Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He squatted down and carefully opened the net bag. The snake quickly slipped out of the net bag and fled into the shadow of the woods, and soon disappeared. Looking at the snake's back as it left, Li Xiangqian couldn't help but let out a long breath, and there was an inexplicable sense of relief in his heart.

He looked up and saw birds singing in the deep woods. The air was filled with the scent of moist grass, which made him feel particularly comfortable. This forest was where he often played when he was a child. Every tree and every path seemed to contain his childhood memories. He recalled the time when his father took him here to pick mushrooms and catch insects, and he couldn't help but smile. His father was gone, but those memories were still fresh, as if leaving a warm corner in his heart.

Li Xiangqian has been feeling a bit strange these days. Although he took the snake away and released it in the woods, it seemed to leave behind a lingering shadow, like some kind of premonition that he couldn't get rid of, which would pop up in his mind from time to time. He even always felt that there was still the smell of snakes in the yard, especially when night fell and the moonlight shone through the locust trees on the ground, like a series of swirling shadows. This feeling made him recall the cold eyes of the snake as it slid, as if the snake was still secretly spying on his life.

He began to pay attention to every corner of the yard, especially those damp and dark places, and couldn't help but take a few more glances. His mind became a little sensitive. Every time he heard a rustling sound in the bushes at night, he would sit up like a conditioned reflex and stare at the darkness until everything returned to calm, and then lie down again. Li Xiangqian was not afraid of snakes, but he had become more taboo in his heart in the past few days. He didn't even dare to mention it to others, for fear of being laughed at, and also for fear that this invisible fear would make him more uneasy.

One day, Li Xiangqian was working in the yard. Old Zhang from next door passed by with a pipe in his hand. Seeing him frowning and thinking, he couldn't help but curiously leaned over and asked, "Xiangqian, you seem absent-minded recently. What happened?"

Li Xiangqian came back to his senses, forced a smile, and waved his hand as if he was nonchalant: "It's nothing. I haven't slept well recently. It might be because of the mice making noises at night, which made me upset." He deliberately covered up and did not dare to mention the snake. He just used the excuse of the mice making noises.

Old Zhang nodded, took a deep puff of cigarette, and said in a half-comprehending tone: "There is a creature disturbing you in the yard, you have to be careful. In the past, Old Man Liu from the east end of our village had an owl in his yard for three days. He couldn't sleep well the whole night and almost got sick." As he spoke, he tapped the stone steps at his feet with his pipe and said in a deep tone: "Sometimes these animals can also affect people's fortunes, don't underestimate them."

Li Xiangqian felt a little tingling, but he refused to admit it. He just smiled vaguely and said, "Hey, don't scare me. It's not that mysterious to say these things in broad daylight."

Old Zhang chuckled a few times and stared at him meaningfully: "It's okay if you don't believe it, as long as you know it in your heart. By the way, I heard that you took away a snake a few days ago, right?" He mentioned it casually, but his eyes seemed to be observing Li Xiangqian's reaction.

"Ah... yes, the snake was always coiled in my vegetable garden. I didn't dare to kill it casually, so I took the net bag and sent it away." Li Xiangqian answered reluctantly, but he suddenly felt a little panicked, fearing that Old Zhang would ask more questions.

Old Zhang nodded slightly and said thoughtfully: "Don't touch snakes easily unless they really provoke you. Especially if they appear in the yard, they are probably destined to meet you. You'd better take it easy." There was some unspoken meaning in his words. After he finished speaking, he patted Li Xiangqian on the shoulder, turned and left.

Li Xiangqian looked at the back of Old Zhang, who was walking away, and felt inexplicably irritated and a little uneasy. He had always been a person who didn't believe in evil, but these days, especially after listening to Old Zhang's words, he couldn't help but think about the reason why the snake appeared. It seemed that it didn't just pass by by chance, but had some meaning. Thinking about it, he actually felt a little regretful that he shouldn't have sent the snake away rashly. If it was really like what Old Zhang said, it came with some purpose, would he have violated a taboo by doing this?

That night, Li Xiangqian tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and the scene of the snake slithering kept appearing in front of his eyes. He didn't want to admit it, but he did feel a little regretful and even a little scared, as if the snake would come back. In the morning, when it was slightly bright, he finally closed his eyes with difficulty, but he had a dream. In the dream, he was standing in the vegetable garden, and it was so quiet that even the sound of the wind seemed to have disappeared. He looked down and saw the snake curled up at his feet, with a cold look in his eyes and his tail shaking slightly, as if waiting for him to speak.

Li Xiangqian woke up with a start and found himself in a cold sweat. He rubbed his face and sat on the bed staring blankly out the window. The sun had risen, and the morning light shone through the leaves of the locust tree, warm and peaceful. But his mood did not calm down at all because of this peaceful morning, but became even more uneasy. He felt that he must do something to get rid of this lingering fear.

So, Li Xiangqian decided to go back to the woods. He wanted to see if the snake was still there, or to confirm that it would not come back. With a nervous mood, he walked alone on the path leading to the woods. The sun shone on his body, but it could not dispel the chill in his heart. Along the way, he kept thinking about his several encounters with the snake. His mind was full of those cold eyes, as if they were staring at him, waiting for him to return.

When he arrived at the woods, Li Xiangqian slowly approached the area where he had released the snake. His steps were slow and heavy, and his eyes scanned every inch of the ground vigilantly, hoping to see the snake again, but also afraid to see it. But after walking around, there was silence all around, except for a few birds that occasionally flew out, there were no other creatures. He stood there, sighed, and felt a sense of inexplicable loss in his heart.

"So I scared myself." He murmured, with a bit of self-mockery and relief. Maybe the snake had already adapted to the environment of this forest and would never come back to disturb his life again. Li Xiangqian smiled bitterly and was about to turn back to go home, but at this moment, a slight rustling sound suddenly sounded in his ears. His heart tightened, and he turned around suddenly, and actually saw a gray figure flash by and quickly disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Li Xiangqian stood there in a daze, breathing slightly faster, staring at the direction where the snake disappeared with complicated eyes. He was not sure if it was the original snake, but he had an inexplicable feeling in his heart, that the snake seemed to be telling him something, or leaving him some kind of message. He knew he should leave and not delve into it any further, otherwise he would only get deeper and deeper.