The four arrived at the ice hole. The bamboo pole had long since vanished, and the net was nowhere to be found either.
The water beneath the river was churning into a murky mess, making it impossible to see where the net was.
Completely at a loss, the four could only stand on the ice and follow the muddy current downstream.
After walking a dozen meters, they finally spotted the bamboo pole.
It was floating now, but the net still wasn't visible.
Er Gouzi pointed at the bamboo pole and said, "Dragging the pole this far, that fish has to be at least thirty jin."
"Maybe it's not a fish," Second Uncle said.
Liu Tiezhu asked, "Second Uncle, what do you mean?"
Second Uncle pointed at the murky water in the river and said, "If it were a fish caught in the net, even struggling would keep it within a three-meter range."
"And the more a fish struggles, the tighter the net gets. It wouldn't drag the net in a straight line this far."
"Look closely—this muddy water is clearly caused by some animal thrashing around wildly."
As an old hunter, Second Uncle quickly analyzed the situation.
"If it's not a fish, then what is it?"
"A turtle? Or a softshell turtle?" Liu Tieshan asked.
"Neither," Second Uncle said, waving his hand. "Let's start with turtles—they don't have this much strength or speed."
"As for softshell turtles, they're strong, but their speed is about the same as a turtle's. So both can be ruled out."
"Could it be a water ghost?" Er Gouzi smacked his lips, looking startled.
Smack...
Second Uncle didn't hold back, slapping him on the head.
"Get the hell out of here with that nonsense. What's in that dog brain of yours, always off the mark?"
Er Gouzi looked defiant. "Dad, if it's neither, then you tell me what it is."
Second Uncle said, "Once the muddy water clears, we'll know."
"Let's go ashore, roast some meat, and come back down in an hour or so."
"There's no better option now. The water's too murky to find the net."
The four went ashore, and Er Gouzi and Liu Tiezhu went to gather dry firewood.
The riverbanks were lined with thorny trees, full of dead branches.
Before long, the two returned carrying over a hundred jin of firewood.
Second Uncle and the eldest brother had already cut up the muntjac meat and the dried meat they'd brought from home, skewering them on branches to roast over the fire.
They roasted nearly fifty jin of muntjac meat and twenty jin of dried meat—a truly lavish meal.
Liu Tiezhu called all the hunting dogs over, and they huddled together around the fire for warmth.
Half an hour later, the muntjac meat sizzled, its rich aroma making the dogs like Taro drool.
Second Uncle sprinkled some salt on it, then used a cleaver to cut it into portions—three jin per person.
The remaining meat was divided into eighteen portions for the hunting dogs.
These dogs had done the most work on this hunt and deserved a good reward.
Though all the dogs were drooling, none of them moved. They looked at Liu Tiezhu.
Only when Liu Tiezhu gave the command did they lower their heads to eat.
Fifty jin of meat was quickly devoured.
Just then, noise came from the river again—something was repeatedly slapping the ice, trying to break through from the water.
"Let's go, check it out!" Second Uncle said, taking the lead.
Liu Tieshan and the others quickly followed, while the hunting dogs stood on the bank waiting for orders.
They reached the spot where the sound was coming from and found a massive softshell turtle repeatedly ramming the ice.
Softshell turtles usually need to surface for air at intervals.
Now it was hitting the ice, clearly unable to hold its breath any longer, trying to break through to breathe.
The turtle looked to be about fifteen jin, with unusually long claws and a golden-yellow shell—almost like it was becoming a spirit.
It was tangled in the fishing net, its front claws frantically clawing, trying to tear the net off.
"This turtle must be at least seven or eight years old, otherwise it couldn't have grown this big," Second Uncle said excitedly.
Wild softshell turtles over eight jin are rare to see.
This one, over ten jin, was an absolute treasure.
"Dad, was this thing dragging the net?" Er Gouzi asked.
Second Uncle shook his head. "No, it doesn't have that much strength."
"Don't you see the water's still muddy? There's definitely something bigger down there."
"Let's break the ice and get this turtle out."
"If it suffocates down there, its nutritional value will drop significantly."
Hearing this, Er Gouzi immediately ran to the bank to grab a steel fork.
After more than ten minutes, the four worked together to finally smash a big hole in the ice.
The turtle was cunning—it took just a few breaths and then sank back down.
Liu Tiezhu reacted quickly, hooking the net with the steel fork and slowly pulling it back.
"Tiezhu, be careful—don't let it bite you," Second Uncle warned.
Softshell turtles, once they bite down, almost never let go, even if you cut off their head.
This one was over ten jin; a bite from it could cripple a hand.
Liu Tiezhu nodded, grabbed the net, and yanked hard.
With a tearing sound, the net wrapped around the turtle ripped open a large gap.
The turtle broke free and struggled even more violently.
Everyone tensed up, staring intently at the turtle.
Liu Tiezhu's adrenaline spiked, his heart racing.
Second Uncle and the others' hearts pounded too, and despite the cold, sweat beaded on their palms.
This was a prize of over ten jin—they couldn't let it slip away.
"Second Uncle, the net feels heavy. There's something big under the turtle."
"If I use brute force, the net will break, and the turtle might escape," Liu Tiezhu said in a low voice, holding the net steady.
"Hold the net still. Let me handle it."
Second Uncle took the steel fork from Er Gouzi.
"Tiezhu, pull slowly."
"Stop when I tell you to."
Liu Tiezhu nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly pulled the net.
After a few dozen seconds, the sunken turtle was brought back up.
Only a few thin strands of the net were still wrapped around it.
If it struggled again, it could escape immediately.
Seeing this, everyone's breathing quickened.
"Second Uncle, what now? Do we keep pulling?"
Liu Tiezhu's forehead was sweating as he whispered.
"Pull, but gently."
Second Uncle raised the steel fork.
Liu Tiezhu swallowed hard and slowly tugged the net upward.
Er Gouzi and the eldest brother held their breath, their eyes fixed on the turtle without moving.
Just as the turtle was about to reach the hole, a tearing sound came, and the last strands of net snapped.
"Son of a bitch!"
Liu Tiezhu and Er Gouzi cursed in unison.
Without the net holding it, the turtle was sure to escape.
With a splash, Second Uncle's steel fork stabbed down hard, sending water flying.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, not daring to move.
Only when the river surface turned red did they finally break into smiles.
"Holy shit, that scared me."
Even the excited Second Uncle couldn't help cursing.
Liu Tieshan reminded him, "Second Uncle, hurry up and hook the turtle out, or it'll sink and cause trouble."
Second Uncle gripped the steel fork and was about to lift the turtle when suddenly a stronger force from the river bottom yanked it out of his hands, dragging both the fork and the turtle down.