sjar Chapter 246 Recognizing Ice and Rubbing Ice
Chapter 246 Recognizing Ice and Rubbing Ice
The frozen river is a popular spot for local young men and women to go ice skating, making it a place for them to meet and for couples to go on dates.
In the relatively isolated rural village, it was a coincidence that Yang Tingting's mother was able to marry Yang's father, who lived in the same village. Even earlier, 20 years ago, women placed great importance on their reputation.
Yang's mother loved ice skating. Even though it was past February, she was still skating on the river in early March, ignoring everyone's advice. He Shangguo had no choice but to call his childhood friend, who had grown up wearing the same pair of shorts with him, and ask his friend to send some young men to the ice to watch over his daughter and make sure nothing happened.
The ice in March wasn't as thick as in January; in some places, it was thin. Yang's father sat listlessly on the side, watching Yang's mother skate, humming a folk song intermittently. If it weren't for his father's instructions, he wouldn't have bothered here; he'd rather be playing cards with his brothers in the ski shed.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the ice. Before Yang's mother could even cry out, half of her body fell into the ice hole. Yang's father was startled and quickly shouted for help. He ran over, not even having time to take off his coat, and jumped into the river to lift Yang's mother up.
Fortunately, there were some elderly villagers who were planning to fish and some children playing on the ice at that time. They heard the cries for help, ran over with ropes, lassos, and rescue equipment, tied a knot in the rope with a stake, and carefully reached their hands forward across the cracked ice.
The rope was used to lasso Yang's mother, who was soaking wet. Yang's father lifted her up by her buttocks, and the two of them, wet and clinging to each other, were surrounded by a group of villagers who came to rescue them. They handed her a coat and brought her hot water, and quickly took her back to the Yang family home.
Later, Yang's mother naturally married Yang's father; both of them married young.
Sun Weimin later asked He Shangguo, "Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle got married just like that? It really was a hero saving the beauty."
He Shangguo, puffing on his pipe, kept a sour face and said nothing. Sun's mother couldn't stand it anymore. When the two returned to their village, she scolded him, telling him to stop mentioning his second aunt's affairs, saying it was neither respectable nor honorable. He asked curiously, "Why is it shameful? It's written in books about rescuing someone from falling into the ice; it's so romantic."
He later learned that his second aunt, soaking wet, was being pulled from the river while embracing her husband, witnessed by many villagers. The matchmakers who were supposed to arrange a marriage for her all wore stern faces and looked very unhappy. What about the young man who would be able to meet his second aunt? If they actually got together, he would be constantly reminded of it by everyone he met. Who wouldn't feel terrible in that situation?
He then learned that back then, men and women who fell into the water had to get married, otherwise it would be disgraceful for their families, and if word got out, the village women would gossip and they would lose face.
Now, Lu Zhiqiang said it in front of so many people. Although it was just an injection at the clinic, his words made the elderly people in the village look very uncomfortable, and He Shangguo's face fell.
Yang Tingting stomped her foot angrily and turned to leave.
Li Ju'an shouted to Lu Zhiqiang, "What are you all standing there for? Go after them! Lu Jinyang, tell your brother to go after them!"
Song Desheng, always eager for a good show, gloated, "Lu Zhiqiang is just putting on airs. He'll be all quiet once he's really become a live-in son-in-law and faces a big embarrassment."
These words really provoked Lu Zhiqiang. He couldn't stand such words, so he immediately pulled a long face, glared, and shouted, "Who wants to be a son-in-law? Do you think I'm the kind of person who makes a living like this? If I didn't have good teeth, my father would break my legs."
Yang Tingting really kept a straight face and ran further and further away in a huff. Lu Zhiqiang shouted at her to run away, saying it was none of his business. But when a group of people were staring at He Shangguo about learning ice, he gritted his teeth and, taking advantage of the fact that his brothers weren't paying attention to him, took off and chased after Yang Tingting in the direction she had gone.
After catching up, he changed his cold expression and said to Yang Tingting with a smile, "Nurse, we did say something wrong just now, but you can't just abandon us and run away. If people spread the word to my village, it won't be good for me."
Yang Tingting turned away from him in a huff, her voice trembling slightly, and said, "It's just giving you a shot. Don't nurses give injections to patients? You're making it sound like something serious is going on. How am I supposed to face anyone when I go back to the village with Mom?"
He turned around and took a look, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized something was wrong. The girl's eyes were really red, wet, and tears were about to fall.
He thought to himself, Yang Tingting has such a strong personality, fiery like a chili pepper, fearless and daring. She argued and fought with him the first time they met, and he actually made her cry. How could this be allowed?
He quickly dropped his airs and said with a sweet smile, "Grandma, if you're angry, just hit me. You can even hit my butt as hard as you want."
Yang Tingting looked at him, burst into laughter through her tears, and said, "Then take off your pants, and I'll hit you."
Lu Zhiqiang looked around, then clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Good aunt, please spare me. If your fellow villagers report me for hooliganism, I'll be finished."
Yang Tingting puffed out her chest, her pretty face full of energy, and said enthusiastically and boldly, "Come back to my house with me, and then I'll call you again."
Lu Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment. His nose was filled with the pleasant scent of Yang Tingting, a young girl. The fragrance made him a little dizzy. He vaguely remembered what he said, but he said, "Fine, I'll come over. Even if the old man breaks my leg, it'll be worth it."
Yang Tingting's eyes lit up. She grabbed his collar, pulled him closer, and hooked her arm around his.
……
While the young couple was on their date, Li Ju'an and He Shangguo were already busy with their own affairs.
He Shangguo was old, but his insight was truly sharp. He said, "There are many fish in this area."
Song Desheng stood in the same spot as him, peered under the ice for a long time, and said in confusion, "I didn't see any fish either."
He Shangguo glared at him and said, "If you can spot a fish at a glance, then many hunters who come from the mountains will have switched to fishing."
Experienced fishing captains can judge the size of a school of fish by observing the ice surface; the catch of a single net depends entirely on this one glance. Therefore, understanding the ice is the first step in fishing.
After roughly defining the winter fishing area, He Shangguo called Li Ju'an to set up the location, and then began to cut the ice with an ice pick weighing more than 20 kilograms from the sled.
Li Ju'an, Lu Jinyang, and Song Desheng, as fishermen, dragged ice chisels weighing over 20 kilograms each, following He Shangguo as they chiseled 1.5-meter-wide holes in the ice to set their nets. The area of ice marked out by He Shangguo was about one kilometer in length and width. They had to use ice chisels to make more than 400 holes in that one-kilometer stretch of ice.
This job alone made Song Desheng groan and complain endlessly. As a boy from the county town, hunting in the mountains was just a hobby for him, and he had tasted the sweetness of making money. This fishing trip almost made him so tired that he couldn't lift his arms anymore.
Song Desheng, looking distressed, called out, "Headmaster He, when will we ever finish firing these ice-eyes? Can you reduce the amount we fire?"