Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

This subtle emotion made it impossible for him to use the hoe to drive away the snake. He silently put down the hoe in his hand, stepped back a few steps, and made way for the snake. The snake looked at him quietly and slowly slid into the weeds. At that moment, Li Xiangqian felt inexplicably moved. He felt that he seemed to have found his own belonging on this land, and even found a tacit understanding with his father, this land, and even with all the creatures on this land.

Since then, Li Xiangqian has continued to work in the yard. Every time he turned the soil, he would carefully avoid the traces of snakes. He no longer thought of snakes as his enemies, but rather as the guardians of the land. He found that his heart gradually settled down, and his feelings for the land became deeper.

Li Xiangqian stared at the snake that disappeared in the grass, with a complex mix of emotions in his heart. He felt a little uneasy, as the snake's indifference and silent threat lingered in his mind. Every time it appeared, it seemed to cast a mysterious shadow over the area, as if it was an uninvited guest, spying on him. Recalling the moment when he just stared at the snake, he clearly felt that there seemed to be some deep meaning hidden in the snake's eyes, which made him a little scared. Yes, he had no fear of snakes before, but that was in the wild. And now, the snake appeared in his own courtyard vegetable garden. The appearance of this uninvited guest broke his original calm and even shook his sense of belonging to this vegetable garden.

After a few days of observation, Li Xiangqian gradually discovered that the snake seemed to have "set up camp" in his vegetable garden. It appeared from time to time, sometimes lurking in dark corners, and sometimes slithering through the turned soil. Whenever he got up early to turn the soil, the appearance of the snake always made him alert, as if it were an invisible threat.

"How did this snake get in? Or has it been living here for a long time?" He frowned and muttered to himself. So Li Xiangqian decided not to continue working in such a fearful way. He decided to take action to completely drive the snake out of his territory and restore the peace of the vegetable garden.

"I'll let you see it today!" Li Xiangqian made up his mind. He found a large net bag and prepared for a "garden cleaning operation". He didn't want to hurt the snake, but just wanted to drive it out of his territory so that the vegetable garden could belong to him again. He recalled that his father had taught him how to catch snakes. The calm attitude and precise technique were still imprinted in his mind, even though he was just a child watching at that time. Now, he stood on the same land, holding the tools his father had used, and he felt a little nervous and excited.

The next morning, Li Xiangqian got up early, took his net bag, and walked carefully to the vegetable garden. He walked very lightly, listened carefully to the movements around him, and his eyes wandered between every inch of soil and weeds, fearing that he would miss any clues. The air was filled with the scent of moist soil, and the coolness of the morning made him feel particularly sober. At that moment, he saw a familiar figure squirming slightly beside the pile of soil - the snake had indeed come.

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and slowly raised the net bag in his hand. His palms were slightly sweaty, and his clenched fingers were even numb. With his eyes fixed on the snake, he moved cautiously and gradually approached.

The snake seemed to sense his approach, and raised its head coldly, its eyes carrying a hidden hostility. Li Xiangqian's heart skipped a beat, and the net in his hand trembled a little, but he immediately calmed down and tried to keep his breathing steady. His mind flashed back to the experience his father had taught him: "When catching a snake, you must stay calm and don't panic. Snakes can feel your heartbeat and breath. The more nervous you are, the easier it is to be attacked by it." He took a deep breath and slowly approached, but the snake suddenly turned around and quickly scurried into the weeds.

"Hmph, I won't let you get away so easily." He cursed in a low voice and quickly chased after it, but his steps were still slow. He knew very well that the terrain in the bushes was complicated and snakes were much more flexible than humans. Any hesitation would give it a chance to escape.

The weeds parted in front of him quickly, and the snake's tail flashed past. Li Xiangqian moved quickly and chased in the direction where the snake disappeared. At this moment, the snake suddenly stopped, coiled around a stone, and stared at him coldly, as if provoking him. Li Xiangqian's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but hold the net bag in his hand tighter.

"Okay, I must catch you today!" He whispered to himself, slowly approaching the snake. The snake seemed a little impatient, coiling its body on the ground, raising its body high, ready to attack at any time. Li Xiangqian's heartbeat accelerated, but he knew that he must not retreat now, otherwise the snake would definitely burrow into the bushes and it would be difficult to catch it. He stared at the snake's every move, and his mind quickly thought about how to put the net bag on it without disturbing it.

Just as he was approaching slowly, the snake suddenly moved and darted to the other side. Li Xiangqian reacted very quickly, stepped forward, and swung the net bag in his hand fiercely, just covering the snake's body. He was overjoyed, and the excitement in his heart instantly surged up. He increased the strength in his hands and pressed the net bag firmly to the ground.

The snake trapped in the net twisted its body wildly, trying to break free, its head violently hitting the edge of the net with a fierce and unwilling force. Li Xiangqian stood aside, holding the net tightly with both hands, his heart was indescribably complicated, with a sense of victory and a hint of awe.

"Finally caught you." He murmured with a tone of relief.

Li Xiangqian was at a loss as to what to do next. He didn't want to kill the snake, but he also didn't want to leave it in the garden and affect his life. After thinking for a while, he decided to take the snake to a farther place and release it, away from his yard, so that it could have its own space and he could continue farming with peace of mind.

Carrying the net bag, he walked out of the yard and walked along the path to the outside of the village. The sun shone on his body and sweat slid down his forehead, but he did not stop. He looked at the net bag in his hand, and his heart gradually calmed down, as if he had regained a sense of control over his land in this action. He understood that snakes were uncontrollable natural creatures, and he was just a temporary guardian of this land. Perhaps he and the snake each had their own path and their own life, and neither could completely change the other.

When he came to the edge of a wooded area, Lee stepped forward and stopped.