Chapter 1082 - 346: Falling into an Ice Cave, Striking Covertly_3
Zhenzhen watched the broadly frozen expanse of the river, pretending not to want to play on it was a lie, but the unknown dangers made him restrain his urge to join. To the friend who called for him, he said, "I’m not going down, and you be careful too, don’t slide into a deep spot."
"Don’t worry, I know where it’s deep and where it’s shallow. We won’t run around heedlessly," the child seeing that Zhenzhen was reluctant, didn’t force him and, heeding the advice, agreed not to venture into deeper areas.
"Hmph, what a scaredy-cat, let’s just play on our own, what’s there to talk about with such a wimp," Wang Cai’s voice was sharp and mean-spirited, filled with disdain for Zhenzhen.
The child ignored him, pulling the ice glider and taking the two friends on it to another spot.
"Pah, damn brat!" Wang Cai, again ignored, bitterly spat out and gave Zhenzhen a scathing look from afar, his face revealing a sinister grin.
The Xiaoqing River, unpolluted, had shallow areas where the bottom could be seen even through the ice. Stomping hard on it left not a crack; even smashing it with a sharp stone only left shallow marks. Clearly, the ice over the shallows was solidly frozen all the way down to the riverbed.
More and more children unable to resist the temptation came down with their ice gliders to play on the river. The crowd on the ice grew, and their laughter and chatter carried far and wide.
To avoid being discovered by the adults in the village, Wang Cai had chosen a spot for skating far from the village. If nearby adults heard them and came over, they would have a chance to "run away" in advance. As long as they staunchly denied everything, the adults at home couldn’t do much about it.
In the end, even Danzi and the others went down to the river, leaving only Zhenzhen and Yun Zhao helplessly on the bank. Thankfully, the older children knew their limits, not venturing into deep areas, and kept the more naïve youngsters in check, otherwise, they would have already run home to call for the adults.
As the sun climbed higher, the children who had been playing for two hours didn’t feel the slightest bit tired, nor were they worried about future chances to play on the frozen river. Embracing the idea of making the most of their time, they played inexhaustibly and with growing delight.