mtlumby2d Chapter 132 Snake Cave
Chapter 132 Snake Cave
The screams startled everyone, and Meng Bochang quickly sent people over to see what had happened. Before anyone could get there, Hu Zi, who had rushed back from the pond, said anxiously, "Uncle Shitou has been bitten by a snake!"
The Stone Uncle that Tiger mentioned was surnamed Meng, and was the mentally challenged son of Second Grandmother Meng Linshi.
Upon hearing the devastating news, Lin dropped the fire poker in her hand and stood up in horror. However, she stood up too quickly and almost fell headfirst into the pot.
Fortunately, Yuan Qianniang, who was beside her, helped her to stand up.
On the other side, Second Grandfather Meng Qi asked in a trembling voice, "Tiger, what did you say? How can there be snakes in the dead of winter?"
"Second Grandfather, please stop asking! I don't know if that snake is poisonous, I've come to fetch Doctor Zheng!"
Hearing the commotion, Zheng Yi rushed over and had Hu Zi lead the way. The two elderly people, realizing what was happening, also hurriedly headed towards the pond.
"Stone, Stone, what's wrong? Does it hurt?" Lin felt extremely distressed even from a distance.
To catch fish, Meng Shitou held a sharpened wooden stick in his hand. He stepped on the snake's tail with one foot, and the stick stuck into the snake's body. When he heard Lin's voice, his eyes lit up. He reached out, grabbed the snake, and waved to his parents.
"Father, Mother, meat! Eat meat!"
He spoke somewhat indistinctly, and despite being in his thirties, he behaved like a child, seemingly unafraid and daring to scratch a snake with his bare hands after being bitten.
Upon seeing this, Lin felt her heart pounding so hard it almost jumped out of her mouth.
Perhaps he's been holding onto the worry about food lately, because his son, who had been so obedient before, has been hanging out with Tiger and the others. Whenever he hears someone talking about looking for food, he sneaks away when his parents aren't looking.
Previously, with Tiger watching over things, nothing happened, but this time, with many people around, his son got into trouble.
Lin wanted to complain about Hu Zi, but she couldn't help but resent Meng Fuqing. Why did he have to go catch fish? If he was going to catch fish, he should at least check if the surrounding area was safe before sending someone else.
But she had no time to think about that right now. She pleaded, "Dr. Zheng, please go and check if Shitou is alright! He's our only son... If something happens to him, how will we, the old couple, survive!"
Meng Qi also pleaded repeatedly.
As a doctor, Zheng Yi often went up the mountain to collect herbs. He was not afraid of scorpions, centipedes, or hairy peppers, but he was afraid of snakes.
Looking at the snake in Meng Shitou's hand, he wished he wasn't a doctor.
“You tell the stone to throw away the snake, and I’ll go check if he’s been poisoned.”
The elderly couple rushed over to persuade him, but Meng Shitou dropped the snake, stomped on its head, and only then was he at ease.
Before Dr. Zheng could arrive, he turned and walked to an open space next to the pond, pointing to the thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground, "So many succulents!"
Zheng Yi's eyelids twitched, and he stopped in his tracks.
He thought to himself, "Why would I need to look? Just look at Meng Shitou's lively and energetic appearance, so focused on finding meat to eat, and you can't tell that he's been poisoned."
Tiger knew that the place where Uncle Stone was standing was where he had been bitten by the snake. He cautiously approached and used his long wooden stick to sweep away the fallen leaves, only to discover that there was more to the story.
Seeing his bewildered expression, some of the bolder ones, armed with sticks, rushed to help. Soon, the scene beneath the fallen leaves, illuminated by the torchlight, came into view—
There was a snake den by the pond!
The damp air was thick with a stench, and beneath layers of rotting leaves, a deep pit was filled with silt, the scales of countless snakes reflecting a cold light in the firelight.
They coiled into eerie spirals, their heads buried deep beneath the bodies of their kind. Their bodies began to slowly writhe as their hibernation was interrupted.
Everyone who witnessed this scene gasped involuntarily and took several steps back.
Someone accidentally touched a wriggling snake with a long stick. One of the snakes, whose eyes were half-open, opened its eyes completely. Its body convulsed due to the low temperature, and it still opened its mouth, revealing its fangs, and tried to bite the person.
In their fear, the group retreated again.
"Have we stumbled upon a worm nest? How come there are so many worms?"
"It's so cold, the snakes won't come out easily. Shall we cover them with leaves?"
"Who can sleep soundly in a place with a worm's nest?"
Watching those wriggling snakes sent chills down my spine and gave me goosebumps.
Zheng Yi saw the pit full of snakes from afar, closed his eyes in pain, and turned to leave.
It's better to leave this task to Qingya. She knows a lot and should be able to tell whether Meng Shitou has been poisoned or not!
Tiger pulled Meng Shitou away from the snake pit and whispered to Meng Xiaocong, who had come over to watch the commotion, "Go and call Qingqing here!"
Meng Xiaocong hesitated, but seeing that Brother Hu was busy talking to Uncle Shi and ignoring him, he could only return to his lodgings with a gloomy face.
Meng Fuqing had saved him once, but he was terrified of her; that whip, that kick—he couldn't bear to recall them.
When he mustered up his courage, he looked up and saw the other person walking towards him, along with the village chief and others.
He was overjoyed and, seeing everyone rushing towards the pond, quickly followed after them.
When Meng Fuqing and the others arrived, the snakes in the mud pit were no longer as terrifying as before; they were being stimulated by the low temperature and were trying their best to burrow into the mud.
When Meng Fuqing heard that there was a snake's nest by the pond, she was still wondering why she hadn't found any water snakes when she used vines to probe the water.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that the snake pit was located on the edge of a pond she had never set foot in before. It was dark, damp, and covered with fallen leaves. If someone accidentally stepped on it, they would either be bitten to death by a snake or scared to death.
It seems I'll have to remember to scout ahead frequently in the future.
“Snakes hibernate and won’t bite unless provoked. Since we’ve found them, why not try catching and eating them?” Meng Fuqing said.
Everyone looked at each other.
Someone asked, "What if it's poisonous?"
Meng Fuqing replied, "Just cut off the snake's head."
Upon hearing this, some people had the idea of catching snakes. Meng Bochang, who had come along, had no objection. If you can eat wolves, you can certainly eat snakes too.
Meng Shitou understood, and looked at Meng Fuqing with joy, feeling that he had found a kindred spirit.
He turned to his elderly parents and said, "Father, Mother, the stone is going to catch a snake. If it catches one, Father and Mother will have meat to eat!"
The second grandfather and Lin Shi, who had failed to persuade Meng Shitou to go back with them, were filled with anger upon hearing this.
Whether her son was poisoned or not was still unclear, and now Meng Fuqing was urging her to catch snakes. It's really worrying.
Meng Qi stepped forward, "Qing girl, I didn't want to say anything more..."
Meng Fuqing glanced at the man she should respectfully address as "Second Grandfather" and interrupted him, "You don't have to say it if you don't want to, Second Grandfather."
Meng Qi frowned. "When did you become so disrespectful to your elders? Have you done something so important that you've forgotten even your own name?"
"Second Grandfather, you don't think I'll kick you out just because I call you 'Second Grandfather,' do you?" Meng Fuqing wasn't angry or annoyed, she just raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Yan He watched the show from the crowd, secretly delighted.
Many people used to say she was unconventional, but now, looking at Meng Fuqing, who doesn't even spare her own family, she's nothing compared to her unconventional ways.