Chapter 12: Snake

Chapter 12: Snake

Zhou Chenglei was busy weeding with a hoe, having already cleared a large patch, when he heard a scream. He immediately dropped the hoe and rushed inside.

As soon as he entered the living room, Jiang Xia lunged at him, jumping onto his body and wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him. She clung to him, trembling all over.

Zhou Chenglei was slightly taken aback. Not wanting to touch her awkwardly, he simply let her hang onto him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"A snake! There's a snake! It's huge, two of them! They're staring at me!" Jiang Xia was shaking so violently that her voice trembled.

Jiang Xia wasn't actually a coward. When she worked before, she often came home in the middle of the night, and she had even once beaten up a creep at a subway exit.

She wasn't afraid of people, ghosts, stray dogs, rats, or cockroaches—she wasn't afraid of any of them. But she was terrified of snakes!

Snakes were her greatest fear. Even seeing them on television through a screen made her shudder.

To encounter them like this, completely unprepared, nearly scared her to death!

She gripped Zhou Chenglei's neck tightly, her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. "Get out! Get out! Hurry! Quick! Quick!..."

Zhou Chenglei felt like his neck was going to snap from her grip.

He could only carry her out of the yard, coaxing her gently, "Don't be afraid, it's just a snake. I'll catch it. Let go of me first."

Once they were out of the house, Jiang Xia felt a bit less terrified. She steadied her nerves and unhooked her legs, but when she looked down and saw the grass covering the ground, she recoiled again. Her legs clamped tightly around his, refusing to touch the ground. "There won't be snakes in this yard too, will there?"

Zhou Chenglei: "..."

He truly couldn't guarantee that.

In the height of summer, finding snakes was normal.

Perhaps because Jiang Xia's scream had been so piercing, it had alerted the neighbors, drawing two families from next door. They arrived only to see the two of them clinging to each other in a pose that was... frankly, an eyesore!

The way they looked at Jiang Xia changed instantly. Even if they were husband and wife, doing such a thing in the middle of the yard and screaming so loudly was simply shameless!

Zhou Junjie joked, "Chenglei, are you this impatient in broad daylight that you can't even wait to get into the room?"

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Jiang Xia's backside.

No matter how thick-skinned Jiang Xia was, her face flushed red. She let go of Zhou Chenglei and stepped onto the ground, though she remained fearful, her eyes scanning the ground beneath her feet.

Zhou Chenglei's expression darkened. He stepped in front of Jiang Xia to block Zhou Junjie's gaze. "Stop talking nonsense!"

Seeing that Jiang Xia's complexion was off, a woman in her forties or fifties realized there had been a misunderstanding and tried to help the couple out. "Ah Lei, what's wrong with your wife? Is she scared?"

Zhou Chenglei took his great-grandmother's lead and explained to everyone, "There was a snake in the house just now, and Jiang Xia was frightened. Jiang Xia, this is Great-Grandmother."

Jiang Xia looked over, surprised that the woman was so young to be a great-grandmother, but she was grateful for the help. She smiled and greeted her, "Great-Grandmother."

The great-grandmother smiled warmly. "Good girl!"

Zhou Chenglei added, "Stay here and talk with Great-Grandmother. I'm going to catch the snake."

Upon hearing "catch a snake," the great-grandmother's eyes lit up. "Catch a snake? Where? I'll do it! What's there to fear about a snake!"

She rushed into the house, her excitement making it seem as if she had heard there was treasure inside.

Jiang Xia: "..."

Zhou Chenglei explained, "Great-Grandmother is very good at catching snakes. I learned how to do it from her. I'll go in and take a look."

Jiang Xia had only two words for her: *Admirable!*

Great-grandmother suddenly turned back and asked, "Where is the snake?"

Jiang Xia pointed toward the house. "Facing the main door, on the beam in the innermost room on the right. Forget it, I'll go in with you."

With more people around, Jiang Xia felt less afraid, and besides, the villagers were staring at her as if she were a freak.

Zhou Chenglei followed her lead. He knew she was embarrassed to face the villagers, and with the expert snake-catcher Great-grandmother there, nothing would go wrong.

The three of them entered the house. Jiang Xia pointed toward the room; she didn't dare go inside and instead stood in the hall.

Unexpectedly, the others followed to watch the excitement.

Zhou Junjie wasn't afraid of snakes and wanted to see if the snake was worth any money, so he entered the room as well.

The three women did not go in.

Pan Daidi approached Jiang Xia and asked with a gossipy expression, "Niece-in-law, why are you cleaning up this old house?"

Jiang Xia glanced at her. She didn't recognize her and had no impression of her. She replied, "We're moving in."

These three women were from the neighboring house, a group of three mothers and daughters-in-law. Upon hearing this, Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law asked, "Moving in? Have you split the family assets? You and Zhou Chenglei are moving here together?"

"Mhm," Jiang Xia nodded with a soft grunt, not used to excessive talking.

*They really did split the family?* Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law felt a hint of envy.

Pan Daidi added, "This house is old and broken; why would you want to move here? Did that new house of yours all go to Tian Caihua?"

Jiang Xia replied, "This house will be quite comfortable once it's tidied up."

At least in her past life, she had never even lived in a house like this.

Pan Daidi's youngest daughter-in-law shot Jiang Xia a look of blatant disbelief. She hadn't even cared for the previous new house and had even made a fuss about getting a divorce; how could she find this house comfortable?

She probably was just waiting for her lover to come pick her up, which was why she didn't care. She wouldn't be staying long anyway.

Looking at her delicate, fair skin, it was obvious she was a restless type who wouldn't last in the village and would leave sooner or later.

"Who proposed the split? Was it you, or your sister-in-law? And which of your in-laws are you going to support, and who are you living with?" Pan Daidi pressed.

"Auntie, I'm going in to take a look," Jiang Xia said, uncomfortable with the interrogation, and walked into the room.

She didn't realize that dealing with village women required engaging in this kind of talk—gossiping about everyone from the neighbors to one's own family, and always agreeing with their views. If you didn't participate, they would think you were being pretentiously aloof and antisocial.

Seeing that Jiang Xia ignored her, Pan Daidi rolled her eyes at her back. *Tch, city people think they're so great, ignoring someone after just a couple of questions. Their eyes must grow on their foreheads!*

Standing inside the room, Jiang Xia saw that the two snakes were still on the beam. Zhou Chenglei picked up the long broom Jiang Xia had dropped and used it to lure the snakes down.

One snake coiled around the bamboo pole and began to crawl down.

The other snake, frightened, scurried away along the beam.

Great-grandmother shouted, "Ah Lei, give it to me! I'll do it!"

Zhou Chenglei lowered the pole.

Great-grandmother stepped forward, circled toward the snake's tail, and seized the opportunity. With a swift, practiced motion, she gripped the snake right behind its head.

The snake's tail immediately coiled around her arm.

Jiang Xia watched, her skin crawling.

There was still one on the beam. Zhou Chenglei dropped the broom, gave a light leap, and gripped the beam with both hands. With a surge of strength in his arms, he pulled his entire body up, then hooked a long leg over, climbing onto the beam.

He then cautiously approached the snake.

Jiang Xia didn't dare look at the snake, but she was also afraid it might fall.

Under the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt, Zhou Chenglei's arms revealed smooth muscles and faint veins; his long legs, wrapped in green military trousers, were sturdy and powerful.

"Go, go, go... go over there!" Great-grandmother, holding one snake in one hand and picking up the long broom with the other, used it to drive the other snake away.

Coming back to her senses, Jiang Xia saw the snake crawling toward the other end. Her heart skipped a beat; she didn't dare look and instinctively turned her head away, only to find that the three women were all staring at Zhou Chenglei, their eyes practically salivating. She couldn't help but find it funny.

A man like Zhou Chenglei—exceptionally handsome, physically robust, and radiating a vibrant yet disciplined aura—would be a total heartbreaker for women ranging from age eight to eighty in the modern era.

Zhou Junjie had unconsciously approached Jiang Xia. "Does sister-in-law fear snakes?"

Jiang Xia gave him a cold look and walked away.

Zhou Junjie smiled.

On the beam, Zhou Chenglei quickly found his chance to grip the snake's vital spot, then jumped straight down, landing steadily.

Zhou Chenglei and Great-grandmother walked toward the door, each holding a snake. Seeing the snakes flicking their tongues, Jiang Xia turned and bolted as soon as she saw them at the doorway.

Great-grandmother burst into laughter. "Hahaha! What are you afraid of? It's just a grass snake, they aren't poisonous. They're everywhere. Once you see enough of them and get used to it, you won't be afraid anymore."

Jiang Xia: "..."