I am very old, so old that the memories are getting clearer and clearer in my mind, so old that when I think of those people and things in my hometown, I can't help but cry, my grandson asked me if it is time to go back to my hometown to see, but I always say: "It's a shame, things are not people." ”

When the master was dying, he said, "Lao Tzu is worth it in this life, and I have nothing to regret." "Always hovering in my mind, I am now at the age of the master, one hundred and eight years, not a long time, but certainly not short, Lao Tzu has also experienced two centuries of people, but I just can't be as bold as the master's words: "Dongliang, take the wine, Lao Tzu drink again to get on the road!" ”.

I admit that I was screwed, that day my son called and said that you can write a memoir if you are fine, your legendary life is worth letting everyone know, this is not only your history, but also the history of the mountains and rivers. I guess that's right, so let me try to write about it.

Everything I am talking about now is a real experience, there are my uncle's, there are also mine, many things have been sealed into the memory with the rolling wheel of history, but if I don't tell it, I believe it will become a permanent regret for me, and it is also irresponsible for some people and things, but if you say it, you may feel incredible.

In fact, a lot of things, I still don't know so, the right and just recorded, I don't read much, the writing is limited, and because of the age, the memory is a little bit unable to keep up, sometimes there is a text is not up to the meaning, the possibility of the age is out of order, please bear with me, but I assure you that what we have experienced is what we have experienced.

It all started with my uncle's exploration log。。。。。

In the 60s of the 19th century, the Westernists of the Qing Dynasty put forward the slogan of "being strong and rich externally" in order to "be self-reliant internally and adapt externally", and created a large number of military and basic industries.

My uncle Chen Congxian is one of them, in the lunar calendar (1887) Chen Congxian was admitted to the famous University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom to study geology with excellent results, and after returning to China three years later, he first taught in the Beijing Normal University, and then in 1912, the provisional government of the Republic of China was established in Nanjing, Chen Congxian worked in the geology department under the Department of Mining of the Ministry of Industry, and was transferred to the newly established Nanjing Central Geological Survey the following year.

In 1915, the First World War had entered its second year, and the Western powers were fighting each other on the soil of Europe, and the Republic of China in the Far East was in its early stages, but at that time due to the relatively relaxed external conditions, it ushered in a considerable development.

At this time, intellectuals all over the country were in the midst of the upsurge of science to save the country, and Chen Congxian was naturally no exception. Chen Congxian, who was 45 years old that year, led a geological exploration team back to the hinterland of the Wuling Mountains, where he was born and raised, to carry out geological exploration work.

A group of people took a boat from Nanjing to the mountain city of Chongqing, set off from Chongqing by boat again, passed through Fuling along the way, entered the Wujiang River, went upriver from Gongtan in Youyang County, and went all the way to Liye Township in Longshan County, Xiangxi Prefecture after Xiushan County on the border of Sichuan and Hunan Province.

Liye means "carved out land" in Tujia language, and is located in the deepest part of the heart of the Wuling Mountains, a typical karst landform with a large number of karst caves, sinkholes, mountains and canyons. A unitary water goes around the city, leading directly to Dongting Lake, Xiangxi, at that time has been in a closed environment, has been the Tujia family, Miao nationality settlement, the local people say that here is "nine mountains, half water and half fields".

When Chen Congxian and his party trekked through mountains and rivers to Liye Township, it was already ten in the evening. At that time, this almost isolated township heard that there were more than a dozen outsiders wearing Western clothes and carrying strange instruments, and Li was hurriedly coming out to greet him, here is called Li Shuifa, is a 50-year-old Tujia man, this is a person who has seen some of the world, in the early years, he joined the army in the auspicious battalion of the Hunan army of Zeng Guofan, and broke a leg at the head of Nanjing City when he exterminated the long hair, and then returned to his hometown with the confiscated property, which is definitely a character in the local area.

Li Shui asked what he meant, and happily arranged Chen Congxian and others to live in the stilted building of the ancestral hall, and helped Chen Congxian and others arrange food. A few cups of steamed grains are roasted and served with some old bacon in the mountains, and the atmosphere begins to be more harmonious.

Chen Congxian and Li Shuifa clinked glasses, helped their highly myopic glasses and said: "Brother Li, we came to Xiangxi this time, mainly to conduct some geological investigation and research, and hope to get your cooperation." ”

Li Shuifa drank the wine and said: "Mr. Chen, as the saying goes, the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband, not to mention that this is a big thing that is beneficial to the country and the people. Although we are the village husbands of the mountains, we understand the reason, and I should try my best to cooperate! ”

The next day, Li Shuifa personally took a few young men from the village to accompany Chen Congxian and others to start exploring by the Youshui River. More than 20 people observed all the way to explore, and from time to time they came to a high mountain more than ten miles away from the town, this mountain is facing high mountains on three sides, one side is the Youshui River, and there is only one path leading to the town in the south, Chen Congxian asked Hu Boyi, an older exploration team engineer accompanying him, to start exploring, and let a few young and strong young men start drilling, the only female researcher 25-year-old Wang Lanzhi took the rest of the people to start holding geological exploration tools at the bottom of the mountain, Li Shuifa's eyes showed a trace of unease, But I still couldn't help but ask.

After a busy day, Chen Congxian took the team to return to the ancestral hall excitedly, today's exploration results show that there must be a large mine around Qixing Mountain, that night, Chen Congxian continued to ask Li Shuifa about the earthquake, weather changes and floods in local history, and made a record one by one, it was more than ten o'clock in the evening after writing the log, everyone is a little tired now, Li Shuifa began to be a little mysterious and seemed to have something to say to Chen Congxian, Chen Congxian saw Li Shuifa's strange appearance, and asked: "Brother Li, Do you have anything else to say? Why do you feel a little weird? ”

Li Shuifa looked at the people around him, and stopped talking.

Chen Congxian hurriedly said: "How about it be inconvenient for us to go outside the hospital?" ”

When the two came to the outside of the hospital, Chen Congxian asked puzzledly: "Brother Li, is there any difficulty in the township?" ”

Li Shuifa saw that there was no one else around, and said mysteriously: "Mr. Chen, that piece of land can't be moved!" ”

Chen Congxian asked in surprise, "Why does Brother Li feel that he can't move?" We analyzed the data and found that there might be a mine in the mountain. ”

Li Shuifa looked around mysteriously again, approached Chen Congxian, and said with an embarrassed face: "That mountain。。。。。 It... Problematic! ”

Chen Congxian was even more surprised and asked, "What's the problem?" We're going to go to the mountains tomorrow. I think there's a big cave in the mountain, doesn't it? ”

Li Shuifa waved his hand again and again in horror and said, "No, Mr. Li!" If you can't move that piece of land, how can you still move Qixing Mountain! ”

Only then did Chen Congxian know about this kind of Qixing Mountain at the foot of the mountain, and asked, "What can be wrong with this mountain?" Ever had an earthquake? You didn't tell the truth today? ”

Li Shuifa hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Mr. Li, what I said today is the truth!" ”

Chen Congxian walked back and forth outside the courtyard and asked, "Then tell me, what's wrong with that mountain?" ”

Li Shuifa said hesitantly: "Originally, if you said this, your gentlemen from other places might want to laugh at us, but in our Xiangxi, this kind of thing is really true." ”

Chen Congxian asked suspiciously: "What is really fake?" ”

Li Shuifa looked at Chen Congxian and said, "That is a mountain that has been cursed since ancient times!" ”

Chen Congxian couldn't help laughing when he heard Li Shuifa say it seriously, patted Li Shuifa on the shoulder and said: "Why do I think it's the reason, Brother Li, Brother Li, you are also a person who has seen the world, and now that you are in the Republic of China, how can you still believe in this kind of feudal superstitious nonsense, now the country advocates that man will conquer the sky, and your behavior is not good!" Look at the problem with a scientific attitude! ”

When Li Shuifa heard that Chen Congxian didn't believe him, he became even more anxious, and said: "Mr. Chen, this is really not my Li Shuifa joking with everyone, our ancestors have said so for generations, you see on the side of the mountain, where is there arable land, farmers?" Everyone avoids that mountain, so you really need to be careful! ”

In the early morning of the second day, seeing that Chen Congxian and the others had no intention of retreating, Li Shuifa had no choice, so early in the morning, Li Shuifa limped in, and took 7 or 8 sturdy Tujia young men, holding ropes, and carrying the bar into the ancestral hall.

Chen Congxian looked at it, frowned and said, "Brother Li, don't go, your legs and feet are not very convenient, and let these juniors do this thing of climbing the hill." ”

Li Shuifa smiled and said: "Mr. Chen, you just look down on people, don't you see that I have broken a foot pole, I walk the mountain road is definitely no worse than you two foot pole walking, although I have never been on Qixing Mountain, when I was young, I drilled the ravines and ravines near me, you are all scholars, we Xiangxi these mountains, the slopes are steep and sharp, I and you all the way, I also rest assured." ”

Chen Congxian patted Li Shuifa's shoulder gratefully and said, "Brother Li, then it's hard for you!" ”