可誰願意留在這裏呢？
一群低著頭的農民 新建林場職工後邊，傳出一個暗啞的慢吞吞的嗓音：“讓我留下日巴。”
當時那位大胡子主任眼睛一亮：是啊，誰還比這個人更合適？剛從內地遣散到這兒來的“流放犯”，沒有老婆，沒有孩子，一雙筷子連他一起三條光棍，有啥牽掛？主任拍了拍他的肩膀：“他娘的，好樣的！老子先給你摘帽子了，你就是這莽古斯沙漠的主人，土地佬！”
這個“土地佬”，一當就是二十年。也許前半生太奔波，這兒的安寧吸引了他吧，他居然很喜歡這裏。他常常麵對那茫茫黃沙低語：“你真是一頭妖怪嗬！誰把你從瓶子裏放出來的？這回可咋收回去？這是上天的懲罰喲！”他天天這樣嘮嘮叨叨，同時在住屋附近的沙窪地裏插柳條、種沙打旺，佗坡上撒駱駝草籽、沙篙粒，幹起治沙封沙的勾當。大胡子有時來光顧，勸他：“算了，別折騰了，這片蛇子沒救了，早晚你也得撤stayed there long before a sandstorm buried theirtents, forcing them to take to their heels, yeteven this did not dampen their blind enthusiasm.
The homesteads on the dunes had retreatedtwenty kilometers east to Green Sand Townwhen a forestry center was set up to tackle thesand. A man was needed to stay behind to lookafter the surviving desert plants.
But who would do it?
Behind a group of farmers with bowedheads, now employees of the new forestry cen-ter, a slow, hoarse voice spoke up:
"Let me."
The eyes of the bearded center chief lit up:Of course! Who would be more suitable than thisex-convict, who had been sent there from the in-terior? A man with no wife, no children and nobelongings except two chopsticks, he had no oneto worry about. The chief slapped him on theshoulder. "You're a damn good fellow. I'll wipeyour slate clean for this. You're the master ofthe Mangos now. You belong to the desert. "
He stayed there twenty years. Perhaps hislife had been too unstable up till then, and hewas attracted by the tranquillity of the place. He走！”他聽後心裏嘀咕：撤走，撤到哪兒去？撤出地球？他依舊我行我素。人們不太知道他的真姓大名，都管他叫老沙頭，大概是由於他長期生活在沙佗裏才這樣稱呼他的吧。後來有人傳出，早年他就出生在這片佗子裏的某村，小時候一個風沙夜，土匪洗劫了他的家，父母被點了天燈，流沙掩埋了房屋土地，他為報仇當了土匪，入了“黑河流子”《解放前後流竄於關裏關外的土匪》並為此蹲過大牢等等。不過大夥兒不大相信，這麼一個三腳踢不出屁的老實人還當土匪？反正大夥兒不大關心他的過去，隻知道他現在是個挺能幹挺厚道的老實人。
有一年，大胡子主任從場部領來了一個被丈夫和婆婆判定為“不生育”後離棄掉的女人，對老沙頭說：“交給你了，一起湊合著過吧。”這個“不生育”的女人給他生了一個女兒，生第二胎的時候死掉了。他給女兒取名沙柳。