Chapter 38: A Dead Snake
She watched his tall back and steady gait. There was a sophisticated composure in his every move—an air no simple mountain man should possess. She suddenly grew curious. ’What kind of person was Hu Feng before he lost his memory?’
When she snapped out of her daze, Hu Feng was already some distance away. She quickly hoisted the wild chicken and jogged to catch up.
She glanced up at the sun, guessing it was around one in the afternoon.
The sun was at its most vicious at this hour, and the fields were nearly empty of workers. Some had gone home for lunch and a siesta, while others had found a shady spot to rest, waiting for the heat wave to pass before resuming their work. It was better than getting heatstroke; the lost time was nothing compared to the cost of falling ill.
Hu Feng led Bai Zhi to his family’s land. The vegetable garden and the wheat field were in different locations. The garden was at the foot of Tiger Slope, where surrounding trees and grass made it cooler than the open fields. There was also plenty of shade to rest in. ’No wonder the Bai Family prefers working in the gardens,’ she thought.
From a distance, they saw Hu Changlin turning the soil, sweat pouring off him. Zhao Lan followed behind, breaking up the larger clods of dirt. Despite using her left hand, she was remarkably proficient and a great help to Hu Changlin.
Bai Zhi bounded forward. "Mom—we’re here!"
Zhao Lan stopped what she was doing and turned to see her daughter running toward her, her little face flushed red from the sun. The color made the bruises on her face stand out even more. In her hand, she was carrying a barely-living wild chicken.
"Slow down, you’ll fall!" she said with a smile, setting down her tool. She took her daughter’s hand and led her into the shade of a tree. "You rest here. We’ve got a little more to do, then we’ll head back."
Bai Zhi held her back. "No, Mom, you should rest. I can do it." She thrust the wild chicken into Zhao Lan’s arms and turned to head for the field. She had seen from afar what Zhao Lan was doing; it was just breaking up large clumps of soil with a tool to prepare for seeding. It didn’t look too difficult.
Just then, Hu Feng finished unloading the basket from his back and the tied-up cloth sack, placing them both under the tree. Seeing Bai Zhi head for the field, he followed and snatched the farm tool from her hands. "I’ll do it."
He was very strong. He took the tool with one hand and grabbed Bai Zhi’s arm with the other, pulling her aside.
Seeing this, Uncle Hu chuckled. "Zhi, you must be tired. Go rest with your mother under the tree. Hu Feng and I can handle this. It won’t take long."
Bai Zhi was still injured and couldn’t do heavy labor anyway. Since Uncle Hu insisted, she didn’t argue. She just smiled brightly and said, "Alright then, I’ll go get some food ready. I’ll call you when it’s done."
Uncle Hu started to ask where she would get food, but seeing her happily skipping toward the tree, he held his tongue. ’She and Hu Feng must have found more sweet potatoes on the mountain,’ he thought. ’But how does she plan to cook them out here in the middle of nowhere?’
Uncle Hu and Hu Feng focused on their work, while Bai Zhi, meanwhile, pulled the long, thick, venomous snake out of the cloth sack.
Zhao Lan nearly fainted from fright.
Seeing Zhao Lan’s face pale as she leaped aside, Bai Zhi dangled the snake and giggled. "It’s just a dead snake. Look at you, getting so scared."
When Zhao Lan saw that the snake was indeed dead, she breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she didn’t dare get any closer. Pointing at the snake in Bai Zhi’s hand, she said, "Quick, throw it away!"
Bai Zhi shook her head. "No way. This is our lunch today. I can’t just throw it away."