The Old Man of the Desert
The car drove until five in the afternoon and we arrived at a small shop. The shop is on the side of the road, but this place is too remote. I don't think ordinary people would come here to stay. The house was made of dirt, and the roof was covered with straw. There was a table at the door, a awning, and a dog with mixed fur not far away.
Grandpa got out of the car and walked to the door of the shop. He shouted at the top of his voice,"Old friend, come out! Your big brother is here!"
"I smelled you half an hour ago."”As I spoke, the door opened, giving me a fright. An old man with half a broken leg and a blind left eye walked out unsteadily. He looked at me, which was scary." Is this Min 'er?”
Grandpa chuckled." Yeah! We are all old! My grandson is already so big!"
I stood at the side and the old man waved at me." Kid, come here! Grandpa, look at you!"
I glanced at my grandfather. He was expressionless. I slowly walked over. He pinched my shoulder and felt the pain. He took out the jade on my chest and looked at it. He smiled."Your eldest son lost his fortune and you gave him this jade?”
Grandpa smiled." Why should we get involved in the matters of the younger generation?!" Old friend, get some food. I'm starving!”
"Uncle Tang!" Second Uncle chimed in. I'm really hungry! Speed! Mixed noodles, mixed noodles! Pure Meat Mixed Noodles!"
Master Tang dragged half of his broken leg into the house. I followed curiously but was caught by my uncle. Then, he shook his head at me, and I didn't insist. After a while, Master Tang brought out two long stools. Second Uncle and Little Uncle immediately went up to take the stools. At this moment, the door of the inner room opened, and a little girl slowly came out with three bowls of noodles in her hands. She looked to be about fourteen years old. After placing the noodles on the table, she turned around and entered the inner room. Everyone's eyes were focused on the noodles. The noodles were made of meat except for some chili skin, but no one touched it. The little girl came out with three bowls of noodles. After setting them up, she turned around and went back in. Grandpa walked to the table and took out two garlic from somewhere. He threw them on the table and waved his hand." Eat!"”
As a result, these people started to eat like hungry wolves. To be honest, I'm hungry too. It's my first time eating pure meat noodles. The feeling of meat in my mouth is really delicious! She really didn't expect to be able to eat such delicious mixed noodles in such a place. He looked at his grandfather again. His appetite was so good that it was rare to see him eat like this. "Soup! Broth! It's a little cold!" Second Uncle was sweating profusely as he shouted at Master Tang.
Master Tang put his walking stick aside, took out a pack of Chinese cigarettes, and lit one. He narrowed his only turbid eye and looked at us. He said faintly,"Raise your hand if you want to add noodles!"
Suddenly, he felt like he was back in class. His uncle, second uncle, youngest uncle, and even Sis Hua raised their hands together. "Haha! I knew you cowards weren't full!”
"Girl! Add some noodles to these cowards!" " Oh," came from inside, and a large basin was brought out, full of noodles.
After a gust of wind, Second Uncle and Little Uncle were dozing off on the chairs. Uncle was scratching the dog beside him, and Sis Hua was hiding in the Santana. It was unknown what she was doing. Grandpa took out a red packet from his bag and handed it to Master Tang. Master Tang took the money and opened it to take a look. I saw it from the side and wondered why there was at least 2000 yuan. That was in 2001. 2000 yuan was not a small sum.
"Old friend, it's been hard on you for so many years!”Grandpa put out the cigarette." You don't have enough money. I'll get you some more."”
"Hehe!" You say that every time you come. As for me, I'm almost there. Sigh, I've dealt with the Gobi Desert my whole life. I think this place is pretty good. I only have this girl now. I can't go back. The people in the Gobi Desert are still waiting for me! Oh, right! You're going to use the things you saved here this time, right? I don't think there's much hope! There was nothing good in this Gobi Desert, but there were also many evil things! Old man! You seem to be in the bag this time. You even brought your grandson out?”
Grandpa looked at me." He's still young. He has to experience it. This child is steady. He's more generous than his uncle and stronger than those two kids! He had to experience it sooner or later. It was always good to be early!”
"Alright, you guys can rest for a while before leaving." If they reached the Gobi before dark, they could start work tomorrow.”
Grandpa said,"Brother Tang, I came back this time to take Niuniu away. The child has to go to school."”
Master Tang said,"Alas, a grown woman can't be kept!" This child is also smart. He's only so old, but he's almost self-taught. I can't bear to let him go!”
"Look!" Grandpa said. When you feel that your daughter can come out, ask her to look for me. Anyone in my family can find me! Then I'll be leaving!"
Grandpa called Uncle to the vegetable cellar behind the house to get the equipment. I followed him all the way and found that there was a different world inside. The vegetable cellar was very big. It was definitely 50 square meters. Moreover, there was a bed, a television, and a small cubicle below. Uncle walked straight in and handed me a set of tights and a breathing mask." This is your uncle's. Wear it. Don't be afraid of the heat. Protect yourself!”
I was puzzled. Why would they need an underwater tight-fitting suit on land? I looked at it carefully. The workmanship of the tights was average, but the tightness was very good. The uncle took five sets, as well as a soldier's shovel, rope, searchlight, kerosene, hook, and an unknown item.
When she went up, she realized that there was no one outside. Everyone was in the car. The sun seemed to set the ground ablaze, and the clothes seemed to be on fire. When I put them in the car, my uncle said to me,"Let me check first!" Then, he took the mask and put it on. I laughed as soon as I saw it, just like an alien. He tightened his mask and breathing belt, started the van, and followed his grandfather's car.
We didn't talk along the way. I drank more water and played with the jade from time to time. At this moment, he said," This…needs to be protected well! It's very spiritual!"
"Oh." He continued," Min 'er, remember, you can only look. Don't touch. If you find anything, go to Grandpa's car. The family is afraid that something will happen to you."”
"Uncle! What could happen? Didn't Grandpa say that everything underground was dead?”
"You don't understand! There are too many things!"
Silence began again. I wanted to sleep after eating, and after a while, I was sleepy. When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had been walking for two hours. The surrounding scenery changed, and he could only see the endless Gobi Desert. "Are we there yet?" I asked my uncle sleepily.”
Uncle looked at me and said,"No!"
Bored, I took out my phone and realized that there was no signal. At this moment, the cars stopped and a group of people started to pee crazily by the roadside. I was shy, so I found a seat further away. At least I couldn't see Grandpa's car. Just as I was feeling comfortable, Sis Hua appeared out of nowhere and scared me so much that I almost peed myself. I blushed and stammered,"Ah! Sorry about that! I didn't notice!"
Sis Hua smiled and walked away. I was still worried when I returned to the car. As expected, Grandpa called me over. No way. He complained so quickly?
I walked nervously to Grandpa's car. Grandpa said,"Come in my car!"”
I opened the car door in front and bumped into Sis Hua. Sis Hua looked at me and blushed. When Grandpa saw this, he said,"Who told you to sit in the front? Come to the back!"”
I jumped to the back like a rabbit and got into the car. Grandpa said,"Drive!"
The car drove off obediently. I looked at my grandfather. He was holding a compass in his hand and looking at the map. He muttered to himself,"Almost there."
I didn't dare to say anything and just sat there silently.
After a while, I gathered my courage and asked,"Grandpa! Then…who was that Master Tang? You guys have a good relationship, right?"
Grandpa didn't look at me." Him! His life was bitter! In the past, he was a man worth six to seven million. He was a man in the western Golden Triangle. Ever since he started making faces with the Russians, he became poorer and poorer!”
"What? Why? He should…should be very rich, right?”
"A kind-hearted person! When he was 40 years old, he picked up Niu Niu at the street corner. Niu Niu had a strange illness. She coughed at night. He spent millions, but he still couldn't find out the cause. Back then, he found a woman and planned to wash his hands. The Russians gave him one million yuan and asked him to go to the Gobi Desert in the south. In the end, this group of people wanted to silence him, afraid that he would tell others about the theft and sale of the tomb. Coincidentally, when your uncle was still a child, he went to his house to play. He accidentally heard that he was going to the southern border and came back to tell me. He had thought that he had encountered a large grave, but in the end, he found out that they were trying to silence him! His wife had died a tragic death. She had been buried alive! When we went to save him, one of his eyes and one of his legs were already crippled. She originally thought that he would not be so tormented after he went back, but she did not expect him to stay in the Gobi Desert and not leave. Sigh, he's also an infatuated person!"
I nodded thoughtfully. "If you can come again in the future, remember to visit him every time you enter the Gobi Desert. It's not easy for him!" If it weren't for him, I might not have the family business I have today!”
"Grandpa, what happened?"”
Grandpa looked at me with a cloudy gaze." We all call Old Tang 'Barbarian' because he's full of strength. That was in 1998. We found a grave in the desert and dug for two days before we found the entrance. This grave! There were hidden weapons, poison, and everything else inside. If it wasn't for the fact that many of them had failed due to the passage of time, basically, no matter how many people entered that time, they would lose their lives. That time, it was the old Russians Barbarian brought with him. After those guys went in, one of them came out injured. They couldn't bear to see their own people get hurt, so they gave Barbarian 50,000 yuan and asked him to go in first. I was worried that he would act rashly, so I went in first with Barbarian following behind. After entering the hole, there were only rusty weapons and rotten sheepskin inside. The smell was also strong, but there was a beheading knife that was very strong. It was actually not rusty after hundreds of years. The Russians wanted to take it at that time, but before I could stop them, the three Russians who went up to snatch it were stabbed to death by the hidden weapons under the grave. I was unlucky and injured my thigh. Barbarian carried me out of the grave and ran for a few hours before sending me to a small hospital. The doctor said that if it was a little later, I would have bled to death. Thinking back, he really had that kind of brute strength.”
I don't know how Master Tang was so strong back then, but it seems like he isn't as strong as me now. I was more concerned about the saber, so I asked,"Grandpa, then…where is the saber?”
"Barbarian gave me that saber. He said that I went in first and that it should belong to me if I found it. Later, a nouveau riche bought it for three million!”
It seemed that the story wasn't as complicated as I thought. I was unwilling, but I didn't know what to ask. "Now that I think about it, that knife was sold at a low price. It should have been sold for at least 10 million."”
"Why?"
"That knife has been stainless for a hundred years. Hidden weapons are hidden under the knife. The cave is full of traps. The person who buried the knife probably thought it was very valuable and didn't want it to be touched. However, the lives of three Russians and half of my life are worth 3 million. Without that 3 million, our family would still be the same as before the revolution!”
I began to imagine what the owner of the knife looked like. Countless scenes began to appear in my mind. The owner of the saber might be very brave, might have killed countless enemies, or might have commanded thousands of troops to attack a city. However, he might not have expected that the saber would fall into the hands of a nouveau riche after reincarnating for a hundred lives. This might be a good fortune.
Grandpa said that he was tired and wanted to close his eyes to rest for a while. In the cool breeze, I started to size Sis Hua up. The mechanical watch on her wrist was illuminated by the sun and pierced my eyes from time to time. She was wearing an army green T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, but it couldn't hide her perfect figure. I gradually became engrossed in it. Perhaps she saw me looking at her from the mirror and coughed lightly. I immediately came back to my senses and asked awkwardly,"Sis, how far is it?"
Sis Hua moved her hair." About an hour. Why? Can't sit still anymore?"
"No, no, I'm just asking! Sis, is the place we're going dangerous?"
"I don't know!" Sis Hua said after a few seconds.”That's your answer to me.
I leaned against the window and looked out. I looked at the sunset outside the window and felt that the vast Gobi Desert was quite charming. I lit a cigarette and stuck my head out of the window, taking a few puffs. About two hours later, the car got off the highway and began to run wildly on the Gobi Desert. It was only at this moment that he realized how fuel-efficient the Santana was. The van had been refilled twice on the road, and the jeep had been kicked several times by his uncle.
The sky was completely dark. The car stopped at a low-lying place and everyone got out. I thought that we had reached the place and was so excited. In the end, Grandpa said,"Sleep here tonight and leave tomorrow morning!”
After saying that, she got into the car and never came out again. Uncle didn't let me go to Grandpa's car again. He said that he was afraid that I would disturb Grandpa's rest, so I had to stay around the van. Sis Hua stretched lazily by the car. Second Uncle and Little Uncle went around to look for firewood. After Uncle started a fire, he disappeared. I sat by the fire and began to feel depressed. Although these are what I've always wanted, with the sandstorm all over the ground, should I lie down or sit? What if a four-legged snake runs onto me and sleeps with me? Just as I was thinking that it was very unsafe to camp like this, Sis Hua threw me a bottle." Drink a few mouthfuls. It'll warm you up. If you're hungry, there's dried horse meat and naan in the trunk.”
As she spoke, she took out a short knife from her combat boots, found a stone, and began to grind it slowly. I went back to the car to get a long coat and saw that Second Uncle and Little Uncle had returned. Uncle threw the firewood aside and leaned over to me. He said maliciously,"Nephew, have you seen a desert snake?”
"No!" I said.
Then, he threw something cold on my neck. I looked at it and saw that it was a snake. I jumped up in fright and hid behind Sister Hua." Snake! Snakes! Hurry up! Take it away!"
His uncle laughed so hard that he almost fainted. He reached out and grabbed the snake." This is good stuff! This beast was lying on a withered tree. It was so late at night, yet he was able to pick up a treasure. It seemed like he had earned something from this trip.”
As he spoke, he slashed the snake with his knife, and the snake was cut open like a zipper. He drew on the snake's belly, and a black thing was drawn out and landed on the knife. As if he had seen a treasure, he moved closer and put the unknown object in his mouth. He took a sip of the wine and quickly chewed it a few times before swallowing it.
This scene made my scalp tingle. I asked Sister Hua,"What…what did he eat?"
Sis Hua looked at me and smiled." Bitter gall, the gall of a snake. Eating it is very good for you men!”
I gulped. Suddenly, there was a wolf howl in the distance. I stood up and leaned against the fire. I unconsciously picked up a torch on the ground. I remember that with fire in hand, the wolves wouldn't dare to approach. In the end, a group of people laughed wildly. Sis Hua said,"When you hear the sound of the desert wolves, they are still far away. It won't bark when it's close to you. When they want to eat you, there are usually a few of them. Sleep well!”
"What if there's an ignorant and extremely arrogant one that comes running over? Wouldn't we all become their noodles? It's better to be careful!" I argued for myself.
In the end, the group of people laughed wildly again. Sis Hua walked to the back of the van and pulled out a knife. It was Yengisar, the favorite of the Uighurs. The Uighurs could live without a wife, but they had to have an Yengisar. The knife was half a meter long, and the handle was made of brass. It was inlaid with small gems, and it was especially eye-catching under the fire. Sis Hua handed it to me." If you're really scared, I'll give you a knife to protect yourself!”
I took the knife and liked it very much. I focused my attention on the knife. It was a wonderful moment. It was like a soldier getting a gun. It felt like there was nothing in the world that he couldn't do. That streamlined blade made my blood boil. I really wanted to grab the blade and shout at the sky," Where's the wolf?!"
In the distance, the wolf's voice sounded again. Hearing that voice, my bold and unconstrained feeling instantly disappeared.
His uncle hummed a song as he groomed the desert snake. He found a stick as thick as a pinky finger and wrapped the skinned snake on it. He sprinkled some salt, chili, and cumin on it and began to roast it. From time to time, he would take a sip of wine and spray it on the snake meat. After a while, the aroma of the snake meat entered my nostrils, and the alluring yellow attracted all my attention. Uncle noticed that I was staring at the snake meat in a daze." Min 'er, do you know what kind of meat is the most fragrant?”
I said,"It's from the fire!"
He looked at me disdainfully." Nonsense! I know that too. What I meant was, what kind of material would be the most fragrant?”
"I don't know!"
He looked at me with a very disdainful gaze." Use Haloxylon! It's what your uncle is using now! Yes! That's called fragrant!"
Seeing that I had no intention of speaking, he continued to roast the snake. After a while, he handed me half a fish." Eat it while it's hot. Be careful of its bones. They're similar to fish bones!”
I carefully took a bite. The charred fragrance was accompanied by the strong taste of condiments. The chewy meat in my mouth and the tender white under the charred yellow made my appetite increase greatly.
Second Uncle came over, took a naang, and threw it on the fire. From time to time, he sprinkled some salt and chili powder. After I finished the snake meat in my hand, Second Uncle handed me half a steaming hot charred bread." Eat it quickly! Eat and sleep early!"
I took it and saw that the naan had been roasted to a crisp. I took the wine, took a sip, and took a big bite. Second Uncle gave me another piece of dried horse meat." You have to finish this piece of meat and the naan today. Otherwise, you won't have any strength tomorrow."”
I said,"Don't worry! I'm growing, I'll finish it! That's right! Second Uncle, where's Uncle? Why didn't I see him the whole night?"
He said,"He went to keep watch! We change every three hours. Eat and sleep!”
I said,"Second Uncle! Where…where should I sleep?"
Second Uncle looked at her like she was an alien." Don't go to the car. It's very cold after midnight. Just sleep by the fire and put a few clothes under it! It was more comfortable to sleep than at home!”
I had already cursed this place a hundred times in my heart, but my mouth said,"I'm fine! Wherever is fine!"
Second Uncle gave me a military coat. I spread it on the ground, but it attracted a round of disdain. He said that it was for me to cover myself with a blanket, not to lie down.
I forced myself to lie down, but the crackling of the fire was very annoying. There were wolves howling in the distance, and I had just eaten half a snake nearby. How could I sleep?
The floor was covered with foam boards that I took out from the car. I lay on it and looked at the bonfire. I thought about everything that had happened today. It was completely different from my previous life. Second Uncle had already started snoring, and Little Uncle was drooling. Sis Hua was sleeping beautifully, leaning against a large rock. From time to time, she would tighten her military coat. Under the campfire, one could even see her breathing gently. I was the most uncomfortable. I tossed and turned, making the foam board under me ring, but I still couldn't fall asleep. Just as I was about to count the sheep, my uncle came over and threw a few pieces of firewood into the bonfire. I immediately sat up and called out softly,"Uncle! Uncle!"
"Where did you go?" I asked. Why haven't I seen you eating?"
He smiled." I was nearby and saw you eating a snake. Hehe! The first time I saw a snake, I was scared out of my wits! It's alright! Go to sleep!"
I saw a gun on his back. It was so cool that I reached out to touch it. Uncle grabbed my hand." Be careful!”
My interest was piqued, so I sat up." Uncle, let me accompany you for the night watch!”
Uncle said,"Not today. You still have to hurry tomorrow." I won't be responsible if I miss the exciting part!”
My interest was all on the gun, so I asked,"Uncle, what is this gun called? Where did you get it?"
He said,"This is called AK-47, the Russians like this."”
"Can I play?"
The uncle put the gun on his back." You're just a child. You can't play with this. Go to sleep."”After saying that, he pressed me down, covered me with a military coat, and turned around to disappear into the night.
I lay down in disappointment and unknowingly fell asleep.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。