The article uses the "double flying and double staying" and "mutual moistening" of magpies to express a kind of love view and life concept among people, just as a song goes: "The most romantic thing I can think of is growing old with you..."
Perhaps due to growing up in the countryside, I had a vague understanding of the phrase "double flying and double staying" from a young age. As my experiences and comprehension abilities increased, my understanding deepened, subtly influencing my views on love and life.
The legend of white cranes being together always remains fresh in my memory, but where I live isn't a wetland, so it's hard to see the figures of white cranes. Therefore, I still regard the legend as just that - a legend.
What truly helped me understand "double flying and double staying" was a type of resident bird called the magpie found in the mountain village. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, this unremarkable little spirit always cheerfully chirps, flitting about in people's lives. If you see one, the other must be nearby. Initially, I thought they were merely inseparable, but later I discovered that this was a tacit cooperation. One would forage for food while the other kept watch. If there was any sudden movement, the watching one would give out a few "chirps" as a warning. Then, the foraging one would swiftly rise, either in the air or on a branch, and after the two magpies regrouped, they would fly off to another place with a shared understanding.
The best example of a pair of magpies' living harmony is their nest-building process. Every spring, pairs of mates start bustling about, flying back and forth to find suitable branches to build their nests. Their joyful chirping might be mutual encouragement or even teasing, but no trace of fatigue can be seen regardless.
There are also instances where magpies dismantle old nests and carry twigs to build new homes elsewhere, much like people tearing down old houses to rebuild new ones. All this hard work is done simply for the sake of "double flying and double staying." However, magpies don't take shortcuts; their high-altitude construction must withstand the洗礼of storms. Such a comfortable and safe living environment is unmatched by ordinary birds.
When I was a child, adults told me: "Magpies not only practice monogamy but also 'mutual moistening.' If one magpie meets misfortune halfway through its life, the surviving one will grieve for a lifetime, just like a crane." This claim wasn't baseless; later, I witnessed the truth:
In winter, farmers' threshing grounds are places where magpies often visit. In the vast snowy sea, this naturally becomes a good spot for magpies to forage. Magpies forage with one standing on the branch of a poplar tree while the other lands to search for grain. My neighbor's second brother, being a greedy person, buried a rat trap on the threshing ground like a landmine and scattered some bait. The starving magpie unknowingly landed to peck at it, fulfilling the ancient saying, "Man dies for wealth, birds die for food!"
For many days, I clearly saw a magpie flying aimlessly between poplar trees, calling out mournfully. The next spring, there were no signs of magpies building nests in that grove!
Reflecting on this, I realized that magpies, like humans, are just living day by day. Living is something both parties strive for together, whether male and female, or male and female birds—happiness in toil and toil in happiness. Most people's lives are lived this way. Some people lead even simpler lives than magpies, seeking only mutual affection and reproduction. If this is the case, then life has been worth living.
However, besides natural disasters, human-made calamities also exist. A perfectly good couple may inexplicably go their separate ways, thereafter using various methods to suspect, curse, and defile the sacredness of love! One incomplete family after another sways in the wind and rain. Under a collapsing nest, how can there be intact eggs?
Through teaching, I've noticed that children from single-parent families often struggle to achieve greatness. Poor families are often those led by a single parent raising children. Without connecting these phenomena to a harmonious society, the tragedies unfolding before our eyes are enough to cause heartache and reflection!
I can't figure out: How big is greed? How selfish can one be? In life, we always encounter various issues. If we make mountains out of molehills, blame each other, and fail to cooperate tacitly like a pair of magpies, life won't be lived well.
In the north, people consider magpies, which do not migrate, as auspicious birds, possibly because they know how to live happily. Living joyfully always creates an atmosphere that brings happiness. This shows that people always have beautiful expectations for marriage!
After marriage, I also went through a period of awkward days. Regarding my habit of drinking, my wife initially wasn't used to it. Every time I was drunk, I would hear her complaints, and I would always retort with a few words, inevitably causing a storm. At critical moments, we both talked about parting ways amicably. When thinking of breaking up, I couldn't help but remember the magpies from my hometown and the days ahead. Thus, I remained silent. I drank when appropriate, but when hearing unpleasant words, I would grin thick-skinned, "A dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water," and gradually, my wife stopped bothering me! Now, when there's a decent dish on the table, my wife always asks, "Why not have a few cups?"
Tacit understanding can be understood as resonance. Resonance essentially involves negotiation where both parties eliminate differences, thus thinking in the same direction and pulling together. That's how magpies live joyfully in tacit understanding. In fact, "double flying and double staying," "mutual moistening," is indeed a very romantic matter!