Chapter 44 Snakes in the Bamboo Forest

I took Su Rou and walked towards the bamboo forest with ease. After all, it was daytime, and I was actually feeling a little relaxed.

Before we even reached the bamboo forest, Su Rou and I could hear the sound of people. We looked at each other happily, knowing that we had come to the right place. Children generally love to join in the fun, and Su Rou and I almost ran towards the bamboo forest.

There were so many people, that was my first reaction. The originally dense bamboo forest was nowhere to be seen, and I could see people surrounding it in three layers, fearing that everyone in the entire town had come out.

No, no, it’s not just that. I think people from the neighboring villages have come.

The bamboo forest was gone, but there were piles of bamboo in an open space next to it. Looking at the roots, you could tell that they had just been dug up.

I was afraid that Su Rou had disappeared, so I grabbed Su Rou’s clothes and desperately pushed my way in. An adult was dissatisfied and said, “Little boy, don’t push. It’s dangerous inside. Why are you bothering us?”

I was determined to get in because I sensed that my master was inside, so I ignored his words. But Su Rou stopped and looked at the others and asked, “Uncle, tell me, where is it dangerous? Is there a big snake?”

“I don’t know if there are big snakes or not, but I heard someone say this morning that there seems to be an ancient tomb here, and the army here is not allowed to kill snakes. This is for people who know snakes to drive snakes away. You are pushing in, be careful of being bitten by snakes.” The uncle was enthusiastic and spoke out in a series of words.

“So what are you doing here?” Su Rou is a chatterbox, and he asks everyone he meets.

“What? Watching snakes. I’ve seen a lot of snakes in my life, but I’ve never seen a bunch of them crawling around. I want to see them today. Besides, when the snakes are gone, we’ll be digging bamboo and earning points.” I guess this uncle is also a chatterbox. Whenever Su Rou asks a question, he answers in great detail.

“Uncle, what’s going on with this ancient tomb?” I was originally planning to squeeze in, but then I thought that since Su Rou had already started talking to someone, I might as well ask.

“I don’t know what’s going on either. Because this time we were digging for bamboo, we had to dig up the roots as well. After digging, we had to turn the ground over again, and we absolutely couldn’t let the bamboo grow. Some of the roots were so deep that we had to dig them up. As a result, we dug up a big rock. We were told to keep digging, and when we did, hey, a stone door appeared. It was weird, and there were all kinds of things said about it. I thought it was an ancient tomb, but I also thought, where would an ancient tomb have a door?” The uncle took out a homemade tobacco and lit it. It seems that he was excited and needed to calm down.

After hearing him say that, I didn’t hesitate to squeeze the meat into the car. During the process of squeezing, I could still hear the uncle muttering, “I don’t know what they’re thinking. First they’re making steel, then they’re catching mice, and now they’re digging bamboo. In a few years, they’ll have to cut down the trees, right?”

I was small and soon squeezed into the front row. When I looked, I was shocked. There were many PLA soldiers guarding the outer perimeter of the bamboo forest. The bamboo forest had already been dug up and pitted, and in some places in the middle, a long black cloth had been pulled up, and it was impossible to see what was inside.

I was anxious, so I grabbed Su Rou and ran into the bamboo forest. I didn’t run for two steps before a young-looking little soldier came over and shouted in standard Northeastern Chinese, “Where did those two kids come from? You can’t run any further.”

“I’m looking for my master.” I hurriedly replied in “pepper and salt” Mandarin, and the crispy meat looked at me strangely. Master, what master? At this time, I didn’t have time to explain.

“Oh, children can’t lie. What master? Go, go, go, go play on the side. We are on a mission. Children who don’t listen will be killed.” Then the little soldier smiled. His dimples were quite deep. He was scaring us, so he laughed first.

Su Rou, don’t look at him, he’s fat and stupid, but he’s actually a smart guy. He saw right away that the little soldier was trying to scare him, so he walked up with a silly smile on his face and said, “Brother, let me tell you, I’m here to see my dad. My dad is inside.”

I almost threw up. I thought to myself, how could this crispy meat and my master be such a perfect match? They were both types of liars, my master was the type that was despicable, and this crispy meat was the type that was pretending to be a pig while eating a tiger. Look at the silly look on his face when he smiles, no one dares to doubt that it is fake, and if they do, it feels like a crime.

The little soldier believed him and asked, “Are you kidding? Is your dad here? I said…”

The little soldier was chatting with the crispy meat, but I was anxious to get in and looked around. I really saw an acquaintance, someone from the small courtyard.

I remember very clearly that last time my master took me to town, didn’t we go to a small courtyard? This is the person who came to open the door. I am absolutely sure it was him, because that day I was eating peanuts and he was going to help me shell them, but my master yelled at him and he put the broom in my hand.

“Uncle, uncle…” I jumped up and shouted.

The man looked around in confusion, and I shouted, “Don’t look around, it’s you I’m talking to.”

The man found me, first looked at me in surprise, then smiled, came over, and patted me on the head with his finger, saying, “Little girl, you’re not very big, but you have a big temper. What do you mean by shouting that it’s me?”

“I have no choice. I’m looking for my master.” I had met my savior and wouldn’t let go.

“Looking for your master?” The man frowned slightly and said, “Oh, I know, but I don’t dare to take you to see him. Wait, I’ll go and tell him.”

After that, he turned and left. I touched my forehead, which was a little sore from being slapped, and waited anxiously. I had no other intentions, but my curiosity was like a cat scratching.

After a while, the man came out, this time without hitting me, and said with a smile, “Go, little boy, your master said you can go in.”

I was so excited that I ran inside with Su Rou in my arms. The man saw me and couldn’t help but say, “Hey, little brother, are you bringing someone else?”

“My brother, it’s fine.” I was afraid that he would stop me, so I grabbed the meat and ran all the way, toward the place where the curtain was pulled.

The man didn’t really mean to stop me, and after a bitter smile, he let me go.

The long curtain had only one entrance, and I was running with Su Rou, not paying attention to what was in front of me. I looked up and saw that it wasn’t my cheap master, so who was it?

“Sanwa, you’re very well informed,” said the master with a smile. He started off with his unique style of brainwashing (mocking me).

I was in a hurry to go in and see the fun, so I didn’t argue with him. I patted my chest and said proudly, “Don’t you know who I am? My brothers send me information every minute. How could a revolutionary soldier not know where the enemy is?”

“Huh!” The slap I received from my master was a direct slap on my back.

After hitting him, he ignored me and just kept staring at Su Rou with a smile. After a long time, he said, “This little fat boy is also blessed. He is a true friend of yours. Come in.”

We were allowed to go in, so we both went in, and I and Su Rou cheered, and then followed my master into the back.

As soon as we entered the curtain, Su Rou and I were shocked. Snakes, densely packed snakes, one next to the other, one squeezing the other, all in this long and narrow curtain. At one end of the curtain was a platform, with several people standing on it. At the other end, I saw a small cliff that led directly to the graveyard.

Below the small cliff was a small pond. A little further on was a wasteland, and then the mountains, which were not inhabited.

I was thinking that it would be a good idea to drive the snakes over there.

“Follow me or you’ll fall into the snake pit and no one will save you.” My master, with his hands behind his back, walked in front of me and reminded me.

I wasn’t worried, I knew he would definitely save me, but seeing the dense snakes, my scalp tightened. I followed his footsteps, not daring to be a bit negligent. As for the crispy meat, I was already afraid and was walking with my clothes tugged. I don’t know if I regret coming on this trip.

It was strange. Except for the small platform, which was a little higher, the rest of the long, narrow curtain was flat. In fact, my master was also walking among the snakes with me, but for some reason, wherever my master went, the snakes would disperse and not attack.

I was covered in goose bumps and walked very carefully, but I couldn’t help but take a closer look. Most of these snakes were bamboo leaf green, and there were also non-toxic vegetable flower snakes, as well as a small number of “Ma Wa Zi” (golden ring snakes, silver ring snakes), all of which were highly poisonous snakes. There were at least a thousand of them, and they were all gathered in this area, not showing any signs of leaving.