My hometown is close to the old road of the Yellow River, and when I leave the village, I reach the Yellow River, so I call it Linhuang Village. I remember when I was a child, there were many locust trees outside the village. At that time, in the fields and fields, as long as crops were not planted, people planted trees, including locust trees, willows, poplars and paulownia. Sophora japonica is used as a hard material in rural areas, and it is essential for making furniture. Table legs, cabinet legs and horizontal arches are often made of it. Therefore, the cultivators use locust trees to make dowry for their daughters, marry their sons and daughters-in-law, and use tables, chairs and benches at home, so locust trees are also planted in front of and behind the house.
There is a locust tree forest in the west of the village. The forest is not big, with the size of five acres of land. Because it is close to the river, it is high in the northeast and low in the southwest. Sophora japonica, also known as Robinia pseudoacacia and Robinia pseudoacacia in rural areas, belongs to a woody plant in Leguminosae. Its twigs are covered with spikes, and the height of the tree can reach ten meters. The oval compound leaves are symmetrically arranged on the total petiole, and the breeze blows and rustles.
Every spring, in March and April, the locust tree just sprouted. At this time, there is a delicious food called acacia head. The yellow-green leaves are tender and tender. Pick them, soak them in boiling water, drain the water, sprinkle with freshly fried sesame salt, drop a few drops of sesame oil, and eat them in your mouth, leaving a fragrance on your teeth and cheeks, which makes people unable to bear to stop. Now that I think about it, it still arouses my appetite. Unfortunately, the edible time of Sophora japonica head is too short, and it soon gets old and can no longer be eaten, so we are looking forward to Sophora japonica again.
By the end of May and the beginning of June, Sophora japonica bloomed, and strings of white Sophora japonica hung on the tree. The whole tree looked like it was covered with white gauze, so it was refreshing to smell the fragrance of Sophora japonica from a distance, and swarms of bees were flying among Sophora japonica, and the buzz was endless. People tied a sickle to one end of the bamboo pole, hooked off the small branches of Sophora japonica, and then smoothed the Sophora japonica. Other children, who are skilled at climbing trees, are not afraid of thorns in Sophora japonica. After a few times, they climb the tree, find a thicker branch, sit on it, break the thinner branches and throw them down. Adults tell children to be careful while stroking Sophora japonica below. Laughing and laughing in the Sophora japonica forest, asking each other how to eat Sophora japonica. At noon, every family ate Sophora japonica rice. Mother often cooks Sophora japonica rice with steamed Sophora japonica and fried Sophora japonica. Clean the Sophora japonica, sprinkle with flour after draining, and mix well. This step is very important, because there is too much flour, which is too dry to eat, and it will choke people. If there is too little flour, it will be too sticky after steaming, which will affect the taste. Mother can always grasp it well. Just steam the mixed Sophora japonica in the pot for ten minutes. Chop pepper and garlic cloves, pour sesame oil, soy sauce and monosodium glutamate, make seasonings, and mix them in steamed Sophora japonica rice. Every time I have an appetite until I feel bloated. If it is fried Sophora japonica, it is necessary to add water to Sophora japonica and flour, add seasoning such as salt and spiced powder to make dough, pat the dough into a half-finger-thick cake, and fry it in an oil pan until both sides are golden, which is also delicious.
The flowering period of Sophora japonica is about 20 days, and by mid-June, Sophora japonica will have withered. In the forest of Sophora japonica, the ground is covered with white Sophora japonica. From time to time, Sophora japonica falls with the wind and walks in the forest. The head and shoulders are covered with Sophora japonica. It is no exaggeration to describe it as colorful. At this time, I often take a broom and sweep the Sophora together with my brother and sister. After a while, I can sweep a pile. Of course, I should sweep the Sophora early, or I will be swept away by the early risers. These withered Sophora japonica flowers are stored and can be used to feed sheep in winter.
In summer, the locust tree forest is a good place for us to enjoy the cool and have fun. As we are close to the Yellow River, at noon every day, a group of our friends strip naked in the Woods and go swimming in the Yellow River. I'm an ordinary swimmer, and I can swim back and forth twice in the river. The game we often play is to get into the water and see who holds their breath for a long time. Now that I think about it, it's dangerous, but no one cares at that time. Another game that we often play is a water fight, but we dive into the water, dig out mud and throw it on each other's heads and faces. Often, after landing, there is mud in our hair, which becomes evidence that parents find us playing with water. After landing, we will have a rest in the locust tree forest and wait until our bodies and hair are dry before going home. At night, the locust tree forest is a cool place. Adults sit under the tree and chat, while children play hide-and-seek among the trees. On that summer night, the stars were shining in the sky. We often looked up at the stars and pointed. Here is Tianhe, this is Altair, that is Vega, these are the Big Dipper, and those over there are Taurus. If a meteor is suddenly found, the children will cheer and argue about who saw it first. Fireflies are essential in the locust tree forest on summer nights, flying around in twos and threes. We often catch some and put them in glass bottles, of course, just for fun, not for reading. Every summer after the rainstorm, there is a kind of cicada that drills out of the ground, climbs to the tree, molts into cicadas and sings in the tree all day. At dusk, we went to the locust tree forest to catch monkeys. If we can have a flashlight, we will be envied by our friends. Most of the time, we can only touch one tree at a time, so we call this activity touching the monkeys. The cicada that was touched was cleaned, its legs and feet were pinched off, and it was salted. The next morning, when the cake was baked at home, it was cooked on the griddle and wrapped in the unique baking film in my hometown. It was really the most beautiful in the world, and it was not as good as the fried cicada in the restaurant now.
? In autumn, after an autumn wind, Sophora japonica leaves seem to turn yellow overnight. The whole forest is like a golden gauze. Every time a gust of wind blows, the thin leaves of Sophora japonica fall like butterflies. As long as two days, the ground will be covered with Sophora japonica leaves. Yu Dafu once described Sophora japonica leaves like this: flowers, not flowers, will be covered with flowers in the morning.
Autumn went to winter, and after a winter snow, the locust tree forest was wrapped in silver, and every branch was covered with white snowflakes, only the lower part of the branch was slightly darker in color, like ink painting. After the sun came out, the sunshine was dazzling, the snowflakes on the branches melted, and soon they became ice, sparkling, like entering a crystal fairy tale world.
The years have changed, the stars have moved, the population has increased dramatically, and the locust tree forest in my hometown has gradually disappeared. If I want to eat Sophora japonica, I have to go to the market to buy it, and I can't find the feeling of picking Sophora japonica anymore, which makes me miss the Sophora japonica forest in my hometown more and more. 1954, Taiwan Province poet Ji Xian, known as an evergreen tree in poetry, left the mainland for six years, and his homesickness increased dramatically. A rummage through old books, a piece of Sophora japonica leaves caught in the book suddenly came into view, and the poet's feelings caused a stir. He wrote:
A cicada-like/gently slipping locust tree leaf
When you look closely, there is still some dirt from the old country.
Old country, ah, ah, what year/month/day will it be?
Talent/Let me/Return to your arms.
To enjoy one of the most enjoyable in the world.
A season with a faint scent of Sophora japonica? ……
Yes! When can I enjoy a season with a faint scent of Sophora japonica?