In the cave dwelling of Hutebu, Uncle Hulu's little daughter was lying on the kang playing with dolls.
"Uncle, you are recalling carefully. Did you see the people who made the fire? Were they riding camels or on foot? How many people were there?"
Uncle Hu Lu frowned and thought for a while, shook his head and said a few words.
I looked at Aji.
Aji sighed: "Uncle, I really didn't see anything. I was very far away at the time. I just saw the light of the fire from a distance. The only way I can be sure that someone started the fire."
"Then where was the place where they made the fire? The approximate location."
After Uncle Hulu finished speaking, Aji then translated: "Tomorrow our tribe will be moving and we will pass by that area. If you want to go, I will point it out to you."
I said okay, I'll take a look then.
The moving of the Hute tribe is somewhat like the migration of nomadic people on the grassland. The difference is that the herdsmen on the grassland will take their yurts with them, while the Hute people only bring people, sheep, and some necessary daily necessities.
The Hute people will perform a ceremony before moving every time. They kill two sheep, saw off the horns, and string the four horns together with a rope. The old patriarch chants certain incantations to the string of horns, and finally digs a hole to bury them.
In the ground.
When they come back next year, they will dig out the horns, wash and dry them, smash them with stones and let the children in the tribe eat them. I didn't know that these things can still be eaten after being smashed and dried.
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At around five o'clock the next morning, while it was still dark, I was woken up by the sound of movement outside.
There were torches burning in the courtyard, and many people were carrying bags and bags. The old patriarch had finished burying the sheep's horns and was about to set off.
Reporter Gan looked at this scene and said: "It's a pity that I didn't bring a video recorder this time. If I could follow the migration of the Hute people, I might be able to make a documentary after I go back."
The reason why we invited Gan Xuan is to let her give us a ride deep into Blackwater City to find the leader. We will definitely not take her with us in this matter. I was just thinking about finding some excuse to get out, but now I seem to have a solution.
I said: "Indeed, it would be great if the migration of the Hute people could be recorded. But Reporter Gan, although the mobile phone cannot record the entire process, it should be able to take a few short videos. You can use your mobile phone to selectively record it. After you go back
Copying the video."
Reporter Gan shook his head in disappointment and said that my mobile phone did not have a video recording function.
I immediately said that we have it and we can lend it to you, reporter Dou Ya Dou’s mobile phone or a high-definition camera.
"Just wait." Seeing that she was interested, I went directly to find Dou Sprout.
"Fengzi, why didn't you give her your phone? Why did you take mine?" Douyazai was a little reluctant.
I said look at how stingy you are, so we can get rid of her. Besides, she is just a loan and we will get her back when we return to Yinchuan.
Douyazai thought for a while, sighed, pulled out the phone card and gave it to me.
The number of Hute people living here is less than 200, and the number of sheep and people is about the same.
The nights in the desert are sometimes very long, and the moon is still hanging in the sky. The large army begins to set off. Uncle Hulu and the young man lead the way, while the women lead the children behind. The sheep are in the middle and are guarded by special personnel.
I left Yueya Prefecture at around 5 a.m. and walked through the Gobi Desert for more than three hours with sand under my feet. Aji suddenly ran over and said, "We're at that place Yunfeng. Uncle asked me to call you over."
Walking to the front of the team, Uncle Hulu stopped and pointed at a patch of sand in the distance and said a few words.
"My uncle said it was there. We looked at it not far away. In fact, it was several kilometers away. When he saw it, someone was lighting a fire there."
I memorized the directions and then said goodbye to reporter Gan. In fact, I had revealed the itinerary last night and she agreed.
"You must pay attention to safety. Do you have enough water and food?" Reporter Gan asked me worriedly before we left.
I smiled and patted the big bag on my back and said, "Don't worry, Aji helped us replenish food and drink yesterday. We have enough food and drink. This is a rare opportunity. If you do this well, maybe you can make a documentary in the future."
.”
"Whether I want to make a documentary or not, I'm not that greedy," she smiled and nodded, "That's it, I'll see you in Yinchuan. I'll return your cell phone to you then. Please be safe on the road."
Douyazai and Xiaoxuan also waved and smiled: "You too, please pay attention to safety on the road."
We said goodbye to Aji and Uncle Hulu again. Aji was worried and specially gave me a sharpened sheep-killing knife. I put the knife away and hugged him with a smile.
The three of us stayed where we were, watching them go further and further away.
I don't even know who started the fire, so this is not a clue at all.
But we have no other choice. If there are no clues, I plan to go to the dry well last time.
"Stop looking, everyone is gone. Let's go quickly," I urged.
Uncle Hu Lu was right. The place in the distance didn't look that far away, but it was far away when we walked. It was more than a kilometer or two. We walked non-stop for more than two hours to get there.
"Is this here? I think Uncle Hu Lu is pointing to this place." After arriving at the place, Dou Yazai glanced around and said.
The place is desolate, with no mountains, no water, no grass, no trees, not even a cactus nearby. Apart from the sun above our heads and the yellow sand and dust under our feet, there is nothing else.
Xiaoxuan squatted down and grabbed a handful of sand. Her fingers deliberately exposed a gap, and she frowned as she watched the sand fall out from between her fingers.
I analyzed: "If someone was camping here more than ten days ago, they must have food and drink, right? Let's look around, keep within our sight range, and pay attention to safety."
Then we searched around the place.
Not to mention, Dou Sprout actually found something. He picked up several empty mineral water bottles not far away, and the Wahaha trademark on two of the water bottles was still there.
These empty water bottles illustrate a point.
One night more than half a month ago, more than one person camped here overnight.
Who are these people? What are they doing in Alxa? Is the leader among these people? I don’t know any of this.
The bag Xiaoxuan is carrying is too big. I think it is difficult for her to get up.
"Give me your hand."
I pulled her up.
Next, we walked aimlessly along the sand in this direction. We didn't know if we could see the head at the end. Just like when the second brother disappeared, no matter what the head was, we had to look for it.
Take a look.
We started walking when the sun rose, set up camp and rested when the sun set, and just kept walking deep into Alxa.
I was a little discouraged, because apart from the few mineral water bottles I saw a few days ago, no new clues had emerged in the past few days.
this day.
Xiaoxuan's head was wrapped in a gauze scarf, and her chapped lips were dripping with sand as she walked. Suddenly she seemed to find something. Xiaoxuan suddenly exclaimed: "Yunfeng Yunfeng! Look! Look there!"
I squinted and looked where he pointed, and saw a small house not far ahead. It looked like a small temple, and it should be built of stone.
Dou Sprout also saw it, and he asked doubtfully: "Is it a mirage? I used to see it often at sea. Once I saw someone riding a roller coaster in an amusement park on the sea. My uncle said that there are mirages in the desert."
I wasn’t sure, so I said, how about we go over and have a look?
Douyazai shook his head and said: "If it's really a mirage, we can't get there, so we're walking in vain."
"But," Dou Sprout said with a smile, "but my uncle taught me a way to tell whether it is a real mirage. He also said that this method can be used anywhere, even in the desert."
"What can I do?" I asked curiously.
Dou Sprout didn't reply. He turned around and looked around, as if he was looking for something but couldn't find it.
"I didn't see the stone. Fengzi, you squat down and I step on your shoulder to take a look. If the stone house in front is a mirage, I can't see it if I change my position and stand high."
I'm telling you it's true, why haven't I heard of it?
Dou Ya Zai was so arrogant that he was educated for the first time. He said: "A mirage is an optical phenomenon. It occurs when hot air rises from a sandy or rocky surface, causing light to refract. Generally speaking, this phenomenon occurs.
It will appear not far from the seaside, but not always. Sometimes it will appear inland.
"If you go to a higher place at this time, such as about 2 meters above the desert floor, you can avoid the hot air close to the surface and overcome the mirage illusion."
In short, as long as you adjust your viewing height slightly, the mirage phenomenon will disappear and you will no longer be able to see it.”
I said, what are you waiting for? Just give it a try.
Then Xiaoxuan supported Douyazai and stepped on my shoulders. I grabbed his ankles with both hands and pushed him up.
"How is it? What did you see? Is the stone house still there?"
Dou Sprout stretched his right hand in front of his forehead, looking like a monkey brother.
"Fuck! It's true!
"The stone house has not disappeared!" Dou Sprout said and jumped down.