Firmament

Don't eat sour pears and half back pears.

- Dongxiang proverb

Niu Ersa and the others left the village of Benkang and walked along a semi-circular ridge from south to northwest. They walked for about half an hour, and arrived at Gayin Dai just as the sun was about to set behind the mountain.

Gayin Dai is a long and narrow loess plateau in the east-west direction, about 300 meters long, and more than 100 meters wide at the widest point, like a peninsula deep into the sea, and as if it is a huge yellow dragon. Like the eastern end of a dragon's head reaching into a deep ravine. The west end is connected to the mountains that stretch for thousands of miles. On the north and south sides are steep loess cliffs. There are more than 10 families of Sarta and Han families gathered on the hill. Dozens of fields of varying sizes have been cultivated on the gently sloping northern slopes. Barley, corn, artichoke, cabbage, turnips, etc., grow in the fields.

In the village, Niu Ersa found his friend Mahan of Sarta who had previously settled here from Jiaozigou.

Seeing that it was Niursa who had come to him, the family looked tired and dusty, and warmly invited them into the narrow courtyard.

His wife, Asher, came out of the house with a soup bottle filled with water with a smile on her face, and asked Mr. and Mrs. Niu Ersa to put down their luggage, and take the children to squat under the fruit tree and pour water for them to wash their faces.

Ibrahim formed his hands in a round bowl, took the water poured out by the Ashheam (Sarta, aunt), and washed his hands and face three times, and finally wiped the water from his face and hands with a dry cloth.

Niu Ersa took his family to the hall to visit and greet Ma Hesan's Ada and Grandma, and then returned to the wing, took off his shoes, climbed onto the big kang, and sat around the small kang table.

Ibrahim carefully observed the situation in Mahsan's house. The walls were black, the roof was low, and a large kang that took up half of the house, on which there was a wooden box painted with gold and red, and a soybean oil lamp that shone with a yellow flame. The room was simply furnished and there was nothing superfluous.

Because of the sudden arrival of guests in the house, several Gava excitedly chased and frolicked, in and out, attracting Ma Hesan to

shout loudly

Asher brought hot tea and a large plate of boiled potatoes.

Mahasan beckoned the Niuersa family to eat potatoes and said, "Next to this house there is a Joyer with a pile of miscellaneous items. I'll clean it out now. Tonight, you will first settle down (in the Hezhou dialect, improvised). Tomorrow, we will dig a beautiful cave on the back hillside and give you a formal home. Then you will be able to live in your own Kerry in good condition. "

Niu Isa said gratefully, "Brother, we have caused you trouble. "

Ma Hasan excused himself: "It's all housework in a Zhuangzi, and we can't be more polite between us." "

The next morning, Mahasan called a few young people from the village to choose a place with a relatively gentle slope on the north slope of the east end of Gayindai, dig a plane along the slope vertically, and then dig a hole in the plane wall horizontally to dig the earth.

Young men sweat and dig caves on the slopes. Elderly men are working on wool felt at the head of the slope and shouting the labor trumpet. Young women weave wheat straw curtains in the shade of a tree and hum the melodious Salta folk song "Flowers". The elderly women are taking care of their own Ga babies while chatting about their parents' shortcomings.

Gayin, which has always been cold and quiet, is rarely so lively today.

The loess layer of Gayin Dai is fine and porcelain, which is not easy to collapse, and is very suitable for digging caves. It took Mahasan and the others half a day to dig a spacious cave.

Niu Ersa nailed the woolen felt rolled out by the old people to the mouth of the cave. Wool felt can be used as both a door panel and a door curtain.

Mahasan dug a one-and-a-half-foot-deep pit in the corner of the cave and placed a small iron pot on top of it to form a simple stove.

Niu Ersa and Mai Liyan went into the cave and cleaned up the inside briefly. They spread a layer of wheat straw on the loess platform inside, and then put a piece of wool felt on it, and made it into a big kang where the whole family sleeps.

With the enthusiastic help of the villagers, a new home for the Salta people was built.

At night, Niu Ersa's family lay happily on the kang, full of happiness and satisfaction. They looked at the yellow arc of the kiln and felt as if they were living in a splendid palace.

The second, third and fourth children played for a while, and soon fell asleep.

On the lampstand is an I-shaped soybean oil lamp. A golden flame danced on the lamphead. Bathed in bright lights, Nursa, Maileyan and Ibrahim happily envisioned a better life ahead.

Satisfied, "Ibrahim, Gayin has a place to sleep and a wasteland to cultivate. It's a place you won't find in paradise. Our good days are finally here. "

At this moment, Ibrahim's mind is full of images of Hezhou City: large courtyards with blue brick walls, spacious and bright tiled houses, streets paved with red bricks and cobblestones, shops with a dazzling array of goods, his ears are full of long-key cries of selling, and what emerges in front of him is the bustle and prosperity of the city.

Hearing his father's question, Ibrahim sighed softly and said slowly, "Ada, do I think it's better to be in the city of Hezhou?"

Mai Liyan laughed and said, "Gava's eyes have been opened, and her heart is as wild as a running horse." 'Isazi, see that the Amen will rule over Gava in the future!".

Niu Ersa said seriously: "Don't care. The capital is even more beautiful than Hezhou City. My Gava will have the ability to go to the capital in the future. According to the legends of the old people, our ancestor Ali was buried in the capital. Hey, where's the little stone in Samarkand?".

Mai Liyan yawned and said, "Don't worry, I'm hiding in the empty space of my clothes (in the northwest dialect, gap)." "

The land around the village has been reclaimed by the people who settled here first, and it has become the land of the owner. The barley, corn, and broad beans in the field were ripe. Purple eggplant and fiery red pepper are covered with vegetable seedlings.

Nursa arranged for Ibrahim to take care of his brother in the cave, and he and Mai Liyan took two shovels on their shoulders and walked out of the house and strode farther away.

They found the ownerless fragments of land on the edge of the cliff and sweated and turned it into a field. They went to the steep halfway up the mountain, and turned sideways to clear weeds and clods of soil, and made up miniature terraces. After a few days, they added up to 5 points of land that they had pieced together.

Mai Liyan happily joked to Niu Ersa: "You have become the landlord of Gayin Dai in a dream. "

Niu Ersa smiled: "I am the landlord, aren't you the landlord's wife?"

Ibrahim also laughed and said, "Then I will become the landlord's Gava." "

Niu Ersa smiled and said, "Landlord's wife, go down to the ground." I borrowed a bowl of wheat seeds from Ma Hesan, planted them and brought them back next summer as food rations. Then plant small cabbage in the corners and corners, and you can eat it in your mouth after half a month. "