Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qin Shoufeng beside him shouted sternly, "That's right! That's right! Our grandparents are from this village, don't even think about bullying us!"

Just as the disheveled man was about to explain something, the crazy woman at his feet suddenly went berserk. She slammed her head into the man's shin, causing him to stumble. The crazy woman then ripped off the rope and plastic bag wrapped around her body!

From the moment the madwoman launched her sneak attack to the moment she stood up again, only a few seconds had passed. Good heavens! The yellow plastic sheet she used to cover her genitals was gone, and now she stood naked in front of Yue Chuan, muttering and roaring in a language only a ghost could understand...

Yue Chuan felt extremely unwell. He stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do. Just then, the crazy woman pounced on him like an arrow released from a bow.

Just as the madwoman's black claws were about to touch her cousin, Qin Shoufeng swung his fishing rod and thrust it. Although the rod didn't hit the madwoman directly, it landed between her and Yue Chuan. The madwoman gritted her teeth and tried to leap over the "hunter," but her foot slipped, and she stepped on a round, green walnut. She fell heavily to the ground, her waist landing squarely on the walnut.

The madwoman rolled around and let out heart-wrenching screams. At the same time, the man struck again, picked up the rope, and tied the madwoman up tightly from head to toe. By this time, even if she still had the strength to resist, she could no longer escape.

"Kids, this woman is my wife. You all go about your business. I'll take her away right now..."

After saying that, the man grabbed the end of the rope and slung the crazy woman over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The woman's face and knees were covered in blood. At this moment, she was as docile as a broken rag doll, with only her neck still able to be twisted backward—that crooked face was still staring at Yue Chuan without turning her head.

When their eyes met, Yue Chuan's fear vanished. He finally saw clearly that the person staring back at him was not a wild beast or a monster, but a pitiful woman driven mad by greed and despair.

Just then, two streams of hot tears rolled down the madwoman's face, which was covered in mud and sweat. Her eyes, moistened by the tears, shone with a frightening brightness, like two glass marbles that had fallen into a mud puddle!

Yue Chuan read sorrow and grief in the other person's eyes, and at that moment, the boy felt compassion.

Yue Chuan first threw away the walnuts in his hand, bent down and grabbed the yellow fertilizer bag with the word "urea" printed on it, then quickly ran towards the man, "Hey! Put this on her!"

At that distance, it was impossible for the man not to hear Yue Chuan's shouts, but he didn't turn around and continued walking deeper into the woods on his own.

Compared to the indifferent man, the madwoman's reaction seemed more intriguing. She nodded, then shook her head, and gave him a crooked smile. This time, her smile revealed two deep dimples, enough to hold a walnut kernel.

Yue Chuan felt as if a walnut had been poked in his heart. He wanted to do something more, but then he thought that his idea was too naive. She was clearly a crazy woman! She was beaten, injured, and finally tied up like a dumpling by her husband. She could still laugh under these circumstances. What else could she be but a madwoman?

Just as Yue Chuan turned to leave, he suddenly heard the madwoman shouting in her hoarse voice, "Go...go back to the kiln with Mom! Go back to the kiln quickly!"

Whether others heard it or not, Yue Chuan didn't know, but he heard it clearly. The cry of "Back to the kiln" floated upwards in a curve, just like the old cat in the village that had lost its cub—it was clearly a mother's heartfelt call for her lost child.

A crazy woman is not some kind of monster; at least, she still retains the softest part of humanity.

At this moment, Yue Chuan felt a mix of emotions, and a near-mad idea suddenly popped into his head—he wanted to communicate with that madman!

The thought filled him with fear, but in the end, reason prevailed, and Yue Chuan didn't move an inch until the man and woman disappeared from sight.

"Chuan'er, this crazy woman is too scary, let's go home quickly!" Qin Shoufeng seemed to notice his cousin's strange behavior. He took a few steps forward and grabbed his cousin's arm.

Thanks to his cousin's presence, Yue Chuan snapped out of his daze. He dared not delay any longer, quickly packed the walnuts on the ground into the car, and headed towards his maternal grandfather's house without looking back.

As the sun began to set, the woods fell silent. The two cousins ​​had long lost interest in chatting and joking, and in less than the time it takes to smoke a pipe, they ran back to their grandfather's house.

The moment he stepped across the threshold, Qin Shoufeng yelled out the whole story about the crazy woman. Grandma's hand, gripping the broom handle, trembled. Grandpa lifted his grandson's clothes and checked him from head to toe: "Did that madwoman bite you?"

"She wanted to!" Qin Shoufeng straightened his back and said, "She even wanted to bully Xiao Chuan'er. At that moment, I had a sudden inspiration, grabbed a fishing rod, and..."

Seeing his cousin rambling on and on, Yue Chuan suddenly asked his grandparents, "Grandma, Grandpa, how...how exactly did that woman go crazy?"

Upon hearing the question, the two elders looked Yue Chuan up and down, both with intriguing expressions.

"Her son died, and she went mad..." At this point, Grandma Shoufeng's expression turned slightly disgusted. "Ever since then, whenever she sees a child who looks like her son, she pounces on them and drags them home. Because of this, she's caused her husband a lot of trouble!"

Yue Chuan's body trembled involuntarily. He composed himself and then asked, "How did her son die?"

"She hanged herself in her sweet potato cellar..."

Grandma Shoufeng had barely finished speaking when Grandpa pulled her aside. The old man frowned and yelled at his wife, "You old hag! Why are you arguing with the kids about this? Hurry up and clear out the things from the cellar! Where are you going to put all these walnuts?"

Grandma Shoufeng didn't say anything more. She walked to the corner of the courtyard, opened the cellar lid, and pulled up a hanging basket filled with wild vegetables. "You two brothers, unload the walnuts down there. Leave them for a few days, and bring them home after they've peeled..."

Yue Chuan wanted to inquire more about the madwoman, but seeing that the two elders were reluctant to talk about it, he didn't press the matter further. Later that afternoon, he and his cousin emptied all the walnuts into the cool, shady cellar before finally sitting down to rest.

It was still early, so the two brothers chatted with their grandfather for a while. Although it was just casual conversation, Yuechuan gained a lot—not only did he get some useful tools, but he also learned a few tricks for peeling walnuts. After a while, he finally managed to shift his attention away from the crazy woman.

Because Yuechuan insisted on going home, the two brothers did not have dinner at their maternal grandfather's house in Shoufeng. The two elders packed some of their own homegrown fruits and vegetables for them and escorted them all the way to the reservoir before leaving with peace of mind.

After a long day of work, Yue Chuan was so tired that he didn't even have the energy to talk. Qin Shoufeng, on the other hand, was as talkative as if he had oil on his lips. He was either gossiping about the romantic affairs between male and female classmates or telling dirty jokes that were not suitable for children. In short, you couldn't see a trace of dejection on this student who failed the exam.

In contrast, Yue Chuan seemed preoccupied, especially after hearing the mournful cry of the four cuckoos, which seemed to make him even more depressed.

For some reason, the madwoman's wrinkled face suddenly flashed before Yue Chuan's eyes, sending a chill down his spine. Immediately, he quickened his pace and headed straight for the village…