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

Seeing Chen Gaoshan begin to undress, the fishmonger Chen Laosan no longer hesitated and gave orders to the people behind him.

"What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and prepare thick blankets and some liquor!"

These were all prepared in advance, just in case.

It's not that he's heartless; it's an old rule of the fishing team in the village. If the net is left hanging on the tree roots at the bottom of the water and not taken down, the whole net is ruined, and all the fish caught will be lost, leaving no one in the village with any fish!

Now everyone believes that Gao Shan took the initiative to step forward and take responsibility. If he changes the rules, how will he convince the public in the future?

Chen looked up at the mountain and patted him on the shoulder.

"You've got guts! You're a real man, and I like men like you!"

Chen Gaoshan didn't say anything, but in his heart he had already cursed the fat man who tricked him hundreds or thousands of times.

He shakily took off his cotton-padded coat and sweater, until he was completely naked, looking rather slovenly.

Reaching the edge of the ice hole, looking at the churning ice and icy waters of the river at the entrance, I took a deep breath and plunged in.

The moment he entered the water, Chen Gaoshan felt as if his entire body was being pierced by countless ice needles.

The outside temperature is below -10 degrees Celsius, and the water under the ice is also below zero degrees Celsius. If this continues for too long, the temperature of the blood vessels will drop, and the person will suffocate and die. Moreover, once the person is brought out of the water, the people above must immediately rescue them.

He opened his eyes, sank to the bottom of the water, and quickly found the roots of the large tree that were entangled in the fishing net.

He immediately put the tree branch into his own space. His hands and feet were so frozen that they were no longer his own; every movement was excruciatingly painful.

With his last vestiges of consciousness, he struggled to locate the ice hole.

By the time everyone had pulled him ashore, he was completely frozen.

My limbs were numb and I couldn't feel anything. My mind was foggy and I couldn't open my eyelids no matter what I did.

When Chief Chen saw Chen Gaoshan being pulled ashore, he immediately gave instructions.

"Quick! Don't delay, wrap him tightly in a thick quilt and carry him to the wooden hut by the pond! There's a fire inside; he can recover!"

Several people hurriedly picked up the thick cotton quilts that had been prepared in advance and wrapped Chen Gaoshan up like a rolled-up scallion.

They ran towards the small wooden house on the shore.

The wooden house was a place for the villagers to rest while fishing and hunting. Firewood had already been lit inside, but they dared not put Chen Gaoshan directly on the kang (a heated brick bed), so they could only put him on the ground covered with dry grass first.

"Don't just stand there! Quickly grab some snow and rub it on! Chest, hands, feet, nose, ears—don't miss a single spot, or these areas will freeze black and rot to death!"

Chen squatted down to one side.

"Rub your chest vigorously until it gets very hot, otherwise your heart will freeze and you'll be beyond saving!"

Little Kouzi, who was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, didn't even care about crying now. He grabbed the snow from the wooden basin and frantically rubbed it on Gaoshan's feet.

Uncle Chunlei, who had first aid experience in the village, immediately came over, and Qian Zhuizi stepped forward to help without saying a word. Together with two other men, a total of five people were busy around Chen Gaoshan, each holding a handful of snow and rubbing his frozen hands, feet, and ears.

Big Fool Qiang was carrying Chen Laonian a moment ago, but when he saw Brother Shanzi being carried into the house, he immediately let go and followed behind. He squeezed into the house in a low voice and stood aside anxiously, wanting to help but not knowing where to start.

As soon as Chen Laonian got away, he immediately took off running towards the wooden house, his old face turning pale, muttering to himself as he ran.

"Ancestors of the Chen family, please show your power from below! Our family has produced such a reckless whistle. Just a few days ago, he risked his life to steal money from the Russians, and now he's recklessly gone down into an icy cave. Even if he had nine lives, he couldn't withstand this kind of ordeal! Please, please don't let anything happen to him, I beg you!"

He rushed into the cabin and immediately saw his son lying on the ground, his little face pale and bloodless, being rubbed in the snow by people. His legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. He could only hold onto the door frame, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, unable to say a word.

Not far from the wooden house, Fatty San stared intently through the window at the commotion inside, his face frighteningly gloomy.

It would be best to freeze him to death cleanly. Once Chen Gaoshan dies, his two sisters, Xinghua and Lianhua, will become young widows, and then it will be easy for me to take advantage of them.

Just thinking about those two sisters.

It's white.

It's big.

His crotch was so prominent that even a glare from those two young women could make his heart tremble. If he could get his hands on both sisters, he would be willing to die immediately.

The more he thought about it, the more shameless he became. If Chen Laonian also got into trouble, that would be even better.

Even if Chen Gaoshan doesn't freeze to death, if his body is damaged and he can only look at the flowers but not touch them, I can finally vent my anger and no one will be able to compete with him for the Xinghua sisters anymore.

That would make him incredibly happy; it would be best if he could watch from the sidelines.

Inside the wooden house, after a flurry of activity, Chen Gaoshan's hands and feet, which had been frozen stiff, finally regained some feeling. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still hazy, and his mind was extremely foggy.

The moment I opened my eyes, a wine cup was offered to my lips.

"Shanzi, open your mouth and drink this liquor. One sip and your body will feel better and warm up!"

Chen Gaoshan subconsciously opened his mouth and gulped down a cup of liquor.

My throat, along with this line, felt burning all the way down to my stomach.

The previously chaotic consciousness gradually became clearer.

He looked down and saw that he was lying sprawled on the ground, looking exactly like the Chinese character "太" (tài).

His arms and legs were massaged by his father, Xiao Kouzi, Qian Zhuizi, and Uncle Chunlei, slowly loosening his stiff joints, and his pale face regained some color.

Chen, seeing that he had recovered, breathed a long sigh of relief.

Speaking of which, according to the Chen family genealogy in the village, he and Chen Laonian are cousins ​​within the fifth degree of kinship. If something really happens, he won't be able to explain it.

"It's alright now, the blood is flowing again, it's nothing serious!"

Chen waved his head and waved his hand.

"Quickly carry him onto the kang (heated brick bed), cover him up tightly, and boil some hot water to warm him up completely!"

He was quite quick in removing the tree trunk from the water, mainly because he had space at the bottom to catch it, so he didn't have to struggle to tear the tree roots underwater. He could just take it away, saving a lot of effort.

If it were his father, Chen Laonian, at his age, even if he survived, his toes, ears, and other extremities would definitely be frostbitten and he might even have his kidneys frostbitten.

On the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Chen's rough hands kept rubbing his son's body, from his arms to his chest, while he continued to curse.

"You little brat, you're really asking for trouble! If those three find out about this, the house will be in an uproar. Can't you ever give the family a break and stop doing such stupid things?"

Seeing his son resentful after being scolded and trying to sit up, Old Chen pressed him back down onto the kang (a heated brick bed), then pulled over the warm fur coat from the stove and covered his son with it, while continuing to rub his chest.

"Stop lying there and don't move. You think you're so great? You think you're so capable?"

Xiao Kouzi, with a large bump on his forehead, stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) and heard Chen Laonian cursing Chen Gaoshan.

"Uncle Chen, please stop scolding Shanzi. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, Shanzi wouldn't have suffered like this. From now on, if you need anything at home, just call me. I'll be there whenever you need me. Once I've paid off the money owed to the coffin shop, and my sister is settled, my life belongs to Shanzi. I'll be at his beck and call anytime!"

Old Chen didn't even want to look at him right now.

"Then you'd better remember this: Shanzi saved your life today!"

Once Chen Gaoshan had recovered and was able to lie down comfortably, Chen Laonian insisted on carrying his son on his back and walking outside.