On June 22, I made an appointment with friends to hike Jiushan Mountain come rain or shine. It turned out to be a Saturday with non-stop rain, but even so, the enthusiasm of outdoor enthusiasts was undeterred.
After more than three hours of hiking through wind and rain, we arrived at Tasi Village at 8:20 AM. Unfortunately, the weather worsened, and the rain intensified. We took shelter at Teacher Zhou’s house for two hours. When the rain let up a bit, we set off for Jiushan Mountain.
Along the way, I saw the golden lotuses I had long dreamed of—the golden lotuses of my dreams. Golden lotuses symbolize purity and pride. They are the fairies among flowers, standing tall and graceful, exuding elegance. They have always lingered in my dreams. Although there were only a few golden lotuses here, they seemed a bit slender and lacked some of their usual grandeur, but they were still golden lotuses.
Throughout the day, clouds and fog shrouded the Jiushan Mountain area, and rain continued to fall. Despite the weather, over a dozen tents were pitched at the foot of Jiushan Mountain. Soon after, more heavily equipped hikers kept arriving, which speaks to the allure of Jiushan Mountain.
When we climbed to the top of Jiushan Mountain, a blast of cold air hit us—it was exceptionally cold. I quickly put on my windbreaker and managed to endure it. Unexpectedly, despite the freezing cold at the mountaintop, there were dozens of people harvesting something. The scene was somewhat shocking and completely unexpected.
I immediately put down my backpack and joined the garlic chive harvesting crowd. I had been here twice before, but on those occasions, I only picked a few symbolic chives. This time, I came prepared. That’s when I realized that Jiushan Mountain truly lives up to its name as the “Garlic Chive Mountain.” This is the only mountain where garlic chives grow abundantly everywhere, and they were thriving. In no time, I had filled a large bag.
After battling wind and rain all the way, I rushed home and immediately started making dumplings. Finally, I got to eat dumplings made with the garlic chives I had picked myself. The aroma of chives filled the entire house—it felt like I had become an immortal, or at least close to one.
Windy, Rainy Jiushan, Fragrant with Garlic Chives
Graceful Golden Lotuses, Scattering Their Fragrance
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