Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

"Help! Help! Please save Mao Dan'er!"

Upon hearing the child's cries for help, Aimin was the first to react. He leaped down the earthen embankment of Jutai in a few quick steps and moved rapidly toward the old mine pit below. In just a few dozen seconds, he pinpointed the source of the sound.

At the bottom of this abandoned mine pit, dozens of meters deep, stood a seven or eight-year-old child, none other than Pipi, the king of the kids. He was no longer the unruly boy he once was; he simply stood there blankly at the bottom, calling for help from the faint light emanating from the mine's ceiling.

"Pipi? Is that you? Where's Maodan?"

Aimin adjusted the flashlight's setting to focus the beam on Pipi, a move that successfully caught the other's attention.

Upon hearing the adult's voice, Pipi was startled at first, then suddenly burst into tears. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, but desperately pointed his index finger at the west side of the pit wall.

Aimin understood and immediately turned the flashlight in the indicated direction. The beam swept across the pit walls, which were covered with treacherous cliffs and jagged rocks, but he didn't see anything obviously wrong. Just as he was about to ask further, Pipi cried out in a tearful voice, "Maodan'er... Maodan'er is hanging in the tree! Waaah..."

Seeing nothing amiss, Aimin grew anxious. Just as he was about to ask, Pipi cried out in a tearful voice, "Maodan'er... Maodan'er is hanging in the tree! Waaah..."

Pipi's explanation was vague, leaving Aimin completely confused. But when the beam of his flashlight accidentally swept across a cypress tree on the pit wall, the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end—a small, thin figure was vaguely visible hanging from the gnarled roots. Although he couldn't see the face clearly, the outline clearly indicated that it was a child!

Is that Mao Dan'er? How did he get stuck on the cliff cypress? The child isn't making a sound, could it be that he's already...?

Aimin didn't have time to think further, nor did he dare to think any further. He shook his head to force himself to calm down. At this moment, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, he had to save the person!

It's easier said than done!

Unfortunately, that cliff cypress happened to grow in the middle of the pit wall, more than twenty meters from both the top and bottom. Under such circumstances, it would be difficult to rescue him from either the bottom or the top of the pit, unless someone could fly and rescue Mao Dan'er out of thin air. But this is the real world, not a fantasy novel!

Just as Aimin was racking his brains to find a way to rescue the people, the other members of the search team arrived near the mine one after another.

Seeing that Pipi had only sprained his ankle and was otherwise unharmed, the other family members, including Qin Xiaohu and his wife, were overjoyed. They took a detour to the bottom of the pit, where they examined Pipi and offered him words of comfort.

As much as they were happy, Ma Xiangju was heartbroken. Seeing her son hanging on the cliff cypress, his life hanging in the balance, the mother felt like dying.

"Pipi! How did my son fall into the tree? Was it your doing?" Ma Xiangju suddenly rushed to Pipi like a madwoman, her bloodshot eyes staring straight at him.

"How dare you talk like that, you bitch! What business is it of my Pipi's to you if your kid hangs in a tree!"

Qin Xiaohu yanked Ma Xiangju away, seemingly about to strike. Ma Xiangju, who had a falling out with the Five Tigers, was now settling old scores and grudges, and started cursing loudly. If Qin Xiaofu hadn't intervened, the situation would have spiraled out of control.

The adults were arguing, and Pipi instinctively covered his ears and curled up into a ball. He was indeed not a well-behaved child, but to say that he deliberately caused Maodan to hang in the tree was truly unfair.

How did the hairy egg end up hanging on the tree?

This story begins when Pipi was chased by Yuechuan to the old mine pit. To avoid the older children, Pipi hid in the grass for a long time. After confirming that it was safe, he wandered along the mountain path and happened to meet Maodan, who was going up the mountain to find his mother. The two children originally planned to go home together, but in order to chase an injured pheasant, they ran all the way into the valley, where they met Aimin, who was focused on putting out a fire.

The other party tried to persuade them to go home, but Pipi thought it was just an adult's way of coaxing a child. He agreed to take Maodan home, but then turned around and continued chasing prey with his best friend. It wasn't until the thick smoke of the wildfire swept in that the two children fled to Dongling in a panic. Unexpectedly, when they reached Jutai, Maodan lost his footing and fell into the old mine pit below.

Pipi was terrified. He scrambled and crawled around to the bottom of the pit to search, but couldn't find anyone. After many trips back and forth, he finally found Maodan on the cypress tree cliff. Pipi wanted to go back to the village to find the adults, but unfortunately, he sprained his ankle. He was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave. Just then, the leader of the children vaguely heard the adults shouting for help to put out the fire. So, Pipi decided to act out of loyalty, but little did he know, he would wait for over two hours…

"Sister-in-law Ma! Little Tiger! Stop arguing!"

Aimin strode between the two groups, put his index finger to his lips, and said in a low voice, "I've looked closely, and the cypress tree is swaying slightly. We need to find a way to rescue Maodan right now! If the child wakes up and starts moving around, it'll be troublesome!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

But just then, Ma Xiangju suddenly knelt on the ground, her fingernails digging into Aimin's trouser leg as she pleaded, "Aimin, please save Maodan'er! I'll be your slave for the rest of my life!"

"Sister-in-law, get up first!" Aimin quickly supported the woman's elbow. "Now we need two 40-meter-long thick hemp ropes, and also..."

He rapidly deployed the rescue plan. Only Qin Xiaofu and Yue Chuan listened attentively. As for the old hunter's family, it was disheartening. Pipi's mother and several sisters-in-law took the opportunity to evacuate with Pipi, leaving Qin Xiaohu and the others behind to watch coldly with their arms crossed. It really was a case of "it's none of my business, so I don't care"!

"Xiao Fu, run to the village and find two thick hemp ropes! Be quick!"

"Alright!" Qin Xiaofu accepted the order and immediately ran down the mountain.

"Sister-in-law Ma, don't do anything but keep an eye on Maodan. If the child makes any noise, soothe him immediately and don't let him move around. That cypress tree can't withstand any rough handling!"

Ma Xiangju wiped away her tears, nodded, and immediately walked to the place closest to the cliff cypress.

"Xiao Chuan'er, Xiao Hu, let's not just sit idly by. Let's clear away the loose stones under the cliff cypress first, then find some dry grass to lay down underneath..."

Aimin issued three orders in one go, and everyone did their job and got busy. Most people were working hard, but Qin Xiaohu was distracted and did not put in any effort.

"She's quite good at ordering people around..."

Qin Xiaohu kicked at the pebbles and muttered, which infuriated Yue Chuan. The boy's fist was just clenched when Ai Min pressed it down—the old hunter's family had a long-standing grudge against them, and it was fortunate that they weren't causing trouble at this moment...