Volume Four: Awakening of Insects - Chapter 138: The Flamboyant Return of the Little Serpent, Jin'er

Sha Qiang rushed home, causing his father to look at him in astonishment.

"Qiang, why are you back?"

Sha Qiang said nothing, his face livid. He simply hauled his belongings out of the car and walked into the house. Old Man Shengyuan followed him inside, seeing at a glance that something serious must have happened.

Looking crestfallen, Sha Qiang sat down. His mother poured him a cup of tea, but seeing his grim expression, she didn't dare ask what was wrong. Old Man Shengyuan pulled out his tobacco pipe and lit his coarse tobacco. At that moment, he felt a deep sense of failure. The son he had always taken such pride in now revealed himself to be utterly mediocre.

In the village, his son had acted with such unbridled arrogance that it drew public outrage, yet in front of officials, he behaved like a whipped dog. Thinking of this, the old man shook his head. If not for his own decent reputation in the village, no one would have bothered with their family at all.

"Qiang, what on earth has happened?"

Old Man Shengyuan exhaled a cloud of smoke and asked his son with a frown.

"I... it must be the trick of that Guangzhou bitch from Le'er's side," Sha Qiang said resentfully, his face dark and menacing. "She has powerful connections over there, someone high up in government. Now I can't even maintain a foothold there anymore."

He felt on the verge of tears, his hatred for Sha Le and Li Ying flowing endlessly like the waters of the Yangtze River.

"Why are you still cursing others?" Old Man Shengyuan finally grew angry. "You think having a bit of money makes you somebody special. You look down on everyone. If you hadn't gone out of your way to provoke them, would things have come to this? You deserve this mess! Damn it, even Mayor Wang has been arrested and thrown in jail. Was that someone you should have provoked?"

"Mayor Wang... arrested?"

He had been staying in Guangzhou, and with recent troubles weighing on him, how could he possibly keep track of affairs back home? Hearing his father's words, he was utterly shocked. Mayor Wang was his biggest backing in Shuangqiao Town, and the main reason he dared to run amok in the village.

Money brings influence, but that influence was bought by greasing the palms of officials. Once the backing collapsed, what influence remained? He had lost his footing in Guangzhou, and originally planned to return home to get involved in poverty-alleviation projects. But now, hearing that Mayor Wang was in prison, what prospects could there possibly be?

"Of course he is," Old Man Shengyuan said, looking somewhat discouraged. "Now, Teacher Feng's younger sister has become the town's vice mayor, and her relationship with Le'er is extremely close. Le'er isn't the same Le'er he used to be. His connections reach the heavens now."

Sha Qiang's face turned even paler.

"Who would have thought that brat would have such incredible luck!" Old Man Shengyuan added.

"Dad, that Guangzhou girl has immense connections in Panyu, with high-ranking officials backing her. I'm completely cornered now," Sha Qiang finally lowered his head. "Dad, you have to go help me—"

"What bloody use is it for me to go speak for you?" Old Man Shengyuan glared angrily at his son. "That Guangzhou girl never provoked you, yet you went and cursed her. Now look at you, you've brought this suffering on yourself! She's soft-hearted, otherwise, she could have had you killed in Guangzhou, and who would you complain to, the King of Hell?"

"How was I supposed to know she had such powerful connections back then?"

"What does it matter to you whether she has connections or not?" The old man angrily tapped his pipe. "If you hadn't provoked her, would she have had people deal with you? You clearly don't know the meaning of life, thinking your abilities reached the heavens..."

Despite saying that, the old man still had to look out for his son. That evening, carrying gifts, he took his son to the home of Le'er's uncle, Old Man Shengtian.

The old man was too ashamed to approach Le'er directly, so he went to Old Man Shengtian, with whom he got along well, to ask for help.

The next day, when the two old men brought Sha Qiang to find Le'er, Le'er and Li Ying were observing the snakes in the small snake garden. Li Ying didn't enter the enclosure, while Le'er walked from shed to shed inside. The snakes had largely awakened and were sluggishly drinking water. Snakes coming out of hibernation were rarely willing to feed during the first week.

After days of overcast and rainy weather, the sun had unexpectedly broken through today. Once the sun appeared, the weather warmed up considerably. Le'er wore only a shirt yet still felt somewhat warm, while Li Ying was also dressed lightly, wearing a light coat over her shirt.

"Sister, I wonder if Little Golden has woken up yet. It still hasn't returned."

Le'er stepped out of the garden and looked into the distance with a troubled mood.

"Don't worry, it will come back," Li Ying comforted him. "From yesterday to today, you've mentioned it more than twenty times. Golden isn't an ordinary snake; nothing bad will happen to it."

Le'er nodded, but he remained uneasy.

"In the past, it would return at most four or five days after leaving, but this time it's been gone for months," Le'er said grumpily. "When it comes back this time, I'm going to teach it a hard lesson."

"How are you going to teach it a lesson?" Li Ying couldn't help laughing. "You'd be heartbroken just looking at it; how could you bear to discipline it?"

Hearing Li Ying's words, Le'er chuckled sheepishly. He talked big, but in his heart, how could he ever bear to punish it? He was simply speaking harshly out of sheer longing.

"Oh... your uncle and Uncle Shengyuan are here with Sha Qiang."

Being inside the garden, Le'er couldn't see outside. Li Ying stood on a ladder leaning against the outer wall of the snake garden, having a clear view from afar. Hearing this, Le'er frowned.

"What is he here for? Wasn't he beaten into obedience last time? Is he looking for another beating?"

Li Ying didn't answer, merely smiling charmingly at Le'er.

"Sister, what are you smiling at?"

"This time, Sha Qiang will definitely not dare to act like he did before," Li Ying said, her mood quite cheerful. "He's certainly here to apologize and make amends. But should we just let it go like this?"

The two old men each held a smoking pipe, walking and smoking as they went, while Sha Qiang followed submissively behind, carrying a bag of gifts and looking thoroughly dejected.

Arriving at Le'er's doorstep, they spotted Li Ying standing on the ladder against the snake garden's wall.

"Elder Niece, Le'er!" Old Man Shengtian called out to Li Ying. Sha Qiang looked at the beautiful woman with a mixture of envy and jealousy, resenting Le'er's good fortune. Comparisons only invited frustration; this beauty accompanying Le'er was not only wealthy and talented, but also possessed such stellar connections in Guangzhou. If he had connections like that, it would be a miracle if he didn't make a fortune in Guangzhou.

"Uncle, is something the matter?" Li Ying asked. "Le'er is inside. The snakes have woken up from hibernation, and he needs to tend to them."

"Ah... you go ahead and take care of it, we'll wait here for a while."

The two old men squatted down and smoked their pipes. Bathed in the warm sunlight, beads of sweat soon formed on their foreheads. Hearing that Sha Qiang had arrived, Le'er was in no rush to come out and continued with his work, clearing out debris from the snake shelters and removing the few snakes that had died during hibernation.

Fortunately, very few had perished—only three out of over two hundred. Wild snakes possessed stronger over-wintering capabilities than farmed ones.

"Alright, let's go see what business they have."

Le'er walked out of the enclosure. At that exact moment, four children around eleven or twelve years old came running breathlessly toward them, shouting for Le'er from afar.

"Uncle Le'er! Uncle Le'er!"

"Hua, what are you running for? Don't fall on your faces, damn it," Le'er shouted from a distance. "Run slowly, what's going on?"

"Uncle Le'er, so many snakes!" the children cried out as they ran. "That snake you raised, it brought back a whole lot of snakes..."

Soon, the children reached his side.

"You mean... Golden is back?" Le'er asked, filled with a mix of surprise and delight. "Where is it? Quickly, take me to see."

"Snakes... there are so many snakes!" Hua and the other children had flushed faces, a mixture of excitement and fear. "There must be hundreds of snakes, and your Golden is leading them right at the front..."

"Hurry, take me there."

"Le'er, I'm coming too," Li Ying called out excitedly, forcing Le'er to wait for her. Ignoring his uncle and Sha Qiang for the moment, he followed the children. Old Man Shengtian and Old Man Shengyuan stood up, equally astonished by what the children had said.

As they walked, Hua excitedly explained that while they were tending cattle in the mountains, they suddenly spotted a massive number of snakes, realizing with shock that the one leading the pack was the snake Le'er kept. Fortunately, the snakes did not attack them, and the children ran all the way back shouting the news. The snakes were approaching from the direction of Xiaojiashan, and by the time they hurried over, a crowd had already gathered to watch the bizarre spectacle. However, no one dared to approach, keeping a wide distance from the serpent procession.

From afar, Le'er spotted them: two small golden snakes at the front, followed by two to three hundred snakes of various kinds. The magnificent army of serpents slithered at a moderate, orderly pace.

Seeing so many snakes gathered together, the onlookers felt both terrified and thrilled. Initially, only children watched from a distance, but many adults rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Sister, there are two golden snakes! Golden must have brought back a snake bride," Le'er exclaimed happily.

"Darn Golden, so it went off to find a girlfriend," Li Ying laughed, standing beside Le'er. "You kids, hurry up and step aside."

Seeing the snakes approaching, the children quickly scattered to a safe distance.

"Le'er, your little snake is truly a demon snake, commanding so many serpents," a few women shouted from nearby. "It must have turned into a spirit! Heavens, I've lived for over forty years and never seen such a marvel."

"That's right, these snakes are even marching in formation. They've become spirits!"

Le'er chuckled and said nothing, simply watching the serpentine crowd drawing closer. Li Ying stood nervously by Le'er's side; if such a scene were filmed and broadcast on television, it would undoubtedly cause a sensation.

She knew Le'er's little snake, Golden, was extraordinary, but she never imagined it was magical to this degree. Could it truly be some kind of tiny snake king? Otherwise, how could it summon so many serpents, including massive pythons, kraits, and coral snakes?

Old Men Shengtian and Shengyuan had also arrived, and Sha Qiang stared with his jaw hanging wide open in utter shock as he gazed at the approaching snake procession.

"Le'er, the snakes won't bite us, will they?"

Seeing the snake formation closing in, Le'er walked forward to meet them, followed by Li Ying, though she still felt a flutter of fear in her chest.

"They won't. Golden is here."

Le'er's heart was filled with boundless joy at not having seen Golden for so long. The little snake caught Le'er's scent, suddenly picked up its pace, and the second little golden snake hurried along right behind it.

"Golden..."

With a swift "whoosh," Golden landed on his shoulder, thrusting out its forked tongue to affectionately lick his face, while the accompanying little golden snake reared up defensively toward them.