Chapter 49: Every Part of the Body is a Treasure

Chapter 49: Every Part is a Treasure

Physician Cui was seriously cleaning the snake skin.

Using a scraper, he meticulously removed the bits of residual flesh clinging to the inside, then used bamboo sticks to prop it open and spread it out for drying.

Looking at the snake skin, which had been stripped as roughly as if a dog had gnawed on it, he couldn't help but complain, "What a waste of good material, such a waste..."

However, as soon as the aroma of roasted snake meat wafted over, he immediately shut his mouth, swallowing hard.

His nose twitched. It smelled incredible!

Fat dripped onto the fire, making a sizzling sound.

The entire village had gathered here almost simultaneously, watching Yan the Second direct everyone to skewer the meat, flip it over the fire, and generously sprinkle salt.

The savory, salty aroma made everyone's mouth water.

Yan the Second was very confident in his roasting skills, but since this was his first time preparing an exotic snake, he felt he should be the first to taste it as a mark of respect.

After blowing on it a couple of times to cool the heat, he impatiently popped a piece into his mouth.

*Hiss, ha, ha!* As he chewed, his taste buds exploded!

The coarse salt granules hadn't fully dissolved, clinging tightly to the meat; licked by the flames, they had fused into one.

The surface was charred and fragrant, while the inside was tender and smooth. Before he could even take the time to savor the flavor, his throat swallowed it instinctively...

Yan the Second decisively grabbed another skewer, stuffing his mouth full of meat.

A massive wave of happiness enveloped him.

At this moment, he felt as if the whole world had been elevated!

It was too delicious!

*Wuwu!* He had never hated his lack of education more than he did right now; he couldn't find the words to describe how fragrant this snake meat was.

There wasn't a hint of fishy smell; on the contrary, there was a very faint, delicate sweetness.

"Come, come, everyone, have a taste." While calling out to the villagers, he quickly snatched up the batch of freshly roasted skewers to feed his family.

Li Xuemei ate with some restraint, but in contrast, Yan Yu—despite being such a small person—was quite skilled at handling skewers. She took large bites of meat, shaking her head happily as she ate.

Looking at the skinned meat, one could hardly associate it with the majesty of a giant snake; all that remained was the primal longing for meat.

Yan Yu's manner of eating was as fierce as if she hadn't eaten for days.

It wasn't until her little belly truly couldn't take any more that she had to stop with regret.

Yan Huaiven took a bite of meat, raised an eyebrow, finished a skewer in a few quick bites, and then accepted the second skewer his younger sister timely handed to him.

Yan the Second chuckled, not just eating for himself but looking after the whole family.

His eldest nephew was at a growing age and needed to eat more.

Da Ya didn't want to eat at first; just hearing the word "snake meat" filled her with dread. But since her second uncle insisted on feeding her, she had no choice but to take a bite... and then, bit by bit, she ended up eating three whole skewers.

Looking at the three bare wooden sticks in her hand, Da Ya's face flushed red with shame.

She had eaten too much.

Seeing her staring at the sticks, Yan Yu snatched another skewer from her father and handed it to her sister: "Sister, eat more."

Don't be fooled by the fact that Eldest Uncle had just recovered from a serious illness; in truth, you are the weakest in the whole family. Every time you eat, it's like you're swallowing medicine, only taking a few bites. It's rare to find something you can actually swallow, so hurry up, Sister. Besides, that lady said eating this snake meat is good for the body.

Li Xuemei, of course, didn't need anyone to look after her. She ate diligently but stopped as soon as she felt a sense of fullness; she didn't dare overeat.

Then, she wandered over to the group of women she was familiar with.

Yan the Second called them the "Straw-Woven Women's Army," and her daughter was the "Straw-Woven Girl Group"...

She heard words that left her speechless.

She heard Sister-in-law Cui saying mysteriously, "That ox of the Yan family isn't an ordinary ox; it has spiritual energy! Qi Si said it himself—he saw that ox stomp the big snake to death. Oh my! It came here to repay a debt of gratitude!"

Someone below echoed, "That is indeed a righteous ox!"

"Who do you think it came to repay?"

"It must be the Scholar! Our Scholar is the reincarnation of the Star of Literature. Perhaps he saved this ox in a past life. When the Scholar was reborn into this world, the ox followed him..."

"Hey, Sister-in-law Yan, it's perfect that you're here. Quickly, tell us if your family's ox has done anything miraculous."

The women all turned to look at her with gossiping faces.

Li Xuemei braced herself and said, "Our ox is quite normal; it's just a bit shy and doesn't let strangers get close."

"That's exactly it! Why does it only recognize your family? It really does have a connection!"

"No wonder that ox has such great strength..."

"And it's so obedient, even letting Er Ya ride it."

"Yan the Second doesn't seem to struggle much when driving the cart either..."

Li Xuemei felt she couldn't stay any longer and hurried away to find Yan the Second.

"What did Qi Si say? That he saw our ox stomp the snake to death with his own eyes?"

Yan the Second was stunned by the question.

"What? I didn't teach him to say that!"

Yan Yu's little head leaned in, and before she could speak, she couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

"Dad! Just go over there and listen, and you'll know." She pointed toward the group of village men huddled together, where Qi Si was surrounded by everyone, telling them something.

"They're spreading the legendary story of our Sanbao! They're saying our Sanbao is a gratitude-repaying ox. It's so eerie! Hahahaha!"

Upon reflection, Li Xuemei understood: "It's probably a game of telephone; the story changes as it's passed along."

The men and women of the village didn't often mingle, so it was easy for someone to overhear something and add their own imagination to it...

...

A whole village ate one large snake, yet there was still some left. Yan the Second knew this was because the villagers were too embarrassed to take advantage of him, but they were happy to accept his "blessings."

Young and old, everyone had at least one bite.

Yan the Second thought for a moment and decided to rub salt on the remaining snake meat to make jerky, which would be easier to store.

Because of the roasting, they started their journey a bit late today.

They walked a bit longer during midday and didn't stop until near noon.

For some reason, they weren't tired at all today; in fact, they felt more energetic the further they went.

If Yan the Second hadn't stopped at the front, they could have kept going!

Yan the Second also felt refreshed. The effects of the snake meat were truly remarkable; if they ate it every day, they might be able to travel hundreds of miles a day.

Physician Cui found Yan the Second: "Brother Yan, there's quite a lot of snake skin here. How long was the snake you caught?"

Right, he had likely heard that he and the Qi brothers killed it together.

"Quite long, probably about one *zhang* (approx. 3.3 meters)." Yan the Second knew he couldn't hide it from Physician Cui, who had been processing the skin and had a general idea.

"A snake that long—every part is a treasure. Did you see the snake gall bladder?" Physician Cui asked persistently.

He hadn't found it and wondered if Yan the Second had set it aside.

"I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to see it to broaden my horizons," Physician Cui added quickly, fearing Yan the Second might misunderstand.

"If there was one, I would have definitely brought it to you, Brother Cui. I wouldn't know how to process it myself."

"That's not called 'processing,' it's called 'medicinal preparation,'" Physician Cui corrected him.

Yan the Second: "Right, medicinal preparation. Even if we kept it, we wouldn't know how to store it. We truly didn't see it."

Physician Cui nodded with regret. "It probably accidentally fell somewhere. By the way, Brother Yan, I'll give you this snake skin once I've finished drying it. There's quite a lot. If you pass through a county town, you can ask a pharmacy if they buy it."

"Brother Cui, tell me, what illnesses can this snake skin treat?" Yan the Second was thinking that he wouldn't sell a single scrap of this skin, but Brother Cui had said it: this snake! Every part is a treasure.

"Snake skin can dispel wind, calm convulsions, treat epidemics, improve vision, and detoxify. It is particularly effective for sores and boils," Physician Cui added. "However, this medicine isn't used very often, so the price probably won't be too high."