There is always a word "fate" in this world that makes your life entangled. In the vast world, among thousands of people, people always hope for an unexpected encounter. Perhaps it is this kind of "fate" and this kind of expectation that created Dai Wangshu's immortal work "Rain Alley". Perhaps, it is this kind of "fate" and this kind of expectation that make my friends who have been separated for more than ten years and thousands of miles meet again in my hometown, where the pear blossoms are in full bloom. I think the pear blossoms in this pear town are just the "destiny" to meet.
More than ten years ago, during the season when "spring is like the tide and flowers are like the sea", a friend came to Lixiang to catch the wind, and we met by chance in the pear garden. Not only is he good at poetry and writing, he is also very accomplished in painting. Half a year after we were separated, when the pear blossoms on the tree turned into yellow-orange and fragrant big pears, I received a carefully painted ink painting of a pear garden sent to me from him all the way:
A winding stream, with several pear trees in full bloom, is full of pear blossoms with icy skin and jade-like skin, as if they were condensed like snow. There are a few huts hidden under the pear trees, with wine flags fluttering. There are only a few tea tables under the hut, and a few cups of warm tea still exude a faint heat. A few petals of snowflakes and fallen flowers are scattered next to the blue and white tea set.
The whole painting seems as if the people have just dispersed and the meaning is still unfinished. The title of the painting contains some meaningful small characters: "An Chance Encounter in Lixiang". What a chance encounter! Not a single person was seen, but the love and scenery of Lixiang were vividly sketched. But his cover letter said that the shortcoming of this painting is that it still lacks a soul - the soul of Li Xiang. He agreed to come again and asked me, an out-and-out Lixiang native, to help him find this Lixiang soul. But where is the soul of this pear village?
Some people say, "The benevolent love mountains, the wise love water." But I only love the pear blossoms in my hometown. Although people often call their hometown hometown, to me, my hometown is like a bee picking flowers. Whether flying in the figure "8" or flying in the "Chinese knot", no matter how far I fly, I have never been far away for a long time. I have a soft spot for every plant, tree and flower in my hometown. Although I can tell you all the beauties of Lixiang at once, it is difficult to find out what the soul of Lixiang is, even though I know that she should exist and is not far from me. This magical land on the north bank of the Yellow River has been transformed into an endless plain by the yellowing of the past dynasties. This impact-formed plain has both the wildness of the roaring Yellow River and the emptiness of the Loess Plateau. But in this wild and empty land, pear blossoms, as white as snow and as beautiful as virgins, have grown, attracting literati and poets from all over the ages to write poems and write about it. It is those few lines of poems and articles that attract many tourists during the flower blooming season. A famous person once said, "A country must be praised by literati." But I always vaguely feel that I still don’t appreciate the pear blossoms in Lixiang enough, and it always seems like something is missing. Maybe this is my preference for my hometown. Maybe this is what my friends call the soul of Lixiang!
I tell my friends that when you come to Lixiang to find your "soul", you must choose the right time. When the pear blossoms are not yet in full bloom, the pear countryside is like a baby just waking up, still murmuring under the influence of spring. The branches, which have just been softened by the east wind, are like virgin arms, with a hint of shyness in their softness. The dormant flower buds are like babies in a cradle, swaying in mid-air. People who cannot withstand the temptation of spring are sparsely scattered among the pear rows, looking for traces of spring. A kind of fragrance that is waiting to be released is waiting for an opportunity to sprout in the gentle breeze. If you are not careful, you will miss the blooming period. The pear blossoms on the tree are not with anyone at all. The flowers fly through the tree, and they fall apart due to disputes. Inadvertently, the flowers have fallen into a grave. Being immersed in the scene and seeing things makes people feel sad, which gives people a sense of sadness that life is easy to grow old, flowers are easy to fade, time is in a hurry, and you miss your country after leaving the country. It is inevitable that people will sigh, "I and the falling flowers are both passers-by." Think about it from this, what a philosophy it is to "break flowers when they bloom, but don't wait until there are no flowers to break branches." But even if the pear blossom falls, it still ends up so free and unrestrained, so carefree, so pure and pure, so sad and beautiful.
Some people say that you can’t know the beauty of the mountains and rivers without visiting Guilin, but you can only know it by seeing the pear blossoms in Lixiang. If you don’t visit Lixiang, you can’t know what the ocean of flowers is. When the pear blossoms are in full bloom, before you even enter Yangxin County, the fragrance of the pear blossoms has already opened its arms to welcome you along the road. Pear blossoms have always been elegant. Although they are fragrant, they are never ostentatious and maintain the humility and tranquility in their hearts. But when tens of thousands of acres, tens of millions of trees, and hundreds of millions of pear blossoms are clustered together and compete to bloom, the fragrance they exude is so rich and unrestrained that people can’t find the right words to describe it. and description.
But one thing is for sure, at this moment, people must truly feel what it means to be flowery. When singing a big opera, the protagonist has not yet appeared, and the singing voice is often loud. People call this taking the lead. When I entered Lixiang, I didn't see the flowers, but smelled the fragrance first. Maybe this should be called "the fragrance takes away people first". Here, we can confidently say that even before seeing the pear blossoms, the scent of the flowers alone is enough to make people intoxicated.
When searching for beauty, don’t ignore the single pear tree standing abruptly near you in the fields or on the roadside of the cottage. That single pear tree, isolated in the wilderness, looked like a fountain gushing out. A tree is white with snow, curling up and swaying, admiring its fragrance alone, lonely and independent, just like a beautiful woman embracing spring, with a unique style. The love, the scenery, the beauty, the charm, are just like the girl described in Li Yannian's poem -
There is a beauty in the north, peerless and independent. Take a look at Qingren City, then look at Qingren Country...
Cross the flowing water bridge, bypass the crooked cottages, and then walk deeper into the pear garden. The pear trees and pear blossoms have long been connected into one piece, and the magnificent scenery everywhere has long been dizzying. When we entered the flower forest, we couldn't tell which flower was fragrant. The jungle is like a mountain and the flowers are like the sea. If you climb high and look far away at this time, the world is warm and white, and the world is full of blue and white snow. It is really like the towering snow-capped mountains, and the dynamic view is like the waves of the sea of ??flowers. It is enough to give people a strong shock to the soul, enough to make people relaxed and happy. Forget all favors and disgrace.
If you want to enjoy flowers with your heart, it is recommended that you walk down from a high place, walk into the pear bush, get close to the pear tree, and appreciate the purity and beauty of the pear flowers from a close distance. Look at the tender yellow buds whirling in the wind. The clusters of flowers bloomed among the leaf buds. The tender yellow set off the white of snow, and the white of snow revealed the sacredness. I saw pear blossoms of different shapes on the curved branches. Some were so quiet, as quiet as virgins; some were so proud, like heroic female soldiers; some were so playful, like naughty children, winking and teasing. eyes. The pear blossoms are so virginal and pure.
If you have the opportunity to visit the pear countryside, the pear blossoms will bloom for the first time and the drizzle will fall. At this time, the pear blossoms will appear like fragrant cheeks with tears, quietly sad, graceful and beautiful. Such a beauty, such loneliness, makes people feel love and pity, unable to stop, and want to stop... At this moment, when I walk into the flowers, I see the pear blossoms with dew like dark clouds on the temples, the red clouds stained like apricot cheeks, and the breeze blows like peach cheeks. In Danchun Mountain, the delicate willow waist is like a begonia in the drunken sun, and it is full of charm. Just like the imperial concubine in Bai Juyi's poem taking a bath, "The jade face is lonely and full of tears, and a pear blossom brings rain in the spring." At this time, if you can hear Li Shengsu and Yu Kuizhi's "Ode to the Pear Blossom", you will definitely be intoxicated -
The pear blossoms bloom, spring brings rain, the pear blossoms fall, and spring falls into the mud. I only go to this life for one person, and I think he is crazy about being a king. It’s hard to give up on the natural beauty, the everlasting regret is an eternal mystery, the everlasting regret is an eternal longing...
It is the flower season, and if it comes to dusk, there is a special scene. I saw the afterglow of the setting sun shining through the branches, leaving mottled tree shadows on the ground. The white pear blossoms were turned into a faint golden color by a touch of dusk. The bees picking the flowers could not tell which were the petals and which were the stamens. They happily shouted to their companions, walked around the branches, and returned to their nests. Those who were admiring the flowers and enjoying the scenery gradually left with unfinished tiredness. The noisy pear garden gradually quieted down in the dusk, revealing its elegant and reserved nature. Occasionally, I saw a few pairs of lovers, the sky, the earth, the flowers and trees, all dyed in golden light, enjoying a moment of tranquility among the flowers. Suddenly, a gust of evening wind blew by, and a few petals caressed the lover's face and fell on the shoulders of this handsome man and beautiful woman...
There are countless pear blossoms and endless scenery. Not to mention a one-day trip to Lixiang, even people who are in Lihua Grand View Garden can hardly describe the whole picture of Lixiang, let alone find the "soul of Lixiang". Looking back carefully, we can see that the appearance of this pear town is not caused by manpower. The soil that is conducive to the growth of pear trees is also unique. "Haiyou is tired of the ancient times, and there are many beauties in Lixiang." The legend of many beauties in Li Township since ancient times is not groundless. Living in Lixiang, you are nourished by pear blossoms and pear fruits. The beauties in Lixiang are naturally exquisite and clear, and the handsome men in Lixiang are naturally beautiful trees.
It is said that this pear fruit, like the flat peach, is the fairy fruit of Yaochi. It was just because Wu Zetian, the Queen of the Zhou Dynasty, suffered from a strange disease. She often had difficulty breathing and had night sweats, which made her upset and difficult to manage the government. From a small perspective, the queen cannot enjoy life to the fullest, but from a macro perspective, it is related to the safety of the world and the country.
Therefore, the imperial court posted an imperial list and searched for famous immortal doctors, but all failed. This incident alarmed the heavens. The Queen Mother of Xitian saw that the great Zhou Dynasty was not exhausted, and the queen was also a rare wise king in governing the country. For the sake of the people of the world, the only thing I can do is protect the health of the Queen first. The Queen Mother had a benevolent thought and granted the pear fruits in the Yao Pond to the mortal world. She chose a good area and a fertile land to plant them widely. Firstly, it would cure the queen's illness, and secondly, it would benefit the people. Because the folk customs are pure and the earth is virtuous, they chose this geomantic treasure land to plant pears from the goddess and plant fairy fruits... The pear conferment by the fairy not only made the queen a queen, but also made the fertile land of pear town a reality. Of course, when the goddess conferred the pear, she also secretly taught the secret recipe, such as pear vinegar, pear drink, pear paste, pear flower cake... all developed according to the immortal recipe. The queen's asthma was gradually cured after taking pear paste. This pear paste pear fruit not only cured the queen's disease, but since taking this pear fruit, the queen gradually found that her texture became more and more delicate, her bones and flesh were well-proportioned, her appearance was thick and far-sighted, and her appearance was as beautiful as a girl's. After the Queen discovered this secret, she never forgot to put a big pear beside her pillow before going to bed, and woke up in the middle of the night and took a bite. Of course, there are still many fairy prescriptions about this Yangxin pear that have not been made public to the world, but there is nothing we can do about it, because the fairy has already warned that they will not be made public for the time being... But I can secretly tell readers a secret , Yangxin pears taste better without bagging.
During the Qingming Festival, the spring breeze blows in the land of Yangxin, and the spring tide rises and falls. In the pastoral streets and villages, pear blossoms are fragrant everywhere, and the flowers are in clusters. If the breeze blows, it looks like flying snow all over the sky, which is a spectacular sight. Every pear tree is a poem, every pear orchard is a song. The spring scenery renders Yang Xin in various forms, and the spring tide surges Yang Xin intoxicatingly. Every scene and object is the world, and every branch and leaf is always related to love. Where can I go to find this "Soul of Pear Country"? There is a saying in the Song Dynasty -
Spring outings are grand, it is the season of cold food and pear blossoms every year. The white brocade is fragrant and fragrant, and the jade trees and flowers are piled in the snow. The quiet night is dark, the light is floating, and the moon is cold and melting. On earth and in heaven, the rotten silver glow shines brightly. He looks exactly like the real person in Gushe, with graceful appearance and noble spirit. Whoever believes in all the changes in the world will not be ranked with the crowd. The majestic spirit is pure and the celestial talent is outstanding, and it is hard to tell them apart when they come down to earth. After returning from Yaotai, you can see the cave sky clearly.
Traveling through the ditches, ridges and villages of Lixiang, I have seen the sea of ??flowers, and the independent flowers blooming on the streets of the village houses. Perhaps this poem by the Song Dynasty can help us find "Soul of Pear Country"! Perhaps, getting to know the "Pear Village Soul" also requires a kind of fate. Well, my friend, when the pear blossoms are in bloom, I stand by a creek, surrounded by the setting sun, leaning against a tree full of flowers, and brewing a pot of tea. In this romantic season, I'm waiting for you in Lixiang!