Wang Jian's hometown was in a village surrounded by numerous mountains. Although transportation used to be inconvenient and made leaving difficult, the village had developed well over the years, to the point where even courier services and the internet had reached it. He had resigned without a backup job, having already decided to stay in the village for good.
"Sister-in-law, you shouldn't have come to pick me up," Wang Jian said, walking somewhat stiffly along the mountain path. "The main road ahead is closed, and this trail is too treacherous. It isn't safe for you to make this trip back and forth."
Just as he finished speaking, he was captivated by the view in front of him. The swaying figure was a beautiful sight. His sister-in-law wasn't just pretty; even her silhouette was alluring. He found himself envying his older brother. She looked like she'd be good at bearing children. It was a wonder why the couple still hadn't had any children after so many years.
"Oh, Xiao Jian, don't say that." Xu Qian's hips swayed as she walked ahead of him. The mountain path was difficult, and both were being cautious, so she was completely unaware of the view she presented from behind—a view laid bare for Wang Jian.
In truth, the two weren't very familiar with each other, having only met once at Wang Jian's brother's wedding. As a result, the journey was unusually quiet. To break the awkward silence, Xu Qian took the initiative as they reached the halfway point of the mountain. "Xiao Jian, how many years has it been since you were last back? If I remember correctly, you've been away for eight years, right? So, are the big cities really all they're cracked up to be? Why did you suddenly decide to come back?"
Xu Qian stopped on the mountainside. After firing off several questions with no reply, she turned around and met Wang Jian's lingering gaze. That was enough to make her face turn instantly red.
It can't have been easy for my brother-in-law to stay single for so many years. But being stared at like that stirred a peculiar feeling within her.
"Sister-in-law... I came back this time to open a small clinic in the village," Wang Jian said, hastily averting his eyes and feigning composure. "Big cities aren't always better. Right now, I think the village is pretty great, too."
The light, loose clothes his sister-in-law was wearing hugged her curves perfectly from behind, revealing their shape in vivid detail. It was no wonder he couldn't help but steal a few extra glances.
He'd spent all these years away studying medicine without saving a single penny. Five years of medical school and three years of internship, and suddenly he was older. In the end, he lost his job for offending the director. Coming back now was truly his last resort.
"Sister-in-law! Let's rest here on the mountainside for a bit. I haven't walked these paths in years, and I'm not used to them anymore."
"Alright. There's a flat spot just ahead. Let's stop there."
The "flat spot" Xu Qian mentioned was just a patch of overgrown weeds, but it conveniently had a few large rocks to sit on. Wang Jian didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down on a large rock and taking a big gulp of water. As he drank, he remembered to pass a bottle to Xu Qian. She took it and also drank eagerly; as a woman who didn't hike often, she was in no better shape than he was.
A trickle of water dripped from the corner of her mouth onto her clothes. The sight was somehow more alluring than a direct view, adding a hazy, suggestive beauty. Wang Jian's eyes were immediately glued to the scene. Despite having just drunk water, he still felt parched. He pinched himself hard, suppressing the inappropriate stirring he felt. "Right, Sister-in-law, my brother didn't come back either?"
Xu Qian nodded, seemingly oblivious to his gaze. "Yeah, people who work migrant jobs don't just come back in the middle of the year," she replied. "What about you? Weren't you interning at a big hospital? Why the sudden decision to come back and open a clinic?"
The subject made Wang Jian a bit depressed, but he didn't state the reason directly. "Hah... after so many years of studying and a three-year internship, I still can't compete with people who have connections."
The two chatted idly for a while about household matters, and the atmosphere became less awkward. But then Xu Qian's face began to flush, and she shifted uncomfortably, pressing her thighs together with a look of distress.
"Xiao Jian," she said, "you sit here for a bit. I need to... take care of something over there."
"What's wrong?" Wang Jian asked, startled. "What is it?"
Just as he asked, he noticed her expression and actions and had a sudden realization. She needed to relieve herself but was too embarrassed to say so, which explained her fidgeting.
"Go ahead, Sister-in-law. Don't mind me. I was just about to take some pictures here anyway."
With that, Wang Jian took out his phone and started snapping photos of the mountain scenery, doing his best not to make her feel awkward. However, the area was small, so Xu Qian couldn't go far. She finally found a spot by the mountainside where she could squat and began to unfasten her clothes. Wang Jian heard the rustling, followed immediately by the gentle trickle of water, which sounded as if it were just behind him. Images flooded his mind, and he couldn't shake them. His hand, holding the phone, froze in midair. For a moment, the only sound was the soft trickle of water.
Then, Wang Jian felt a sharp pain in his thigh. He looked down and saw a snake, instinctively flinging it away in terror.
HISS!
"A snake!" he gasped. "How could there be a snake here?"
The snake vanished into the nearby grass after biting him. All he saw was a flash of red and black, and he feared it was highly venomous. While resting on the rock, distracted by the sounds his sister-in-law was making, he hadn't noticed its approach.
Thinking back, he recalled a certain type of mountain snake from his childhood. The problem was, this kind, supposedly called a "fire stick," had even been known to kill people. It hadn't been seen in over a decade. Just my luck to hit the jackpot the moment I get home. My luck is absolutely rotten.
"Damn it!" he cursed. He tore a strip from his clothes, intending to tie it around his thigh to slow the blood flow while looking for medicinal herbs, but he couldn't see any. A cold sweat was already breaking out on his skin, and he was starting to feel dizzy. What's the use in looking for herbs now? He pulled out a small knife, planning to cut away the flesh to remove the venom, but his vision went black, and he fainted.
Just before losing consciousness, the last thing he saw was his sister-in-law running toward him, her pants not even pulled up.
When he groggily came to, a figure was frantically trying to save him, apparently with her pants still down. The area of the snakebite had been numb, but now a cooling sensation was slowly spreading from it.
"Sister-in-law?" he murmured. "Thank you for saving me..."
Looking down, he saw that his pants had been pulled down, leaving him bare. No wonder it felt so cool. His sister-in-law was bent over him, sucking the venom from the wound and spitting it out mouthful by mouthful. Afterward, she somehow found some herbs, chewed them into a pulp, and applied the poultice to the wound.
After all this, Wang Jian felt much better. He knew, however, that this method couldn't possibly remove all the venom. More importantly, the person sucking out the poison was at risk of being poisoned themselves. Although Xu Qian's treatment seemed to have worked wonders for now, and both of them were fine, an awkward situation arose. It seemed this particular snake's non-lethal venom had some... peculiar side effects. And... well, this was incredibly embarrassing. He didn't even have his pants on.
"Xiao Jian, you're finally awake!"
Tears were still glistening on Xu Qian's beautiful face, and she was overjoyed to see him conscious. As she spoke, however, she noticed the embarrassed expression on his face. Then, her gaze drifted downward and, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed...
"Ptui!"