An old well, some memories.

Whenever I wander around the moat of Jinan, I will always stay in the Black Tiger Spring for a long time, looking at the torrent that keeps pouring out and never dries up, and feeling God's care for the local area.

Water is the source of life. I have lived by the river since I was a child, and I have a special affinity for water. Living in Jinan for many years, I have adapted to the scene of tinkling springs and weeping willows, and integrated into this city with "one city with mountains, half a city with lakes, lotus flowers on all sides and willows on three sides".

In my spare time, I will think of the well when I was working in my hometown. To think of it is like hearing the creaking of pulley rotation on the well platform and people's laughter, and seeing familiar figures carrying water.

That year, after I graduated from school, I was assigned to work in an agricultural technology station in a mountainous town in my hometown. Agricultural technology station is a relatively independent small unit, with only two small buildings and no walls. In life, you have to solve it yourself, either go to the township government canteen or cook by yourself. Although the township government is not far away, I don't want to go. I think it's convenient and cost-effective to cook by myself. However, the agricultural technology station has no running water, so it has to draw water from a nearby well.

The well more than 50 meters away from the agricultural technology station depends on it for the domestic water of the nearby villagers. The round wellhead is very big, it should be a long time ago. The frame of the well is made of stone, the well platform is paved with cement, and the pulley is draped over the edge of the well, wrapped with hemp rope and hooks, which is very strong and firm. This well is so deep and clear that you can see water when you lie next to it. All day long, it's very lively here, especially in summer, girls and boys wash their hair and clothes with the lifted water, and there is laughter and laughter everywhere by the well.

Since I came here, I have to draw water from the well every day, two barrels at a time. When drawing water, you shake the pulley with both hands and watch the bucket descend slowly. After the bucket touches the water, you should grab the rope and suddenly lift it, then throw it away, and the bucket will sink into the water. Then, you will stir the handle hard and lift the rickety bucket to the wellhead. The old stationmaster gave me a pair of pole. In order to exercise my arm strength and imitate Shaolin monks, I always carry two buckets of water from the well to the living room on the second floor in one breath.

In spring, unknown grass and even small flowers grow in the gap of the wellhead. In summer, cicadas keep singing in the trees near the well, making noise. In autumn, persimmon trees and red persimmons by the well are full of fruits. In winter, thousands of trees are depressed, and in the cold wind, the well water is foggy, which brings a little warmth to the water bearer. Really, all four seasons have their own scenery, and the beauty of spring, summer, autumn and winter is different.

During my years there, I got to know many surrounding villagers and made many friends by working in agricultural technology and drawing water from wells. For a while, I managed to transport some soil to the roof and grow some vegetables, which used too much water. Sometimes, I run several times a day to fetch water. I am also very happy to see those vegetables that are carefully watered and grow well. Moreover, lifting water for a long time also strengthens the arm strength, improves the physical fitness and adds a little fun to life.

I have to be skillful in fetching water from the well, because I am not skilled. In the process of drawing water, the bucket unhook and sank to the bottom. There are several before and after, some are rubber, some are iron, which makes me feel distressed. At first, after the bucket sank, I borrowed a long bamboo pole with a hook at the top and squatted at the wellhead. No matter how I row, it won't help. On the one hand, the bamboo pole is not long enough, on the other hand, it is difficult to grasp the direction, and the hook can just catch the handle of the bucket. Losing the bucket makes me feel upset and fidgety.

One summer, I couldn't help it, so I borrowed bucket fishing tools such as bamboo poles and went to the well. First I threw the bamboo pole into the well, then I put down the rope on the pulley, and I scraped the rock directly and went down to the well step by step.

The stone by the well was dry and not slippery, which made me slip. Long-term exercise, let me firmly grasp the stone and walk down steadily. The diameter of the well is fairly large. Even if I jump into the water head-down, I can turn over and come out of the water without worries. The only thing that scares me a little is the sudden closure of the well and bad luck. Of course, this probability is relatively low.

It is only 7 or 8 meters from the wellhead to the water surface. When my feet were about to step on the water, I began to paddle in the water with a bamboo pole, trying to lift the bucket that sank at the bottom of the water. In this process, I often feel that I have touched the bucket, but it is difficult to hook it up. Fortunately, after a long struggle, I finally fished out two barrels, got out of the wellhead smoothly and went home happily. I still remember some fears, young man, regardless of the consequences.

It's almost 20 years since I left my old job. Due to the construction of the reservoir and the relocation of immigrants, when I returned to the local area again, it was already in ruins. Now, that area has already become Wang Yang, and the vast lakes have begun to take shape. Of course, the well is invisible, and it may have become the habitat and hiding place for fish and shrimp, with a new mission. Remembrance, once youth, greetings, I once ate old well water for several years.