Chapter 55 Oleander

Oleander is not a rare flower, nor is it the most beautiful flower; but, for me, she is the most memorable and memorable flower. I don’t know why, or since when, in the city of my hometown, almost every household has planted several pots of oleander, and they are all placed under the screen wall inside the gate, facing the gate.As soon as the guests walk in the door, they are greeted with a scent of fragrance, and the green wax-like leaves and red clouds or white snow-like flowers are what they enter. Immediately, they feel as if they have walked into the door of their own house and feel at home.

There are also two pots inside the gate of our house, one is red and the other is white.When I was young, I had to walk in and out of this place every day.Red flowers make me think of fire and white flowers make me think of snow.Fire and snow are incompatible; however, these two potted flowers bloom together harmoniously, just like there is snow on fire, or fire on snow.I took pleasure in it, and felt very strange and interesting in my little heart. There is only a wall separated, turn around the screen wall, is the yard.Our family has always liked flowers; although there are no very expensive flowers, there are all common flowers.Every spring, the winter jasmine first blooms small yellow flowers to report the news of spring.Then came peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, crabapple, elm plum, lilac, etc., and the yard was full of flowers.In summer, the courtyard is even more lush.Impatiens, carnations, cockscombs, five-color plums, Jiangxi wax, etc., are colorful and beautiful.The aroma of evening primrose permeates the entire summer night courtyard, which I will never forget.In autumn, the hosta brings a desolate chill, and the chrysanthemum announces the end of the flower event.In short, in three seasons of the year, flowers bloom and fall without intermission; although the scene is beautiful, there are many changes.

However, in the gate separated by a wall, the phlox was silent there. When one flower fell, another bloomed; when one flower turned yellow, another grew; in the warm spring breeze , in the midsummer torrential rain, in the coldness of late autumn, when there is nothing particularly flourishing, and when there is nothing particularly decaying, it faces the wind every day, from spring to autumn, from winter jasmine to Hosta flowers and chrysanthemums are all accompanied.Doesn't this toughness form a strong contrast with those flowers in the yard? But the beauty of oleander doesn't stop there.I especially love phlox in the moonlight.You stand under it, the flowers are a blur; but the fragrance is unambiguous, coming down from the flower branches in a strong way.It casts its shadow on the wall, the shadows of leaves are uneven, and the shadows of flowers are blurred, which can arouse my many fantasies.I fancied it was a map, and it was a map.This pile of shadows is Asia, that pile of shadows is Africa, and the blank space in the middle is the sea.It happened that a few bugs crawled over, and this was a seagoing ship traveling across the ocean.I fancied that it was a nymph in the water, and a small pond really appeared before my eyes.The shadows of night moths flying over and reflected on the wall are swimming fish.I fantasize that it is a black bamboo, and I really see a painting.When the breeze picked up and the shadows of the leaves swayed, this painting turned into a living painting.With such tenacity, and the ability to arouse my fancy like this, I fell in love with phlox.

For many, many years, I walked in and out under such oleanders.At first I was short and had to look up to see the flowers.Later, I gradually grew taller, and the oleander gradually became shorter in my eyes.When I could see flowers at eye level, I left the house. I left home, passed many years, traveled many places.I've seen phlox in various places but was not impressed. Two years ago, I visited Myanmar.After a few days of meetings in Yangon, many friends from Myanmar enthusiastically accompanied us to visit Bagan, the ancient capital in northern Myanmar.This place is famous for its pagodas and has the title of "City of Ten Thousand Pagodas".It is said that Vantaa did exist back then.Today, although the number is not so much, but looking around, there are jagged, towers clustered in the sky, gushing out of the ground one by one, just like the mountains in Yangshuo, and like the stone forest in Yunnan. As the old saying goes, poor is comparable.Although the flowers, plants and trees were still green, it was winter after all, and the weather was desolate and cold.

However, in this place, in front of the building where we live, I accidentally found my old friend phlox.Each plant is about the height of a floor, so that I didn't recognize them at first.There are more colors than domestic ones. Besides red and white, I remember there are also yellow ones.The leaves are greener than what I have seen before, like green wax, and the flowers bloom on the tall branches, more like patches of red clouds, clusters of white snow, and blossoming yellow clouds.Lush and luxuriant, dense green is compelling, forming a strong contrast with the desolate ancient city.

I walk in and out under such oleanders every day.In the evening, I sat on the railing upstairs with my Myanmar friends and talked about various issues, including the history of Bagan, the cultural exchanges between China and Myanmar, and the friendship between the people of China and Myanmar.At this time, the ancient pagodas in the distance gradually disappeared into the twilight, but the nearby ancient pagodas were brightly illuminated by electric lights, looking like a mirage of Lingshan.I reach over the fence and I can grab the top branch of the oleander.The fragrance of flowers also floated upstairs from below one after another, as if the friendship between China and Myanmar was more fragrant.

In this way, in the beautiful and moving memories of oleander, another layer of gorgeous and eye-catching colors of the friendship between the Chinese and Burmese peoples was painted.I've since loved phlox even more. October 17, 1962