The mountains and topography around the birthplace lock in the direction of the water to the west. Those newcomers to the city, in front of this delicate inverted river, often have directional confusion.

On the beach between the embankment and the flowing water, a layer of loess dust has accumulated on the dry thatch, and it has not rained for a long time. Early spring in the north is a rainless and dusty scene almost every year.

Two sieves, propped up by wooden tripods, stand diagonally in a large pit dug out of the wet sand. Men have two iron cages made of iron wire and a water burden, and women are also equipped with two iron cages made of iron wire and a water burden.

Iron is used to dig up sedimentary sand and gravel.

The shovel is used to scoop up loose sand and stone and throw it onto the compass. Stones tumble down from the front of the net, and sand is isolated through the net to the back of the net.

The net becomes the key to the fruits of the labor of men and women.

The basket woven of wire was used to hold stones.

The water load is used to carry the iron cage containing the stones.

The stones that fell from the compass net were piled up, and they were loaded into the iron cage with an iron shovel, hooked the wooden beam of the iron cage with an iron hook from the water burden, carried it on the shoulder, walked out of the sand pit, and fell on the dry beach more than ten meters away.

The man repeats this process of labor.

Women also repeat this labor process.

Sixteen or seventeen years have been repeating their labor.

They are still repeating this labor with vigor.

Never talk about wind, frost, rain and snow or anything.

The dry winter and early spring are the seasons when the water volume is the most stable and the water quality is the purest, so pure that you can see the flocculent aquatic plants swaying on the pebbles at the bottom of the water. There is a crooked wooden bridge over the water. A young man in a military coat collects a bridge toll, five cents per person each time.

I used to walk across the small wooden bridge to this couple digging for sand and gravel. On my first day back in the countryside, I walked to my Zishui River and found this couple on the other side of the river. As far as I could see, there was no third person on the sands upstream and downstream, holding his head in the net.

On my shore, on the right side of the river, there is a mechanical quarry, and the overhanging conveyor belt makes a deafening sound of pouring stones.

In the bunker, there was a large thermos with a faded red plastic skin, and an enamel jar with enamel falling off in many places.