Breaking Bags is one of the compulsory labor courses in teenagers every summer. Compared with labor tasks such as digging potatoes, pulling weeds, and plowing sweet potato vines, breaking off grain is my least favorite. First, because this task is mostly carried out in the hot dog days of summer; second, it is a particularly tiring job that consumes physical strength; and third, it is also associated with a series of subsequent tedious tasks.

Whenever the summer vacation approaches, the weather suddenly becomes hot. After a few southerly winds and a few days of scorching sun, Baogu's leaves began to curl and turn yellow. Baogu also quickly changed its green coat to yellow, and even Baogu's whiskers turned dark brown. The arduous task of harvesting is about to begin -

The scorching sun at noon on a dog day is absolutely unbearable. Breaking off the grain is usually done early in the morning before the sun rises. There was a gentle breeze blowing in the fields in the early morning, but as soon as we entered the Baogu "forest" (we call the Baogu field where the plants are close to each other "forest", what a rich language the working people have!), I felt the heat. I don’t like to wear long-sleeved tops, and my arms were so scratched by the edges of the corn leaves that they hurt. But where can I take care of these things? Competing with my sister to see who can win more is a big deal. We each carried a small backpack, and we broke off one like an adult and threw it back into the backpack. Sometimes the direction is not strong enough, and the corn stick is thrown to the ground. I have to carry the basket and slowly lean over to pick it up, and be careful not to let the corn stick fall out again. Some rice-baking sticks are overripe. Just hold it and gently break it down, and the bottom of the corn-baking stick will simply break off with a "click" and separate from the rice-baking rod. Sometimes I encounter a Baogu that is attached to its mother's body. No matter how hard I try, I can't break it off. I have to wrap it around the pole a few times, peel off its coat layer by layer, and pull the golden Baogu down hard. Encountering such a troublesome Baogu will naturally delay the progress of the work. He has no time to complain, so he has to speed up and chase his sister ahead. Just listen to the "click-click-click" sound of the corn breaking, and my mother constantly reminds me: "Slow down, collect every stick, and don't drop any sticks in the field."

< p> We each moved forward along a row of grain-packing poles. By the time we reached the end, the grain-packing baskets on our backs were already full and heavy. Carrying it back like this is naturally labor-intensive. The field is still a few hundred meters away from home. We don’t want to listen to our father’s famous saying, “A hard-working person will run away and a lazy person will become tuberculosis.” We would rather just carry it home. Carry more. So they put down their backpacks, and each carried a small basket to fill the basket in the grain-packing forest. When they came back, they inserted the grains into the baskets one by one, round and round, layer by layer, until they formed a tall grain-packing tower. Mom said that our tender bones should not bear too much weight, but we feel that we are very strong.

After we carried home seven or eight times, the sun gradually rose. Although we were on a shady slope, the heat wave still hit us. Our physical strength was gradually exhausted, and our arms and faces were itchy and painful from the corn leaves and sweat, and our enthusiasm for work decreased. At this time, we often hear the amnesty orders from our parents - go back to boil water, sweep the floor, steam rice, and go to the garden to pick vegetables. I didn't know how to cook at that time, I could only do some simple preparation work. After receiving the order, we excitedly ran home carrying Bao Gu to complete another chore.

After breakfast (actually around ten o'clock), we still have to complete the next chain task - peeling baguette. This is not a physical job, it requires hand speed. First pull away the whiskers at the top of the corn, then tear open the husk leaves (the coat that wraps the corn) two or three times, and break off the bottom with force, revealing neat and plump corn kernels. In order to mobilize our enthusiasm for labor, our parents often arrange competitions for us. Sometimes we count the numbers while peeling, sometimes it is to see who can fill a basket first, and sometimes our parents participate and divide into two groups. There are naturally winners and losers in the game, and my sister and I often argue endlessly about who deliberately miscounted and skipped a number, who chose an easy-to-peel baguette with only one shell, and whose basket was not full enough. How can parents tell the real winner? They would praise us for doing well, and then look at the dazzling golden smiles in the rice field.

There are times when there is trouble when peeling the bag. Those brown whiskers always rub against the body, making the skin itchy everywhere. Sometimes I come across some grains that have been half-eaten by squirrels. They are covered with white insect feces and there are a few fat white bugs lurking in the grains. If we accidentally pinch an insect, we are often so disgusted that we throw the corn far away. What's even more frightening is encountering dangerous guys lurking deeper. One year, I reached out toward the grain pile underground, and my hand suddenly felt a sting. A three-inch-long centipede with a black back and red legs was crawling rapidly underground. First I was so scared that I cried loudly, and then I cried loudly in pain and broke into cold sweat all over my body. From then on, a shadow was left behind when peeling off the grain.

Of course, there are more chain tasks - cutting and harvesting corn stalks as feed for cattle in the winter, these are the tasks of parents; drying corn leaves, which are the best food for cattle ; The corn sticks must be dried in the sun and then threshed; the grains must be dried and the debris in them must be cleaned up. Our tasks become easy and trivial.

Usually, they stay at the edge of the drying area to prevent chickens from stealing food and cats and dogs from defecating in it. From time to time, they will go under the scorching sun and kick the dried grains into rows with their feet, turning them over for ventilation and faster drying. In summer, During the sudden heavy rain, the adults "grabbed the storm" and moved the corn sticks or grains into the house; when the grains were dried, they used a dustpan to send the grains into the bucket of the windmill, and watched my mother rock the windmill to move the grains. The shriveled grains and thin outer skins are thrown out...

When the beginning of autumn is over and the temperature starts to get cooler in the morning and evening, the yellow and shiny grains are also included in the family granary. At this time, our summer vacation life has come to an end.