There is a small village at the foot of the West Mountain called Liujiacun. The village is not big, with only about 200 people. Most of the villagers make a living by farming and hunting.
There is an old willow tree at the entrance of Liujia Village. It has been eroded by time. Even the oldest man in the village does not know its age.
At this time of year in previous years, green willow leaves have already been pulled out from the willow branches that cover the sky and the sun. They are layered on top of each other and full of green. The breeze blows and sways gracefully. But at this time this year, there is no green at all on the branches. The dry brown bark peeled off layer by layer from the trunk, and the yellow willow branches fell rustling down. It seemed that this old willow tree of unknown age had died.
At five o'clock in the morning, as soon as the fish belly turned white on the horizon, the villagers of Liujia Village got up early. Men, women, old and young walked out of their homes one after another, gathered in groups, and walked towards the old willow tree at the entrance of the village.
Today is March 20th, the Spring Equinox, and there is a local custom of offering sacrifices to heaven. It is intended to pray for God’s blessings, good weather, good harvests, and full rice warehouses in the new year.
It's a happy day.
However, the faces of the villagers did not see the joy that should be expected on a festive day. On the contrary, the old people staggered around, shaking their heads and lamenting from time to time; the middle-aged people frowned, walked heavily, and looked bitter; the young people clenched their fists and kicked stones, and were irritable and restless; even the lively and active children looked down. He kept his head and followed the adults step by step, losing the vitality he should have.
Depression and depression enveloped the entire Liujia Village.
To be precise, the entire southern land is shrouded in this kind of dullness and depression.
Since the beginning of spring last year, for forty-eight days a year, not a drop of rain has fallen in the entire southern land. Nowadays, the rivers have stopped flowing, the lakes have dried up, the earth is cracked, the vegetation has withered, and everything you can see is dead and dead. The crops in the fields have been harvested continuously. The people have eaten up all the stored grain, eaten up all the grass roots and bark, and are struggling on the verge of death.
Drought, this demon from the abyss of hell, has raised the sickle in its hand and is ready to harvest the lives of tens of millions of people in the southern land.
In previous spring equinox festivals, Liujia Village would place three animals with pig heads and three animals under the old willow tree. The old village chief would read the memorial text, and then the gongs and drums would sound. The whole village, young and old, would celebrate the festival happily. But this year it's impossible, because everything that can be eaten has been eaten, and there are no pigs and three animals left. Even three bowls of white rice are a luxury.
The old village chief's name is Li Degui. He is sixty-seven years old this year. His body and bones are still strong. If there is no serious illness or disaster, it will not be a problem to live for a few more years. Although he is old, he is not confused at all. Nowadays, the drought is raging, and every household is counting grains of rice to survive. Therefore, although today is the day of the festival, he did not follow it rigidly and had to prepare pig heads, three animals and other sacrifices. Instead, he ordered the villagers to put out three sacrifices. Just a bowl of water. He said that if the sky had eyes, it would sympathize with the sufferings of the people and not blame them.
The villagers followed the old village chief's instructions and placed three bowls of water on the altar under the old willow tree.
At six o'clock, the red sun leaped over the eastern sky, its rays of light piercing the sky. Above the sky, there was no cloud, the blue was as clear as water, and it was another sunny day.
"Hey -" the old village chief sighed, stroking his long snow-white beard, looking at the blue sky through the branches of the old willow tree. It's another sunny day. If it doesn't rain, how can the people survive?
He shook his head with a wry smile, walked to the altar with a willow crutch, straightened his hair, crown and clothes, and knelt on the ground. Behind him, more than 200 villagers knelt down.
call--
A gust of wind blew by, and pieces of dead willow branches fell down, hitting everyone on their heads and bodies.
An old woman with gray hair tremblingly picked up a wicker stick and held it in her rough and thin hands. Tears filled her sunken eye sockets. She leaned on the ground with her forehead against the wicker stick. She felt so sad that she could not help but sob: " Grandpa Willow is dead.”
The sob of the old woman aroused the desolation and sadness that everyone felt in their hearts. In an instant, the eyes of all men, women and children were red, and they were sobbing together.
In the hearts of the people in Liujia Village, the old willow tree is more like a close relative who accompanies them as they grow up. The bond between them and the old willow tree, especially the elderly, may not be clear, but it is unforgettable. Now that the old willow tree is dead, they are very sad.
"Quiet!" the old village chief yelled, scaring everyone into silence immediately.
The old village chief kowtowed three times to the altar, and then said loudly: "I and the two hundred and sixty-three people of Liujia Village, I sincerely tell the God of Heaven and the gods of the four directions: Since our ancestors established the village here, there have been six hundred In the past few years, there have been countless droughts, floods, and wars. Fortunately, the people of Liujia Village have been protected by the gods of heaven, earth, and the four directions. They have helped the people of Liujia Village to survive every disaster. They have also been blessed by the gods of the four seasons, and wind, rain, frost, and snow have come at the right time. The grains were plentiful, the livestock were abundant, and then the people of Liujia Village lived and worked in peace and contentment, passed down from generation to generation, and the sparks were immortal. This was a gift from the gods of heaven and earth. Today, during the Spring Equinox Festival, three animals with pig heads should be sacrificed to repay the protection of the gods of heaven and earth. However, Alas, the drought is raging, and every household is struggling to survive with only a few meters to live. Today, I offer three bowls of white water as a temporary substitute. When we get through this difficulty, we will double the supply. I hope the gods in heaven and earth will sympathize with our sufferings and do not blame us. .”
"I hope the gods of heaven and earth will sympathize with our sufferings and don't blame us." Everyone shouted.
"Our ancestors have taught us not to hunt in the spring or cut down in the summer in order to nourish the mountains and forests. However, the drought is raging and we have no other way to survive. We have to disobey our ancestors' instructions and go hunting in the mountains in search of a chance of survival. Our ancestors' spirits in heaven will understand me. I will not be punished for breaking the commandments if I wait for the hardships. I hope that the gods of heaven and earth and the spirits of my ancestors will protect me and ensure that I, Erlang, will be safe in the mountains and return safely."
"I hope that the gods of heaven and earth and the ancestors will protect me with the spirit of heaven, and ensure that I, Erlang, will be safe in the mountains and return safely." Everyone followed and prayed.
The nine-kowtow ceremony is over.
The old village chief kowtowed and stood up, turned around, slowly put on a smile on his face, waved to the crowd, and called: "Big boy, little pawn, you two come here."
Two teenagers walked out of the crowd. One of them was dark-skinned, with a strong back and strong waist, thick eyebrows and big eyes. His name was Niu Dawa. The other boy was half a head shorter than Niu Dawa. His complexion was equally dark. Although his figure was not huge, he was taller than Niu Dawa. He has clear lines, well-proportioned and strong, and has an ordinary appearance, neither ugly nor handsome. This young man's name is Zhang Xiaopeng.
The two of them are the same age and have just turned sixteen this year. According to local customs, they should perform the ceremony of coming of age on the Spring Equinox Festival.
Niu Dawa and Zhang Xiaozu stepped forward and knelt under the old willow tree as instructed by the old village chief. The atmosphere at the scene was finally no longer so dull and depressing, and the crowd burst into laughter.
"Are these two boys the only ones holding adult ceremonies this year?"
"Yeah. Too few. Look at Zhangjia Village next door. There are thirteen this year."
Snapped!
Before the man finished speaking, an old woman raised her hand and slapped her on the back of the head. The old woman twisted her eyebrows and cursed: "You brat, you also know that our village is not prosperous. On weekdays, you are allowed to be with your wife." Work harder on me and give me more fat grandchildren, but you just won't listen. Now you feel disgusted with me."
"Mom, what are you talking about?" The man was so embarrassed by what his mother said that he wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl in. His wife was even more unbearable, her face was as red as a monkey's butt.
Everyone was also inspired by the old woman's joking words, and started talking and laughing.
"Hey, we are so old. Before we knew it, the eldest child and the little pawn have become adults. We are really old."
"That's right. As the saying goes, don't compare your age with your children, as they will make you older."
"Lao Niu, should I stay home for this hunting trip?"
"I won't stay. I plan to let him learn a lot. There are still two and a half young men in the family. If something happens, the Niu family will not be able to stop him."
"Bah, bah, bah, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Ahem -" the old village chief coughed twice, suppressed everyone's voices, and said to Niu Dawa and Zhang Xiaozu who were kneeling on the ground: "Dawa, today you will be named Niu Guangmao, which means Lotte, and you will be named Lotte." meaning."
According to local custom, a child is only given a nickname before he or she reaches adulthood, and a first name must be given along with the cousin's name on the coming-of-age ceremony and recorded in the family tree. If she is a woman, only her given name will be given, and her cousin's name will be given when she gets married.
Niu Dawa grinned happily, his big white teeth shining dazzlingly in the sun, but he scratched the back of his head vigorously. He didn't know a few Chinese characters and didn't know what "happy to fate" meant, so he looked confused.
"Be happy and know your destiny, be happy and worry-free, and live a carefree life." The old village chief understood his confusion and explained.
Niu Dawa understood and was very happy. He immediately kowtowed and thanked: "Thank you, elder, for the name."
"I--my eldest child has grown up." The mother of the eldest child in the crowd looked at her son with emotion in her heart and her eyes gradually became moist.
The old village chief stroked his white beard and nodded, then looked at Zhang Xiaozu, his eyes suddenly turned pitiful, and he sighed and said: "My child, you were abandoned under this old willow tree when you were a baby, except for 'Zhang Xiaozu' A name, nothing else can indicate your identity. Because you have a name and a surname, we cannot adopt you and raise you under our knees. Instead, we let you grow up eating the food of hundreds of families. This is not because we dislike you, but because we respect your parents’ love for you. Your birth and the gift of giving me your name. Although I don’t know where your roots are, I at least let you know what your surname is, and at least you know the surname of your ancestors.”
"Xiaozu understands." Zhang Xiaozu kowtowed heavily, then turned around and kowtowed to the crowd, choking and saying: "Without the care and support of all the elders, I, Zhang Xiaozu, would no longer exist in the world, so everyone in Liujia Village is my closest relative. Thank you so much." A great virtue, a pawn has no teeth and will never be forgotten."
"You brat, if your parents hadn't left you a name, I would have taken you under my knees and raised you as my own son."
"A good boy, who values love and justice, and is a man."
"Good boy, good boy!"
"We are very happy to watch you grow up."
Most of everyone's words were compliments, because Zhang Xiaopou was indeed a well-behaved and sensible child. He would compete for every job in the village. He also had a sweet mouth and a smart mind, which made him very lovable. like.
"Child," the old village chief called Zhang Xiaozu back and asked, "Do you hate your biological parents?"
Zhang Xiaozhu was silent. He had asked himself this question no less than a hundred times in the dead of night. At first, the answer in his heart was hate, very much hate. Why would he live if he didn't support them? But although he grew older and was taught by the elders of Liujia Village, he gradually let go of the hatred in his heart, but he didn't have a good impression either. He could only say that he didn't hate her. But now, his inner thoughts have become complicated, he hates and wants at the same time.
"I don't know, little soldier. I would like to listen to the teachings of the village chief." Zhang Xiaozu couldn't explain his feelings, so he had to ask the elders for help.
Elders have great wisdom.
"Let me show you something." The old village chief smiled and stroked his white beard, reached into his arms, took out a piece of white cloth, slowly unfolded it and handed it to Zhang Xiaozu.
