Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

He Yuzhu nodded, his tone revealing a hint of caution: "The traces are quite obvious, and there are some shed snake skins on the ground. Just looking at them is creepy. Let's go over and take a look. It's best to check the area around the ground again, just in case."

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, nodded and said, "Okay, let's go now." He secretly decided in his heart that if he really encountered the snake again this time, he must find a way to drive it away completely and never let such danger exist in the land again.

The two walked in silence towards the edge of the field. The surrounding fields were silent at the moment, with only the sound of wind blowing through the hay, as if even nature had noticed the difference. Li Xiangqian and He Yuzhu walked into the field and soon found the winding trail in the corner of the field. Li Xiangqian squatted down and carefully observed the winding trail, and a chill passed through his heart. The soil on the ground was a little loose, and the snake's track extended all the way from He Yuzhu's field, as if it had deliberately crossed into their territory.

"Go forward, this snake skin... is it too big?" He Yuzhu looked at the snake skin on the ground and swallowed his saliva, with a trace of fear in his eyes. The snake skin was dark yellow with some desolate patterns, about two meters long, and looked extremely creepy.

Li Xiangqian looked at the snake skin and was horrified. The snake was obviously quite large, and if this snake was really active nearby, their vegetable fields would not be safe anymore.

"Yuzhui, this matter cannot be delayed. We'd better find a way to thoroughly clear the weeds on the edge of the field and prevent these things from hiding." Li Xiangqian said as he thought of various possible ways to drive away the snakes in his mind. However, a hint of doubt arose in his heart - snakes usually don't approach places with frequent human activities for no reason, and this snake seemed to be intentionally wandering between his and He Yuzhui's territory, as if with some purpose.

He Yuzhu sighed and nodded, "I thought so too. I'll go to the village head and ask Lao Li if he has any old tricks to deal with this thing. He used to be a hunter in the mountains, so he should know a lot of tricks to deal with snakes."

Li Xiangqian felt relieved and nodded: "Okay, we'll take action after you've figured it out. We can't let this snake roam freely in the fields." As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. He was worried whether those methods would completely drive away the snake, or would anger it and make it more threatening.

Li Xiangqian returned home and saw his wife busy preparing dinner in the kitchen. Her familiar and warm figure relieved the heavy pressure in his heart. These days, the land and the snakes, all kinds of problems piled up in his mind, making him extremely tense. But he didn't want to bring these troubles back home and disrupt the peace at home.

His wife seemed to notice his tiredness. She looked back at him and asked softly, "Are you back? Why are you so late today?" There was a hint of worry in her voice. She seemed to understand that her husband had been unhappy recently, but she didn't ask.

Li Xiangqian pursed his lips and forced a smile, trying to make himself look more relaxed. "Well, I just chatted with Yuzhu for a while, nothing much." He tried to respond in a light tone, and at the same time silently warned himself not to show what was in his heart, so as not to make his wife worry.

His wife smiled and handed him a bowl of steaming hot soup. "The weather is getting colder. Drink some soup to warm your stomach. You look very tired recently. Don't just focus on the farm work and ruin your health."

Li Xiangqian took the bowl of soup, feeling the warm steam coming towards him, and felt touched, with a hint of guilt. He lowered his head and took a few sips, then hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you feel that...something is not right here?" His tone was vague and hesitant, and he didn't want her to worry too much, but he couldn't help but ask tentatively.

His wife was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him with some confusion in her eyes, "What's wrong? Did something happen in the field?"

"No, no." Li Xiangqian waved his hands quickly, trying to hide his uneasiness. "It's just... there are more snakes recently, and there are some strange traces. I can't explain it." He paused, trying to make his tone steady, and then smiled, "But maybe I'm thinking too much."

The wife frowned and showed a trace of worry. "Snake? That's a big problem... I remember when I was a child, people said that snakes entering the village was never a good sign. Be careful and don't provoke them."

Li Xiangqian's heart sank, but he still smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Even if we see them in the fields sometimes, they won't come over if we don't provoke them." He paused, and couldn't help but think of the winding snake mark that appeared at the edge of the field. He spoke with a little more vigilance, "But to be honest, these strange things in the fields are really a headache. I'm already thinking of a solution."

The wife nodded and reminded him, "Safety is the most important thing after all. If you can find a way to solve it, that's the best. If not, ask for help from others. Don't just carry it alone."

"Well, don't worry." Li Xiangqian nodded in agreement, but his heart still felt heavy as if a stone was pressing on it. He knew that his wife was always attentive and might have noticed his emotional abnormality, so she specifically asked him to find someone to help.

After dinner, when Li Xiangqian was clearing the dishes, he heard his wife suddenly say, "I see you haven't been sleeping well lately. Why don't you go to bed early tonight?"

Li Xiangqian smiled, but he knew her worries and didn't want to make her worry any more, so he nodded and agreed. "Okay, then I'll go around the yard again to see if there's anything going on tonight, and then I'll go to bed when I come back."

As he spoke, he picked up the flashlight and walked into the yard. The night sky outside was pitch black, with only a few stars twinkling faintly. It was so quiet that even the sound of the wind could be heard clearly. He stood quietly in the middle of the yard, and the breeze gently brushed his cheeks, bringing a hint of coolness.

In the darkness of the night, Li Xiangqian looked at the dark scene around him, and countless thoughts emerged in his mind. He thought over and over again about how to deal with this matter. He wanted to not let his wife worry, and he also wanted to solve the trouble in the field as soon as possible. But he thought about it again, and he felt a little helpless. Snakes are always elusive, and it is probably difficult for him to really solve the problem by himself.