Life by the Wei River

Xiao He

The Chinese Overseas Publishing House

May 2023

68.00 (CNY)

Xiao He

By profession, Xiao He is a doctor, primarily engaged in emergency medicine and critical care. In his work, he faces the suffering endured by living beings, witnesses the separation of loved ones, and gains deep insights into life. He also cherishes the land that nurtured him. This inspired him to write this collection of pieces expressing his feelings and emotions.

When the fiery sun spreads its dazzling light over the golden wheat waves, the mature scent of wheat engulfs the entire village. The eyes of the farmers begin to shine, and their faces express the joy of the harvest, smoothing away the wrinkles of worry caused by previous food shortages. They take out all their farming tools, arranging them conveniently for use. The most experienced person in farming affairs sharpens all the sickles on a grinding stone until they shine brightly, ensuring efficient harvesting. Thus, the harvest season begins with a lively atmosphere and sharpening sounds. People, from time to time, should shed tears of emotion.

Emotions can nourish the soul and preserve the initial goodness in a person. Every aspect of this land never ceases to move me. The sun during the busy summer days emerges with an intense blaze, making one feel roasted, and a busy day begins in such sunshine. The farmers look at the golden waves of wheat with smiles on their faces. The best time to harvest with the sickle is from early morning until the sun is high at noon. After being moistened by dew throughout the night, the wheat stems gain a bit of resilience, making it less likely for the wheat ears to break and fall, while the grains wont be too dry to scatter, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the harvest.

In my memory, during the wheat harvest season, except for those too ill to get out of bed or those who cant manage on their own, everyone participates in this “dragons mouth contest” to get food. Just as my grandmother used to say, “When the grains turn golden, and the wheat waves, even a weaving girl will get out of bed.” Its not an exaggeration at all. Harvesting wheat requires a certain technique: maintaining a specific posture to save time and effort so that the back, arms, and legs dont become too sore; the hands coordinate smoothly, ensuring that the wheat stalks are harvested cleanly and neatly, facilitating bundling and transportation. The sickle needs to be held at a certain height, leaving enough stubble, guaranteeing a smooth seeding process in autumn. Thus, wheat harvesting is primarily done by the grown-ups. We can only wait until the adults have loaded the wheat bundles onto the carts before we can participate in the activities. From these sentiments emerges this collection of words that express insights and emotions.

Picking up the scattered wheat ears from the ground ensures that every kernel is collected. If there are no interruptions due to rainy days, the harvesting and transportation tasks in the fields must be completed within a week. Apart from the short period in the morning before the sun rises, the rest of the work is done under the scorching sun. Peoples sweat gathers on their faces and backs, forming small streams that create beautiful curves and fall onto the harvested fields. Once the wheat is brought in, it is piled into small hills of varying sizes, low or tall. This place immediately becomes our paradise, where friends play hide-and-seek, crawl into caves, build fantasy castles, and completely lose themselves in play. The adults are busy drying and threshing, afraid of missing even a minute of good sunlight. Of course, we contribute as much as we can. Most of us will inherit these agricultural and management skills, living a life not significantly different from our ancestors, day after day, year after year. Therefore, even if there are tasks we cannot manage, we stand by, watching and absorbing.

Seeing our skin turn red under the scorching sun, our faces blackened by sweat mixed with dirt, the adults would sympathetically lament, “Are you going to study hard, or are you going to work under the sun like this?” This is the most practical and convincing educational lesson. Our response would generally be, “Ill study hard!” This is the direct and clear result of our young minds contemplating our forebears destinies, though driven largely by fear of and aversion to this harsh sunlight. On the Loess Plateau, no matter how scorching and agitated the sun is during the day, as long as the sun sets behind the western hills, the entire land quickly cools down. One can even sense the moist dew in the air. If a cool breeze from the surrounding small forests accompanies this, it heralds the start of a refreshing night.

The sun sinks into the western gully, and night gradually descends. Smoke rises from an unknown household, and the entire village is enveloped in a faint night and the ethereal haze of cooking fires, forming a serene and beautiful silhouette. Farmers conclude a day of arduous labor, have their meals, and sit by the stacks of wheat in the field. They chat and discuss this years harvest, future prospects, the hardships, and the sweetness of life. We ran around the field, chasing, playing, frolicking, engaging in games until late at night. Lying on makeshift beds set up to guard the grain, the sky twinkles with countless stars, blinking gently. Our ears are filled with the mythical stories that have been passed down by generations, spinning endlessly. Imagining the magnificence of the Heavenly Palace, thinking about the beauty of the Seven Fairy Maidens, wondering whether the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden met in the end, our minds drift into dreams amidst this hazy atmosphere.

As the golden sunlight once again spreads over this pure and honest loess land, I believe that the sweat of our forebears will ultimately irrigate the happiness of their lives and ours.