Traveling more than 40 kilometers north from Zhangjiakou, you will reach the Bashang Grassland. In fact, there are not only grasslands here, but also vast fields, dense trees, undulating hills, winding rivers, and mirror like lakes embedded in the earth. The the Inner Mongolian Plateau is like a galloping horse. When it arrives here, it suddenly kneels down, and its head still rises proudly. Bashang is a veritable plateau, twice the altitude of Zhangjiakou urban area. It is the dam behind Zhangjiakou, as well as the earth ridge blocking Beijing, Tianjin and even the whole North China Plain. The Bashang Plateau is not as steep as the Taihang Mountains, but it is thick and heavy. In the minds of many people, Bashang is a place of bitter cold. It is indeed cold and bitter. Is there treasure in such a place? Of course there is! Three treasures on the dam, yam (potatoes), buckwheat flour, and big fur coat. This is a statement from the past, without any intention of being proud or showing off, more of self mockery and helplessness without choice. If one regards it as a treasure, they are a fool, but underestimating and ignoring it is an even greater fool. This is the foundation of survival. To survive on the dam, this is treasure. The Three Treasures is a representative term, but in reality, it goes far beyond that. For example, a fur coat is equally important, as are felt bumps and a dog skin hat. The ears and hands and feet are the least susceptible to freezing. My hands and feet are numb from the cold, jumping or tapping for a while will help me recover. If your ears are frozen, gently cover them and gently rub them. Do not rub or pat them. If you apply a little force, your ears will fall off, which is not an exaggeration. There was a man in my mother's village who was already experienced. One time, for some reason, he was careless and lightly pressed it, causing his ears to shatter and he became a bald gourd. The winter wind was still on the way, so my mother started telling this story, year after year, over and over again, constantly instilling it in me and my younger siblings. The so-called past is not far away. I graduated from normal school in 1987 and went to my workplace to report. In addition to luggage, I also brought a leather jacket. The lining is made of sheepskin, covered with a black face, which looks quite appealing, but the key is practicality. I also have a dog skin hat, which I bought from the store. It has a unique style and is quite good. In my youth, felt bumps could be said to be the treasure among treasures. In fact, they were boots made of thick felt that were absolutely warm. The downside was that they were too heavy and difficult to lift, let alone run away, hence the name "felt bumps". Every time there is a movie, I can't wear it anymore. I have to walk a long way from home to the movie venue. I am wearing cotton shoes made by my mother, stomping my feet while watching. Even so, when the movie ends and I walk back, my feet are mostly numb. If I don't hold my parents' hands, I will definitely fall down. At that time, the felt in my heart was warmer than a brazier. Not far away, but those days have finally passed. Felt bumps, dog fur hats, and big fur coats lay like dust in the depths of memories and time. Nowadays, Bashang is still a cold place, but there are more treasures. The wind that blows from spring to winter, making people dizzy and disoriented, can be used to generate electricity. Beyond the grassy slopes, there are also large stretches of barren land where only wild grasses such as Jiji, Pianchu, and Malan grow. These wastelands are often chosen for installing photovoltaic panels. In the last section of the novel "Dragon and Phoenix Song", I wrote about Zhu Deng getting off halfway back to his hometown and taking the village road. One of my purposes was to write about the crops on the earth, because crops also change. In my hometown of Guyuan County, Baitu Kiln mainly grows quinoa, Xixinying mainly grows adzuki beans, Huanggainao mainly grows various potatoes, Gaoshanbao and Lightning River mainly grow vegetables, and Changliang mainly grows various flowers; There are also varieties of strawberries, cherries, and cantaloupes that may not be considered significant elsewhere, but they can also be considered treasures in Bashang, which has always been known as the land of bitter cold. There is one thing that was precious in the past and still is today, and that is buckwheat flour. If we were to list the new Three Treasures of the Dam, it would be difficult to distinguish between them and compare them. I cannot say it, and others may not be able to either. But I believe that no matter how you choose, buckwheat noodles will never be absent. If people born and raised in this place were to vote, buckwheat noodles would definitely win the championship. Oat flour is a type of flour made by processing buckwheat through a series of procedures. Naked oats, also known as naked oats or oil oats, have a planting history of over two thousand years in China. Oat, which is cold and drought resistant, is one of the preferred crops on the dam. I grew up eating buckwheat noodles, so I naturally have a special emotion and preference for them. Every time I go out, especially after being away for several days, the cravings in my stomach start to stir. The only way to calm them down is to go home and have a meal of buckwheat noodles to suppress them. In my youth, my favorite food was not buckwheat flour, but white flour. Mantou, live or dead noodles, noodles or pimples are all delicious. But the white noodles at home are pitifully scarce, so eating one meal every two weeks or twenty days is considered good. Another thing is during festivals and when there are guests at home. Festivals are eagerly awaited day by day, and visitors are pleasantly surprised. At this time, even if there is no one at home, my mother would still take the basin to borrow from relatives and dare not borrow too much because she has to repay it. Besides, other families don't have that much. At that time, I didn't understand why we had to plant naked oats instead of wheat. The land is barren, and the yield of naked oats is not higher than that of wheat. I asked my mother, and she said naked oats live well. Her answer did not satisfy me, so I dared not ask my father. My father has a bad temper and hopes that I can become someone like Kong Rong or Sima Guang. If I focus on eating, I am likely to be scolded by him. Later, I realized, or rather, in the process of eating one meal after another and waiting to eat, my stomach gave me an answer. Oat noodles are rich in fiber and can endure hunger when eaten. Proverbs and rhymes about buckwheat flour are often related to its hunger tolerance, such as "buckwheat flour is king among the five grains and cereals", "30 miles of buckwheat flour, 40 miles of cake, and 10 miles of buckwheat flour can break the waist when hungry", "Half eaten buckwheat flour is perfect for drinking a bowl of soup". The straw of naked oats is also very useful. It can be cut into inches long and fed to cows and horses. Although Bashang is called a grassland, the green grass is limited. Without naked oat straw, it is difficult for livestock to survive the winter. There are many ways to make naked oats noodles, such as naked oats fish, naked oats nest, naked oats cake, naked oats fried noodles, naked oats cake, naked oats three fish, naked oats dumplings, naked oats Cat's ears (Steamed cat-ear shaped bread), etc. The way to make and eat naked oats noodles is extremely imaginative and creative. For the sake of eating, and not just for the sake of eating. Although eating buckwheat noodles during childhood is somewhat forced, there is also a preference among those who have no other choice. There are likes and dislikes, which are related to the method of making buckwheat noodles. I prefer noodle soup, noodle soup, and fish. If the dipping sauce contains meat, especially lamb and mushroom soup, it would be even better. However, having meat is not easy. Most of the time, it is pickled vegetable leaves and potato chips. Pushing the nest and kneading fish are relatively time-consuming, so they can only be eaten during leisure time. For example, when pushing a nest, it is necessary to first align the dough and reconcile at once, otherwise the muscles will be lost and the shape will not be formed. Then hold a smooth push brick, grab a fist sized dough, and place it on the back of your hand. Press with your index and middle fingers, and a small piece of dough will be squeezed onto the brick from between your fingers. Then, use your hand with the back ball to hold down the dough, gently push it open on the brick, and the dough will be crushed into a very thin tongue shape. Then use your other hand's index and middle fingers to skillfully lift a corner, shake your wrist, and the tongue shaped dough piece will roll around your index finger to form a cylindrical shape, which is the formed naked oat noodle nest. A skilled person, pushing a nest only takes two or three seconds. Pulling, backing, moving, sliding, pushing, uncovering, shaking, rolling, and standing are all skills. Just having time is not enough, we still need to know. I have seen the process of my grandmother, maternal grandmother, and mother pushing the nest, and they are all skilled workers. Guoba dumplings are also my favorite. The skin of naked oat flour dumplings cannot be rolled out with a rolling pin, but must be pinched by hand to make the dumplings smooth and firm. The filling for oat flour dumplings usually includes potato chunks, shredded carrots, chives, or certain wild vegetables. Pinch the dumplings and stick them on the wall of an iron pot. The pot must be cool, otherwise it will be difficult to bond. Add an appropriate amount of water to the bottom of the pot, cover it with a lid, and slowly heat it over. When the water dried dumplings are cooked, they are delicious when cooked. During the busy farming season, it is almost impossible to eat steamed buns, fish, and dumplings. Either stir the "puppet" or push the Cat's ears (Steamed cat-ear shaped bread), and father will do the same. The simplest way is to stir the cake and put the noodles while cooking, which is actually stirring the dough. This is my least favorite way of eating. No matter what kind of soup I dip in, I feel like I can't eat enough, and it still does to this day. Steaming buckwheat noodles has its own rules, and you cannot open the pot halfway. If it loses steam, it will not be fully cooked. You can't go too far, otherwise it will become sticky and the taste will be discounted. There is also a saying that buckwheat noodles can only be eaten on the dam, and once they leave the dam, they will not be fully steamed. This statement doesn't make sense. I eat in Zhangjiakou and I also eat in Shijiazhuang, but the steaming time is different from that in Bashang. It takes ten minutes to steam the steamed buns on the dam, four minutes to cook them in Shijiazhuang, and the steamed buns will pour over after being burned. This is the conclusion I have drawn from repeated experiments. In Nanjing, I still often eat it, which is a simple sticky pancake. Single sided pancake maker for fifteen minutes, double-sided pancake maker for ten minutes. As I grow older, I am increasingly fond of buckwheat noodles. I never imagined that I would be so dependent on buckwheat noodles now, just as I never thought that cold and strong winds would become treasures on the dam. Whether it changes or remains unchanged, time will give the answer. (New Society)