Chapter 13 Dreaming of Being Threatened_1

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Unable to sleep well on the train and now having eaten some steamed buns and taken a bath, Lin Xiaoru and Huang Jingli quickly fell asleep, emitting soft snores.

He Tiantian was still alert. After tidying up, she locked the door, turned off the light, drew back the curtains, and let the breeze from outside come in. There was no fan in the room, so they could only rely on nature's breeze from outside to cool things down a bit.

Listening to the breathing of the others, He Tiantian closed her eyes and started to drift off. However, she had a dream, and in it, she dreamed about the little silver snake that left her puzzled and at a loss during the day.

The little silver snake coiled its tail and sat on the ground, poking out its head and warning, "Don't scratch me again! Don't scratch me! Don't scratch me! I'll say it thrice because it's important, don't scratch me!"

He Tiantian scratched her head, wanting to remind the little silver snake that actually, it had said it four times.

What? The little silver snake can talk?

He Tiantian was baffled, even more surprised than when the little silver snake had wrapped around her ankle during the day and refused to let go.

"This little white snake has truly become a spirit," He Tiantian said with absolute certainty. Not caring about why the little white snake didn't want her to scratch it, she hastily nodded and said, "I won't scratch you, I won't scratch you, I won't ever scratch you again."

"Hmmph!" The little silver snake raised its little head with a proud and coquettish attitude, thinking the human was easy to intimidate. If she didn't obey, a little scare was all it took to make her behave.

Seeing that the little silver snake was somewhat sensible, He Tiantian mustered her courage and asked, "Mr. Snake King, you bit me, I... I won't die, will I?"

Despite being very scared, He Tiantian was even more concerned about her own life or death.

Upon hearing this, the little silver snake became so furious that it jumped up, "Zing" went its body from the ground, yes, "stood up" on the very tip of its tail while spitting out a red serpent's tongue and said, "Being bitten by me is your honor, there will be benefits for you later."

What in the world?

How could being bitten by a snake be a good thing?

He Tiantian didn't believe it and was about to argue.

The little silver snake, glaring with its ominous little eyes, said, "Keep babbling, and I'll bite you to death!"

He Tiantian has always been faint-hearted since she was little. Being threatened by the little white snake, she immediately chickened out and quickly said, "Alright, alright, I won't dare anymore, I'll never speak of it again."

With a proud and coquettish look, the little silver snake observed the cowardly He Tiantian and nodded its flattened head in a "You know what's good for you" manner, saying, "Don't disturb my sleep, otherwise..."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, please have a good sleep!" He Tiantian quickly assured, as she was most afraid of these sticky, limp creatures.

After a while, the little silver snake coiled around her ankle and merged visibly with her skin at that spot, leaving behind a ring of silver-white stripes.

He Tiantian was shocked but felt less afraid than at the beginning. It seemed the little silver snake didn't mean to bite her to death. As for why the little silver snake was on her ankle and why it could talk, He Tiantian was perplexed. If she ever got the chance, she would definitely ask the little silver snake about it.

The next morning, the sunlight streamed through the old curtains into the room.

He Tiantian felt comfortable all over, her fatigue dissipated, and as she got dressed, she looked at her ankle and thought of the talking little silver snake from her dream, unconsciously smiling.

Strange occurrences happen every year, but this year seems to have more than usual.

He Tiantian carried her washbasin to freshen up, and when she came back, it was Huang Jingli's and Lin Xiaoru's turn to wash up. Taking turns to wash was just perfect to keep an eye on things in the room.

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Village Chief Qi bought some steamed buns, one for each person, and after having a bowl of porridge, he led everyone back.

It was cooler in the morning, there were fewer people on the road, and they made good speed.

Along the way, they crossed mountains and ridges on uneven roads, but the trees on both sides were lush and green.

But as noon approached, they reached a stone path with no trees on either side; the blazing sun overhead made it hard for He Tiantian to keep her eyes open.

"We'll be there in half an hour," Village Chief Qi said. "You city folks are delicate. On such a hot day, we country people still have to work in the fields!"

Huang Jingli, Lin Xiaoru, and Li Mingkai didn't like what Village Chief Qi had said and turned their heads away, ignoring him.

He Tiantian, shielding her forehead with her hand and squinting, said, "To hoe the fields under the midday sun, sweat drips onto the earth below. Little do we know the food on our plates, every single grain comes from hard work. Without the farmers' toil, city folks would not have their fill..."

"Haha," laughed Village Chief Qi. "The girl speaks well. Er Gou, let's stop under the trees up ahead. There's a lotus pond there, and I know the people. I'll fetch a few lotus leaves to shade you from the sun."

"Thank you, Village Chief Qi," Tiantian smiled. There would be many opportunities to rely on Village Chief Qi in the future, and now was the perfect time to make a good impression and build a good relationship.

Qi Dazhu liked the girl Tiantian. She was much better at talking and doing things than those three.

When they arrived up ahead, they reached a lotus pond.

Qi Dazhu spoke a few words to someone and picked six large lotus leaves, one for each person. Wearing them on their heads, they really felt less scorched by the sun.

"Thank you, Village Chief Qi," Jingli smiled. "The sun was so strong, I was feeling faint from the heat."

"Indeed," said Lin Xiaoru. "If it weren't for Village Chief Qi, we'd still be baking in the sun." She had come to realize that Village Chief Qi responded better to softness than to toughness. With Tiantian behaving nicely, he reciprocated their kindness. In a way, all three of them were basking in Tiantian's light.

As for Li Mingkai, he was clever enough to know that if he maintained a good relationship with the village officials, life would be easier in the future, but he had trouble letting go of his pride.

Village Chief Qi was not petty. He smiled and said, "We will all be working together in the village from now on, so there's no need to be so formal."

Seeing that Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru were chatting with Village Chief Qi off and on, He Tiantian didn't interrupt but listened quietly.

Finally, just after one o'clock in the afternoon, they passed through Hujia Village and arrived at Qijia Village.

In this remote village, most of the land consisted of mountains with very little arable land, dominated largely by terraced fields. The work was tough and the yield was not high. In the low wooden houses, children with bare buttocks jumped into a large puddle downstream of the river to bathe like dumplings being dropped into water, "plop, plop," one after another, using the most primitive dog paddle to race each other.

"You little brats, be careful and don't go out into the deep water. If I see anyone going near the deep end, I'll smack their butts," Village Chief Qi shouted, his face jovial and without the intention to actually hit the kids, but rather to remind them to be safe.

Villagers often speak bluntly, showing their care for others through such teasing and scolding.

"Got it!" shouted a group of kids, addicted to wandering around naked, each reply louder than the last.

"A bunch of little rascals," Village Chief Qi laughingly scolded. "Sorry to expose you to such a sight."

"They're just kids trying to cool off in the summer heat with a bath," Jingli said. "Is that Qijia Village ahead?"

"Yes, just around that bend," replied Village Chief Qi. Their village might be poor, but the local customs were good, and they completed the tasks set by the commune every year.