Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

"What business is it of yours how I raise my kids! Who are you to pretend to be a good person here? Besides, have you even cleaned up your own mess?"

Qin Shuangling was in a fit of rage and was attacking everyone he could, speaking as if he were on fire.

Sensing the barb in his cousin's words, Qin Laishun's face turned extremely ugly. He glanced at his sister-in-law and nephew beside him and said, "Shuangling, what do you mean by that? I just went to the county to report on my work and came back a little late. Is it necessary to make such sarcastic remarks to disgust me?"

"You know where you're going; you don't need to report to me. Even if your entire family dies, it's none of your business!"

Qin Shuangling simply did not believe that his cousin had gone to the county on official business. Others might not have known, but he knew perfectly well that when the cypress forest caught fire, Qin Laishun was indulging in debauchery at the "Little Red House."

Now, Qin Yunhai and his son, who were in charge of putting out the fire, are in dire straits: one is dead, and the other is so angry he can't get out of bed. It seems Qin Shuangling's resentment wasn't entirely unfounded.

Qin Laishun could tolerate outsiders gossiping behind his back, but when his own cousin criticized him in the same way, Qin Laishun had to retaliate.

"Explain yourself! What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? Shuangling, don't try to shut me up with your words. When Aimin had the accident, I was putting out fires in Xiling. Don't you think I would have let him take that risk if I had been there?"

"Stop giving me hindsight advice! Save that for your second uncle!" Qin Shuangling waved to leave, but the other party got angry and started yelling after him.

"It's one thing for those bastards to gossip behind my back, but now you're giving me the cold shoulder too. What? Do you really think I'm the one who killed Aimin?"

"I don't know who killed them! I only know that the fire in Xiling was suspicious. Oh, you and Lao Chengxi were just about to dig stones on the mountain when it suddenly caught fire? What a coincidence! I advise you not to treat the people like fools; you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!"

There are many different opinions among the villagers about the cause of the cypress forest fire. Some say it was caused by the dry weather and spontaneous combustion, others say it was started by Pipi and Maodan, and the most bizarre rumor is that it was set by Chengxi Group—just like Qin Shuangling said, the fire broke out as soon as the mining site was set, isn't that obviously someone did it on purpose!

"Don't try to pin this on me! Do you think I'd be happy if Aimin died? He's your cousin, and he's my cousin too!" Qin Laishun raised his hands above his head and swore, "I swear to God! Anyone who gets involved in this absurd mess, may their entire family die!"

It's true that Qin Laishun wanted to set up a mine in the cypress forest, but to say that he sent people to burn down the forest is probably a rather arbitrary conclusion. Even if it was Qin Laishun's idea, Lao Chengxi had people like Zheng the Butcher, Zheng Xiong, and Jiang San'er under his command. Why would he need to do the dirty work himself?

Seeing the two men arguing more and more fiercely, Ding Lingfang quickly tried to smooth things over, "You two brothers shouldn't argue in public. People will hear and laugh at you. If you have something to say, go home and talk behind closed doors!"

What she said made perfect sense. However, Ding Lingfang was not Qin Yunhai after all. As a woman, she neither knew how to control the situation nor had the ability to mediate the brothers' conflict. Seeing Yue Chuan swaying and unable to stand steadily, she sighed, grabbed her son, and left—let the two of them argue as they pleased; she only needed to take care of her own son!

This time, Yue Chuan didn't resist, probably because he didn't have the strength to resist. After all that commotion, his body was already weak, and now he felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if he had a fever again.

After the mother and son had gone far away, the two cousins ​​completely broke off relations.

"You don't need to swear an oath to me!" Qin Shuangling glared at him, launching a barrage of questions. "I'll just ask you one question: Was the Dongling mine something you and outsiders set up back then? Without that lousy mine, would Ma Xiangju's child have ended up hanging from a tree? Would Aimin have died trying to save someone if the child hadn't fallen into the pit?"

This interrogation was like a criminal trial. Its logic was clear and interconnected, and the heavy accusation of "harming Aimin" was pinned on Qin Laishun. However, it seems that Qin Laishun was not entirely wrong—the old mine was Qin Laishun's doing, and from beginning to end, he was the one who vigorously promoted the mining project.

"That's just being unreasonable! The mine has been there for years. When it was first opened, everyone in our village got a share of the profits!"

Qin Laishun wasn't lying. From the past to the present, whenever mining has taken place, villagers have received subsidies. The mineral resources belong to the state; buried in the mountains, they can never be converted into cash.

"How can our meager earnings compare to yours? Don't you know how much you've pocketed?" Qin Shuangling continued to sow discord between her and her cousin.

"Alright, alright, since we've come this far, I'll be blunt! From now on, if your family ever has any difficulties, don't come to me! From today onwards, our two families will keep to ourselves!"

Qin Laishun certainly had the confidence to say this. Over the years, he had brought a lot of benefits to his family. Just take Qin Yunhai's hospitalization as an example. Every time he was hospitalized, it was Qin Laishun who ran around making arrangements.

"Fine, forget it! From now on, I'm my second uncle's only nephew. I'll take care of him; you don't need to worry about anything!"

"Qin Shuangling! Don't push your luck!" Qin Laishun gritted his teeth, his quick wit needless to say, but he couldn't withstand his cousin's constant stabs in the back. "If you're so capable, you become the brigade secretary, and I'll give you my position!"

"I'm going too far?" Qin Shuangling sneered. "You're not going too far by colluding with Lao Chengxi behind your second uncle's back to deal in stones? I'm telling you this right now—if I find out that the cypress forest fire is related to you, I, Qin Shuangling, will risk losing my wife and children to bring you down!"

"You!" Qin Laishun was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode. If the person opposite him wasn't his cousin, he would have slapped him across the face long ago.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean, '? Look at the mess you've made! Aimin wasn't even thirty! He hadn't even gotten married yet! And now he's gone! How is your second uncle supposed to live now?!'"

After arguing to this point, Qin Shuangling finally blurted out what he really wanted to say. He could stay out of the mining in the mountains; if he wasn't capable enough, he shouldn't blame others for not getting any meat. But if anyone dared to harm his own family, he would absolutely not stand idly by—that was his bottom line.

Seeing that his cousin considered him an accomplice of Lao Chengxi, Qin Laishun felt uneasy. He even regretted associating with Lao Chengxi. Although Lao Chengxi was greedy, lustful, and prone to putting on airs, he wouldn't do anything truly heinous. But now, Xiling was burned down, and Aimin was dead—these were consequences Qin Laishun couldn't bear. He worried about being held accountable by his superiors, and even more so about the villagers gossiping behind his back—how could he remain in power and have any standing in the village if he lost face?

"Shuangling, he's gone. No matter how much you cause trouble now, you can't bring Aimin back..." Seeing his cousin's fierce gaze, Qin Laishun quickly changed his tune, explaining, "Don't get agitated! Let me finish. What I mean is, I'll take care of Uncle's every need from now on!"

"How do you plan to resolve this?" Qin Shuangling asked coldly.

"Don't worry! I'll risk losing my job as village secretary to get justice for Aimin! You're right, Aimin sacrificed his life saving someone. After the funeral, I'll go to the county to claim the compensation..."

These words were not merely meant to appease Qin Shuangling; after all, Aimin was also his cousin, and how could the elder brother remain indifferent?

Qin Shuangling was about to say something when Ding Lingfang rushed over in a panic: "Honey, stop arguing! Xiao Chuan'er has a high fever! We need to get him to the hospital right away!"

Qin Shuangling frowned, unsure of what to do, when Qin Laishun quickly said, "Shuangling, Lingfang, don't just stand there! Pack your things quickly, I'll go back and drive to take Xiaochuan to the hospital!"

"No need!" Qin Shuangling waved his hand. "I'll find a motorcycle to take the child to get the fever-reducing injection. You stay home and prepare for the funeral..."

"There's an old saying, 'Take care of the living, not the dead!'" Qin Laishun unconsciously raised his voice again. "The child is delirious with fever, riding a bike in the middle of the night, aren't you afraid of jolting the child?"

Qin Shuangling didn't speak, but Ding Lingfang wiped away her tears and said, "Then I'll trouble you to make the trip, brother. I'll get the child dressed now, and we'll wait for you at the door!"

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Laishun had already hurriedly left.

Qin Shuangling stared at the retreating figure, his expression incredibly complex.

Seeing her husband looking somewhat dazed, Ding Lingfang stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve, saying meaningfully, "You're uncles and brothers, blood is thicker than water. Don't think about so much, getting the child treated is the most important thing..."