Chen Shi, a poor hunter, steps forward when the Su family is being pressed for repayment and takes on their thirty-yuan debt, marrying Su Xiu. He repairs the Su family's rusty old hunting rifle and relies on his courage and skills to gather enough money to settle the debt, publicly tearing up the IOU. Inside the rifle's stock, he discovers a hunting map of Laowanggou left behind by Su Laogen. He takes the Su sisters into the valley to hunt and wins over the village hunters. He also sees through Boss Liu's scheme to sabotage traps and frame him, bypassing the town's supply station to sell directly to hotels in the county seat. During a snowstorm, he rescues Zhang Laosan, who has fallen into trouble, and later finds Su Laogen, who had been missing for three months, trapped on the North Cliff with a broken leg. The family is reunited, and the old hunting rifle is hung back on the wall. He has built a home of his own.