Picking mulberries

"Did the little guy hurt Dr. Cui?" Seeing that Cui Dongxu was a little absent-minded, Qiu Shangzhi asked.

"Ah?...No, it just looks familiar, like a kid from my relative's family." Cui Dongxu looked away from the school and said, "Is it from Brother Qiu's village?"

"I'm from sophomore Qiu. He's the precious son of Grandpa Jingping in Jiuqiu Village next door. According to his seniority, I have to call that little guy Grandpa." Qiu Shangzhi scratched his head shyly and smiled. "The little guy is getting more and more impolite. He bumps into someone without apologizing or saying anything and treats you like a telephone pole. It's all because of his parents and grandma."

"The little guy looks pretty cute, he's simple-minded. What's his name?" Xin Fenghua was also amused by the little guy's simple-minded demeanor just now.

"Qiu Yang. It is because she is smart and handsome that the elders in the family praise her. She is also the only seedling of Brother Jingping's grandfather's family. She is very favored. The girl just now is his cousin. The task given to her by the family is You have to follow him after class and after school. Although the little guy is usually very noisy, he is still very polite to others. Today, he may be in a hurry because he is afraid of being late and being punished." Qiu Shangzhi defended Qiu Yang.

"As expected of a magistrate, brother Qiu knows the situation of the Twelve Qius very well." Cui Dongxu laughed.

"I know it's not true, it's just that his family is from the next village. That little guy is too smart and usually makes the neighbors jump around. I don't know if he can do it. My brother and his father are from junior high school. Classmates from high school come and go a lot," Qiu Shangzhi pointed to the Qiu family village in the west, "Although the Twelve Hills are so scattered and have a population of nearly [-], but because they are descended from an old ancestor, they come here during the Chinese New Year. Ancestor worship activities will be organized in a unified way in all villages, and they will help each other in any major events. If there is a happy event in each village, the whole village will gather together to celebrate. If there is an old man celebrating his birthday, it will be even more lively. , each village will send people to participate.”

"What is Jiufangtongqing?" Cui Dongxu asked curiously.

"The nine descendants of the Qiu family, all twelve villages of the Qiu family came to celebrate." Qiu Shangzhi explained.

"Living in the country is also very interesting." Cui Dongxu did not expect that there are still people who are so obsessed with traditional customs in this era.

"There are so many old people out there with nearly [-] people. Every village has to celebrate the birthdays of the old people. Isn't it like a festival every day?" Xin Fenghua felt a little inconceivable.

"According to the family rules of our Qiu family, there is also an age standard for the nine houses to celebrate together," Qiu Shangzhi explained, "Old people who have reached the age of 80 will celebrate every tenth day, and every household in each village will send one person to attend the birthday celebration." The banquet was quite lively."

"No way, every household sends people, at least several thousand people, what a big scene." Xin Fenghua said with emotion.

"Country folks, have fun." Qiu Shangmin said proudly.

"Participate in major events, so that there is cohesion." Cui Dongxu said.

Seeing that Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua were very interested in the local customs and customs, Qiu Shangzhi introduced them in detail, from the myths and legends handed down from ancient times to the new policy of benefiting the people implemented by the government, from the rural conditions of Longgong Township When it comes to local human gifts, from the population profile of the local people to the harvests of the four seasons of the year.Originally, Qiu Shangzhi wanted to take Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua to a place called Xiemazhuang in the mulberry garden, because there was a relatively spacious machine farming road in the middle of the place, which was convenient for entering and leaving the mulberry garden, saving the two of them from stepping on their leather shoes into mud.It took less than 10 minutes to walk from the township government to Xiema Zhuang. It took nearly an hour for the three of them to point out the country and stop and go. They just turned the corner in front of the school and did not leave. to half.

"Brother Shangzhi, do all the villagers in the village serve silkworms?" Cui Dongxu asked looking at the large mulberry field on the left.

"It used to be different, but now it's different. There are also many young people who go out to work. In the market economy, the hard work of raising silkworms at home for a year is not worth the harvest of a month outside. In some villages, the strong laborers are almost gone. "Qiu Shangzhi said with some emotion.

"Isn't the silk and satin produced by your Long Palace very famous? Why can't you keep people?" Xin Fenghua didn't understand.

"Our township servants and sericulture mainly provide raw materials for silk, and the processing and sales of larger value-added products are all in the county and city. Besides, the cost of sericulture is also high, and the benefits shared by the mulberry farmers in the end are not much. Taking care of the mulberry garden and tending the silkworm cocoons is exhausting enough, and people nowadays, especially young people like us, have suffered so much that they have all gone to the metropolis." Qiu Shangzhi sighed.

"Brother Shangzhi is worried about his hometown, which is admirable," Cui Dongxu joked, "Government officials should have your thoughts. Our country will be strong and prosperous, the country will be peaceful and the people will be safe."

"Dr. Cui is making fun of me," Qiu Shangzhi said with a smile, "I was born and raised here, and I majored in sericulture. My purpose is to make some contribution to my hometown."

"Ah, brother Shang Zhi is also a student of agriculture, so we are considered colleagues." Cui Dongxu said in surprise.

"Oh, how can I compare with you?" Qiu Shangzhi shook his hand embarrassingly, "You are all excellent students who graduated from key universities, and now you have a doctorate or master's degree. How can I be compared with you as a junior college student."

"You are too modest. We are all engaged in theory, so it can't compare to your practical experience." Xin Fenghua said.

"That's right, we can't compare with your ambition to return to your hometown to repay your kindness," Cui Dongxu praised sincerely, "I also know from myself, like my former classmates who came from the countryside, who would return to their hometown to start a business? They all went to coastal cities.”

"I feel a little embarrassed when you say it. How can you say it so well? My brother and they all say that I have no ambition." Qiu Shangzhi said with a sigh.

"The loss of young and middle-aged laborers in the village is great, but it seems that the mulberry gardens have not been abandoned." Xin Fenghua looked at the mulberry gardens that could not be seen.

"Well," Qiu Shangzhi nodded, and pointed to the mulberry garden, "Although there is not much money for a year, if it is really going to be abandoned, no one is willing to pay for the government subsidy. Young people who have gone out have old women in their families. Cleaning up, those who have a young and strong labor force at home will also rent out the mulberry gardens that have no one to take care of them."

"Is there any subsidy for mulberry farmers in the village?" Cui Dongxu asked.

"It has always been there, but the subsidy method is often changed," Qiu Shangzhi introduced, "the public grain has not been handed over for a long time, and the province has also reduced or exempted our agricultural specialty tax a few years ago. To be honest, it is quite Compared with neighboring townships, the burden on mulberry farmers is much lighter. It is related to the old brand of "Luqiusi". We adopted support policies. In the past years, it was calculated according to the population, regardless of age, the government subsidized 30 yuan per person per month. Later, some villagers responded that it was unfair, saying that many migrant workers earned money outside without planting mulberries and received monthly The subsidy was changed to be based on the labor at home, and the subsidy was increased to 60 yuan per person per month. Soon after it was implemented, problems appeared again. Some families had many elderly and children, and some families only had two young couples. No way, it was changed again. The subsidy is divided into age groups, and the subsidy is quite fine. There is one category under ten years old, one category from ten years old to 16 years old, one category from sixteen to 25 years old, one category from 25 to 45 years old, one category from 45 to 61 years old, and one category for 60 years old. According to the special approval of the provincial government, the above level of subsidy has been increased a lot. The highest level of 25 to 45 can get [-] yuan per month. The villagers have no objections after the implementation, but our government has a big head. , the age changes every year, and it is very troublesome to transfer. Now it has been changed to subsidize each household according to the area of ​​the mulberry field, and the more you plant, the more you will be subsidized, no matter if you own it or rent it from others."

"Although you can't make up a little money a month, but if you gather less, you will get more. There are so many people in the township who have to allocate a lot of money a year. Your government still attaches great importance to the development of the sericulture industry." Cui Dongxu said with emotion.

"That's true," Qiu Shangzhi smiled, "I'm not here to give money to our township government. Our government has indeed done a lot of real things for the people. Just look at our township government building. You know, there are not many government buildings like this in the whole country."

"Ha..., that's true." Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua laughed.

The three talked while walking, when Qiu Shangzhi was approaching the rest of the horse, he suddenly greeted a young man on a bicycle on the machine farming road on the right from a distance. The young man saw Qiu Shangzhi on the road and stepped on it hard Accelerated across several ridges of rice fields and stopped in front of Qiu Shangzhi and the others.

"Shangzhi brought experts from the city to investigate." The young man smiled politely at Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua.It seems that the news that Cui Dongxu and his party are coming has already spread throughout Longgong Township.

"These two are Dr. Cui and Dr. Xin from the Provincial Agricultural College. They want to visit the mulberry garden," Qiu Shangzhi turned around and introduced to Cui Dongxu and the others, "This is the father of the little guy Qiu Yang just now. Lord Jingping."

"What kind of master is not a master? I'm the same age as your brother, so I just call him brother." Qiu Jingping laughed.

After listening to Qiu Shangzhi's introduction, Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua stepped forward to greet Qiu Jingping.Cui Dongxu was very surprised when he saw Qiu Jingping. He didn't expect his son to be so young when he was six or seven years old. He looked 27 or [-] years old. When he took a closer look, he couldn't help thinking, no wonder he looks familiar to the little guy just now. It turned out that he inherited it from his father. Ah, thinking about it again, nonsense, when did I see this one in front of me again.

"Where is Mr. Ping going?" Qiu Shangzhi asked Qiu Jingping.

"The silkworm mats at home have been damaged a lot. Go to Little Gourd and find Zhuang Xingdong, and ask him when he will be free to come and do a few days of work." Zhuang Xingdong is a bamboo bamboo craftsman, and his craftsmanship is quite famous in Longgong Township.

"I was planning to go to your house to file a complaint tonight, but I didn't expect this to happen," Qiu Shangzhi said with a smile, "Just now Qiu Yang ran around in a hurry and bumped Dr. Cui hard, but fortunately he said Didn't hit a power pole."

"Ouch, that brat, I'm going to teach him a lesson later. I'm sorry, Dr. Cui, the kid at home broke the roof tiles after three days without hitting him, don't be surprised." Qiu Jingping smiled at Cui Dongxu.

"Don't listen to what he said, but he bounced back and fell." Seeing Qiu Jingping being so gentle, Cui Dongxu was a little embarrassed.

"I'll come as soon as I get to the front. Why don't Shang Zhi bring Dr. Cui and the others to my house for lunch, and let's have a few cups?" Qiu Jingping invited.

"Thank you very much, the village has made unified arrangements, and acting alone is afraid of causing them trouble." Cui Dongxu hastily declined before Qiu Shangzhi answered.

"Brother Shangzhi, he won't really teach that little guy a lesson when he goes home." After Qiu Jingping rode away, Cui Dongxu joked to Qiu Shangzhi.

"Don't worry," Qiu Shangzhi shook his head and said, "The ones who love Qiu Yang the most are his father and his grandma. How can he be willing to fight him? What that kid is most afraid of is his mother, who often chases him all over the village with a broom beat."

"Seeing Qiu Yang's father is quite young, why didn't he go out to work and stay at home." Xin Fenghua asked curiously.

"His family is different." Qiu Shangzhi said with a smile.

"Why is it different?" Cui Dongxu was also curious.

"It's true that the 'Luqiu silk' in Longgong Township is relatively famous in the industry, but in the past it was a kind of rough silk reeled by the local method that was actually offered as a tribute, and now there are only three of the Twelve Qius who have mastered that reeling method. , one of them is his home.”

"Is it because the price is high that he doesn't need to go out?" Xin Fenghua asked.

"After all, the annual output is small, and the real commercial benefits are still small, but now the government is protecting the traditional skills to prevent them from being lost. Although the silk reeling method has not been rated as an intangible cultural heritage, the government still encourages them to continue the ancestral skills. , increased subsidies, like Mr. Jingping and his family of three, the annual government subsidy is nearly [-]."

"What is a family of three?" Cui Dongxu asked puzzled.

"Qiu Jingping's family has two brothers, and there is an older brother named Qiu Jingdong. The two brothers have separated, so they count as two families. In addition, his grandparents also count as another family."

"He still has grandparents?" Cui Dongxu asked idiotically.

"Of course, his grandfather Qiu Yueli is not very old. He is about seventy years old. He is very healthy. He walks like a gust of wind." Qiu Shangzhi was also very speechless to Cui Dongxu's question. Why does he have no grandparents anymore? "No Said Grandpa Jingping’s grandparents, even his great-grandfather are still alive, he is 97 this year, living with his grandfather.”

"Oh my god, you call Qiu Jingping the grandfather, so why call him great-grandfather?" Cui Dongxu laughed.

"That's right, you can't even climb the stairs. People in Jiuqiu are generally of high seniority, and they all call ancestors when they meet."

"Why did you go to Grandpa Qiu Jingping all of a sudden, where's his father?" Cui Dongxu became interested in Qiu Yang's family unconsciously.

"Grandpa Ping's father died early. When the Liujiu Reservoir was built in [-], no one expected that there would be landslides in the winter. His father was hit by a rock rolling down the mountain. When Grandpa Ping's father died He was still in his mother's womb, he was born at the beginning of the second year, and both brothers were raised by his grandfather."

"Oh, so it looks like this."

"There is a horse rest pile in front of it. Grandpa Ping's mulberry field is right here. Why don't you go and have a look at his field?" Seeing that Cui Dongxu was very interested in Qiu Yang's family, Qiu Shangzhi pointed to the mulberry field in front of them and asked them .

"Okay, it looks like it's well organized." Xin Fenghua said.

Entering the mulberry garden, Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua carefully observed the growth and pathological status of the mulberry sticks, while Qiu Shangzhi explained to them how to prune the mulberry sticks and how to cut them.When I came here, I was delayed on the road for too long, and it was lunch time after I didn't stay long in the mulberry field. Cui Dongxu and Xin Fenghua collected some mulberry leaves as specimens, and went back to the township government for dinner at the urging of Qiu Shangzhi.

The Niubei mountain behind the bamboo forest of the township government is rich in vegetation, the mountain springs are buzzing, the rabbits are flying, the rocks are strange, and the scenery is beautiful. At the suggestion of Ma Zhigu, everyone said to go to the back mountain to climb the mountain and take pictures.

Xin Fenghua thought that the specimens had been collected in the morning, and the purpose of coming had been achieved, so it would be good to go out with everyone in the afternoon, and asked Cui Dongxu if he would also go together.Cui Dongxu said he still wanted to visit the mulberry garden, so he didn't go with him.Qiu Shangzhi asked Cui Dongxu if he wanted to accompany him. Cui Dongxu said that he would come back after visiting any mulberry field and asked him to go to the back mountain with the army.

Cui Dongxu had nothing to do by himself anyway, so he didn't go to the nearest mulberry field in front of the township government. Instead, he followed the road led by Qiu Shangzhi in the morning, and walked to the mulberry field of Qiu Jingping's house, as if taking a stroll in the courtyard.Staring at the hole drilled by a chafer, he picked up a lot of mulberry powder with a small wire, wrapped it in special paper and put it in his pocket. Mulberry couldn't help being slanderous, picking those big and shiny black ones and putting them in her mouth.Just as he was chewing vigorously, suddenly Tian Yu said in a childish voice: "Uncle, don't be greedy, you will die."