Little Snake’s waist was arched down, her posture alluring, making one’s heart feel hot just looking.
Ah Wan placed her hand gently on Little Snake’s lower back, a feather-light touch, but Little Snake suddenly went limp. After a muffled whimper, she collapsed onto the bed and turned her head to look at Ah Wan.
“What did you do?” Ah Wan asked.
“Nothing.” Little Snake looked utterly guilty. After speaking, she didn’t dare meet Ah Wan’s eyes anymore, slowly dropping her head. She lied in a small voice, “Snakey didn’t do anything.”
“Is that so?” Ah Wan suddenly leaned over, pressing down on her. Looking at the sugar strands on her cheek, she reached out, wiped a bit off, and rubbed it between her fingertips. “What’s this, then?”
Little Snake’s eyes instantly went wide with alarm. She hurriedly explained: “It wasn’t that Snakey wanted to eat it. Snakey just wanted to give it a lick, but it disappeared as soon as I licked it.”
“Really, it’s not my fault.” Her voice was weak.
“Oh, I see.”
Ah Wan gently kneaded her waist, her smiling eyes fixed on the utterly guilty little creature. She curved her lips and said slowly, “It’s not your fault. It’s my cotton candy that couldn’t withstand a licking.”
“Right?”
Little Snake perked up her ears. This reasoning made perfect sense. She quickly nodded in agreement, “Exactly!”
Couldn’t blame her. She’d just had one little lick.
Ah Wan laughed at this. She reached out and slapped Little Snake’s round bottom, gazing at her intensely.
“Don’t spank Snakey.”
Little Snake trembled lightly from the swat, a fragmented, muffled whimper escaping her throat. She proactively reached out an arm to hook around Ah Wan’s neck, wriggling her body beneath her, looking both innocent and nervous.
Seeing this, Ah Wan smirked. She leaned down and whispered by her ear, “If I don’t spank you, then what about my cotton candy that you ate?”
Hearing this, Little Snake quickly explained, “Snakey saved you a little bit.”
So saying, she extended the hand she’d kept clenched in a fist, hidden in her sleeve. But when she opened it, her face was filled with astonishment. “How is it gone?”
She pinched her fingers together; it was still sticky.
Ah Wan looked down. The melted sugar strands had made her hand all dirty.
“Here…”
Ah Wan stared intently at her face, reached out and touched it, her voice a bit dry.
“…too.”
“Hm?”
Little Snake looked up, curious.
Ah Wan didn’t respond. She slowly leaned in, her gaze falling on the small, pert tip of her nose.
She opened her mouth and gently took it between her lips. A hint of sweetness instantly spread through her mouth.
“Got a taste. So sweet.”
Little Snake couldn’t help but clutch at Ah Wan’s clothes, not daring to move. Her cheeks were flushed, her whole body felt like it was being shocked, uncomfortable. Her heart was beating so fast.
“Human, it’s so strange.”
Little Snake said timidly.
Ah Wan smiled slightly. “What’s strange?”
“I don’t know,” Little Snake looked at her dependently, one hand covering her heart. “Snakey’s heart is going boom-boom-boom, it’s going to break.”
“Alright, it won’t break.” Ah Wan took a deep breath. Her long lashes lowered, concealing the deep desire in her eyes. She patted Little Snake’s waist and said softly, “Go wash up and sleep.”
“Oh.”
Just after agreeing, Little Snake immediately remembered and asked curiously, “Then are you still going to spank Snakey’s bottom?”
Ah Wan’s breathing grew a little heavier. Her large hand stroked along Little Snake’s slender waist, feeling the softness at her fingertips. She forcefully restrained herself and replied, “We’ll keep it on credit for now.”
“Okay, then.”
Little Snake got up from the bed, put on Ah Wan’s slippers, and buried her head as she ran towards the bathroom.
Ah Wan quietly watched the direction she left in until the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. Only then did she look away. She lifted the blanket, got into bed, and lay down, casually picking up a book to flip through.
Ah Wan couldn’t remember what the book was about later. She only remembered the warmth in her palm, and that little bit of sweetness on the tip of her tongue.
The bathroom door opened. Ah Wan immediately snapped back to attention, raising the book to cover her face.
Little Snake rubbed her hair as she walked to the bed and called out, “Human, Snakey is going out to sleep now.”
The moment the words fell, the book in Ah Wan’s hand was instantly put down. She stared intently at the little creature preparing to leave, her tone somewhat heavy. “Go out to sleep?”
“Mm-hm.”
Little Snake blinked, a little confused why the human asked that. She’d been sleeping outside all these days.
Ah Wan’s fingers gripping the book corner tightened until her knuckles turned white, but her voice still sounded indifferent, as if just casually asking out of concern.
“Sleeping in the snake nest?”
“Right!” Little Snake nodded vigorously, her smile sweet. She explained, “The snake nest is small, it’s warm and comfortable to sleep in.”
After saying this, she remembered her little blanket was still on Ah Wan’s bed and crawled over to get it.
Ah Wan casually set the book aside and looked down as Little Snake lay across her body, reaching her hand into the covers to blindly feel around.
Suddenly, she exclaimed in surprise, “Ah, found it.”
As soon as she said it, Little Snake grabbed a corner of the little blanket and dragged it out, backing off the bed, ready to leave.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ah Wan moved swiftly and grabbed her arm.
“Human?” Little Snake was curious and turned her head. “Why are you pulling Snakey?”
As if waking from a dream, Ah Wan looked at her own hand gripping Little Snake. She thought for a moment, but still didn’t let go. Instead, she slowly lifted her eyes, frowned, and asked with a cold face, “Don’t you like sleeping in the bed?”
Back when she first arrived, she’d been thrown out but sneaked back in on her own to sleep next to her. Why not now?
Hearing this, Little Snake rubbed her nose, somewhat embarrassed. She replied, “Human, you’re cold. Not good to sleep with in winter.”
The moment the words fell, Ah Wan froze. Then she looked down at her own cold hands.
Were they that cold?
Little Snake was very clever. Seeing Ah Wan’s expression didn’t look good, her round eyes darted around. She quickly leaned in and comforted her in a small voice, “Human, you wait until summer. Snakey will come sleep with you then.”
Hearing this, Ah Wan’s heart trembled fiercely. She glared at her, let go, and directly lay back down.
“No need. Sleeping alone is quite nice.”
After saying this, she turned onto her side, facing inward. She pulled the blanket up high, covering most of her face, leaving only a bit of bright red at the tip of her ear exposed. Her voice came out muffled.
“Turn off the light when you leave.”
“Oh.”
Little Snake didn’t pester her. She obediently turned off the light, then hugged her little blanket and tiptoed out.
Once outside, she first shook out the little blanket, folded it twice the way Ah Wan had taught her, into a neat square, and placed it in the snake nest.
Then she transformed into a little white snake, slowly climbed up the table leg, and pillowed her head on Ah Wan’s pajamas, comfortably settling down to sleep in her own little nest.
Little Snake tended to get sleepier in autumn and winter. Lying there straight as a stick, she curled her tail and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, huffing away.
At two in the morning, a certain someone in the bed tossed and turned restlessly, unable to fall asleep no matter what.
In the pitch-black night, Ah Wan opened her eyes and reached out to touch the pillow next to her. Empty.
The entire room was bone-chillingly cold, as if she were in an ice cellar.
Her slender, strong fingers fiercely kneaded the little snake’s pillow. Ah Wan suddenly threw off the covers and got out of bed. She opened the wardrobe, pulled out the bottom drawer, and found the phone squeezed into a corner.
It hadn’t been used in a long time, long since powered off automatically.
Without hesitation, Ah Wan grabbed the charger and went to sit at the head of the bed. After plugging it in, she pressed the power button impatiently twice. Seeing no response, she could only wait helplessly, letting her mind go blank.
A few minutes later, she tried again. The phone vibrated; the screen lit up.
Ah Wan, with little patience, swiped the screen. It finally booted up and entered the home page, but before she could proceed to the next step, the phone started pinging madly.
Countless missed calls and messages frantically popped up on the screen, nearly crashing the phone.
Ah Wan glanced at a couple casually, frowning with a touch of disgust. Then she ignored them completely and instead opened a shopping app, quickly typing three characters into the search bar—
Electric Blanket.
Without hesitation, she chose a double-sized one, ordered it impulsively, and filled in the address as the post station at the mountain’s base.
After doing all this, Ah Wan immediately tossed the phone aside and got up to walk out.
Little Snake was sleeping soundly in her nest. Ah Wan first picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground and placed them on the table. Only then did she carefully scoop up the little creature wrapped in her little blanket into her palm and turn to leave.
But after taking just two steps, as if remembering something, Ah Wan abruptly stopped. She turned her head and looked at the snake nest on the table—the one she had woven with her own hands. A cold light flashed in her eyes.
In the early morning, Ah Wan was still the first to wake. She carefully gathered the little snake, who was sprawled out in all sorts of crooked angles, into her arms. Giving her a few gentle pats, she then reached back to grab the phone from the nightstand and opened it to check.
【Your package is being picked up…】
Ah Wan closed her eyes, tossed the phone onto the nightstand, and turned back over, continuing to hold Little Snake as she slept.
Had she known, she might as well have just bought it when she went down the mountain yesterday. Going down today wasn’t impossible, but—
Ah Wan looked down. She hooked her index finger around Little Snake’s delicate tail tip, playing by twirling it softly. It was limp and weak.
When it got cold, she often lacked energy. Ah Wan really couldn’t bear to disturb her. Better to endure it a few more days.
As it happened, Mid-Autumn Festival was six days later. In previous years, the foot of the mountain was exceptionally lively during the festival, with many tourists.
Back then, Ah Wan was alone, her personality cold, too lazy to join the festivities. But this year was different. This year she could take Little Snake down the mountain to have some fun.
Given her nature, she would probably enjoy such a lively scene very much.
At noon, Ah Wan sat under the eaves, weaving a bamboo basket.
A faint sound of movement came from inside the house. The movements of her hands also stopped. After a moment of hesitation, she still looked up towards the sound.
Little Snake crawled out from the bed in a messy daze, having slept until noon. Her little face was flushed pink from sleep. Still covered by the blanket, she looked around, confused.
How had she crawled into the human’s bed again?
Not seeing anyone in the room, Little Snake secretly rolled a circle on Ah Wan’s pillow, burying her face in it. Only then, feeling refreshed, did she get up, put on her clothes, and walk out.
“Human!”
Hearing the voice, Ah Wan instead withdrew her gaze and lowered her head, continuing to weave the basket in her hands.
Little Snake, dressed but with her hair loose, circled the house looking. First the kitchen. Finding no one there, she searched outside.
“Human!”
Little Snake, hand on the doorframe, looked at the silent Ah Wan and questioned her angrily, puffed up, “Why are you ignoring Snakey?”
As she spoke, she ran over and crouched at Ah Wan’s feet, tilting her head up to look at her. Curiously, she touched the unfinished basket, “Is this for Snakey?”
Hearing this, Ah Wan looked down and replied in a low, cold voice, “For you? You wish.”
“Then what is it?” Little Snake pointed, curious.
Ah Wan pursed her lips and answered casually, “For cultivating Gu.”
Yet after speaking, she put down her work, stood up, dusted off her clothes, and headed straight into the house.
Little Snake, crouching on the ground, turned her head to look back and shouted loudly, “Human, where are you going again?”
“To eat.”
Hearing this, Little Snake quickly followed. She had been hungry for a while now.
Ah Wan had stewed chicken with dried mushrooms today. As soon as the pot lid was opened, a rich, thick aroma wafted out.
She picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks to check if it was cooked, but suddenly a startled cry came from outside.
“Human!”
“Snakey’s nest is gone!”
Little Snake rushed in, flustered. She was just about to continue, but as she opened her mouth, she took a deep breath of that delicious smell and instantly forgot what she was going to say, staring blankly at Ah Wan.
She even swallowed hard, looking incredibly greedy, and said softly, “Human, Snakey wants to eat meat too.”
Seeing her hopelessly gluttonous expression, Ah Wan found her adorable. She made an “Mm” sound and deliberately teased her, “It’s not ready yet, can’t eat it.”
Little Snake swallowed her saliva, walked over, tilted her head back, and opened her mouth wide, her two sharp fangs clearly visible. She reached out and pointed inside, saying, “Won’t mind.”
Ah Wan laughed, saying nothing more. She picked up the piece of chicken, blew on it to cool it, and gently placed it in her mouth.
“Is it good?”
Little Snake chewed a couple of times and tasted it. She was so happy she narrowed her eyes and nodded vigorously, “Delicious! Want more!”
Seeing she wasn’t bringing up the snake nest matter, Ah Wan quietly sighed in relief. She scooped the food into bowls, preparing to eat. But as soon as Little Snake sat down at the table, she remembered her snake nest again. Holding her bowl, she asked wistfully, “Human, where did Snakey’s little nest go?”
Ah Wan’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. She lowered her head, a bit guilty. “Don’t know, didn’t see.”
“Without my little nest, how is Snakey supposed to sleep tonight?” Little Snake rested her chin on her hands, talking to herself with a troubled look.
“Cough.”
Ah Wan cleared her throat deliberately, reached out with her chopsticks to put a chicken leg in her bowl, and then said, as if very reluctantly, “You can sleep on the bed.”
“Really?” Little Snake’s eyes sparkled. She looked at Ah Wan with joy, proactively leaning over to stick close to her. Her fuzzy head rubbed softly against Ah Wan’s neck. “Human, how can you be so nice?”
Ah Wan didn’t speak, just lowered her shoulder to let her lean more comfortably, letting her roll around and nuzzle as she pleased.
The smile on her face remained faint, but inside, she was feeling immensely pleased. The corners of her eyes and brows were tinged with profound happiness, her tone light and airy.
“Alright,” Ah Wan looked down at her, her lips gently brushing against her bangs, coaxing her tenderly, “Eat first. In a couple of days, I’ll take you down the mountain to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Little Snake leaned on her shoulder, tilting her head up to look at her, blinking her big eyes as she repeated it curiously.
“Mm, Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Ah Wan hesitated for a moment, “…it’s meant to be spent with family.”
“Family?”
Little Snake scratched her head, murmuring the word thoughtfully. She proactively looked up at Ah Wan.
