Our new home is in the villa area at the foot of the mountain, but we live in a small high-rise building separated from the villa by a wall. There are only six small high-rise buildings, each with 26 floors, four households on the first floor and two households on the east and west, separated by a large corridor of more than 20 meters.
In winter, the promenade is quiet and empty, with no light and low temperature. The promenade always exudes a thick breath of yin and cold, which makes people avoid it. If aunt cleaning doesn't mop the floor every morning, it will remind residents that there is actually a spacious place at home, and maybe this promenade will be gradually forgotten by us.
In fact, the promenade is not absolutely unattended. When the weather is a little warmer, children will be seen running around in the corridor. But this is rare. I have lived here for two months and have seen it twice. Once at noon on a weekend, several children in kindergarten were playing with toys in the corridor, and another time, a brother and sister were waiting for adults in the corridor. The boy squatted on the ground and held the fence impatiently and asked loudly in the corridor: Have you finished cleaning up? When are you leaving? We have been waiting for you for nearly ten minutes.
On Laba Day, an adult appeared in the corridor. At noon, I was cooking in the kitchen, and I saw an aunt killing chickens at the southeast corner of the promenade through the glass window. A thermos bottle, a steaming iron basin, and a rag next to it, aunt sat on a small stool, holding the freshly scalded chicken in her left hand and pulling the chicken's hair in her right hand, which was fast and slow. Once, she saved a handful of chicken feathers in her hand and quickly rinsed them in the water. When her hands were clean, she wiped off the excess water with a rag and continued plucking. After several rounds, she plucked the chicken's hair almost. Finally, she used tweezers to hold the thin and small chicken feathers until there was no feather left on the chicken. The whole process is exactly the same as watching my mother pick chicken feathers when I was a child.
Mother-in-law said that the promenade will be lively in spring, with not only slaughtered chickens, but also flowers and plants, barbecues, and tables and chairs on it to enjoy the cool in summer, which is absolutely indispensable.
The scenery of the promenade is very pleasant, at least with a wide view. Standing on it, looking out, there are mountains in the east and rivers in the north, and there are no tall and gorgeous buildings nearby. There are only a large number of low and dilapidated color steel houses, sparse and yellowed groves, fields planted with wheat, and several quaint farmhouses. When I wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning, I can vaguely hear the crow's cry, and I can occasionally hear the goose's cry when I stand in the corridor during the day. Probably all came out from here.
Standing in the long corridor, leaning down and looking down, you can see that the ground is the facade of our community. Only two supermarkets and a rookie station have opened facade rooms, and the remaining dozen rooms have not been rented out. There was a mutton soup kitchen here when we first moved here, but it closed soon. It is said that his mutton soup is really ordinary, although it is also white soup, but the soup will become clear after a long time, unlike the soup base that has been boiled for a long time. People like me who have a high demand for mutton soup never want to drink it again after drinking it once. In fact, the collapse of mutton soup kitchen can not be entirely attributed to mutton soup. There are few people in the community, and this is not a traffic artery. Passenger flow is a big problem. Even if mutton soup is delicious, business may not be good. Up to now, the mutton soup shop has been closed for almost two months without subletting. Looking at the closed shops and the two supermarkets next to them, I can't help worrying about them. Of course, I hope they can all drive for a long time. )
Walking along the facade to the east is the gate of the community and the gate of the villa area. The sales office at the door is a big villa in French style, beige, three floors, omitting the elaborate appearance. The overall appearance is beautiful, majestic, concise and steady, giving people a sense of peace and stability. If it is consistent with the blue sky, the villa will become extremely romantic and exude a peaceful and elegant temperament. Passing the villa at this time, I always feel as if I have traveled to a European country.
There is a small fountain in front of the house, which only opens when the weather is warm. There are many plants around the house. I can't name them except a few stout pine trees. In those days when the temperature was below zero, the plants were still lush and full of green. There is a large clearing in the backyard of the villa, which is very quiet. There is a pavilion by the side. There are two swing chairs in the pavilion. When the weather is sunny, windy and sunny, my family and I sit on it, rocking back and forth gently, enjoying the surrounding greenery safely, looking at the blue sky and feeling the tranquility of the yard, so leisurely, we always sigh in our hearts: the years are quiet. If it is a spring afternoon, I really want to stretch, put my legs on the chair and have a good sleep in the warm love of the swing.
Walk 50 meters along the main road of the villa gate, and the west side of the road, which is diagonally opposite to the villa, is the entrance of our community. Residential property is not allowed to park cars in the residential parking lot. Trams, bicycles, tricycles and motorcycles are all required to be placed in the underground garage, leaving only a particularly narrow glass door, barely able to step into a box of diapers. If you want to go to the community park, you must climb another flight of stairs. There is a clearing between the glass door and the stairs. This clearing is a good place for sports. On weekends, children and adults often play badminton in this open space. After the open space accommodates three teams, it is more than enough, and it will not delay pedestrians from entering and leaving, because there is a circle of paths around the open space, which is enough for two or three people to walk side by side.
Climbing the stairs and stepping on the flat ground is really in the community park. In winter, except for the walls and holly trees used as fences, there are naked yellow scenes everywhere, and no specific plants can be seen. My mother-in-law said that when she came over in autumn, she saw persimmon trees, peach trees and pomegranate trees in the community. She saw an old man with his grandson playing with persimmons in the community garden.
It may be because of winter, or it may be that there are fewer residents and fewer people walking in the community park. Every time I go out, no matter when I stand in the community, I am alone in most cases. Before I moved here, I was worried that if I really stayed here, what would be the difference with seclusion? Children don't even have playmates anymore, do they?
But when I moved completely and really lived here, it was a blessing to find that my family and I could live here. Because here, for the first time, I personally realized what is called "away from the noise and turmoil of the city" and what is called "getting peace of mind from nature".
In the residential garden during the day, there is no one around, the wide ground can walk around at will, there is no noise of cars coming and going, and the world is as quiet as if nothing had happened. The air is fresh and clean at any time. Take a few deep breaths and you will feel refreshed all day. Look up at the sky and you can see the color of the sky at a glance. Clear sky Wan Li, without smog as a filter, blue is blue, light blue is light blue, and tile blue is tile blue. There is no need to invent new words. There are six tall buildings towering into the sky without any obstacles around. Every time I look up at the sky from the ground, there is always an illusion that a tall building is located in a palace in the sky. The whole picture is extraordinarily magnificent and boundless.
To the east of the community are rolling green hills that stand under the blue sky. This mountain is called Lashan. It is said that when Emperor Qianlong was playing in Lashan, he saw the sight of the sun and the moon shining together, which was auspicious and wishful, so he was given the name "Lashan". Looking at the mountain from the community garden, the trees visible to the naked eye are sparse and somewhat bleak. Obviously, it has not received special attention among the numerous mountain groups in Jinan. But it looks so gentle, so round, so steady, and there is an indisputable warm and quiet atmosphere. Perhaps it is this indisputable temperament that makes me unconsciously open my mind every time I look at it and solve my troubles quickly.
If it coincides with good weather, the most eye-catching scenery in the community is when the sun slowly moves west in the afternoon. Sunlight penetrated the clouds and shone on the ground, brick walls and green hills, making everything golden. Until dusk, the sky was as beautiful as an oil painting. I stand by at the window at five o'clock every afternoon and look at this painting. Look at the different weather, what's the difference between the sunset scene. When the sky is high and the clouds are light, the sun hangs low, and most of the surroundings are crimson, like a fairy painting in the sky with pigments, deliberately creating a beautiful scene for ordinary people to watch. Sometimes the horizon will be pink, but it must be sunny, the sky is quiet, there are faint clouds floating in the faint blue, and there is a gentle breeze, so at this time, it is likely that there will be a stunning pink sky. If I can meet a purer pink, I will always stand in the park and enjoy it for a while, not to take pictures, but to watch it quietly, its outline, its color and its changes. It is really "this kind of scene should only exist in the sky, and it is rare to see it on earth." I can watch this scene and live up to my life.
Take the elevator from the downstairs of the community to my home. My home is in the tallest building nearest to the mountain. Because there are few residents and elevators are often empty, it is difficult for us to experience the congestion in the morning and evening rush hours in the city. My home is on the 22nd floor, near the top door, with plenty of sunshine. Even without heating, the indoor temperature can reach 28 degrees during the day in winter, and the bedding on the bed will be twice as fluffy as before by the sun. When I wake up every morning, if the curtains are open, it is clear to look out the window. If you can wake up before 7: 00 in winter and stand by the window, you can see the complete sunrise. That fiery red ball is hidden behind the green hills that can open people's brains. Watching it rise from the back of the mountain until generate finally came out, suddenly I no longer yearned for the patience of waiting at the top of Mount Tai all night and the surprise of gazing at it the next second.
Our home decoration does not follow the mainstream, there is no ceiling, no spotlights and no luxurious background wall. This is of course caused by economic problems, but the overall feeling at home makes her husband and mother-in-law very satisfied. Sofa, dining table and bed are all traditional mahogany furniture, and closet, chest of drawers, desk, bookcase and lamps are all purchased from IKEA. Everything at home is very simple, and the less things, the better. Everything follows Yu Dafu's home concept of "interesting in plain, profound in simple" written in the article "Japanese Cultural Life". This is not a beautiful day. We just think its advantage is that it looks clean and tidy, leaving more room for children to play.
I just moved to my new home and bought a beautiful glass kettle online, as well as various tea and bubble products. Every morning, I make a pot of tea for my family first. I must smell every drop of tea carefully and taste its taste. Jasmine green tea is soft and fragrant, chrysanthemum tea is bitter and mellow, and Pu 'er tea is smooth and docile, which is imperceptible and indistinguishable in a busy city, accustomed to quick success and instant benefit, and anxious every day.
In my spare time, I lie on the sofa and read slowly with a book. The book in my hand has nothing to do with success, nor can it change my way of thinking instantly, which makes me have the possibility of wealth and freedom in a short time. They are just a collection of essays and novels recording life, which are full of bits and pieces of life, affection and friendship between people, beautiful and magnificent rivers and mountains, simple and charming pastoral scenery, and sighs about romantic feelings and homesickness. I read word for word, read it repeatedly, feel the accuracy and exquisiteness of words, feel the wonderful scenes, atmosphere and stories described by the author, and immerse myself in them, that's all.
Near the Spring Festival, my mother-in-law and I study food together. Years of eating takeout experience has made my stomach more and more picky. I can't see how spicy and oily it is. I hope to eat more light fruits and vegetables and whole grains. In our new home, as soon as we turned on the TV, we said goodbye to TV dramas and variety shows, turned to food documentaries with local cultural characteristics, and then recorded the foods we were interested in one by one, then went to the supermarket to buy the dishes and seasonings we needed to eat, and practiced at home many times in person. Angelica dahurica must be put in mutton, Chili and vinegar can be used as sour soup, and Agaricus bisporus is the best in cheese ... After all kinds of delicious foods are served, we taste them one by one like people who taste vegetables, removing those that are not delicious and are not used to eating, and the rest are the daily recipes of this family. The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so choose eight dishes with good names and good meanings and make a unique menu for the New Year's Eve dinner in our family.
Recently, the outdoor temperature has increased. Walking in the community park, I am no longer lonely. Occasionally I meet three or two pedestrians walking leisurely like me. Badminton is no longer the only ball game, but also a rare solid ball. There are more children in the amusement park than before, and the children's laughter lasts from eleven in the morning to five in the afternoon. There are some green plants on the lawn. There are children lying on it, chatting with their parents and dogs frolicking on it. Eva danced with excitement when she saw someone in the garden, and insisted that I take her to see other people's toys. It turned out to be a twisting car, skateboard and gyroscope. It's a pity that she is too young to touch around and can't play anything.
We finally stopped ignoring the promenade. Every morning, Eva will come to the promenade to have a look. She ran back and forth on it, fumbled in kicking the ball, and sprinkled dried soybeans on the ground of the promenade. I followed in her footsteps and took good care of her. Occasionally, I look out at the mountains in the east, the rivers in the north, the wheat fields that have just grown green seedlings, and count several bird's nests in the dry forest.
There is no worry about money in a simple life, and there is no pursuit that is slightly better than others. Under the siege of natural qi, we should put aside all the troubles related to fame and fortune in the world, only pay attention to life itself, find back our sensitivity to everything in the world in peace, and feel every beauty around us frankly.
Maybe this is what life should be like.