Earlier, people cooked steamed bread with pot heads (earthen stoves) and cooked with firewood. Most of the firewood is collected by family members in the fields. I have been collecting firewood for myself since I started working. The earliest firewood was wheat stubble. Wheat stubble is the short straw left in the field after wheat harvest. The adults shouted for the cattle to plow the fields, and the stubble rolled out of the soil. Several five-or six-year-old children rushed to the plowed stubble field to pick up the stubble with baskets made of bamboo poles and sickles in their hands. First, hug the rolled wheat stubble into a small pile with a sickle, and then use the back of the sickle to destroy the wet soil stuck to the fibrous roots of the wheat stubble. If the soil is dry and brittle in dry weather, in the process of pulping, the soil chips are mixed with the rot on the foundation and float in the air, and the dust enters the nasal cavity, trachea and lungs, which will cause severe cough and spit out dark gray sputum. In windy weather, the loess dances and blocks the sun. If you are not careful, dust will get into your eyes, and the pain will be unbearable, and tears will fall like rain. When I was holding the stubble, my feet were walking on the ground that had been loosened by the plow, and the debris fell into my shoes from time to time. Soil particles stuck to the soles of their feet, and they began to feel uncomfortable. When they enter too much, they will feel continuous. When they picked up a basket of stubble and took off their shoes on their backs, they actually had a lot of cotton soil. Sometimes they are so hot that the soles of their feet sweat, and the sweat churns the cotton fields into mud. When they walked, they slipped step by step and twisted carelessly. When you are flustered, simply throw away your legs and feet, kick off your shoes and walk barefoot in the wheat stubble field. Of course, barefoot is inevitably stuck in the soles of the feet by sharp straw heads, which is a little painful, but it is even more painful to seep blood into the meat. Fortunately, the wild child is strong and can hold on.
There is a time limit for picking up stubble. It's only been a few days since you cut the wheat, and you are not allowed to pick up the stubble in the field after you rake the autumn crops. At this time, people shifted the direction of collecting firewood. After a spring and summer of wind, sun and rain, thorns and jujube thorns on the ridge of the field, on the edge of the weir and in the grave garden all grew into tall seedlings, some sparse and some lush. Is that how we put these things? Go back and dry it for firewood. Carrying a pole, tying two hemp ropes and carrying a sickle to the wild every morning? Jujube thorns and thorns. At first, I couldn't carry it on my shoulders, so I had to carry it in bundles, because dates hurt people and I couldn't touch my back directly. There is a kind of chrysanthemum that doesn't sting people, so I ordered it. I didn't expect that Artemisia selengensis is not easy to dry. Sometimes it is used in a hurry when it is half dry, but it can't be lit. Even if it's difficult to ignite, it's just smoke, smoke and no fire. Sun-dried Artemisia capillaris only burned with a bang, which is not resistant to burning. So it was criticized by adults. Then you were afraid to go alone? Artemisia, so we need less? One point is sandwiched between the jujube thorn and the back to prevent the jujube thorn from penetrating into the flesh.
? Jujube thorn is not an easy thing either. At first, I couldn't grasp the main point, either cutting constantly or stabbing people in the face. Jujube thorn seedlings usually grow to two or three feet high, which is what we want? Yes Hold the handle of the thorn fork with your left hand, push the jujube seedling, hold the handle of the sickle with your right hand, hook the root of the jujube seedling with the sickle, and hug it back hard, and the jujube seedling will be broken, put it into the thorn fork with the sickle, and so on, until the thorn fork is covered with jujube thorns, it will be pushed out of the ground and tied into a bundle with its feet. Sometimes when holding a jujube thorn, the jujube thorn seedling swings back and forth violently, and the sharp jujube thorn sticks to the face, which is really miserable. Gangs? Putting the jujube thorn on the ground from the thorn fork is thin and weak, and it is easy to penetrate the vamp by stepping on it with your feet. I remember that sometimes the heel of the sole is worn thin and even has holes. Sharp jujube thorns are stuck in the soles of the feet, and it hurts to stumble when walking, so I dare not exert myself. ? Most people who have had jujube thorns have had this experience.
Gangs? Artemisia scoparia is wet and its weight is much heavier than that of dry. A small bundle weighs forty or fifty kilograms. Put the extra part of the firewood rope on the sickle handle and put the sickle handle on your shoulder, at least half a mile, at most two or three miles, to make your shoulder red, swollen and hot. Later, I learned to carry the burden, and it was a little better.
In the early days of liberation, the country's economy was backward and materials were scarce. At that time, there was no coal burning, not to mention electricity, gas and natural gas, even outside the city. People in the streets and alleys outside the county used firewood to cook and burn kang, and jujube thorns were very popular at that time. Rural families are self-sufficient, and those outside the city have to go to the market to buy them. My father and brother and I once went to the market to sell jujube thorns to supplement our family.
At first? There are fewer people stabbing dates. What happened afterwards? There are more and more people with long jujube thorns, and gradually the jujube thorns on the nearby fields, weirs, graves and even the floodplain have been cut, and the newly grown seedlings can't catch the stubble. We all moved to Zhongtiaoshan, which is far from home. My first expedition up the mountain? Jujube thorn, my father and brother went to Zhoujiagou, seven or eight miles away from home. I was ten years old that year. Three people each carry a pole on their shoulders. Two seven-foot-long hemp ropes, one end of which is connected with a saw, are tied to a pole, and a sickle and a thorn fork are inserted in the bent eyes of the hemp rope. My first time up the mountain? Jujube thorn didn't feel sad, but felt quite novel, talking and laughing all the way, skipping.
The hillside on both sides of Zhoujiagou is overgrown with weeds and covered with jujube thorns. The bottom of the ditch is deep, narrow and winding, and a stream winds down along the zigzag direction of the bottom of the ditch. People by the stream casually step on a path, sometimes cut off by the stream and have to dive. Father is in front, brothers are close behind, and someone has opened a path to climb the mountain on the ridge not far from the ditch. Thick thatch strips on both sides of the road almost blocked the road. We pushed open the thatch and bent down to climb to the top of the mountain. It turned out that there was a row of terraces on it, and the jujube thorns on the high weir between the terraces were tall and lush. Let's divide by three, divide by five and divide by two in one minute, shall we? Three loads is enough. Tie it up and carry it down the mountain at once. As we all know? I slept too much, and the mountain road was not as flat as the road. It was too heavy to take a few steps, so I had to throw some away. People often say that it is easier to go up the mountain than down it, and it really is. The mountain road is narrow and rugged, slow and steep, and the gravel is slippery. It is not easy for an empty man to walk, let alone carry a load of firewood on his shoulder. I walked down carefully step by step. We finally got down to the bottom of the ditch. Everyone was so tired that they wanted to put down the firewood and have a rest, but they couldn't find a flat ground where they could put down three sets of firewood, so they had to grit their teeth and insist on walking outside the ditch. As I said before, there is a broken stream at the bottom of the ditch, and I have to jump over it from time to time. With a firewood on his shoulder. Every time we jump, the firewood will shake from side to side a few times, as if testing the endurance of the three of us. When you get to a place where the water is wide, you need to cross the river by stepping on stones. Listing stone means that people put up a relatively flat stone on a shallow and wide river every two feet or so for people to cross the river. When you come, you will "rub" and quickly cross the water on a stone. It's simple. It is not so easy to pick a load of firewood at this time. Suddenly I stepped on an unstable pillar, immediately stumbled and fell into the water with the firewood. I am so angry that I want to cry. Father and brother quickly put their firewood on the cliff root and helped me drag it out of the stream. I got up and walked out of the stream. Father asked me to take off my wet clothes and put them on the grass on the hillside to dry in the sun. We had to sit on the cliff root, take out steamed bread while eating, and drink the stream to relieve thirst and fatigue. ...
The sun will go down soon, so we try to go home.
Learn from mistakes. After those setbacks, we will never go to Zhoujiagou again, and go to Yaotaishan, a distant place? Jujube thorn
There are many hillsides and terraces behind Yaotai, and the mountains are covered with jujube seedlings. The jujube trees in Gao Yan are not only numerous but also tall, and some even grow into small jujube trees. Unfortunately, there is no worry-free road. Along the cliff, along the ravine and along the ridge, there are some rugged paths. Once, we went down the mountain with firewood. In order to get closer to the highway, we walked along a cliff-side path about two feet wide, with a steep cliff on one side and the Baisha River more than ten feet deep on the other. Because you can't change your shoulders-firewood can't be transferred, so you can only carry it on one shoulder, which makes your shoulders hurt and your back hurts. I have to put down the firewood and have a rest before I go. It takes about half an hour to walk a mile. This road is really dangerous. Bundles of firewood are in tandem, almost in a straight line with people. If bundles of firewood swing from side to side and hit a cliff, they are in danger of falling into the valley.
In Yaoshan? I once encountered a disaster. It was a sunny day, and my brother and I were on a long weir, sharing things? Jujube thorn, less than a bag of cigarettes, I suddenly touched a hornet's nest, suddenly heard a "hum", a group of bees flew over and came at me. I quickly threw away my sickle and fork and turned my head and ran away. But I couldn't outrun the bee, and soon several bees crawled on my head and face, and several tail thorns with poisonous juice had stung my scalp and face. I beat with my hands while running, but it didn't work at all, and more and more, even my arm was stabbed. I tried to shout "help"! When my brother heard my cry, he rushed over and found that I had stirred up a hornet's nest and was afraid to fight. He is experienced, knowing that helping to fight can not only help, but also set me on fire and taught me to lie down quickly and wrap my head in clothes. He quickly approached me, sprayed water in his mouth for a while, and finally drove away the bees. I cried in pain. Brother said no? All right, pack your things and go home.
When I got home, I couldn't open my swollen eyes. It was just two cracks, and my head and face were swollen and painful. At that time, where was the current medical condition? My stepmother took out my little oil lamp, dipped her finger in oil, put some oil on my swollen place, and severely blamed me, saying, "How careless, let the bees sting like this!" " Take a good rest for a few days. "I can only endure the pain and wait patiently to let it naturally reduce swelling and relieve pain."
Another time, I found jujube thorns in a ravine, and I was overjoyed because I just went up the mountain recently? There are more and more jujube thorns, and such good jujube thorns are rare. While my brother and several partners didn't notice, I quickly climbed the hillside and pushed the jujube seedlings hard to hook them. Unexpectedly, the jujube thorn stick was not broken, and a wolf suddenly appeared in the dense grass after the jujube thorn. I just found a dark wolf's den in the grass. The wolf slipped out of my crotch and almost hit me. I was scared at once, my legs trembled and I wanted to run away. I saw the wolf running along the base of the cliff to the ridge. After a while, I woke up and shouted, "Kill the wolf! Fight the wolf! " My brother and several partners heard my shouts and ran to ask where the wolf was. When I told them what had just happened, they all laughed and sarcastically said, "You are really something, driving the wolf out of the wolf's den." I said what you were talking about, which really scared me! My brother said sadly, "I'm glad I didn't hurt you." In fact, in broad daylight, wolves generally don't leave their nests to hurt people. You suddenly made a violent noise at someone else's nest, scaring the wolf who was sleeping in the nest. It thought someone had caught it, so it was scared and ran away. He added, "Of course, the wolf suddenly appeared in front of you and surprised you." I said, "fortunately, it was a false alarm! "
Our family of three, father and brother, collected firewood for a day, mainly jujube thorns, and piled them under the eaves of the village roadway in the early morning sun. After the sun dries, a small part of it is used by itself, and most of it is still sold in the market. Jujube thorns weigh only 30% after drying, so they are usually collected and sold once every three days for a penny a kilogram. Three people only bear 100 kilograms, and they can sell more than one piece at a time and more than ten pieces a month. The wheat market is a dime a catty, and you can harvest almost 100 kilograms of wheat in a month.
One day, at a party, my father and brother each took a handful of dried jujube thorns and sold them to a middle-aged woman in a lane. After sending three loads of firewood to the woman's house, she asked us to transfer all three loads of jujube thorns to her backyard. On a hot summer day, my father first took off his coarse blouse and put it on the windowsill of her yard. There are more than ten dollars sold this month in the pocket of his shirt, and he intends to buy more than one hundred kilograms of wheat in the market with the money sold today. After the firewood was transferred to others, my brother collected one yuan and fifty cents from the woman, and the three wiped their sweat, picked up the rope and left. When they arrived at the market, their father suddenly found that they had forgotten their shirts, so the three men immediately came back to get them, but the shirts were gone. Father quickly asked the woman who bought firewood, "Sister-in-law, have you seen my homespun shirt?" The woman who bought firewood didn't think about it, so she said, "Look at you, I picked it up at home, and I'll get it for you." My ass twisted into the room. When my father took the shirt and took out his pocket, the money was gone. He asked again, "Sister-in-law, have you seen anything in your pocket?" "I didn't see it!" The woman hesitated and said. The father said, "That's strange. When I put it on the windowsill, I was afraid that the money would fall out and roll it into a ball. " My brother flew into a rage when he saw that women tried to cheat us of our money. He raised the pole and roared, "Have you read it honestly?" This scared the woman, quickly covered her head with her arm and gave in and said, "I'll go back and see if I fell to the ground!" " "The woman came out of the room with money in her hand, trembling and saying," I just fell to the ground. "
Father caught the money and knew what was going on, but he said politely, "Thank you, sister-in-law, this is our family's food for one month."
Later, we stopped collecting firewood. My father and brother do small business, and I go to school.
Now there are kitchen appliances such as gas stoves, natural gas stoves, induction cookers, ovens and microwave ovens at home. Steaming steamed bread is convenient and hygienic, saves time and effort, and avoids the crime of smoky fire. But if you think about the hardships of collecting firewood in the past, you will cherish and love today's happy days even more.
20 16 10 month
Pei Feng, formerly named Pei, male, Han nationality, party member, chemical engineer.
19361/kloc-0 was born in beishandi village, Xia county, and settled in dongguan village after liberation.
1958 graduated from Taiyuan No.1 Chemical Engineering School and joined the work in the same year.
Worked as a technician and foreman on duty in Taiyuan Chemical Fertilizer Plant;
Xiaxian cable factory served as deputy director;
Xia county chemical fertilizer plant as a technician, production section chief and deputy director;
Deputy director and director of Xiaxian Phosphate Fertilizer Plant;
Xiaxian Lactic Acid Factory was appointed as the first deputy director and chief engineer.