Childhood memories are often the most profound. There are two production teams in our village, but there is only one stone mill, right in the middle of the village. There is a big pagoda tree with a history of nearly a thousand years next to the stone mill. Men and women in the village often gather here to chat and talk, and their parents are short and play chess. That stone mill is not alone, there is always company.
The stone mill consists of a large stone plate and a stone wheel. The wheel has a strong wooden frame, and there are two big round holes in a straight line, into which a barbell can be inserted. People can push the round stick around the round roller. When using a mule or donkey, it will cover its eyes with a cloth, so that it can turn around the millstone obediently. Stone mills are used to grind grains. Wheat, corn and millet can all be ground. It is really useful. No matter who in the village visits it from time to time, it can be proud.
When I was a child, I spent a lot of time working with my family at the stone mill. Every time before pulling the wheat machine, you should grind the wheat with a stone mill. The wheat is spread on a millstone, and the wheels roll on the wheat. Round after round, small clods and other debris in wheat will be slowly crushed. I also pushed the mill. I was still weak at that time. I often grind with my brother or sister. I still remember that difficult scene. It is really a feeling of happiness. At that time, my mother would use a dustpan to winnow the wheat stabbed from the stone roller, and the impurities in the wheat would be winnowed out bit by bit, and the wheat would become cleaner and cleaner. Later, my mother would pour all the wheat into the pu basket and wipe it carefully with a wet towel over and over again. Wheat must be wet, not too dry, or the ground flour will be bad. Of course, a mother will have a good proper limit, which is often just right. Many people in the village praised her.
Crushing corn flour is also common. Especially when summer comes, villagers always like to cook big steamed buns. I came back from work in summer, hot and thirsty. Drinking a bowl of barley porridge to quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger is the best enjoyment. Grinding corn flour is time-consuming and troublesome. You have to grind the skin off the corn slowly, over and over again. Big corn will become smaller, and one will often be ground into two or three. Of course, some big corn has not been crushed. Over the years, there have been few opportunities to drink Dabao Gusan. Even if you can drink it, it's not grinded by a stone mill, and you can't eat that unforgettable taste anymore.
Staying out for a long time often makes me homesick. I can't forget to see the stone roller every time I go back to the village. The millstone is still there, but it is lying on the ground. The wheel is missing. Maybe someone pushed it into his yard. The stone roller is useless, but it is in my heart and will never disappear in my memory.