1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

A group of villagers, young and old, surrounded the area, mostly just watching the spectacle. They all shrank back, and no one dared to step forward and make a sound.

Those present were all breadwinners with families to support, and everyone knew in their hearts that going into the water to retrieve the hanging ropes was basically a 50/50 chance of life or death.

If something unexpected really happens, how will the wife, children, and elderly in the family live their lives afterward? No one can afford to take that risk.

While everyone remained silent, the fish foreman, Chen Laosan, suddenly frowned and waved to the two men from the fishing team beside him.

"Don't waste time with him, follow the rules, restrain him, and strip him naked!"

Two men stepped forward and reached out to grab the small button lying on the ground.

Chen Gaoshan had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt a force pushing against his back, so strong that he was completely unprepared.

He was already standing on the smooth ice, and the inertia instantly made him stumble forward. His foot slipped, and he slid straight towards the ice hole, ending up in the middle of the crowd.

As soon as he came out, a cacophony of voices erupted behind him, and someone shouted out first.

"Whose kid is that who just barged out like that?"

"Chen Gaoshan, the second son of the Chen family!"

"Alright! Old Chen's son's got some guts, he's got guts!"

"Wow, this Chen boy has guts! He's offering to go into the water to remove the hook for Xiao Kouzi!"

"A real man! Our Nangou Village needs more men like him!"

Chen Gaoshan was so angry that his mind went blank. He turned around and saw Sanpangzi squeezed in the crowd, standing on tiptoe and shouting the loudest, with a wicked smile on his face.

He pointed at the three fat men.

"Fuck your mother, Fatty! Were you the one who pushed me from behind?! You fucking want to kill me, you bastard!"

The fat man immediately stopped smiling, spread his hands, put on an innocent and aggrieved look, and retorted loudly with his neck stiff, deliberately making sure that everyone around could hear.

"Shanzi, stop insulting me! So many men, young and old, are watching. What makes you think I pushed him? If you want to stand out, stop pretending and just get down there! Listen up, everyone, Chen Gaoshan is going to go down and take off the hanging rope!"

He felt a buzzing in his head and his vision went black.

When I was a kid, I played in the ponds every day and learned to dog paddle from the dogs in the river. I was considered a pretty good swimmer among the young people in the village, but that was all in the summer.

Let alone the icy river water in the dead of winter, even the cool water in early autumn would freeze you to the point of cramps. If you jumped into an ice hole, you'd freeze to death in less than two minutes.

Xiao Kouzi, who was standing to the side, thought that Chen Gaoshan was really going to go into the water for her, so she immediately slid on the ice with her hands and feet, and knelt down in front of Chen Gaoshan with a thud, kowtowing to him repeatedly.

"Brother, I thank you for eight generations of ancestors! No, Brother Gaoshan, you are my brother from now on, I will never forget your kindness in this lifetime!" As he spoke, he banged his head against the ice, and soon a big bump appeared on his forehead.

Meanwhile, on the riverbank, Old Chen was squatting to the side, holding a pipe and watching the commotion.

Second Uncle had sharp eyes and spotted Chen Gaoshan at the entrance of the ice cave immediately. He reached out and patted Chen Laonian's arm.

"Old Nian, stop smoking your pipe! Take a look, isn't that your Shanzi standing at the entrance of the ice cave?"

Old Chen paused for a moment, then looked up, squinting as he peered into the crowd, nearly dropping his pipe.

"Damn it, why is it my second son?!"

He didn't care about anything else, and shoved the tobacco pouch into his second uncle's hand. His feet were on the slippery ice, and he stumbled every step of the way, swaying left and right, almost falling flat on his back several times.

I ran and slid towards the ice cave entrance, my heart pounding in my chest.

He rushed over, and without saying a word, kicked his son in the buttocks.

The kick was delivered with tremendous force. Chen Gaoshan was already standing at the edge of the ice cave, and his foot slipped so badly that he almost fell directly into the ice hole.

What is his father here for?

Should we see him off?

"Are you fucking drunk and acting crazy?! Are you fucking bored?!"

Old Chen was so angry that his face turned red. He pointed at Gao Shan's nose and started cursing, spitting all over his son's face.

"Chen Gaoshan, you're practically chasing wolves naked! You've got some nerve! That ice hole is not something you can just walk into so casually! Are you out of your mind?!"

Not satisfied with just cursing, he slapped his son on the forehead three times, leaving Chen Gaoshan dazed and unable to speak coherently. He could only clutch his head and grimace.

"Dad! It wasn't me! Someone pushed me, I didn't mean to go down!"

Old Chen, panting heavily, glanced at Xiao Kouzi, who was still kowtowing and whose forehead was bleeding.

The Chen family hasn't offended anyone.

My son has been tricked and is now in a difficult situation.

That good-for-nothing is always causing trouble for himself. But now, with the whole village watching, if he just exposes his wrongdoing today...

The Chen family in Nangou Village could no longer hold their heads high, and their descendants would be scorned behind their backs for generations to come.

Father, now that you're a father, you have to take responsibility for your son.

He gritted his teeth and looked up at Chen Laosan, the fishmonger.

"Chief Chen, since my second son has been brought out, the Chen family accepts this! Don't make things difficult for this poor kid, Xiao Kouzi. I'll go down and take the hanger off!"

After he finished speaking, he began to take off his coat and walk towards the entrance of the ice cave.

The three fat men were still fanning the flames from the sidelines.

"Gao Shan has already volunteered, Uncle Chen, don't stop him. Gao Shan is the best swimmer in our village, he'll be fine!"

Chen Laonian turned his head and looked at the three fat men who were jumping up and down. "You little brat, shut up. Where are you yelling and shouting? Why don't you die for that good guy? If you're so good, you go and do it yourself. You're a wicked bastard."

When Chen Gaoshan saw that his father was going to go into the water in his place, he became anxious and rushed over to hug his father's waist.

"Dad! You can't go down! You're almost fifty, your body can't take it. If you go down, you really won't come back! If anyone should go down, it should be me. I'm young, I can handle it!"

As he spoke, he turned and shouted at the crowd.

"Brother Zhui Zi! Silly Qiang Zi! Come here and take my dad away!"

Sha Qiangzi was tall and strong, with a natural strength. He stood at the back and before Qian Zhuizi could squeeze over, he immediately took big strides and ran over. Without saying a word, he hoisted Chen Laonian onto his broad shoulders.

"Brother Shanzi, where are we taking Uncle Chen?"

Chen Gaoshan sighed and pointed to the shore.

"Keep an eye on him on that rock over there, whatever you do, don't let him come any closer!"

He turned his head and stared intently at the fat man in the crowd who was grinning and winking at him.

He remembered this grudge, along with his lingering resentment towards Xinghua. He vowed, "I'll never treat you like dirt again. You're not even human."