Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

In the blink of an eye, the motorcycle came to a stop in front of the village restaurant, kicking up dust.

Qin Xiaohu jumped out of the car, grabbed Aimin, and dragged him inside. As soon as they turned into the aisle of the private room, he yelled, "Brother! Look who's here!"

This shout caused four burly men with similar appearances to stand up simultaneously. The oldest, a bald man with faint signs of monastic discipline on his head, greeted them warmly, "Hey! The college student is here! Come on, have a seat!"

As soon as the bald man finished speaking, the other three men quickly surrounded him to greet him. Seeing their eagerness, Aimin felt uneasy – such unsolicited hospitality was hardly suspicious, and this meal looked like a trap!

It's no wonder Aimin thought that way. These five brothers, from the former monk Qin Dahu to the two-faced Qin Xiaohu, were all fierce and aggressive. Years ago, the old hunter Qin Biao had a conflict with the villagers of Laojiapo from the neighboring village over wheat irrigation. The five brothers, armed with homemade hunting rifles, stood up for their father, almost sparking a village brawl. If Qin Yunhai hadn't risked his life to stop them, it would most likely have resulted in death!

Afterwards, Qin Yunhai, who had suffered an epileptic seizure, resigned as captain due to his illness, while the old hunter's five sons earned the nickname "Five Tiger Brothers" because of the incident. Such is the absurdity of the world.

Just as Aimin was lost in thought, Qin Xiaohu picked up a glass of wine and said respectfully, "Aimin, let me toast you first. We've been friends since we were kids, our families are practically related, our relationship is beyond question. Come on! I'll drink this first, let's continue our friendship!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back, frowned, and poured the half-cup of baijiu into his mouth.

Seeing this, his four older brothers also came to toast Aimin. Aimin didn't want to drink in such a muddled way, so he waved his hand and said directly, "We're all from the same village, why be so polite? My dad and your old man used to call each other brothers. If you have something to say, just say it."

Hearing this, Qin Dahu calmly poured a plate of fatty mutton into the copper hot pot in the center of the table. He then scratched his head, laughed, and said, "College students are different! Much better than those roughnecks in the village. They don't beat around the bush at all! Here's the deal: I'm the boss, so I'll toast you on behalf of the brothers. Drink this, and then we'll talk business!"

Qin Biao is old now, and Qin Dahu is the head of the family. Over the years, he and his brothers have opened a brick factory, a precast concrete plant, and a lime factory. Although they are all small workshops, they earn much more money than farming. In just a few years, their family has become a wealthy and powerful family in Qin Family Village.

With money comes a lot of presence. As the representative, Qin Dahu first clinked glasses with Aimin, and then began today's topic.

"Aimin, the five of us brothers are planning to take over that old mine pit on the mountain. We called you here today to give you and Uncle Hai a heads-up. Don't worry! If the mine goes into operation, you'll definitely get your share!"

At this point, all five people, including Qin Dahu, turned their attention to Aimin, naturally wanting to know his attitude.

"The mines and farmland on the mountain belong to the collective. Even if mining is allowed, you'll have to go to the village committee and the county to discuss it. I'm afraid I can't be of much help here..."

Aimin gave a rebuff, meaning, what does your mining have to do with our family? If we want to find you, we have to go to the government to get the proper permits!

Seeing that the other party was not giving them face, the brothers' faces instantly turned ugly. At this moment, Qin Xiaohu hurriedly stepped in and said, "Aimin, there are no outsiders in the house, so I'll just say it bluntly. Mining involves road construction, which will take up your family's land in Shuanglingxi. Talk to Uncle Hai and ask him to make an exception for you. I promise you, we'll compensate you for whatever amount of land we take!"

Qin Xiaohu had already made his intentions clear. His thinking was simple: he wanted to pay for a way through. After all, there were only two routes to the old mine pit: either through Shuangxitian in Dongling or through Laojiapo in Xiling. However, his family had a falling out with the people of Laojiapo, so outsiders would never give them face. This was why the "Five Tiger Brothers" were in such a hurry to find Aimin.

"Little Tiger, this isn't about money. Unlicensed mining is illegal. Have you forgotten how Qin Geda's parents died? They were blown up by explosives..."

Out of consideration for their past as classmates, Aimin began to give Qin Xiaohu a "political lesson," but Qin Dahu interpreted it differently. Despite his rough appearance, he was full of crooked ideas and took Aimin's advice as a bargaining game, convinced that Aimin wanted more compensation for the land expropriation.

"You've been rambling on and on, all you want is more money! How many people live in your family's land estate in Sungai Tin? Name your price, and I'll buy it all!"

After saying this, Qin Dahu banged his fist on the table, but this show of force was no match for Aimin. He stated his position clearly and righteously, "Since we've come this far, I won't hold back anymore. My mother's grave is in Jutai. Don't even think about buying the land with money; even if you move a mountain of gold, I won't allow you to cross my family's land!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, and the only sound was the bubbling of the copper hot pot. Although the room was unbearably hot, the atmosphere had plummeted to freezing.

Seeing that the other party wouldn't budge despite his persuasion, Qin Xiaohu decisively dropped his pretense and coldly mocked, "Aimin, I've known since childhood that you're no ordinary person, but everyone needs to eat, drink, and relieve themselves, right? You planted chrysanthemums in Shuangxi fields to increase land yield, didn't you? Now, we brothers dig some stones, make some money, and share some with the villagers. Isn't that more direct than planting grain or chrysanthemums? You used to shout 'Let the rich help the poor to achieve common prosperity' every day, but now we brothers think the same way as you, so why don't you buy it? I think you've just read too many books and become a pedant!"

Upon hearing this, the brothers all burst into laughter. They couldn't understand why anyone would turn down money, so they all stared at Aimin as if he were a fool.

A person's vision and perspective can be cultivated, but the "Five Tiger Brothers" haven't received any such training. However, don't underestimate them just because they're not well-educated; these are all beneficiaries of the mining industry! Previously, their family had "poached" a considerable amount of land compensation from mining bosses in other regions—that money was Qin Dahu's first pot of gold for starting his business. In Qin Family Village, no one understands the "exorbitant profits" of the mining business better than them!

"My dad has the final say on the land issue; you can discuss it with him!"

There's no point in arguing when you can't see eye to eye. Aimin knew he wasn't on the same page as the "Five Tiger Brothers," and he got up to leave, but Qin Dahu stopped him. "Others may not know what Uncle Hai is thinking, but do you think I don't? Back then, he caused trouble for the people of Laojiapo to stop them from mining. If we could persuade him, would we need you?"

Qin Dahu had long lost his patience; if it weren't for Qin Yunhai's prestige in the village, he probably would have already taken action. Seeing things were about to go wrong, Qin Xiaohu quickly put on a good cop act. He produced a stack of contracts from somewhere and handed them directly to Aimin: "Aimin, there are plenty of roads leading to the old mine pit; it doesn't necessarily have to go through your land. Here, these are all land transfer contracts signed by the villagers. Sign one today for my sake, and I guarantee you and Uncle Lao Hai won't have to worry for the rest of your lives!"

"I won't sign! And you can't keep me here. You can try if you don't believe me!" Aimin's attitude was unusually firm. He flung Qin Dahu's hand away and stormed out the door.

Others fear the "Five Tiger Brothers" because of their large and powerful family, but Aimin doesn't have that concern. His branch of the family is equally prosperous; Qin Yunhai goes without saying, and his two cousins, Qin Laishun and Qin Shuangling, alone are enough to rival the "Five Tiger Brothers." I can't speak for other places, but in Qin Family Village, power is determined by the size of one's clan. Otherwise, why would the "Five Tiger Brothers" bother wasting their breath on Aimin? They would have already made their move! The question is, do they really dare to make a move?

The moment Aimin stepped out of the private room, Qin Dahu smashed his wine glass on the ground. "Damn it! I didn't expect there to be someone like this in the village, refusing to take the money even when it's handed to him!"

"Exactly! Exactly! What a fucking charlatan!"

"They're even planting chrysanthemums, trying to copy others' collective economy practices. They really think they're something special!"

……

The brothers cursed for a while before stopping. At this point, Qin Sihou stroked his beard and yelled at Qin Xiaohu with a fierce look, "Xiao Wu, I told you long ago, these two are impossible to reason with! You've been saying nice things and inviting them to dinner, what good is it! I think we should just talk to Secretary Yang, drive in a bulldozer, and flatten their land, that'll be the end of it!"

Seeing his fourth brother acting recklessly again, Qin Xiaohu grinned, but his eyes were sinister and terrifying like a venomous snake: "What's the rush? I have plenty of ways to deal with him! We'll start with courtesy, then unleash force. Since he won't take the bait, we'll just kill anyone who gets in our way!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Dahu slapped his thigh and laughed, "You know what, sometimes even I can't handle Xiao Wu's methods. Just hand this matter over to him, and it'll definitely work! Hahaha!"

Wearing glasses doesn't necessarily make someone cultured; wolves in sheep's clothing are the most likely to prey on others. Everyone outside considered Qin Dahu the leader of the Five Tigers, but as it turned out, Qin Xiaohu was the true backbone of the group. However, that's a story for another time.