Clear stream water reflects the countryside, water beauty and ecology enter the picture

This year's moldy rain season and the recently departed No. 7 severe tropical storm "Dandelion" injected heavenly river water into hundreds of reservoirs and river bends large and small in Zhoushan. The reservoir bottoms, originally so dry that sheep could be grazed there, once again show a scene of sparkling waves. Looking out, the mountain ridges layer upon layer, and after the rain the mountain forests blend in clear green, adorning life with lush verdancy. The mountain streams upstream of the reservoir area continuously inject fresh spring water into the reservoir, and from time to time fish play and leap toward the clear spring. When the wind passes, it brings the intoxicating fragrance of soil intertwined with a hundred flowers. Once you let your heart settle, you will merge into this boundless world. Continuous drought has caused a water shortage in Zhoushan. Starting in the second half of last year, urban domestic water relied on an undersea water pipeline to divert water from Ningbo, basically solving people's daily domestic water needs. The introduced water quality carried a faint salty and astringent taste. Ordinary families just made do with it, while wealthier households switched to purified water or mineral water, and the small city's water-selling business was booming. When the drought came, Yaoyuan's family's domestic water was salty and astringent, givingorchidsthe water used for watering was also salty and astringent. For the human body, slightly lower water quality only brings a somewhat unpleasant taste; whether it affects health was not deeply investigated, and perhaps it can be ignored and disregarded. Some careful orchid growers had long attached great importance to the possible adverse factors that changes in water quality could bring toorchids, so from the time water diversion from Ningbo began, they used reservoir water or mountain stream water to water their orchids. What kind of water is best for wateringorchidswas recorded in great detail long ago in ancient and modern orchid books. Rainwater, snow water, mountain water, and clean river water are the first choices. Tap water can also be used to water orchids, but it must be sun-dried for one or two days or stored for one or two days before use. As for tap water with a faint salty and astringent taste, it was not mentioned. Well water is said to be unsuitable for watering orchids (several orchid growers in Zhoushan use well water from their own courtyards to water orchids, and the orchids grow lushly; perhaps this is because before use they first store the well water in ground-level water vats and water the orchids a few days later, or perhaps Zhoushan's well water is collected from surface water or from spring water that seeps down hidden from mountain streams). Since using slightly salty and astringent tap water to water orchids, at first no abnormality was felt. As time went on, it was felt that orchid leaf tips tended to scorch, and their vitality was not as good as before. Only after much pondering and asking around did Yaoyuan realize there was some problem with this water for orchids, so Yaoyuan also wanted to use valley stream water to water orchids. People are always lazy by nature. Starting in the second half of last year, Yaoyuan had the idea of using stream water to water orchids, and had even bought containers for collecting stream water up the mountain, but always failed to take action. Delaying again and again, it was not until eight or nine out of ten orchid leaves had scorched tips that one day in early June Yaoyuan steeled himself and went up the big mountain to look for stream water. Behind Yaoyuan's home is a big mountain, known as Changgang Mountain. Riding a bicycle out the door, in two minutes one reaches the slope edge going up the mountain; on the slope there is a newly built residential community. Getting off the bike and pushing it, laboriously heading upward, after about ten minutes of travel one reaches the entrance of Changgang Mountain Forest Park. Parking and leaving the bike, following an old man ahead carrying two small water pots, one climbs the mountain. According to the old man, there are many places on the mountain where stream water can be collected for people to use, and high on the mountain there is also a water well that does not dry up all year round. The mountain road is newly built, convenient for morning exercise and for tourists going up and down. After walking another six or seven minutes, below and to the left of the path there is a stream flowing merrily, its splashing droplets carrying a penetrating coolness. Cupping a handful of stream water and wiping it on a face covered in sweat, a wave of comfort sweeps away all signs of fatigue... For the first time in life, going up the mountain to collect stream water, and also for the first time using stream water to water orchids. Because obtaining the water was not easy, when watering the orchids it was used as sparingly as possible. The clear stream water, carrying a feeling of Yaoyuan's, slowly watered into the orchid soil, moistening the thirsty root clusters. The stream water comes from the heavenly river, has gently touched the layered forests in the mountains and the hundred flowers beneath the layered forests, moistens the mountain's surface, then flows over the surface, following the mountain rock and stream channels into mountain rivers and converging into rivers. The stream water Yaoyuan collected is one drop among millions; this drop is heaven-given stream water, a state of mind in Yaoyuan's orchid-growing years, a story. Perhaps Yaoyuan will not persist and will give up, but Yaoyuan will cherish the feeling the stream water once brought and the effort made for this feeling. (Author: Gao Haiyong)