我与童年隔片田My Childhood Is a Patch of Grass Away

July witnessed a Covid-19 outbreak and suddenly sealed me off in the apartment complex I lived in. Hopes got refreshed in each day’s news broadcast， while the agonizing days dragged on till the end of summer.

七月的一场新冠疫情，忽然把我封闭在生活的小区里，我在疫情每日的播报中更新着希望，在一天天的希望里1，竟然熬2走了一个夏季。

In the early days of lockdown， “agony” became the best word to describe how the pandemic affected the rhythm of my life. The more I hoped for the lift of restrictions， the more irritated I grew. The apartment complex I lived in was placed under localized quarantine， but residents could move about within the complex. After reading books for half a day， it was necessary for me to go downstairs for a walk， and this was also what my body needed to stay healthy.

开始的那段时间，说“熬”更加名副其实，生活节奏被打乱，而越是盼望疫情早点结束，就越发焦躁不安。困在小区，却没困在房间，读书半天，总要下楼一趟，也满足身体之所需。

Taking strolls along the main roads among masked-up armies of socially distanced people， I walked at a faster pace， as exercising was my only aim. Knowing there wasn’t so much to see， I didn’t pause off on the way. With reading， exercising and cramped living quarters， my recently-changed lifestyle had begrudgingly taken to a new rhythm. My days were spent at a slack pace.

顺着主要的路道走一走，在戴着口罩的人流里保持着免于感染的距离。因以锻炼为目的，所以步速较快，明知沿途没有可赏之景，也就少了份贪恋和止步的道理。读书，锻炼，封闭的小区，被改变的生活就这么适应了新的节奏，日子就这么打发得慢条斯理。

As days went by， I got bored with walking along the main roads， so I turned to walk among buildings and tried to discover sceneries I had somehow missed before. These twisting and turning lanes weren’t slowing me down. However， every tree， and every blade of grass in these gardens， evoked childhood longings. When I saw plants I had not seen for a long time， I could not tear myself away from studying them for a while.

日子久了，已将主要的路道走腻，遂转战于楼房之间，那些人迹罕至3的空白，也就渐渐地有了人气。转弯渐多，但步速不减。不过，楼房之间苗圃里的一草一木，时不时会荡起童年的想往，每每看到久违的植物，就忍不住驻足端详。

Bigger trees like shady pines and camphors were planted in the gardens， while pagoda and sago palms stood charmingly along the roadsides. There was an occasional jujube tree， persimmon or loquat tree， which must have been planted by the residents. These trees looked attractive and their fruits were edible. At the moment， the jujube tree branches were sagging with red and green dates. The persimmons were still green and unripe， and the loquats would wait for the spring before splashing their bright orange. Here and there were small patches of lush green land grown with hot pepper and peppermint plants， making life a bit more delightful. It was certain that the wildly grown mulberry trees， paper mulberry trees， Chinaberry trees and some others， blessed with great vitality， squeezed naturally through cracks in the wall and the concrete floor. Some trees were planted purposely in horizontal and vertical lines， looking plain and predictable. Some gardens looked gorgeously unattended. It was nature tending nature， bringing back fond memories of pulling up weeds when I was a little child.

苗圃里较大的树种如松树、香樟，遮荫蔽日；行道树如国槐、铁树，婀娜多姿。偶尔也能看到棵枣树、柿树、枇杷之类，大概出自居民之手，毕竟能看又能食。此时，半红半绿的枣子已经挂满枝条，柿子青涩，而枇杷仅将鹅黄缀4满春季。偶尔一小片辣椒、薄荷之类，郁郁葱葱，让生活多了一点一串的喜气。有些肯定是野生的，像桑树、榆树、楝树之流，极易成活，从墙缝和水泥地缝里钻出来，自然有余。人工雕饰的树丛，横成行，竖成线，一眼望穿，缺少神秘感；无人打理的苗圃，满目荒芜，反尔让自然复归了自然，让童年薅草时的发现乐趣再现眼前。

Exploring further around the garden， I found quite a few “old friends”， as if they had followed me from my hometown all the way to Yangzhou. One of them was a kind of tiny flower. It is in the shape of morning glory flowers， usually decorating courtyards and fields. In the sunshine， their petals are folded and their fragrance hidden， so they are often ignored by passers-by in the daytime. But by evening， the flowers are at their prime time and will bloom in clusters. On each plant， some flowers are pure purple， some are pure light yellow， and some are half purple and half yellow; and the air is diffused with their rich fragrance. This sort of flower is called “soup-time flower” by my fellow countrymen in Henan. In the countryside of Henan， “soup-time” refers to supper time， so “soup-time flower” ， literally a kind of flower that blooms at supper time， is called “supper-time flower” in the Wu dialect of East China. Typically defined by its extraordinary blooming time， the “supper-time flower” is endowed with rustic charm. Wanting to get better acquainted with my “old friend”， I scanned it with my phone to find out more. The scientific name of the soup-time flower is Mirabilis jalapa， which is elegantly translated as “purple jasmine.” Though the flower can assume a slightly yellow or even variegated color， the word “purple” is used in its Chinese appellation. I think calling it soup-time flower is true to the nature of the flower， even if that’s not scientifically appropriate.

探着路，朝里面走一走，真的有不少“旧友”，似乎从故乡一路追着我来到了扬州。有一种小花，牵牛花的模样，田间庭院，不乏相见。白天散步，没人留意，因为花朵合拢，香气锁闭。可一到傍晚，花朵忽然间迎来盛世，成簇怒放。一棵之上，有的纯紫，有的淡黄，有的半紫半黄，香气十分浓郁，即故乡称作“烧汤花”的便是。河南农村把做晚饭叫“烧汤”，“烧汤花”显然是在准备晚饭时才盛开的花，与吴语的“晚饭花”同属一物，奇异的开放时间成就了它的典型特征，朴素由之，乡土气息由之。出于对旧友真容的好奇，我拿出手机，扫出个“紫茉莉”，好雅致的名字。即使花呈淡黄或杂色，也仍然称“紫”，雅致却不精致，倒不如按开放时间相称来得真实。

Flowers， grasses， and trees can all bring joy to me but I have to admit to some preferences. As for trees， for instance， I prefer those that are capable of producing edible fruits. Seeing a tree bearing fruits in a forest， one’s delight will be beyond discovery. And the non-fruit-bearing trees， like the acacia with its edible flowers， the willow with palate-pleasing catkins and the tasty elm samaras that form on elm trees， all provide delicious morsels fit for any supper. For trees like “the Chinese toon vegetable tree”， as my country folks call it， there are only leaves to be edible. The toon is traditionally fried with eggs but it will be even tastier if you pull out and eat the trunk muscle. I’ve found a few high Chinese toon trees in the garden， which I guess have been planted expressly for cooking purposes， as well as a few largely-uncultivated toon shrubs. The Chinese toon tree wood is called “red toon wood” and is said to be capable of preventing disasters. A knowing house builder will use red toon wood to make window lattices， so as to prevent possible disasters brought about by the wood used in the graveyard.