Rhapsody of Entertainment Rebirth

Twenty years later, the nearly 1,000-kilometer journey from Magic City to Minbei County only takes about ten hours by car.

But in 2003, there was no expressway throughout the entire journey, and we had to take detours on national highways. The entire journey was more than 1,600 kilometers long.

However, neither Qiu Jiang nor Qin Haiyang were newbies. They both had experience in long-distance driving and had already booked their itinerary.

According to their plan, they would stay one night near JX and arrive in Northern Fujian County in the afternoon of the next day.

Shanhe and his family started driving at eight o'clock in the morning. After meeting up with Qin Haiyang's family, the two cars drove towards Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The person who is most looking forward to this self-driving trip is Qiu Chuxi. I was so excited that I didn’t even sleep well last night!

As soon as the car drove out of the Magic City area, Qiu Chuxi shouted loudly in the back seat of the car with Doudou, the Labrador dog, leaning against the window.

"Master and Master, look, we have left the Magic City. Wow, there are so many ponds here!"

Master Xie looked at the cheerful Qiu Chuxi beside her with a smile, and explained to her: "There are many water systems around the Magic City. It used to be a swamp terrain, with countless lakes and rivers. These ponds should have been artificially transformed, and the streams The hairy crabs you love to eat grew up in these ponds!"

"It turns out that big crabs grow in this kind of pond!" Qiu Chuxi hugged the whining Doudou and said loudly, "Doudou, you can't stick your head out of the car window. If you don't obey, I will drag you away. Ears!"

"Haha..." Yu Zhengchong laughed loudly as he watched the back-and-forth stalemate between Qiu Chuxi and Doudou. Qiu Chuxi could always amuse the old couple inadvertently, and everyone was in high spirits now!

"Look at the residential houses around the Magic City. They have white walls and black tiles scattered around the puddles. They are full of charm of the Jiangnan water town!"

Qiu Jiang, who was driving, also echoed: "The teacher said it well. It is indeed a beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River. I guess it will be even more beautiful in the spring. I have traveled to many places in the past two years. The residential buildings in China are really different in different places, but they are all the same." It has its own regional characteristics and has its own flavor in it!”

Xie Meiyu also said: "They are all in the south. The difference between our houses here and ours in northern Fujian is quite big. Their houses here feel smaller and they are scattered around!"

"Mom, this is a water town, so we have to find foundations along the water. Our hometown is in a mountainous area. In the past, we had to gather together to guard against bandits. The whole clan lives together, so how can the house not be big?" Shan He said to his mother. explained.

"Shan He is right. Look at the Yongding earth buildings in the Fujian Province houses in the stamps. There are hundreds of people living in one big house, mainly for safety!" Yu Zhengchong also agreed.

All morning, the laughter and chatter in the car didn't stop. Accompanied by Qiu Chuxi and Doudou's shouts from time to time, the car drove into the suburbs of Suzhou and Hangzhou.

At noon, Qin Haiyang's car in front slowed down. Xie Meiyu also received a call from Qin Nan and discussed finding a place to rest and rest.

After a while, two cars stopped in front of a row of small restaurants on the roadside.

There were two large trucks parked in the small open space, with a big sign in front of them that read "Fill water, eat!"

The proprietress of one of the restaurants saw the two families getting out of the car and enthusiastically greeted them to greet them.

Under the soft words of Wu Nong from the proprietress, the two families walked into this small roadside restaurant that looked quite clean.

"Our store was only opened last year. Don't worry, we are doing real business. We are not robbing people. All the materials are grown in the village. Everything you eat depends on what you can receive today. It will be fresh!" said the proprietress. Those who know how to do business will talk about the key points.

Shanhe pulled Doudou and let him solve his physical problems in the surrounding open space before entering the small restaurant.

The space in the store is not large, so there is only one round table and a few square tables.

In addition to the two families, there were two tables with people chatting and eating. It turned out to be the truck drivers outside.

The landlady was introducing today's dishes to Qin Haiyang, and Shanhe led Doudou to sit by the Qiuchu River.

Doudou's entry into the store attracted the attention of two other groups of diners. A driver next to him probably had a talkative and sociable personality. He opened his mouth and said to Yu Zhengchong next to him: "You guys are really new. You brought your dog with you when you went home during the New Year." , this is the first time I’ve seen it!”

Yu Zhengchong looked at the middle-aged and slightly fat driver with a smile and responded: "A dog is no different from a family member after being kept for a long time. It has gone home. It can't be done without taking it with you. Does this brother drive a big car?"

"That red truck outside is mine. There are not many people like you who drive back to your hometown to celebrate the New Year. Brother, where is your hometown?" The driver was very talkative.

Qin Haiyang stood aside and handed over a cigarette, "We are from Fujian Province. We didn't buy a ticket, so we simply borrowed a car from the work unit and drove home directly. Brother, I saw that you are an experienced driver. We drove over to Fujian Province." Road?"

The middle-aged driver smiled and took the cigarette, "I've been there. I have to go to Fujian Province many times every year. The roads are relatively easy to travel. There hasn't been any mess in the past two years!"

Yu Zhengchong asked with a smile: "I heard it was not peaceful on the road in the past two years?"

"Not to mention the past two years, there are roadblocks in many places now, and there are many people who are stopped to collect money!" the middle-aged driver replied while holding a cigarette.

"Oh?" Yu Zhengchong asked curiously, "Then how do you usually deal with it?"

"What else can I do? Give me money! There are fewer such things in our south now, and the government is tightening our grip. Besides, who would do such an immoral thing if there are other ways to make money? Just open one on the roadside. It’s no better than doing that at a restaurant to refill a big car with water!” the driver replied, lighting a cigarette.

"What I'm saying is that blocking the road is actually cutting off your own financial path!" Qin Haiyang interrupted.

The driver got excited and explained to the two of them: "There are generally two types of roadblocks. One is caused by the villages on the roadside. Usually it is because they are too poor and have no way to make money. This kind of roadblock is easy to talk to. Just pay some money and go. The other kind is the authentic car gangster road bully. They have gangs. As long as you have a foreign license plate, you have to get out of the car and follow their rules. If you meet such a person once, this trip It’s all in vain, and you’ll still lose money if you don’t do it!”

"It's so blatant and no one cares?" Yu Zhengchong asked.

"Isn't this obvious? They have a backend. I've been to a place like this once, and I will never take jobs there again. I'll just wait for them to kill me!" the driver said angrily.

Qin Haiyang nodded, "Brother, you're right, this kind of practice won't last long. Where are you going this time?"

"I went home and went to the magic city. My hometown is near Yiwu. The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so I don't plan to get out of the car!" the driver replied with a smile.

"What a coincidence. We just came out of the magical city. I have been to Yiwu. The small commodity market there is very famous and is developing very well!"

"That's a coincidence. My brother is right. Half of the people in our place rely on the small commodity market for food. You are like me. I took my brother-in-law to a sports car and supported two large families with one car. Now we rely on the small commodity market to make a living." New houses have been built in the small commodity market, which is no worse than in the city!" the driver said proudly.

While talking, all the dishes ordered were served. Qin Haiyang said hello to the driver and stopped chatting.

When the two families were having dinner, the driver was ready to leave. Before leaving, he said to Yu Zhengchong: "Driving along the national highway, it's safe!"

After lunch, the two families rested for a while and then got in the car and continued on their way.

In the afternoon, the car was no longer lively as in the morning. The fresh excitement had passed, and lunch had just been eaten. Everyone in the back seat of the car was drowsy. Even Doudou, who had lost the liveliness in the morning, was lying at the feet of Qiu Chuxi, napping. Take a nap.

Shanhe, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked at his father who was driving seriously and asked, "Dad, you always drive to other places. Have you ever encountered the roadblock that the driver mentioned just now?"

"I haven't seen it before!" Qiu Jiang glanced at the mountains and rivers beside him, "But I have heard that the poorer the place, the more places there are. Small cars are better, but big cars are easier to stop!"

“It’s still caused by poverty!”

"So truck drivers like to travel together. When there are more cars, there are fewer things to do. Therefore, truck drivers are quite good at talking. Just like the driver just now, they are always running outside. They know that they rely on friends when going out. It is always useless to make more friends. Wrong!" Qiu Jiang responded casually.

Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. This saying is true!

Driving long distances is a very boring job. Shanhe stayed with his father and occasionally chatted.

The longer the car drove, the more tired everyone in the car became. Fortunately, no one was particularly motion sick.

While walking and walking, the sky gradually darkened.

After discussing with Qin Haiyang, Qiu Jiang decided to stay overnight in Jingdezhen, which is more than ten kilometers away, and drive back to Northern Fujian County in one go tomorrow.

Jingdezhen is the famous porcelain capital of China. When the two families arrived in this city, they were all lost in interest. After hurriedly filling their stomachs, they entered a state of rest and no longer had the mood to go out for a stroll.

The next morning, the two families continued the rest of their journey.

The car soon entered Jiujiang. Looking at the road signs, Xie Meiyu became energetic.

"Qiu Jiang, do you still remember our first trip? It was near here, Lushan Mountain!"

"Don't you remember that? I was so excited and went home disgraced. From then on, I made the decision to go out to play and never take care of my children again!" Qiu Jiang replied with a smile.

"Haha..." Xie Meiyu laughed, looked at Shanhe who was lost in memories and asked, "Xiaohe, do you still remember the first time you went out to travel? You were only five years old at that time!"

Shanhe has some memory fragments, but they are all very blurry. "I just remember the waterfall and three trees, and it seemed that the weather was very hot and there were a lot of mosquitoes!"

Qiu Chuxi in the back got excited, stood up and lay on Shan He's head and asked: "Brother, you went to Lushan Mountain when you were a child, and your parents also went there, why didn't I know?"

"You weren't even born yet, what do you know! Sit down quickly!" Xie Meiyu hugged her daughter.

Qiu Chuxi sat down in her mother's arms, put her arms around her neck and said, "Mom, tell me! You haven't taken me on a trip before."

"Hurry up and sit down, we are in the car." Xie Meiyu held her daughter's waist and said, "You didn't listen to your father, never take your children to travel again!"

"Dad, tell me!"

"Listen to your mother and sit down quickly! That was 1988, and your brother was still in kindergarten at that time! Dad's school organized a group trip to Lushan during the summer vacation. At that time, there was a movie called "Lushan Love" , your mother and I liked it very much, so your mother and I signed up! Xie Meiyu, tell your daughter, I'm driving!" Qiu Jiang is obedient to his daughter.

Xie Meiyu glanced at her husband in the row in front of her, and continued: "I said to put your brother with your grandparents, but your father insisted on letting the child see the world, and your brother made a lot of trouble for us along the way. I I almost threw him in the car!”

Shanhe said a little worriedly: "No! I don't remember, I just remember my dad carrying me up the mountain!"

"Why not? I really want to throw you in the car. Everyone in the car despises you. I have never seen a more noisy child than you. One moment you cry, the next you want to eat, and the next you need to pee. Pee!" Xie Meiyu said with a smile.

Qiu Jiang, who was in the front row, interrupted and said, "I did it all on my own initiative. I carried you all the way up and down the mountain and played around for a while. It's more tiring than helping your grandpa do farm work!"

Ha ha…

Everyone laughed.

"But this Lushan Mountain is indeed not very exciting. I was deceived by "Lushan Love". The scenery is not as good as my hometown. I remember Xiaohe said that the Lushan Waterfall is not as big as the mountain stream behind my grandfather's house!"

Xie Meiyu nodded in agreement: "Indeed! That Huanglong Pond is smaller than the fish pond in my hometown, and the water is very dirty. The Three Treasure Trees are even more boring. The trees on the hill behind Xiaohe's grandfather are much bigger than the Three Treasure Trees, and there are more than just Three Treasures Trees. Tree!"

"You went there in a hurry. You didn't understand the history and culture of Lushan Mountain. You just took a quick look at it. Of course it's not interesting! I also stayed in Lushan Mountain for half a month in the early 1960s. A group of us went to Lushan Mountain to hold a symposium. Live in the sanatorium next to Meilu."

Yu Zhengchong said with a smile, "You think the water volume of Lushan Waterfall is small because the season is wrong and luck is not good. As long as there is a rain, Lushan Waterfall still has some artistic conception in Li Bai's poems. The reason why Huanglongtan is famous as mentioned by Meiyu , because of the Huanglong Temple that originated from it. Although this temple has been destroyed by the war, it was once large and popular. It was repaired several times and then destroyed again. It was repeated several times, but it never disappeared. , in the end, it only left a few Zen rooms and a charity hall, but it was never damaged or damaged again. The glory passed by in a flash, and only mediocrity can last forever, which is sad! Although it only has a small one now Jianshantang, but it represents the reincarnation and rebirth of history and culture, and the same is true for the Three Treasure Trees. They are not famous for themselves, but for the history that happened around them!"

Yu Zhengchong is worthy of being an old scholar who has worked on the cultural front for decades. His words are so precise that people have to be convinced by his knowledge reserve and high level of thought.

Shanhe turned around and gave Master a thumbs up, "Master, what you said is great. I want to go somewhere else to experience your insights!"

"The teacher's level is still high. We were originally attracted by "Romance on Lushan Mountain", where we can take care of learning about history!"

"Mom and Dad, you have to take me on a trip. I want to be treated fairly!" Qiu Chuxi said plausibly.

"You are more annoying than your brother. When you grow up, you can go wherever you like. Your father and I will not take you out!"

"Mom~"

There was a lot of laughter in the car.

After two days of journey, the two cars finally drove into the northern Fujian county in the sunset. After saying goodbye to Qin Haiyang's family, Qiu Jiang drove directly to his hometown without stopping in the county.

Qiu Dahai and his wife have been waiting at the entrance of the village for most of the afternoon. Villagers passing by the entrance of the village will stop and chat with the couple. The whole village knows that the Shanhe family will be back today, and the elderly from several tribes have come to accompany them. Waiting for them to chat.

Ever since they received a call from their son yesterday, the old couple began to think about what to prepare for their grandchildren. They spent a busy morning packing up all the good things they kept at home.

The house has been cleaned long ago, and several rooms are neatly prepared, just waiting for the return of the children and grandchildren!

"Dahai, why hasn't Xiao Jiang'er come yet? Why don't you call him when you go back!" Grandma Shanhe couldn't wait any longer.

"Why are you anxious? Didn't you call me this morning? Xiao Jiang and the others drove back by themselves this time. They encountered a traffic jam or something on the way. It's normal to be delayed!" Qiu Dahai replied to his wife anxiously.

Several clan elders also smiled and comforted the two anxious old men.

"Uncle Sanzeng, I saw a car coming!" Jin Fu, who was young and had good eyesight, shouted loudly.

"Xiao Jiang'er and the others are here!"

"It should be them!"

"There is no car entering the village at this moment. It must be Xiao Jiang'er!"

Several clan elders started talking at random.

Shanhe saw a few elderly people from the village in the passenger seat. He quickly rolled down the window, stretched out the window and waved and shouted to his grandparents vigorously!

Not to be outdone, Qiu Chuxi shouted from the rear window.

The car soon stopped at the entrance of the village. Shanhe and his sister rushed out of the car and ran towards their grandparents.

Shanhe gave his grandparents a big hug, while Qiu Chuxi buried herself in her arms and shouted loudly: "Grandpa and grandma, I miss you so much!"

Qiu Dahai and his wife couldn't close their mouths with laughter. Even Doudou, who got off the car, enjoyed Qiu Dahai's enthusiasm!

The old couple Xie Meiyu and Yu Zhengchong got out of the car and walked over, greeting the elders at the entrance of the village.

After being lively for a while, Shanhe and his family walked into the yard of their hometown.

Several clan elders also dispersed the children who were sharing candies with Qiu Chuxi, leaving space for their family.

"Grandpa and grandma, I have brought you a lot of gifts. They are all in the car. I will show them to you later!" Qiu Chuxi jumped up to the old couple and showed off her skills.

"Haha... She is such a good granddaughter of grandpa. She always thinks of grandpa and has prepared good things for you. I guarantee you will like it!"

The grandma put her granddaughter in her arms and kissed her hard.

"Xiaohe, come out and help me move the things in the car into the house!" Qiu Jiang shouted at the door.

In the yard, Qiu Dahai and Yu Zhengchong were chatting, while several women went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Only Doudou was marking his new territory everywhere.

That night, the family had an authentic local meal.

Early the next morning, the Qiu family yard became lively, and every household in the village came to say hello to the Qiu Jiang family.

There were not enough teacups on the table, and Qiu Chuxi was busy distributing snacks to her long-lost friends and recounting her miserable school life in Shanghai.

In her opinion, life in her hometown is the most enjoyable!

After a whole morning of socializing, all the small gifts that Qiu Jiang and his family brought back from the Magic City were distributed.

Qiu Dahai talked to Qiu Jiangshanhe about the New Year's ancestor worship.

"This year you come back to celebrate the New Year. You, father and son, have to pay the first incense. Your ancestors have given you the most, so you should have no less etiquette!"

"Dad, we know! We will abide by the rules of the clan, but we don't know what to prepare!"

"I've prepared everything for you, so you don't have to worry about it. Just do what the clan leader says when the time comes!"

"Grandpa, don't worry! I still point to my ancestors to always protect me!" Shanhe said, holding his grandfather in his arms.

Qiu Dahai looked at his eldest grandson, who was already a bit taller than him, and said with a smile: "My grandson is descended from Wenquxing, and the ancestors are not allowed to protect you!"

Shan He looked at his grandfather who was still healthy and said, "I remember we have to pick up the Bodhisattva every year, isn't it this year?"

In Shanhe's memory, there are no memories of ancestor worship in his hometown, only the annual custom of picking up Bodhisattvas.

"To receive the Bodhisattva is to receive the Bodhisattva. No matter how big the Bodhisattva is, he cannot enter the ancestral hall. Our Qiu family has a distinguished figure. After the ancestral hall is repaired, we have to worship every year. This is the rule. On the first day of the new year, we worship the ancestors and wait in the back row to receive the Bodhisattva!"

The simple tradition of the Chinese people, whose ancestors are ancestral, is still passed down in a remote mountain village.

On weekdays, you can go to worship the gods and pray for their protection, but in front of your ancestors, the gods have to stand back!

From the second day after Shanhe returned to the village, he almost never went home for a meal. Every family dragged him to their homes as a guest, in the words of the villagers, to give their children some culture!

Shanhe couldn't refuse, and he couldn't refuse. They were all relatives of the same clan. No matter how many servers they were in, they all had the surname Qiu! I can't help but give up this little bit of literary spirit!

Except for the day of the New Year, Shanhe drank a lot every day. The rice wine in his hometown was too strong, so his drinking capacity increased a lot.

The days passed quickly, and New Year's Eve came with the sound of firecrackers.

The Chinese New Year atmosphere in rural areas is much more lively than in cities. Not to mention the children from various families running back and forth, swinging around with scattered firecrackers, the adults will gather together to pack chicken, duck and fish, and the men will hold cigarettes and brag. The woman chattered about each family’s harvest and interesting things this year.

Shanhe and his son are busy pasting Spring Festival couplets. This year, almost all the Spring Festival couplets in the village are made by them.

Instead, my own family ranked last.

"The horse is flying for a thousand miles, and the sheep is bringing auspiciousness to the whole family. This Spring Festival couplet is well written!" Yu Zhengchong on the side said with a smile, "Isn't our family just a thousand-mile horse and auspicious sheep?"

"The teacher really understands my thoughts. Xiaohe wants to become a thousand-mile horse. Xixi is a sheep. In my eyes, she is an auspicious sheep!" Qiu Jiang said proudly.

"If you write well and think well, we will do better!" Yu Zhengchong affirmed with joy.

Before he finished speaking, the family's Xianrui sheep jumped out of the house.

"Dad, my mother asked you if you had posted the Spring Festival couplets. Once you've posted them, go help kill the ducks!"

"That's great! Isn't your mother responsible for this kind of work?"

"There are quite a few of them, my mother and the others are too busy!"

At four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the offering table in the ancestral hall is already filled with chicken, duck, and fish from each family. The custom in the village is that the ancestors eat first, and then each family takes it back and processes it into New Year's Eve dinner.

The New Year's Eve dinner in rural areas doesn't have that much variety. It's really just big fish and meat. Whether it's delicious or not depends on whether the wife at home can prepare it.

Xie Meiyu's craftsmanship is naturally at the level of a chef. In their respective congratulations, the New Year's Eve dinner has begun.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, except for Qiu Chuxi and Doudou who were called away by their friends, the whole family chatted in front of the TV and waited to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

The Spring Festival Gala in 2003 was really not interesting. Uncle Zhao and Fan Wei still appeared on the stage, but the sketch "Heart Disease" was much worse than the "Traveling" series. Not only was it not funny, it was also a bit boring!

After the whole performance, the one who impressed Shanhe the most was actually Zhang Baizhi. It turns out that she had already attended the Spring Festival Gala in 2003!

Then there was Tian Zhen's "Sounding Rose", and Aaron Kwok also jumped on stage for a few minutes.

In the early hours of the morning, Shanhe clicked on the sign hanging on the door.

The usually quiet countryside was enveloped by the sound of firecrackers all around late at night.

The Year of the Sheep is here!

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the custom in Shanhe's hometown is that men have to do breakfast and household chores today, and women can sleep in for once.

Don't think this is just a symbol. Rural women at this time have to get up early every day to prepare breakfast for their families and take care of various livestock at home.

Basically, I start from 5 or 6 in the morning and keep busy until 3 o'clock in the morning.

Men generally wake up an hour or two later than women.

So on the first day of the new year, no matter how lazy a man is, he has to get up and prepare breakfast for the whole family, and he also has to do all the usual work of women.

If any man does not do this, he will be pointed out and scolded by the elders in the village, and his reputation in the village will definitely be very bad.

So on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, there are always a few families making porridge into dry rice.

Shanhe had to make breakfast at home. Qiu Jiang didn't need the old stove, but Shanhe was very skilled. In his memory, he had done this job countless times.

Under his father's surprised gaze, Shanhe prepared breakfast, stood up, picked up chaff from the rice vat, and prepared to feed the chickens and ducks.

As soon as Shanhe walked out of the gate, it was rare to see a woman in the whole village. A few men holding cigarettes and chasing chickens and ducks looked at each other and smiled!

Winter in the south is more difficult than in the north. In the capital, as long as there is no wind, the surface temperature is not low, and there is heating indoors.

Winter mornings in the south are bitingly cold, and the coldness brought by the humidity can easily penetrate your skin.

Shanhe put the fed chickens and ducks out of the cage and walked on the familiar field path.

Walking up the hillside for a long time, looking down at the mountain village with smoke curling up.

I haven’t seen this scene for a long time. In my memory, at this age, the mountains and rivers would look down on my hometown from this place every day.

He didn't leave here until his grandparents passed away.

This time, the scenery has not changed, but my destiny has been completely different!