When night falls, the moon hangs in the sky. There is no rain today. Rain, no longer plays the leading role today, the leading role is given to the bright moon.
The moonlight is really gentle. The thin clouds lightly let the moon wear a tulle, so the moon looks like a quiet woman with her face half-covered.
Walking on the road, I saw many people setting tables at the door of their homes. Moon cakes and fruits were placed on the tables to worship the moon goddess. This custom is mostly a custom of Chaoshan people and is still used today. My mother-in-law is from Chaoshan, so she is no exception. Every year on the night of August 15th, my mother-in-law would admire the moon on the balcony and worship the Moon Mother. Mother-in-law worships the moon goddess with a variety of fruits: grapefruit, apples, pears, bananas, grapes, etc. The most important ones are moon cakes and tea. When the moon rises in the sky, they start burning incense. At this time, the moonlight has filled the earth. When we lived with my mother-in-law, we would help her prepare these things. After moving out, my daughter would go to enjoy the moon with her grandma every year.
It’s a bit muggy tonight and there’s no wind. I saw many people shaking their fans under the dim yellow light in front of the door. This situation reminded me of my childhood, the days when there were no fans or televisions.
At that time, every night, the adults would sit in front of their homes like this, enjoying the cool air, talking about Gu Zai (the meaning of story in Cantonese), waving fans like this, and enjoying themselves leisurely. Life was very hard at that time, but there was this kind of guy every day, and he could talk happily non-stop at night. As for us children, we ran around the adults naughtily, playing hide-and-seek under the shadow of the lamp and between the fences. We didn't stop until we were covered in sweat or were scolded. We thought we would never have enough energy. .
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in August in the past, mooncakes were very precious. I remember that my family sometimes asked people to buy mooncakes in Guangzhou, Taotaoju. The adults were reluctant to eat it and left it to the children.
There were very few fruits at that time and they were hard to buy. Most of the fruits used when admiring the moon were home-grown yellow peels, bananas, pomegranates, etc. After admiring the moon, we started eating moon cakes. It tastes delicious and fragrant. However, today's children are not interested in mooncakes. Mooncakes at home are often no longer eaten after the fifteenth day. Compared with when we were young, it sometimes makes people feel distressed to think about it.
On the night of the 15th, we like to fill the basin with water and want to watch the moon fall into the water. Watching the wrinkles on the moon’s face reveals the childlike innocence of children. The moon at this time is very round and disk-like. But not too bright, still hazy. Standing on the balcony, the moon just hangs on the treetops. Looking at the moon through the leaves, the moon is still quiet.
On this night under the moon, the world is very lively. There was a faint aroma floating in the air, it was the smell of barbecued mutton skewers. Those who admire the moon put a lot of effort into seeing this moon that symbolizes reunion.
As I was writing this, my friend called me and asked me to go over and enjoy the moon together. There were a lot of them and they were making a fuss. I said, let’s talk about it later depending on the situation. I heard noisy voices coming from the phone, men and women, laughing. Yes, I haven’t watched the moon with them for many years.
At that time, almost every year, either with classmates, friends, or colleagues, we would enjoy the moon together, in an open square, on the lawn, or in the yard of a certain house. Our figure. I remember one year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was a typhoon and heavy rain. Several colleagues and I walked a long distance in raincoats, just to fulfill our promise to enjoy the moon together, knowing full well that the moon would not appear in the wind and rain. , the sky in the wind and rain was dark. Looking back on those innocent past events always makes people happy. At that time, we were still young and had not yet entered the siege of marriage. No scheming, no city, simple and honest.
When I first moved here, I spent time admiring the moon with my neighbors. They moved the small round table to the rooftop of the back building, put the fruit mooncakes on it, and a few small stools. The two families just sat there, watching the moon, and slowly climbed up. There are flowers and plants on the rooftop, and there is a faint fragrance of flowers in the evening breeze. Beside the rooftop, the neighbor's jackfruit tree, with its branches extending into the rooftop, under the moonlight, its silhouette is so moving.
The men chatted, smoked and drank tea on the rooftop, while the women and children ate fruits and seafood grilled on charcoal. Later, when there was a storm during the Mid-Autumn Festival, they each hid in their homes. Naturally, we no longer enjoy the moon together. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, I give mooncakes and fruits to my neighbors. The joy they felt when they took over the moon cakes and fruits has been a joy to me for many years. This is not a gift, but a piece of heart and a feeling of reunion.
I wonder if the moon will be bright tonight? I look forward to seeing the silvery moonlight shining all over the earth at night, and looking forward to the treetops and balconies being covered with a layer of gentle moonlight.
My sister called me. In previous years, holiday beaches were always crowded with people admiring the moon on Mid-Autumn Festival. Romance filled the beach. This year, the beaches were not so crowded, and there were fewer people watching the moon at Wanlv Garden. The reason was that some mainlanders chose to go back to the mainland to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival due to rumors of earthquakes and tsunamis.
Tonight, I did not receive your blessings, but I believe that the bright moon is thousands of miles away, and you and I in the ends of the world are sending the same lovesickness at the same moment.
Yes, the bright moon sends my lovesickness across thousands of miles.