Recall the 9-year-old Mill River.

Leaves closed the mountain and the vegetation was dense. We stopped climbing mountains after school and turned our interest to the river.

Before renting 100 meters, there is a river across a railway. The river passes through Mill Town, not far down, joins the Hani River in the northeast, and flows into the present Hunjiang River. The Mill River used to be called the Ermin River. Ermin is Manchu, which means big horse and small horse. When Manchu people lived here, they saw it flowing happily, much like a lively pony, so they gave it such a vivid name. Later, a large number of hungry people in Shandong moved here to reclaim land and settle down. Speaking Ermin in Shandong dialect sounds like "Mill", so the name continues, Ermin becomes "Mill" and Ermin becomes "Mill River".

The Mill River is next to the mountain root. Generally, where there are stones, there are deep water bays. At that time we called it the prodigal son. When no one bothers you, it is dark green and a big mirror. White clouds will lie on it to bask in the sun, and trees will hide in it to enjoy the cool. How can you miss such a good place? This is our summer paradise. I'm new here and I can't swim (swimming is called swimming, which means swimming around in the water like a duck). At first, I could only lie in shallow water and watch those brave and kind children do whatever they want. They climbed the stone raft and then jumped down from a height of more than two meters. The mirror was broken and the water lines were scattered in circles. Before these waterlines calmed down, another plop came, another big ripple began to surge, and laughter spread far and far.

In order to show off my swimming skills, my friends always tell me how to swim. Listen to their command, paddle hard with your arms on your chest, and beat hard with your legs to make the water splash. It's also quite useful. In a few days, you can swim around in the water, and you are not as nervous and laborious as before. Gradually, I got bolder and dared to hold my breath like other children, stand on the stone raft and jump down, jump into the water and somersault out of the water. At the moment of getting out of the water, take a deep breath quickly, then wipe your face, and then burst into a happy smile. The excitement of success is still a little exciting when I think about it. After the excitement, I thought that such dangerous things and such difficult movements were all self-taught. In addition to being bold and curious, nature must also give children magical powers. The reason why I still love mountains and like to play with water is not unrelated to my close contact with nature at that time. The interest I cultivated as a child will accompany me all my life.

That summer, as long as the weather was fine, almost all of us would go to the Mill River and soak in the water. Parents don't seem to care about what we do all day. They have endless work and things to do. Children just need to go home for dinner, don't fight with others, don't tear their clothes, and do whatever they want. They don't care.

The Mill River, which made me happy all summer, is also the best childhood life in my memory.