Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"Maybe I'm too careless, and the smell or moisture in the ground attracted these snakes," he thought to himself, "If I flush it with a lot of water to clean up the smell and the smell of the soil, maybe the snakes will lose interest and never come again." Thinking of this, he suddenly sat up with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "No, I have to take action!"

He simply put on his coat and jacket, went to the main room, and dragged out several large buckets of pure water from the locker. Li Xiangqian's family always had sufficient water in reserve to deal with various emergencies. Now that the vegetable field was infested with snakes, he had a bold idea: to clean the vegetable field thoroughly, not to maintain the vegetables, but to drive away the snakes.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but Li Xiangqian was already standing at the edge of the field. The cool breeze blew by, and he felt nervous and excited. He first placed a few buckets of water neatly on the edge of the vegetable field, thinking about which field to start from. The light in the field was still dim, and he looked at the vegetable fields shrouded in night fog, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of gloom.

"Will it alarm the snakes if we get these things so early in the morning?" Li Xiangqian swallowed unconsciously, but then shook his head and consoled himself: "Snakes are afraid of the cold, and the early morning is definitely the quietest time. It's safest to do it now, while they are still in their dens and haven't come out, so we can drive them away in one fell swoop."

He slowly walked to the center of the field, took a deep breath, and picked up a bucket of water. His hands were shaking slightly, but he tried to stay calm. He slowly poured the water on the ground, and the water quickly flowed into the soil, flowing along the gullies, moistening the dry soil. The damp soil exuded a faint earthy fragrance, but in Li Xiangqian's nose, the smell seemed particularly pungent, making him feel vaguely uneasy.

"Will the snakes really be scared away by the water?" He still had some doubts in his heart, but he thought that he would never know the effect if he didn't try, so he simply sped up. He picked up the second bucket of water and slowly poured it on the soil, staring at the soil, as if ready to welcome the snakes that jumped out of the soil at any time. However, no snake appeared, only the wet soil became softer after being washed by the water.

As he continued watering, he suddenly heard a slight sound of grass leaves behind him, as if something was sliding through the grass. He turned around suddenly, his heart almost in his throat. He saw a slender snake flashing through the grass, so fast that he had no time to see it clearly.

Li Xiangqian froze in place, the bucket in his hand trembling slightly. He couldn't help but regret it in his heart: "I was rash. These snakes might still be nearby. If I act rashly, I might anger them!" He felt a cold sweat on his back, and the hand holding the bucket unconsciously exerted force, and his knuckles turned white.

He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. "Don't panic, they are just passing by, or they were disturbed by the sound of water." Li Xiangqian whispered to himself, slowly relaxing his tense muscles, and continued to walk forward with the bucket, trying to make his steps as light as possible and carefully avoid disturbing the snakes again.

Just as he bent down to pour water, he suddenly heard a low voice behind him: "Xiang Qian, you are pouring water on the field early in the morning, aren't you afraid of attracting snakes out?" The voice made him turn around suddenly, only to see He Yuzhu standing not far away, looking at him with complicated eyes.

"Brother Yuzhu!" Li Xiangqian called out in surprise, and at the same time, he felt a little embarrassed. He knew that He Yuzhu never believed that these snakes would pose a threat to people, and he did not approve of his "unrewarding" approach.

He Yuzhu sighed slightly, walked to Li Xiangqian, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Why are you doing this? These snakes may be here to eat the pests in the field. You are messing around like this and are only messing up the ecology of the field."

Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly and shook his head slowly: "Brother Yuzhu, you don't know, these snakes are not like ordinary snakes. I saw them staring at me intentionally several times, and their movements are more flexible than ordinary snakes. I always feel that they are deliberately making trouble, or in other words, they come here with some purpose."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, and looking at Li Xiangqian's tired expression, he seemed to be moved. He slowed down his tone and said softly: "Xiangqian, I know you are worried about these snakes, but sometimes it's not good to be too nervous. You have set so many snake traps, and you still have to go through so much trouble to pour water. Don't you feel tired?"

"I am tired, but it is better than having trouble sleeping at night." Li Xiangqian replied with a smile, but there was some helplessness in his eyes. "If I don't do something, I will always feel uneasy. I am always worried that the snake will jump into the house at any time, which will be even worse."

He Yuzhu looked at him quietly, nodded slowly after a moment, and sighed, "Since you insist so much, I won't persuade you any more. I just hope you can be careful and not get too anxious about this matter." He paused, and suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, how about I keep watch with you tonight to see if there is a snake causing trouble?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect He Yuzhu to offer to keep watch with him. His heart warmed, but he was a little hesitant. After all, he didn't want to involve more people in the snake incident. However, thinking about how he had been alone and frightened for several nights in a row, he couldn't help but nodded and agreed.

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Yuzhu. Let's keep watch tonight and see what they are going to do." Li Xiangqian said solemnly, with a hint of determination in his tone, "I want to see what the purpose of these snakes is!"

He Yuzhu patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "You're welcome. We're friends. But you should relax. This matter may not be as complicated as you think." He smiled comfortingly, as if he wanted Li Xiangqian to let go of the burden in his heart.

After the two briefly discussed the plan for the night watch, they returned to prepare. In the evening, the setting sun gradually disappeared, and the night enveloped the entire village again. Li Xiangqian and He Yuzhu stood by the vegetable field, each holding a weak flashlight, quietly watching.

As the night deepened, the surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional chirping of insects breaking the silence. Li Xiangqian held his breath and stared at a corner of the vegetable field, his heart filled with anticipation and nervousness. He held the flashlight tightly in his hand, his fingertips slightly cold, and he kept wondering if the snakes would appear again.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu couldn't help but jokingly said, "Xiang Qian, don't be too tense, relax a little. Let's just treat it as moon-watching tonight, don't make it like a war."