Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 86 - 084 Scare

Chapter 86: 084 Scare

Tian Sisi and a group of little girls were on the mountain too. The school had given a five-day holiday, firstly because of the Labor Day on May 1st, and secondly to let the students go home and help harvest bamboo shoots to earn money. Tian Sisi of course didn’t have to join the labor; her interest was in the wild strawberries on the mountain, the red fruits hanging on the vines looked delicious, sour and sweet, much tastier than the large strawberries sold in supermarkets in the future.

Zhong Meiying, Zhong Anmei, Zhong Wan Hua, and a few other little girls were pulling bamboo shoots, each armed with a large burlap sack. They were all fully equipped, dressed in long clothes and trousers, and covered their heads with cloth, which looked quite frightening. This was mainly because many of the shoots grew amongst the brambles—shoots in the brambles were not only abundant but also thick and of better quality. So, to pull more shoots, one had to bend over and squeeze in. Without proper protection, one’s body could be lacerated by the brambles.

Tian Sisi was cheerfully busy picking wild strawberries. She didn’t stop using her hands and munching, her little mouth stained red by the strawberries, looking incredibly adorable. Tian Sisi had specially prepared a small basket, lining it with a few big leaves and carefully placing each picked strawberry inside, planning to bring them back for Old Man and Granny Zhao to enjoy.

At that time, there were still plenty of wild strawberries on the mountain. Just on this small hillside there were lots of them, unlike in the future where one could barely find any wild strawberry trees on the outer parts of Yuequan Mountain. If one wanted to taste wild strawberries, one would have to venture deeper into the mountain. However, deeper areas were infested with snakes and insects, and most people wouldn’t risk it just for a few wild strawberries.

Before long, Tian Sisi had picked almost a basketful of wild strawberries. A basket full of brilliant red strawberries lay on the green leaves, looking just like red agates. Tian Sisi smiled satisfactorily, picked a few more leaves, covered up the strawberries, and set the basket in a clean spot. Then she took another larger basket to go harvest bamboo shoots. She didn’t intend to go into the brambles to pull the bigger shoots; she just picked some finer ones on the outside, which were just as delicious to eat.

On the slope outside, only Tian Sisi was slowly pulling the shoots. The closest to her was Zhong Anmei, a bit further away was Zhong Juying, both bending over and exerting themselves to pull up the shoots. Tian Sisi was humming a tune and harvesting shoots, occasionally plucking a wild grass stalk to chew, enjoying herself alone.

But perhaps God thought Tian Sisi was enjoying herself too much. There, he sent a little companion to join her. Just when Tian Sisi felt something was amiss and tried to get up, she discovered not far ahead a creature—a big, black snake sinisterly staring at her, its body nearly two meters long, as thick as Tian Sisi’s wrist.

Tian Sisi was so frightened that she wanted to scream for Mama, but her mouth opened and no sound came out. Her mind was unusually clear, but her legs wouldn’t move; she was paralyzed with fear. Why would there be such a big snake here? Aren’t snakes afraid of people? There were so many people around today, why would you, Brother Snake, dare to slither out?

Tian Sisi was on the verge of tears, praying internally that the snake was just here for a stroll and would leave soon. Yet the snake, as if it had targeted Tian Sisi, kept staring at her ominously and even held its little round head high. Wait, a round head? Tian Sisi remembered that the books said snakes with round heads are non-venomous, and those with triangular heads are venomous. Half of her heart was relieved—it’s non-venomous, at worst I’ll be bitten and feel pain, but it won’t kill me.

However, nearly every woman fears such soft-bodied animals, with nine out of ten women scared at the mere mention of a snake. Tian Sisi was one of the most reactive among them; knowing that the snake wasn’t poisonous, she was still terrified and rooted to the spot, weak-legged and voiceless.

The first to sense something was wrong was Zhong Juying. She had not heard Tian Sisi’s singing for a while, so she looked up in her direction, immediately spotting the frightened Tian Sisi. On closer inspection, she saw the large snake in front of Tian Sisi. Zhong Juying’s heart skipped a beat. She dared not shout for fear of startling the snake and harming Tian Sisi, and since she was too far away, Zhong Juying couldn’t be sure whether the snake was venomous.

Zhong Juying hastily dropped her burlap sack and got up to walk towards Tian Sisi. When Zhong Anmei saw her getting up, she thought Zhong Juying was going to relieve herself and was about to call out to join her, but Zhong Juying silenced her with a gesture of a finger to her lips. Zhong Anmei followed her gaze and was equally startled, hurriedly sneaking over with Zhong Juying.