On the second day of the lunar new year, I went to pay New Year’s greetings to my aunt. My aunt lives in Yangtang Village, Daxin Township, more than 20 kilometers away from my mother-in-law’s home. Before there was a road, people would walk there, empty-handed, climb a few mountains, and walk for a few hours.
I went to my aunt’s house once, and it was like an oxygen bar in the ravine. Fresh air hits my nose. That year, the road along the river had not yet been built, and the ferry service was suspended for some reason. Going to my mother-in-law's house became quite troublesome for a while. My brother-in-law had a car to go there. He took a car from Lianyuan to Tuoshan, passing through Lengjiang Shatangwan and Heqing Town . He took the rural road and bypassed more than a dozen mountain villages, and then circled back in front of his aunt's house. There is a long and narrow deep ravine there. The mountain is so high that the top cannot be seen. The water is as clear as silk. The river bed is like a scar that has been cut deep into the river. There is pain all over the place.
The country road is not easy to walk. It has just been paved with sand and is bumpy. The villagers along the road are all rich, there are tall buildings one after another, and there are many cars. But when I looked up, my heart felt extremely heavy. There were stilted buildings all over the mountain. The wooden houses were blown black by the wind, like a pile of scattered skeletons, more like crumbling bird's nests. It was extremely cold at high places. My aunt's house was a wooden house on a hillside. There was not a single brick. The house was old-fashioned and the threshold was very high. There were wooden boards on the outside and wooden boards on the inside. When you stepped in, there was a thump under your feet. You knew someone was coming wherever you went.
My aunt knew that we were coming, and she and my uncle were preparing a meal. When she saw us, she hurriedly ran down the hillside to help us carry our things. My aunt looked at me and smiled, and I looked at her and smiled. My aunt asked, "Is this my nephew?" I smiled and said nothing. My brother-in-law helped me out, and my aunt pulled me into the house.
The house is unprecedentedly simple, with a kitchen, a living room, a living room, and a bedroom. There is a pile of firewood in the kitchen, a pot and a stove. The living room is empty, like a broad mind. There is a table, four stools, a cupboard in the living room, a bed in the bedroom, and nothing else. My uncle's salary was not low, so how could he still live in such a miserable state? I was puzzled and didn't dare to ask any more questions, so I ran out and looked around. There is a wooden house in front of my aunt's house. It belongs to my neighbor's house. The houses are just as simple and low. They are less than five meters apart and separated by a mountain road. The neighbor squatted under the eaves and chopped pig grass, his kitchen knife banging on the chopping board. The door of the pigsty is like a row of teeth leaking air, as if it is smiling. The pig was lying on the stall door, as if it was not afraid of the boiling water.
A little further up is the village committee. The reinforced concrete structure and luxurious decoration make it look like a city dweller going to the countryside, which is particularly eye-catching. Next to the village committee are all broken bricks and tiles, and there are stones everywhere, with dragons, phoenixes, ghosts and gods carved on them. I heard that it was the ruins of an ancient ancestral hall. I was so frightened that I shivered. The yin energy was too strong, so I quickly retreated. The village committee door is locked. There is a public notice board in front of the door. The stone tablets are lying all over the place, which always makes people feel aggrieved. The village committee occupies the dove's nest, and it is difficult for a good man to fight against a local coward.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another year has passed. The village committee has been renamed, half of the wooden house has collapsed, my uncle has recovered a lot, and the neighbor's house has been renovated. The changes are so great that everyone wants to go and see them.
New year and new atmosphere, people are playing cards, people are drinking, we are not playing cards or drinking, we have nothing to do, we meet to go hiking. My mother-in-law's family has an old house in the mountains not far away. The old house is no longer inhabited and has not been seen for many years. My mother-in-law wants to visit it, but has been thinking about it for several years, but has not done so. I wonder if the mountain is covered with thorns, and I wonder if there is a way to go. No matter what the situation is, we have a car and company to go with. The car stopped on the side of the road and abandoned the car to go up the mountain. The mountain road is vaguely visible, and the walk is very worrying and strenuous. Unexpectedly, the seventy-five-year-old mother-in-law was walking as fast as flying, overcoming thorns and obstacles, and clearing the way ahead. I was afraid that my clothes would be torn and I would fall far behind, and I would have to call a lot to keep up.
While I was waiting, my mother-in-law picked several wild herbs, which made me, a young person who has studied Chinese medicine, very embarrassed. My mother-in-law picked quadrilateral grass , ground tea , purple-flowered ground grass , ambrosia . There are many medicinal herbs on the mountain, but there is no Aesculus . Aesculus aesculata is a delicious medicine that can fight cancer and treat snake venom. Speaking of this, my mother-in-law seemed a little sad.I know she misses her father-in-law, who died of late-stage lung cancer. A seven-leaf flower might be able to save his life. No. 3-05, Fuxing Village, we'll be there in a minute. The mother-in-law smiled with satisfaction. Look around the house. The house has not been repaired for many years, the tile eaves have collapsed, the walls have begun to deteriorate, the wooden door has disappeared, the house number is still there, the trees piled in the house are still there, the windmill is still there, and the old cupboards are still there. The mother-in-law sighed and said that if she did not move out, she would get funds for the renovation of the dilapidated house. The house is older than my mother-in-law's. My great-grandfather bought it from someone else. I don't know which dynasty it was built in.
Since we are here, we took a photo together. My mother-in-law straightened her back, and I used a cane to support her. Going down the mountain, my mother-in-law was still walking fast, leaving my brother-in-law and me far behind. Looking at her back, the brother-in-law took a long breath. Today, he finally settled a worry for his mother.
I didn't respond to him, but I read happiness on his face. Happiness is actually very simple. Your parents are alive and well, your children are well-off, you don’t have to worry about food and clothing, and you don’t have to worry about housework.
