https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-13-A-Treasure-You-ve-Married-Ah-Lei/12811687/
Chapter 12: The Snake
Chapter 12: The Snake
Zhou Chenglei was busy weeding the garden with his hoe when he heard a piercing scream. He immediately dropped the hoe and rushed inside.
As soon as he entered the living room, Jiang Xia charged at him, leaping onto his body and wrapping herself around him with her arms and legs. She was trembling all over.
Zhou Chenglei was taken aback, unsure of how to touch her, so he let her hang onto him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Snake! There's a snake! Two of them, and they're huge! They were staring at me!" Jiang Xia was shaking, her voice trembling with fear.
Jiang Xia wasn't usually a coward. In her previous life, she often worked late into the night and wasn't afraid to take on perverts at the subway station. She wasn't scared of people, ghosts, stray dogs, rats, or cockroaches. But she was terrified of snakes!
She was so afraid of snakes that even seeing them on TV made her shudder.
And to encounter them so unexpectedly and defenseless like this nearly scared her to death!
She clung tightly to Zhou Chenglei's neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Get out! Get out! Hurry! Hurry!..."
Zhou Chenglei's neck felt like it was going to snap from the pressure.
He could only carry her out of the yard, gently soothing her, "Don't be afraid, it's just a snake. I'll catch it. You can let go of me now."
Once they were outside, Jiang Xia felt a bit better. She steadied herself and loosened her legs, but when she saw the grass all over the ground, she recoiled and wrapped her legs around him again, refusing to let go. "There won't be any snakes in the yard, right?"
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
He couldn't guarantee that.
It was summertime, and snakes were common.
Jiang Xia's scream had been so loud that it had alarmed the neighbors. Two families from next door came over and saw the two of them in an intimate embrace. The sight was quite scandalous!
The neighbors looked at Jiang Xia differently. Even though they were married, to do such a thing in the yard and scream so loudly was shameless!
Zhou Junjie joked, "Chenglei, so eager you couldn't even wait to get into the room?"
His gaze lingered on Jiang Xia's behind.
Jiang Xia, despite her thick skin, blushed. She released Zhou Chenglei and stepped down, still wary, and scanned the ground with her eyes.
Zhou Chenglei's face darkened as he stood in front of Jiang Xia, blocking Zhou Junjie's view. "Stop making jokes!"
A woman in her forties or fifties noticed Jiang Xia's discomfort and realized the misunderstanding. She stepped in to help, "Lei, what's wrong with your wife? Did something scare her?"
Zhou Chenglei took up his great-grandmother's words and explained to everyone, "There was a snake in the house, and it scared Jiang Xia. This is Great-Grandmother."
Jiang Xia looked over, surprised that someone so young was already a great-grandmother, but she was grateful for the help. She smiled and called out, "Great-Grandmother."
Great-Grandmother chuckled, "Good girl!"
Zhou Chenglei continued, "You stay here and chat with Great-Grandmother. I'll go catch the snake."
At the mention of catching a snake, Great-Grandmother's eyes lit up. "Catch a snake? Where is it? I'll catch it! What's there to be afraid of?"
Great-Grandmother rushed into the house, as excited as if she had found a treasure.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Zhou Chenglei explained, "Great-Grandmother is very skilled at catching snakes. I learned from her. I'll go check it out."
Jiang Xia had only two words: "Impressive!"
Great-Grandmother suddenly turned around and asked, "Where is the snake?"
Jiang Xia pointed to the room. "Facing the front door, it's on the beam in the far-right room. I'll go in with you."
With more people around, Jiang Xia wasn't as scared, and the villagers were watching her like she was a spectacle.
Zhou Chenglei let her, knowing she was uncomfortable with the villagers. With Great-Grandmother, the snake-catching expert, there, nothing would go wrong.
The three of them entered the house, and Jiang Xia pointed out the room. She didn't dare go in, so she stayed in the hall.
Unexpectedly, the others followed to watch the commotion.
Zhou Junjie, who wasn't afraid of snakes, also entered the room to see if the snakes were valuable.
The three women didn't go in.
Pan Daidi came over to Jiang Xia, her face full of curiosity. "Niece, why are you cleaning this old house?"
Jiang Xia glanced at the woman, not recognizing her and having no recollection of her. She replied, "I'm moving in."
The three women were from the neighboring house, a trio of mother-in-law and two daughters-in-law. Upon hearing this, Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law asked, "Moving in? Are you splitting the household? You and Zhou Chenglei are moving in together?"
"Yep." Jiang Xia nodded, responding briefly as she wasn't used to talking much.
They really are splitting the household? Pan Daidi's eldest daughter-in-law felt a bit envious.
Pan Daidi added, "Why would you want to move into this old, dilapidated house? Did you give the new house to Tian Caihua?"
"This house can be quite comfortable once it's cleaned up." Jiang Xia said.
At least in her previous life, she had never even lived in a house like this.
Pan Daidi's youngest daughter-in-law glanced at Jiang Xia, clearly disbelieving. She had never been interested in the new house and had been demanding a divorce. Would she really find this old house comfortable? She probably just didn't care, waiting for her lover to come and take her away, knowing she wouldn't stay long.
Looking at her delicate, soft skin, it was clear she wouldn't last in the village. She would eventually leave.
"Who proposed the split? You or your eldest sister-in-law? Who will be taking care of your in-laws, and where will they live?" Pan Daidi asked again.
"Auntie, I'll go inside and take a look." Jiang Xia, uncomfortable with such conversations, walked into the room.
She didn't realize that dealing with village women required talking more, gossiping about this and that, and even sharing her own family's secrets. You had to agree with them, or they would think you were pretending to be high and mighty and not fitting in.
Seeing that Jiang Xia wasn't paying attention to her, Pan Daidi rolled her eyes at Jiang Xia's back. Bah, city people think they're so great, unwilling to talk when asked a couple of questions, acting like they're better than everyone else!
Jiang Xia stood inside the room, seeing two snakes still on the beam. Zhou Chenglei picked up the long broom Jiang Xia had thrown and tried to lure the snakes down.
One of the snakes coiled around the bamboo pole and started to climb down.
The other snake, frightened, scurried along the beam.
Great-grandmother: "A-Lei, give it to me, I'll do it!"
Zhou Chenglei handed her the bamboo pole.
Great-grandmother moved to the snake's tail, seized the opportunity, and swiftly grabbed the snake by the neck.
The snake's tail instantly coiled around her arm.
Jiang Xia felt a chill run down her spine.
There was still one snake on the beam. Zhou Chenglei threw away the long broom, leaped lightly, and grabbed the beam with both hands. With a powerful pull, he hoisted himself up, then swung his long legs to climb onto the beam.
He cautiously moved closer to the snake.
Jiang Xia couldn't bear to look at the snake, so she focused on him, captivated by his agile movements.
She watched as the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt revealed his smooth, muscular arms, with veins faintly visible. His long, strong legs, encased in green military pants, looked powerful and sturdy.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo... over there!" Great-grandmother, holding one snake, picked up the long broom to drive the other snake away.
Jiang Xia snapped back to reality, seeing the snake slithering to the other end. Her heart raced, and she instinctively looked away, only to notice the three women staring at Zhou Chenglei, their eyes practically drooling. She couldn't help but find it amusing.
A man like Zhou Chenglei, with his extraordinary good looks, muscular build, and a aura of restrained vigor, would be a heartthrob for women of all ages in the modern world.
Zhou Junjie, unaware, approached Jiang Xia: "Are you afraid of snakes, sister-in-law?"
Jiang Xia gave him a cold look and walked away.
Zhou Junjie chuckled.
On the beam, Zhou Chenglei quickly found an opportunity to grab the snake by the neck and jumped down, landing steadily.
Holding the snakes, Zhou Chenglei and Great-grandmother walked toward the door. Jiang Xia, standing at the doorway, saw the snakes flick their tongues and turned and ran.
Great-grandmother laughed: "Ha ha ha, what are you afraid of? These are grass snakes, they're not venomous. You'll see them everywhere. Once you get used to them, you won't be afraid anymore."
Jiang Xia: "."
(End of Chapter)
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