Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Geda's house was only a few steps away from Yuechuan's house. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the courtyard gate. The black wooden door creaked open a crack, and the little girl with her hair in a high ponytail rushed into Yuechuan's arms like a cannonball.

"Brother! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you!" Yue Shan frowned, hands on her hips, looking like she was about to interrogate him, but then she grinned from ear to ear, grabbing Yue Chuan's arm and shaking it. "Second Master just asked me to get a leg of lamb, saying Dad should make lamb soup! Tell me! Did you get into Yanghe No. 1 High School?"

Yue Chuan gently pinched his younger sister's rosy cheeks and nodded with a smile.

Normally, Yue Shan would have clung to her brother relentlessly, but this time, she let go and ran happily towards Qin Yunhai's house next door...

As Yue Chuan entered the front yard, he bumped into his father, who was hunched over and rubbing himself.

Looking at the dust in his father's stubble and then at the basin of murky water, Yue Chuan quickly drew clean water from the well. "Dad, change the water..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Shuangling slammed the towel into the basin, spitting as he shouted, "From now on! You're not allowed to ask your second uncle for sheep bones again. Do you think raising sheep is easy?"

Before Yuechuan's mother contracted the strange illness, Qin Shuangling was the head chef of the town government canteen, excelling at both hot and cold dishes, and indispensable at any banquet in the village. Back then, he stood tall and straight, but now? The harshness of life has bent his back.

Yue Chuan had been a punching bag for many years, so he should have been immune to his father's "harshness" by now. But on this special day, he could no longer tolerate it.

At that moment, the boy's cheeks ached from biting so hard, and he was about to lash out when his mother's voice suddenly came from the main room.

"Chuan'er, you're back? Quickly go inside and have some water..."

Ding Lingfang's gentle words were like a cool well, instantly extinguishing the flames of anger in Yue Chuan's heart.

He lifted the curtain and saw his mother sitting on a straw mat sewing a quilt. Without saying a word, Yue Chuan grabbed the switch rope in the dark, and after a crisp mechanical sound, the tungsten filament bulb hummed and lit up.

The golden light shone on the mother's silver hair at her temples, making the boy's nose tingle with emotion.

"Mom, it's so dark in the house, why don't you turn on the light?" Yue Chuan asked, but he knew in his heart that his mother was just trying to save on electricity by working in the dark.

"I just can't do heavy work, it's not like I'm blind." Ding Lingfang smiled knowingly, but her hands didn't stop moving.

"Mom, let's sew it tomorrow. There are still two months before school starts!" Yue Chuan said, feeling sorry for her.

"Take advantage of these two relaxed days and sew a few more quilts. When you go to the county town, you'll have something to change into, right?" Ding Lingfang ran the needle tip along her temple a couple of times and continued mending.

Noticing the thick wad of cotton wool peeking out from the corner of the blanket, Yue Chuan squatted down, picked up a fluffy white ball, and said, "Mom, why is the wad so thick? I heard the dorms at No. 1 High School have radiators, it's warm there!"

"Do you really think your mother's senile?" Ding Lingfang pointed to the few thin quilts beside her and said, "Look, thick ones and thin ones, I've prepared them all for you!"

Just as Yue Chuan was about to speak, Ding Lingfang waved her hand and said, "Chuan'er, you've rested enough. Help your dad gather some firewood later. We're making mutton soup tonight; he can't manage it all by himself."

"I'm not going!" Yue Chuan's cheeks were puffed out, naturally still angry about what had just happened.

Ding Lingfang glanced up at her son and chuckled, "You're just as stubborn as your dad! Don't let his bossy attitude fool you; he's so happy he can't be happier than ever knowing you got into the top high school! Hehehe..."

A mother understands her child; with just one sentence, she dispelled Yue Chuan's last bit of stubbornness.

"Mom, I'll go if you tell me to, I'll do whatever you say!"

After Yue Chuan finished speaking, he turned around and went to the woodshed.

Watching her son's retreating figure, Ding Lingfang shook her head and smiled, her stitches fluttering as cotton wadding fell to the ground. These two, father and son, are both stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.

The whole family pitched in to make mutton soup for tonight.

First, Yue Chuan gathered a large pile of firewood and then set up a big iron pot in the yard. His younger sister, Yue Shan, was also busy. She helped her mother wash the pots and pans and used a small brush to clean the sheep's head and legs thoroughly.

After the preparations were completed, it was time for the head chef to make his grand entrance. Qin Shuangling chopped the lamb leg into small pieces and put it into a pot of cold water along with the lamb's head. Once the water was warm, he skimmed off the foam and then added the prepared herbal packet to the soup pot.

Good ingredients are best served over a wood-fired stove. Qin Shuangling's old stove truly brings out the best flavors; the flames seem to know exactly where they're going, and the lamb bones simmer gently in the iron pot.

Sparks crackled and popped from the stove, the aroma of meat mingling with the smoke from the firewood swirling in the yard. As the broth turned milky white, Qin Shuangling's nostrils twitched twice, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes finally relaxed.

Seal the air inlet of the stove, turn the heat to low and simmer. In less than ten minutes, a pot of delicious mutton soup will be ready.

Qin Shuangling put the sheep's head and most of the lamb leg into a clay pot, poured on some broth, sprinkled some salt, and then shouted at Yue Chuan: "Stop standing there, go and take this pot of lamb soup to your second uncle's house."

Upon hearing that it was a gift for Second Master, Yue Chuan decisively picked up the soup pot and carefully walked out of the courtyard. Just then, a red van sped by, and the next second, it braked sharply and stopped in front of Second Master's house next door.

Dust billowed up, and Yue Chuan quickly turned around and took a few steps back. The soup pot was hot and scalding, so in his haste, he had no choice but to let go and place it on the bluestone table at the entrance of the courtyard.

Just then, the back door of the van creaked open, and a tall, thin man wearing glasses emerged. He looked like a scholarly gentleman straight out of a textbook. This man was none other than Qin Aimin, Qin Yunhai's son and Qin Yuechuan's cousin.

Qin Aimin had already spotted Yue Chuan. Pointing to the driver of the bread truck, he said with a smile, "Little Chuan, look who's here today!"

The light bulb at the entrance of the courtyard was as dim as a firefly. Yue Chuan crouched down and peered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Just as he was about to move forward, a dark figure as tall as an iron tower jumped out of the driver's seat with a "whoosh".

"Brother Cheng Dong?" Yue Chuan let out a howl as soon as he saw the other person's face clearly.

Lao Chengdong, this burly man, is Qin Aimin's cousin. He used to lead Yuechuan in raiding bird nests when he was young. Since he went south, the two haven't seen each other for five or six years.

Yue Chuan's throat tightened, and images of chasing after Cheng Dong and Ai Min and having fun all those years flooded his mind.

"Brother Chengdong! It really is you!" As he spoke, Yue Chuan was already standing in front of him. He smiled and complained, "You've been in the South for so many years, why haven't you ever come home to see us?"

"Haha, you're back, aren't you!" Cheng Dong looked his former good brother up and down, patting Yue Chuan on the shoulder with his large, fan-like hand. "You've really got something going for you now! I heard from Uncle Aimin that you got into a top high school and will be a college student soon! You'll have to give your big brother a hand from now on! Hahaha..."

"What do you mean? Everyone knows you're a big boss now..."

Yue Chuan was so surprised that he blinked in surprise at the words "big boss" that came out of his mouth—it was really surprising that someone as taciturn as him could actually say such a precious word!

Yue Chuan wasn't just flattering him blindly; Cheng Dong's outfit today really made him look incredibly wealthy—a flashy coconut tree shirt stretched taut over his muscular frame, jeans that accentuated his round buttocks, sunglasses dangling from his collar, and a pager gleaming on his belt—he looked exactly like a nouveau riche!

"Chuan'er, don't embarrass your brother! I'm just a small shopkeeper, a far cry from being a big boss!"

Although Cheng Dong is only three years older than Yue Chuan, he has been working in society for many years, so exchanging pleasantries and formalities is a basic requirement.

Before Yue Chuan could utter a sound, Cheng Dong suddenly sniffed, his eyes fixed on the steaming pot of soup. "Chuan'er, is that mutton soup Uncle Shuangling made? Hey! It smells so good!"

Seeing Cheng Dong swallow hard, Yue Chuan covered his mouth and chuckled, "Yeah! Second Master's goat feed has absolutely no gamey smell, I guarantee it tastes just like before! Come on, I'll bring it over to you right now!"

"Hey! The soup pot is so hot! You have such delicate skin, let me do it!"

Without a word, Cheng Dong walked up to the soup pot. He opened the lid, took a deep breath, and a satisfied expression instantly appeared on his face. "I'm so grateful to Uncle Shuangling and Second Master! I've been craving this for years! Luckily, I brought some wine today, so we have to have a couple of drinks!"

Yue Chuan was overjoyed, but when he thought of his father's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, he began to have doubts.

Just then, Aimin suddenly spoke up, "Chuan'er, it's rare for the three of us to get together, why don't you come to my house for dinner? Don't worry, I'll talk to your dad."

Hearing this, Yue Chuan was overjoyed—with Uncle Aimin's word, even if he went to Second Master's house for a free meal, his father would never give him a hard time.

With wine, meat, and my big brother by my side, it seems tonight is destined to be a wonderful night...