Mother had a sewing machine. Bee brand, made in Shanghai in the seventies. In my memory, the sewing machine at home was my mother's baby. It quietly occupied a corner of the room, the black paint peeling off, revealing mottled wood. However, it is my mother's right-hand man, bringing warmth and care to our whole family.
When I was a child, I used to see my mother sitting in front of the sewing machine, busy sewing clothes. Her fingers skillfully operated on the sewing machine, and the "da-da-da" sound made by the sewing machine was like a wonderful **, which accompanied me through countless childhood days.
No matter how tired and busy my mother was, the first thing she did every morning was to take the sewing machine head out of the chassis, gently wipe it with the finest cloth, and then add some lubricating oil to each part. Sometimes, she would leave the oil to me, and she would tilt the fuselage and let me hold the little white plastic jug with a pointed spout, and guide me to drip the yellowish oil from the jug into the machine. Occasionally, my mother would press a piece of cloth on the sewing machine, tell me to sit down and step on the sewing machine, and make some simple straight lines – I would always hit crookedly, and I would often accidentally hurt my fingers with the tips of the needles.
I still remember one time, I saw my mother sewing a piece of clothing, and I asked her curiously, "Mom, why don't you buy ready-made clothes?" Mother smiled and said, "This sewing machine is the only dowry I gave to your father, although it is very old, but it carries the memories and emotions of our family." I use it to sew clothes, not only to save money, but also to make you feel my love and care in the clothes I make with my own hands. ”
On summer nights, my mother lit mosquito coils next to the foot sewing machine, and the dry and good smell spread throughout the house. The characteristic clicking sound of the sewing machine began to sound evenly, interspersed with a few coughs from my father. My sister and I slept in the bed next to the sewing machine and frolicked, and occasionally my mother would tell us folk tales or guess simple riddles while she went about her work until we fell asleep. The mother sat in the dim light, walking the needle in her hand, and looked calm and peaceful. At that time, I didn't know that there was a word in the world called "the years are quiet", but yes, this should be quiet: the heavy housework has been completed, the trivial troubles have been abandoned, the mother is quietly stepping on the feet, the small sewing machine is clicking, she is like a child who is obsessed with handicrafts, like a girl enjoying personal hobbies, the fog-like tranquility envelops her, and also envelops our simple and warm home.
As time went on, I grew up and the sewing machine became more and more worn-out. However, it is still the mother's baby, and she always carefully wipes it, oils it, and keeps it in good condition.
After my mother passed away, I took a look at the sewing machine that had been in the dust for a long time. Whenever I see it, I think of my mother's love and care, and I think of those warm childhood times, and I still remember it vividly. Out of a feeling of being late, I went online to learn more about the names of the components of the sewing machine. The machine head that looked dazzling in my childhood was composed of thorns, hooks, threads, feeding, winding, pressing, tooth loss and other parts, and the part that once pricked my fingers was called the needle, and the small white plastic pot I was assigned to add engine oil was called the oil pot. I knew it was useless to record these terms, I was just taking the opportunity to express a kind of nostalgia in vain.
In this fast-paced modern society, we tend to ignore the things that have accompanied us in the past. However, these objects contain our memories and emotions and are an integral part of our lives. The sewing machine, it is not just a machine, but also a symbol of emotion. It is a witness to the hard work of mothers, and also to the warmth and happiness of our whole family. Let us cherish those moments of seeing things and thinking about people, and let those good memories remain in our hearts forever.