Chapter 7

Night fell, time to sleep.

Ah Wan yawned as she headed towards her room, a little tail following behind her.

She didn’t stop her, but at the very moment she was about to enter, she threw her arm across the doorframe, blocking the way. She turned her head and looked down at the little creature trailing right on her heels. Her voice was ice cold as she said: “You should know the treatment for a working snake. Go sleep in the kitchen.”

Hearing this, Little Snake’s eyebrows nearly scrunched into the Chinese character for “eight.”

When she was a snake, her reptilian features couldn’t move, so she didn’t have many expressions. But as a human, her little expressions were incredibly rich.

Ah Wan observed this and found it rather cute. She couldn’t help but laugh, but it lasted only an instant.

Because the moment Little Snake noticed her smile, she was immediately encouraged and tried to push her luck, wanting to go back to the room with her to sleep.

Ah Wan instantly put on a stern face and blocked her, her voice fierce: “Either sleep in the kitchen, or sleep outside. Pick one.”

Hearing this, Little Snake felt a little wronged. She hung her head low. “But it’s not comfortable sleeping there. It’s cold and hard.”

“What does a working snake expect to sleep on? A Simmons mattress?” Ah Wan’s tone was just as cold.

“No want,” Little Snake didn’t understand what a “Simmons” was. She lifted her head to look at Ah Wan, her expression one of genuine, earnest longing as she replied, “Want sleep Human. Human soft, smells good. Snakey likes!”

Hearing this, Ah Wan’s heart did a sudden thump. But her face only grew more sullen. Without another word, right in front of Little Snake, she forcefully slammed the door shut.

The wind from the slammed door hit Little Snake in the face. She squinted and took a step back, but didn’t give up. She bent down, searching for the small, damaged hole at the bottom corner of the door.

But the next moment, the tightly shut door in front of her suddenly opened from inside.

Ah Wan was backlit, her ears slightly flushed. She instructed stiffly: “Don’t you dare crawl in through the hole tonight.”

After finishing, she paused and observed Little Snake’s reaction, then added fiercely: “If you dare come in, tomorrow I’ll stretch you out flat and use you as a clothesline.”

Hearing this, Little Snake’s petite frame instinctively shuddered. She pouted her lips at Ah Wan, let out a “hmph,” and turned to leave, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.

Ah Wan watched her retreating figure without softening her heart. She decisively closed the door.

But a moment later, that door was cracked open again, just a sliver.

Ah Wan stood behind the door. The hand gripping the doorknob tightened, her fingertips turning white.

Her brow furrowed deeply. She thought it over and over, but still closed the door again and turned into the bathroom.

Early morning, the air was laced with a chilly mist, though a streak of orange-red was already appearing on the horizon.

Ah Wan carried a folding lounge chair to the backyard and unfolded it next to the large vat. She slowly lay down, took out a book, and began reading quietly.

The shadows under the eaves gradually receded. The sun slowly climbed to its zenith.

Ah Wan looked up. She closed her book and knocked on the vat, urging: “If you don’t come out soon, you’ll miss lunchtime, and I’m not saving any for you.”

A moment later, movement came from within the vat. The lid trembled slightly, as if something inside was trying to get out.

Ah Wan glanced at it and, in an act of great mercy, helped by shifting the lid open a crack. Immediately, a little white head popped out.

“Come here,” Ah Wan extended her hand.

Little Snake glanced at her, then slowly crawled into her palm. She coiled her wounded, battered body into a tight circle, resting her head on Ah Wan’s wrist bone. Her slender tongue stretched out, lightly licking over Ah Wan’s pulse point.

Ah Wan frowned slightly, but still didn’t throw her away. Instead, in a rather cold voice, she offered a word of praise: “Good.”

Hearing this, Little Snake lifted her head to look at Ah Wan. She happily flicked her tongue, then secretly extended the tip of her tail, coiling it around the woman’s middle finger. But halfway through, she suddenly paused and looked at Ah Wan with a hint of unease.

“Just this once,” Ah Wan said, putting on a stern face to frighten her.

Little Snake immediately nodded obediently, then tightly wound her tail tip around Ah Wan’s middle finger.

It looked like a white jade ring.

Lunch was simple today. Ah Wan’s was a bowl of tomato and egg rice bowl. Little Snake’s was, as usual, a piece of freshly thawed raw meat.

The herbal water was prepared in the bathroom. Ah Wan pinched Little Snake’s head and carried her in. This time, she didn’t just toss her in with a plop. She gently placed her into the water and even helped prop her head up so it rested on the edge.

Little Snake stirred her tail gently in the water, flicking her tongue. She looked very comfortable.

Ah Wan turned to leave, but Little Snake suddenly grew agitated. Her tail tip swirled more frantically, making an uneasy hissing sound.

Ah Wan glanced back and said coldly: “Don’t push your luck.”

Little Snake wilted instantly. She slowly slid down into the water, even hiding her head under the surface, only stirring an indignant ripple with her tail.

Ah Wan, however, suddenly laughed. She murmured softly, “Quite the little temper.”

After saying that, she tossed out another line: “Come out and eat when you’re done soaking.”

Then she left without looking back.

Ah Wan finished her own meal quickly. She never had much of an appetite for food. Sometimes, a bowl of plain rice and a spoonful of chili sauce was enough to count as a meal.

Little Snake finished her soak. Still wearing the pajamas Ah Wan had changed out of that morning, she happily sat down at her spot, ready to eat.

Ah Wan looked up and glanced at her, a note of displeasure in her voice. “Didn’t I get you a set of pajamas? Why are you wearing mine?”

“Hmm?” Little Snake looked at the woman across from her, puzzled. Her pale, delicate fingers gently lifted her own collar and pressed it against her nose and mouth. She took a deep sniff, and only then smiled and replied, “Human, smells good!”

Ah Wan couldn’t bear to look. She turned her head away, an inexplicable heat flaring in her heart.

After eating, Ah Wan was ready to head up the mountain. Little Snake wanted to follow, but was shooed back, told to go inside and wash the dishes.

There were only two plates total, so Ah Wan felt quite reassured leaving this task to her. She shouldered her back basket and went up the mountain.

Little Snake had no choice but to go back inside. She was wearing her pajamas—both top and bottom—and even tied on an apron like she’d seen Ah Wan do. She rolled up her sleeves in a semblance of professionalism, ready to wash the dishes.

But she didn’t turn on the faucet. Instead, she grabbed a plate with both hands, stuck out her tongue, shook her head as she moved it up and down, meticulously and diligently licking the plate clean. She then put it away in the cupboard.

Then she started “washing” the second plate, returning it to its place the same way, doing it so skillfully she seemed like an old hand at it.

In the late afternoon, Ah Wan returned home with a small basketful of medicinal herbs on her back. Before she even reached the courtyard gate, she spotted the little creature from afar.

The clothes she’d been wearing that morning were now filthy. She was squatting on the ground, hugging her knees.

As Ah Wan drew closer, she saw her holding a small stick, poking at an anthill on the ground, flicking her tongue in boredom.

The ants on the ground were all going out of their way to avoid her. But upon seeing Ah Wan return, they swarmed towards her in a dense, frantic mass, circling around her feet miserably.

Ah Wan bent down and extended a finger. A slightly larger ant crawled onto her fingertip.

“What are you doing, bullying my Ant Gu?” Ah Wan spoke as she gently stroked the little ant with her hand.

Hearing this, Little Snake tossed the stick away. A little wronged, she complained: “They not let Snakey go out.”

Earlier, when she’d finished making dinner and Ah Wan still hadn’t returned, she’d wanted to go look for her. But a swarm of ants suddenly appeared at the door, blocking her path and erasing all of Ah Wan’s scent trail.

This had angered Little Snake so much that she found a stick and started poking at their anthill.

“Oh?” Ah Wan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She drawled lazily, praising them, “You did a very good job.”

She then lifted her finger and gently touched her lips to it, saying to the little ant, “Good.”

Little Snake watched this, feeling a surge of displeasure.

She scraped her toes against the dirt, burying her hands behind her back, muttering to herself: “Snakey also good.”

“Hmm?” Ah Wan looked at her, pretending not to have understood.

Little Snake stuck her head out towards her.

Ah Wan let out a soft “ha,” raised her hand, and flicked her on the forehead. Then she sidestepped her and walked straight into the courtyard.

Little Snake remained where she was, covering her forehead as she watched Ah Wan leave. She felt a little wronged.

Why no kiss for Snakey?

Ah Wan entered the house and saw a plate of stir-fried carrot and pork slices on the table. It actually looked quite presentable.

She washed her hands, sat down, and picked up her chopsticks to taste it. The flavor was passable. Not as bad as she’d imagined.

She had to admit, Little Snake learned things incredibly fast. Whether it was talking, or dressing and washing up, she didn’t require much effort to teach. Now, even her cooking was starting to look the part.

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Ah Wan’s eyes. But it was only a flicker; she tucked it away the moment Little Snake ran in. She ate silently with her chopsticks.

Little Snake had been outside, poking at the ant hole. She was filthy from head to toe. She entered the house without a care in the world and ran over to sit on a chair. She picked up the raw meat sitting before her and started eating.

Ah Wan saw this and frowned at her. “Go wash your hands.”

“Wash?” Little Snake stared at Ah Wan curiously. Her mind worked for a second, and then she suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked her hands clean.

“Wash your hands. With water. Go wash them again properly.” Ah Wan had a massive headache.

She retracted her earlier thought. Stupid snake. No ability to extrapolate. Clearly, she’d taught her how to wash vegetables, but she didn’t know how to wash her hands.

“Oh.” Little Snake obediently went to wash her hands. But when she came back out, she wiped her dripping wet hands on her dirty clothes and then sat down at the table to eat.

Ah Wan saw this and felt her vision darken with frustration. She set down her chopsticks and stood up. She looked at Little Snake, who was about to tuck in heartily, and said coldly: “Come here. Wash them again.”

Little Snake looked up at her, completely baffled, and reminded her softly, “Human, Snakey washed already.”

“Come here,” Ah Wan’s tone deepened.

Little Snake’s mouth turned down in a pout. Only then did she reluctantly put down the meat in her hands and walk towards Ah Wan.

Ah Wan walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She glanced at the girl beside her, her voice still somewhat cold. “Put your hands under.”

Little Snake obediently placed her hands under the stream of water and then stopped moving. She looked up at Ah Wan and happily exclaimed, “Human! Chilly!”

Ah Wan looked at her. With a sigh of resignation, she reached out, took the girl’s hands, and began rubbing them together to wash them. She even applied a layer of soap.

Little Snake’s hands were already slick and smooth. Once lathered, they became even more slippery and soft, cool to the touch, almost hard to hold onto.

Little Snake, however, found this very amusing. She giggled happily. With her hands full of soap suds, she reached out to grab Ah Wan’s hands and, mimicking what she’d just seen, began scrubbing them.

“Stop messing around!” Ah Wan scolded her.

Little Snake’s smile immediately froze on her face, quickly turning into a look of grievance.

Her large, glistening, limpid eyes opened wide. She asked uneasily, “Human… hate Snakey?”

Ah Wan: …

“No.”

After a long pause, Ah Wan managed to force out a stiff reply. She then grabbed a dry towel from the side and wiped Little Snake’s small hands clean.

Then she turned and left.

Little Snake paused briefly, then followed. She saw Ah Wan sit down to eat, so she also climbed onto her stool, grabbed her raw meat, and started gnawing at it.

The scene that entered her eyes made Ah Wan’s brain feel like it was going to explode.

A snake eating raw meat… and she was actually worried about whether the hands it used to eat were clean or not?

You’re treating her too much like a human, Ah Wan.