If you find that the days are getting longer and the weather is getting hotter, if you find that the trees on the mountains are getting more and more lush, and the seedlings in the fields are becoming more and more lush, if you find that Zhizhi is always calling from the date trees, and dragonflies are always flying above the stream, then you should know that it is summer.

The adults were busy "double grabbing" - harvesting the first crop of rice and immediately starting to plant the second crop, they didn't have time to take care of us, and this season happened to be our paradise.

On a hot day, at noon, Hao Junqi and I took out a bamboo as thin as chopsticks from the firewood cut by Grandpa Hao, removed all the branches and leaves, bent the heads and tails together, and inserted them into the top of a bitter bamboo pole that we had already selected and the thickness of our big fingers, forming an oval arc, and then drilled into Hao Junqi's pigpen house, and used the bamboo pole to wrap all the spider silk in the pigpen house to the oval arc to form a small web with strong stickiness, and we could go to the creek to stick dragonflies.

The aquatic plants in the creek grow luxuriantly, small fish and shrimp swim in the water, and dragonflies fly over the stream.

There are many species of dragonflies. There is a medium-sized dragonfly with a red head, which is very beautiful, but we are not interested. Another dragonfly, so small, with a silky tail, is very cute, and we are not interested. We specifically look for the big ones that we call "tiger dragonflies", catch them and put them in our mosquito nets, and let them eat the mosquitoes.

We walked patiently up the creek. The sun is scorching, but we're not afraid of the sun.

In the distance, there was a tiger dragonfly flying.

"Tiger dragonfly, look." Hao Junqi said excitedly.

We approached it.

We could see its bulging round eyes, its slender colored tail, and its thin, transparent wings. But it flew vigorously, up and down, far away and near, just without stopping.

"Stop, Tiger Dragonfly, stop." Hao Junqi prayed quietly.

The dragonfly seemed to understand, and flew towards a reed pole stretched over the stream. We waited excitedly. It flew to the reed pole. But it doesn't stop. I'm really anxious.

"Stop, stop." Hao Junqi said.

It finally stopped on the reed pole. The reed pole swayed gently up and down.

I held my breath and slowly stretched out the bamboo stick and slowly approached it. I was about to net, and boom, it ran away.

"Brother, it ran away." Hao Junqi was very regretful.

We wait all over again. Perhaps it was tired of flying, and after a while it came back and stopped on the reed pole again. Now, it can't escape. It's glued. It struggled desperately, but to no avail. I took back the bamboo stick and asked Hao Junqi to catch it.

Then we went to look for the second target.

Every time we go out, we have to catch a few of them and put them under the mosquito net. With a "tiger dragonfly" in the mosquito net, there is a feeling that I will sleep soundly that night. You know, mosquitoes are a nuisance, and they always want to get in and suck our blood through the hole in the mosquito net that my mother propped up on the bed.

Sometimes we also play with dragonflies. We sent the dead dragonflies to the ants in search of food, and then watched with great interest as the ants dragged the dragonflies back to their nests.

For a while, we became interested in knowing. Zhu Jinshan caught a big acquaintance and showed it off in front of us, which inspired my fighting spirit.

It's another afternoon, and the adults are already at work. We responded to the call and came to the bottom of the jujube tree directly opposite Grandpa Hao's gate. The leaves of the jujube tree are so dense. A string is repeated. Ah, the dates are already big and round. It's a pity that it's still green, tender, and can't be eaten. Mother said that eating dates at this time is to have diarrhea. Hao Junqi was fooled.

I knew it was screaming frantically, but we couldn't find it when we looked at it. But it's definitely on this tree, and you can't be wrong.

"Kiki, I'll go up the tree and have a look." I say.

"Well, be careful."

"Look at me."

I first climbed up the round soil bag under the tree, then hugged the main trunk of the jujube tree with both hands, and then wrapped my feet around the trunk, slowly rubbing it up. I climbed the branch almost two meters high. Oops, I don't know it. It must have been my action of climbing a tree that alarmed it. It looks like I can't move. I just stood motionless on the branch. After a while, I couldn't bear the loneliness and "sang" again. Ah, what a big one. I saw it, and it stopped on another branch above me. It was black, as if there was a shell over it. I grabbed it as soon as I reached out.

We're happy.

……

The memories of summer are as long as the days of summer.

The most memorable thing is, of course, herding cattle.

Our village is small, so we didn't have a few teams. There are only two production teams in a village, and each production team has more than a dozen cows, and almost every family has to raise one cow.

My father took us to herd cattle when we were very young. He had already chosen a higher stepping stone, led the ox there, and carried us on the back of the ox, and then he stepped on the stepping stone, climbed up the back of the ox from behind, with one big hand around the two of us, and the other big hand on the ox rope, and walked the ox forward. When the ox's feet move forward, the corresponding parts of the ox's back always arch upwards and fall together, which is very unstable - fortunately, our father's big hand holds us.

When we were a little older, the adults handed over the cows to us during the summer vacation.

At that time, we had already adapted to the cow's back together, and regarded it as a kind of enjoyment, just like riding a sedan chair. The cow also regarded us as its little masters, and listened to our commands.

We've all learned to get on the back of the cow from the front, and we've learned to go on the back of the cow on flat ground without stepping stones. Look, we tell the ox to lower its head, put one foot on the horn, and say "get up", and the ox will put its head up, and when the ox's head is on the same level as the ox's back, we will take advantage of the situation and climb forward, and we will be able to get on the bull's back.

When the cows were idle and there was no need to plough the fields, we rode the cows to the river after lunch, and then rode the cows home in the evening.

The river is a mile away from our village, and it takes ten minutes to walk on the back of an ox. The cow's hooves stepped on the bluestone slab, making a pleasant sound. But the cow didn't like it, and walked as much as he could on the dirt on the edge of the bluestone slab. Could it be that it feels pain in its feet when it steps on the bluestone slab? It's like we feel pain in our feet when we step on a stone road barefoot.

After walking the bluestone road, passing through a pavilion, out of the field of our village, walking a dirt road between two small mountains, the small river suddenly appeared in front of us.

Later, when I saw the Xin'an River in Hua'an, I realized how small our river is, but in my childhood impression, the river was so wide and deep. A wooden plank bridge spans the river, so high. It takes courage to run on a wooden bridge.

When we got to the river, we wrapped the rope around the horns of the ox, and as soon as we let the oxen go, we were free. There are many aquatic plants on the side of the river, and there is a large long meadow under the embankment, and the cows are like going to heaven when they arrive here, and when they are hungry, they eat grass for a while, and when they are thirsty, they drink water for a while, and when they are hot, they go down to the river to bathe for a while. It submerges its whole body in the water, only its head is exposed, its two big ears are flapping the water, and occasionally its tail is flicking.

When the cows are safe, we are free.

First, let's go to the wooden bridge for a race. Those who don't dare to run are bear bags, except for girls. From the beginning slowly to the end of the fast run, a few trips are enough. We have always recognized that Zhu Jinshan is the fastest, and he can go from one end of the bridge to the other. However, Hao Junqi always said that I was not bad.

"Maybe my brother is the fastest."

"Impossible." Yongri said.

"Then why do you say that Zhu Jinshan is the fastest?" Hao Junqi tilted her head.

"Everybody says yes."

"Then I said my brother is the fastest." She kept going.

Hao Junqi is too bold. She had to hold her hand before she dared to go up the bridge. She didn't dare to take a step, but carefully moved her feet forward. Once I deliberately let go of her hand, she immediately crouched down and didn't leave, and she didn't stand up tremblingly until I took her hand again.

There is a kind of "trumpet" tree by the river, which brings us a lot of joy. The "trumpet" tree is actually a kind of river willow. The bark is particularly resilient. We select a small branch, use a wood knife to cut a few inches long a small section, first use the back of the knife to gently tap it, until the stem and bark of the bond is slightly loosened, we put the back of the knife flat on top of it and roll back and forth, gradually, the "core" in it is squeezed out, we put the hollow willow bark into the mouth and blow, toot, as loud as a trumpet.

Then, we cut down the thick willow branches, took off the outer skin and circled around the small trumpet, and made the trumpet, and then blew it again, it was even louder, and it was a small trumpet!

But someone shouted. It is said that our cattle are fighting with other people's cows. We hurriedly ran over. Really, the fight was so fierce, the ropes of the ox coiled on the horns were broken. Our cows held their heads high, their eyes wide open, glaring at each other. The other party is also a bull, and he is also very angry.

"Roar, roar." Some people were heckling.

The cows really rushed up. Their heads are pressed against each other. Suddenly forward, sometimes backward, comparable to each other. Their hooves cut the dirt out of the ground.

Hao Junqi held my hand, very nervous. My little heart was beating so hard. We all want our cows to win.

"Roar, roar."

Suddenly, somehow, our cow suddenly flashed to the side and ran quickly in the direction of home. The bull who had won caught up with him was very fast. A large crowd ran after the oxen. We were discouraged, but we also ran along. Seeing the cow running farther and farther, he crossed the path between the two hills in the blink of an eye and disappeared.

That day, Hao Junqi and I had to walk home.

The bull fight had a very obvious negative effect – our cattle lost their prestige in the herd. It's lost its appeal. Worse still, it gave us a horrific experience that we may never forget for the rest of our lives.

And that cow is the bull that the thin man is responsible for free-range!