The Smiling Liuding: Grandma Lintou's Planting Story

Oranges are the fruit most in season right now, so why write an introduction about them? Because there is a grandma-level figure here, Grandma Chen, who made the editors willing to introduce her. Grandma Chen lives in the Lintou community of Douliu, and she has been involved in promoting community-building work for more than four years. Back then, Grandma said: I got nudged into doing community work by my community partners. At the time, I had no idea what comprehensive community development even was, and I did not understand it clearly either, but back then I relied on a kind of foolish determination and quietly worked with a group of community partners to push it forward.

Grandma Chen said: When we first started, it was very hard. Although a group of partners were working together, back then as long as we came out to sweep the ground and tidy the environment, many people who did not understand would have different views and opinions. Grandma said: At that time she could only quietly accept it, but sometimes when she really could not take it anymore, she would still stand up and directly respond to the other side's different views. At that time, Grandma felt grateful in her heart, believing that the people with different opinions back then were all living bodhisattvas, all reminding her to treat this piece of land in Lintou carefully and sincerely. So in this process, she worked hard and grew step by step together with her community partners.

To this day, Grandma says happily: In the community now, there are still some people who are not quite able to understand the community, but there are many more people around who are willing to share their own process, so that more people can understand the community's methods and process. As time moves forward step by step and the years pass one by one, the community has begun to have some improvements to its spaces and environment. Grandma said: We must not rush, do it step by step. At this point the editor asked Grandma: Grandma, how did you come to do community work, how did you learn to write proposals, carry them out, and handle the accounting? Full of doubts began to fill my mind,

At this point Grandma smiled and said: Well, in the process of promoting community work, I often run into many kind people who help. If there is sometimes something I really do not understand, Grandma would also ride her quiet electric scooter around to ask people. Grandma said: People in the old days used to say that the road grows in your mouth; as long as we keep good intentions in our hearts, humbly ask others for advice, and look more at how others do things, I believe everyone will be happy to help us. At this point, I also remembered the image of Grandma, in order to understand the contents of the proposal, riding her scooter to the studio at around nine at night to chat with us editors. Right then, I deeply felt that Grandma's dedication was truly rare.

Recently, the Lintou community has begun to develop an idle space next to the activity center. When most people think of what to do with an idle space, perhaps it is to build a beautiful park or a resting place, but Grandma and the community volunteers did it with a different mindset, which was to turn it into a vegetable garden.

Grandma said: At first this plot of land was not supposed to be tidied up so soon, but the community volunteers kept reminding Grandma, saying, hurry up and tidy it up, everyone wants to plant vegetables together and grow happy, healthy vegetables. So, after the volunteer team and community partners finished tidying the community environment in the morning, everyone happily tended this vegetable garden. Everyone had different expectations for the vegetable plots they adopted; some planted leafy greens, some planted fruits and vegetables. At this point, following the grandmas as they counted the types being grown one by one, I realized, wow!

This small vegetable garden had actually grown seventeen kinds of vegetables and fruits, which is truly admirable. Moreover, Grandma could clearly count out which plot belonged to whom and what was planted in which plot, identifying them by the tiny leaves of the seedlings. I really admired her. At this point, a woman farming nearby walked over and said: Chairwoman, everything you planted has come up, but mine has not come up yet. Do you have some trick? Grandma then answered calmly: It will be fine! In another two days, everyone's will surely grow beautifully.

After a round of chatting, it is time to return to today's main topic, which is oranges. Why?

Because Grandma said: She wants to sell oranges online, because the oranges here are full of everyone's love and happiness, so eating them lets you feel a bit of their joy too. Hahaha, Grandma laughed, and we laughed along with her. But how is Grandma going to sell them? Grandma said: She discovered that the oranges from her home are very delicious, and everyone who has tried them gives them a like, but we editors were also curious about how Grandma would do it. Grandma said: No rush, no rush

Finally, she also welcomes everyone to come walk around Lintou and see the community's lovely vegetable garden. If Grandma is not there, you can also look for their garden director!