Chapter 22

CW: a mention of public sex.

“That looks really fun!” Hua Xiaowu broke through the crowd and squeezed his way to the front. “Me next! Me next!”

The look that Yin Xiaosi levelled at Hua Xiaowu brimmed with disdain. “Xiaowu, did you forget? Except for Xiaoxiao, none of us can completely straighten out our bodies.”

“….” The expression on Hua Xiaowu’s face went stiff and he withdrew, resentfully.

The other snakes didn’t mock Hua Xiaowu, not even Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai, because everyone also wanted to be able to do this. The only difference between them and Hua Xiaowu was that Hua Xiaowu had moved faster. By the time Yin Xiaosi had spoken, everyone had recalled what had happened a few days before, and everyone noisily dispersed.

And so, another beautiful day passed.

…

After the whole family got up the next day, Hua Xiaowu and Yin Dabai ran off again to look for Yin Xiaoxiao’s bird eggs. Yin Xiaoxiao disdainfully watched the backs of the two snakes as they hurried away. Hmph, hmph! What looking for my bird eggs? Do you actually think that I don’t know that you’re going off somewhere to have sex outdoors ¹ again? Don’t think that you can fool me this time!

Ah, that’s right: Yin Xiaoxiao bore a grudge. He didn’t really care that they spent time on such vulgar activities, but what he did care about was Hua Xiaohua calling him shy!

Although he didn’t really care that they spent their time on such vulgar matters, he still cared a lot about Hua Xiaohua calling him shy!

While Yin Xiaoxiao was still shocked at this course of events, the other young snakes had already made plans on how to spend their day. So, when Yin Xiaoxiao returned to himself, it was to the sight of more than four snakes slithering away. Hua Xiaowu was coiled at Yin Xiaoxiao’s side. “Xiaoxiao, let’s go.”

“Go where?” Yin Xiaoxiao asked, thoughtlessly.

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“Go to visit Lan Yiyi and the others,” Hua Xiaowu replied. So, Xiaoxiao really had been lost in thought. “Si-ge suggested it, and we all agreed.”

Yin Xiaoxiao said ‘Oh’ and began to slither outside.

“Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao, wait for me!” Hua Xiaowu hadn’t been mentally prepared to leave immediately. When he saw Yin Xiaoxiao begin to leave, he, with great effort, promptly began to slither after him, shouting. Uh, Hua Xiaowu. You only have to arch your back and wriggle forwards. What type of mental preparation do you need for that?!

If Yin Xiaoxiao heard Hua Xiaowu, he gave no sign of it and continued to move forwards. But, although Yin Xiaoxiao had been the first to leave, as was seen in the last chapter…um, what happened in the last chapter? Oh, that’s right. Yin Xiaoxiao was smaller than the other young snakes. He was smaller than Hua Xiaowu. And so, unsurprisingly, Hua Xiaowu overtook Yin Xiaoxiao.

At first, Hua Xiaowu wanted to brag, but then he suddenly recalled the events of yesterday. He swallowed back his words, then opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. After going back and forth like this, Hua Xiaowu found himself choking…what a tear-inducing reminder of what they’d discovered.

In the end, Yin Xiaoxiao levelled a disdainful look at Hua Xiaohua, which was ignored. It was a look which said, ‘Hua Xiaowu,how stupid can you be? Crawling isn’t complicated and yet you choked!’

…Yin Xiaoxiao simply didn’t consider that he himself could be the main cause of this. But even if Yin Xiaoxiao knew the whole sequence of events ² , he probably would still not believe that he would need to take any responsibility. At most, Yin Xiaoxiao would have scolded Hua Xiaowu with a “serves you right”.

So, Yin Xiaoxiao only sent Hua Xiaowu that disdainful look then slithered onwards.

Hua Xiaowu’s entire face was red from choking. But Hua Xiaowu was more consumed with sadness that Yin Xiaoxiao actually wasn’t at all concerned about himself! Hua Xiaowu felt very wronged.

But, regardless of whether Hua Xiaowu felt wronged or not, the crowd of young snakes still managed to reach Lan Yiyi’s family’s house without a hitch.

Today, Hong Sanhong and Lan Erlan were also at home. Lan Yiyi, young snake that he was, was bored at home, and when he saw Yin Xiaoyi and the others arrive he felt very happy. So, after being advised by  Hong Sanhong to “get home before dark”, the young snakes happily left to play.

Lan Yiyi took the chance to move closer to Yin Xiaoxiao and ask, “How about returning to the same place as last time. Is that alright?”

Yin Xiaoxiao sent a baffled glance at Lan Yiyi. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“In that case, let’s go to the same place as last time. Yiyi, you lead the way, okay.” Yin Xiaoyi scrambled over to speak before Lan Yiyi could open his mouth. Then, he slithered over to Yin Xiaoxiao. “Xiaoxiao, you go with Xiaosi.”

It was at this moment that Yin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt what seemed to be a domineering aura ³ emanate from Yin Xiaoyi. Under the weight of this domineering aura, Yin Xiaoxiao unconsciously and immediately answered with “Okay.”

Pleased, Yin Xiaosi watched Yin Xiaoxiao obediently slithering alongside Yin Xiaosi before turning his attention to Lan Yiyi. “Let’s go.”

The expression on Lan Yiyi’s face was ugly, but he couldn’t easily disagree with him. He was forced to lead the way, Yin Xiaoyi following behind him with a smiling, pleased with himself.

Yin Xiaosi looked baffled as, with a glance, he saw Yin Xiaoxiao slithering naively at his side.

As before, Hua Xiaowu followed behind Yin Xiaoxiao. Only this time, he did not dare to pass Yin Xiaoxiao again.

Finally, they arrived at the same place as last time, and the entire group of snakes immediately began to play. Yin Xiaoxiao was struck entirely speechless as he saw the snakes begin to play the same you-bite-me-I-hit you game as before.

Accordingly, when Lan Yiyi invited him to join, Yin Xiaoxiao vehemently refused. Then, he had to move away from Hua Xiaowu, who went to bite him. Under Yin Xiaosi’s watchful eye, Yin Xiaoxiao again entered the brook.

But not long after, Yin Xiaoxiao became bored.

Naturally it’d be boring, who would be able to soak in the water everyday without doing anything else? Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t have some grand goal, but as a snake with a 200 year life span, not having a goal was realistic. Still, Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t want to become a snake idling his time away ⁴ ! Day after day eating bird eggs and soaking in the brook! Day after day, nothing but eating bird eggs and soaking in the brook! Day after day like this for 200 years, Yin Xiaoxiao thought he would surely kill himself!

It wasn’t yet noon, and the weather was still quite cool and refreshing. Yin Xiaoxiao thought to himself that if it was now then he would be able to accomplish something. After a brief hesitation, he exited the brook and crawled over to Yin Xiaosi, who was monitoring him.

“Si-ge, I want to go for a walk over there,” Yin Xiaoxiao said with a smile on his face.

“I’ll go with you,” Yin Xiaosi answered.

“…There’s no need, Si-ge. I want to go by myself.” Yin Xiaoxiao stared coquettishly at Yin Xiaosi with two enormous eyes. “I guarantee that I will not go far.” Who wanted to go play while someone else was following them, huh? And besides, if Yin Xiaosi followed him…then was that still considered playing?! Wouldn’t it be absolutely too somber, okay!

To tell the truth, Yin Xiaosi was absolutely not comfortable with the idea that Yin Xiaoxiao would be running around all over the place. He had only grown a little and, what was worse, he had no inherited memories. If he went somewhere off-limits…at this thought Yin Xiaosi resolutely said, “Out of the question. If you really want to go, then I will accompany you.”

“Si-ge, if you don’t let me go by myself, then I’ll just sneak away without telling you!” Yin Xiaoxiao said. “I’m only going to follow this brook, okay? I’ll definitely be back before it gets dark!”

T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>打野战: public sex 来龙去脉: lit. mountain has a connecting pulse like a dragon; origin fengshui; means cause and effect or sequence of events 王八之气: more about a “domineering aura” can be found here 无所事事:an  idiom meaning to do nothing while being idle</ol>