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The hot weather, the chirping of cicadas, the bright sun, and the 37°C summer make me want to stay in an air-conditioned room 24 hours a day.
The elders who have always been worried about electricity bills and can't bear to turn on the air conditioner can't help but think about the bitterness and sweetness, " How sinful we were back then (poor), why don't we come here too! "
Yes, there is no air conditioner, fan, or even In those years when watermelons were not free, how did the people of Ezhou live?
Today, let’s talk about how Ezhou spent the summer in the past, so that everyone can have a cool summer in the memories.
Before electric fans became popular, it was impossible to sleep in a stuffy room. Therefore, "sleeping on the street", which sounds outrageous, was quite common in Ezhou in the past.
As a result, the light and cool bamboo bed came into being and became one of the must-have items in Ezhou people’s homes.
At four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the bamboo bed array started. Before the adults got off work, the children moved out of the family's bamboo bed in advance to occupy a seat. The bamboo bed was not enough, so door panels were used to fit it in. It is said that the middle seat C is the best, because the people sleeping on both sides are fed by mosquitoes.
Those who live in rural areas will choose rice fields, ponds, Grand Ximen Square, and river embankments. They are the most ideal places for city dwellers to enjoy the shade, where they are cool and mosquito-free.
Later, when a building was built, the rooftop became a new position.
splashing water is a crucial step. Pour a bucket of water on the ground, and the heat will evaporate instantly. Then wipe the bamboo bed with a rag soaked in toilet water , and get a pleasant cooling experience in the fragrance.
In the days without wifi, the bamboo bed array has become an indispensable and important social place in summer. And those who are the best at telling stories are just like today's talk show masters. From the national economy and people's livelihood to the family's shortcomings, from ancient legends to modern ghost stories, the adults chatted happily and the children listened enthusiastically.
Sometimes, there are vendors carrying bamboo baskets hawking along the street, buying some braised dried seeds, pig ears , braised peanuts, supper, joking, watching shooting stars, and spending summer after summer in this way. .
When there is no wind, adults will still shout "Woo~~嚯~~" to the sky. It is like a magical spell. Sometimes the wind happens to come, so children also have it. They shouted in the same way.
If bamboo beds have disappeared from our lives, fans have always been there, which can both fan the wind and drive away mosquitoes.
At that time, the average family only had one or two cattail fans, which were as precious as bamboo beds and were passed down for generations. The fan is also wrapped with a strip of cloth. If anyone breaks the fan, he will inevitably be scolded.
The adults fanned the children once and twice until they fell asleep.
As the night gets darker, people quiet down and fall asleep quietly in the cool breeze. After a while, they hear snoring.
"At that time, we were not so particular. The neighbors were all next to each other. Plus, I couldn't sleep when I was a child. When I woke up, my feet were on the belly of the sister next door." , when talking about his childhood embarrassing things, Xiao Liu also I felt embarrassed.
After the 1970s, electric fans gradually entered Ezhou people's homes. Ceiling fans, red leaf fans, and floor fans were constantly updated. In the 1990s, air conditioners also began to be available, from one for every household to one for each room.
From "luxury goods" to every household, from enjoying the cool in the open air to staying indoors, people's living standards are improving, and the tools for enjoying the cool are becoming more and more advanced.
Although summer is difficult, it is not lacking in flavor. It can be a game in the alley, the joy of wild swimming in the lake, or the flickering fireflies in the mosquito net...
"When I was doing fine work, just I love sitting in the alley in our bay, it’s the coolest.”
In Uncle Chen’s summer memories, the most unforgettable thing is the alley between his house and his neighbor’s house. At every meal time, the adults would move the tables and benches around to eat, and a draft of wind would blow through, making it extremely cool.
In the afternoon, it became a "playground" for children - playing checkers, listening to stories, playing house, reading little books...
Playing with water is a favorite entertainment method for people in summer, no matter now It’s still the past.
The clear river water has also become a magic weapon for old Ezhou people to enjoy the coolness in hot weather. After school, children often go to rivers, river beaches, and ponds to play in the water and take a bath. When they are sweating profusely, they jump into the water to cool off.
Children who can’t swim just soak in the water and learn how to swim after a few days of flopping around.
"Children of your generation are happy, but you cannot feel the happiness of our generation."
Aunt Xu recalled that when she was a child, what she looked forward to most was summer: catch gēi liàer (Ezhou dialect, knows ) , catch beetle , golden stick and silver stick ( scarab ) ... At that time, girls were not afraid of insects or anything like that. , and would follow the boys to dig out bird's nests, hunt dates, and fish for lobsters.
Having fun, I don’t feel so hot anymore.
In order to resist the heat, the older generation of Ezhou people actually think of many ways.
I thought that cool well water was easy to get, but I heard the old man said that there were relatively few wells in the past, and the water was not cold even after carrying a load. What I drank was the water soaked in the Taipa.
Dig a water pool by hand at the edge of the ditch in the field. After a while, water will slowly seep out from the soil. The water is so cold that it stings your feet.
Put the scooped water back into the water tank, which becomes a natural refrigerator. Put the unfinished leftovers in it to prevent it from going rancid.
It is said that ginger soup can dispel cold. This is the first time I heard that it can also prevent heat stroke. "When the harvest is harvested, put some brown sugar in the ginger soup, drink it and sweat profusely, take the heat out of the body, and you can relieve the heat."
Compared with ordinary people fetching water on site, working as a worker Much happier.
For example, General Motors built its own water tower very early, and workers have long been able to drink tap water. Large factories such as Hubei Steel and General Motors also have their own beverage factories, and they can always show off when they go to enjoy the cool air. Now, a few more boxes have been sent out this month.
Later, ordinary people could also buy ice water, ice watermelon soup, and sugar water mixed with saccharin. It was so cool that you would drink it until your stomach exploded.
In the 1970s and 1980s, popsicles appeared. Whether it was in the fields or on the streets, as long as they heard "I'm selling popsicles!" , young people would gather from all directions and look at the people selling popsicles eagerly. In exchange for a day of happiness~
In the childhood of those born in the 90s and 2000s, what they looked forward to most every day when going to school was to rush to the school canteen after class and buy a mung bean mood, a small pudding, and Coke-flavored frozen ice spring.
Also, share a pack of "Seven Dwarfs" with a group of friends.
That summer, there were no mobile phones, and you could play with a stone on the ground for a long time;
That summer, street lights were not common, but fireflies lit up the whole night;
That summer, the small pond in front of my house not only had frogs, What's more, in our childhood, when we were fishing, catching shrimps and having water fights, our clothes were already soaked, but we still had a great time.
......
In those years, life was not rich, the future was too distant and shapeless, and people were so simple that they had no worries.
In the past few decades, the summer of Ezhou people has undergone gratifying changes, from the changes in tools such as cattail fans and electric fans to air conditioners, and the changes in diet from well water, ice cream to cold drinks... all of which make people lament that life is changing with the sun and the moon. It's getting better and better.
Outside the house, cicadas chirped, which together with the sound of the air conditioner's outdoor unit formed a variation on the scorching heat. What summer memories does this moment bring back to you?
