Chapter 21

CW: A mention of public sex

Yin Xiaoxiao stood just in the entrance way, waiting for Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua to return.

He waited with much hope and anticipation…but Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua’s figures didn’t appear.

Yin Xiaoxiao was a little dissatisfied. How long did it take to find bird eggs? The day was almost over, you know!

A crowd of young snakes stood watching Yin Xiaoxiao from behind and knew that Yin Xiaoxiao was not currently in a good mood. None dared approach Yin Xiaoxiao. Well, except for Hua Xiaowu, who had wanted to go over but was, unfortunately, trapped underneath Yin Xiaosi and thus unable to move.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Yin Xiaoxiao at last caught sight of Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua’s silhouettes. With Yin XIaoxiao’s preternaturally good eyesight, he only needed a glimpse to see that there was something off with Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua.

Yin Xiaoxiao trembled all over with annoyance. Really! He had been waiting here for the two of them all day, and what had the two of them been doing?! With only one look, one could tell from their faces that that they’d been having sex outdoors ¹ ! There was nothing else it could be!

Yin Xiaoxiao, can’t you please be reasonable? Neither Yin Dabai nor Hua Xiaohua knew that you had been waiting for them!

By the time that Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua stood in front of Yin Xiaoxiao, Yin Xiaoxiao finally saw that Yin Dabai was dragging a bird’s nest. Hmph, hmph! How fortunate that he’d remembered to return with bird eggs, otherwise who knew what had been going to happen!

Hua Xiaohua had seen Yin Xiaoxiao’s figure standing in the mouth of the cave for a while.  “Xiaoxiao, were you waiting for Pappy and Daddy?” he immediately asked, voice brimming with pleasant surprise.

“….” Actually, Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t know how to respond when Hua Xiaohua asked him like this. It was true that he had been waiting for the two of them, but his reason for that was…

Thinking of this, Yin Xiaoxiao, much to his own surprise, felt guilty. He had completely forgotten that he had been annoyed because of Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai. His tail unconsciously whipped against the ground.

Seeing this, Hua Xiaohua immediately teased, “Oh, Xiaoxiao. Are you shy?”

‘Hey, hey! What ‘shy’? I was just feeling guilty, okay! Guilty! Not shy!’ Yin Xiaoxiao wildly shouted in his mind.

…Of course, nobody knew what Yin Xiaoxiao was thinking. And, clearly, Hua Xiaohua preferred to think that Yin Xiaoxiao was shy.

To the side, Yin Dabai said to Hua Xiaohua, “Alright, alright. Don’t tease Xiaoxiao.” Then, he pushed the bird’s nest towards Yin Xiaoxiao, continuing, “Xiaoxiao’s turning red. Don’t tease Xiaoxiao again.”

Hua Xiaohua carefully listened to these words and saw that it was so. Xiaoxiao’s body had again turned pink. At this, Hua Xiaohua’s belief, that Yin Xiaoxiao was shy, solidified.

Even while immersed in eating the bird eggs, Yin Xiaoxiao still spat, mentally, ‘It’s obviously because of anger! It’s not at all because of being shy!’

Seeing that Yin Xiaoxiao was eating the bird eggs and ignoring them, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua entered the cave, affectionately greeting the other young snakes.

“Xiaoyi, what have you done all day?” Hua Xiaohua asked Yin Xiaoyi, beaming.

“…Played with Xiaosi,” Yin Xiaoyi answered in four words, after the silence had stretched.

“…” Hua Xiaohua turned around to find Hua Xiaoer and Hua Xiaosan.

“Xiaoer, Xiaosan, what game did you play at home today?”

“Compared growth”

“With Xiaoxiao.”

To Hua Xiaoer and Hua Xiaosan, this was the most interesting thing to talk about that happened this day.

“…?” Hua Xiaohua was at a loss.

Passing by Hua Xiaohua, Yin Xiaosi…ignored Hua Xiaohua..

Not far away, Yin Dabai suddenly stopped slithering, struck by a thought.

Passing by Yin Dabai, Yin Xiaosi… “It’s exactly what you’re thinking,” briefly said, before continuing by.

Without further thought, Yin Dabai zeroed in on Yin Xiaoxiao, who was very happily eating bird eggs in the cave entrance. One by one, he swept his gaze over the bodies of the other young snakes. Then, Yin Dabai began to scowl.

Yin Dabai had discovered the crux of the problem.

Yin Dabai slithered to face Hua Xiaohua and spoke several words into Hua Xiaohua’s ear.

After this, Hua Xiaohua felt broken-hearted. Hua Xiaohua’s eyes were sad and laden with grief as he finally noticed how Yin Xiaoxiao was different compared to the other snakes. Yin Xiaoxiao must have been so hurt and lonely, waiting for him and Yin Dabai at the mouth of the cave to receive comfort. And what did he do? He teased Xiaoxiao! He was such an irresponsible Pop!

Hua Xiaohua felt guilty and uneasy. Yin Dabai, naturally, also felt uncomfortable.

It just so happened that Yin Xiaoxiao had finished eating the bird eggs and had begun to undulatingly slither over in search of Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai.

Finally, Yin Xiaoxiao arrived and raised his head, only to see Hua Xiaohua watching him with a complex look on his face. Immediately, Yin Xiaoxiao got goosebumps. WTF ² was this?!

“Xiaoxiao, it’s all Pappy’s fault. Don’t be heartbroken.” Hua Xiaohua stepped forward. The tone of voice, with which he spoke to Yin Xiaoxiao, brimmed with tenderness.

“…???” Yin Xiaoxiao was perplexed. What are you talking about, Pop?

Yin Dabai could see Yin Xiaoxiao’s confusion. He opened his mouth and said, “Xiaoxiao, don’t be worried. Although your size will grow a little more slowly, you will also grow larger along with your older brothers. Our viper family develops for a very long time.”

So it was like this? In his mind, Yin Xiaoxiao disdainfully said, ‘If I really cared about this sort of thing, how could I have focused on eating bird eggs like I’d done? My psychological resilience is better than the two of you think, okay?!’

But Yin Xiaoxiao was also disinclined to explain this to Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua. Even if he said that he didn’t mind, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua would probably believe that he was only saying that to comfort them.

“Pop, follow me.” Yin Xiaoxiao decided to finish what he hadn’t been able to complete earlier in the day.

Hua Xiaohua didn’t complain as he followed behind Yin Xiaoxiao. Right now, if Xiaoxiao said whatever ³ , Hua Xiaohua wouldn’t not oblige him!

Yin Xiaoxiao led Hua Xiaohua until, at last, they slithered up the rock he had found today. Behind them, Yin Dabai and the other young snakes followed.

Then, while Hua Xiaohua, Yin Dabai and the crowd of young snakes looked on, puzzled, Yin Xiaoxiao placed his head along the corner edge of the rock and lay down in a straight line.

“…” Was this guy just showing off?

“Pop! Pop! Scratch a mark into the rock near my tail!”

Without thought, Hua Xiaohua did just that.

Yin Xiaoxiao stood again. Ah, that’s good. Exactly what he wanted! Even as he grew and grew, longer and thicker, the rock wouldn’t. By leaving behind marks on the rock, he’d be able to tell if he grew next time in comparison. Not only whether or not he grew, but also how much he grew! And the reason why he had to wait for Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai to return…naturally that was because the young snakes’ teeth hadn’t grown to the point where they could leave marks in the rock!

Look, look, look, look, he was so smart, right?! Yin Xiaoxiao was very proud of himself.

Yin Xiaosi also understood Yin Xiaoxiao’s idea. Without much effort, he explained to those beside him who did not understand Yin Xiaoxiao’s method.

While explaining, Yin Xiaosi muttered in his mind, ‘Look at this. Xiaoxiao isn’t actually as stupid as I’d thought!’

T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>打野战: could be read as field combat or play fighting outdoors; means public sex 闹哪样: literally means the trouble/noise, but is used to contemptuously ask ‘what are you doing?’ 什么是什么: lit. what is what; a kind of wry agreement, in which the agreer just goes along with whatever the other person wants</ol>