The days have entered the wax moon, the wind is cold, the frost is heavy, the snow is flying, and the number of people who are active outside is decreasing, but Lane 540 of Xinjian Middle Road, Nanqiao Town, is crowded and very lively. Those who are familiar with the neighborhood are familiar with the neighborhood, and the new customers from other districts, provinces and cities are navigated, as well as distant customers from overseas. Regular customers, new customers, and distant customers, their wishes are always the same, that is, to see a small courtyard next to Building 88, in the small courtyard, a wax plum tree known as "the first plum in the south of the Yangtze River", the wax plum tree called Suxin plum, and the ancient wax plum that is more than 170 years old.
Push open the door of the small iron courtyard, the fragrance of plum comes to the nose, the wax plum tree is about 5 meters high, the crown is facing the sky, and the crown diameter is about 6 meters. The main trunk has been damaged by years and natural disasters, leaving only the roots of the dead pile. Around the dead pile, there are branches standing in the forest, and the thickness of the branches is not thick.
First, the height is uneven, but it is unified from the old root embrace, straight, upward, and then scattered branches, pregnant buds, and blooming at half a waist high. This scene is like the Cao family, the tree planters have been gone for a long time, the tree keepers have gathered for the tree from generation to generation, busy for the tree, tired for the tree, and the ancient wax plum tree has become the place where the children and grandchildren of the Cao family are running around and sending the faith.
Thinking about 170 years ago, the ancestor of the Cao family, Cao Zongnai, studied hard in the cold window and was admitted to the examination, and he thought twice about his career and planted this wax plum in his yard. Xu is his ambition to Mei, and Xu is he is to use Mei as a metaphor for himself. The motives of the ancestors for planting trees, the descendants of the Cao family did not dare to guess, but they understood that the plum was planted because of Zhong Mei. Cao Zongnai later became an official outside and did not forget his hometown, funded the township to run schools, control water, and build bridges, and did countless good deeds in his life. I never thought that because of Cao Zongnai, this plum has become a unique heritage and unique scenery of the Cao family, passed down from generation to generation. This ancient wax plum, its stamens are pure yellow, its petals are wide, and the faint fragrance is full of sweet fragrance, which is the top grade of wax plum "plain heart plum". Su Xinmei's character is more resolute, independent, tenacious and noble.
The fifth generation of the Cao family has a total of five daughters and one son, the genes of the ancestors Zhong Mei, Aimei, and Humei continue to flow in the blood of the brothers and sisters. The sisters and brothers got married, after getting married, especially after the demolition of the old house, they moved away from the original site one after another, but they left the ancient wax plum and cared about the ancient wax plum, every day or every other day, or several times a day, sometimes it was the dusk time when the sun set and the moon rose and the day was busy with work. They always have to take time out to come to the old homestead, look at the trees, look at the flowers, touch the branches and caress the leaves, smell the sweet fragrance of the wax plum tree, feel the pride of the ancient wax plum, do not look at the tree for a day, do not touch the tree for a day, always feel that there is something important missing in the eyes of the heart, and it is not practical to eat and sleep. The wax plum tree has also become the reason for the family to move around, and it has become the soul of the family.
Among the compatriots of the same clan and the same roots, Cao Guoyong, who is the second in line, is the only one who is accompanied by the ancient wax plum, lives because of the ancient wax plum, and sticks to the tree all his life. Cao Guoyong suffered from a serious illness when she was young and underwent major surgery, and she spent a bitter youth fighting against the disease. In those two years, everyone, including the doctors, thought that my life was short, and Aunt Cao smiled and said: However, like this wax plum tree that has suffered many disasters, I survived. During his illness and recuperation, the ancient wax plum became the only treasure that Cao Guoyong remembered, and it was also the only spiritual dependence. At that time, the Cao family lived in an ancient house, in the easternmost patio of the ancient house, Cao Guoyong was accompanied by the ancient wax plum every day, and in spring and summer, he saw a tree with green leaves, and the wax moon saw a tree with tender and yellow flowers. Looking at the ancient tree and thinking of himself, Cao Guoyong thought: A tree, after more than 100 years of wind and frost, after more than 100 years of rain and snow, is still flourishing, and I, with a shelter from the wind and rain, and more warm and warm family affection, I have no reason to fall, I want to stand up strongly. It is also a miracle, and since then, Cao Guoyong's body has gradually recovered.
Seven years ago, after her parents left one after another, Cao Guoyong took the initiative to take on most of the work of caring for the trees. She also wanted to reassure her sisters and brothers: she would take care of Gu Wax Mei. The winter sun was rising, the frost and dew had not dispersed, and Aunt Cao opened the door of the small courtyard early. She first bent over and hunched her back around the tree, and every branch and bud had to be scanned with her eyes several times to see how many more flowers there were last night and this morning, to see how many branches were broken and how many petals fell. Seeing that the flowers were tender and yellow and the branches were well, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to his house across the wall. Every day, every month, thunder and snow are unimpeded, like guarding a beautiful elf, attentive, careful and patient. Cao Guoyong will let them into the house to escape the cold according to their needs, enthusiastically hand them a cup of hot tea to warm them up, and by the way, they will chat about ancient wax plums, and sometimes they will also talk about their ancestors. Always visit Mei first to ask Mei about her life experience, and then look back at the wax plum tree. She hopes that those who visit the plum will know the wax plum in the past and cherish the wax plum today. I always hope that the visitors will carry the plum fragrance back, and I hope that the plum fragrance will be scattered everywhere, so that everyone can understand the character of this ancient wax plum and fall in love with the character of the ancient wax plum, so as to discipline themselves with plum, such as Mei Lishi.
Suxin plum is cold and afraid of waterlogging, and also likes the sun, needs to prune and prune, needs to be watered and fertilized, and needs to prevent insects and diseases. Maintaining this ancient wax plum tree is not a cumbersome thing that ordinary people can imagine, but Cao Guoyong and his family have been together for decades, sprinkling their efforts to raise trees and protect them in the small yard under the tree and in front of the flowers. Cao Guoyong said that because she has always remembered the scene of her father's death: in the quiet hospital ward, white walls, white pillows and white sheets surrounded her pale father, who was seriously ill. As soon as the seriously ill father saw his daughter, he asked: "The tree, have you watered it?" The daughter said that she would go back and pour it later. The father gasped and ordered: Go back now, water it and come again. Cao Guoyong understands his father, and in his father's opinion, trees and people, people and trees; The ancient wax plum and the Cao family are all in the same vein and root, and they are all important, and sometimes the tree is more important than the person. Cao Guoyong said: That day, I watered the tree with tears. Recalling the scene at that time, Cao Guoyong was still teary-eyed. Look at the tree and protect the tree, this is my father's last wish, Cao Guoyong's wish, and the wish of the descendants of the Cao family. Over the years, the six sisters and brothers of the Cao family have all grown older, but they still insist on doing it themselves and do not dare to slack off, which is inseparable from their father's advice and father's example.
In the interview, Cao Guoyong said one thing: one day at noon, Cao Guoyong accompanied his father to patrol under the tree as usual, pulling out wild grass, pine and soil, and suddenly, his father found a group of wriggling white ants next to the root of the tree. The father asked Cao Guoyong to recruit sisters and brothers, and the family urgently gathered under the tree, checked the information and answered questions, and made ** inquiries, everyone worked together, and finally after many inquiries and contacts, the old father personally wrote and wrote to the relevant departments, and invited the ant extermination experts of the greening department to keep the ancient trees from being eroded. The ants were removed, and the ancient wax plum was unharmed. But until now, Cao Guoyong still remembers this thrilling scene, and in order to prevent problems before they happen, they insist on doing ant prevention work under the guidance of experts every year.
Wax plum tree watering is also particular, to change according to the weather, seasonal changes, every "dog days" high temperature and little rain, must be watered every day to maintain the normal growth of the tree. Every day in Sanfuli, Cao Guoyong watered the small courtyard in the morning and evening, first watering the surrounding soil, and then gradually watering to the roots, and the watering must be watered thoroughly. The sisters and brothers came to the old house every day to report, and the second Cao Guoyong watered the tree together, the small yard was surrounded by walls on all sides, like the scorching sun can be imagined, every time the wax plum is watered, the watering person is also like watering through the water. Speaking of this, Cao Guoyong smiled faintly: Wax plum is not afraid of cold, but we are not afraid of heat. Hot and cold are not the same, but fearlessness is the same. Ancient wax plums also need to be fertilized, and Cao Guoyong sometimes buys nutrient soil through online shopping and spreads it around the roots of ancient wax plum trees. After encountering the panic of white ants, Cao Guoyong, under the prompting of his brothers and sisters, paid more attention to the quality of nutrient soil and used his brains to make homemade fertilizer. After several experiments, I felt the threshold of homemade fertilizer: collect the residue of traditional Chinese medicine ointment, dig a pond and bury it deep for fermentation, and then bury it around the roots of the tree after fermentation. It's a great fertilizer. Speaking of this original homemade fertilizer, Cao Guoyong is quite complacent. Originality requires skill, a deep understanding of the ancient wax plum, an understanding of the ancient wax plum, and a bold and careful heart. Cao Guoyong first used it in a small area, then paid attention to the dynamics of the plum tree, and found that the branches close to the application of homemade fertilizer had dense flower buds and more gorgeous petals, and firmly believed that her "earthwork fertilizer" was useful, and then dared to apply it to the whole tree. And this ancient wax plum, in the patio demolition, the southeast corner of the newly planted outside the wall, the rapid growth of the camphor tree in the environment of the sun, once the growth of sluggish, the flowers are scarce, after the use of homemade fertilizer, the ancient wax plum seems to feel the cherishment of the owner, understand the master's piety, the malaise situation has improved significantly, these two years is a few branches, the flowers are intensive. Cao Guoyong said that in recent years, she has also mastered the knack of fertilization.
In 1996, the old house was demolished, and the departure of Gu Wax Mei was a big problem. Father ordered Cao Guoyong to convene a family to quickly gather and discuss, "people move the living tree to die", everyone thinks: Gu Wax Mei has lived in the courtyard of the ancient house for more than 100 years, the ancient tree is spiritual, dependent on the original land, and has feelings, and suddenly transplanted to another place, it will definitely hurt the vitality, what should I do? This is an ancient tree that has been handed down from our ancestors. The ancient tree is gone, and the descendants of the Cao family will be ashamed of their ancestors, and even more sorry for those who want to see the ancient wax plum. After Cao Guoyong and his brothers and sisters discussed, he mobilized and supported his father to write a letter to Shanghai, to the city appearance and greening management department, and to Fengxian County at that time. Sympathetic to the people's feelings and anxious about the people's anxieties, experts were sent to investigate in many ways, and learned that this is an ancient wax plum tree with the largest age, noble varieties and vigorous vitality in the south of the Yangtze River, and decided to keep it and protect it. Later, after the coordination of the relevant departments, the fifth patio of the old house of the original Cao family was finally left in a batch of new residential buildings, and it was slightly expanded, and this small courtyard for people to enjoy flowers was opened up today. The wax plum tree has finally preserved a quiet and peaceful place to grow.
And the Cao family, in order to leave the ancient wax plum tree, need to get a few sets of demolition and resettlement houses, but they signed the contract decisively, without a little hesitation, so far, they still have no complaints and no regrets, because they remember the ancestral precepts and think that the tree is more important than the house. In order to protect the tree and see the convenience of the tree, Cao Guoyong has been asked several times, and chose the first floor of the building separated by a wall from the ancient wax plum to live in peace, and before the demolition, she has guarded the ancient wax plum every day, she said that the most important element in her life is to keep the ancestral wax plum tree. In order to provide people with the convenience of enjoying the flowers, Cao Guoyong also posted his mobile phone number on the door of the small courtyard, and carried the mobile phone with him, and as soon as someone greeted him, he immediately appeared in the small courtyard. Sometimes, Cao Guoyong needs to go out, so he sticks the eldest sister's mobile phone number on the door, and someone calls**, even if he is not there, **, someone from other brothers and sisters will arrive immediately, and he can always bring the fragrance of flowers back satisfied. Those who appreciate plum and love plum people come to see plum at the same time, but also love to chat with Cao Guoyong and them, the guardian of the ancient wax plum has become the narrator of the ancient wax plum, the Cao family believes that looking at the plum should understand the plum, understanding the plum is more important than looking at the plum, because this is focused on the hearts of the people.
A family, a tree, a tree, a family, the times are passed down, the blood is passed down, the torch is passed down, Cao Guoyong and her brothers and sisters are getting older, and their legs and feet are inconvenient, but although they are thin but full of energy, just like Su Xinmei's beauty, tenacity, and perseverance.