Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Don't you have rat poison here?" Li Xiangqian asked with a hint of urgency in his tone.

The old Chinese doctor smiled and said, "Rat poison is a chemical. Although it can treat the symptoms, the fundamental cure depends on yourself. If you don't want to face this problem often, maybe you can try other methods." He didn't seem to be in a hurry to sell the medicine to Li Xiangqian, but still looked at him calmly.

Li Xiangqian felt confused and even more uneasy. The old Chinese doctor's words seemed not just to sell medicine, but more to explore his mind. He finally realized that the uneasy feeling in his heart was probably not just from the snake itself, but also from some unspeakable hidden worries.

He was silent for a moment, then reached out to take the herbs and nodded: "That's it, thank you."

On the way out of the pharmacy, Li Xiangqian's pace gradually quickened, but the doubts in his heart did not dissipate. Can herbs drive away snakes? Or is this just a comforting word from the old Chinese doctor? His anxiety did not ease, but became more and more serious with the weight of the medicine bag. He understood that he was not just trying to solve the problem of snakes, but more to find some outlet for his growing fear.

When he returned to the courtyard, it was already dark. The courtyard was empty, with only the moonlight shining on the bluestone slabs, making it unusually quiet. Li Xiangqian walked into the house and secretly placed the medicine bag on the bedside, but his heart was still in turmoil. The existence of the snake was like a time bomb, constantly reminding him that the fear and powerlessness he was unwilling to face had begun to quietly corrode his originally stable life.

However, he also knew that he was not ready to face it completely. He did not tell He Yuzhu or anyone else, but just hid this heavy feeling in his heart and silently endured the unspeakable anxiety.

Li Xiangqian still couldn't calm down. The existence of the herbal bag seemed to weigh on his heart, making him breathless. Every time he thought of the black snake, his mind flashed with its figure slithering in the night, as if it had become an inescapable shadow in his life. Li Xiangqian sometimes felt that he was no longer the master of his life, but was led by an inexplicable fear. He didn't dare to imagine what kind of situation he would fall into if he didn't take action.

However, all this seems to become more complicated with the appearance of Xu Damao. Xu Damao is an old farmer in the village. He has been farming for many years and is well-informed. The villagers respect him very much. Li Xiangqian and Xu Damao are not close friends, but because the two families are geographically close, they occasionally have some exchanges. Xu Damao's personality is completely different from Li Xiangqian. He is a very cheerful and straightforward person. He doesn't like to beat around the bush and always speaks his mind directly, which makes him somewhat "famous" in the village.

Today, Xu Damao found Li Xiangqian with a slightly anxious and heavy look on his face, as if something was bothering him. Li Xiangqian was sorting tools in the yard, and was a little surprised to see Xu Damao walk into the yard, but he still greeted him with a smile: "Da Mao, why are you here? Is there something wrong?"

"Move forward, ah..." Xu Damao sighed, looked down at the soil under his feet, and seemed a little hesitant. "How is your land recently? Have you encountered any trouble?"

Li Xiangqian was slightly shocked, but his face remained calm: "Nothing, just daily farm work. But you, why do you look so worried?"

Xu Damao looked up at Li Xiangqian, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes: "My field has been restless recently, with more and more snakes. I have seen three in the past few days, all of which appeared on the ridges and in the grass. I wondered if I should do something to prevent it, but I couldn't think of a way. You are a farmer, don't you think this is getting more and more troublesome?"

Li Xiangqian's heart was moved, but he pretended to be calm on the surface: "A lot of snakes? Are there really so many in your field? This is a big trouble."

"It's not that many, but those few still make me nervous." Xu Damao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You know, you have to be careful when you see this kind of thing. But you said there was one in your yard, didn't you? Have you thought of any way?"

Li Xiangqian's heart tightened, and the image of the snake immediately emerged. He lowered his voice and said, "I have been trying to find a solution, but you know, the more you try to figure out some things, the more uncertain you become. What do you think?"

Xu Damao frowned, looking a little anxious: "I thought about asking someone to catch the snake, but it's not very convenient. I don't dare to go into the ground casually anymore, for fear of touching something I shouldn't touch. I heard that you have some ideas, why don't you give me some advice?"

Li Xiangqian's heart wavered. He knew that he was not decisive enough, and Xu Damao's request for help made him feel an indescribable sense of responsibility. Not only did he have to face his own fear, but he also had to help others face the same dilemma. But he didn't want Xu Damao to know the unspeakable things in his heart, especially the anxiety brought by the snake.

"Hmm..." Li Xiangqian said slowly, "Why don't you try using herbs to repel snakes? You can go to a nearby herbal medicine store and have a look. I've recently heard that some herbs can repel snakes without harming other animals. You know, not all snakes are poisonous nowadays, but if we really get into trouble, we still have to be careful."

Xu Damao frowned, seeming to doubt the herbal medicine method of driving away snakes: "Herbs? Do you think it really works? These snakes are not trivial things."

Li Xiangqian suppressed his anxiety and tried to make his voice sound steady: "Of course it works. Although herbal medicine cannot guarantee that it is 100% effective, it can at least provide some relief. You don't want to be frightened every day, so maybe this method can give you some comfort."

Xu Damao was silent for a moment, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He also knew that the idea of ​​using herbs to drive away snakes sounded a bit far-fetched, but after all, there were not many better options. Moreover, the method Li Xiangqian proposed did not seem to harm other creatures and did not have too many side effects. After thinking it over again and again, he finally nodded: "Okay, since you said so, then I'll give it a try."

Li Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still feeling uneasy. He didn't really believe that the herbs could completely solve the problem, especially when facing the black snake, he had already felt the threat it posed. The herbs might be able to drive away some snakes, but they couldn't fundamentally solve the problem. Li Xiangqian had a vague premonition that the appearance of the snake might not be a simple natural phenomenon, but might even have some more complex meaning.