Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

About half an hour later, the advance firefighting team arrived at the fire site on the outskirts of the cypress grove.

These dozen or so young men were quick on their feet, but they had no experience in extinguishing fires. Watching the flames leap wildly across the mountain, they were all terrified. Just as they were scratching their heads in frustration, a tall, thin man with a dark face suddenly jumped out of the thick smoke. He was so dark in the dark that he looked like he had just crawled out of a stove.

"Don't stand here! Listen to me, get out of here right now! If you don't leave, you'll all be trapped and die!"

Who would have thought that this "black-faced Bao Gong" was actually Qin Aimin, the famous pale-faced scholar from Qin Family Village! At this moment, his hair was a mess, and his cuffs were charred black. Judging from his appearance, he had rolled around in the fire at least three or four times.

The young men present looked at each other, momentarily unable to recognize each other. Luckily, Qin Xiaotian was quick-witted and, recognizing Aimin's voice, hurriedly asked, "Brother Aimin, Uncle Hai sent a few of us to scout ahead! From what you're saying, the fire is out of control?"

"Don't ask so many questions, let's retreat quickly!" Qin Aimin grabbed the arms of several people and dragged them towards the northeast valley. "The entire top of Xiling has burned down! Head towards the valley! There's sparse grass and lots of rocks there, the fire won't be able to reach us!"

Only after escaping the smoke-shrouded area did everyone dare to stop and catch their breath. At this moment, Aimin coughed a few times and explained to the young man beside him, "Before the sun went down, there were no open flames in the cypress forest. Unexpectedly, as soon as it got dark, the northwest wind started howling. Now the forest is definitely doomed. If this continues, I'm afraid Xiling will be finished too."

"What can we do then! There's an orchard down the slope, which we worked hard to build together with the people of Laojiapo! It's almost ready to bear fruit, we can't just watch it burn down, can we?" Qin Xiaotian scratched his head and asked rhetorically.

"The orchard is nothing! If the fire spreads to Dongling, our Qin Family Village will be in big trouble too!" Another burly young man jumped out.

"Huh? Why aren't any of the Laojiapo people coming to put out the fire? Aren't they afraid the fire will spread to their doorsteps?" Qin Xiaotian said indignantly.

"Those villagers are really cunning! A while ago, when they were building a road in Xiling, they cut down all the trees at the bottom of the hillside. Now, even if they burn Xiling down, it has nothing to do with them!" the burly young man added.

"Damn it! Could it be that the people from Laojiapo started the fire? They'd throw away all their shame for a few stones on the mountain?"

"It was definitely them! Even a fool could figure it out! A bunch of sons of bitches!"

……

Mentioning the people of Laojiapo makes them grit their teeth with hatred; if it weren't for the urgency of the situation, they probably could curse them for three days and three nights without stopping.

In this critical moment, Aimin, not wanting to hear their complaints, immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "This is not the time for grumbling! We need to find a way to save the village!"

Seeing that Aimin already had a plan, Qin Xiaotian quickly stood up straight and agreed, "Brother Aimin, you're the most knowledgeable person here, we'll all listen to you!"

"Yes, yes, we'll do whatever Aimin says. Let's put out the fire first, then settle accounts with them!"

……

After several young men expressed their opinions, Aimin waved his arm and said, "We're not a professional firefighting team, and we don't have the right tools. The best thing to do now is to organize manpower and build a firebreak near the orchard..."

To make a long story short, Aimin informed everyone about the relevant matters concerning the isolation zone and also divided the young men into several groups.

"When we get to the orchard, those with axes and saws should cut down the persimmon trees on the outer edge; those with hoes and sickles should clear the weeds from the ground; those with shovels and those without tools should follow me. We'll carry the cut branches to the back. In short, we need a five-meter-wide cordon! There can't be any flammable materials inside!"

To be honest, Aimin's allocation of resources wasn't exactly scientific, and its effectiveness depended on the speed at which the wildfire spread. However, if no one stepped forward to coordinate and direct the operation, and everyone descended into chaos, not only would extinguishing the fire be impossible, but even those fighting the fire might lose their lives. From this perspective, Aimin's approach was commendable.

The young men had already gotten to work. They were quick and efficient, and with their division of labor, they soon cut down a large number of trees around the orchard.

While the advance troops were working enthusiastically, the main rear force organized by Qin Yunhai was also arriving one after another. In addition, there was a "supply corps" composed of women. Although the women did not go to the front line, they were able to distribute important supplies such as tea and wet towels, which was a key link in ensuring the victory of the firefighting campaign.

By this time, everyone was united as one. In a very short time, they actually managed to dig a embankment about one kilometer long and ten meters wide in front of the orchard!

The weeds and the surface humus were all cleared away. Without flammable materials, no matter how big the fire was, it could not advance an inch!

With Qin Yunhai and his son Qin Aimin personally overseeing the operation, this "scorched earth" tactic was executed precisely. Now that the orchard crisis has been resolved, as long as a similar strategy is implemented to create a barrier in the central valley, Dongling will surely be able to hold out as well!

Looking at the life-or-death isolation zone before him, and then at the ever-growing reinforcements behind him, Aimin's tense nerves finally relaxed. Exhausted, he leaned against a boulder and sat down on the ground, finally able to stop and have a drink of water!

Just then, a blinding beam of light shone around Aimin for a few moments, and then Yue Chuan walked over quickly, holding a flashlight in his left hand and a glass of water in his right.

He had already brought reinforcements from the village committee, and the mission should have been completed. However, the boy was worried that his uncle would insist on going up the mountain, so after asking many people, he finally found Aimin.

After carefully searching for a while, Yue Chuan exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" and then excitedly ran to Ai Min, "Uncle! I've finally found you! Are you thirsty? Come on, have some water!"

The military water bottle was practically shoved into the other man's palm. The boy stared at his uncle's tattered clothes, his chest tightening—in his memory, Uncle Aimin had always been meticulous; he had never seen him so disheveled.

"Uncle, drink slowly, don't choke!"

Before he could finish speaking, Aimin raised the kettle above his head, and a stream of black water instantly shot from his hair straight to his chest, leaving Yue Chuan dumbfounded.

"carefree!"

Aimin sighed and turned around to thank him, only to see his nephew covering his mouth and trying not to laugh.

"Uncle, you don't look like yourself. You remind me of what happened with Brother Cheng Dong..."

Aimin understood what his nephew was going to say. He raised an eyebrow and, sure enough, imitated the rugged manner of a mountain man: "I'm so hot I'm going to scald off! Thank goodness for Xiao Chuan's pot of water!"

His actions and tone of voice were indeed 80-90% similar to Cheng Dong's, making Yue Chuan laugh for a while, clutching his stomach, before he finally suppressed his laughter and earnestly advised:

"Uncle, the fire is almost burned out, and Uncle Shun brought quite a few people. You're so tired, you should go down the mountain and rest."

"We haven't had time to create firebreaks in the valley yet, and the fire could spread to the east ridge. You should evacuate first; I'll go with my brother to check the situation there..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cacophony of shouts erupted from nearby.