Chapter 49: A Treasure from Head to Toe

Chui Langzhong was carefully cleaning the snake skin.

He used a scraper to remove the bits of flesh attached to the inside, then propped it open with bamboo skewers to dry.

Looking at the ragged snake skin, as if it had been chewed on by dogs, he couldn’t help but complain, “What a waste, such a waste…”

But when the aroma of roasted snake meat drifted over, he immediately shut up, swallowing hard.

His nose twitched—so fragrant!

Fat dripped onto the fire, sizzling as it burned.

The whole village gathered around, watching Yan Lao’er direct everyone in skewering the meat, turning it over the fire, and generously sprinkling salt.

The salty and savory scent made everyone’s mouths water.

Yan Lao’er was confident in his roasting skills, but since this was his first time cooking an exotic snake, he felt he should be the one to try it first.

Blowing on it twice to cool it down, he couldn’t wait to take a bite.

The flavors exploded on his tongue!

The coarse salt hadn’t fully dissolved, still clinging tightly to the meat, melding together under the fire’s heat.

The surface was crispy and charred, the inside tender and juicy—he barely had time to savor the taste before his throat instinctively swallowed it down…

Without hesitation, Yan Lao’er grabbed another skewer, stuffing his mouth full of meat.

A wave of immense happiness surrounded him.

At this moment, the whole world felt elevated!

It was too delicious!

Wuwu! He had never regretted his lack of vocabulary more than now—how could he not find the words to describe the flavor of this snake meat?

There wasn’t even a hint of gaminess. Instead, it carried a faint, delicate sweetness.

“Come, everyone, have a taste!” he called out to the villagers while swiftly grabbing a fresh batch of skewers and feeding them to his family.

Li Xuemei ate with some restraint. In contrast, Yan Yu, such a tiny little thing, was extremely skilled at eating skewers. She took big bites, happily swaying her head from side to side.

Once the skin was removed, there was nothing left to remind them of the snake’s former form—only the natural craving for meat remained.

Yan Yu devoured the meat with the ferocity of someone who had been starving for days.

She only stopped, regretfully, when her small belly was too full to take another bite.

Yan Huaiwen took a bite, raised an eyebrow, and quickly finished one skewer before accepting the second one his younger brother handed over.

Yan Lao’er grinned, eating while making sure his family had enough.

His eldest nephew was still growing—he needed to eat more.

Da Ya initially hesitated. Just hearing it was snake meat made her uneasy. But her second uncle shoved a skewer into her hand, so she reluctantly took a bite… Then, without realizing it, she finished three skewers in small bites.

Looking down at the three empty sticks in her hand, Da Ya’s face turned red with embarrassment.

She had eaten too much.

Yan Yu saw her staring at the skewers and quickly snatched another one from her father’s hand, handing it to her big sister.

“Sis, eat more.”

Never mind that Uncle had just recovered from a serious illness—actually, the weakest in the family was her. Every meal was like taking medicine, just a few bites. But now, she was finally able to eat well. She should eat more! Besides, that lady had said snake meat was good for the body.

Li Xuemei, of course, didn’t need anyone to remind her. She ate diligently but stopped as soon as she felt full. She didn’t dare overeat.

Then, she wandered over to the group of women she knew well.

Yan Lao’er called them the Straw-Weaving Women’s Army, while her daughter called them the Straw-Weaving Girl Group…

And then she overheard something that left her dumbfounded.

Chui Saozi spoke mysteriously, “That ox in the Yan family isn’t just any ordinary ox—it’s got spiritual energy! Qi Si said so himself—he saw it stomp the big snake to death! Ah, it must have come to repay a debt of gratitude!”

Someone chimed in, “That must be a righteous ox!”

“Whose kindness was it repaying in the Yan family?”

“It must be the scholar! Our scholar is the reincarnation of Wenquxing! Maybe he saved this ox in a past life, and now that he’s reborn into the mortal world, the ox followed him down…”

“Oh, Yan Er Saozi, you’re just in time! Tell us—has your family’s ox shown any signs of divinity?”

The women all turned to her, eyes brimming with gossip.

Li Xuemei braced herself and said, “Our ox is pretty normal, just a bit wary of strangers—it doesn’t like people getting too close.”

“That’s exactly it! Why does it only recognize your family? There must be something to it!”

“No wonder it’s so strong…”

“And obedient! Even lets Er Ya ride it.”

“Yan Lao’er doesn’t seem to have much trouble steering it either…”

Li Xuemei felt she couldn’t stay there any longer. She hurried off to find Yan Lao’er.

“Why is Qi Si saying he saw our ox stomp the snake to death?”

Yan Lao’er was baffled.

“Huh? I never told him to say that!”

Yan Yu popped her little head over, barely able to contain her laughter.

“Dad! Just go listen over there.” She pointed to where the village men were gathered around Qi Si, who was passionately telling a story.

“They’re spreading a legendary tale about our Sanbao! They’re saying he’s a divine ox repaying a debt of gratitude—so dramatic! Hahaha!”

Li Xuemei quickly understood. “It’s probably just a case of the story getting twisted as it spread.”

The men and women of the village didn’t mingle much, so when they only overheard bits and pieces, they added their own interpretations…

—

One giant snake fed the whole village, and there were still leftovers.

Yan Lao’er knew the villagers were holding back out of courtesy, but when it came to sharing luck and good fortune, they gladly accepted.

Everyone, young and old, had at least a bite.

Yan Lao’er thought for a moment, then salted the remaining snake meat and dried it into jerky for better preservation.

Because of the roasting, they set out later than usual that day.

They walked a bit longer to make up for it and didn’t stop until near noon.

Strangely, no one felt tired at all. In fact, they felt even more energized as they walked.

If Yan Lao’er hadn’t stopped at the front, they could have kept going!

Even Yan Lao’er himself felt surprisingly refreshed. The effects of the snake meat were amazing—if they ate it every day, they might be able to cover hundreds of miles in a single day.

Chui Langzhong approached him. “Yan Er Brother, this snake skin is quite a lot. Just how long was the snake you killed?”

So, he assumed Yan Lao’er and the Qi brothers had taken down the snake together.

“Pretty long, probably about ten feet.” Yan Lao’er knew he couldn’t fool Chui Langzhong—after all, the man had been handling the skin all along.

“A snake that big is a treasure from head to toe! Did you find the gallbladder?” Chui Langzhong asked eagerly.

He hadn’t found it himself, so he wondered if Yan Lao’er had kept it.

“I don’t mean anything by it—I just wanted to see it for myself,” he quickly clarified.

“If we had it, we’d definitely give it to you, Brother Chui. I wouldn’t even know how to prepare it.”

“That’s not called preparing—it’s called processing,” Chui Langzhong corrected.

Yan Lao’er: “Right, processing. But we really didn’t find it.”

Chui Langzhong sighed regretfully. “It must’ve gotten lost somewhere.”

“Oh, Yan Er Brother, once I finish drying this snake skin, I’ll give it to you. There’s quite a bit—if we pass through a county town, you could see if a pharmacy will buy it.”

“What’s snake skin used for?” Yan Lao’er asked.

“It treats wind-related ailments, convulsions, epidemics, improves eyesight, and detoxifies. It’s especially good for skin conditions,” Chui Langzhong explained. “But it’s not a commonly used medicine, so it won’t fetch a high price.”

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