Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

One day in April, several large construction vehicles suddenly crashed into Shuangxitian at the foot of Dongling Mountain.

Besides the excavators and bulldozers, the most eye-catching item was the Nanjing GAZ heavy-duty truck—its cargo bed was equipped with a hydraulically powered rotary drilling rig bit, clearly equipment used for mineral exploration.

Wherever the bulldozers went, the wheat fields were completely destroyed. Like a giant, ravenous snake, it devoured the crops in an instant.

Seeing this, Ma Xiangju nearly lost control. She stood with her hands on her hips, blocking the bulldozer, and pointed at Qin Erhu in the driver's cab, demanding, "Didn't you say you were only going to repair one road? How come you've destroyed all our wheat?! What are we going to eat this year?"

The wheat had already formed ears and would be harvested in a little over a month. Now that it had been turned into this state, Ma Xiangju was extremely distressed and furious. She desperately forced the bulldozer to stop, adopting a "one man can hold off ten thousand" stance.

"Ma Xiangju! Are you out of your mind?!" Qin Dahu roared, leaping in front of the woman. "Wasn't the land compensation already given to your son? It's all in black and white in the contract, what are you making a scene for?"

"Qin Dahu! You brothers are truly despicable! How much money did you promise our family, and how much did you actually give us? You didn't give us the money, and you've ruined the land like this! Do you think our family is easy to bully?"

Unlike her husband, Ma Xiangju was not weak and easily bullied. Even though the other party had great influence in the village, she was not afraid at all and made the burly man in front of her lose face with just a few words.

Qin Dahu was not one to suffer a loss alone. If Qin Huozi had stepped forward to stop him, he would have given him a good beating. However, Ma Xiangju was a woman, and he couldn't directly make a move against her. Even if he dared to hit her, the villagers watching wouldn't allow it.

Having been scolded, Qin Dahu could only endure it and lowered his voice slightly, saying, "We brothers will definitely pay you whatever amount we promised. Right now, let us deliver the equipment up the mountain first..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ma Xiangju launched into a tirade, "Stop talking nonsense! How many times have you bastards bullied my man? In front of everyone, give me the land rent and the money for these few acres of wheat. If you don't pay, I won't let you live here!"

Upon hearing this, many villagers whose land had been expropriated chimed in, saying, "That's right, you're taking land for mining, you have to pay us first. How can you expect us to pay after we've already passed through the area?"

"Exactly! Exactly! We agreed it was just a stopover, but now it's changed to mining directly, so the compensation can't be the same anymore, it has to be more! More!"

"Don't waste your breath on them! Everyone, block them together. If that doesn't work, go to the police station to report them!"

……

Ma Xiangju took the lead, and the others also stood up to ask for money. Some of them, like Ma Xiangju, had only received partial compensation, while others had taken the full amount but then backed out. In short, everyone's demands were the same—they wanted money!

Seeing everyone entangled with Ma Xiangju, Qin Dahu's head suddenly swelled several times over. In a fit of rage, he actually wanted to get violent towards Ma Xiangju.

Just then, Qin Xiaohu, who had been hiding in the back, suddenly stepped forward, waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, pushed up his glasses, and said with a smile, "Aunt Ma! Uncle Baoshuan!... Everyone, listen to me! These construction vehicles were rented at a high price. As long as you let us through, we'll give you the money for the wheat seedlings and the land compensation immediately!"

"He's talking nonsense!" Ma Xiangju shouted at the top of her lungs. "Don't be fooled by him, everyone! Those bastards of his think we're idiots. That truck with the drill is for prospecting. If they find ore, they'll start working. If they don't, they won't give us a single penny! Listen to me, no cash payment, no machinery allowed!"

Ma Xiangju revealed the secrets of her brothers.

Although she was not lacking in courage, she was, after all, an illiterate woman. How could she possibly know the true intentions of the "Five Tiger Brothers"? Speaking of this, we must mention the mastermind behind this "ambush"—Qin Laishun. During this period, he frequently visited Qin Huozi's home, hoping to persuade the couple to take the lead. As for what benefits he promised, that remains unknown.

Seeing their scheme exposed in public, the five brothers looked increasingly disgusted.

At this moment, Qin Xiaohu's eyes turned unusually sinister. He secretly gave his third and fourth brothers a hand signal, and immediately, Qin Sanhu and Qin Sihu jumped to Ma Xiangju's side.

"Ma Xiangju! You motherfucker! How dare you ruin our good time, I'll teach you a lesson!" Qin Sihou cursed angrily, and together with Sanhu, they lifted the woman into the air.

Ma Xiangju came from the rugged and tough Northwest region. Facing two grown men, she showed no sign of backing down. She struggled and cursed, causing the two men to suffer quite a bit.

Seeing someone attack his wife, Qin Huozi, who was hiding to the side, stomped his foot and limped forward to try and break up the fight. But before he could get close to the fray, Qin Dahu kicked him into the wheat field.

Qin Huozi was frail and could not withstand the blow. He screamed and rolled around in the wheat field in pain.

Seeing that things were going badly, everyone hurriedly helped Qin Huozi up. Just as they were about to go to rescue Ma Xiangju, Qin Dahu glared at them and blocked their way. Knowing that they were no match for him, they could only offer some words of persuasion.

Although Ma Xiangju possessed astonishing martial arts skills, she still suffered a lot under the siege of the three tigers and four tigers.

When she saw her husband being beaten again, she completely exploded. She first struggled to break free from Sanhu's grasp and suddenly used a "cat face scratch" move, scratching straight at Qin Sihu's face. Instantly, several bloody scratches appeared on Qin Sihu's face. But this move completely enraged the other party. The bearded man roared, grabbed Ma Xiangju's hair, and raised his hand to hit the woman's face.

No sooner said than done, a sharp crack of a whip rang out. Qin Sihou recoiled as if electrocuted, looking down to see his hand was already raw and bleeding. His eyes flashed with malice, and he was about to make a move when Qin Yunhai, who had arrived just in time, swung his sheep whip again. "Are you tiger cubs so lawless? Is this how Qin Biaozi taught you to beat women?"

The old captain's words were quite cutting, making Qin Sihou so angry that his teeth itched. However, he dared not retaliate easily. Firstly, the villagers who were watching had already protected Qin Yunhai. Secondly, Qin Yunhai was of the same generation as his father, and if they started fighting, it might cause a lot of trouble.

Seeing the villagers openly siding with Ma Xiangju and Qin Yunhai, Qin Xiaohu knew the situation was hopeless. His small eyes darted around, and he ran up to Qin Yunhai, smiling, and said, "Uncle Hai, Ma Xiangju started this trouble. You can't take the side of outsiders!"

"You call me 'Uncle,' fine, then let me ask you, what are you five brothers trying to do by driving these iron turtles into the fields?" Qin Yunhai shook the khaki military jacket he was wearing and questioned.

"Uncle, we were on our way to dig a fishpond on the hillside. We passed by Ma Xiangju's land and paid them compensation, but now they're refusing to let us pass..."

"Bullshit! Digging rocks is digging rocks, what's with all this talk about raising fish..." Before Qin Xiaohu could finish speaking, Ma Xiangju jumped up and started cursing.

Qin Yunhai waved his hand, signaling the people next to him to stop Ma Xiangju from leaving. Then, staring at Qin Xiaohu, he asked, "Fine, even if you're digging fishponds, who gave you permission to dig fishponds on farmland? Did the brigade approve your land contract? Or do you have an aquaculture license?"

These three questions hit the nail on the head, leaving the eloquent Qin Xiaohu speechless.

Just then, Qin Dahu and his gang gathered around. The five brothers together increased their fighting strength to another level. Although they didn't dare to openly fight Qin Yunhai, a bit of bickering was inevitable...