Chapter 1: The Great Water Cave

Da Shui Dong is a remote mountain village, surrounded by mountains, only a mountain pass of about 10 meters to get through with the outside world, a small river rushes down from the mountain pass, forming a waterfall about six feet high, and it is also the only passage for people in the village to enter and exit.

Along the stream, every kilometer or so, there is a crystal clear stream, zigzag into the small river, the small river is getting bigger and wider, the whole big water hole, a total of nine small streams into the small river.

Towards the exit, the creek was already very gentle, with a naturally formed dam, but the water was not too deep, only about a foot!

Accompanied by mountains and rivers, small courtyards of different shapes are scattered, distributed on both sides of the river, chickens and dogs smell each other, like a paradise.

The beautiful natural environment and simple folk customs constitute a beautiful picture of nature.

It's a summer evening, the weather is not too hot, and the tree-lined riverside and grassy beach have become a paradise for children.

He Yu led a big black bull and led a few children of six or seven years old to the small river beach above the dam, followed by a big yellow dog with his head and tail swinging.

When he arrived at the river, he instructed the children to walk into the river beach in turn, each holding some small stones in their hands, and the four of them were divided into two teams, and they went in two directions.

In the clear river, you can see a group of small fish playing leisurely at the bottom of the river, as if feeling the arrival of danger, the small fish are divided into two and flee in two directions.

The two teams of children also ran in two directions, and kept throwing small stones into the river, and the small fish were overwhelmed and began to run around, most of them hiding in the cracks of the stones at the bottom of the nearby river.

The clear water of the river also slowly became a little muddy, the so-called "fishing in troubled waters", at this time the children stopped throwing stones and waited quietly on the river beach, so as not to disturb the small fish hiding in the cracks of the stones.

Even the big yellow dog, who was happy all the way, sat quietly on the lawn.

Only He Yu rolled up his trouser legs and walked gently into the river, ready to touch the fish!

Touching fish is also a technical job, and the rest of the children can't catch the slippery fish under the stones, so they can't help, and they are all watching from the shore!

He Yu's sister, He Yuanying, carried a small wooden barrel and walked on the pebbles of the river beach, following him to catch fish.

He Yu began to touch the fish in the cracks of the stones at the bottom of the river, his movements were light and fast, as long as the fish touched by his hand, he basically couldn't run away!

After a while, he touched one, He Yu shook his hand, and accurately threw the small fish into his sister's barrel, and from time to time there was a dull sound of small fish bouncing!

Xiao Yuanying's small wooden barrel, every time she receives a small fish, she can accurately call out the common name of the small fish, "flower hand towel" or "red stream wave".

There are not many types of fish in the small river, but these two varieties are the main ones, and after touching this section of the river, there are already dozens of small fish about two inches in the small bucket.

Although He Yu is only eight years old this year, he is known as a little prodigy in the village, although he has not yet gone to school, he counts and reads, and is the best among his peers, and is very loved by his parents and his third uncle.

The third uncle came over to teach He Yu and his cousins to read and recite poems together.

Touching fish is also a stunt of He Yu, which he learned from his brother when he was a child, but now he has long been out of the blue, as long as He Yu goes down to the river to fish, there is basically no time to return empty-handed! This stunt also won him the support of his cousins.

The cousins and sisters are willing to touch the fish with He Yu, the main reason is that He Yu does not eat alone, and when he touches the fish, he has a share, they divide a few small fish home, and it is also a delicious dish when fried.

In addition to his six-year-old sister He Yuanying, there are also He Yaomin, an eight-year-old cousin of the eldest uncle's family, and He Yaorong, a seven-year-old cousin of the third uncle's family.

They all eagerly looked at the little fish that was still jumping in the small bucket, and although the small fish was touched by He Yu himself, he still decided to divide it equally.

He Yuanying kicked off the prelude to dividing the fish, she picked the largest one first, and He Yaomin and He Yaorong took turns to take the fish.

The three children, with their dark eyes staring at the fish in the bucket, did not hesitate to take one when it was his turn, obviously looking at it a long time ago.

As the last one was taken away by Yuan Ying, announcing the end of the fish distribution, the children were very happy, and they looked satisfied.

The water in the creek is very shallow, less than a meter at the deepest point, and it is relatively safe.

The drowning of a child in a small river dates back decades to a time when a child was swept away by a high flood and drowned.

Therefore, adults do not usually prohibit children from playing in the river. However, during the flooding period after the heavy rain, the children asked to stay away from the river, which became a ban on the large water hole.

The adults are guarding the riverside and the bridge, holding fishing nets, picking up floating objects such as melons and vegetables, wood, and drowned animals washed down by the water, as well as rescuing passers-by who have fallen into the water, which has also become a tradition for the men in the big water cave.

Because it is almost surrounded by mountains, the sunset dusk of the big water cave has a special interest, in the pale yellow world, He Yumu sent the two cousins home.

He led the little sister home, led the ox home, along the river embankment, pulled a straw pole with the tip of his fingers, held it in his mouth, blew the tune, dragged the ox rope, and strode towards the house under the sunset.

The big yellow dog that followed behind, fluttering butterflies, had a lot of fun.

After He Yu tied the cow into the bullpen, he moved a small stool and sat on the footing, looking at the mountains and forests in the distance, and the big yellow dog was also lying quietly at his feet.

Under the illumination of the setting sun, the mountains and forests are like a glow, which is particularly gorgeous, and there are a few birdsongs in the mountains and forests from time to time, one does not fall, one rises again, it seems to be playing with the singing voice, and it seems to be calling for the children to return to the nest.

The sunset in the west dyed the sky a rare rouge-like red, while on the other side of the sky, it was still as blue as noon, without the slightest fading, and as time passed, the red in the west gradually extended, and the sky slowly darkened.

The sunset seems to completely spread the sky with a piece of red silk, and the colored clouds are neatly arranged on a reddish background, like a mythical palace, which is very dreamy.

He Yu looked at the sunset and the fantastic sky, and couldn't help but think about it, he shook his head, closed his eyes, and the scene of the mythical story "Hou Yi shooting the sun" flashed in his mind.

He seemed to see a majestic figure, drew his bow, and shot an arrow at the sun, and the sun fell with a dazzling light.

People in the mountains only eat dinner after heavy physical labor, usually twice a day, which is the so-called "flat meal", and there is no habit of eating dinner.

In summer and autumn, the weather is hot, and you have to fall asleep very late, and eating some snacks is also the patent of children.