Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

Around a small puddle next to the abandoned former educated youth settlement, several snakes lay motionless on the ground.

Some lay stiff and lifeless, others huddled in the mud crevices with only their heads showing, mixed with the carcasses of wild rabbits. Some were rotting and stinking, while others were still warm.

"How could I forget this is the 1980s?"

Looking at the scene before him, Zhang Wenshan slapped his forehead in frustration, filled with regret.

There are far more wild animals now than in later generations, and they are common even in densely populated areas.

The scorching heat of the past few days has caused the ponds and puddles around the village to dry up one after another, and the water level has dropped sharply, causing animals to flock to the area to compete for water.

The fighting, coupled with water shortages and high temperatures, inevitably led to deaths and injuries.

Based on his experience from later generations, he originally thought the puddle would last for a few days, and now was the perfect time to catch them.

Who would have thought that we would arrive too late?

Zhang Wenshan knew he had made a mistake in his judgment, but others did not think so.

"My God, team leader, you're amazing! How did you know there was something good here?"

Lin Cuihua jumped up excitedly, clapping her hands repeatedly as she pointed at the puddle, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

It is common knowledge that snakes can be sold for money.

It's difficult to find them on ordinary days, let alone catch them, and there's a certain degree of danger involved, so no one is willing to try.

Ge Ergui turned to look at Zhang Wenshan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Lang Qiuping's hands trembled as he held the tools.

Fishing requires attention to bait, technique, and location; with dedication, you can always learn. Some people have had bountiful catches of snails before, but shrimp and crabs are still largely a matter of technique…

But the scene before my eyes was completely beyond reason.

Only Zhang Fengxia remained calm, as she was already used to it.

"You know which snakes are venomous, right?"

Zhang Wenshan was the first to come to his senses and asked with concern.

There are two common types of venomous snakes in Northeast China.

The Ussuri pit viper, commonly known as the earthworm, is generally 50 to 60 centimeters long. It is mainly brown or yellowish-brown with dark, irregular patches, and its head is triangular.

Another type is the tiger keelback snake, also known as the pheasant neck snake.

It is predominantly greenish-brown, with prominent red and black patches on its neck. When startled, its neck flattens out like a pheasant's neck, hence its name.

"I've got it." Lin Cuihua was the first to respond.

Ge Ergui also said, "Those with triangular heads, short and thick tails that suddenly taper to thin are all poisonous."

"Okay, let's split up and not get scattered."

"Gloves are not allowed to be removed; they are all grabbed with wire pliers."

"Call me if you're unsure..."

Zhang Wenshan patiently repeated what he had said before.

"good!"

Everyone agreed in unison, picked up their tools, and headed towards their destination.

Lang Qiuping was the boldest. He went straight for the thickest brown-black rat snake, poked it twice with his pliers, and after confirming that it wasn't moving, he immediately grabbed the snake's body, lifted it up, and then slammed it against a rock by its seven-inch mark.

The snake's head immediately split open.

He swiftly and decisively coiled the 1.5-meter-long, wrist-thick snake into a coil and stuffed it into a sack.

It looks like he's caught snakes before and is quite experienced.

Ge Ergui, on the other hand, set his sights on a white-striped serpent.

As soon as the pincers touched it, the snake twitched twice and then collapsed, powerless.

Without saying a word, he pressed the pliers against the snake's spine, raised his foot, and stomped hard, killing the snake instantly.

In contrast, Lin Cuihua and Zhang Fengxia were clearly averse to reptiles. The two walked side by side, timid and hesitant, not daring to approach the snake.

Zhang Wenshan didn't force him.

Instead of protecting them, he swept forward, leaving the two girls to collect the rabbits and find targets.

"What a pity, it would have been better if we had come yesterday."

Lin Cuihua looked at the carcass of a wild rabbit that had been eaten and sighed softly.

If we had come earlier, we might have been able to find a whole one. Even if we couldn't sell it, we could have eaten it ourselves!

"We're already very lucky; we've caught three."

Zhang Fengxia felt the weight of the sack in her hand, and her face lit up with joy.

Having followed my younger brother, I've seen a lot of the world. I'm good at keeping accounts every day, and I've made quite a bit of money. I'm no longer bothered by such petty gains.

"Team leader, you, you come quick!"

Suddenly, a gasp came from the side.

Zhang Wenshan and the other two tensed up. Turning around, they saw Lang Qiuping and Ge Ergui frozen by the puddle, like two statues, completely still.

"Did you encounter a poisonous snake?"

Zhang Wenshan rushed over quickly. He had previously instructed them not to move around if they encountered a venomous snake.

"This is?"

When he arrived at the puddle, he was stunned.

In the shady depression of the earthen slope, countless snakes of black, brown, and green were entwined together, resembling a giant ball of yarn.

It looks like the scalp is numb.

"Ugh!" Lin Cuihua's expression froze, and she involuntarily covered her mouth to keep quiet.

Zhang Fengxia's breathing became heavy, and she felt goosebumps rising on her arms. She couldn't help but move closer to her younger brother.

Ge Ergui's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't open his mouth.

Lang Qiuping was in a better position, managing not to back down, but his face also turned pale.

"I'll handle it, you guys assist."

Zhang Wenshan licked his dry lips, his tone calm and showing no sign of panic.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lang Qiuping and Ge Ergui came to their senses and immediately gripped their pincers, standing on either side of him with their eyes fixed on the snakes.

The two women retreated further away, gripping their sticks tightly, barely daring to breathe.

In that instant, their admiration for the figure at the forefront grew even stronger.

Zhang Wenshan had rehearsed this situation before coming, and at the time they thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill, but unexpectedly it actually came in handy.

"Hiss hiss hiss."

As soon as we got close, the snakes became restless.

Zhang Wenshan carefully used pliers to hook the snakes out, and one of them immediately fled down the slope.

Lang Qiuping had been on high alert for a long time.

Without hesitation, Lin Cuihua used pliers to hold down the snake's body, and gritted her teeth as she swung a stick and smashed it hard on the snake's head.

"Smack"

The snake's head was smashed into a pulp; it was dead beyond any doubt.

The two ignored it and immediately turned their attention back to the main battlefield.

"Move back a bit."

Without turning his head, Zhang Wenshan reminded the people behind him, his eyes fixed on the most active and dazzling snake in the swarm.

With its triangular head and black eyebrows edged in white on the sides, it is none other than the deadliest Ussuri viper.

This snake is extremely venomous, containing both neurotoxins and hemotoxins. If bitten now, there is basically no chance of survival. Fortunately, the high temperature has exhausted its strength, and it doesn't even have the strength to raise its head and flick its tongue. It can only slowly wriggle among the snakes.

If you don't take what Heaven has given you, you will suffer the consequences.

Zhang Wenshan held his breath, slowly handed over the pliers, and took advantage of its unpreparedness to grab its vital spot, pull it back hard, and then slam it onto a nearby rock.

Zhang Fengxia immediately followed, swinging her stick and smashing it repeatedly on the snake's head.

Growing up in a village, no one is unaware of the dangers of venomous snakes.

"Okay, he's completely dead."

Zhang Wenshan quickly stopped his older sister, tossed the dead snake behind him, and turned back to deal with the remaining snakes.

With no major threat, the remaining snakes are not a concern.

With everyone's combined efforts, the snakes were quickly all killed.

Zhang Wenshan led everyone to retreat to an open area, only to find that he was soaked through, unable to tell whether it was from the heat or from nervousness.