On the ice of the Qisan Reservoir.
A dozen boys and girls were laughing and chasing each other.
Laughter and shouts filled the air as the vibrant energy of youth was unleashed under the morning sunlight.
*Crack, crack, crack—*
The cracking sounds coming from the ice initially caused some concern among the group.
But as the winter break went on and they came to the reservoir more often, they gradually became desensitized to the noise.
Anyone who didn't dare to skate on the ice would be mocked as a coward and ostracized by the group.
*Ring, ring, ring—*
*Ring, ring, ring—*
Jiang Shijie's phone had rung five or six times in his pocket, but he pretended not to hear it.
Today, he had finally managed to ask out the girl he liked to hang out together.
Let alone his second uncle, even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, there was no way he'd go back.
"Bro, is Second Uncle calling you about something urgent?"
"You're not answering his calls. Aren't you afraid he'll beat you up?"
His younger brother, Jiang Shaojie, skated over to Jiang Shijie's side and asked in a low voice.
"Tch, you're scared of Second Uncle, but I'm not."
Jiang Shijie's gaze kept drifting toward a tall girl at his nine o'clock direction, wearing a long black down jacket with her hair tied in a ponytail.
"You're not scared? Stop bragging!"
Jiang Shaojie rolled his eyes at his brother. In front of their second uncle, Jiang Tao, both brothers were as obedient as grandsons—no one was braver than the other.
"I call it being a real man who knows when to yield and when to stand firm, got it?"
Just as Jiang Shijie finished speaking, his eyes caught sight of two people hurriedly rushing down from the riverbank.
Wasn't that Second Uncle and Second Aunt?!
The moment he saw Jiang Tao and Xu Li, the defiant look on Jiang Shijie's face vanished instantly, replaced by sheer panic.
"Jiang Shijie, get your ass up here right now! Up here!"
"And all of you! Are you all looking to die? Get up here!!!"
"Quick, come up! Everyone, get up here!!"
It was 8:21 AM, and according to the information Jiang Tao had received, there was only one minute left before his two nephews would fall through the ice!
Seeing a dozen young people still on the ice, Jiang Tao shouted loudly at the group, warning them.
When Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie saw their second uncle charging to the riverbank to drag them back, they didn't dare delay for a second and hurriedly skated toward the shore.
"Danger! Get up here! Everyone, get up here!"
Seeing his two nephews heeding his warning, Jiang Tao quickly called out to the others on the ice.
The group on the ice exchanged confused glances.
But when they saw the Jiang brothers skating toward the shore as if their butts were on fire, they seemed to sense some kind of danger as well.
Once someone took the lead, the others hurriedly followed, skating quickly toward the shore.
*Crack, crack, crack—*
The cracks on the ice multiplied, and the sounds grew louder.
Just as the last girl—the one in the black down jacket with a ponytail—jumped onto the shore, a loud *crash* rang out.
A massive area of the ice near the reservoir's edge, spanning several hundred square meters, suddenly shattered into countless small pieces, revealing the shimmering water beneath.
Seeing this, the dozen kids who had just made it to shore broke out in a cold sweat.
In the dead of winter, without some serious winter swimming skills, falling into that icy water would likely mean instant death!
"You've got some guts, huh? Ignoring my calls!"
Jiang Tao was both scared and furious. He kicked Jiang Shijie in the butt, sending him stumbling.
Jiang Shijie immediately caved. "I'm sorry, Second Uncle! I won't do it again, I swear!"
"And you! If you dare come back to this riverbank again, I'll break both your legs!"
Jiang Tao didn't play favorites, giving Jiang Shaojie a kick in the butt as well.
"I won't do it again, Second Uncle! I swear I'll never come back to the riverbank. That was way too scary!"
Jiang Shaojie, being the more timid one, was deeply traumatized by the incident and vowed never to return to the riverbank.
The other kids on the shore exchanged glances. The girl with the ponytail, who was the last to reach safety, was the first to approach Jiang Tao.
"Thank you, Uncle, for the warning just now. Otherwise, we probably would've all fallen in. Thank you so much."
"Thank you, Uncle Tao! You're my lifesaver. When I grow up, I'll definitely repay you if I get the chance!"
"Thanks, Brother Tao."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Though the kids were a bit mischievous, they were polite enough, each expressing their gratitude to Jiang Tao and Xu Li.
"Alright, go home, all of you. The weather's been warm this year, and the ice is too dangerous. Don't come back here. You two, come home with me!"
Jiang Tao bid farewell to the group, grabbed Jiang Shijie and Jiang Shaojie by the ears, and marched them up the riverbank.
After the scare, Jiang Tao's tense nerves finally began to relax. At least his two nephews' lives had been spared.
"Honey, you're amazing. You're a big hero, saving all those kids."
Xu Li, recalling the thrilling scene, was still shaken.
If she and Jiang Tao hadn't arrived in time, how many of those dozen kids would have survived?
In a way, Jiang Tao really was a hero who had saved a dozen lives—at least in Xu Li's eyes.
In her heart, Jiang Tao's image grew even grander.
"By the way, honey, how did you know…?"
Xu Li looked at Jiang Tao with curiosity, wondering how he knew his nephews were here and in danger.
"This morning, I had a nightmare. Then I called Shijie to ask where he was."
"But he had the nerve to ignore my calls, so I figured he was here."
Jiang Tao, driving the car, casually made up an excuse.
Though the logic wasn't airtight, no one bothered to question it. The result was what mattered!
Whether it was a dream or a guess, the fact was that Jiang Tao had saved a bunch of young kids today.
After returning to Jiang Family Village, Jiang Tao took his two nephews to their older brother's house.
It was New Year's Eve, but their older brother, Jiang He, had no time to rest and had gone to work.
Their sister-in-law, Zhang Xiaoyan, had gone to town early in the morning on her breakfast cart to sell pancakes and hand-pulled flatbreads.
During the New Year, with people returning home from out of town and kids on break, the breakfast business was booming—far better than usual, easily matching several days' worth of income.
Zhang Xiaoyan wasn't about to miss such a golden opportunity to make money.
With both parents busy earning money, the two kids were left unsupervised and had become a bit wild.
When Jiang Tao arrived at his older brother's house with his nephews, he found the yard filthy, likely not swept in months.
The glass on the windowsills looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a year, streaked with dirt.
The parents were too busy making money to tidy up the house.
The two nephews were rarely home and weren't exactly diligent either.
A perfectly good home had turned into a pigsty.
"You two aren't going anywhere today. Stay home and clean up. I'll come back this afternoon to check."
"If you pass, you'll each get 200 yuan for pocket money. If you don't, you'll each get a kick."
Jiang Tao used both carrot and stick, assigning tasks to his nephews.
Hearing they could earn 200 yuan just for cleaning the house for a day, the brothers eagerly accepted!
Their dad worked hard all day outside and only earned a little over 200 yuan.
They could work and play at home, easily making money—this was a deal they could take!
After arranging things for his nephews, Jiang Tao finally returned home.
Looking at his own neat and tidy courtyard, with spotless windows polished to a shine by Xu Li, he felt content.
Marrying a diligent, clean-loving wife made life so comfortable.