Memories of Water Chestnut

It is the golden season again, and "the pond is full of green water chestnuts". Every time this season comes, my aunt always gives me a big bag of water chestnuts. My aunt's home is in a floodplain area, with dense river networks, and there are many more water chestnuts than in my hometown. When I was young, I could often see water chestnuts in my hometown, but they disappeared several years ago.

Water chestnut is an annual aquatic herb, a delicacy bestowed by nature. There are many varieties of water chestnuts. In terms of color, there are green water chestnuts, red water chestnuts, purple water chestnuts, black water chestnuts, etc.; in terms of the number of corners, there are four-cornered water chestnuts, three-cornered water chestnuts, two-cornered water chestnuts, and no-corner water chestnuts. The two-cornered water chestnuts at my aunt's house have black shells and are also called black water chestnuts. The fruit is large, with a thick shell, and the two ends are curved and upturned like ox horns, and the middle is bulging, showing a natural curvaceous beauty, thick and plump.

There are two types of water chestnuts: domestic water chestnuts and wild water chestnuts. I remember when I was a child in my hometown in the countryside, the water chestnuts planted by the production team were larger in size and were domestic water chestnuts; those that were left unattended and grew naturally were mostly wild water chestnuts. Water chestnuts have a strong vitality. Old water chestnuts that fall into the pond will sprout in the spring of the following year, and many tiny water chestnut leaves will grow on the long vines and gradually emerge from the water. At first, they were scattered, and slowly became vine-like water chestnut plates. When summer comes, water chestnuts will accelerate their reproduction and grow vigorously. The water chestnut plates are getting bigger and bigger, crowded together, layered, lush and shiny, covering the entire water surface, as if a thick green carpet was laid. The water chestnuts have gradually opened small flowers, white with yellow, dotted between the leaves. Although they are small and fragmented, they are different in style and are exquisite and handsome. When the flowers are bearing fruits, they hide under the leaves and grow quietly. Walking by the water chestnut pond, you will see dragonflies flying lightly and nimbly, or perching on water chestnut leaves. The scent of water fills the air, and bursts of fragrance hit your face.

My friends and I didn't dare to "steal" wild water chestnuts. We could only take bamboo poles to the wild water chestnut ponds and pick out the water chestnuts to see if they were delicious. Sometimes we could grab the stems of water chestnuts and gently drag them to pull a bunch of them. Wild water chestnuts are dark green, small, and sharp as needles. If you are not careful, they will poke your hand. When they are ripe, the shells of wild water chestnuts are very hard. We choose tender ones, but not too tender. If they are too tender, they will puddle with water. When you bite open the wild water chestnuts, the white jade flesh is exposed. Chewing them in your mouth, they are fresh, sweet, crisp, and tender, with refreshing juice, which can quench your thirst. There is dirt on the wild water chestnuts, so we just wash them a little. After eating, the corners of our mouths are black, and we joke with each other and laugh together. In that era of food and clothing shortages, water chestnuts not only brought us a sweet taste, but also the joy of filling our stomachs.

Picking water chestnuts in the village is a sight to behold. To pick water chestnuts, a wooden oval "kidney basin" is used. A small bench is placed at the head. After sitting down, the body's center of gravity is leaned forward as much as possible. Hands are placed over the edge of the basin, and the water chestnut plate is lifted up and turned over, so it is commonly known as "turning water chestnuts". A gourd ladle is also brought with it, so that the accumulated water in the basin can be scooped out at any time. Picking water chestnuts is a patent of women, perhaps because they are born with light movements or they are lighter in weight. They either paddle lightly with their hands or use wooden boards as paddles among the densely packed water chestnut plates. After the basin is paddled, waterways will be divided in the green river pond, which is like a poem or a painting. They chat and laugh while picking water chestnuts, and sometimes hum a song "Picking Red Water Chestnuts", which is lively and lively. Picking water chestnuts has been a romantic thing since ancient times, and many literati have chanted it to their heart's content. My favorite is Bai Juyi's "Watching Picking Water Chestnuts": "The water chestnut pond is as clear as a mirror without waves, and the white dots and flowers are sparse and the green corners are numerous. Sometimes a new water tune is sung, and people say it is a song about picking water chestnuts." How vivid and beautiful it is! In fact, picking water chestnuts is not only hard work, but also a technical job.

The picked water chestnuts are distributed to each household, and my mother will pour them into the water for sorting. The ones floating on the water are tender water chestnuts, with crispy shells that are easy to peel and suitable for eating raw; the ones sinking to the bottom of the water are naturally old water chestnuts, with hard shells and suitable for cooking. Wash the water chestnuts, put them into a large iron pot and add water to simmer. After a while, when the edge of the pot makes a "chi chi" sound and a faint fragrance overflows, the water chestnuts are cooked. Take out the water chestnuts, let them cool for a while, and bite open the hard shell with your teeth. The water chestnut meat is as tender as snow. Taste it carefully, it is very soft, and a sweet fragrance wafts out from the corners of your mouth. When you chew it, it is soft and delicate, and the clear and sweet taste is soaked in the aura of water.

At that time, the family lived a hard life and meat dishes were not common. But on the Mid-Autumn Festival, my mother would cook a rooster with water chestnut rice. The rooster was raised in the early spring and had not yet crowed. My mother said that the rooster at this time was delicious and nutritious. First, wash the chicken, cut it into pieces, add ginger, chili, etc., and stir-fry it in a pan. When the chicken is 80% cooked, add water chestnut rice and stir-fry, and simmer it over low heat. The fresh fragrance of the chicken and the fragrance of the water chestnut penetrate and absorb each other, and gradually the fragrance overflows. Eating a piece of water chestnut, it is soft and fragrant, and a rural atmosphere and pastoral flavor spreads. Water chestnuts are not only delicious, but also rich in starch, protein, glucose and multiple vitamins. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records: Water chestnuts can nourish the spleen and stomach, strengthen the thighs and knees, and strengthen the body and qi.

Tasting the water chestnuts from my aunt's house, it is not just a delicacy, but also a memory and emotion.