It is better to rely on the power of others to be blessed than to suffer according to your own desires.

- Mongolian proverb

Niu Mulin began to try his hand at writing while learning professional knowledge of Chinese language and literature at university. In 1984, he wrote two lyrical essays, "Spring on the Krone River" and "Autumn Song", which were published in the Altay newspaper that year. In the article, he praised his beautiful and lovely hometown with extremely warm words.

"The Spring of the Krone River" wrote: "I marvel at the mighty Yangtze River, and I praise the rushing mud dragon Yellow River." Their momentum and surging majesty often cause people to reverie in a colorful way. In my opinion, the Yangtze River and the Yellow River are lovely, but the most beautiful and favorite thing for me is the small river in my hometown, the Kelan River. ”

"Autumn Song" reads: "Yes, the flowers in spring are lovely, the greenery in summer is particularly charming, and the snow in winter is even quieter and moving, but which one can be so fiery, so joyful, and so profound as autumn?" Who would sigh sadly because of a few yellow leaves of withered grass!

Autumn is richer and more beautiful than spring; Autumn is more prosperous than summer; Autumn is more beautiful and moving than winter.

Autumn marks maturity and prosperity, joy and prosperity.

If I love autumn, that's the most important reason. ”

Niu Mulin's desire to learn is particularly strong. In addition to learning the knowledge in books, he also read a large number of Chinese and foreign literary masterpieces in accordance with the requirements of his major, and at the same time watched popular new trend movies and classic movies adapted from world classics in the electronic classroom and cinema.

He stumbled upon the fact that the electric classroom in the old liberal arts building was showing TV movies for classes of different majors almost every night. Since there are so many students who want to see a movie that there are not enough seats, the school has a policy that admission must be made with a ticket.

Niu Mulin found a piece of white paper, cut it into a piece of paper the size of a ticket, used a black pen to neatly write "a certain movie ticket" on it, and then used a red pen to draw a large circle to pretend to be a seal, and took advantage of the dim light to blend into the electric classroom.

During the winter vacation of the following year, Niu Mulin came to Qinghai Province, the hometown of his mother Gong Lamei. This is his second visit to Qinghai.

He first came to Ledu County, visited his uncle Gong Liangui's family, and revisited the place he visited 13 years ago. To be honest, after so many years, Ledu's appearance has not changed much, and it looks very cold and shabby in the cold winter.

Subsequently, he came to Xining, the provincial capital, and went to the third aunt Gong Xiahe's family, who had moved from Haomen Farm in Haibei to Xining.

Her uncle, Chen Xiaoshan, was shocked during the Cultural Revolution and was sent to Haomen Farm for transformation, and now he has been rehabilitated. The state implemented the policy for him, appointing him as the director of a tax office near the Xining steel mill.

Chen Xiaoshan has an easy-going personality and a tolerant heart, and never complains about the suffering he has suffered. He often told Niu Mulin and his two children stories during the revolutionary war, encouraging them to study hard and contribute to the construction of the country.

Niu Mulin looked at Chen Xiaoshan's face full of vicissitudes, and said secretly in his heart: The third aunt repays his grievances with virtue, and his mind is really broader than the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau!

Niu Mulin returned to Lanzhou after the winter vacation in Qinghai to continue his university studies.

One day, he received a letter from his high school classmate Li Wei, saying that his father, who was a doctor, had come from Xinjiang to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Lanzhou Medical College for further study.

On the weekend, Niu Mulin found a three-story old building in the old town of Chengguan District according to the address provided by Li Weixin and met Li Wei's father.

Niu Mulin saw that the light inside the old building was dark, and the wooden floors on the ground were pitted, and asked puzzledly: "Uncle, why do you live in such a poor environment?" ”

Li Wei's father said with a mysterious and proud look: "You must not underestimate this dilapidated and old building. Back then, it was Ma Fang's office when he was the military and political governor of Northwest China, and it was the most powerful and luxurious building in Lanzhou at that time. ”

Niu Mulin silently looked at the former mansion: the floor that couldn't see the background color and cracked everywhere, the wooden staircase handrails with peeling paint, and the cobwebs with a thick layer of dust, he couldn't imagine how glorious and majestic this place used to be.

He took Li Wei's father to visit the Yellow River Iron Bridge and the famous Riverside Park, as well as the sculptures full of artistic creativity and characteristics of the times, especially the landmark sculpture "Mother of the Yellow River" in Lanzhou.

During the third winter vacation, Niu Mulin came to the capital Beijing and the coastal city of Tianjin.

Niu Mulan's husband, Han Qing, is an intellectual youth from Tianjin who supports Xinjiang. In 1985, when the country implemented the policy of returning educated youth, the family all came to Tianjin.

Niu Mulin's trip to Beijing and Tianjin is, first, to plan to inspect the situation in Beijing on the spot, so as to decide whether to work in Beijing in the future; The second is to visit Niu Mulan's family in Tianjin.

At the end of January 1986, Niu Mulin came to Beijing for the first time, the holy place that he had longed for since he was a child.

When he stepped off the train, the sky was not yet bright.

In the square in front of the station, he walked towards the bus stop, and kept looking back, looking at the main building of the Beijing Railway Station. It wasn't until he was completely sure that it was exactly the same as the picture on the cover of the elementary school arithmetic book that he reluctantly boarded the bus.

Maybe it was too early, there were only 4 or 5 passengers on the bus, and there were not many pedestrians on the street. Niu Mulin sat in the window seat, pressed his face against the glass of the car window, and stared intently at every building that flashed quickly outside the window, hoping to see the city tower and the Great Hall of the People that could only be seen in pictures before. Although he only saw the Chinese Library building in the end, it also made him excited for a long time.

In the following days, Niu Mulin visited the square, Beihai Park, Jingshan Park, zoo, planetarium and other attractions. In the bitter cold wind, he wandered in the vast square, trying to restore the spectacular scene of millions of people celebrating the founding of the People's Republic of China in his mind, and immersed himself in the happiest and most satisfying moment of his life.

Niu Mulin's favorite places in Beijing are the Summer Palace and the subway. The Summer Palace covers a vast area, as if it is a vast and boundless Xinjiang, which makes people feel comfortable. The subway is fast and convenient, and although it is crowded and crowded, it will not be jammed on the way, representing modern civilization.

Niu Mulin decided that the city in front of him, wrapped in cold and gray, was not the capital Beijing where the sun shone with a thousand golden rays in his mind, and the people of the whole country longed for and enthusiastically praised.

When he was in Tianjin, Niu Mulin met an intellectual young man who had just returned to the city from the 181st Regiment.

The young man told him in a hurry: "Before I came back, I heard that your father was sick. I don't know if this news is true or false? ”

Niu Mulin's intuition told him: the situation is not good.

He hurriedly wrote a letter to the family asking about his father's situation.

The family quickly wrote back to him, telling him the actual situation: it may be that he has an irregular diet caused by running around all the year round, or it may be because he has eaten too many pickles, or because of headaches and long-term use of painkillers, Niu Wanshan was diagnosed with stomach cancer by the doctor.

Niu Wanshan's personality has always been cheerful and open-minded, and he likes to joke and amuse others. Every time he goes to a new place, he can quickly open up the situation and become one with everyone. Therefore, he was not struck down by the disease when he was admitted to the hospital. He actively cooperated with the doctor's treatment and performed surgery to remove 3/4 gastric bodies.

His body recovered quickly.

At the same time, the three patients who lived in the same ward were much less ill than him, but none of them made it out of the hospital alive.

Niu Wanshan, who had just recovered from a serious illness, began to seriously plan his life destination. He hopes that in his lifetime, he will return to his roots and return to his hometown Linxia to spend his old age in peace.

In May 1987, Niu Wanshan came to Lanzhou alone from Xinjiang.

Because he did not have familiar relatives in Linxia, Niu Mulin had not been to Linxia in the past few years in Lanzhou. Now that his father is here, and after recovering from a serious illness, Niu Mulin plans to take time to accompany his father to Linxia.

On the weekend, he and his father took a shuttle bus to Linxia City, more than 100 kilometers south of Lanzhou.

The urban layout of Linxia City resembles an olive-shaped track and field stadium. The main road is the "running track" that surrounds the sports field and an east-west street that runs through the city center.

Most of the buildings in Linxia are not high, but they are dense and old. Unlike other cities, the corners of the city are dotted with mosques of all sizes in Chinese, Arabic and Iranian architectural styles. There are many white hats fluttering in the streets and alleys, like a large white cloud flowing in the blue sky.

It was the first time for Niu Mulin to see so many Hui people, and he felt a kind of shock from the nation, but also felt very excited and curious.

Located on the rocky beach of the Daxia River in the southeastern suburbs of the city is the live animal trading market, dusty and full of people. Savvy Hui merchants were in the business of livestock and furs. Some people are carefully observing the cattle and sheep, and some people are reaching into each other's long sleeves and haggling.

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, most of the pedestrians on the streets walk slowly, with tired faces and eyes that sparkle with reverence and hope.

Male Hui people generally have a darker skin tone due to sun exposure. The older ones mostly have goatees and wear long black and gray trench coats. The young man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looked very capable and shrewd.

Female Hui people have fairer complexions. Young women wear pink women's hats or green hijabs on their heads, looking youthful and gentle. The older women wore white and black hijabs and were kind and kind.

Some Hui and Han people are not very different in appearance, and if it were not for the difference in clothing and language, it would be difficult for outsiders to distinguish them; Others have long black faces, high noses and deep eyes, and are distinctly characteristic of Central and West Asian races.

They spoke in a mixture of Arabic and Iranian words, and their intonation was swift and fluent, as vague and ethereal as Arabic. It is difficult for ordinary outsiders to understand.

In the farmers' market, Niu Mulin didn't see the goods on the counter of a merchant, only saw a piece of white gauze covered with it, so he curiously asked the vendor dressed as Han: "Fellow, what's under this white gauze?" ”

The stall owner explained softly, "It's pork." The gauze was covered so as not to make the Hui customers who visited the market feel awkward. ”

Niu Mulin's heart was moved again. He looked at the stall owner with admiration and admiration: Yes, all ethnic groups living and working together need mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual appreciation, mutual tolerance, and mutual learning. How wonderful our society would be if each and every one of us could do that.

On the first night, Niu Mulin and his father lived at Niu Said's house in the compound of No. 166 Guanjiatai in the eastern suburbs of Linxia City.

Niu Said's home is in a high-rise compound with dozens of houses. This is part of the confiscated property they asked the public two years ago for their return. The compound is divided into two courtyards in the front and back by a high wall in the middle. In the front yard lived Niu Said's family and a lonely old man. In the backyard lived the captain and several families of poor middle peasants who had been liberated.

The next day, Niu Mulin and his father went to the house of his aunt Niu Zainai in Yangtuo Village, Nanlong Township.

57-year-old Niu Wanshan excitedly rode Niu Said's bicycle and let Niu Mulin sit on the back frame of the car.

Niu Mulin was worried that his father's newly recovered body would not be able to bear it, so he asked himself to ride a bicycle to carry his father.

Niu Wanshan resolutely disagreed, insisting on carrying Niu Mulin by himself.

Niu Mulin sat helplessly on the back shelf.

Niu Wanshan rode a bicycle and carried the cow wood forest, along the jubilant Daxia River, all the way forward, leaving the green fields far behind.

Niu Wanshan's joy is beyond words.

Niu Zai Naibai raised 5 sons and two daughters for the Ma family. Among them, two sons emigrated to Yili in Xinjiang, with three sons and two daughters. The third son, Masheib, has a son named Hailong, who is about 6 or 7 years old. He was very affectionate to the cow wood forest from afar, and followed him all day long to ask this and that.

Facing the imminent graduation, Niu Mulin asked him funny: "Hailong, what do you think I will do after graduating from college?" ”

Hailong flashed a pair of bright big eyes, and said without thinking: "Uncle can be the county magistrate in the future." ”

In the hearts of children, the county magistrate is the parent official who dominates one side and controls the life and death of the people, and is the biggest official in the world.

However, Niu Mulin had no interest in being an official. In his opinion, being an official seems to be a bad job. Therefore, after listening to the sea dragon's answer, his mood suddenly became heavy, and he couldn't help but pull the sea dragon's straight nose.

Niu Mulin planned to go back to Lanzhou on Sunday morning because he still had classes on Monday.

When he left Linxia, Niu Said's three children stood at the door of the compound and said goodbye to Niu Mulin reluctantly. They are the eldest son of about 11 years old, the second daughter of about 7 years old, and the third son of about 4 years old.

Niu Mulin took two steps forward and couldn't help but glance back at the child who saw him off. He saw two lines of tears rolling down the slender yellow eyelashes of Niu Said's third son......

In less than a week, Niu Wanshan suddenly came to Lanzhou.

With a puzzled expression, he said to the surprised Niu Mulin: "It's only been 25 years since I left my hometown, I don't know what's going on, I'm not used to life here." It's still Xinjiang, wow. ”

After sending Niu Wanshan off to return to Xinjiang, Niu Mulin began to be busy preparing his graduation thesis.

One day, the school notified Niu Mulin to go to a meeting, saying that he and 20 male and female classmates in the class were selected as extras to cooperate with the school's electronic classroom and CCTV to shoot a TV special film "Today's Lan Daren".

Niu Mulin and his classmates showed the scene of college students attending classes and reading in the library, strolling and chatting on the green avenues of the campus, and finally took a van to climb Gaolan Mountain, posing to look at the beautiful city of Lanzhou.

The magical TV camera aroused great interest in Niu Mulin. He has always liked and tried new things. At that time, television was being popularized in thousands of households across the country, and its dissemination power and influence were very huge.

In the past, Niu Mulin planned to apply for the graduate school of Beijing Film Academy, because the best senior students were admitted to the graduate school there. Now, he has changed his personal ambition and does not plan to apply for the Beijing Film Academy, but wants to be a TV reporter with the title of "uncrowned king" and engage in sacred and great news and propaganda work.

During Niu Mulin's four years at university, he met only two Hui students in the Chinese department. One is the Northeast Hui who are two levels higher than him, and the other is the Yunnan Hui who are two levels lower than him. Since they were not in the same class, they hardly interacted with each other.

At that time, the cultural level of the Hui people in Northwest China was relatively low, and intellectuals were very rare. Interestingly, the year Niu Mulin graduated, the head of the Chinese department was actually a Hui named Ma Zhijie.

Ma Zhijie's younger brother is the dean of a college in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, and hopes that his brother will recommend a graduate to enrich his faculty.

Ma Zhijie saw that Niu Mulin's origin was written in Linxia, so he discussed with the head teacher to arrange for Niu Mulin to work in Linxia, so that he didn't have to return to distant Xinjiang.

The head teacher usually communicates a lot with Niu Mulin, knowing that he pursues modern fashion and will not like the relatively conservative and backward Linxia, and he does not communicate with Niu Mulin, so he refuses for him.

Ma Zhijie didn't know the reason, so he had a bad opinion of Niu Mulin, who didn't know what to do, and no longer cared about and ignored him.

Niu Mulin was not idle. He's busy with his work. His only ambition is to work for national media outlets such as CCTV, Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily.

Coincidentally, in 1986 there was a student uprising across the country.

The higher-level departments decided that starting in 1987, university graduates could not directly enter state-level units and government departments, and that they would all go to the grassroots level for training first. As a result, none of the Beijing units assigned to the Chinese Department are central-level media.

Faced with the predicament, Niu Mulin's heart couldn't help but feel a little anxious.