Because of her brevity, people often pursue her beauty before she disappears. Every autumn, we ask about the red leaves and track them before they disappear. The red leaves in my hometown are not as famous as those in Xiangshan, nor are they as delicate as maple leaves. She is not a maple leaf or an artificially planted Ailanthus altissima, but a primitive red leaf, a plant that grows at will. Now I don't know her name. She is just like ordinary people. She can shine with a little sunshine and grow with a little nutrients. Those red-leaf trees are not tall and their branches are not strong, but the red leaves all over the mountains can dye one mountain after another red, which looks like a red carpet on the earth from a distance.
Every autumn, I like to walk into the red leaf forest, step on the road paved with dead leaves, and listen to the "rustling" sound of broken dead leaves, which makes people forget their immediate troubles and eliminate physical and mental fatigue. Looking at a red leaf, shining in the sun, I feel that any life has a bright side. Suddenly, a breeze blew, and two or three red leaves left the branches, flying deftly in the wind, tumbling and rotating, and staggeringly falling like drunk, announcing the end of life and indicating the eternal philosophy of where to go. Perhaps this sentimental red leaf, as the poet said, turns into spring mud to protect flowers more.
Generations of mountain people seem to be indifferent to the changes of red leaves, and they are more concerned with real life. I remember one autumn more than ten years ago, I drove from the county seat to attend a wedding in the depths of Dushan. It was frosty and red in February. Cars undulate in the mountains, and red leaves pass by them, as if they were rowing instead of walking. Walking through the road covered with red leaves, I finally reached the depths of white clouds. There are green trees with blue bricks and red tiles, and there are big characters in front of the door, which is a peaceful and festive atmosphere. Being able to talk to fellow villagers makes people unhappy. It turns out that this is the first wedding in this village in ten years. Because deep in the mountains, the traffic is inconvenient. Although the boys in the mountains are as beautiful as red leaves, the girls outside the mountains are reluctant to enter the mountains. In desperation, boys are either single or come out as sons-in-law. Listening to the villagers' complaints, looking at the villagers' eyes looking forward to getting rich, and looking at the red leaves on the way back, it is more sad. The wind blows rustling red leaves, like villagers telling the hardships of life in the mountains.
It's another year of Hongshan. I'm chasing red leaves and I come to a small village where I only smell red leaves and don't see red houses. Surprisingly, a village is empty. No one cheered, no horses barked, no chickens barked and the whole village was silent. Unwilling to break this silence, we walked out of the village and met a villager head-on and asked why there was no one in the village. The beaming villagers told us that now that the country has designated poverty alleviation, our village as a whole has moved out of the mountains. This is really a great thing that generations can't do. The state builds houses free of charge and distributes houses according to population. He took out his mobile phone and showed us his new house excitedly. In the photo, the uniform two-story buildings, rows and rows, activity squares and small parks are fully implemented, and the villagers who strode towards a well-off society, like the city people, danced the square dance with excitement. Just in front of and behind the house, pieces of red leaves entrusted the villagers with unforgettable past. Seeing the villagers in high spirits, we are also happy for them. Think about the houses with millions of yuan in many big cities, and many people have worked hard for them all their lives. Now the country gives free living expenses to the villagers who walk out of the mountains, which is exactly what you should do in Do not forget your initiative mind, bearing in mind the original intention of the mission. There is no shortage of people on the road to a well-off life. I sincerely hope that the villagers will get out of the mountains and get rich quickly.
Walking out of the village, climbing to the top of the mountain, looking up into the distance, you can see the red leafy forest all over the mountain. Although there is no smoke curled up in front of me, no artistic conception of people in the depths of white clouds, and no poetry of poets, I think the red leaves in front of me are more beautiful and lively in the sunset. Through the patches of red leaves, we can see the endless red leaf forest. In the golden sunshine, it seems to have raised its axe and sickle, and it is like a red flag shining with stars. This piece of red is not our eternal memory, but our eternal pursuit.
About the author: Zhang Canchuan, a native of Yiyang, Henan Province, wrote for more than 30 years and worked in the Propaganda Department of Yima Coal Industry before retirement. Many works were published in Workers Daily, Economic Daily and China Youth Daily.