Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

After several heavy snowfalls, the Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and the festive atmosphere in Qinjiazhuang is getting stronger and stronger.

Farmers have been busy all year, and they really deserve a good rest. Look, they are sitting around the fire in groups of three or five, chatting and enjoying the fire. How comfortable this life is!

The base of Qin Yunhai's house was a good place to shelter from the wind and keep warm. They gathered the snow aside, cleared a space, and put firewood on it. Before the smoke even rose, the villagers gathered around.

"Hey, Captain Lai Shun'er, the New Year is almost here, when will our village get electricity? It's so cold, without an electric blanket, the bed won't get warm all night!"

Qin Ergou was a "people person"; the more people around him, the more he wanted to show off his cleverness in front of important figures.

At this moment, Qin Laishun was chatting enthusiastically with several young wives when Qin Ergou interrupted him, making him feel displeased. "Qin Ergou, look at you, babbling on and on like you have an electric blanket! Oh, can't you even warm your bed? If you can't warm your bed, then go find a wife! Don't spout nonsense here during the New Year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the people next to him burst into laughter. As for Qin Ergou, he shrank his neck and scratched his head, ultimately not daring to argue with Qin Laishun.

"Let me tell you all, a new power plant has been built in our county. The first phase alone will generate enough electricity for the entire county! Wow! Once it's officially operational, there won't be any power outages or blackouts!"

Qin Laishun was, after all, a village cadre, and he spoke eloquently. Most of the villagers were hearing this good news for the first time, and they all looked delighted, wishing the power plant would start production the next day.

Seeing that the firewood was almost burned out, Qin Laishun quickly seized this good opportunity to "serve the villagers." He left the crowd with his potbelly sticking out, and soon returned carrying an old rafter as thick as a calf.

This rafter, which is more than two meters long, is full of wormholes. It is dry and hard, but when placed on the fire, flames that are half a person tall immediately crackle and leap up.

The heat was intense, making everyone's faces burn. They all jumped back a couple of steps, and someone cried out "Ouch!" first, followed by a burst of laughter...

Outside the courtyard wall, it was as lively as a theatrical performance. At that moment, Yue Shan, with her hair in pigtails, was peering out from the door frame when she bumped into her brother, who was returning home looking travel-worn.

"Brother! Quickly put your schoolbag inside, let's go outside and warm ourselves by the fire!" Yue Shan tugged at her brother's sleeve and shook it.

"You go first, I just finished my exam, my bones are about to fall apart..." Yue Chuan dragged himself into the main room, dumped his luggage on the ground, and slumped down on the stool next to the iron stove.

Yue Chuan was shivering and deliberately leaned forward, as if he wanted to stick to the stove. Yue Shan felt sorry for her brother and ran to the kitchen with her short legs. When the little girl returned to the stove, she was holding a bowl of hot porridge and had two steamed buns under her elbow.

"Brother! Mom made sweet potato rice, it's so sweet and delicious!"

Yue Chuan didn't stand on ceremony with his sister. He grabbed the bowl and slurped down a big mouthful, then casually broke the steamed bun in half and placed it on the stove lid. The tin stove sizzled as the steamed bun sizzled, and the aroma of caramelized bread mixed with the sweetness of sweet potatoes filled the main room.

Seeing her brother had scraped the bottom of the bowl until it gleamed, Yue Shan tilted her head and leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Brother, for the sake of this meal, will you come out and play with me for a while? Uncle Aimin is going to give out riddles later, and if you're not there, I guarantee I'll lose to Pipi and the others!"

"Ha! So that's why they were so kind as to bring me food today, they were waiting for me here!"

Yue Chuan pretended to flick his sister's forehead, but his hand veered halfway, grabbing Yue Shan's arm and running outside. "Hurry up, or everyone will have guessed all the riddles!"

The brother and sister had barely stepped out of the courtyard when the bonfire was already surrounded by a bunch of kids. The mischievous children were chasing each other and having a great time when Yue Shan's eyes lit up. She completely forgot about the riddles and plunged into the crowd, her two pigtails swinging.

This left Yue Chuan standing there. The boy couldn't join the kids' group, and the adults were too crowded for him to squeeze in. He rubbed his frostbitten ears, turned around, and headed towards the sheepfold on the south side.

"Ah Huang! Ah Huang!" Yue Chuan called out a few times through the gate, but there was no response from inside the dog kennel. He knocked on the door and called out "Geda" again, but still no one answered.

"Why aren't they home? Could they have gone on a rabbit-catching patrol with Second Master?" Yue Chuan muttered, breathing out white puffs of air, as he walked along the snow-covered path toward Shuangling Mountain.

Although the sky hadn't cleared, the misty fog had finally dissipated considerably, and the peaks of the East and West Ridges were covered in fresh snow like cotton balls. At first glance, they also resembled a saddle made of white cashmere.

"So beautiful!"

As Yue Chuan's blood boiled, he stepped into a snowdrift half a foot deep. How could his cotton shoes withstand such a depth? Before long, snowmelt seeped into his shoes, freezing his toes like carrots.

Since they could not venture any further, they could only stand and watch. At this moment, Yue Chuan climbed up a slope with a great view and looked up at the snow-covered peaks.

Shuangling Mountain is just an inconspicuous little hill in the Wolong Mountain Range. It is neither as high as Laojun Peak nor as dangerous as Duantou Cliff, but it stands firmly here, unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.

There is a temple on each of the east and west ridges. The Dragon King Temple on the east ridge is in charge of rain and lightning, while the Mountain God Temple on the west ridge is in charge of wolves and tigers. Although they each have their own area of ​​responsibility, the blue bricks and gray tiles, the upturned eaves, and the arched doorways made of bluestone all look as if they were built with a ruler in mind.

Yue Chuan suddenly froze on the earthen slope, feeling as if someone had grabbed the back of his neck. The boy's thoughts drifted far away, and he vaguely saw himself at the age of eight, squatting here with Uncle Aimin, rubbing snow.

"Once upon a time, there was a mountain, on the mountain was a temple, in the temple was an old monk..." Xiao Yuechuan shaped the snowball into a crooked gourd, his snot frozen into icicles. "The old monk told the little monk a story, once upon a time, there was a mountain..." Xiao Yuechuan repeated the "chain of stories," occasionally letting out a "giggle" laugh.

Seeing his nephew smiling happily, Aimin couldn't help but pat the little head. "Little Chuan, you recited a little tune for me, so let me tell you a story too."

"Great! Great!" Xiao Yuechuan clapped his hands excitedly.

"Long ago, there was a young painter who was trapped on Shuangling Mountain during a heavy snowfall. Bored out of his mind, he painted two dilapidated temples on the mountaintop into his painting."

"The ink painting had just been completed, and the painter was overjoyed. He picked up the scroll and examined it from every angle, his eyes practically glued to it. Just as he was engrossed in admiring it, a plume of white mist suddenly burst forth from the painting, sweeping him inside in a flash!"

Yue Chuan was so surprised that his mouth dropped open, but Ai Min continued speaking calmly.

"The painter wandered around in the painting, initially trembling with fear, but then he discovered that this place was truly wondrous—not only were the mountains, rivers, and animals exactly like the real thing, but he could also teleport to any location with a simple hand gesture. The painter was both surprised and delighted, as if he had discovered a treasure, so he took out his brush and Xuan paper and began to paint again..."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuechuan anxiously tugged at his uncle's sleeve: "He's so incredibly powerful, why doesn't he come out quickly? What's the point of drawing?"

Aimin didn't respond, but lowered his voice mysteriously, saying, "That painter never came out again. He painted the temple, he painted the stone steps, he even added the snow on the mountaintop. The strangest thing is that, out of nowhere, a hermit appeared in the original painting, always carrying his brush and ink and scroll, wandering around the mountain path..."

Xiao Yuechuan was a little confused. He scratched his head and asked, "Uncle, was that hermit a painter in disguise?"

Aimin smiled but didn't say anything, just staring straight at the top of Shuangling Mountain...

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Yue Chuan couldn't help but shiver. He still remembered Ai Min's expression when he looked out over the mountains and forests. Back then, he was young and didn't understand some things, but now, he knew about the murals, about Peach Blossom Spring, about the dream of Nanke. He became like Ai Min, staring blankly at the top of Shuangling Mountain, his eyes shining with a strange light...