At about five o'clock in the afternoon that day, we thanked and said goodbye to the beggar Liu, and set off for Danba County in Helan Mountain.
Before leaving, the beggar Liu said to us, "It's better to be young. If I were 20 or so years old, I might have left with you. Now I am old. I read the newspaper every day, beg for food, and talk to my friends in the world."
Just play chess and that’s it.”
He rolled his head down the car window, cupped his fists and smiled, "Goodbye, Mr. Liu."
"Let's go," beggar Liu waved his hand.
Two days later...
"Damn it, Yunfeng, look at those clouds!" Dou Sprout was lying on the car window on the Yinchuan National Highway and yelled excitedly.
Our car was driving on a high-altitude national highway, and a spectacular sight of burning clouds appeared on the horizon in the distance.
Qin Xingping drove the car. He took a look and said with a smile: "What is this? I have also seen a mirage. There are fishermen casting nets in the sky to catch fish. The scene is spectacular and weird."
"Tch, I've seen it on the sea, what's there to brag about?" Dou Sprouts curled his lips and said, "I even rode a whale!"
"Go away, you idiot," I scolded him with a smile. "You're just bragging."
At this time, he raised his head and asked: "Old Qin, how long will it take for us to arrive?"
Qin Xingping glanced at the sky and said: "The road on the national highway is easy to walk now, but it is not easy to walk inward. In front is the boundary of Yongning County. I have a friend who works in a restaurant in Yongning. Our car also needs to refuel. At night
It's better to stay there and ask the locals for news about the Hute people."
He looked out the car window and said, "The temperature difference here is huge at night. It's not safe to set up a tent for camping. I'll just listen to your arrangements, Lao Qin."
He nodded and said yes.
There is a local specialty delicacy in Yongning called zhuan. Nianzi is a Hui cuisine. The method is to put highland barley ears into a special small bag, beat them repeatedly to remove impurities and put the wheat husks into a large pot to stir-fry.
After frying, take it out and grind it on a stone mill, and finally grind it into green vermicelli. Lao Qin’s friend’s surname is Wang. He is in his 50s, bald and a bit fat. He opened a restaurant in the county that mainly specializes in grinding food.
In a small restaurant, Lao Wang and his wife are both local Hui people, two very enthusiastic people.
In order to help us catch the wind in the evening, Lao Wang and his wife closed the shop and cooked a table of delicious dishes, all of which were local specialties, such as braised haggis, stir-fried pork neck (maybe so called), kneaded swallow noodles, and powder soup.
Dumplings etc.
After drinking for three rounds, Lao Wang raised his glass and said: "The place is small and the hospitality is not good. Old comrade, don't dislike it."
Lao Qin also raised his wine glass and said, "We haven't seen each other for seven years. Let's not talk anymore. We were all in the wine."
Me and I also raised our glasses, clinked them together and drank it all in one gulp.
Lao Wang put down his cup, picked up a peanut and said, "I heard that you are still selling antiques. Have you made a fortune after doing this for so many years?"
Lao Qin smiled and said, "Have you made a big fortune? I have made a small fortune. Also, old comrades, do you have any legends here in Helan Mountain?"
"Legends?" Lao Wang held up his chopsticks, thought for a while, and said, "Yes, there are quite a few. It would take me three days and three nights to talk about them all. What specifically do you want to hear?"
Lao Qin filled a cup for himself and pointed to the ground with his chopsticks.