Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

The night Yue Chuan was hospitalized with a fever, a mourning hall was set up in the main room of Qin Yunhai's house.

The funeral hall was very simply furnished. There was an altar with an ever-burning lamp, a white mourning curtain separating the space, and a small bamboo bed on which Aimin's body was placed.

The day after the incident, Aimin's portrait was placed on the altar. The black floral arrangement and cedar wood framed the 14-inch black-and-white photo, which showed a young, clean-cut face with clear eyes, arched eyebrows, and a faint smile on his lips.

The deceased must have been a gentle and refined person who liked cleanliness.

The courtyard was packed with mourners. Apart from the younger generation from the village, most of them were students Aimin had taught. These children had received some form of financial assistance from Aimin, and they were shocked to hear of their teacher's passing. When they saw his body in the mourning hall, they wept uncontrollably, a heartbreaking sight.

Aimin sacrificed his life to save others, and in remembrance, Songyue No. 1 Middle School held a special memorial event. The event aimed to publicize the heroic deeds of this outstanding young teacher and to encourage teachers and students to raise funds for Aimin's family. The amount raised was not large, but every penny contained profound respect for the deceased; this is a unique honor belonging to Aimin.

Every deceased person deserves respect, but only one person in Qinjiazhuang has received so much love and respect.

According to old custom, the body cannot remain at home for more than three days, so the funeral was scheduled for the third day. Aimin died young without any children, so to ensure that the incense at the mourning hall would continue to burn, the elders of the clan arranged for younger generations to keep vigil for him.

Several teenagers dressed in mourning clothes surrounded the body, taking turns watching the eternal flame and rekindling the incense. They all knew that if the incense burned out, they would surely be scolded by their elders. After keeping watch for a day and a night, they were all so tired that their eyelids were drooping.

Late the next night, a new vigil attendant arrived at the funeral hall. The young man, dressed in winter clothes and with his hat and mask covering him completely, knelt before the body and burst into tears as soon as he entered.

The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, but no one stepped forward to offer words of comfort. Everyone said that his relationship with Ai-min was extraordinary; he hadn't come a couple of days ago because of a fever, but tomorrow at the funeral, he's crying and begging to come and keep vigil.

Perhaps the smell of incense and paper money was too pungent, so the boy simply pulled down his mask to catch his breath. Many people then recognized him—yes, the boy was Qin Yuechuan, the second person from the village to be admitted to a key high school.

As for the first one, it is currently lying quietly on the cold bamboo bed.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yue Chuan rose and moved to the body. He bent down, stared at it for a long time, and then mustered his courage to lift the white veil covering the deceased's face. Seeing that lifeless face, the boy's nose stung, and tears streamed down his face.

Yue Chuan cried bitterly, clutching a keychain with a Chinese knot in his hand—it was the key that Ai Min had personally handed to him before the accident. Now, Yue Chuan had come to return the key, but the key's owner had died.

With the body as proof, he had no choice but to believe that Uncle Aimin had left this world forever.

Those bygone days, condensed into a series of slides, played on a loop in Yue Chuan's mind:

"Chuan'er, wait for me after school. I'll ride my bike and take you home after the meeting..."

"The essence of geometry and algebra is the combination of numbers and shapes. Can you feel the subtle connection between them?"

"Congratulations on getting into Yanghe No.1 High School! High school studies are very demanding, so please take care of your health..."

"Chuan'er, you guard this cave. I'll go block the road ahead, and Ah Huang will be in charge of flanking maneuvers. Tonight we're sure to have some delicious hand-shredded rabbit..."

"Now that Brother Dong is in jail, it'll be hard to go hiking with him again..."

"You're heartbroken that Ah Huang is gone, right? But you shouldn't talk back to your dad! They grew up in a tough era, so it's normal for their ideas to differ from ours. As their son, you need to calm down and communicate properly..."

"Chuan'er, I know there are many things you don't understand. After you get into university and study Marxist political economy, I'll explain the world situation to you. Don't worry about the collapse of the Soviet Union or anything like that... You should focus on your studies first..."

"Chuan'er, take the key. Remember to return it to me after I rescue Mao Dan'er..."

……

Looking back on his childhood, Aimin's shadow was everywhere, which explains why he couldn't accept Aimin's passing. He lost not only a kind elder, but also his mentor and a close friend with whom he could confide!

Aimin is dead; his pillar of support has crumbled. No one can answer the strange questions that linger in his mind anymore, no one reads Pushkin's poems to him, no one plays the accordion and sings "Singing of Turbulent Youth" for him, and no one can offer him guidance or show him the way forward…

With faith collapsed, what are the values ​​of life? What is the meaning of life? At this moment, it all becomes an illusion.

A heart-wrenching pain surged in his chest; the wounds deep within his soul were more agonizing than a fever. Yue Chuan was in a daze, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion. He was swept up in a series of absurd thoughts and gradually lost consciousness.

At this moment, his jaw was clenched, and his face was blank; anyone who saw him would be alarmed. This condition usually indicates that the body's stress response has been activated, which can range from fainting and shock to mental illness. Judging from Yue Chuan's condition, it was most likely the latter.

Not long after, a piercing sound came from the mourning hall.

The boy was both crying and laughing; he was wailing loudly and laughing heartily, and these two extreme emotions terrified everyone present.

At this moment, all the adults who were arranging the funeral rushed to the mourning hall. Everyone wanted to carry the boy away, but Yue Chuan kicked and hit him, and his reaction was quite violent.

"Aimin's passing was so sudden. This child was closest to his uncle. Don't try to comfort him; just let him cry it out!"

While explaining, Ding Lingfang apologized to the others. As a mother, she knew her son best. She knew that holding back her emotions would lead to trouble, so she persuaded everyone else to leave, leaving her alone to keep vigil with Yue Chuan.

The piercing screams slowly faded away, but this night was destined to be spent in utter desolation...