Text/Liu Chunhua

Passing by a family's yard, I saw a pile of pumpkin vines under the melon shed. Nature, against the swaying yellow flowers and green leaves, and those looming pumpkins. Most of them are blue and long.

This reminds me of the old pumpkin in my hometown. In my impression, the pumpkins in my hometown are round and old, lying under our beds one by one. So I call it the old pumpkin. Old pumpkins are really old, some yellow, some pink, some pink with green, some yellow with green, and the colors are actually colorful; Moreover, old pumpkins vary in size, some can be as big as a washbasin, and some are as small as rice bowls. In the harvest season, almost all the leaves of pumpkin vines are lost. My mother picked them one by one and kept them under the bed until next year.

I clearly remember that year, I went to my relatives' home and ate at their home at noon. My relatives gave me a big porcelain bowl filled with a bowl of boiled pumpkins. I was really hungry at that time, so I brought it to eat. As soon as I took pumpkin pulp, which was as sweet as honey, I ate two big bowls. After that, I was tired of pumpkins. My mother can't help it when she sees me like this. Whenever I eat pumpkin, my mother will definitely add a dish, which is specially prepared for me. I won the envious eyes of my brothers and sisters for this, and my inner pride is beyond words.

To this day, I am not interested in pumpkins. The burning pain of this "era" made me feel a sense of shame about pumpkins. Because pumpkin is different from people, after all, it can't talk and won't attack you. Do you like to look at people completely? If a person hates it, it is extremely unfair to it. However, most people in this world still like pumpkins!

This is mainly because pumpkin has always been regarded as a symbol of harvest, and it is displayed and celebrated together with pepper, eggplant, cucumber and rice ear. At the same time, the old pumpkin is also the painter's favorite, and it is often used as the object of painting by famous or unknown painters. You see, in those beautiful paintings, the old pumpkin is naive, and the golden color is bright and transparent, giving people real warmth. In some photographers' works, old pumpkins are often used to shoot with children. The simple and honest old pumpkin and the immature and innocent baby form a beautiful picture, which makes people stop and stay. In addition, there are many poets and writers who like old pumpkins, and some are even obsessed with them. For example, American writer Thoreau said, "I'd rather sit alone on a pumpkin than squeeze into a velvet cushion." German writer and poet Jurg Schubiger compared pumpkins with onions, radishes and tomatoes and wrote a philosophical sentence: "Pumpkins can't talk, they are growing silently."

Indeed, the quality of pumpkins is countless. It is simple and simple, strong and heavy. It does not choose the environment, is not afraid of pests, and has no ambition. You can sow its seeds anywhere you like, and hardly pay attention to it. It can also give you a green of gratitude and give you the joy of harvest one by one.

Yes, pumpkin is the most selfless of all melons and fruits. I'm covered in treasures. It is not only rich in nutritional value, but also contains vitamin B, vitamin C, calcium, starch, protein and phosphorus. It also has medicinal value, and can tonify middle warmer, diminish inflammation and relieve pain, detoxify and kill insects, help digestion, treat constipation and improve immunity.

In the Qing Dynasty, Liu Ruji said in Fu Tao Gong Jia: "Pumpkins are pumpkins, and old people are good. When rice was expensive, he thought it was dinner and he was quite hungry. " In that era of material shortage, the unique old pumpkin was indeed a "dinner" and a famine for the people of that era. So pumpkins can do a lot.

Many years ago, I went out for the first time, and my mother was worried that I had nothing to bring. Suddenly, she remembered those pickled pumpkin seeds, so she was busy frying a big bag for me ... pumpkin seeds became a farewell party and a homesickness for wanderers.

Now, autumn is getting colder and colder, and pumpkins will have a bumper harvest. At this time, I can't help feeling guilty. I want to clear the name of my pumpkin, pick one and hang it under the eaves like a lantern. Because it symbolizes the rich days of farmers in China and the happy and festive days of people in China.