Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He secretly thought that it would be best to find a reason to persuade He Yuzhu to go back so that he would not be involved in potential dangers.

After hearing this, He Yuzhu showed an unhappy expression on his face and said stubbornly: "Hey, you don't believe me? It's just a matter of turning the soil and applying fertilizer. Do you really think I can't help you?" He didn't seem to notice Li Xiangqian's abnormality, but instead looked like he had no choice but to do it.

Li Xiangqian felt helpless for a moment, and he sighed with a wry smile in his heart: "This guy is really not afraid, but I am still worried about him." He patted He Yuzhu's shoulder gently and said casually: "Hey, Zhuzi, let me handle the soil turning and fertilizing by myself today, so as to save you the trouble. If there is really a big job, I will definitely call you."

He Yuzhu didn't buy it. He frowned and looked at him, and said doubtfully: "Xiang Qian, are you hiding something from me? Did something happen in the field? Otherwise, why don't you let me go over to help?"

Li Xiangqian was stunned and smiled bitterly. He didn't expect that his evasion would arouse He Yuzhu's suspicion. He was thinking whether he should tell He Yuzhu about the snakes, but when he thought of the snakes looking at him coldly, he was still a little hesitant and couldn't bear to drag He Yuzhu into the water. Although He Yuzhu was brave, he might not be calm when it came to snakes.

So, he made up an excuse and said lightly: "Oh, you think too much! I just thought that you were busy recently and was afraid that you would be too tired to run back and forth. Besides, I am used to it. I can finish a few hours' work in the blink of an eye. There is really no need to trouble you."

He Yuzhu curled his lips and said in disbelief: "Don't give me that. We are no friends. You won't even let me help you with this little thing. Is there really something inconvenient? If you have any difficulties, just say it directly."

Li Xiangqian felt a little guilty about what he said. He paused and stammered, "It's not that there are difficulties, but... I'm afraid you won't be used to it."

He Yuzhu felt even more strange when he heard this: "Uncomfortable? What do you mean? Xiang Qian, we have known each other for so many years, what are you planning?"

Seeing that he was determined to get to the bottom of it, Li Xiangqian could only sigh and bring up the matter of the snake lightly. He tried to speak calmly, as if it was just a trivial matter, but he was still uneasy deep in his heart. He did not dare to elaborate on the thrilling nights, nor did he want to mention those cold snake eyes. He just told He Yuzhu that snakes would occasionally appear in the fields. He knew it himself and it was easier to deal with it, so he did not want He Yuzhu to get involved.

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then he burst into laughter: "That's it? Can a snake scare you like this? Look at the hoe I brought with me. If I really encounter a snake, I can beat it back into the mountains with one hoe!"

"Zhu Zi, it's not as simple as you think." Li Xiangqian lowered his voice and said seriously, "There may be more than one snake in the field, and I'm not sure if there will be more. We caught one last time, but new ones came a few days later. These snakes don't look like they swam over unintentionally, but seem to be staying nearby."

"Oh, there really is a group of snakes lurking here?" He Yuzhu looked a little serious, but his eyes still showed a hint of curiosity and eagerness to try. "I really want to see if I can run into a few more."

Seeing his look, Li Xiangqian felt anxious and could not help but persuade him: "Zhu Zi, this is not a joke. If there is any danger, something bad might happen. If you really regard me as your brother, just listen to me and don't get involved in this matter." He spoke earnestly, with a rare firmness in his eyes.

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, as if he was moved by Li Xiangqian's expression, and he was a little hesitant. After a moment, he sighed softly and nodded reluctantly: "Okay, since you said so, I won't go to the field to get involved. But you have to be careful when you are alone. If anything really happens, tell me immediately."

Li Xiangqian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay, don't worry, I won't be stubborn." He was grateful for He Yuzhu's understanding and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least now, he was the only one who knew about the things in the vegetable garden, and if anything unexpected happened, he could handle it alone.

From that day on, He Yuzhu really didn't offer to help in the vegetable garden anymore. Li Xiangqian worked alone, and felt more at ease. However, although no one disturbed him, the taboo in his heart did not diminish, but instead loomed over his life more and more.

Every time he came to the vegetable field, he would walk around the field to carefully check whether the snake defense line - realgar wine and wind chimes on bamboo poles were intact. Even if he found nothing unusual, he could not help but feel uneasy, always on guard against those dark shadows that might appear at any time. Sometimes, he would even silently ask himself in his heart: "Will these snakes really come again? What are they going to do?"

One afternoon, Li Xiangqian was busy working in the fields when he suddenly heard a slight rustling sound. His heart tightened and he looked up in the direction of the sound. He saw something moving in the grass not far away. His whole body tensed up in an instant, and he couldn't help but hold the hoe in his hand tighter.

The bushes moved, and then a dark shadow slowly swam out from them. It was a snake, very similar to the snake he had caught before, not big in size, but extremely flexible. It raised its head slightly and stared coldly at Li Xiangqian, with an inexplicable weirdness in its eyes. His heartbeat was vibrating like a drum, and cold sweat broke out on his palms unconsciously.

"Why is it coming again?" Li Xiangqian thought to himself that something was wrong. The snake in front of him was not scared away by the smell of realgar wine. Instead, it swam slowly towards him.

He quickly stepped back, calmed down, and took a deep breath. Seeing that the snake had no intention of stopping, he seized the opportunity and swung the bamboo pole at it, trying to drive it back into the bushes. However, the snake nimbly avoided his attack, bypassed the bamboo pole, and approached him directly.

Li Xiangqian has been troubled by these snakes recently. Not only is he often haunted by the thought of snakes appearing at night, but he also always has an ominous premonition during the day. This uneasiness hovers in his heart like a dark cloud, lingering and making him almost unwilling to go to the vegetable garden, but he is reluctant to let it go.

Finally, he made up his mind and decided to take a more extreme measure - buy some rat poison and give it a try. In fact, he knew that rat poison might not be effective against snakes, but he couldn't just watch these snakes freely shuttle through the vegetable garden. If these snakes were really aggressive, he might not be able to deal with them alone. Thinking of this, he secretly made up his mind and went to the grocery store in the town to buy some poison before dark.