Those who have drunk the water of the Nile will come back!

- Egyptian proverb

Lanzhou has many distinctive snacks, such as beef ramen, stuffed skin, slurry water surface, mille-feuille beef patty, casserole, roasted pot, hand-grasped mutton, fried powder stuffed skin and oil pot helmet.

Beef ramen is the most famous snack in Lanzhou. It is also known as Lanzhou clear soup beef noodles, which is one of the three major Chinese fast food, one of the top ten noodles in China, and is known as the first noodles in China.

Legend has it that in 1915, a Hui family named Ma Baozi was very poor. In order to support his family, he made hot pot beef noodles at home, and then carried the burden to sell them in the streets and alleys of Lanzhou. Later, he mixed the soup with boiled beef liver and lamb liver into the beef noodles to make the soup fragrant.

Beef ramen has won unanimous praise from Chinese and foreign gourmets with its unique flavor of "clear soup mirror, fragrant meat rotten, fine noodles" and "one clear (clear soup), two white (radish white), three red (chili oil red), four green (coriander, garlic sprout green), and five yellow (yellow noodles).

Diagonally opposite the main entrance of Lanzhou University, there is a Feitian beef noodle restaurant. Business at the noodle restaurant is exceptionally good, with a crowd from morning to night every day, with few seats available.

A large bowl of fragrant beef ramen is inexpensive, only two cents and eight cents and two taels of food stamps. For cash-strapped college students, this is nothing less than a gluttonous feast. Therefore, there are many college students from Lanzhou University who come here to eat.

Every few days, Niu Mulin took the pocket money he saved, called two or three good friends, and came to Feitian Beef Noodle Restaurant to enjoy a meal.

As soon as you enter the noodle shop, you will be greeted by a large calligraphy and painting of pine and cypress and white cranes. The ink color of the big characters "Host Yake Comes to Work" is suitable, just like the beef ramen in the noodle restaurant, which is refreshing and enjoyable.

College isn't a paradise where everything comes to fruition.

Niu Mulin often encounters some difficulties and doubts in his study and life. He was reluctant to tell others what was on his mind, but instead went to the library to borrow biographies of famous people and learn from them how they overcame difficulties. In this way, he successively read the biographies of a large number of famous figures such as "The Autobiography of Duncan", "The Biography of Chaplin", "The Biography of Lenin", and "The Biography of Tito".

The first winter break of college arrived, and the students packed their bags and went home. The winter break is only a month away. It takes two days to take a train from Lanzhou to Urumqi, another three days to take a car from Urumqi to Beitun, and at least one to two days to get from Beitun to the home of the 15th Company. Half of the vacation was spent on a round trip, and I was only able to stay at home for two weeks. In Niu Mulin's opinion, such a car and horse are really tiring.

Niu Mulin decided to go to his uncle Gong Lianchao's house in Chengdu, Sichuan during the winter vacation.

In Chengdu, he met his uncle and his family who had been separated for 12 years, met his cousin Gong Biyu for the first time, and visited the thatched cottage of the great poet Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty, the former residence of Xue Tao, and visited the Wuhou Temple, where Zhuge Liang is said to be buried. He also went to Qingyang Palace to watch the refreshing New Year Lantern Festival.

After returning to school after the winter vacation, he wrote the winter vacation homework narrative essay "Qingyang Lantern Festival", which showed the great achievements of reform and opening up by describing the various lantern paintings on display at the lantern festival.

Niu Mulin's article was appreciated by Mr. Zhang Jili, who taught writing, and read it aloud to students in class as a model text.

Niu Mulin, who was encouraged and praised by the teacher, was more motivated. He used his spare time to go to the school library, read a large number of historical materials, and compiled a 200,000-word "Biography of Outstanding Historical Figures of China's Ethnic Minorities."

The classmates who got along day and night were really surprised when they suddenly saw a large pile of manuscripts taken out by Niu Mulin. They admired his boldness, dedication and perseverance.

The four seasons in Lanzhou are particularly distinct, unlike Xinjiang's long winters, short summers, and fleeting seasons of spring and autumn. Just a few days after the Spring Festival, Lanzhou entered a bright spring.

The first to grab the Oiran was the spring flower at the corner of the student dormitory. There are clusters of golden petals blooming on the branches, which are brilliant and moving, as if they are young and dazzling students in Peking Opera.

Next is the incomparably gorgeous peach blooming in front of the school auditorium. The layers of overlapping red petals are delicate and dazzling, as if they are lively and playful flowers in Peking Opera, which is invigorating.

A faint fragrance wafted into the classroom with the spring breeze, making people intoxicated. The lilacs downstairs of the old liberal arts are also in full bloom. The small lilac flowers are light and elegant, full of charm, just like the dignified and tranquil Tsing Yi in Beijing Opera.

The wisteria branches beside the fountain pool meander their own dark green pergola. The purple flowers cling to the vigorous branches, enjoying themselves in the hot sun, like a calm and steady old student in Peking Opera.

The locust trees on the campus quietly poked their branches into the campus by the side of the Tianshui Road, and they became lush overnight. The locust flowers of the tree bloom their buds, revealing white jade-like petals, wafting out a faint fragrance, as if they are the kind and gentle old Dan in Peking Opera. After the light rain, the flowers were scattered everywhere, and they were white.

The beautiful flowers on the campus trees are blooming so brightly. The mood of the cow wood forest is like the beautiful flowers on the tree, bright, bright and happy.

One day, Xie Dianbo, secretary of the student party branch and a graduate student, found Niu Mulin to talk. First of all, he affirmed Niu Mulin's excellent character and learning, and encouraged him to learn more about the party's knowledge and strive to join the party organization as soon as possible.

Niu Mulin listened to Xie Dianbo's words and said nervously: "I have recently been reading the books of the bourgeois Enlightenment thinkers Voltaire and Montesquieu. I think that my ideological level has only reached the stage of bourgeois ideological enlightenment, and it seems that there is still a long way to go from the ideology of socialism and communism. ”

Xie Dianbo liked Niu Mulin's honesty and sincerity very much, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. The process of joining the party is also a process of progress. ”

Niu Mulin returned to the classroom and secretly wrote an application for joining the party behind others' backs.

The next day, he solemnly handed over the written application to Xie Dianbo.

In the spring season, the Student Affairs Office of Lanzhou University organized nearly 100 ethnic minority students to go on a spring outing in Tulugou. Niu Mulin, Ma Xiaoping, Nathan and Han Jishou all participated in the spring outing.

Tulugou is located in the hinterland of Liancheng Forest District, Yongdeng County, Gansu Province, 160 kilometers away from Lanzhou City, the provincial capital and Xining City, Qinghai Province, belonging to the eastern foot of the Qilian Mountains, with a total area of 5848.4 hectares and an altitude of 1998-3165 meters. Tulu ditch because of the strange peaks and stones, the forest is verdant, evergreen all the year round, also known as Tulu ditch.

Tulu is an ancient Mongolian word meaning big, good, or beautiful orchard. It used to be a multi-ethnic area.

The topography of Tulugou is peculiar, the mountains are rugged, the ups and downs are violent, the scenery is beautiful, and it is praised by people as "fabulous green valley".

Affected by the mountainous climate, Tulugou has abundant rainfall. The peaks and peaks in the ditch are stacked, the forests are verdant, the winding paths are secluded, and the Tuqi Naxiu is beautiful, and it has become a primitive natural scenic spot without any artificial carving. The Tulu River, which originates from Obo Peak, flows from northwest to southeast, and after the confluence of three forks, it flows into the Datong River through Qiangou.

Known as the ship of the desert and the messenger of the Silk Road, Hump Ridge is covered in green and stands majestically. The skylight with infinite scenery is a wonder of the world. On the mountain wall of the high cloudy sky, "the cave is open in the sky", as if it is a telescope for observing the celestial body, so that people can see the magnificent scenery of the green mountain peak outside the mountain.

The skylight eye goes forward, surrounded by mountains, the cliff is towering, there is a hidden dragon hole in the corner of the wall, the stream enters the hole and comes out, graceful as a dragon's mouth spits beads; There is a huge stone on the side of the cave standing opposite each other, called the stone of the tiger exploring the dragon's lair; Looking up, the sky is cut into a crescent moon shape by the cliff, and it is said that the hidden dragon and the crouching tiger are half a moon day.

In the coniferous forest between the Kongo Peak and the Tanabata Bridge, there is a particularly eye-catching red birch forest, which is extremely gorgeous and lovely under the green embellishment. The jade pillar that crowns the sky and stands on the top of the sky makes the visitors even more breathtaking.

The stone wall and the pearl form a confusing and mythical world. The waterfall is more than 80 meters high, immersive, Li Bai's feeling of "flying down 3,000 feet, suspected to be the Milky Way falling for nine days" came back to his mind. Maitreya Stone, Tongtianmen, Guanyin Temple and other natural landscapes are rich and colorful, each with its own characteristics.

The summit of Tulugou is a rich grassland and vast pasture. From time to time, melodious folk songs come from afar, which makes people feel refreshed and enjoy the unique scenery of the plateau. On the mountainside, the pine trees stand tall and colorful wildflowers bloom one after another. Going deep into it, the thoughts and troubles that worry about the stomach on weekdays disappeared in an instant. At the foot of the mountain, small bridges, flowing water, people's houses, lush crops, and curling smoke curl into a beautiful rural picture.

College students who have lived in the city for a long time experience the leisurely scenery of the idyllic scenery here.

When Niu Wanshan went to Yili to visit relatives, he only saw his eldest brother Niu Jianshan. His younger brother Niu Yinshan had died of illness and was buried in the yellow earth of the Western Regions. He also met the family of Ga Sophie, the daughter of the little uncle Niu Zhanhai, and the family of Niu Junshan, the son of the third uncle Niu Zhanxiang. Niu Junshan told him that in the early 1960s, the family went into exile in Qapqar County, Yili, Xinjiang, where they settled down. His eldest son, Niu Chengcai, grew up to join the Chinese People's Liberation Army and was later demobilized to work for a large state-owned enterprise in Lanzhou.

Niu Wanshan heard that Niu Chengcai was working in Lanzhou, so he wrote a letter to tell Niu Chengcai's address to Niu Mulin, who was also in Lanzhou, hoping that they could move around each other and establish a relationship between relatives.

Niu Mulin followed his father's instructions and found his father's cousin's son Niu Chengcai.

Niu Chengcai has an outgoing personality and has some courage to break the boat, and in the early days of reform and opening up, he resolutely left his post without pay and contracted a trading company. He is also very sociable and has many friends in society.

One day, Niu Chengcai informed Niu Mulin to come to his company on the weekend, saying that there was an important matter that he needed to handle.

On the weekend, Niu Mulin came to Niu Chengcai's company on time. He saw several strangers in white hats sitting on the couch.

Niu Chengcai introduced Niu Mulin and said: "This is Uncle Niu Said, the son of the regiment leader's grandfather Niu Zhanhai. In those years, the regiment commander's grandfather fought against Japanese devils in Anhui and Henan, and was a meritorious person in resisting Japan. Now Uncle Niu Said has to write an application to the province for the return of the property that was confiscated by the government after the liberation. ”

He coughed twice, casually spat out a cloud of thick phlegm, and then settled: "This is the application material that someone else helped write." Now you need to copy 8 copies, you can help me copy it. ”

After speaking, Niu Chengcai handed a pile of letterhead full of pen words in his hand to Niu Mulin,

Niu Mulin returned to school with the materials, ran to the commissary to buy a school-specific manuscript paper, and began to copy the application form while reading history. He learned that Niu Zhanhai bravely killed the enemy under the leadership of Ma Biao, and his heart was full of pride and pride: it turns out that our Niu family has also contributed to the country!

Later, the public really returned the confiscated property to Niu Said, and also compensated 200,000 yuan in cash.

This year's summer vacation, Niu Mulin returned to his hometown after a year's absence.

At this time, the XPCC began to reform and open up, breaking the traditional management model and implementing a new model of individual land contracting, grain handing over a fixed amount, and surplus grain being disposed of by itself. Although Niu Wanshan and Gong Lamei have worked in the XPCC for more than 20 years, they are all engaged in auxiliary work such as cooks, carts, and nurses, and have never really done farm work in the whole process from sowing to harvesting. So, they chose to retire early.

When Niu Wanshan was young, he liked sports and keeping carrier pigeons. Every day after work, regardless of the fatigue of the day, he either went to various companies with a group of golfers to play basketball, or raised a large flock of pigeons. He concentrates on raising pigeons, but never slaughters them for meat. It is said that Islam prohibits the slaughter of pigeons, which symbolize peace.

Niu Mulin and his younger brother were often sent by their father to the grain yard to collect surplus wheat and use it as fodder for the family's pigeons. Sometimes, when they see other people's families eating pigeon meat and eggs with relish, they are indignant and vow never to go to the drying field again to carry feed.

One year, the company assigned them a new house. Because of the stipulation that individuals are not allowed to build pigeon houses without permission, Niu Wanshan does not live in the new house, and has been delaying time and refusing to move. It wasn't until one day in the middle of the night that the thief wiped out his nest of pigeons, and Niu Wanshan made up his mind to move to a new home.

After retiring, Niu Wanshan began to study carpentry. He learned how to make a trolley, first experimenting with making one for his own family, and then making a decent trolley for each of his neighbors. He also learned how to make sofas and made a pair of sofas for his own home. Although the sofa is a bit stiff to sit on, the gray pattern of artificial leather is indeed very beautiful.

Niu Wanshan has always liked to pursue new things. When televisions were not yet widely available in ordinary homes, he was the first to buy a 17-inch black-and-white television. So, he turned Niu's family into a "TV club" for the company's employees.

Every day after dinner, the men, women and children in the neighborhood came to Niu's house on time to watch TV with Mazazi in their hands. In the middle of the night, the word "goodbye" appeared on the TV screen, and the neighbors stretched their waists and went home to sleep.

Niu Mulin believes that this is the first time he has come back since going to college, and he must go to school to visit the teacher who taught him. He rode his bicycle to the 181st Regiment Middle School, 20 kilometers away, and met with every teacher he thought he should be thankful for.

One day, Niu Mulin discussed with his father at home which burial method was more scientific and reasonable.

Niu Mulin said casually: "Burial is too wasteful of land, it's better to be cremated." ”

Niu Wanshan is a typical Hui traditional, and he is very dissatisfied with Niu Mulin's shocking customs. "The custom of Muslims is burial," he said earnestly. At the end of the day, those who have done bad things will be burned at the stake! In the future, we will be impermanent, will you still burn us with a fire? ”

Niu Mulin said: "I don't care. I'm going to be cremated anyway! ”

At this moment, a Hui man from the 14th Company came in and informed: "Uncle Niu, I'm here to report your funeral." Tie Changkui's 8-year-old son went swimming in the river, and the people were gone. Funeral tomorrow in Mullah Bay. ”

Niu Wanshan turned his face and said solemnly at Niu Mulin: "You, go to Maurawan tomorrow to dig a grave." On-site education in the Muslim tradition. ”

The next day, Niu Mulin followed the people to Mullah Bay.

On the Gobi Desert in the south of the 181st Regiment Headquarters, Mullah Bay is a public cemetery specially designated by the regiment leaders for workers who believe in Islam. The cemetery is surrounded by large and small pebbles, and there is no way to use it for agricultural production.

Niu Mulin saw several lonely mounds erected on the cemetery, and in front of the mounds stood a wooden board without writing.

Niu Mulin asked an elder, "Uncle, why do you want to put up a wooden sign in front of the grave?" ”

The elder replied, "This is a sign made by the deceased's family." It is convenient to find the grave of the dead later. ”

Niu Mulin thought for a moment and said, "There are only a few graves now, and people are still easy to identify. When there are more graves in the future, how can they be distinguished from those that are all wooden signs? Is it possible to write the name of the deceased on the wooden sign? ”

The elder said, "You're right. Let's go back and talk about it. ”

Niu Mulin saw others digging graves in the clearing, so he picked up a pickaxe and joined in.

When the Hui people from the whole regiment saw Niu Mulin, a college student, digging a grave, they thought it was very novel and rare, so they joked with him: "Da Xiucai, the pickaxe is not a pen for writing, and it is not something that can be held casually. ”

Niu Mulin just laughed, without words, digging hard for stones.

Niu Wanshan looked at Niu Mulin, who was working silently, and felt a trace of joy and comfort in his heart. He stubbornly believed that Muslims should stick to their faith and hold on to what their ancestors had handed down.