Just as we finished discussing the matter, the "lele cart" stopped in front of two yurts on the grassland. I saw Ding Sitian wearing a Mongolian-style long robe with a kerchief tied on her head, milking a ewe. I almost didn't recognize her; the change in attire was too significant. If I hadn't looked closely, I would have thought she was a Mongolian girl. Ding Sitian also hadn't expected me and Fatty to suddenly visit her. She was stunned for a moment before coming back to her senses, rushing over to hug us, choked with emotion. Comrades-in-arms reunited after a long separation, there were endless things to say, but the myriad past events in their hearts made them unsure where to begin.
This grazing area was located in the northernmost region of Balin Left Banner, with only three or four Herdsmen families, including the Educated Youth sent to work and live there. The total number of people in the entire grazing area did not exceed fifteen or sixteen. Ding Sitian was settled in the home of the Herdsman "Old Sheepskin." Normally, besides "Old Sheepskin's" family of three, there wasn't even anyone to talk to. Seeing her comrades-in-arms from the Great Alliance suddenly appear, she couldn't help but weep with joy.
I comforted Ding Sitian a few times, briefly explaining to her that Fatty and I couldn't join the army and had instead been sent to the Hinggan League to work and live. Ding Sitian sighed softly, seemingly feeling extremely regretful for us, but she immediately cheered up and said, "We are quite well off now. Look how magnificent the scenery of our grassland is! The blue sky is our blanket and the ground is our bed; yellow sand mixed with food tastes delicious. Life on the grassland is the best training. Since you are here, stay a few more days. Tomorrow I will take you horseback riding."
Herdsmen on the grassland place immense value on horses and would absolutely never let outsiders ride their mounts. If a horse was ridden by an outsider, or if a horse was lost, it was considered a terrible omen for the Herdsman. Furthermore, there weren't many horses here, so I assumed there was no chance of riding at all and didn't hold out any hope. Unexpectedly, Ding Sitian told us that the Herdsman "Old Sheepskin" here was not Mongolian; he had fled from outside the pass before Liberation. He had lived on the grassland for half his life, and after liberation, he simply became a Herdsman. He didn't pay much attention to the Taboos of the grassland. If you got along well with him, he wouldn't get angry if you rode his horse.
I knew that behind Ding Sitian's optimistic attitude lay more of a helplessness toward Fate. How could food mixed with yellow sand taste delicious? However, I decided it was better not to bring up discouraging topics. So, I asked her to introduce us to Herdsman "Old Sheepskin's" family. "Old Sheepskin" had lived on the grassland for half his life, but his accent was hard to change, and he still had a very strong northwestern accent. He said we had arrived at the perfect time; they were slaughtering an ox and sheep tonight to entertain guests who had traveled from afar. Near dusk, the nearby Herdsmen and Educated Youth would all come over.
When Fatty and I heard this news, we were so happy our mouths couldn't close. The Herdsmen on the grassland were truly too hospitable! We had heard about it before but never seen it; now that we had witnessed it, we were truly impressed. They were slaughtering an ox right after we arrived, and they were killing sheep too—how could we accept such hospitality? It was too much trouble for them, especially since we came empty-handed. We should have brought some local specialties as gifts. However, we had long heard the great reputation of hand-held mutton, so today we would shamelessly stop being polite. What time do you usually eat?
Ding Sitian laughed from the side, "Don't treat yourselves as outsiders. The sheep is being slaughtered today because this grazing area has suffered several natural disasters in a row this year. But because the Herdsmen risked their lives to protect collective property, no losses were incurred. The League said we are a model for supporting the 'Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture' movement. Since the Inner Mongolia Grassland is near the border, it is under military management, so the Revolutionary Committee from above sent an official here to take pictures and report on the heroic deeds of the model Herdsmen. The sheep is being slaughtered to entertain him. You just happened to arrive at the right time; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to treat you to fresh mutton."
Only then did I understand what was happening. I had been happy for nothing; it turned out such a grand occasion was to entertain someone else. Moreover, they were calling the pastoral area a model for supporting the 'Learn from Dazhai in Agriculture' movement—how could Dazhai compare to a pastoral area? But since they wanted to select a model, we had no right to question it. Whether I was there or not didn't matter; I should be content just to tag along and get a mutton meal.
Before it got dark, the nearby Herdsmen families and Educated Youth arrived one after another. Including us and Old Sheepskin, there were only about twenty people in total, with the Educated Youth making up half. Although we didn't know the other Educated Youth, once they mentioned their status as Educated Youth, they were all like brothers and sisters, similar to the sworn brotherhoods of the old society. Their shared Fate meant there was no distance between them at all; they quickly became familiar with each other. The sunset glow on the grassland at dusk, stretching for a thousand miles, was the most beautiful time of day. Some Educated Youth borrowed a camera from that official, and Everyone took a group photo together, happily waiting for the evening meal to feast.
Ding Sitian and I helped "Old Sheepskin" pull the sheep to be slaughtered out of the pen. I felt I had enjoyed myself immensely today, and seeing the undulating mountains to the west under the blood-red sunset, I felt a desire to travel far. I told "Old Sheepskin" that tomorrow I wanted to borrow a few horses so Sitian could take us for a ride deep into the grassland.
When "Old Sheepskin" heard this, his face changed drastically. He told me that area was off-limits. The end of the grassland was the Mongolian Loess Plateau, the area connected to the Desert. Deep in the grassland was a place called the Hundred Eyes Cave. A Demonic Dragon, pitch black all over, was hidden in the Hundred Eyes Cave. Any Herdsman or livestock that approached that area were swallowed by the Dragon King, never to return. If it weren't for the Winter Famine this year, and the Herdsmen worrying about not having enough fat reserves for the livestock, they absolutely wouldn't be grazing in this meadow so close to the Hundred Eyes Cave. Didn't you ask? Who would dare step another half a step deeper into the grassland? If the Demonic Dragon were disturbed, even the Eternal Heaven might not be able to protect us.
Seeing "Old Sheepskin" speak so seriously, I couldn't help but find it amusing. This was too much Talking nonsense. How could there be a Dragon on the grassland? And a Demonic Dragon that swallows people and livestock? This kind of story might fool children, but could I, Hu Bayi, believe it?
Seeing that I didn't believe him, "Old Sheepskin" recounted an experience he had decades ago. Back then, he was tending sheep for the "Bayan" on the grassland and had heard the Legend about the Demonic Dragon of the Northern Desert. It was described as incredibly bizarre, so much so that the grassland near the Hundred Eyes Cave had become a Forbidden Zone tacitly agreed upon by the local Herdsmen. If livestock were lost there, no one dared to search for them. In any case, whether person or horse, once they went in, they never came back. Once, a group of people came from the mountainous region of the Northeast, carrying an old, large box that looked like a Coffin; no one knew what was inside. This group captured "Old Sheepskin's" brother, held a gun to his head, and forced him to lead the way to the Hundred Eyes Cave. "Old Sheepskin" secretly followed behind, hoping to rescue his brother, but he didn't dare go any further once he reached the vicinity of the Hundred Eyes Cave. He watched with his own eyes as his own brother led that group inside, and they never came out again after that.
"Old Sheepskin" swore solemnly that he had personally seen that black Demonic Dragon that time, and he was so scared he nearly wet his pants. He truly dared not approach again. From then on, he had nightmares every night, and he hated himself for being cowardly, watching his own brother walk the road to the Yellow Springs without having the courage to save him.
Seeing his earnest words and that his expression was not feigned, I naturally sympathized with his brother's misfortune. But I certainly wouldn't believe that dragons exist in the world. Shaking my head, I said to "Old Sheepskin," "What you saw... that Dragon, perhaps you misidentified it? I guess maybe it was a black Giant python? Some large pythons are as thick as a water bucket and can indeed easily be mistaken for a dragon."
The way "Old Sheepskin" looked at me suddenly became grave. He pointed a finger at the sky, "Young man, do you think this old man has lived all these years for nothing, unable to distinguish between a snake and a dragon? What kind of python can fly into the sky? I personally saw that Deity... that Deity was a dragon in the sky, in the sky."
Note: Bayan—Mongolian for wealthy person
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