1200亩鲜花山谷，一年四季花开不败，只源于一个爱的承诺 | The Flower Valley

周小林和殷洁夫妇，也许就是现代的“神仙眷侣”。在漫山遍野的花丛中，两人一狗，过着悠然的田园生活。

Zhou Xiaolin and his wife Yin Jie are known as a "dream couple" of modern times. The duo and their pet dog live a poetic and idyllic life together in a valley full of flowers.

他们的相识，从一开始就“在路上”。1985年，还在北京上大学的殷洁和同学一起到九寨沟旅游，周小林是带团的实习导游。

The couple first met during a tourist trip in 1985. Yin, a college student in Beijing traveled with her classmates to Jiuzhaigou, a scenic spot in southwest China's Sichuan Province, wile Zhou was an intern guide for the group.

“当时车上别的女孩都叽叽喳喳的，只有她特别安静，给我留下了特别好的印象。”周小林说。

"During the trip, I found all the Beijing girls were quite talkative, except her. She was very quiet, which impressed me," recalled Zhou.

在作为朋友通信5年之后，周小林抱着不娶到殷洁誓不回家的心情，从四川北上找到殷洁。

After writing to each other for five years as friends, Zhou went to Beijing to propose to her. After two months' effort, she accepted the proposal.

大冬天在北京软磨硬泡了两个月，殷洁动了恻隐之心，只得同意。她将这段经历形容为“先结婚、后恋爱”，“如果他对我不好，大不了我休完婚假就回北京上班”。

But for Yin, love came after the marriage. "I thought at the time, if he failed to treat properly, I would just go back to Beijing by myself after the wedding leave.”

结果这一试，她就跟着周小林在全中国漂了二十年。

However, she didn't expect to travel across the country with Zhou in the next 20 years.

周小林从事文化旅游方面的工作。上到青藏高原，下到深山峡谷，他到处考察，寻找中国最美的风景。最初，他想把殷洁留在成都。“但她说，你把我放到成都你走那么远的地方，我也挺担心的，” 周小林说，“而且她跟我讲，我们俩走哪儿家就在哪儿。”

Zhou worked in the tourism industry, a job that required him to go from high plateaus to deep valleys, exploring the best traveling routes. At first, he intended to leave Yin at home in Sichuan's provincial capital city Chengdu. "But she said that she would be so worried about me going far away alone, that she told me 'together, we are a family, no matter where we go.'"

2006年，夫妻俩离开住了四年的丹巴县。他们曾在那里开了一家小旅社。殷洁无心地说：“要是两人能一直过这种家居生活多好，再有一个花园就更完美了。”

In 2006, the couple left Danba County of Sichuan Province, where they had lived for four years and opened a small inn. Once in conversation, Yin said that she would like to have a small garden if they settled down.

没想到，周小林把这句玩笑之言记在心里。“给我一点时间，我要送给她全中国最美的花园。”

She didn't expect Zhou to keep the words in mind. "Give me some time. I will build her the most beautiful garden in China," he decided.

于是，周小林从旅游考察者变成了植物猎人，两人从零开始学习园艺知识。

Zhou gradually became a plant hunter and the couple began to learn about gardening from the scratch.

在成都乡间开辟的鲜花山谷中，种得最多的是蜀葵。“是我太太跟我讲，她说小时候她在北京见了一种花叫蜀葵，长得一串一串的，漂亮死了。”

The hollyhocks dominate the flower valley they reclaimed in the rural area of Chengdu. "My wife said that she used to see clusters of hollyhocks in Beijing and they were very beautiful."

巧合的是，蜀葵也是四川人周小林的“故乡花”。“她喜欢什么我们就种什么。不计任何成本，任何代价从全中国各地，全世界各地把这个种子搜集回来。”

By pure coincidence, hollyhocks originate in Sichuan Province where Zhou was born. "I decided to grow whatever she likes. Whatever the cost, I started collecting seeds from all around the country and the world" said Zhou.

刚开始，因为缺乏知识，在暴风骤雨之后，花园中的蜀葵伏倒了75%。一整年的劳苦付之东流。“但是蜀葵异常坚强。它的花枝倒了之后自己要立起来，它随时随地都是一朵向日的花。” 周小林说，“我就发现，未来再也没有我们自己不能去做的事情了。”

At first, due to lack of knowledge, 75 percent of the hollyhocks were flooded overnight after a storm. A year of hard work was lost in one night. "But the hollyhocks were incredibly tenacious. The stems erected by themselves. They do anything to survive," said Zhou, adding "I was inspired that there is nothing that can't be done."

现在，在他们的花园里，有七百多种蜀葵，十二到十五万株百合，八万到十万株芙蓉。殷洁和鲜花是周小林人生中最美好的两次相遇。“人一辈子遇上了你喜欢的人，遇上了你喜欢做的事情，它就是一种幸福。”

In their garden, more than 700 species of hollyhocks, nearly 150,000 lilies, and 100,000 hibiscuses grow. For Zhou, his wife and the flowers are the two most beautiful encounters of his life. "When a person meets the love of their life or knows what he/she likes to do, that's happiness."

往期链接：

Suggestions and Cooperation

请读者广提建议，您的建议很重要

投稿与合作：[e-mail]