October 22, 2017: Day-05 Fenkou Town - Huangshan City 75KM

       "Big White Rabbit, look at that clear stream!"

       "Hey!"

       "This clear stream should have reached the basin of the Xin'an River. Think back to the Fuchun River in Xitang. It's as disgusting as it is!"

       The Fuchun River's greasy juice is salty, dark green and almost black.

       In the quaint town, the residents have always been careless, and all kinds of domestic waste are often thrown on the river; the surrounding factories are also always careless, and the center of the river is full of industrial waste.

       This is the reason why Brother Zhao sneered at Fu Chunjiang.

       

       Sparkling streams are often rare.

       About 4 years ago, my father and I went to a certain valley in Guilin City and Xing’an County for a picnic, and we came across a clear and beautiful stream just like today.

       A tree frame was set up by the stream, and a fat goat was strung on it. 

       Around the goat, there are bustling men, women, and a group of dolls. Men and women stretched their arms and held knives, crowded to cut off pieces of thin skin and tender meat, and then licked them on the tip of their tongues in satisfaction.

       It is the narrow part of the stream and the dense part of the forest that support the goat.

       I led the dolls to wade through the water waves, and headed for the place where the branches and leaves were sparse, and the stream suddenly opened up.

       Under the scorching sun at noon, the stream is shining with crystal light, the stars are falling and falling, and the males and females are rising and falling; the pebbles lying in the stream are dancing and jumping, accompanied by the rhythm of the waves, shining beautifully.

       The dolls were very happy.

       But I saw a pair of feet falling on the trickling stream, full of people chasing and frolicking, and singing happily. The flickering waves of light, especially joyously, never tired of it.

       In today's creek, Brother Zhao and I are alone lying on the gravel, looking at it quietly.

        

       "Big White Rabbit, let's go swimming!"

       "You landlubber, don't call him Xin'an Jiangyan!"

       Regardless of my dissuasion, Brother Zhao rolled up his trousers, tossed his dark red cloth shoes aside, and stepped onto a slightly wider gravel with his bare feet.

       With all his strength, he jumped down a stream that was about a foot long.

       Brother Zhao fell into the stream, and then headed for a stone bridge in the rapids with one foot deep and one shallow foot. The stream swished past his calves and swished across his corrugated lid.

       On the stone floor and beside the bridge corridor, "Zuochuan Bridge" is written in vermilion.

       The gray and old stone bridge is neither spacious nor long-term. There are no cars or people coming and going. Only on the left side are scattered farmhouses, quietly looking at the mountain stream.

       Perhaps "Zuochuan" is the surname of the village.         

       "Big White Rabbit, I'm going back to Qujing."

       "time?"

       "I bought a plane ticket on October 24th and flew from Hefei to Kunming. My parents contacted a construction site and sent me to Tengchong with a hook-up machine to work as a supervisor."

       "You can't beat your parents after all."

       "Oh..."

       "Brother Zhao, you will definitely come to Liuzhou, right?"

       "The dog meat has not been fulfilled. I will definitely go to Liuzhou. At that time, I will print out all the photos of my life in Xitang and my cycling trip, and make a photo album for you!"

       "Then I'll write a travelogue for you as a gift in return!"

       "sorry..."

       "Brother Zhao, it's always been my dream to complete a trip on an electric bike, but it's not yours. Every time you insist on walking with me for one more day, I'll be more honored.

       "I..."

       "You don't owe me anything!"

       After hearing this, Brother Zhao just shook his wrist and wiped his feet that had been baked dry by the sun.

       The fine sand fell down one after another, on the gravel and on the uppers of the dark red cloth shoes. But I saw him standing upright, walking towards the parking place, and flicking the cigarette ash back at the same time.

       "What are you staring at? Today is the 22nd, I will accompany you to Mount Huangshan!"

       The way to Huangshan does not pass through the Zuochuan Bridge, but extends to the right side of the mountain road.

       The mountain road is paved with dark brown mud and light yellow gravel. Just look at it's narrow, slender, twisted and bumpy, and climb slowly according to the steep mountain.

       Not long after, several old houses came into view.

       The old house leans against the cliff and faces the mountain stream. The old brick and tile houses are placed on the side, either light red or light gray; in the middle is a wooden house, like an ancient ancestral hall.

       The movement of swimming fish and flying birds lingers among the cliffs and mountain streams.

       

       On the left side in front of the wooden house, lay an unsmiling old man smoking half a cigarette alone; three old women sat cross-legged side by side on the right side, tearing corn kernels in one go.

       "Grandma, can we go into the house and have a look around?"

       "Good, good, good!"

       When the old woman in the mountain saw tourists sightseeing, she danced with joy. But seeing them waving their arms again and again, they happily welcomed Brother Zhao and me into the wooden house.

       In the wooden house, there is a neat patio.

       The neat patio is paved with white and clean bluestone slabs.

       In the courtyard, there are six old wooden beams supporting the old wooden beams; on the beams, there is a slightly new shed, showing traces of new paint; under the beams, the board door is also newly painted.

       My eyes turned back to the old wooden beams and columns.

       Under the beams and columns, there are each inlaid with an octagonal lotus-shaped bluestone pier. The color is not only as old as a wooden house, but also as gray as the beams and columns.

       The wooden house told me that it was not an ancient Huipai ancestral hall.

       The town is long and idle, and the people in the mountains are often lonely.

       The troupe with gongs and drums came to the wooden house again. The village is bustling in a trance, long tables and short stools are approaching, men, women, old and young are holding freshly picked peanuts, looking forward to the protagonist's debut.

       Some newborn babies are crawling on the backs of their parents and parents-in-law, sucking their fingers.

       A Huangmei opera, a Qingyang tune.

       The old man who has lived at the entrance of the village for a long time, his eyes and ears are blurred, but he still struggles to recite words, humming along with Huadan on the stage.

       Although it is "out of tune" frequently.

       A woman with a watery face is holding a baby in her chest, urging milk.

       Suddenly, she leaned slightly and whispered to her mother-in-law.

       "Mom... this big pillar, it can be regarded as promising. This year, I made a lot of money in the provincial capital. When the new year comes, our new house will be settled..."

       The little blackie who will remember things, combed a pair of "gazi hair".

       Little Heizi was not paying attention, and happened to step on the tail of the nurse "Wangcai".

       That "Wangcai" looked very angry, chasing after Xiao Heizi's ass like crazy. He hit the broom, it lifted the dustpan, and made noise from the front of the stage to the outside of the wooden house. 

       "Hey! Big White Rabbit, why are you so dumbfounded?"

       Brother Zhao gently patted my shoulder.

       I just realized that there is no theater troupe, no Huadan, and no long tables and short stools; the ones who live at the entrance of the village for a long time may not be the uncles, and the ones with a handsome face are probably raised by sisters, Xiao Heizi's parents, or cats.

       The excitement everywhere is just a play in my heart.

       The corn kernels in front of the wooden house seem to be unable to peel off.

       The mothers-in-law are quick to point their fingers, and the corn kernels are like amber, like beeswax, yellow and golden, and they are piled up one by one, forming a small hill.

       The mountain road behind the wooden house is getting steeper and steeper.

       On the left side of the cliff and on the valley, there is a magnificent building. It is light yellow all over, and a school of Huizhou buildings stands on the top of it with upturned eaves, which is really neat and magnificent.

       At the bottom of the building, there are three or five fine steel gates.

       Under the gate is a dry riverbed.

       When the mountain stream reaches the sluice gate, it no longer flows water droplets; the scenery behind the building is quite different, the rivers and lakes are as green as green grass and secluded as green forests, just in full bloom in the silent valley.

       "Papaya Village Power Station Dam".

       A line of text was written on the dark yellow wall.

       After the dam of the power station, there are no more people, only a few scattered farm families.

       In front of the farmhouse, there are densely packed utensils made of green bamboo: a row of shoulder poles, a stack of baskets, a row of rakes, and scattered exquisite handicrafts.

       People in the mountains have lived on bamboo for generations.

       The owner of the single house does not show up, and the wooden doors of every house are locked.

       There is no trace of the dog guarding the house.

       "Big White Rabbit, we have gone uphill for 13 kilometers. Who knows when this endless road around the mountain will end? I'm afraid the power will be cut off before reaching Huangshan City."

       Suddenly, I seemed to understand.

       Brother Zhao decided to go to Hefei and return to Qujing on October 24. Apart from the damn hook, there must be a more important reason that urged him to leave me.

       Two people, two bags, one car.

       A mere 13-kilometer climb on the winding mountain road drained 43% of the voltage of the first battery, and only 76% of the voltage of the second battery remained.

       Terrible voltage consumption and physical energy consumption, the daily journey is far less than 100 kilometers.

       After such a toss, the loss of time and money also increased sharply.

       If Brother Zhao leaves, there will only be one person, one bag, and one car left. I can ride 150-200 kilometers smoothly every day and arrive in Liuzhou smoothly.

       He doesn't want to drag me down.

       "Big White Rabbit, hold up the camera!"

       "Wow, what a style of minimalism!"

       Kaca Kaca Kaca.

       The red sun, which is gradually setting, scatters the shining light, but it covers the mountains in front of me; beams of light extend and splash against the mountains, like a yellow and white quilt, gently covering the green forests in the mountains.

       "What is minimalism?"

       "Hey, this is minimalism!"

       I tried to explain to Brother Zhao what "minimalism" is in a scientific and rigorous tone. Reluctantly searching but unable to speak, he simply took a photo he had just taken and reflected it in front of his eyes.

       "nonsense!"

       Two limestone cliffs majestically enclose the narrow mountain road. This scene is quite different from the original appearance with a cliff on one side and a wall on the other.

       The "continuous downhill" sign finally stands between the cliffs.

       On the left of the cliff is a bluestone platform.

       On the platform, there is a light gray horizontal stone.

       On the horizontal stone, "Yun Zou Huang Jian" is engraved in indigo seal. Calligraphy is bold and majestic, like clouds and flowing water in the valley, sweet and clear for taste, elegant and vigorous for appreciation.

       Looking at its novel background, it doesn't seem like an old thing.

       I think it was a folk craftsman in the 21st century who polished the horizontal stone properly, and asked the machine to carry it and settle it on the top of the mountain. Let's just tell the strangers, who is the name of this country.

       

       Climbing on the bluestone platform, you can have a panoramic view of the fine scenery under the hillside.

       When you come, the valleys are green and deep, and the silver streams are rolling, and you don't hear chickens and dogs barking, and you don't hear people's voices; .

       What a world of difference.

       The porter among the rice paddies, carrying a load of firewood on the front and back, walked heavily on the muddy ridge.

       They, they, raised their dark and wrinkled faces from time to time, staring at the huts where the cooking smoke was floating. After a while, his face was buried deep again, smiling as he walked between the mud ridges surrounded by green grass and golden fields.

       In the eyes and in the heart, there are white bricks and black tiles full of smoke.

       "Brother Zhao, Huizhou is here."