Spring will come when the trees sprout new, tender buds from their thin, bare winter branches. At that time, the flowering season is about to begin. To me, spring is the season of pure scents that permeate everything in the chilly air of the green January and February.
The fragrant air this morning led me to the earthen wall along the winding alley.
There I often see myself perched on a low grapefruit branch, attentively watching the pure white flowers gradually blooming in a spring morning with the sound of birds, the scent and the wind. I see myself in the form of a joyful child among the garden trees that are all changing into new clothes, either green or purple.
Everything was as vivid as a slow motion film, a film of brilliant colors, chirping birds, fragrant flowers and warm breeze.
The winding alley was paved with tilted bricks sprinkled with fragile flower petals, beautiful and extremely quiet. My hometown garden at that time had not only roses and peach blossoms but also grapefruit flowers, mango flowers, areca flowers, longan flowers, guava flowers, wolf flowers...
That endless scent always permeates the January air, and I am always busy searching for and distinguishing those scents. I always know where in the deserted alleys will rise the scent of areca, grapefruit, or guava, wolfberry…
I really like the grapefruit tree at the entrance of my house, even though its trunk is rough and moldy and there are often worms that bore into it, pushing out fresh sawdust. In spring, it smells so fragrant, even the green leaves full of essential oils are fragrant and soft like a small hand.
The pure white grapefruit flower with yellow pistil looks small and humble, but it is so fragrant that I always want to pick up the fallen petals and put them in my notebook so that when I go to school I can still smell that fragrance.
A few times, my friends and I tried to "make perfume" from fallen grapefruit petals by soaking them in glass jars, but it seemed that we were not very successful in retaining the scent.
In the spring, the fragrance of those young, soft leaves was kept by my mother on my sunburned hair with pots of shampoo. The water made my hair fragrant and smooth even after being exposed to the sun and wind all day. Besides the scent of grapefruit, I also like the scent of areca flowers.
The row of areca nuts that had withered in the garden during the cold, dry winter has now shed a few withered leaves to burst into a cluster of fragrant flowers that fill the air. Areca nuts have a very strange scent, sometimes there, sometimes not, hidden in the wind, pure and extremely pleasant. The early morning wind always carries that scent far away, wetting the village roads, the gardens and all the small alleys. I like spring partly because it is fragrant and green with life, but on the other days when it is wet and rainy, I don't find anything interesting.
That was in the garden. In the fields, spring brought more bustling dances than ever. From the moment the brown, barren fields were gradually submerged in the clear river water, I saw spring coming. Spring eagerly followed the irrigation canals to rush into the parched fields that had waited all winter. The fields stretched themselves to welcome the new season. Spring transformed into a cool stream of water spreading across the vast fields. It pushed away the hazy and sad color of mist.
The birds that flew away in the cold winter have now returned, fluttering with the wind and sunshine… Everything is warm, gentle, fresh and full of life.
The spring river water is clear and cool, not red with alluvium like in the rainy season. The water soothes and erases the dry cracks on the fields. The plowed furrows that have been exposed to the dry sun all winter have now turned dark brown and soft after drinking their fill. The land is stirring to prepare for a new revival after long days of lying down to rest.
I still remember that time, the village fields were the busiest and happiest. Every household was busy getting water into the fields, people were calling to each other, the sound of water pumps, plows and harrows echoed loudly in the fields. Everyone was in a hurry, hoping to finish the work quickly.
The rice fields stretched out endlessly, overnight becoming brand new, flat, smooth, completely different from the barren appearance before. Very quickly, the fields were covered with a fresh, eye-pleasing green. The young, slender rice seedlings lined up in long, straight rows, reflecting on the water surface of the fields, reflecting the sky and clouds filled with spring mist. The rice this season took root very quickly, the young leaves spread out, plump and full of life.
The green color changes every day on the vast rice fields reflecting the clouds in the sky. Sometime in the warm spring sunshine, when the swallows chirp and tilt their wings, the green fields will be filled with the scent of new rice in its young stage.
In the middle of my village field, the old and lonely cotton tree is also sprouting new green buds, a fierce life is emerging from the old grey bark. The green color calls for spring to come together to fan the small flames in the windy sky.
Each fire called out to each other and lit up like a giant torch in the misty spring sky. The dry, withered grass banks that had been exposed to frost all winter had sprouted countless tiny green buds this morning. The wild flowers along the dike began to bloom with clusters of pure white flowers, fluttering and racing with the flocks of small butterflies.
The dry pond in the middle of the field was now full, clear and cool, the sailfish that had been hiding somewhere during the cold winter were now swimming happily. The leaves of the orchid, water lilies, and lotuses that lay flat on the muddy bottom also had a chance to float up, spreading their round, smiling faces to welcome the warm sunlight on the water's surface.
After just a few thunderous showers, this lagoon will be fragrant and colorful. And pink “boats” will be swaying on the water surface one morning when the night rain has just made the lagoon full and clear.
In January, the spring atmosphere is still thick in the countryside. The flags of spring festivals still flutter in the wind, right on the small road crowded with people and vehicles.
In the distance, the sound of drums from the village communal house echoed, signaling that the processions to the gods had not yet ended. The loudspeakers still played the vibrant spring melodies in the wind. The smoke from the kitchen in January carried the smell of fried banh chung far away to the fields that were still being planted, reminding the farmers that it was time to go home.
And in the corner of the front yard, two or three peach trees for Tet are still blooming brilliantly, interspersed with countless young buds and tiny young fruits. Inside the house, on the altar, there are still abundant cakes and candies… and in some houses, there are even two purple sugarcane trees standing next to the altar that have not been taken down yet.
So when the green fields are full of life, the gardens along the village roads are fragrant with flowers and the kapok tree at the village entrance is about to light a fire to burn the space, it is also the time when the leaves and flowers bring January back, splendidly...
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I really like the grapefruit tree at the entrance of my house, even though its trunk is rough and moldy and often has worms that bore into it, pushing out fresh sawdust. In spring, it is fragrant, even the green leaves full of essential oils are fragrant and soft like a small hand. The pure white grapefruit flowers with yellow stamens look small and humble, but they are so fragrant that I always want to pick up the fallen petals and wrap them in my notebook so that when I go to school, I can still smell that scent.
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