PCJ – Chapter 73 Snake Incident at Ma’s House

On the day Ma Sibao brought back that black-headed snake, his parents, Ma An and Liu Yuehong, were still praising their son’s great achievements, thinking how capable their son was. But something seemed off that day. Snakes from around the village were crazily rushing into their house. Despite the elders’ advice and the traditional taboo against killing snakes inside the house, Ma An paid no heed, catching every snake he saw and stuffing them into snake skin bags.

Ma An usually caught snakes to sell in town, specifically to several restaurants there. People in town loved eating snake meat. Just in one morning, Ma An filled several snake skin bags with over a dozen snakes. The bags were all bulging with snakes.

Ma An hung the snake skin bags on the cargo rack of his bicycle, preparing to go to town, but was stopped by his father, Ma Changzhi.

“Where are you going?” Ma Changzhi asked.

“Where else? Today I caught over a dozen snakes at home and plan to sell them in town. Just to give you an idea, each snake goes for two yuan, so that’s over twenty yuan right here. Much better than working as a laborer.” Ma An said, preparing to leave.

“Don’t go. If you listen to me, you’ll release all these snakes immediately. You’ve caused a disaster! Don’t you wonder why so many snakes are rushing into our house today like they’re committing suicide?” Ma Changzhi hastily stopped Ma An.

“Dad, what’s the big deal? Why do I care why they’re rushing into our house? I’d be glad to have even more. That way, I can catch even more. Snakes are good stuff, worth a lot. People in the city love eating them.” Ma An said, indifferent.

“Idiot! They’re rushing into your house like that because your family must have done something to provoke them. If you anger them further now, they’ll retaliate crazily against you. Tell me, did Sibao bring back a big snake today?” Ma Changzhi asked.

“Yeah. Sibao is really talented. At such a young age, he dared to catch such a big snake. He takes after me in this regard.” Ma An laughed.

Ma Changzhi’s eyes darkened at Ma An’s words. “We’re done for. Stirring up big trouble.”

“What big trouble? Dad, don’t listen to rumors. Forget it, I’ll tell you after I sell these bags of snakes. Yuehong is alone at home catching snakes, I’m afraid she can’t handle it. Dad, if you’re free now, go help her.” Ma An glanced at the sun, already high in the sky. If he didn’t hurry, the market in town would be closing.

“I’ll help you, my foot!” Ma Changzhi hurriedly picked up a stick from the roadside, ready to use it on this stubborn fool.

Ma An quickly pedaled away on his black Everlasting-brand bicycle, leaving his father behind with the stick. Ma Changzhi threw the stick away, missing his target, and it landed on the village’s unfinished road, bouncing a few times. Ma Changzhi sighed, realizing his eldest son was out of control. Even though they had separated households, this son was still his own flesh and blood. Ma Changzhi still had to worry about his children’s affairs. This eldest son loved to engage in all sorts of mischief. Catching snakes, catching frogs, setting traps for wild boars in the mountains, setting up snares for wild animals, blasting fish… anything that could make money, Ma An dared to do. Ma Changzhi knew that such misdeeds would have consequences one day. But he couldn’t stop him.

Ma An was quick-witted. Among his brothers, he was the best at it. He was the first to buy a television set and even bought an Everlasting-brand cargo bicycle. The village’s roads were unpaved, turning into mud during rainy days. Even on sunny days, such roads could only be traversed by tractors. Sitting on top of one was bumpier than riding a boat in a storm. But riding a bicycle was convenient, and if the roads were impassable, he could always carry the bike. Though the road only extended to the village entrance, the bicycle could reach their house.

Ma An earned fifty yuan from selling the dozen or so snakes this trip. He was ecstatic. On his way back, he specifically stopped by the market and bought a pound of meat. Sibao had been clamoring for meat for days, but was always reluctant to spend money. After earning forty or fifty yuan in a day, Ma An finally agreed to buy a pound of meat. Since it was leftover meat, it was cheaper by two cents, and he even got two pieces of spare ribs for free.

However, the discovery completely exceeded Ma An’s expectations. In the afternoon, the number of snakes increased even more. He couldn’t catch them all. When Ma An returned home, his wife Liu Yuehong had already caught several snake skin bags. While catching snakes, she accidentally got bitten by a snake. Although it was non-venomous, the bite was still swollen badly.

“Something’s wrong, dear. There are too many snakes. They’re all rushing into our house. What should we do?” Liu Yuehong’s face was filled with fear.

“What’s there to be afraid of? The more, the better. The boss at the market even asked me to send more. They can handle even more. In fact, they not only sell them in town, but also to big cities, making even more money. It’s a pity we don’t have their connections. We catch snakes. What’s there to fear about these few snakes? Not to mention, even if they’re all venomous snakes, I’m not afraid. Venomous snakes fetch an even higher price.” Ma An felt that something was amiss, but he was more eager to get his hands on the shiny new banknotes inside the bags.

“Are you sure nothing will happen?” Liu Yuehong asked worriedly.

“What could happen? Hurry up and cook. There’s still meat on the bike rack. Make a sumptuous meal. More snakes means more meat for us every day.” Ma An laughed.

The joy brought by the pork slightly diluted the terror that had gathered in the house.

Since the big black-headed snake was dead and couldn’t be sold in town, Ma An decided to keep it for themselves. Before leaving, he skinned the snake, salted the meat, and preserved it to last longer at room temperature. When fried in oil to remove moisture, it could be eaten for a long time.

When Ma Sibao returned home, before he even entered the courtyard, he could already smell the strong aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen. This scent filled the young boy with immense joy.

“Dad, Mom, are we having meat today? I could smell it before I even entered the courtyard. Don’t fry the fatty meat in oil; it’s the best when it’s not greasy.” Ma Sibao’s eyes lit up at the thought of meat.

Ma An counted his earnings for the day, calculating how much he could earn tomorrow. He should be able to buy another pound of meat tomorrow. With meat every day!

Ma An was quick-witted. He quickly caught a figure that had just slipped into their house. But when he caught it in his hand, Ma An was stunned. The snake he had just caught wasn’t the usual garden snake or black-headed snake; it was a highly venomous snake – a silver banded snake.

Venomous snakes had entered too?