Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

At Qin Shuangling's house, Yue Chuan threw his schoolbag on the ground and ran frantically towards the sheepfold. It seemed the news of Ah Huang's murder hadn't been kept from him after all.

The dog kennel was empty, so Yue Chuan decisively rushed into the yard and pounded on Geda's door with his fists. "Geda! I know you're in there! Where's Ah Huang? Tell me! Where's Ah Huang?"

Having just returned from the hospital, Geda opened his sleepy eyes, swayed his towering body as he got out of bed, and then opened the door for Yue Chuan.

The two communicated in a very unusual way. One was shouting with red eyes, while the other remained silent, only gesturing with his hands. Finally, Yue Chuan came to the yellow mound of earth at the base of the wall outside the door—underneath it was Ah Huang!

At this moment, Yue Chuan's face was ashen, and tears the size of soybeans streamed from the corners of his eyes, instantly dripping to the ground. The boy's mentality had collapsed, and he finally burst into tears.

The commotion was so great that the simple-minded Qin Geda was unable to handle it, and in the end, Qin Shuangling had no choice but to step in and intervene.

"You're in high school already, what are you crying for? You're not even as good as a three-year-old. How are you going to get into university? How are you going to lead a family in the future?"

Logically, the father should have offered words of comfort at this moment, but Qin Shuangling did not. Seeing Yue Chuan digging in the dirt with his bare hands, the man's blood pressure soared, and he immediately jumped up and started cursing.

Having suffered half his life, he simply couldn't understand how a boy with a penis could "cry at the grave" of a mongrel, showing such deep affection for the dog and even contemplating suicide.

Yue Chuan ignored his father's questioning and kept digging out soil with both hands until he saw Ah Huang's wet head, at which point he stopped.

Although Yue Chuan was unwilling to believe this fact, Ah Huang was indeed dead.

The dead dog's tongue was swollen, its teeth were protruding, and its fur was sticky, wet, and covered in a layer of yellowish mud. In addition, there were two poisoned needles stuck in its eyeballs, making it look extremely horrifying.

At this moment, Yue Chuan's heart was breaking. Grief and anger intertwined, stirring up a storm in the depths of his consciousness.

The beautiful memories of the past flashed before Yue Chuan's eyes. He felt as if he were sitting on an old-fashioned projector playing in reverse, with images related to Ah Huang popping up one after another: one moment, Ah Huang was twisting its body and frantically scratching at that withered old persimmon tree, and the next moment, its figure flashed in the snowy forest. The dog darted and jumped, quickly carrying a gray wild rabbit in its mouth, and ran wildly to its old friend. It tilted its head, wagged its tail, and stared straight at Yue Chuan, as if it was asking for praise, or as if it was saying a final goodbye.

Yue Chuan reached out to touch Ah Huang's forehead, but the dog's figure instantly turned into a phantom, shattering in an instant until it completely disappeared.

"Ah Huang! Don't go! Tell me! Who killed you? I'll kill him! I'll avenge you!"

Yue Chuan's face contorted rapidly, and the red blood vessels in his pupils expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, making him look ferocious and terrifying. He was like a werewolf under the full moon, having undergone a demonic transformation and losing his self-awareness. His entire body was filled with only a frenzied and violent aura.

Seeing Yue Chuan's manic state, Qin Geda stood there blankly, while Qin Shuangling rushed forward and grabbed his son's collar. He naturally wanted to forcibly drag his son away, but the thin Yue Chuan somehow found the strength to shake off his father's big hand.

"It's just a dog! Is it really necessary to make such a fuss? Come on! Go home, get home right now!" Qin Shuangling had lost his patience and was using both hitting and scolding to force his son to comply, but Yue Chuan's stubbornness had already kicked in. Not only did he not listen, he even started hitting his father.

The father and son were already at odds, and now they were even more like oil and water—they were locked in a fierce confrontation. Qin Shuangling probably didn't expect his son to dare to challenge him, and he was so angry that he was panting heavily. He wanted to teach his son a lesson, but facing his grown-up son, Qin Shuangling simply couldn't do anything about Yue Chuan.

"Fine, fine, you've grown up! You think you're all independent now! Well, you'd better figure it out yourself. From now on, even if you kill someone, I won't care!"

Qin Shuangling's communication skills were completely lacking. Like most fathers in Qin Family Village, he clearly loved his children, but his way of expressing it was extremely simple and brutal. He either suppressed them or stirred things up. If those didn't work, then the only option was to resort to violence.

"I just wanted to wipe Ah Huang's body clean, to let... let it leave with some dignity, what did I do wrong?" Yue Chuan roared loudly, and for a moment, snot and tears flowed into his mouth, making him look even more greasy than someone who hadn't washed their face all year round.

Qin Shuangling was rendered speechless by the rebuttal. He should have known. Ah Huang had been with his son all along, and their relationship was practically like that of brothers. Now that Ah Huang was dead, his son was seeing off his good friend, which was perfectly understandable. Why did he have to stubbornly try to stop him? Wasn't this just asking for trouble?

One second Qin Shuangling was reflecting on his actions, but the next second, seeing his son reach out and pull the poison needles off Ah Huang, the man felt a sudden dizziness.

Those needles are all highly poisonous. Pulling them out with your bare hands is suicidal!

Just as Qin Shuangling was about to take action, Geda strode up to Yue Chuan, pointed at Ah Huang's corpse, and mumbled something incoherently.

Yue Chuan was immersed in grief and did not notice the strangeness of the bump. However, while grooming Ah Huang's fur, he found a small piece of black rubber waterproof cloth in the dog's mouth!

"Ah Huang is very cunning. It will never put anything in its mouth except for food, unless! Unless it bit something or someone before it died!"

This mathematical genius may not have exceptional verbal skills, but his logical reasoning is absolutely extraordinary. He could make connections to many things based on just a strange piece of cloth.

Having made a guess, Yue Chuan no longer hesitated and reached into Ah Huang's already rotten mouth, but at that moment, a large hand slapped his wrist.

"Who told you to move around like that! The dog was poisoned! Didn't you know that? What are you standing there for! Go wash it right now!"

"No! This thing must have been bitten off by Ah Huang from the sheep thief! With this, we can definitely catch the murderer!"

Yue Chuan was as stubborn as his father. Once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. At this moment, Qin Shuangling stopped arguing with his son, grabbed him by the waist, and dragged him to the pool.

Qin Shuangling didn't care whether Yue Chuan was cold or not, and directly used a water hose to pour water on her son.

Even though Yue Chuan was soaked to the bone, his father was still worried. Qin Shuangling somehow got hold of a motorcycle and, without saying a word, took Yue Chuan straight to the county hospital...