Chapter 14

“Mhm, mhm!”

Little Snake nodded without hesitation, replying loudly, “Snakey obeys every word.”

Ah Wan put a little more strength into her hand, kneading her cheek. It was as smooth and tender as steamed egg custard.

The little one was incredibly well-behaved at this moment. Though the pinching was a bit painful, she still smiled with her eyes narrowed, letting Ah Wan bully her.

“Fine.” Ah Wan withdrew her hand and looked at her approvingly. “You agreed. Don’t try to renege when the time comes.”

After speaking, she turned and left.

Little Snake heard her but understood nothing. Waving her hands, she pattered after her.

Ah Wan dumped the vines from the back basket into the yard, then took a small stool and sat down to start processing them.

The vines had many small twigs that needed to be removed. The spots that felt rough to the touch also needed to be slowly scraped smooth with a bamboo knife, to keep Little Snake from being uncomfortable while sleeping.

Ah Wan was used to such work. She had learned it from childhood, and a layer of calluses had formed on her hands, especially severe on her fingertips.

Little Snake squatted beside her, watching her work, propping her cheeks with both hands, asking curiously, “Human, what are you making?”

“Weaving a snake nest.”

Ah Wan replied offhandedly.

“For who?” Little Snake asked, as if facing a great enemy, her body already half rising.

“For the most obedient one.”

Ah Wan finished speaking, and she squatted back down with relief, propping up her cheek flesh and replying happily, “Mhm!”

“Snakey is the most obedient.”

Ah Wan turned her head to look at her. Her little face was stiff and incredibly serious. She suddenly laughed, teasing, “You’re not modest at all.”

She smiled very naturally and looked very pleased.

Little Snake stared blankly, leaning her body forward slightly, flicking her tongue. Her throat swallowed involuntarily as she said softly, “Human, your smile is really beautiful.”

Hearing this, the smile on Ah Wan’s face instantly vanished.

While continuing to process the vine in her hand, she asked, “Is this my first time smiling?”

Why hadn’t she praised her before, but said this today?

Little Snake gently placed her hand on Ah Wan’s knee and shook her head, replying very earnestly, “Human smiled especially beautifully today.”

She was a snake, not a fool. How could she not read joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness? She just didn’t know how to express it in human language.

When had Ah Wan ever smiled so naturally, so happily before?

Though it was only for an instant, Little Snake’s sharp eyes had caught it.

Hearing this, Ah Wan’s expression became somewhat unnatural. She glanced at Little Snake and frowned, saying, “Stop the flattery.”

“Flower?” Little Snake immediately became excited upon hearing this. “Snakey didn’t eat flowers today.”

Then she pointed her little hand outside and tattled, “They all won’t let Snakey eat them.”

As her voice fell, a wind rose from nowhere. The Morning Glories climbing the courtyard wall swayed and shook, almost as if trembling slightly.

Ah Wan’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she looked toward the courtyard wall, murmuring gently, “Oh? They won’t let you eat?”

“Mhm!” Little Snake simply knelt and sat on the ground, both hands gripping her knee and nodding forcefully.

“Then once I finish weaving the snake nest, I’ll pull them all out and plant some Evergreen Clematis instead.” Ah Wan spoke while looking fixedly toward the opposite courtyard wall.

In the next second, a Flower Vine squeezed through a crack in the courtyard wall and crawled all the way forward.

It crawled to Little Snake’s feet and stretched out a leaf to tickle her ankle.

Little Snake curiously looked down. The Flower Vine obediently offered a small purple flower to her lips.

“Can I eat it?” Little Snake asked Ah Wan in surprise.

Ah Wan glanced at the Flower Vine on the ground and nodded, “You can.”

Hearing this, the little one no longer hesitated. She grabbed the Morning Glory and happily ate it.

However, after she finished eating, the Flower Vine still hadn’t retreated. It waited in place, trembling with fear for further orders.

Ah Wan finished processing one vine and set it aside, then bent down to pick up a new one and continued working. Only then did she unhurriedly say, “Go back.”

The Flower Vine rapidly retracted.

“Happy now?” Ah Wan turned her head to ask Little Snake.

“Mhm, mhm.” The little one nodded her head, her brows and eyes curved in a smile. Her two upper fangs peeked out halfway, pressing against her soft lower lip.

Ah Wan watched, her gaze eventually settling on her fangs.

She remembered that a snake’s oral cavity was highly sensitive, all its major nerves concentrated there. If invaded, it would become extremely tense.

Then what about the fangs?

Those two tiny venomous fangs—were they very sensitive too?

What would happen if she touched them?

Ah Wan was lost in thought, so much so that she didn’t even notice Little Snake resting her head on her leg and falling asleep. When she finally came back to her senses, the little one was already deeply asleep.

She first paused, then smiled self-deprecatingly.

She had truly been more and more off lately. Strange thoughts kept popping into her head.

It seemed she needed to speed up weaving the snake nest.

Without the annoying little thing chattering beside her, Ah Wan’s speed noticeably increased. Before long, she was almost done, with only the last vine remaining.

She picked up that vine and looked down at the little one sleeping on her leg. Involuntarily, she thought again: Sleeping so soundly, how should I wake her up later?

Ah Wan didn’t notice her own thoughts; she was actually worrying about disturbing Little Snake’s sleep.

She processed the vine somewhat absent-mindedly, as if her soul had left her. Her eyes were dull, her knife movements mechanical.

Little Snake napped for a bit, then very comfortably sat up and stretched lazily. As her hands lifted upwards, a muffled grunt suddenly sounded.

Then the knife fell to the ground.

Ah Wan silently looked at her bleeding hand. The wound was on her index finger. Not large, but likely somewhat deep, blood continuously dripping down.

Little Snake seemed frightened. She propped herself up on her knees, staring blankly, and whispered, “Human is bleeding.”

Then she brought her head close and gently sniffed, and stuck out her tongue to touch it rapidly.

The pink tongue touched the wound. Ah Wan suddenly drew a sharp breath.

Not from pain, but from pleasure.

The light touch already made the area around the wound feel numb and tingly. Moreover, her own blood now stained that pink snake tongue; it was as if she had sullied Little Snake.

Ah Wan felt a perverse, shameful thrill. She looked down, quietly observing the little one.

Large eyes instantly welled with tears. Little Snake raised her head and asked tearfully, “Human bleed, human hurt, what to do!”

Ah Wan remained silent, only watching her tongue flick as she spoke.

The trace of red that had been on the tip of the snake tongue right before was gone now, as if the only connection between the two had also vanished.

Seized by a strange impulse, Ah Wan used her left hand to pinch her cheeks, forcing her mouth open.

She watched her flicking her tongue uncomprehendingly, yet growing anxious because she couldn’t speak.

“Does snake saliva have a healing effect on wounds?”

Ah Wan murmured to herself.

Little Snake blinked in confusion, then shook her head.

They snakes didn’t use saliva to heal wounds!

“Is that so?” Ah Wan chuckled softly, looking into her eyes. “Why do I feel like it does?”

After speaking, she inserted her wounded index finger into Little Snake’s mouth and ordered in a cool tone, “Lick.”

Little Snake blinked, looked at Human for a while, but still obediently listened.

Because her cheeks were pinched and she couldn’t close her mouth, Little Snake could only use her tongue to touch the wound and then diligently wrap around it.

Saliva she couldn’t hold back trickled down from the corner of her bright red lips.

Ah Wan silently inhaled. The hand pinching her cheeks tightened slightly, lifting her chin higher. She then placed her middle finger into her mouth as well.

Little Snake paused, seeming to wonder if Human’s middle finger was also hurt.

But before she could figure it out, Ah Wan had already taken control, her two fingers clamping her snake tongue and stirring inside her mouth.

Little Snake instantly crumbled, resting pitifully on Ah Wan’s knee, looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes.

From her throat came evocative whimpers, as if begging for mercy.

Ah Wan chuckled softly, her gaze gradually darkening as she continued to tease the jelly-like, pinkish-white transparent tongue.

More and more of Little Snake’s saliva flowed uncontrollably onto her hand.

“So this is the sensitive spot.”

Ah Wan spoke lightly, slowly, her tone like a gentle spring breeze.

Little Snake’s breathing suddenly grew heavier.

In a flash, her fair, tender legs immediately transformed into a reddened snake tail, repeatedly slapping and writhing against the ground.

Ah Wan glanced at it and took a deep breath, as if suppressing all the surging desire back inside her body.

She pulled her hand out of Little Snake’s mouth, looked at it covered in glistening saliva, and after a thought, maliciously smeared it onto Little Snake’s flushed face.

Then she leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Seems it really can’t heal wounds.”

After saying this, she released her and got up to return to the house.

Little Snake’s upper body lay on the stool, breathing lightly, turning her head to look at her own tail.

That scale was faintly fluttering, as if unsated.

“Human, you’re so bad,” Little Snake wiped the tears that had flowed from overstimulation with the back of her hand, accusing angrily, “You bully Snakey.”

Ah Wan heard her but didn’t look back.

She simply treated her wound, then continued weaving the snake nest.

Little Snake’s true form was very small, so she didn’t need a large nest. Thus, it was quickly finished.

As night fell, Little Snake, her face still flushed, followed behind Ah Wan wanting to enter the house to rest, but Ah Wan stopped her at the door.

“From now on, we sleep separately.”

Ah Wan finished speaking and closed the door without hesitation.

But the slight sound of the closing door seemed to smash a giant crater in her heart.

Ah Wan lay on the bed but couldn’t sleep. The bedcovers were full of Little Snake’s scent.

She turned over, grabbed Little Snake’s pillow, and squeezed it, thinking: I should have changed the sheets before sleeping.

Just as she was thinking this, a knocking sound suddenly arose, along with Little Snake’s weak call.

“Human?”

Ah Wan heard it and got out of bed to open the door without hesitation.

Little Snake stood outside barefoot, the corners of her eyes red, looking at her pitifully.

“Human, Snakey doesn’t want to wear this.”

Little Snake finished and handed the bra she was holding to Ah Wan.

Ah Wan didn’t speak but reached out and took it.

It still carried Little Snake’s body heat and a familiar fragrance.

Ah Wan’s hand tightened, slowly stroking it.

“Human,” Little Snake was so uncomfortable she was crying, her nose running. She grabbed Ah Wan’s hand with both of hers and gently guided it to reach inside her shirt, placing it on her chest, crying as she said, “It hurts here. Rub it.”