Chapter 1: Jujube in my hometown

My hometown is dry and lacks rain, and the temperature difference between day and night is large, which is a good place for jujube trees to grow. I remember when I was a child, the front and back of the village were covered with jujube trees.

There are three kinds of jujube trees in the village: one is round jujube, which ripens early; One is a long jujube with a big core; There is also a long jujube, but it is basically seedless and has a thick pulp.

the farmer's proverb says: Jujube sprouts to plant cotton. Jujube trees sprout late in spring. Jujube ripens later in autumn. However, people don't wait until the jujube tree is completely ripe before eating, and some people climb to the tree to pick dates to eat early. People in the village don't care about each other. It doesn't matter who eats a few dates on the tree. The driver passed by the village, threw a whip at it, and fell dates all over the floor. After eating, he hurried on.

when I was a child, I used to climb trees and eat dates. Jujube that gets up in the morning is beaten by dew, which is especially crisp and sweet and is the best.

In late autumn, red dates are covered with branches, and the wind blows the trees, which is really beautiful. Whoever plays dates in the village will call the neighbors to help pick dates. Adults brandish long poles and hit the branches of jujube trees. People are afraid of falling dates hitting their heads, wrapping towels or wearing straw hats, and picking dates at the waist of a cat. Everyone picked up the dates on the ground into the small basket and poured them into the big basket. Men, women and children ate and picked, and laughter echoed under the jujube tree. After cleaning up, the master always fills the pockets of the children who help with dates and takes them home.

In the days to come, the yards and roofs of every household in the village are covered with red dates. Dried red dates, packed in baskets, have become snacks for children at home in the future. More exquisite people will use wine to process drunken dates and seal them in jars, and then eat them during the New Year. It is very common for villagers to visit relatives and friends with a basket of red dates. In the revolutionary war years, supporting the army before the support was also a basket of red dates. The song "Big jujube, sweet and fragrant, give it to your loved ones to taste, one jujube and one heart …" records the historical footprint. On weekdays, people use red dates to make jujube cakes and stuffing, and every family produces and eats their own food, and there is no takeaway. The whole village has lived in poverty for generations.

I left my hometown in the fifth grade of primary school and have never been back since. But when I heard "three dates a day, the beauty never dies." And the words "three dates a day, live forever", I naturally think of red dates in my hometown.

Last night, I had a dream that I went back to my hometown, climbed the tall jujube tree and ate crisp and sweet dates ...