Ghost Blowing Lantern II

Just after discussing this matter, the "Lele Car" stopped in front of two yurts on the grassland. I saw Ding Sitian wearing a Mongolian robe and a scarf on her head, milking a goat. When I saw her, I I almost didn’t recognize her. The change in her attire was so great. If I hadn’t looked carefully, I would have thought she was a Mongolian girl. Ding Sitian didn’t expect that Fatty and I would suddenly come to visit her. She was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses and rushed over to meet us. Hugging each other, they were so excited that they couldn't speak. The comrades reunited after a long separation, and they all had endless things to say, but they had so many past events in their hearts that they didn't know where to start.

This pasture is located in the northernmost area of ​​the Barenzuo Banner. There are only three or four households of herders, including the educated youth who came to work for the right. The total number of people in the entire pasture does not exceed fifteen or six. Ding Sitian settled in the shepherd's "Laoyangpi" In his family, except for "Lao Yangpi" and his family of three, there was no one who could talk to him. Suddenly he saw his comrades from the great series and couldn't help crying with joy.

I comforted Ding Sitian for a few words, and briefly told her about the fact that Fatty and I failed to serve as soldiers and joined the team to settle in the Xing'an League. Ding Sitian sighed softly, as if she felt very sorry for us, but she immediately started to fight Spirit said: "We are doing well now. Look at how magnificent the scenery of our grassland is. The blue sky is used as a quilt and the ground is used as a bed. The rice mixed with yellow sand is delicious. Life on the grassland is the most training. You can play more when you come. God, I’ll take you to ride horses tomorrow.”

The herdsmen on the grassland value horses very much and will never let outsiders ride their horses. If the horse is ridden by an outsider or the horse is lost, it will be very unlucky for the herdsmen, and the horses here are also very unlucky. There weren’t many, so I thought there would be no chance of riding a horse, and I didn’t even think about it. Unexpectedly, Ding Sitian told us that the herdsman here, “Lao Yangpi,” was not Mongolian. He had fled from abroad before liberation. After spending half his life on the grassland, he simply became a herdsman after liberation. He didn't pay much attention to the taboos on the grassland. Once he became familiar with him, he didn't get angry when riding his horse.

I know that behind Ding Sitian's optimistic attitude, there is more of a helplessness towards fate. How can rice cooked with yellow sand taste so good? But I still didn’t say anything that was disappointing, so I asked her to introduce us to the family of the herdsman “Lao Yangpi”. “Lao Yangpi” has lived on the grassland for half his life, but his local accent is hard to change and he has a strong northwest accent. He said that you have come at the right time. Tonight, the cattle and sheep are being slaughtered to entertain the guests from afar. At dusk, the nearby herdsmen and educated youth will come.

When Fatty and I heard the news, we were so happy that we couldn't even close our mouths. The herdsmen on the grassland were so hospitable. We had never heard of it before, but this time we were convinced. As soon as we arrived, Slaughtering cows and sheep, how can this be so embarrassing? It was too unexpected, not to mention that we came empty-handed. We had known that we would have brought some local products as gifts, but we have heard about the reputation of mutton in hand for a long time, so today we are shameless and don't show up. What time is this usually? Have dinner?

Ding Sitian laughed and said: "Don't treat yourselves like outsiders. The sheep were slaughtered today because there have been several natural disasters in this pasture this year. However, because the herdsmen risked their lives to protect the collective property, the collective property was not damaged. If there is any loss, the league will say that we are a model of supporting agriculture and learning from Dazhai. Because the Inner Mongolia grassland is close to the border and is under military control, the revolutionary committee above sent a cadre to our place to take pictures and report on the exemplary heroic deeds of the herdsmen, slaughtering sheep It’s to entertain him, you guys just happened to catch it, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to treat you to fresh mutton.”

Only then did I understand what was going on, and I was overjoyed for a long time. It turned out that the grand ceremony was to entertain others, and it was said that the pastoral area was a model for supporting agriculture and imitating Dazhai. Can Dazhai compare with the pastoral area? But since people want to catch typical people, we don’t have the right to ask. It doesn’t matter whether I am in the world or not. We should be quite content just eating mutton.

Before it gets dark, several families of herdsmen and educated youths from nearby have arrived one after another. Including us and Lao Yangpi, there are only about 20 people in total, half of whom are educated youths. Although we don’t know the rest of the educated youths, they are familiar with each other. When it comes to the status of educated youth, they are all friends who have sex with each other. It is similar to the feeling of being a slave in the old society. The common destiny makes there no distance between them at all. It doesn’t take a while to get to know each other, the grassland at dusk It was the most beautiful time for the scenery to be seen thousands of miles away. Some educated youths went to borrow a camera from the cadre. They all took a photo together and happily waited for dinner in the evening.

Ding Sitian and I helped "Lao Sheeppi" catch the sheep that was about to be slaughtered from the pen. I felt that I had a great time today, and when I saw the mountains in the west rising under the blood-red sunset, I had the desire to travel far away. , I told "Lao Yangpi" that I would like to borrow some horses tomorrow and let Sitian take us riding them to the depths of the grassland.

When "Old Sheeppi" heard this, his expression changed drastically. He told me that it was impossible to go there. The end of the grassland was the Mongolian Loess Plateau, which is the area connected to the Mongolian desert. There was a place deep in the grassland called "Hundred Years". "Eye Cave" and "Hundred Eyes Cave" hide a black demonic dragon. Herdsmen or livestock that approach there will be swallowed by the Dragon Lord, and they will never return. If it weren't for the winter famine this year, the herdsmen I'm worried that the animals haven't caught enough autumn fat, otherwise they would never graze on the meadow so close to the "Baiyan Cave". You don't even have to ask, who dares to go even half a step deeper into the grassland, if the monster is alarmed? Dragon, I'm afraid that even the Eternal Heaven won't be able to protect us.

I couldn't help but find it funny to see what "Old Sheepskin" said in such a serious way. This was so nonsense. How could there be a dragon on the grassland? Moreover, it is a demonic dragon that can devour people and livestock. It might be easy to fool children with this kind of thing. Can I, Hu Bayi, believe it?

"Lao Yangpi" saw that I didn't believe it, so he told me something he had experienced personally. Decades ago, when he was shepherding sheep for "Bayan" on the grassland, he heard the legend about the Mobei Demon Dragon, which was extremely evil. So much so that the grassland near "Baiyan Cave" has become a restricted area tacitly recognized by local herdsmen. The livestock are left there, and no one dares to look for them. Anyway, whether they are humans or horses, if they go there, they can't come back. , once a group of people came from the northeastern mountainous area, carrying a large old box, which looked like a coffin, and they had no idea what was inside. This group of people arrested "Lao Sheepskin's" brother and took them Holding a gun, he forced him to lead the way to the "Baiyan Cave". "Lao Yangpi" followed quietly and wanted to save his brother, but when he got to the vicinity of the Baiyan Cave, he did not dare to go further inside and watched helplessly as he kissed The younger brother led the group into it and never came out since.

"Old Sheeppi" swore that when he saw the black demonic dragon with his own eyes, he was so frightened that he almost peed his pants. He really didn't dare to get closer. From then on, he had nightmares every night and hated himself for being cowardly. , seeing his brother on the road to hell, but not having the courage to save him.

I saw that he was speaking with certainty and that his expression was not hypocritical. Naturally, I sympathized with his brother's plight. But how could I believe that there were dragons in the world? I shook my head and said to "Old Sheepskin": "Have you seen it?" That... dragon, maybe I misjudged it, I guess it might be a giant black python? Some giant pythons are as thick as buckets, so they can easily be mistaken for dragons."

"Old Sheeppi" looked at me with a look that suddenly became solemn, and he pointed at the sky: "Young man, do you think that I have been living like a dog for such a long time and can't even tell the difference between a snake and a dragon? Can a python go to heaven? I saw that god with my own eyes...that god is a dragon in the sky, in the sky."

(Note: Bayan - rich man in Mongolian)

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