Not to mention the trouble, it is not hygienic. After the function of the well as drinking water has weakened, few villagers have taken care of it. Sometimes the well is filled with camphor tree leaves, and even if it is rotten, no one will clean it up. The well gradually collapsed and became unwilling.
A few years later, tap water was passed to every household, and even the pressurized water well was eliminated. Just imagine, when the faucet is twisted, the water will come. Who will press the water? At that time, my father often mentioned the well and said that it was a well that had raised many generations of people. It would be a pity not to use it well. The well is no longer used, it is covered with moss, and the water well has become a pure land without any disturbance.
On this day, the tap water in the village stopped. Now that it’s a mess, everyone is used to the days of running water, so they never thought that the water will be cut off. My father thought of the well and worked with several laborers to clean up the surroundings. Looking at the clear water in the well, my father sighed: "I haven't drunk the water from this well for several years." The original liveliness of the well was restored to the original liveliness, and every household came to fetch water. Unlike previous years, people used buckets to get water, but now they have various buckets, pots, basins, and pots. The water from the well solved the urgent problem. When the tap water came, the well returned to its original tranquility.
My father thought the water from the well was still better and thought that the well should be preserved. My father began to mobilize the villagers to donate money and prepare to renovate the well, which can prevent the camphor tree leaves from falling into it, and can also drink the clear spring water. Everyone worked together to build more than two meters of brick on three sides of the well, and covered the manhole with concrete, leaving only the side facing the village for everyone to carry water.This effectively prevents leaves from falling into the well and the water quality is cleaner. The surrounding areas of the well have also restored some of the bustle of previous years. Sometimes some older people will gather around the surrounding areas of the well to wash clothes and cool off.
I don’t know when it started, but the villagers came to the well to pick up water more frequently because they found that the water in the well was very delicious, at least much better than tap water. Gradually, some people from other villages would come to the well to get water, and sometimes even people from towns and counties would drive to the village to get water. Whenever this time, my father would warmly greet others: "The water in this well is good, just like mineral water, it is sweet!" After
sent my father up the mountain, I came to the well, scooped up a scoop of water, took a big sip, and a hint of purity and sweetness in my heart, and a little more loss and sorrow.
(formerly published in the WeChat official account of "Hunan Workers' Daily")
Xiang Licheng, a native of Dongkou, Hunan, and a member of Chinese Novel Society. He began to publish literary works in 1987, and his works were scattered in publications such as "Flying Sky", "Shuofang", "Yalu River", "Hunan Literature", "Hidden Works of 6 Famous Masters ", "Hidden Essays Hundred Schools of Education", "Peony", and "Wild Grass". He has written novels "The Watcher of the Dragon Gate", "The Concerto of the Two Treasures", "Yam", and the collection of novels "The Forever Stars".
