The sky was a fish-belly grey, and before the whistle of getting up, a fresh and intoxicating fragrance slipped into my dream, jumped straight into my lungs from my nose and rushed into the bones of my limbs. I woke up from my dream, looking for this familiar fragrance, looking down the open window, and the Elaeagnus angustifolia flower that I was thinking about finally opened.
the unique fragrance of Elaeagnus angustifolia flowers lingers in the camp. Elaeagnus angustifolia is short and ordinary, with crooked branches. It is neither as well known as Populus euphratica nor as delicate and beautiful as red willow. Its leaves are grayish green from beginning to end, giving people the feeling of being a lifeless old man, which is easily overlooked by people.
I still remember that September that year, we came to this desert city by train. At that time, Elaeagnus angustifolia trees were everywhere on both sides of the main road, and the trees were covered with orange Elaeagnus angustifolia. Although it was not very delicious, it brought hope and strength to this land.
With the rapid development of the times, Elaeagnus angustifolia has gradually withdrawn from people's sight because of its ordinary appearance, prickly body, inconspicuous flowers and small fruits that people choose to give up, and then it has been replaced by ornamental trees such as Platanus acerifolia, Picea mongolica and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica, and I, too, have grown from an ordinary youth to a captain officer.
For the Corps people, everyone has different feelings about Elaeagnus angustifolia, because it has fed the Corps people in the most difficult period, helped the Corps people to open up the frontier, guarded the boundless Taklimakan, and witnessed the efforts and growth of generations of Corps people.
Elaeagnus angustifolia is very humble, but as long as it exists, the desert can't advance half a step.
It bears the attack of sandstorm, without any complaints, and keeps the sandstorm out of the city. The scorching sun and high temperature baked it, but it did not give in. It made the leaves grow luxuriantly and left the shade wider. It was an unknown sand-fixing guardian.
I really love it because of its unique fragrance. Spots of flower buds between branches will rush to open and give out fragrance on an unexpected night, and the fragrance of osmanthus flowers will not be as good as that of Elaeagnus angustifolia flowers at that moment. It sticks to the small yellow flowers on the branches outside the city, but it gives off a refreshing fragrance, which brings us a different feeling.
I also love the selflessness of Elaeagnus angustifolia, just as the officers and men in the frontier love the persistence of the desert. They are all guardians of the desert, and they can always bring people in the frontier a sense of security.
Elaeagnus angustifolia needs few nutrients, but it can fix sand and preserve soil in spring, give off fragrance in summer, leave fruits in autumn and firewood for winter. Throughout the year, Elaeagnus angustifolia grows beside the camp, witnessing our growth. We are like appreciate each other's partners, sticking to the frontier together and witnessing thousands of lights.
This is my only love of Elaeagnus angustifolia, which is very common, but selfless dedication to the desert frontier, and together with our officers and men, drinking wind and playing sand to guard the frontier.
Author: Gao Sheng, Armed Police Corps
Photography: Ma Guoqing.