张爱玉
Zhang Aiyu
张爱玉是这里典型的一位杞农。她来自山东，十八年前举家迁到了宁夏，从那时起一直在农牧场打零工，做一些短期工作。由于家里有四个孙子孙女，她必须要工作，帮助补贴家用，供自己的生活，与家里的一些杂费。平常，她在农牧场的蔬菜棚做种植等等工作，在暑期并不繁忙时，便来到这里，当枸杞采收的临时工。
张爱玉在采摘过程中与笔者聊天时，常常会关心笔者能不能承受这里的环境。“娃娃，这里太热了，你干啥要来和俺们一起受苦呢，带个帽子吧，喝点水吧。休息休息好了，这里太苦啦，去阴凉地方坐一坐吧。” 她一边描述着在这里劳作环境的艰苦，心疼地劝笔者休息的同时，手上的动作却从不停歇，在枝叶间上下翻飞。聊到家庭，她与笔者说她的大孙子今年考上了青岛的大学，回到了故乡。其他三个小孩也都很争气，在学校里学的很刻苦。“俺最骄傲的就是家里的孙子辈。他们有知识啊，就有了力量，不用再做俺这样的苦活。俺只要供着他们都读完大学，再苦再累也没关系啦。”她骄傲的和笔者说道。这是一位典型的中国式长辈，将自己这一辈子的力量全部倾注于后辈。从拉扯儿子长大，到帮着儿子带孙子，张爱玉觉得这一切都是理所当然的。看着子孙成长成功，对她来说是莫大的骄傲。当笔者问道她的年龄时，她回答：“俺才六十呢，但是黑的很，皱纹多的很。别人见了俺，都说像七八十岁呢。这里太苦咯，老的快。”略带自嘲的说着，她的眼睛里却含着心酸。的确，张爱玉的黝黑的脸上布满了被宁夏黄土高原的风沙和岁月雕刻出的皱纹，一双手也因常年才摘枸杞，接触树枝上的化学物质与沙土，变得粗糙发黑。
所有杞农的手掌和小臂都与张爱玉非常相似。老品种的枸杞灌木非常多刺，常常造成划伤刺伤，日积月累下变成小臂与手背上陈旧的伤疤。较新品种的枸杞灌木刺有减少，但是在杞农普遍不做防护措施的情况下，依然会造成不少的受伤。当笔者问道为什么不佩戴防护手套时，有的杞农回答“佩戴了就不方便伸手摘，会损坏果子”，也有的只是朴实的笑笑，说“没想过，还要额外花钱买手套，怪麻烦的”。
Zhang Aiyu is a typical wolfberry farmer here. She is from Shandong and moved to Ningxia with her family 18 years ago. Since then she has been working in the ranch farm and also doing some short-term jobs. Since there are four grandchildren at home, she has to work to help subsidize the family. Usually, she does planting and other work in the vegetable shed of the farm. When she is not busy in the summer, she comes here to work as a temporary worker in the wolfberry harvest season.
When Zhang Aiyu chatted with us during the picking process, she often expressed concern about whether the we could withstand the environment here. "Boy, it's too hot here. Why do you have to come and suffer with us? Wear a hat and drink some water." "Get some rest. It's too rigorous here. Go sit in a cool place. " While she was describing the harsh working environment here and distressedly advising us to take a rest, the movements of her hands never stopped, flying up and down among the branches and leaves. Talking about family, she told us that her eldest grandson was admitted to a university in Qingdao this year. The other three children are also very successful and study very hard in school. "What I'm most proud of are my grandchildren. They have knowledge and strength, and they don't have to do hard work like me. As long as I support them all through college, it doesn't matter how hard or tired I am." She was proud. She is a typical Chinese elder who devotes all her life's strength to her descendants. From helping her son grow up to helping her son raise her grandson, Zhang Aiyu feels that all of this is natural and need no reason. Watching her children and grandchildren grow up and succeed is a great source of pride for her. When we asked her age, she replied: "I'm only sixty, but I look very old and have many wrinkles. When people see me, they say I look like I'm seventy or eighty years old. Maybe that's because my job here." She said this sentence lightly, but there was sadness in her eyes. Indeed, Zhang Aiyu's dark face is covered with wrinkles carved by the wind and sand in the Loess Plateau of Ningxia and the years. Her hands have also become rough and black from picking wolfberries all year round and coming into contact with chemicals and sand on the branches.
The palms and forearms of all wolfberry farmers are very similar to Zhang Aiyu. Old varieties of wolfberry shrubs are very thorny, often causing scratches and puncture wounds, which over time turn into old scars on the forearms and backs of hands. Newer varieties of wolfberry shrubs have fewer thorns, but wolfberry farmers generally do not take protective measures. When the author asked why they did not wear protective gloves, some farmers replied, "It will be inconvenient to reach out and pick the fruits if I wear gloves, and the fruits will be damaged." Others simply smiled and said, "I never thought about it, gloves will cause extra money."
林和英
Lin Heying
十二年前，林和英从农牧场的生产队退休，在附近新建的小区购置了房子，从此就定居在附近。但宁夏人从来是耐不住退休后的寂寞的。帮助儿子与儿媳妇带孙子的同时，林和英决定重拾一些和退休前类似的生产工作。青年时期她经常会去采摘枸杞，啤酒花等等经济作物等补贴家用，便选择来到农牧场附近依然处于经营状态的枸杞田，做一些采摘工作。当笔者询问她重新回归工作的动机时，她笑着说其实没有什么动机。不过是觉得自己“还没老到做不动事，依然有挺多力量”，于是便决定将这份劳动当作来“玩”一般。早上五点，林和英在准备简单的早餐后，便踏上初亮的路前往枸杞田。早上的采摘一般持续到十一点，就因为过高的温度和紫外线暂停，直到下午三点左右才再次开始。但林和英每次都会尽量摘到将近十二点，因为下午她便不再来田里了，会选择睡个午觉，和小区里年龄相仿的阿姨们打牌娱乐。“干了一辈子活了，我们就是闲不下来。下午玩玩也可以了，上午还是得给自己找点事做。”林和英笑着解释道，脸部被鲜艳的丝巾包住，只能看到笑着的眉眼。
当与笔者聊到自己的儿子时，她的心情显得略为复杂。林和英的儿子在华为工作，属于在几个城市间来回奔波的状态。她提到，自己的儿子薪资较高，但是同时脸上的忧喜相交却显示出她觉得儿子“太苦了”，不想让儿子这么拼。“我们干这个的有啥苦嘛，又不用动脑子，伸伸手摘就好了，无非就是晒一点扎一点，老农民都习惯了。我儿子那一直加班出差，几年没回过家，想到我都难过啊。” 在林和英看来，相比于自己的辛劳，她远远更关注远在另一个城市的儿子。
Twelve years ago, Lin Heying retired from the production team of the farm-ranch and purchased a house in a newly built neighborhood nearby. Since then, she and her family settled in the area. However, people from Ningxia are never able to withstand the loneliness after retirement. While helping their son and daughter-in-law take care of their grandchildren, Lin Heying decided to resume some work similar to what she did before retirement. In her younger days, she used to go picking wolfberries, hops, and other cash crops to supplement the family income. So, she chose to work in the wolfberry plantation near the farm and ranch that were still in operation. When asked about her motivation to return to work, she smiled and said there wasn't much motivation. She just felt that she "wasn't too old to do nothing and still had plenty of strength," so she decided to take this labor as a form of "play".
At five o'clock in the morning, after preparing a simple breakfast, Lin Heying set off on the dimly lit road to the fields. The morning picking usually lasted until eleven o'clock when it paused due to high temperatures and UV radiation, and then resumed around three o'clock in the afternoon. However, Lin Heying would try to pick until nearly noon because she wouldn't return to the fields in the afternoon. Instead, she would take a nap and play cards with other retired people in the neighborhood. "I've worked our whole lives, and we just can't sit idle. Playing in the afternoon is also fine, but in the morning, I still need to find something to do for myself," Lin heying explained with a smile. Her face was covered with a bright scarf, revealing only her smiling eyes.
When talking about her son, her mood seemed a bit complicated. Lin Heying's son works at Huawei and often travels between several cities for work. She mentioned that her son has a high salary, but the mixed emotions on her face showed that she thinks her son is "working too hard" and she doesn't want him to struggle like that. "What hardship do we have picking wolfberries? We don't have to use our brains, just stretch out our hands and pick. It's just a bit of sun exposure and pricking, and the experienced farmers are used to it. My son has been working overtime and traveling for years without coming back home. It makes me sad when I think about it." In Lin Heying's view, compared to her own toil, she is far more concerned about her son in another city.
刘子火
Liu Zihuo
十年前，七十岁的刘子火和他的老伴随着儿子打工来到宁夏。据他所说，那时老家甘肃的村里“什么也没有了，村子荒废了，人也跑光了。”，虽然舍不得，也只能一起过来了。 可是初到宁夏，生活也并不好过。没钱购置房子，刘子火与老伴常常得通过捡破烂，拾荒和一些零工维持生计，通过每一天的拮据度日攒钱。几年后，加上儿子的资助，两人在农牧场旁购买了一间小平房，从此才有了稳定的住所。可家里的经济情况并没有进步太多。“奔着八十岁的一把老骨头， 哪有体力活的工作敢收啊，即使有力气，人家也不要，只能处处跑做做零工，”刘子火回忆道。
顺理成章的，这片枸杞田，成了他和老伴每年都来的工作点，即使疫情期间也雷打不动。据他们所说，两人在前几年每天一共能摘超过两百斤枸杞，换算后一个月大概能挣上五六千块钱。对他们来说，这样一笔钱是非常富足的了。近年来，随着年龄增长，刘子火和老伴加起来每天也只能摘一百多斤了。虽然收入减少，出于对生计的考量，刘子火和他的老伴并没有其他选择。他对笔者说道：“现在的生活和工作也挺好的了。有稳定的住所，和老伴身体还算硬朗，儿子周末能来看看他们，俺也就满足了。赚的多少，也就那样吧。”生活过得去，吃饱肚子，平平淡淡的过每一天，也就是刘子火现在能想到的最好的生活。
Ten years ago, 70-year-old Liu Zihuo and his elder son came to Ningxia to work. According to him, at that time, there was "nothing left in the village in his hometown in Gansu. The village was deserted and all the people were gone." Although he was reluctant to leave, he had no choice but to come together with his son. When he first arrived in Ningxia, life was not easy. With no money to purchase a house, Liu Zihuo and his wife often have to maintain a living by picking up rags, scavenging and doing temporary jobs, saving money every day. A few years later, with funding from their son, the two bought a small bungalow next to the ranch farm, and have had a stable residence ever since. But the family's financial situation has not improved much. "With my eighty-year-old bones, no one accepts me for any physical work! Even if I have the strength, I cannot find such a job, so I can only do the picking job at this plantation." Liu Zihuo recalled.
Naturally, this wolfberry field has become a work site that he and his wife come to every year, even during the epidemic. According to them, the two of them could pick more than 100 kilograms of wolfberries every day in the past few years. Which means they could earn about 5,000 to 6,000 CNY a month. For them, such a sum of money is huge. In recent years, as they grow older, Liu Zihuo and his wife only pick about 60 kilograms a day combined. Although their income has decreased, Liu Zihuo and his wife have no other choice due to livelihood considerations. He told us:" My life and work are pretty good now. I have a stable place to live, my wife and I are in good health, and my son can come visit them on weekends, so I am satisfied. The amount of money I earn isn't that important. Let it go." Living a decent life, having a full stomach, and living every day in an ordinary way is the best life Liu Zihuo can think of now.
马秀兰
Ma Xiulan
马秀兰是刘子火的老伴。她并没有太多话，只是默默的在田里采摘。老两口的分工非常明确，各拿着一个桶，在两旁的枸杞丛间采摘。可当笔者与她聊到她的生活，子女时，她的话匣子便突然打开了，开始和我们侃侃而谈。她与我聊到自己儿子的工作，聊大女儿上班，小女儿考大学的故事，在大学里的生活。她越讲越高兴，手上的动作不停，但神情却越发眉飞色舞起来。在和笔者分享养育儿女，看着他们逐渐长大的过程中，她从不与我讲自己和老伴有多苦，只是着重讲看到他们每每迈出人生重要一步时的感受。她并没有夸耀自己的儿女，而是有抱怨，有欣慰的和我讲这些故事。中国式的母亲大概就是这样，为子女奉献时，他们从来不计较自己受的苦，付出的艰辛与汗水，只是默默从事着手上的活。当子女取得成就，结婚生子，考进大学，这些属于他们的喜悦，更是母亲的喜悦。 她很喜欢和我们分享鸡毛蒜皮的小事，所见所闻的琐碎风声，可能是不知道哪里听来的琐碎轶事，但是又将这些消息语重心长的嘱咐于陌生人，似乎真的把我们当成她的孩子一般。
Ma Xiulan is Liu Zihuo's wife. She didn't say much, just picked in the fields silently. The old couple had a very clear division of labor. Each held a bucket and picked among the wolfberry bushes on both sides. But when we chatted with her about her life and children, her chat box suddenly opened up. She talked to us about her son's work, her eldest daughter's work, her younger daughter's entrance into college. The more she talked, the happier she became. Her hands kept moving, but her expression became more and more elated. When sharing with us the process of raising her children and watching them grow up, she never said how hard it was for herself and her husband. She only focused on how great sense of accomplishment she felt when she saw her children take an important steps in their lives. She did not boast about her children, but shared these stories with joy. This is probably the most typical case for Chinese mothers. When they dedicate themselves to their children, they never care about how they themselves have suffered, the hard work and sweat they put in, but just quietly engage in the work at hand. When their children achieve success, get married, have children, and enter college, they share their children's joy. The trivial rumors she sees and hears may be anecdotes she heard somewhere, but she also gives these messages to strangers in a sincere and kind way, and she seems to really treat us as her own Children.
祁琪
Qi Qi
祁琪是老祁的二女儿， 从业于美容行业。在家里农业最繁忙的一个月，她和兄弟姐妹都会从公司请一个长假，回到枸杞田帮忙。在说到父母的事业时，她非常明确的表达了自己的担忧。“我父母现在都六十几岁了。种植枸杞是一个非常辛苦，需要大量劳动的工作。他们两个每天四五点就要起床，干完一天的农活，睡觉最早也要十一二点了。更别说，一年除了冬季，几乎其他的月份都需要这样工作，这样努力一年的，能挣一点钱的话还不枉费辛苦，要是收成不好挣不到钱，实在太苦了。我们做子女的，肯定是非常不想让他们这么辛苦的。“ 可当笔者问道为什么不劝父母休息，或者换个轻松的庄稼种植时，祁琪的回答是，是在劝不动父母。”我爸妈都是非常执着的人，坚持选择了这条道路就从来不会放弃退缩的那种人。他们前几年种这个都没有收益的。很多人坚持不下去，就把枸杞铲掉换别的庄家了，我爸妈还是要坚持。疫情三年也扛过去了，从没说过要放弃。我很敬佩他们的坚韧执着嘛，也只能尊重他们的事业。所以我们几个兄弟姐妹都会尽力回来帮忙，也是帮助减轻他们的劳动。”
祁琪说，她觉得父亲能够一直坚持种植枸杞到现在的原因，也很简单。 父亲一开始种植枸杞的动机肯定是希望能够多赚点钱，供给家里。他做所有事业的原动力都是希望家里人过得更好。
同时，他是一个非常执着的人，喜欢挑战失败与艰难险阻。无论是在做事，还是那时决定徒步来到宁夏，还是当农民，他都坚持着自己的完美主义，要把事情做到让自己满意才行。所以父亲能够坚持下来，把种植里的每一个细节，每一个标准都做到符合自己心里的标准。
她说，有他觉得父亲在培育枸杞的过程中，早已经与这些树苗有了感情。像培养孩子一样看枸杞发芽，开花，结果，落叶，所以舍不得放弃这些枸杞。即使几年后地到期了，他也不会舍得将这些枸杞树卖掉。
最后一个原因，祁琪说，是父亲种植的枸杞得到了许多认可。无论是一些本地的常客，还是全国各地找他买枸杞的人，抑或是批发枸杞的贩子，都对他种植出的枸杞赞赏有加。正因为父亲一丝不苟，非常用心，不偷工减料的种植，收获的枸杞才能有这么多认可。这些支持也让他有动力，继续耕种下一年的果实。
之后，当祁琪谈到父母这片枸杞地的前景时，她表现得乐观而坚定。“我父亲一直坚持不用有害的农药，用最天然自然的方式晾晒枸杞，用食用碱清洗枸杞。这样的种植理念和现代人追求天然有机，追求健康无污染食物的理念非常契合。他做农民以来，一直把良心作为自己的信条，所以种出的枸杞品质才好，不过有时也会因此亏钱吧。” 她相信父亲的理念会逐渐得到更多的认可，在未来受到更多人的追捧。这片土地，与土地上结出的枸杞，像父亲的信念一样纯净，能够被更多人发现，有着可持续的未来。
祁琪的有一句话让笔者印象非常深刻。“纯真而天然的东西，才能够长久。” 这是她和所有家人，对于家里枸杞产业的未来最坚定的信念。
Qi Qi is Qi's second daughter and works in the beauty industry. During the busiest harvest season of wolfberry, she and her siblings would take a long vacation from their companies and return to the wolfberry fields to help. When talking about her parents' careers, she expressed her concerns very clearly. "My parents are now in their sixties. Planting wolfberry is a very tough job that requires a lot of labor. They get up at four or five o'clock every day. After finishing the day's farm work, they have to go to bed at eleven or twelve o'clock at the earliest. Not to mention that they need to work like this in almost all other months of the year except winter! We As children, definitely don’t want them to work so hard.” But when the author asked why she didn’t persuade her parents to take a rest or change to plant less labir-demanding crops, Qi Qi’s answer was that she couldn’t persuade her parents. "My parents are very persistent people, the kind of people who will never give up if they have chose a path. There is no profit in the first three years growing wolfberries. Many people couldn't persist, so they shoveled the wolfberries and replaced them with other crops. But my parents persisted. They have came through the three-year pandemic, and never said word about giving up. I admire their tenacity and persistence, and I can only respect their career. So me and my siblings will try their best to come back and help, which also helps to reduce their labor.”
Qi Qi said that she thinks the reason why her father has been able to continue planting wolfberries until now is also very simple. "My father’s motivation for planting wolfberries in the first place must have been to earn more money to provide for the family. The driving force behind all his undertakings is to hope that his family will live a better life.
At the same time, he is a very persistent person who likes to challenge failures and difficulties. Whether he was doing something, whether he decided to hike to Ningxia at that time, or whether he was a farmer, he always insisted on his perfectionism and had to do things to his satisfaction. Therefore, my father was able to persevere and make every detail and standard of planting meet his own standards."
She said her father had already developed tremendous sweat and tears for his wolfberry trees. Watching the wolfberries sprout, bloom, bear fruit, and fall leaves is like raising a child, so his father can't bear to give up these wolfberries. Even if the land expires in a few years, he will not be willing to sell these wolfberry trees.
The last reason, Qi Qi said, why his father persisted, is that the wolfberry grown by her father has received a lot of recognition. Whether it's some local regulars, people from all over the country who come to him to buy wolfberry, or dealers who wholesale wolfberry, they all praise the wolfberries he grows. "It is precisely because my father is meticulous and attentive, and never be lazy and tricky in planting, thus the harvested wolfberries can receive so much recognition. This support also gives him the motivation to continue cultivating next year's fruits."
Later, when Qi Qi talked about the prospects of her parents' wolfberry plantation, she appeared optimistic and determined. "My father has always insisted on not using harmful pesticides, drying wolfberries in the most natural way, and washing them with edible alkali. This planting concept is very consistent with modern people's pursuit of natural and organic, healthy and pollution-free food. He has always regarded his conscience as his bottom line, so the quality of the wolfberries grown is good. Sometimes he may lose money because of his values, but there is no regret." Qi Qi believes that her father's ideas will gradually gain more recognition and be sought after by more people in the future. "This land, and the wolfberries grown on it, are as pure as my father’s beliefs, can be discovered by more people, and have a sustainable future."
There is one sentence by Qi Qi that impressed us deeply. "Only pure and natural things can last long." This is the firmest belief she and all her family members have for the future of their family's wolfberry industry.
祁治真
Qi Zhizhen
杞治真祖籍位于陕西，今年已经年近古稀了。1999年时，为了更好的生活，他决定带着家人前往新的城市谋生。那时恰逢宁夏开始发展，大量资源涌入，老祁便决定考察一下宁夏是否合适。当时汽车并不普及，而从陕西到宁夏的火车票又过于昂贵，于是老祁决定自己先徒步到宁夏，安置一片地方，再将家人接过来。孤身一人，老祁踏上了前往宁夏的路。接近一个月的徒步过程中，老祁只能风餐露宿，最艰苦的时候只能风餐露宿，听着野外的风吹草动应付一晚。终于，来到宁夏银川，在贺兰山边上的农牧场寻找到了可以定居的房子，老祁与一家人都搬迁到了这里。
他与农牧场签订了三十年的合同，长租了一片四十亩的土地，共计三十年的租期。从最初种植玉米，高粱等庄稼，再到之后开始大规模种植枸杞，老祁和老伴两个人耕种着整整40亩的土地，至今已经23年了。
老祁与笔者说道，种植枸杞其实是最看天的。作为一种耐旱不耐涝的植物，降雨很大程度上决定了一年枸杞的收成。当枸杞树获得的水分过多时，根部容易诱发根腐病，结成的果实会大规模减少，同时果实的品质受水分影响也会变差，影响之后晾晒等等工序。最坏的情况是，当枸杞果实内部水分过多，雨停之后，在夏季炎热太阳的暴晒下，甚至会爆开，极大影响收成。“去年便是这样，夏天连着下了好几天的雨，淹的枸杞地里人都进不去啊，我们也只能眼睁睁的看到枸杞烂掉，别提多心疼了。本来要是收成好，兴许还能赚一些钱。遇到这种天灾，连大半的成本都回不来啊。” 对于去年因为水封过多而导致的歉收，老祁依然耿耿于怀。于是今年他花了超过一万元，为整片枸杞地引进了滴灌系统。滴灌系统的优势便是随开随停，能够较好的控制水量，遇到下雨的情况，可以提前关小水量，甚至是停止，防止最后枸杞地里的水分过多。这样的灌溉方式相比传统的沟渠灌溉，智能且可控的多，代价则是更高的成本。“别看今年这样收成好，减去所有买的东西，撒的药，用的人工，其实最后也赚不了几个钱呢。希望明年再更好一点吧。” 聊到今年的进步，老祁完全没有露出骄傲之色，反而跟笔者开始算起总共花掉的成本。的确，在通胀严重，各类人工，材料费用暴涨的情况下，种植枸杞的利润并不丰厚。“不过现在有更先进的机子，更好的农药，灌溉，也解决了很多原来只能干瞪眼的问题，我们也更有底气了。”对于老祁来说，所有他付出购买更先进设备，更现代的种植方式的成本，其实都是在与天搏斗，努力克服从前无处下手的问题。
当笔者问道老祁何时能够休息时，他却朴实地笑了起来。“咱们做农民的，哪有休息这一说啊。枸杞树长不停啊，人要是一停，落下的活可就再也补不完咯。种枸杞，但凡要是对不起自己之前努力一分一毫，就完全前功尽弃咯！” 这一段话其实完全没有谬误。对于农时，植物的生长周期，农民必须要有最精准的把握，并时刻不懈怠的完成目前阶段的任务。这种精准背后，其实需要付出大众难以想象的，在每一天咬牙在凌晨起床，留下数不完的汗水，做完一天的农活，再拖着已经感觉不到的身体入眠的辛劳。笔者问老祁 “这样的日子辛苦嘛，为什么不选择放弃，换一个活做呢？” 他沉思了一会，看着身边正在晾晒的枸杞，回答道“ 舍不得嘛。种了这么多年了，每一株树都快记清楚了，跟养孩子一样嚯。已经这么苦了几十年了，再多几年，咱其实也无所谓啦。就算你现在让我换个地方，我也绝对舍不得这片土地啊。”
笔者追问老祁，如果遇到去年一样的失败，也没有想过放弃嘛？老祁的回答无比坚定 “ 想过，但是这种念头也一下就过去了。我想的更多的，大概是如何让在下一年别犯同样的错误吧。其实收成不好，就代表这一年一点钱都赚不到啊，咋能不难过呢。不过，心里还是有股劲，想着一定要和天斗，要斗赢，把这枸杞种好。”
和笔者短暂交谈后，老祁继续开始忙着晾晒场上的工作，将一个个盘子摆正，翻着盘上的枸杞。他的孙子和老伴，一起坐在旁边晾晒盘搭起的简易棚子下。刚过三岁的孙子正玩耍着玩具，抬头看到爷爷，兴冲冲的奔跑过来。老祁便背起孙子，开始为他介绍盘子上一颗颗红艳艳的果子。“你看，有孙子在这里陪着我，多苦的活也变成甜的了。“ 扛着孙子的老祁望向笔者，爽朗的笑着说。
笔者离开时恰逢傍晚。渐渐落下的太阳，跨过远处的贺兰山，将火一般艳红温暖的夕阳盖在二老一小身上。晾晒着的万颗枸杞在此刻，真的像红宝石一般闪耀着。
The ancestral home of Qi Zhizhen is located in Shaanxi. He is now nearly 70 years old. In 1999, in search of a better livelihood, he decided to move to a new city with his family. At that time, Ningxia was undergoing development and experiencing an influx of resources. Qi decided to investigate whether Ningxia was suitable. As cars were not common and train tickets from Shaanxi to Ningxia were expensive, Qi decided to walk to Ningxia alone first, find a place to settle down, and then bring his family over. During the month-long journey on foot, Qi had to sleep outdoors and endure hardships. At the most difficult times, he had to listen to the sounds of the wind and grass to get through the night. Finally, he arrived in Yinchuan, Ningxia, and found a house to settle down on a farm near Helan Mountain. Qi and his family moved there.
He signed a 30-year contract with the farm and leased a 40-acre piece of land for 30 years. Initially, he planted crops such as corn and sorghum, but later switched to large-scale cultivation of wolfberries. Since that time, Qi and his wife have been cultivating the entire 40 acres of land for 23 years.
Qisaid that cultivating wolfberries is highly dependent on the weather. As a drought-resistant but not flood-tolerant plant, rainfall largely determines the harvest of wolfberries each year. When wolfberry trees receive too much water, root rot can occur, resulting in a significant decrease in fruit production. The quality of the fruit is also affected by water, which in turn affects subsequent drying processes. In the worst case, if the internal moisture of the wolfberry fruits is too high, they may burst open under the scorching sun after the rain stops in the summer, greatly affecting the harvest. "Last year was like this. It rained for several days in a row during the summer, and the wolfberry fields were flooded. We could only watch the trees and fruits rot. It was heartbreaking. If the harvest had been good, maybe we could have made some money. But when such natural disasters occurs, we can't even recoup half of our costs." Qi still regrets the crop failure caused by excessive water last year. So this year, he spent over 10,000 yuan to introduce a drip irrigation system for the wolfberry fields. The advantage of the drip irrigation system is that it can control the water quantity well. In case of rain, the water can be reduced or even stopped in advance to prevent excessive moisture in the fields. Compared to traditional irrigation methods using ditches, this intelligent and controllable irrigation method results in higher costs. "Don't be deceived by this year's good harvest. After deducting all the expenses for buying things, spraying pesticides, and labor costs, we didn't make much money in the end. I hope next year will be even better." When talking about the progress made this year, Qi did not show any pride. Instead, he started calculating the total cost spent. Indeed, with severe inflation and skyrocketing costs of labor and materials, the profit from cultivating wolfberries is not substantial. "But now we have more advanced machinery, better pesticides, and irrigation systems. We have solved many problems that we used to struggle with. We have more confidence now." For him, all the costs he has paid to purchase more advanced equipment and adopt modern cultivation methods are actually a struggle against nature, an effort to overcome problems that were previously difficult to tackle.
When asked when he could rest, Qi smiled modestly and said,"We farmers don't have the concept of resting. Wolfberry trees keep growing, and if we stop, the work will pile up and become impossible to catch up. If we fail to live up to our previous efforts, all efforts will all be in vain!" This statement is not at all mistaken. Farmers must have the most precise grasp of the agricultural season and the growth cycle of plants, and they must tirelessly complete the tasks of the current stage. Behind this precision lies unimaginable efforts, waking up in the early morning, leaving countless drops of sweat, completing a day's work, and then dragging their exhausted bodies to sleep. When asked why he didn't choose to give up and do something else, Qipondered for a moment, looked at the Chinese wolfberries being dried, and replied, "I can't bear to. After so many years of planting, I know every tree as if it were my own child. I've been through so much hardship for decades, a few more years won't make a difference. Even if you ask me to change places now, I absolutely wouldn't bear to leave this land. "
We asked Qi, if he encountered the same failure as last year, would he not have thought of giving up? His answer was extremely firm: "I have thought about it, but this thought passed away in a flash. What I was thinking more about was how to avoid making the same mistake next year. In fact, a bad harvest means that this I can’t make any money, so how can I not be sad? However, I still feel energetic in my heart, thinking that I must fight against the nature, win, and plant these wolfberries well.”
After a brief conversation with us, Qi continued working on the drying yard, straightening the plates one by one and turning over the wolfberries on the plates. His grandson and his wife were sitting together under a simple shed set up next to the drying tray. The grandson, who was just over three years old, was playing with toys. When he looked up and saw his grandfather, he ran over excitedly. Qi then carried his grandson on his back and began to introduce to him the bright red fruits on the plate. "You see, with my grandson here to accompany me, the hard life has become sweet." Qi, who was carrying his grandson, looked at us and said with a hearty smile.
It was evening when we left. The sun was gradually setting, crossing the Helan Mountain in the distance, covering the child, the woman, and the old man with a fiery red and warm sunset. Thousands of wolfberries drying in the sun were really shining like rubies at this moment.
