This is a small village you will fall in love with before even stepping into it. The tranquility surges from the air and drifts across the vast wilderness. Whether in summer or winter, the village's serenity always floats above it, like the giant banyan tree at the village entrance. No matter where you stand in the village, you can glimpse its majestic presence and bow to its grand momentum.
I once spent an entire day walking across the vast wilderness where Xiaotizipo Village lies. At that time, the wilderness was vibrant, brimming with the green vitality of life. The dense leaves and narrow spaces between branches of walnut trees provided excellent shelter for squirrels. They hid in the trees, stuffing unripe walnuts into their cheek pouches, then scurried to high branches, crushing the walnut shells with their sharp teeth like electric drills to eat the tender nuts inside. But now, the walnut trees have withdrawn their vitality, their leaves withered and fallen. The squirrels have nowhere to hide and have fled elsewhere.
No matter which house you stand in front of, you can see the ancient giant banyan tree at the village entrance, whose age is unknown. When we asked the village elders about the tree's age, they all shook their heads and said, "Don't know how many years, probably quite a few." They emphasized the word "quite," indicating a long time, but no one knew its exact age because, as far back as they could remember, the banyan tree had always looked like this. Over half a century, it remained the same, as if nothing had changed.
In fact, everything has changed. The banyan tree has seen them climb its trunk as children, mischievously chasing squirrels jumping among the branches. It has seen them aim a slingshot made of rubber bands at a high bird's nest, causing a few beautiful eggs to fall and break. It has seen them shed childhood innocence, step into adulthood, head to the fields of the four seasons or farther away, and start families and careers. Now, the banyan tree sees them transition from the prime of life to old age, witnessing how they have dedicated their lives to this small mountain village. Even though they have aged, in the eyes of the ancient banyan tree, whose age is unknown, they are still as young as children.
Walking under the banyan tree, its tall, thick, and expansive form is like a mansion built in the mountains. Its branches and leaves block the intense afternoon sunlight, pouring a coolness down from the top. We walked around it; the tree's shadow on the ground roughly covered an area well over 100 square meters. The roots firmly gripping the slope, even those exposed above ground, were as high as two stories, let alone the roots buried deep underground that we couldn't see. No one knows who planted this tree or under what circumstances, but it has successfully traversed time and space, like a guardian spirit watching over the village and everything here.
Xiaotizipo Village is built on the shoulder of a mountain, separated from the opposite Datizipo by a huge valley. The villagers have carved out terraced fields on the slopes, planting them with corn. Compared to other villages, Xiaotizipo has nothing special. It is small, with only about twenty or thirty households. The houses are unremarkable, conventional. The surrounding scenery is also unexceptional. Now that winter has arrived, large expanses of cornfields present a withered, yellow scene, blending with the earth. From a distance, it can almost be described as desolate.
Apart from the ancient banyan tree at the village entrance, the village's tranquility and cleanliness are enough to make one linger. The hardworking villagers are busy in the fields, with many mature corn stalks still to be harvested. Further into the mountains, you can surely find villagers, either watching leisurely grazing cattle or chasing a mischievous goat on a steep slope.
We walked toward a standalone farmhouse, envying its high courtyard walls and spacious yard. The house was built close to the mountaintop, surrounded by trees, especially a row of green bamboo in front that added elegance. We entered the square, spacious courtyard. The white wooden carvings on the beams were clearly visible, showing the owner's great effort. Orchids neatly arranged in the corner bloomed under the pure winter sun, exuding a distant and clean fragrance, instantly elevating the simple mountain courtyard to a refined level.
When we crossed the mountain and entered the valley where Xiaotizipo is located, we saw a small patch of bright green from afar. As we got closer, we found it was newly sprouted pea seedlings. Soon, when the corn stalks in the fields are harvested one by one, more and more green will replace the withered yellow, and this desolate valley will be transformed.
