Chapter Forty-One: Catching the Snake (Part One)

Half a month later, not only had the house been roofed, but the snake garden was nearly complete. He hadn’t used mud tiles for the house; the rains here were heavy, and such tiles not only cracked easily but often slid off, leading to serious leaks. He went to the county town and bought sheets of colored iron, which were both attractive and sturdy when nailed in place.

On either side of the courtyard, he built a bathhouse to the left and a kitchen to the right. The toilet was also newly constructed, all capped with blue iron tiles that stood out strikingly. Both the bathhouse and kitchen were small, but he made them quite beautiful; the bathhouse was fully tiled, though he didn’t install a bathtub. He planned, once everything was finished, to have a carpenter make a large wooden tub, much like those used in ancient times.

If a beauty came to visit, she could bathe with flower petals in the wooden tub, just like an ancient lady. At this thought, he naturally remembered his dear sister Li Ying—only Li Ying was worthy of bathing with petals, though Teacher Feng might pass muster as well. Imagining beauties bathing amidst petals, he grinned foolishly, and drool escaped his lips.

But his expression quickly darkened.

Li Ying was now part of the past and could no longer be thought of.

The snake garden was ready, yet he had no snakes to raise. He didn’t know where to buy snake hatchlings. Boss Hong supplied snake hatchlings, but buying hundreds and traveling so far was hardly worthwhile. Besides, he felt guilty toward Boss Hong, who had helped him earn so much, while he’d gotten involved with Hong’s woman—he was embarrassed to face him. Furthermore, autumn was ending; in less than a month, snakes would hibernate. Hatchlings wouldn’t grow much in a month, and their mortality rate during hibernation was high.

The best method was to catch snakes himself.

He’d never caught snakes in the mountains, though he wasn’t afraid of it. At Boss Hong’s place in Foshan, he’d handled snakes to extract venom, inject medicine, and feed them, so he was experienced—but that was in a snake farm, not out in the wild, which was much more challenging.

Still, he wanted to try.

The bricklayers had finished their work; only six carpenters remained, working on interior decoration. He’d given instructions and didn’t need to stay; he simply had Luo Yinxing cook for them while he took the little snake Jin and the yellow dog and set out.

“Le’er, where are you off to?” Luo Yinxing asked, astonished, seeing him head out with Jin and the dog, wearing leather gloves and carrying several fertilizer sacks—locals called them snake-skin bags.

Luo Yinxing was truly devoted to him, working tirelessly, though he still paid her wages.

“To catch snakes,” he replied.

“To catch snakes? Are you crazy?” Luo Yinxing’s face turned pale. “Do you even know how?”

Le’er waved his gear confidently. Luo Yinxing watched his departing figure, forgetting her work, silently praying to the gods for his safety. Le’er wasn’t blindly confident; he carried antivenom and syringes in his small pack, brought from Foshan.

If he was bitten, he wouldn’t die.

Once in the mountains, Le’er instructed the little snake to lead him to snakes. Jin didn’t seem to understand what he wanted and darted about excitedly, but for a long time, found no snakes.

Suddenly, the yellow dog began barking.

“Found a wild rabbit?” Le’er wondered. There were only small animals in the mountains, mostly rabbits. If he couldn’t find snakes, he could bring back a rabbit—it wouldn’t be bad. He and Jin ran toward the dog. When they arrived, they saw, not a rabbit, but a cobra with a shovel-shaped head raised, hissing at the yellow dog.

“Ha! Good dog—most dogs chase mice, but you chase snakes. You’ve earned a big bone when we get home.”

Hearing his praise, the yellow dog barked happily and rubbed against his legs.

“Get out of here, silly dog—are you in heat? I’m not a bitch; go find one.”

Le’er laughed; the dog, scolded, slunk away, a little aggrieved. Jin looked at Le’er, then at the dog, then at the cobra, seeming to understand what was needed. Jin darted in front of the cobra, which recoiled in fear but didn’t dare retreat far or raise its head.

“Jin, you’re impressive,” Le’er said.

Jin flicked its tongue on Le’er’s leg in response. The yellow dog barked, protesting its treatment; it felt it deserved more credit.

“Go on, find more—if you don’t find three snakes today, no food for you tonight.”

He nudged the dog, which barked and wagged its tail, then dove into the bushes. This dog was a glutton for punishment—the more you hit it, the happier it became. Le’er frowned, thinking of Luo Yinxing, who seemed to have the same temperament; if he spanked her, she was delighted and obedient, but if not, she felt uneasy and hovered around him.

He shook his head—Yinxing was like a burr, clinging to him and impossible to shake off. Still, she was quite pitiful, and sometimes he gave her small affections; when she got them, she wagged her “tail” even more joyfully than the dog.

He reached out gently, seized the cobra at the seven-inch spot, placed it in the bag, tied it shut, and continued on. With a successful catch, he began to sing. His favorite song was, “The sun is rising, up on the ridge…” His voice echoed through the valleys.

It was the eighth lunar month; there were no fruits in the mountains, only hard nuts like catalpa seeds and wild chestnuts. Ahead stood a wild chestnut tree, its husks split open, revealing the red-black nuts inside. Thinking of Luo Yinxing’s hard work, he pulled down some chestnut husks, stomped them open, and gathered the nuts into a bag.

Just from this tree, he collected three or four pounds of chestnuts.

“Luo Yinxing, you’ll eat yourself full!” he cursed playfully, singing “The sun is rising…” as he went on. Suddenly, Jin appeared, wrapping around his ankle.

“Jin, did you find another snake?”

Jin released his ankle and slithered ahead. Le’er, excited, followed, knowing Jin must have discovered something. Before long, they reached a rocky outcrop with a small hole. Jin slipped inside while Le’er waited outside. Soon, a large black rat snake emerged, followed by eight smaller ones, with Jin herding them like sheep.

Clearly, this was a nest.

“Haha! Jin, you’re amazing!”

Since Jin could herd snakes, Le’er didn’t bother catching them himself. He opened the bag, let Jin drive the snakes inside, and tied it shut—nine rat snakes caught.

“Jin, come here.”

Jin, hearing him, zipped onto his shoulder. Le’er affectionately kissed Jin’s head and stroked its back.

“Good job, Jin!”

Jin flicked its tongue, then darted back into the dense forest. At that moment, the yellow dog began barking wildly. Le’er looked up; the dog was running madly on the opposite slope, barking as it ran.

“Hey, stupid dog, found another snake?”

Le’er ran over eagerly. Jin surfaced and followed, his small body moving swiftly through the woods. Soon, man and snake reached the spot where the dog barked.

“Stupid dog, what did you find?”

The dog was guarding a hole in the earth, barking at the entrance. The hole was rather large—not necessarily a snake’s, but something was surely inside.

Jin darted into the hole, and suddenly, a gray wild rabbit burst out, the dog barking once and biting it by the neck. Wagging its tail, the dog laid the dead rabbit at Le’er’s feet.

“Hey, you lazy dog, ignoring the main task to catch a rabbit—but that’s a big achievement; you’ll get a small bone when we get home.”

Le’er laughed like a fox. He had caught snakes and bagged a rabbit—more than he expected. Good thing he brought enough bags. He tossed the freshly killed rabbit into one, and again sang, “The sun is rising, warm and bright…”

The empty valley replied to his voice.