Chapter 182

ped to over thirty degrees below zero. I sat on a stone for more than three hours.In his youth, his uncle's words shattered the boy's pride.Clutching the borrowed money, I swore to myself: "I, Xiang Y...In the late afternoon, we bid farewell to Liu, the beggar, and set off for the county town of Danba in Hulan Mountain.

As we were leaving, the beggar Liu said to us, “It’s good to be young. If I were 20 years younger, maybe I would have left with you guys. Now I’m too old.”

Every day I read the newspaper, eat my meals, and play chess with friends. That's about it.

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Shaking his head and rolling down the window, he cupped his fists and laughed, "Liu Ye, see you later."

"Let's go," said the beggar Liu, waving his hand.

Two days later...

"Wow, Yunfeng, look at those clouds!" Douzi was excitedly yelling from the back seat of the car on Yinchuan Highway.

Our car was driving on a high-altitude highway, and in the distance, magnificent fire clouds appeared at the edge of the sky.

Qin Xiping was driving, and he glanced back with a smile. "What's this I've seen mirages before! There were fishermen casting nets in the sky, the scene was magnificent and strange."

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"Bah, I've seen them at sea too, what's there to brag about," Dòu Yázi scoffed, "I even rode on a whale!"

"Cut it out," I said with a laugh. "Just blowing hot air."

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At this time, he asked: "Lao Qin, how long until we arrive"

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Qin Xingping glanced at the sky and said, "The road on the highway is good now, but it's not easy to walk further in. Ahead is Yongning County. I have a friend who works at Yongning Restaurant. Our car needs refueling too. Why don't we stay there tonight We can also ask the locals about Huote people."

Looking out the window, he said, "The temperature difference here at night is huge. Camping isn't safe. Just follow Lao Qin's arrangements."

He nodded in agreement.

Yongning has a local delicacy called "nianchan" (pronounced "zhua").

), **Qian Chuan** is a Hui cuisine dish. The process involves stuffing barley stalks into a special small pouch and repeatedly swinging it to remove impurities like chaff. Then, the cleaned barley stalks are fried in a large pot until golden brown. After frying, they are placed on a stone mill for grinding, resulting in a vibrant green, noodle-like food.

Lao Qin's friend is surnamed Wang, over 50 years old, bald, and a bit overweight. He opened a small restaurant in the county town that specializes in grinding and cooking food. Both Lao Wang and his wife are local Hui people and are very warmhearted individuals.

Last night, Old Wang and his wife closed their shop to treat us to a feast. They prepared a table full of local specialties, such as stewed tripe, stir-fried hu bo (I think that's how it's called), hand-pulled noodles with sesame sauce, and wonton soup.

After three rounds of drinks, Old Wang raised his cup and said, "Our place is small, and the hospitality may be inadequate. Please don't mind, old comrades!"

Lao Qin also raised his glass and said, "We haven't seen each other in seven years. Let's not talk about it, everything is in the wine."

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" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

I raised my glass and, after a toast, drank it down in one go.

Old Wang put down his cup, grabbed a peanut, and said, "I heard you're still dealing in antiques. Have you made a fortune after all these years"

Lao Qin smiled and said, "I haven't gotten rich, but I have made a little money. Also, old comrades-in-arms, do you have any legendary stories here in Helan Mountain"

"Legend" Old Wang pondered for a moment, holding his chopsticks up, and said, "Yes, there are quite a few. If I were to tell you all of them, it would take three days and three nights! Which aspect would you like to hear about"

Lao Qin filled his own cup and pointed with chopsticks at the ground.ould possibly open it with just the few of us."“You stumbled upon something incredible, this...this is a national-level underground palace."" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translat...