Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

If a person's death can end a relationship, then no matter how deep the feelings, they cannot escape the clutches of time. Fortunately, the neural synapses of carbon-based life have never followed the laws of absolute rationality.

Some feelings are etched on the heart and branded in the soul. Even after many years, even when separated by life and death, even when the world is reduced to ashes, those beautiful emotions remain fresh and new.

Just like Li Baihe at this moment, her unfocused pupils reflected the veins of the interior ceiling, the interlacing textures forming a hazy grid on her retina. In her final moments, Baihe thought of that romantic evening many years ago when she first met Aimin on campus:

A graceful lady and a slender scholar in a white shirt exchange a smile on the steps of the library. Perhaps only those with a sensitive heart can truly achieve immortality!

Watching the SUV drive away, Yue Chuan let out a long sigh.

The sudden incident left the boy shaken, and he was also worried about the injured woman with short hair. However, what could a high school student like him do?

After standing there for a moment, Yue Chuan returned to the cemetery. The paper ingots in the bamboo basket were mostly soaked by the misty rain. He hurriedly picked out the dry ingots and lit them. Then he lit incense and kowtowed in front of the grave, thus completing the "burning the first seven days" ritual.

Before leaving, Yue Chuan glanced at the bunch of lilies on the grave. The white petals and delicate stamens were breathtakingly beautiful, but the red tassels tied to the branches with a love knot were stained with rainwater and mud, and had long since become unrecognizable.

Even so, Yue Chuan could still recognize the Chinese knot at a glance—it was exactly the same as the one on Ai Min's keychain. There was no mistake. The key was still in Yue Chuan's hands; it was the only keepsake his uncle left him before his sacrifice.

Thinking of the short-haired pregnant woman's expression and behavior when she delivered the flowers, Yue Chuan could easily guess her relationship with his uncle. If it weren't for the man in the baseball cap stealing her away, this woman named Li Baihe would probably already be his aunt.

The love triangle was complicated enough, but the addition of another confidante, Chen Yun, ultimately led to this tragedy.

Yue Chuan couldn't understand the issues of relationships between men and women, and he certainly couldn't figure out who was right and who was wrong. But one thing he was very clear about was that his uncle's death had indeed had a huge impact on many people, and had perhaps changed the course of many people's lives.

How can one describe Yue Chuan's feelings at this moment? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as "contradictory and complex."

On one hand, the boy felt gratified for his uncle, that so many people missed him. On the other hand, he was deeply anxious, wondering if anyone else would suffer the same fate as Li Baihe because of his uncle's death.

Yue Chuan was not being overly pessimistic. As for himself, losing his uncle as a pillar of support would likely lead him down many detours. As for those close to Ai Min, they would also be affected to some extent. Ma Xiangju was a typical example.

Unconsciously, Yue Chuan finally thought of Qin Yunhai. Yes, Second Master was the one who was hurt the most! The pain of losing one's only child in old age is probably one of the cruelest tortures in the world.

"My dear uncle, with you gone, so many people are going to suffer!"

"If only you could come back to life?"

"I really want to chat with you again, catch rabbits together in the mountains, and solve a few more math olympiad problems..."

……

Yue Chuan's thoughts had drifted far away. The boy had never experienced such chaotic thoughts before. After a while, he scratched his head in frustration, rolled up his trousers, picked up the empty bamboo basket, and walked back to the village along the mountain path.

The boy didn't rush home, but instead made a special detour to Qin Yunhai's house. After the funeral, the old man had been recuperating, and this was the perfect time for him to visit his second uncle.

"Second Master, are you home?"

Seeing that no one answered, Yue Chuan pushed open the slightly ajar courtyard gate.

An old man, drunk and unconscious, was slumped in a rocking chair in the main room, clutching a half-empty bottle of wine tightly in his arms.

Clothes and shoes were scattered all over the ground, but a bright military green metal box was placed neatly next to the rocking chair.

Yue Chuan recognized the box; it contained the military uniform that his second master had treasured for a long time. At the moment, he didn't care about the box; he was just staring at the gray-haired old man in front of him, feeling a pang of sadness.

The steely will that never yielded amidst gunfire has now been utterly shattered by the pain of losing his son. Alcoholism has become the norm for him. Otherwise, given Qin Yunhai's military discipline, how could he have left his house in such a state? How could he have let himself get into this state?

The horrific war, with its carnage, couldn't defeat him, but now, the old warrior has finally fallen.

He stepped forward and softly called out "Second Master," but the old man still did not respond. Yue Chuan had no choice but to give up, took a blanket and covered the Second Master with it, and then quietly took the wine bottle from the old man's hand.

"who!"

Qin Yunhai stared angrily at the "thief" in front of him. After a few seconds, he recognized the person and his eyelids drooped.

"Second Master! It's me, Xiao Chuan!" Yue Chuan quickly responded.

Qin Yunhai let out a sigh of relief, then suddenly put on a stern face and said, "Your father just brought me food. What? Did he send you here to watch over me again?"

"No..." Yue Chuan quickly waved his hand, "My dad didn't send me, I... I came to return the keys."

After saying that, he handed the keychain to the old man.

Qin Yunhai glanced at it with his cloudy old eyes, waved his hand and said, "Keep your uncle's key, just keep it as a memento."

Yue Chuan was hesitating when the old man spoke again: "Go and take a look at the things in the west room upstairs. Take anything you can use. When Second Master kicks the bucket one day, all these things will be yours."

Upon hearing this, Yue Chuan's face stiffened. Just as he was about to say something, the old man turned away. "Don't disturb my sleep. I'm not going to die anytime soon. Go do your thing..."

Yue Chuan wisely took two steps back, then turned and went to the stairwell on the north side of the main hall.

The last time I came here was during the summer vacation after my middle school entrance exam. That night, I had dinner and chatted with Uncle Aimin and Brother Chengdong. We got into a good time and the three of us went to the study on the second floor to sing and chat. We had a great time.

I remember Ai-min playing the accordion and singing "Singing Our Turbulent Youth," and Cheng-dong sticking out his butt and swaying his waist, insisting on imitating "Brother" dancing...

With the past vividly before his eyes, Yue Chuan suddenly felt as if he had lived through another world. Uncle Aimin was gone, and Brother Chengdong was in detention; these changes had truly caught him off guard.

The boy walked heavily up to the second floor, pushed open the study door, and found it quiet and dark inside, without a trace of human presence.

He was slightly disappointed when, just then, a ray of sunlight suddenly shone obliquely through the window, making the dust floating in the air clearly visible and revealing the few pieces of furniture in the room.

The bed, the table and chairs, and the huge cabinet filled with books all felt incredibly familiar to him.

Yue Chuan walked to the bookshelf, glanced at the upper shelves, and his attention immediately shifted to the four cabinet doors below. The cabinet doors were locked, and if he remembered correctly, the antique accordion was behind the outermost cabinet door.

Without a moment's hesitation, the boy took out his keychain and opened all the keys with a few clicks—the accordion was indeed still there, perfectly intact except for the dust.

He intended to take it out to wipe off the dust, but after moving it slightly, he found an even rarer item deep inside the cabinet!