Youjiaxiang, an ancient and mysterious roadway in Yuanling ancient town, is often entangled in dreams and snuggled up in dreams.
A stone road extends all the way to Tianning Mountain. There is a stream on the slate road, and a stream flows down the slate and flows into the Yuanshui River. The three-meter wide roadway is like a winding dragon. There are houses on both sides of the stone road, with wooden structures, embankment walls and earth buildings. In the morning or evening, the smoke from kitchen chimneys curled up like a dream. The dim light and hazy moonlight are like a dragon maze, which is fascinating.
Love is long, love is long, and the deep alley locks the spring and autumn.
"The lights are fighting!"
"sell water tofu!"
"play-cotton-flowers!"
"Do you want to carry water?"
The cries of peddling through time and space shocked my soul.
The sound of "kicking, kicking" from the footsteps of pedestrians on the slate road, the frequent hawking sound, and the string-pulling sound of playing cotton "boom … boom … boom" are all sung in unison.
My family lives in Sun's yard in Youjia Lane. I lived there for sixteen years.
Alley is childhood. When I was a child, I played with my friends in the alley. Children have their own designated territory, managed by themselves, and do not invade each other. For example, the site of Spring Cattle is from the gate of Spring Cattle to the alley, the tree from my door to Wang Xiaohei's house is my site, and Wang Xiaohei's site is from Wang Xiaohei's door to Chen's door. And so on until the place is divided. Whatever happens in the alley, everyone will run to join in the fun. If outsiders occupy our territory, everyone will rush headlong into it, waving flags and shouting, and defending and guarding everything in the roadway.
The road is the story. Probably the cat lady, grandpa four, grandma four and grandma Yang.
Every summer vacation, at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, we will wait at the gate of Sun's yard, waiting for the arrival of Catwoman. Catwoman is over 60 years old, with a round face, smiles all day, loves to wear a Miao costume and carries a big basket all year round. She has a hunchback, but she is in good spirits. Adults say that she is a doctor's daughter and can cure diseases. She treats all the minor ailments and pains in the yard and never collects money. She lives alone, her son works in other places and doesn't go home until the New Year. Catwoman goes up the mountain to collect herbs every day and makes a living by selling herbs. Catwoman always brings us a lot of hawthorn leaves and old crow rice wrapped in tung leaves, one for each child. This makes us wonder how happy and sweet it is.
Grandpa four is seventy years old. Tall, with a red face, bright eyes and great strength. The family has a large population and lives by selling firewood. Every time I chop firewood, I have to carry more than 200 kilograms of firewood home. We envy him. When he comes back from the mountain, he often catches some corn grasshoppers, grasshoppers and cicadas for us, and sometimes brings back a bird for us to play with. Everyone is very happy and likes grandpa four.
Then there is the fourth mother-in-law, who is lonely and lives in a corner of the yard. Usually, few people go. She loves to call names. She loves to call us naughty children names. However, none of us hate her. Everyone in the yard is very kind to her. On one occasion, Sipo was ill and had a high fever, and no one knew it. Fourth mother-in-law had to knock on the doors and windows feebly with crutches. At the right moment, grandpa four heard this and rushed to his mother-in-law's house. He opened the door and found her lying in bed, groaning in pain. Without saying anything, grandpa four picked up his mother-in-law and ran to the hospital outside Erli Road. After some rescue, Sipo was out of danger. Grandpa four paid the medical expenses for her, then brought her back, brought boiled water, fed her medicine, and bought fruit and canned food. Fourth mother-in-law has a little feet, can't walk far, is in poor health, and has a strong personality, fearing that others will look down on her. Everyone in the alley knows and respects her, and no one disputes with her. Neighbors take care of each other.
In the Sun Family Courtyard, there is also a man named Yang who lives in an abandoned corner. Everyone calls her Yang Dianzi. She never answers people; she always talks to herself. In the middle of the night, she hummed the song "Playing a lampstand under a mulberry tree". Every night for more than twenty years. At first, her neighbors were bored to death. Over time, everyone got used to it, and humming became a serenade. She is the daughter of a big Sangzhi family. After three days of marriage, my husband went to Changsha to participate in the Anti-Japanese War and died! She didn't believe it and kept saying to herself, "He will come back! He will come back. " She is the richest person in Sun's compound. She has eight big boxes and puts them in Sun's hall. Nobody dares to touch them. I wonder what's in it, baby. Later, when Yang's mother-in-law died, the residents' committee opened the box and found that there was one in each box, and ***8 was eight. She was wise to get married, and her husband was an upright soldier and a battalion commander. After three days of marriage, she was ordered to go to the battlefield to participate in the defense of Changsha and died. Yang's mother-in-law didn't believe her until she died, and kept saying, "He will come back ..." However, the song "Playing a lampstand under a Coriander Tree" was engraved in my heart and will never be erased.
Roadways are local accents and local feelings. There are Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Changsha and Changde in our alley, and more are Yuanling local. Jiangxi people come early. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, due to political and economic reasons, a large number of Jiangxi people moved to Hunan. During the Japanese invasion of China, most people in Hubei, Sichuan and Changsha fled. Then there is the native Yuanling people. At that time, Hunan Provincial Association once moved to Yuanling. In the alley, there are people who speak foreign dialect, local dialect and Waxiang dialect, as well as local dialect and Miao language. The local accent is different, but harmonious, simple, mellow, warm and sweet. Like a big warm family.
Homesickness is an attachment, a realm and a human feeling. Whenever I think of it, it haunts me. Nowadays, many past events have become the past. It's just that different local accents and lingering homesickness have left lingering feelings in my heart.
How many sleepless nights, how many pictures flashed, how many times I walked in familiar and vague alleys, every small bend, every ancient tree, every street lamp, every storefront signboard, and every beautiful diaojiao building all revealed a strong charm of Xiangxi, which made my soul inhabit.
In my dream, I wandered aimlessly in the ancient city. Time seems to be condensed. I sleepwalked, walked and walked, and came to Youjiaxiang, and came to my home. When I got to the alley, a white cloud suddenly floated. An old man, dressed in a white robe, was ethereal, with white hair and long beard, hanging down his shoulders and shining slightly. Ah! It's Grandpa Sun, my white-bearded grandfather. He came up to me on crutches, saw me and asked, "My baby, you're back." Then I walked away with a smile. Before I could answer, a warm and sweet white cloud floated in front of me. I vaguely saw Grandpa Sun standing quietly in front, as if waiting for me. I inadvertently stepped forward, and slowly, I finally held the old man's hand. He said, "My baby, it's okay. It's okay now. They all live in the building. " Say that finish, the white clouds spin, took away my grandfather, the descendant of the white tiger, drifted away with the wind and disappeared into the air. ...
I've been looking, looking. In the alley, among the ancient trees, on the diaojiao building, you can't find the once warm big family.