Everyone got through the first night safely, but on the second day, they found a pile of animal droppings in a ravine. No one knew what kind of animal it was; some said it was a wild boar, while others said it was a canine.
Seeing the pile of feces in front of them, everyone searched for other traces nearby, but they couldn't find any more. They wondered if they had just happened to pass by.
Seeing that they hadn't gained anything, everyone could only suppress their worries and continue forward.
The group continued their journey for several more days. Apart from snakes, they rarely saw other animals. To prevent the mountain from becoming a snake mountain, they cleared away all the snakes, whether poisonous or not. Even so, they were still very worried and cleaned the area again on their return trip.
As for the owner of that pile of feces, we haven't encountered them yet; they were probably just passing by. What's most puzzling is that we haven't seen any animal carcasses along the way. We wonder how they survived such harsh weather.
On the day they returned to the village, everyone picked a large amount of wild vegetables and mushrooms, and dragged a large pile of firewood. The firewood was tied tightly together, and several planks were placed side by side to make a pallet. Now the trees in the mountains were basically crushed by the ice, so their method of dragging was feasible.
The most eye-catching one was Si Cheng. Although he was also carrying a large bag of wild vegetables, the timber he was dragging was two or three times larger than the others, and he didn't seem to be struggling at all.
As for going down the mountain, once there was no one at the bottom, we simply pushed them down the mountain. Once they fell apart, we just went down the mountain and tied them up again.
Once back in the village, the elders were asked to explain the situation on the mountain, and everyone else went home.
Before they even reached their doorstep, they heard the gong at the village entrance ring out, so everyone turned around and headed back towards the village entrance.
"You can't open the door."
"That's right, no matter whose relative they are, they can't be allowed in."
"But what if there's an emergency and we're delayed?"
"If you need anything, you can just say it by the corner. Why do you have to come in?"
I heard people talking even before I got there, but none of them were getting to the point, and I didn't know what had happened.
Just as he was about to ask someone else, he saw his father-in-law and wife walking over.
"Dad, Xiao Qi."
"When did Ah Cheng come back?"
"I had just arrived a little while ago and was about to go home when I heard the gong. I was worried that something might have happened, so I came over first."
Why are they banging the gong?
"I don't know either. I just arrived a little while ago and was just about to ask," Si Cheng replied to his father-in-law's question as he walked over and took Yun Qi's hand.
Looking at the couple in front of him, who were married and already had a child, yet still acted like young lovers, Yun Zhiming didn't want to say anything. It seemed he shouldn't expect his son-in-law to inquire; he should just do it himself.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard someone behind him ask, "Xiao Heng, what's going on outside? Why are they banging gongs?"
"The person who came was from Baijia Village next door. He said he was looking for Uncle Zhijian."
"Baijia Village, I think Zhijian's wife is from Baijia Village."
At this moment, Liu Zhijian also arrived at the village entrance, and someone saw him and quickly told him.
"Zhijian, they've come to see you. They should be from your wife's family."
Who is it?
"What's your name? What's your relationship with Uncle Zhijian?" Yun Heng asked directly from the observation platform.
“I’m his brother-in-law, Bai Liangkuan. Just tell him and he’ll know.” After saying that, he hurriedly paced back and forth below.
“Uncle Zhijian, he said his name is Bai Liangkuan, and he is your brother-in-law.”
After hearing this, Liu Zhijian quickly climbed up the ladder to the observation deck.
"Brother, why are you here at this hour?"
"I came to see you because it's urgent. Open the door and let me in." Seeing his brother-in-law, Bai Liangkuan's heart sank.
Liu Zhijian looked at the village chief below with a troubled expression. "Mingwu, could you let my brother-in-law come in first? He looks like he might have something urgent to attend to."
"Let him explain what happened. We can't let anyone in easily at this time," the second grandfather said, directly refusing him.
"Brother, tell me what's the urgent matter? Because of the fear of the spread of the plague, people are not allowed to enter or leave our village easily."
"Didn't your nephew Xiaodong get bitten by a snake? I thought I'd come here to ask if you had any medicine." After saying that, she realized, "What did you just say about a plague? We haven't heard anything about it."
"How could Xiao Dong be bitten by a snake? Do you know what kind of snake it was?" Bai Liangfen, who had just heard her older brother coming over, climbed up and was very anxious when she heard this.
"We don't know exactly when it happened, but his calves are now very swollen, and he also feels nauseous and wants to vomit."
"Did you give him any emergency treatment? When was he bitten?" Liu Zhijian quickly asked to find out the situation.
"I was bitten when I went out this morning. I squeezed out venomous blood, and I even had to tie up my entire leg, but these symptoms still appeared. I really didn't see when it happened." Thinking about her son's condition, she didn't have time to ask about the plague.
"This must be a venomous snake, but where can we find snake cleaner now?" Upon hearing this, Liu Zhijian determined that the snake was venomous. Fortunately, first aid was administered, otherwise, the snake might not have survived until now.
"Didn't you prepare any snake medicine here?" Bai Liangkuan was dumbfounded when he heard this. If he didn't have snake medicine, wouldn't his son be beyond saving?
“Where can you find snake venom antidote privately? Even hospitals might not have all the antidotes for every type of snake. I only have some snake venom antidote tablets and powder here. Take some back and try it out. You took first aid measures earlier, and if you take the tablets as prescribed, plus the powder, there shouldn't be any problems. It's just that the recovery will be slower.” After saying that, he instructed his son, Liu Fengya, who was below, to hurry back and bring some antidote tablets and powder.
He had at least some knowledge of snakebite pills and powders, and based on his understanding of his brother-in-law, he knew that what he brought him was probably their family's ancestral antidote powder, which had been used by others before and was quite effective.
Taking advantage of this break, Liu Zhijian also told his brother-in-law about the outbreak in the county and told them to take precautions.
"No wonder it's so strict here. Everyone's been working in the fields in the village lately, so they haven't heard about this."
"Brother, are there many snakes where you live too?" Thinking about the snakes that have been rampant lately, Liu Zhijian quickly asked his brother-in-law.
"There are so many snakes in the village this year. I don't know what's going on, but ever since the weather warmed up, there are snakes everywhere. You have to carry a stick when you go out. Xiao Dong was too confident. He probably stepped on a snake's tail and got bitten. Now the whole village is searching for snakes. Otherwise, the elderly and children in the village won't dare to go out."
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