我家的后院很小，巴掌大的地方种了一棵枇杷树，一棵牛油果树，一小片的黑莓，几棵东倒西歪的火龙果，两三年前又在花架边上种了棵百香果。因为右侧和后面的楼房挡住了阳光，小院冬天基本照不到太阳。夏天到了，阳光终于光顾小院。饷午前这边照几小时，下午时分再照另一侧几个小时。曾经种过好几棵玫瑰，还有茶花等等，结果都一棵棵死去，唯有其貌不扬的黑莓生命最顽强，在只有半天光照的条件下，从不让人失望，每年六月硕果累累。

 

种了七八年的牛油果一直不结果，高高的树杆枝繁叶茂了好多年，不见动静。LD一直扬言，再不结果，今年砍了它。几个星期前，我左看右看，寻寻觅觅，终于发现高到二层楼的大树上可怜地吊着两颗青果子 (原先以为只有一颗，LD那日戏言为“独子”)。想必，它已经尽力了，这下大概也不会被砍了吧。

 

几天前，下班后坐在院子看书，抬头见绿油油的百香果叶子，和一两朵盛开的花朵，不知被何吸引，站起身来，走近细看，无意中发现这才种了两三年的百香果也结果了，高兴得一个人直喊“yes”。那光溜溜、青青的果子倒挂在藤蔓上，一颗挨着另一颗，让我想起圣诞节人们家门口挂的彩灯，可爱极了。

 

果子给人带来的欣喜总是不言而喻的。在花开花落，在人几经欢喜和忧愁后，沉甸甸果实带给人新生命、新希望，生命因此而持续延伸，生生不息。

 

如果有朝一日，这座房子要卖，那么小院留给我的回忆无疑是最多。且不说养过九个月的鸡，且不说蜂鸟来此筑过巢， 且不说无数个清晨和傍晚一个人端坐小桌旁看书看报，就这些花花草草、瓜果，它们的成长、它们的美、香味和由此带来的喜悦，会和走过的岁月一起刻在记忆里。

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My backyard is small. Blocked by the house on the side and from the back, the backyard receives little sunlight in the winter. When the day lengthens, and summer comes, the sun finally sheds some hours of much-awaited light upon the yard, one side in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The avocado tree, sprouted from a seed more than seven years ago, grows tall now and almost reaches to the neighbor’s two-story roof. My husband, who does not like such a tall, leafy but fruitless tree to stand in the way, gave out the ultimatum that the tree would have to be cut if it is still infertile this year. When hundreds and thousands of flowers blossomed this spring, my hope roused in me, and burgeoned when the tips of withered flowers were replaced by tiny buds. But much to my chagrin, the tiny buds fell to the ground one after another. With a diminishing hope one day, I searched hard, high and low, like an old man holding a magnifying glass, stopping at almost every tip of branches.  When I was about to give up in despair, a green oval avocado hidden under thick leaves came to my eyes. I later pointed it in excitement to my husband, whose jokingly comment of its bearing the “only son” laughed away the idea of cutting the tree. (Today I found another avocado, making it two now:)

 

Similarly, the passion fruit was also nurtured from a tiny seed three years ago when my co-worker gave me the fruits from her mom’s backyard. I planted them randomly, and from all the younglings, the healthiest one was then selected and moved next to a flower stand.  Within two years, the vines run wild and abundantly all over the places, not just heavily over the arched flower stand that they are supposed to be, but also invading the avocado tree close by, the wall and even the neighbor’s eaves.  As a matter of fact, the madness agitated me.  One day, as I pruned aggressively the branches, a beautifully blooming flower, hanging quietly by the window, stunned me. It was a circle shaped flower with purple color in the base, and white pedals and thread-like curly hair extending evenly outward. From that time on, my attention was directed more to the newcomer each time I entered the backyard.  I was overjoyed a few days ago at the sight of bell-shaped green fruits hanging along the vine, reminding me of small light bulbs strung on a line at Christmas time. 

Added to the backyard beauty are the bushes of black berry. Though in winter, they are bare and thorny, they have been the most productive fruit, or, in other words, the only fruit from our backyard for years. June is its best season when the ripening berries turn black and sof in sequence. Pick one and put it in the mouth, it melts instantly, with the sweetness lingering there for a while. Before long, you would peer into the bushes again for another one.

The joy of seeing fruits- bearing succeeded after withering flowers is so immense that it surpasses the beauty of flowers. It promises a new life, and being fruitful is always what we yearn for in life.