Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

The next day, while eating breakfast, Yue Chuan ate his millet porridge and told his mother about the money-making scheme he had discussed with Ai Min and Cheng Dong the night before.

Ding Lingfang was taken aback at first, then quickly said, "Your maternal grandparents passed away early, your uncle is never home all year round, and there's not even a soul in the old house behind the mountain. Why do you want to go pick walnuts...?"

Before his mother could finish speaking, Yue Chuan interrupted her, "Mom, I know you're worried about the mountain road being difficult to travel, but my uncle said he's arranging for Geda to go with me today!"

"The ewe is due to give birth in the next couple of days, so Geda probably won't be able to get away," Ding Lingfang said, her brow furrowing slightly. "Your dad's bad temper won't suit you either. How about this: go to your uncle's house and find your brother Shoufeng. Ask him to come with you, and you can give him a bigger share of the money, okay?"

Ding Lingfang is indeed very talkative, but everything she says makes sense.

After a moment's thought, Yue Chuan quickly smeared the porridge bowl until it gleamed, slammed his chopsticks on the table, and with his cheeks bulging with rice, dashed out of the courtyard gate.

Not long after, Yue Chuan stood in front of a magnificent two-story villa—this imposing house with its blue bricks and red tiles belonged to his uncle, Qin Laishun.

As the production team leader, his status speaks for itself, so it's understandable that he lives in a more comfortable place.

As soon as Yue Chuan pressed his head against the vermilion gate, he heard the sounds of laughter and playfulness inside. He pushed open a crack and peeked out. Wow, the whole family of six was playing shuttlecock in a circle!

Seeing the family enjoying themselves so much, Yue Chuan turned to leave, but just then, his cousin's voice came from the courtyard.

"Chuan'er, we're already at the door, why aren't you coming in? Come on, let's play shuttlecock together!"

Before Yue Chuan could react, the vermilion gate creaked open. Without a word, his cousin pulled him to the center of the courtyard.

"Uncle, Aunt, I...I don't play shuttlecock...I came to find my brother to go pick walnuts on the back hill together..."

Despite being uncles and brothers, Yue Chuan was incredibly embarrassed. He lowered his head and stammered as he spoke.

Qin Laishun was all smiles, but his three older cousins, dressed in polyester shirts, were quite different: the eldest was grinning, the third was turning her head to crack sunflower seeds, while the second had a gloomy face and a hint of disdain in her eyes, which was quite puzzling.

Seeing Yue Chuan blushing and looking shy, Ding Xiuxiang, the mother of Shoufeng, chuckled and said, "Xiao Chuan, it's the holidays now, why aren't you resting at home? Why did you decide to go to the 'old house' in the back mountain?"

Ding Xiuxiang and Yue Chuan's mother were both daughters who married into Ding Village in the back mountains. They were good sisters before they got married, otherwise she wouldn't have asked such detailed questions.

Seeing that Yue Chuan was stammering and unable to answer, Qin Shoufeng quickly came to the rescue, "Mom, stop asking questions and get the tools ready. I'm going with Xiao Chuan!"

Ding Xiuxiang smiled and said to her son unhurriedly, "You don't need to bring the tools. Go to your grandfather at the back of the mountain and ask him to prepare some suitable tools. That will save you a lot of trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Chuan's eyes lit up, while Qin Shoufeng's reaction was even more exaggerated. He shook his mother's arm and said, "Mom, you're so smart! How come I never thought of that!"

Hearing her son's words, Ding Xiuxiang smiled even more happily. She turned to Yue Chuan and asked, "Little Chuan, how do you plan to transport the green walnuts back after you've picked them?"

Yue Chuan quickly replied, "I brought quite a few burlap sacks; I'll carry back as much as I can pick!"

"Yes, it would be great if we could carry them back, but green walnuts are so heavy, it would be best to peel them before bringing them back, that way it would save us a lot of effort."

At this point, Qin Shoufeng chimed in, "Chuan'er, my mom's right! It would be so much better if we left the walnuts at my grandpa's house and brought them back in a few days after they've shed their shells!"

Seeing Yue Chuan hesitate, Ding Xiuxiang chuckled and said, "Child, don't overthink it! All these walnuts are yours. You can share some with your cousin and grandfather, and take the rest home!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Chuan's face flushed red to the roots of his neck. He quickly explained, "Auntie, that's not what I meant. My mother specifically told me before I left that the walnuts should be split 50/50 between our two families!"

Before he could finish speaking, everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter. Qin Shoufeng draped his thick arm over his cousin's shoulder and said with a grin, "Chuan'er, why are you saying this? We're closer than blood brothers, no need to be so formal!"

Watching his two cousins ​​walk out the door arm in arm, Qin Laishun, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly said, patting his large belly, "Tell me, these two brothers are so close they could share a pair of pants. Look at Xiao Chuan, he got into the top high school, but your precious son has taken the exam twice and still can't even get close!"

These words instantly destroyed the previously pleasant atmosphere. Ding Xiuxiang immediately retorted, "You're blaming me now! Didn't you insist on making him repeat a year? You should have had your eldest son pull strings to get him into the top high school the first year, but you wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened, all that effort for nothing!"

Seeing that her parents were about to start arguing, the sensible eldest daughter took her father's arm and said, "Oh, Dad! You always bring up the wrong things! Just leave the fourth child's matter to me, I'll take care of it!"

"Dad, why do you always boost other people's morale while belittling your own?" The strong-willed second daughter clicked her tongue. "I think the fourth son is pretty good; he only missed the mark by a few points. Look at this Qin Xiaochuan! He's dark and skinny, and he can't even speak properly. In my opinion, besides being good at studying, he's nothing special!"

……

The group chatted animatedly, while Yue Chuan and Qin Shoufeng appeared on the mountain path south of the village.

Without any weight, the two cousins ​​strode up the mountain and reached the top of Dongling in just an hour or so. After passing the Dragon King Temple on the summit, a narrow path led straight into the valley. Following the downhill path, one could reach Dingzhai.

Wandering among the green hills and clear waters, the two boys felt no fatigue at all, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the reservoir nestled in the valley. Although small, the reservoir was surrounded by mountains and exuded a spiritual aura; from above, it looked like a deep blue eye.

"Chuan'er, this water is so clean! How about we take a bath to cool off?"

After saying that, Qin Shoufeng sat down on the cement platform by the reservoir, kicked off his shoes, and slapped the water with his big, fat feet. In an instant, water splashed everywhere, and the blue waves rippled.

"Brother, let's hurry on our way. We won't be able to see the road when we get back tonight." Yue Chuan had no time to play with the young master right now, and it took several reminders before Qin Shoufeng put his shoes back on.

The two walked halfway around the reservoir and finally saw the old blue stone tablet at the fork in the road. The two traditional Chinese characters "Dingzhai" were clearly visible. Needless to say, their destination was right in front of them.