Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Although the East Ridge and West Ridge are only separated by a valley, it will definitely take a lot of time to travel between them.

When Aimin arrived near the fire, the cypress forest was already shrouded in smoke. Just then, several gusts of wind howled past, and flames instantly erupted from the forest. It seemed that he had ultimately missed the best opportunity to extinguish the fire.

Fortunately, the farmers and shepherds on the mountain have returned to the village after Aimin reminded them. As long as everyone is safe, everything else is a minor matter.

After sunset, the raging fire on Xiling Peak became even more conspicuous. Villagers gathered in small groups, pointing and gesturing at the fire, but so far, no one has organized any efforts to extinguish it.

In the central square of Qin Family Village, a short-haired woman hurriedly approached two elderly women, asking anxiously, "Aunt Li, Aunt Pigeon, have you seen my son, Maodan?"

Speaking with a Shaanxi accent, Ma Xiangju was so anxious she kept rubbing her hands. Her child had gone out to play and hadn't returned yet. Normally, this wouldn't be too worrying, but today there was a big fire on the mountain, and her child was nowhere to be found. How could she not be anxious!

"Xiangju, don't panic. Our village isn't big; we've never heard of anyone losing a child before. Why don't you go look for them at the east end?"

After Aunt Li finished speaking, Aunt Pigeon quickly chimed in, "Sister Li is right! Go to the east end of the village and shout a few times. I saw Mao Dan playing with the old hunter's grandson around noon!"

These words only made things worse, sending a chill down Ma Xiangju's spine. She and the "Four Tiger Brothers" had never gotten along, and she always told her son to stay away from that family, but Maodan loved to follow the naughty boy Pipi to play wildly in the mountains.

Ma Xiangju dared not think further, turning her head to gaze at the towering flames over Xiling, her heart pounding.

What if my son is really trapped on the mountain by the fire? My husband is lame and can't help at all. Should I go up the mountain alone? Or should I notify Pipi's family first?

After much deliberation, Ma Xiangju still felt it was inappropriate. She was just a single woman, all alone, and besides, Qin Xiaohu wasn't someone to be trifled with. Even if she were to go up the mountain to look for her child, she needed to find reliable people!

"Aunt Li, Aunt Pigeon, I'm worried that Mao Dan has run up the mountain. Have you...have you seen the village officials? I think..."

Ma Xiangju is not a pretentious woman, but at this moment her voice was choked with emotion.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the two elderly women exchanged a glance and replied in unison, "Go find Qin Yunhai immediately!"

There are many capable people in Qin Family Village, but when it comes to being warm-hearted, Qin Yunhai is definitely one of the best. They've lived in the village for most of their lives, and they know without a second thought that they should turn to Qin Yunhai for this!

Ma Xiangju stopped talking and was about to turn around to look for someone when Yue Chuan, holding a flashlight, helped an old man to the square.

The old man was wearing a sheepskin coat with a military overcoat over it. He wasn't very agile, but he still had the bearing of a soldier. Who else could it be but Qin Yunhai?

The old man took the flashlight from Yue Chuan, swept the beam across the crowd, and suddenly straightened up, shouting sternly, "With such a huge fire on the mountain, what are you men doing here watching? Grab your tools and get up the mountain to put out the fire!"

The old man raised his arm and called out, and people immediately responded. However, many others lingered at the back of the crowd, secretly calculating: it's so dark and windy; if we rush up the mountain, we might not even make it back. Why should we be the ones rushing to the front just because you, old man, say something? Where are the village officials? Where's your nephew, Qin Laishun? Why aren't they showing up?

Qin Yunhai couldn't understand what these people were thinking. Just as he was about to start cursing, Ma Xiangju hurriedly grabbed his arm.

"Grandpa Hai, my son Maodan is missing. I heard he went up the mountain with the other children. I'm afraid... I'm afraid something might have happened to them..."

The woman's cries successfully stirred the old man's emotions. At that moment, Qin Yunhai took a step forward, and the bright beam of his flashlight shone directly on the face of the lean young man, who immediately launched into a roar.

"Qin Xiaotian! Qin Xiaofu! Everyone else is just standing there doing nothing, and you two are playing dead too? Now that Lai Shun isn't here, you're the ringleaders! Quickly lead the people to find the children! I'll take care of putting out the fire!"

Being publicly scolded naturally displeased the two men. Although one was a forest ranger and the other a village accountant...

They only received a living allowance of a dozen yuan a month. They wanted to complain to Qin Yunhai, but they were afraid of angering him. So they all hummed in agreement and went up the mountain with Ma Xiangju and a few close young men to look for the person.

Seeing Qin Yunhai jumping up and down cursing, the other farmers felt embarrassed to stand idly by. The men sprang into action, and soon the village was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, with shouts of "Ximiao Ridge is on fire! The cypress forest is on fire! Men, young and old, grab your weapons and head up the ridge to put out the fire!"

More than ten minutes later, dozens of able-bodied young men appeared on the mountain path with rakes and sickles. Qin Yunhai had gathered them together, so of course he was going to go along as well.

"Xiao Chuan, don't come up the mountain with me. Go to the village committee again and find Uncle Lai Shun! Tell him to quickly inform the town and organize people to put out the fire!"

"Second Master, Uncle Aimin is still on the mountain! The fire is so big, what if..."

Before the boy could finish speaking, Qin Yunhai waved his hand to stop him: "What's the use of saying this now? He's a grown man, how could he possibly get lost? Just take care of your own business. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up!"

Yue Chuan clutched the hem of his clothes, unable to move. He was worried about Qin Aimin, but also about his second uncle—the old man was unsteady on his feet; what if he had a relapse on the mountain?

At this point, many things were beyond his control as a high school student. Just like his second uncle said, he had to take care of his own affairs first, otherwise the situation might get even worse. Thinking of this, the boy stopped talking and ran towards the village committee, gritting his teeth.

Hey! This day is really anything but peaceful!