The waters of the Xiaoqing River were deep and shallow, with the deepest parts capable of submerging a bamboo pole ten Zhang long, while the shallows barely covered the ankles. In winter, the water level dropped, and the slow-moving river froze easily, especially with the extremely low temperatures of recent days. The ice that formed the day before couldn't melt the next day. After a few days of accumulation, the entire riverbed was solidly frozen, making it appear to be a great place for ice skating.
However, the deeper areas didn't freeze solid, and if one carelessly slid there, the ice could break and it would be easy to fall in. At that time, even those who could swim would be trapped under the ice, unable to climb out.
Therefore, every winter, no matter how thick the ice on the Xiaoqing River was, adults strictly forbade children from playing on the river, fearing that they might succumb to temptation and fall into an ice hole.
