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After finishing a big meal at Village Uncle's house, Big Zhu led Xiao Cheng to settle into the vacant Zhou San's House, with Yezhi accompanying them. After just one glass of wine, the rosy-cheeked Xiao Cheng took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her, saying, "Comrade Leaf, the village chief told me a lot about you... right, right." In reality, he was just a bit shy; he wanted to apologize but felt it wasn't necessary. Yezhi chuckled, finding him straightforward and not overly formal. She patted Xiao Cheng on the shoulder and said, "I understand, I understand, Teacher Xiao. If you're worse than me, I'll kick you out, so keep it up!"
Xiao Cheng took two steps back, his face turning even redder as he looked at Yezhi in disbelief: how could this girl be so oblivious to gender boundaries? Or were rural girls all this direct and bold? Xiao Cheng was confused.
Yezhi awkwardly retracted her hand after patting the air and noticed Xiao Cheng's face getting redder. Her smile widened; men who blush in the 21st century are practically extinct, and finding one is a treasure for older sisters! Haha! She really wanted to tease him!
Big Zhu rubbed his eyes; he must have drunk too much. How did he see Leaf Sister looking at Teacher Xiao with such eagerness? They hit it off on the first day! Haha~ Good news! Good news!
Early the next morning, despite claiming she was at ease, Yezhi secretly snuck into Team and crouched by the window to eavesdrop on Xiao Cheng's lesson. Before long, Village Uncle arrived as well. The two exchanged mischievous smiles while the sounds of Kids reading aloud mixed with Xiao Cheng's teaching echoed over Zhoujiatun!
"Leaf, how is Xiao Cheng?" Village Uncle asked while walking and patting his numb legs.
Yezhi raised an eyebrow and shamelessly replied, "Village Uncle, he's really good except for being a bit worse than me!"
Village Uncle beamed with laughter. "You!" Yezhi giggled and waved goodbye to Village Uncle.
...
In the past, Yezhi could never wake up no matter how she tried; she would stay in bed for every second possible. However, after not having to teach Kids, she found herself waking up earlier and earlier. Lying on the bed lazily stretching her body, she lifted the curtain and stepped into the chaotic yard filled with chickens flying and dogs barking. "Black Treasure, no more mischief!"
Seeing her beloved "Mama Bear," Black Treasure wobbled over happily. Yezhi playfully squeezed it; it enjoyed it immensely. To be honest, the plump Black Treasure felt quite nice to touch.
Aunt Zhou was nowhere to be found. Yezhi lifted the pot lid to reveal a bowl of golden soft millet porridge with peaches—something she had made herself. With fewer chores these days, she had let her imagination run wild in cooking. She also made pickled peaches; not only did she use up all the salt at home but also shamelessly borrowed some from others. Sugar was out of the question; in the end, she found some licorice from Barefoot Aunt and pickled them for a few days. Yesterday she opened a jar and tasted one—it was initially salty but soft yet crunchy, with the fragrance of licorice blending with the sweetness of peaches in her mouth. It was delicious as a snack or paired with porridge. Aunt Zhou was delighted enough to pack some bowls to give away and specifically reminded Yezhi not to forget to send some to Teacher Xiao for him to try.
Thinking that since she had sent some to Xiao Cheng—the newcomer—she might as well... She used her mind to ask Xiao Fang for Dulisa's address along with those of Hong Dou, Tiansuo, and Xiao Nan and sent them some as well.
After finishing her porridge, Yezhi carried water to the vegetable garden where the green oats had grown quite tall. Black Treasure stared longingly at a fist-sized deep red tomato that it couldn't reach; as a foodie herself, Yezhi understood its pain well. She picked a tomato for Black Treasure to satisfy its craving while continuing to water the plants but found it strange that there was no wind or insect sounds—what could be causing that rustling noise?
As Yezhi walked towards the center of the garden, she felt the rustling sound getting closer as if it were right beside her along with an indescribable foul smell. Turning her head to the right, she suddenly threw her water ladle at a large snake coiled around a rapeseed plant flicking its tongue. "Ah~ah!" A terrified scream echoed through the mountains and forests. Black Treasure was startled while enjoying its meal and quickly ran over on its four chubby legs. At that moment, Yezhi collapsed onto the ground; the snake twisted forward in a horrifying manner that left her breathless as if she might faint at any moment. The appearance of Black Treasure brought Yezhi back from her daze; she wanted to tell Black Treasure to leave immediately but couldn't make any sound despite moving her lips. Black Treasure bravely slapped at the snake with its chubby paws; under attack from Black Treasure, the snake coiled around it.
When Aunt Zhou, Uncle Zhou, and Village Uncle rushed into the backyard, they saw Yezhi's face pale as if dead and Black Treasure roaring fiercely.
Uncle Zhou dashed forward and quickly grabbed hold of the snake wrapped around Black Treasure's paw by its neck and squeezed tightly while using his other hand to grab its tail before pulling it off.
Aunt Zhou pulled the dazed Yezhi away, while Village Uncle urged Uncle Zhou to hurry and take it away, then ran into the house to check on Yezhi's condition.
Aunt Zhou poured a cup of hot water for Yezhi to calm her down. "Yezhi! Yezhi! Aunt is here, don’t be afraid." Yezhi held the hot water tightly, trembling from her teeth to her hands. Aunt Zhou was so anxious she didn’t know what to do. When Village Uncle came in and saw that the girl was scared out of her wits, Black Treasure also rushed into the room, barking loudly.
"Black Treasure!"
Upon hearing "Mama Bear" calling, Black Treasure barked twice and pounced over. Yezhi bent down and hugged Black Treasure tightly, starting to cry. Village Uncle and Aunt Zhou exchanged glances, finally able to relax their worried hearts.
Yezhi didn’t know how long she had been crying, but once she stopped, her mind cleared up, and her tight heart relaxed. After drinking the hot water, she felt embarrassed with a red nose and eyes, remaining silent.
Village Uncle chuckled as he sent away the villagers who had come to check on her. "Yezhi, that cauliflower snake isn’t poisonous, what are you afraid of?"
Yezhi’s fear of snakes seemed innate. When she was eight years old, her city was very popular for eating wild game, with small restaurants selling it everywhere. Outside those restaurants were iron cages filled with snakes. Every time she went home, she was afraid to walk on the sidewalk and often took a long detour just to get home. The most memorable incident was when a classmate brought home a jar of medicinal wine soaked with a poisonous snake for everyone to see. When she realized it was a snake, she screamed and scratched the classmate's face in panic. That classmate's mother later came to her house and paid for the medical expenses.
"Dear girl, tomorrow Aunt will go to Acquisition Station to buy a big goose!" Aunt Zhou comforted Yezhi, while Village Uncle said he would sprinkle some lime around. Barefoot Aunt had sent over a bag of realgar at noon.
With lime and realgar, Yezhi felt much more at ease. In the afternoon, One Egg came over laughing carelessly at Yezhi. "Sister Ye, you’re not afraid of wild boars or bears but are scared of a snake that’s less than two meters long? Haha."
Yezhi thought One Egg was mistaken; as a weak girl, how could she not be afraid? Previously, she had worn Bite-Resistant Armor to bolster her courage. Besides, being scared didn’t mean being terrified; she truly feared smooth snakes—just looking at pictures made her heart race.
Ignoring One Egg, Yezhi deliberately took out Peanut Candy to reward the brave Black Treasure. One Egg swallowed hard and seeing that Sister Ye wasn’t going to share with him, he flatteringly called out: "Sister Ye, you’re the best! I love Peanut Candy the most! Hehe~!"
Yezhi stuffed all the Peanut Candy into Black Treasure's mouth and clapped her hands. "That’s it!" One Egg watched Black Treasure happily chewing with its round head bobbing and left with puffed cheeks.
Late at night, after being frightened during the day, every time Yezhi closed her eyes there were shadows of snakes flickering in her mind. This unsettling state reminded her of the days when she lived alone—countless checks on doors and windows, countless compromises with domineering neighbors, countless moments of helplessness in the dark. She remembered clearly one time when an unprecedented heavy rain flooded her home; standing in water while frantically calling 110 but no one came to rescue her. When the neighbor's security door burst open, her cries for help echoed hauntingly in her memory. Since then, on rainy nights, she usually stayed awake until dawn; it took three years for things to gradually improve. Yezhi couldn’t help but turn over—would she have to endure this snake shadow for another three years?
"Master! Master! Miss Dulisa is looking for you!"
Xiao Fang's voice rescued Yezhi from her restless state like a trapped beast as she logged in with her consciousness.
"Dear Leaf, thank you for your gift!"
"No need! It’s nothing valuable—just homemade stuff!" Yezhi emphasized that it was homemade but felt a bit embarrassed afterward.
Dulisa waved the Pickled Peaches in her hand and said disdainfully: "Dear Leaf, this salty thing is terrible! Are you sure? You’re not trying to poison me!"
Yezhi exclaimed in surprise, "Poison you? Then I would be poisoning myself every day!"
Dulisa pouted her red lips, "You Earthlings have such strange tastes, liking this salty and bitter stuff. Dear Yezhi, don't send it anymore. After I finish this jar, it will take me at least ten or eight years to eat again!"
Seeing that Dulisa didn't ruin her good intentions, Yezhi sincerely said, "If you don't like it, then don't eat it. There's no need to force yourself!"
"Force myself? No way! I just enjoy finding ways to torture myself!" Dulisa stood up proudly. Yezhi chuckled, "What are you laughing at? By the way! I saw your photo, haha, Wood took a great picture of you."
Dulisa projected a photo: Yezhi stood barefoot with her hands on her hips on the white sand, her eyes wide open like copper bells. From Yezhi's perspective, she could only say it was quite spirited.
"Dear Yezhi, look how Wood captured your countryside girl entering the city!"
Dulisa projected another large photo that looked more like a slide. In this photo, besides her, there was Bai Duoya. Between them stood the Cosmic Mall. Yezhi was walking towards the Cosmic Mall on the white sand from a distance on the right, her expressions rich and varied. When she reached the gradually enlarging silver gate of the Cosmic Mall, her proud and laughing face was frozen in time; Bai Duoya was walking in synchrony from a distance on the left, with his back turned and looking up in awe. One looked very noble, while the other appeared rustic; one was elegant, and the other natural—such a strong contrast.
"Dear Yezhi, Cosmic Mall starts projecting today," Dulisa laughed brightly! "They even have a slogan: 'Cosmic Mall, the City of Aspirations!'" Yezhi shot an unhappy glance at Dulisa, but to her surprise, Dulisa laughed even more happily. Yezhi sighed in frustration; Dulisa loved to take pleasure in teasing her.
Once Dulisa had laughed enough, she insisted on inviting Yezhi to visit Cosmic Mall next Friday to see Yezhi's silly expression in person. Yezhi deliberately said sweetly, "Sister Du, should we organize a sightseeing group?"
Dulisa raised an eyebrow and cheerfully replied, "Great idea!"
Yezhi felt powerless; even after Dulisa ended the video call, her triumphant laughter still echoed in her ears.
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