Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

Li Xiangqian worked all day, and the vegetable field was already full of small traps he had carefully designed. Standing at the edge of the field, he looked at the "defense line" he had built, and felt a little more confident. However, the cunning and mysteriousness of these snakes shrouded him like a shadow, making it difficult for him to feel completely at ease. At this moment, Xu Damao suddenly came.

Xu Damao is a well-known smart man in the village. He has many ideas and is good at some small tricks. In particular, he has always been concerned about the affairs of the village and likes to think of various ways when he has nothing to do. When Li Xiangqian saw Xu Damao, he had an idea and thought that maybe he could ask him for advice.

"Hey, Xiang Qian, what are you busy with? Look at your face, it seems like you are worried about something." Xu Damao greeted him with a smile, but his eyes could not help but look at the traps around him, and he obviously saw some clues.

Li Xiangqian was a little embarrassed for a moment, scratched his head, and smiled to cover it up: "Hey, it's nothing, it's just that there have been snakes in the vegetable garden recently, which always makes me feel uneasy. I was thinking about how to drive them away."

Xu Damao narrowed his eyes, looked him up and down with interest, and said with a smile: "Snake? I see you have set up a lot of mechanisms, do you have any tricks?" As he spoke, Xu Damao showed a curious expression, and it was obvious that he was very interested in these traps.

Li Xiangqian sighed and said with a hint of helplessness: "It's not a clever trick, I just want to use these little things to scare them and see if it works. But these snakes are not simple. They avoided the powder I sprinkled several times, as if they were deliberately going against me."

"Oh, you're causing too much trouble! A snake can make you so anxious." Xu Damao shook his head with a bit of disdain on his face, and put on a confident look, "If there were snakes in my vegetable garden, it would definitely not be as much trouble as you. Xiang Qian, are you too cautious?"

Li Xiangqian was upset when he heard this, but he knew that Xu Damao always liked to show off his intelligence and wisdom in front of the villagers, and his words were always sharp. So he smiled and said calmly: "I am a timid person, always afraid of the unexpected. And this is not an ordinary snake, they may be in groups, and I am not the only one who saw it. You say, if there is an accident, don't you have to leave a way out?"

When Xu Damao heard him say this, his eyes suddenly fixed, and he seemed to be somewhat interested in this matter. He frowned and asked, "A group of snakes? That's impossible! Snakes usually act alone, how could they be in a group? What could attract them in this land?"

Li Xiangqian took the opportunity to tell Xu Damao about his observations of snakes and his recent uneasiness, and deliberately added a mysterious tone to his narration, which made Xu Damao dumbfounded. Especially when he talked about snakes being able to avoid rat poison, which seemed to be so "smart" that it was creepy, Xu Damao's face gradually became serious.

"So, things are a bit weird." Xu Damao muttered in a low voice, frowning slightly, obviously thinking. After a while, he turned to Li Xiangqian and said thoughtfully: "If you are really afraid that they will come in groups to cause trouble, why don't we work out a long-term solution. I do have an idea, I wonder if you are interested."

When Li Xiangqian heard this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "Brother Damao, tell me what you think. I really have no other options. As long as you can get those snakes out of the vegetable field, I'm willing to try whatever method you have!"

Xu Damao smiled gently, patted his shoulder proudly, and whispered: "In fact, snakes are very sensitive to smells. You have used realgar before, but it may not last long enough. I heard that if you hang sheep skeletons and dried fish skeletons on the edge of the vegetable field, snakes will avoid them when they smell them. Think about it, this thing is more durable than ordinary powder, and it may be more effective!"

"Sheep skeleton? Dried fish skeleton?" Li Xiangqian was a little confused. He had never heard of this method before. He was skeptical, but also had some expectations. After all, as long as it could drive away the snakes, he was willing to try any strange method.

Seeing his suspicious look, Xu Damao continued to explain, "Xiang Qian, don't underestimate this method. I've heard from my grandfather before that sheep skeletons and fish skeletons have strong fishy smells, and snakes don't like them, so they will naturally take a detour. Think about it, these snakes always pester your vegetable garden and won't leave. Nine out of ten times, they will come close because they smell something. So, we can use this special smell to repel them, and the effect may be very good."

Li Xiangqian was somewhat tempted by what he said, but he was still a little hesitant, thinking: "Will this method work? Will snakes really be scared away by the smell of skeletons?" But on second thought, he didn't have many methods to try. The rat poison incident had already disappointed him. Instead of continuing to worry, he might as well listen to Xu Damao's advice and give it a try.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and decided to give it a try, so he patted Xu Damao on the shoulder and said seriously: "Brother Damao, I've remembered your idea. Tonight I'm going to find some sheep skeletons and fish skeletons to hang around the vegetable garden to see if I can drive away those snakes. If I succeed, I'll treat you to a drink!"

Xu Damao laughed and waved his hand: "Okay, remember to tell me the good news! By the way, sheep skeletons are hard to find. You might as well go to Lao Wang's house at the entrance of the village. He has sheep and maybe you can find some waste skeletons. As for fish bones, you should be able to find them by the river."

Li Xiangqian nodded and said gratefully, "Okay, I'll go and prepare now and try to hang these skeletons up early tomorrow morning." He watched Xu Damao leave, with a hint of expectation in his heart, but also a little apprehensive. He knew that the "smartness" of these snakes could not be ignored. What if these skeletons could not do anything to them? What should he do?

Back in the house, Li Xiangqian found some cloth strips and ropes, and thought about how to hang the skeleton more securely. Although he had some doubts in his heart, he could only hope for these "unique tricks". He said to himself: "It's not possible that even the skeleton can be avoided... Anyway, it's better than doing nothing."

Late at night, Li Xiangqian quietly came to Lao Wang's house at the entrance of the village. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Lao Wang and briefly explained his purpose. Lao Wang was very happy to hear that and said with a smile, "Oh, you came at the right time. I just happened to have a few sheep skeletons ready to be thrown away. Take them! You are rare in our village to be so careful. This snake is probably going after the insects in the field, but you are so serious about it."

Li Xiangqian lay in bed, still unable to fall asleep. He kept turning over and over, and his mind was still haunted by the cold snake shadows and the unknown danger in the vegetable field. After thinking about it, he suddenly thought of a new way - to clean it up with water.