Chapter 2

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Ah Wan, deep in sleep, dreamed she was inside an ice cellar, the cold piercing to the bone.

Summer in the mountains was cool, sure, but it shouldn’t be this cold, right?

Drowsily, she tugged at the blanket, only to find she couldn’t pull it. Something seemed to be weighing it down.

Ah Wan let go. She lay there a while longer. Suddenly, a cool breath puffed against the back of her neck, making her hair stand on end.

She jolted awake and turned her head.

A pair of large, round eyes were glaring right in her face.

“Pershon, scared.”

A sharp, thin voice came from the mouth of the frail young girl beside her. It was deliberately imitating her tone, trying to look cold and indifferent.

But the sound that reached Ah Wan’s ears was soft, sticky-sweet, like she was acting spoiled.

Right, acting spoiled.

The kind of spoiled, wronged, and helpless when you wake from a nightmare in the middle of the night and burrow into your lover’s arms. The voice even carried a bit of drowsy, hoarse attachment.

At this thought, Ah Wan’s face immediately darkened. She coldly questioned, “Who are you?”

“Hiss~”

The young girl clearly couldn’t speak complex words. As soon as she opened her mouth, a long, thin snake tongue flicked out.

Ah Wan froze for a moment, then pinched herself hard.

She wasn’t dreaming!

It was the little white snake she’d picked up?

The little snake couldn’t understand Ah Wan’s movements. She just pressed close to Ah Wan bonelessly, squeezing hard, instinctively trying to constrict her with all her might.

But she’d forgotten she wasn’t a snake right now; she was a human. So her coiling, in Ah Wan’s perception, was more like rubbing and nestling.

The summer nightgown was thin. The cool, gentle sensation pressed against her, making Ah Wan’s scalp tingle.

She grabbed the little snake’s hand to push her away, but was surprised to find that her skin was delicate and soft—smoother than a peeled egg.

Slippery and tender, almost impossible to hold.

A wicked impulse stirred in Ah Wan. She squeezed hard. That patch of tender flesh immediately reddened.

The little thing didn’t know how to cry out in pain. She just blinked her big eyes, staring at Ah Wan without moving.

So obedient.

But the more obedient she was, the more Ah Wan wanted to bully her.

Good children never deserve affection. You have to cry and make a fuss.

“Pershon, scared.”

The little snake repeated. She was a little afraid of Ah Wan in this state.

Ah Wan came back to her senses. She released her hand, coldly pushing her away, wanting her to keep her distance.

The blanket slipped down, revealing the little snake’s completely uncovered body.

She lay just like that beside Ah Wan, naivety and ignorance written all over her face. Yet the red marks on her wrist showed how she had just been bullied.

Ah Wan’s mind exploded with a ‘boom’. She immediately yanked the blanket over her, then got out of bed and turned on the light. She opened the wardrobe, crouching in front of it, searching for something.

A moment later, a loose set of pure cotton pajamas was tossed onto the bed, landing squarely on the little snake’s head.

She took a deep sniff. Smells so good.

The little snake liked this scent. She stuck out her tongue and touched it, delighted.

After tossing her the clothes, Ah Wan said nothing and left the room directly.

Daylight was bright. Ah Wan finished making breakfast. When she pushed the door open, the… human? on the bed…

That snake was still lying rigidly. The clothes Ah Wan had tossed were exactly as they were before.

It was already bright outside. The room’s light served no purpose now.

Ah Wan turned off the light, walked over, and moved the clothes aside. As expected, she met that soft, cute face.

The little snake wasn’t angry that Ah Wan had only just returned. Instead, she excitedly shouted, “Pershon!”

Ah Wan ignored her. She picked up the clothes and threw them aside. Lifting a corner of the blanket, she instructed in an icy tone: “Put on the clothes and come out.”

“Pershon!”

Seeing her about to leave, the little snake cried out anxiously.

Ah Wan didn’t linger. She left the room directly. Rustling sounds came from behind her, which she ignored.

A moment later, a completely naked little snake and a woman whose face had turned iron-blue stood at a standoff in the doorway. The clothes lay discarded on the floor.

“You can’t go out like this.” Ah Wan held the door, but her eyes didn’t know where to look.

Now the little snake had eyebrows to furrow. She frowned lightly, putting on an expression of immense grievance.

Her mouth turned down, and she began to sob, “Wuwu.”

The more she cried, the wider her mouth opened. She tilted her head back, wailing ‘uwah uwah’. Her two sharp fangs were clearly visible, as if reminding Ah Wan—

She is a snake.

It’s perfectly normal that she doesn’t like wearing human clothes.

But Ah Wan was annoyed. She dropped a “Suit yourself,” then turned and left.

The crying stopped abruptly. The little snake stared blankly at the departing figure, not understanding what she’d done wrong.

She thought about it, then squatted down and changed back to her original form.

A little white snake effortfully burrowed into the clothes, then changed back into a human.

Ah Wan’s clothes were large. Wearing them, the little snake looked loose and baggy. The sleeves were a whole section too long, and the hem could cover her bottom.

Ah Wan sat at the table eating breakfast. Seeing her, she paused, glanced away, ignored her, and continued eating with her head down.

“Pershon!” The little snake walked over and sat beside her. She leaned against Ah Wan as if boneless, snuggling close. The two soft mounds on her chest rubbed against Ah Wan, yet she just looked at Ah Wan with naive, ignorant eyes. Then she opened her mouth, revealing sharp teeth.

Ah Wan glanced at her and somehow understood her meaning.

Was she asking Ah Wan to feed her?

Ha, what a nice thought.

Ah Wan picked up a piece of pickled garlic from the bowl and, with mischief, tossed it into her mouth.

The little snake narrowed her eyes, chewed deliciously, then turned away—

And spat it out with a ‘wah’.

Ah Wan watched her retching until even the scales behind her ears appeared. They shimmered with a rainbow of white, piece by piece, as she laughed viciously and gleefully.

The little snake looked back, wanting to get angry. Just then, a cup of sweet water was offered to her lips.

But a snake who had been tricked once was now smarter. She knew to stick out her tongue and test it first.

While testing, her eyes glanced upward, staring intently at Ah Wan, afraid she’d pull another trick.

“What are you exactly? A demon? Or a god?”

Seeing that she wanted to drink, Ah Wan moved her hand, setting the cup on the table.

Not serving her anymore.

The little snake hurriedly leaned forward, trying to bury her head in to drink. But the cup’s opening was too small, and her head was now too big. She couldn’t fit it in.

Not convinced, she stuck out her tongue to test again. There really was water at the bottom, right?

The little snake shifted position, hooking the rim of the cup around her eye socket, then blinked down into it.

Sweet water, why can’t Snakey drink it?

Ah Wan grabbed her hair and made her look up. Patiently, she asked again: “What are you? A demon? Or a god?”

The big eyes rolled craftily left and right. The little snake narrowed her eyes in a smile, revealing two sharp fangs, then nodded vigorously.

“Mm!”

Ah Wan: …

Forget it, time for breakfast.

A simple breakfast for one: a bowl of corn porridge, a plate of pickles.

Ah Wan ate by herself. The little snake stayed beside her, eyes fixed on her chopsticks, then staring at her mouth, drool pooling.

Really want to taste.

Ah Wan finished eating. She set down her bowl and chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and then turned to look at the human beside her. She said flatly, “I don’t keep idle people here…”

She paused, then added, “Or idle snakes.”

Then she got up, walking outside while ordering: “You wash the dishes.”

Sitting on the stool, the little snake swung her fair, slender legs. She watched Ah Wan walk further away and wanted to follow, but was snapped at. “Don’t follow me.”

Carrying her small back basket, Ah Wan left without looking back.

Actually, she had nothing particular to do out today. But with some fool inexplicably added to her home, she had no desire to share a roof with a fool. So she might as well go for a walk.

What if she got lucky and picked a precious herb? Then she could exchange it for money again, right?

In the height of summer, the mountain forest was always filled with the rising and falling chorus of insects. Ah Wan wore her usual T-shirt and long pants, weaving through the woods with her small back basket.

She knew this place better than some small animals. At least she wouldn’t get lost, whereas she’d always spot some foolish little creatures on the path, running in circles after losing their way, dying by dawn.

The sun was nearly setting. The forest dimmed bit by bit. Only then did Ah Wan prepare to head home.

The yard was quiet, as if nothing had happened.

Today’s trip yielded nothing. Ah Wan took off the basket and placed it in the corner, stepping lightly into the house.

As soon as her foot landed, she suddenly heard a crisp, “Pershon!”

Ah Wan’s heart thudded, dropping heavily as if in freefall.

She didn’t respond. Face cold, she groped through the darkness to turn on the light.

Sitting at the table, the little snake couldn’t adapt right away and shielded her eyes with her hand.

Ah Wan looked at her, then glanced at the bowls on the table.

Two bowls. One was spotless. The other looked as it had originally.

One could imagine that the dish-washer seemed to have her own little temper.

Ah Wan smiled imperceptibly, quickly returning to that indifferent expression. She stepped forward and asked, “Why isn’t this bowl washed?”

The little snake stared at her curiously, as if trying hard to parse her words. After a long while, she finally scrunched up her little face and forced out a single word: “Stinky.”

Hearing this, Ah Wan’s smile deepened. “You know what stinky means?”

After saying it, she added a word of praise, “You learn things fast.”

The little snake nodded vigorously. “Mm!”

“What are you ‘mm-ing’ for? Do you even know what I said?” Ah Wan snapped at her.

The little snake looked lost, not understanding what she’d done wrong.

Seeing this, Ah Wan picked up the clean bowl and chopsticks and carried them to the cupboard.

“After washing bowls, put them in the cabinet. Understand?”

The little snake looked at her, then looked at that dirty bowl of pickles still on the table. After hesitating, she still frowned, picked it up, and brought it over, presenting it to Ah Wan like it was a treasure.

Ah Wan glanced down, didn’t take it, and closed the cupboard door. “It’s dirty. Don’t want it.”

Hearing this, the little snake stood there holding the bowl, not knowing what to do. Several times she wanted to stick out her tongue, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Seeing Ah Wan about to leave, she could only call out, “Pershon!”

Ah Wan stopped. She paused, then turned around. Looking at her, she frowned. “You learn other things so quickly. How come you still can’t say this one word clearly?”

After speaking, she walked up to stand in front of her, and for once, patiently taught her: “It’s human, not pershon.”

“Pershon, not pershon.” The little snake repeated with her tongue flicking, proudly lifting her little head.

Ah Wan never had patience. Her head was pounding now. She reached out and squeezed the little snake’s cheeks, puckering her mouth as she asked irritably, “How exactly is your tongue grown?”

“Hiss~”

The little snake’s face was squished into a fish-mouth pout, but that didn’t stop her from flicking her tongue.

A pink, semi-transparent, jelly-like tongue darted out, quickly touching the woman’s lips.

“Like pershon!”

Ah Wan instantly stiffened.