Firmament

The mother of wealth is the earth.

- Kazakh proverb?

A large river with a wide channel and abundant water appeared in front of it. A large field that flattens like a kang and grows green crops stretches out into the distance. At the end of the fields are dense houses and numerous towering minarets.

The peasants, who had lived in the poor ravines for generations, were stunned by the beautiful rural scenery. They have been obsessed with dreamy twilight for a long time.

Mai Liyan couldn't help but sigh: "Ayoyo, there is still such a big and flat land in the world!

Pointing to the city in the distance, he said, "The farthest place...... Right...... The place with the dense house is Hezhou City!".

"Wow!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

As if they saw the happiness and hope that was close at hand, they immediately dispelled the fatigue of the long journey, encouraged each other, cheered up, and happily walked towards the holy city of Hezhou.

The sky was getting darker. A bright moon hung high in the night.

Niu Ersa and his party came to the east gate of Hezhou City. He saw a large mosque in front of him and decided to go there and ask for help.

He approached the head of the mosque, said "Seran" to him, identified himself, and offered to stay in the monastery for two days.

Seeing their ragged and haggard faces, the man in charge could not help feeling pity for them, and readily agreed to his request.

Niu Ersa was very happy to see that the person in charge was so reasonable, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. They flocked to the mosque and lived in the main hall for prayer and worship.

The next day, Niusa took Ibrahim and a few villagers to the bazaar to buy goods.

Residents of the city of Heju already knew that Dongxiang had suffered a severe natural disaster. Many people saw them dressed as sartars, and they cast concerned and sympathetic glances. Some kind-hearted elderly people also brought them steamed buns and old clothes.

A few people squinted their arrogant eyes and said contemptuously, "Look, all these natives have run to the city." But lock the gate of the yard, and don't throw away your belongings!"

A rich man who rode a mule through the streets scolded indifferently: "Hey, Dongfang local, don't you have long eyes? Get out of the way, don't delay my deal!"

When encountering this kind of bullying situation, Ibrahim always stared at the screaming villains with big eyes and anger. He wanted to rush up, knock the gangster to the ground, and beat him with his fists.

Living in Hezhou City costs a lot of money, and is often looked down upon by others. Neursa knew that he could not stay here for long. He asked the person in charge about the road to Xixiang, thanked the good people who helped him, and led more than 60 people of all ages to set off again.

They walked through the commercial street of Hezhou, where there were many shops, through the bustling West City Gate, and along the flat avenue to the west, passing by the villages with excellent water and soil conditions, such as Blacksmith Village, Coppersmith Village, Jiangjiatan and Duanjiawan.

Along the way, there are wide fields full of crops and vegetables, and peach and apricot trees dot the fields. In the village, the houses of the rich are magnificent. Although the houses of the poor families are cramped, they are much better than the houses in Jiaozigou, at least they are built on flat land.

The villagers looked at the rich and fertile countryside and couldn't stop praising it.

Mai Liyan sighed: "This place is even better than the eastern half of Hezhou City. If we had known earlier, we would have moved here early and lived a good life here, and Amen would have to hide in the poor ravine of Dongxiang for the rest of his life!"

Niu Elsa criticized her, "You are daydreaming! Do you think the land here awaits you? "

An old man said with regret: "Once upon a time, we Sarthas lived in Pingchuan. Later, when the war broke out, our ancestors had no choice but to flee to the ravine for refuge. Those who came from behind took Hirakawa away. "

Ibrahim was not convinced: why didn't the ancestors stick to their homeland, and why did they give up such a good place to others?

When he saw that there were people working in the field, he took two steps towards the field and greeted a man who was working with his head down.

Niu Isa asked, "Brother, I want to inquire about the way." How far is it to get to Gayin Dai (wa)?"

The man stopped what he was doing, looked up at them, and said, "We have a dozen Gayin Daili on the mountain here. I don't know which Gayin Dai you're going to?".

Niu Ersa hesitated for a moment and replied, "Jinggou...... The Ga Yin Dai of the well ditch. "

The man dragged on in a long tone and said, "Oh—the Gayin of the well ditch." You walk two more steps ahead, turn north when you reach Hejiazui, and then walk up the loess plateau. There is a fork in the road halfway up the hill, take the path on the right, and walk to the hill on the mountain beam. I heard that Gayin Dai is inhabited by some natives who migrated from Dongxiang in the past. Looks like you're also a native of the East, right?"

Ibrahim was the first to reply: "We are the Sartars, not the natives. "

Niu Ersa hurriedly stopped Ibrahim, smiled at the man, and said apologetically: "Brother, Gawa is not sensible, you (Hezhou dialect, no) want to be surprised." Outsiders call us Dongxiang natives. We generally call ourselves the Sartas. Thank you so much. We continued on our way. "

The man waved his hand generously and said, "You're welcome." Walk slowly. "

Niu Ersa led a group of men, women and children to the west for a few miles, and came to Hejiazui under the high slope of the loess. The village is not large and does not have a large population. The terrain has undergone some changes, both flat and ridged.

Niu Ersa confirmed the road to Gayindai to the villagers, and then led the group out of Hejiazui. They found a mountain junction at the foot of the mountain at the end of the village, and climbed along the steep loess trail towards the loess mountain, which rises high into the clouds. When they were in Jiaozigou, they often crossed the mountains and mountains, and mastered the ability to climb the slope and cross the ditch, so they climbed the loess high slope after walking for two hours.

On the top of the mountain is a small and slender loess plateau. There is a small village called Benkang on the plateau. There are more than a dozen families living in the village. There were a few pitifully small fields in front of and behind the house. The rest of the fields are spread over the slopes of the hills. The fields are covered with dense barley and broad beans. Men and women dressed in sarta costumes squatted in the field pulling weeds.

Niu Isa stepped forward and communicated with them in the Salta language.

The villagers walked with pariness in the scorching sun. When they saw that the villagers were their own kind, they immediately let go of their restraints and begged for a bowl of tea. They took the tea from the villagers, craned their necks and opened their mouths, and drank a cow with a clatter.

When the villagers heard that Niu Ersa was leading the group to Gayindai, they pointed to the rolling mountains to the northwest with their big rough fingers, and said in a muffled voice: "That's Gayindai." "

Niu Ersa looked at the undulating mountains and asked in confusion, "Is it a mountain beam?" "

The villager pointed to a flat-topped loess plateau with a height slightly lower than Benkang nearby, and said, "It's this plateau under my nose." "

Niu Ersa looked at Gayindai, which was close in front of him but separated by a chasm, and felt that although the conditions there were much inferior to the villages under the mountain, the environment was much better than that of Jiaozigou, and at least there was a piece of flat land, and the area of the flat land was a little larger than that of Benkang.

Through conversations with the villagers, seven families found household chores (Sarta, distant relatives). Perhaps feeling reassured that they didn't plan to move on. They are obsessed with believing that Benkang is the best place in their minds. They're going to put down roots here.

Niu Ersa looked around and found that the conditions of Benkang were indeed good, but the place was small, the population was large, the houses took up a lot of valuable land, and the land for cultivation was pitiful. If 10 families were crammed into the area, it would inevitably lead to a land dispute.

Niu Ersa and Mai Liyan discussed a few words in a low voice, and decided to go to Gayin Dai as planned. He and the other two families carried their luggage, said goodbye to the villagers of Benkang, said goodbye to the seven families who decided to stay, took their wives and children, old and young, and strode confidently in the direction of Gayindai.