Wealthy Beauty in the 60s
Chapter 49 - 48 Fear

Chapter 49: Chapter 48 Fear

Xia Xiao spoke and then saw Gao Jiaxing pounce with a cloth bag onto the ground, his movements swift and agile, as he pressed down directly on a snake. He was extremely skilled, clearly a pro. Another snake, which had been heading towards Xia Xiao, seemed to realize its mate had been caught by Gao Jiaxing, so it lunged at Gao Jiaxing instead.

As soon as Gao Jiaxing had bagged one snake, he caught another one that was about to bite him, but he said to Xia Xiao,

"Help me hold this cloth bag."

Xia Xiao instinctively took a step back and shook her head. She was scared. Even dead snakes frightened her, let alone a live one, and even if it was in a bag, she dared not touch it.

Gao Jiaxing saw Xia Xiao’s reaction and didn’t expect any more from her. Holding onto the snake’s tail, he let go just as the snake’s head was about to strike him.

The snake hit the ground and tried to flee; Gao Jiaxing chased after it.

Xia Xiao said anxiously, "It’s already running away; why are you still chasing it?" That was a venomous snake, what if he got bitten? Besides, hadn’t he already caught one? Xia Xiao couldn’t quite understand.

"When you see two, you catch two. A male and a female – letting one go would bring trouble," Gao Jiaxing quickly caught the other snake.

This time, Gao Jiaxing held the snake right behind its head. With rapid movements, he swung the snake’s head vigorously against a tree trunk, smashing the snake’s head repeatedly until it was stunned before placing it in the bag.

Xia Xiao said nothing, afraid of the snake in Gao Jiaxing’s hands. She didn’t dare to stray too far from or too close to Gao Jiaxing.

Gao Jiaxing looked at Xia Xiao and said, "You shouldn’t learn to hunt."

Xia Xiao made a sound of acknowledgment but realized she was still too naive. She was too timid. She was afraid of snakes, insects, mice, even dead ones, let alone hunting.

If it weren’t for her special space ability, she wouldn’t even dare to enter the mountains. Xia Xiao sighed to herself, feeling down as she realized she couldn’t overcome such fear. It was as if she had been born with it.

"Brother Gao, I’m sorry, I am afraid of snakes, I couldn’t help you just now." Xia Xiao mentally apologized. Gao Jiaxing hadn’t been bitten, which was a relief, but if he had been, she would have felt extremely guilty.

"It’s all right. You haven’t done anything wrong," Gao Jiaxing replied. "But with your timidity, you better avoid the mountains – there are many snakes there. And why should a woman try to act tough? Eat more snake meat when you get back, there’s nothing to be scared of." Gao Jiaxing was in a good mood having caught two snakes, although Xia Xiao was unreliable. But he hadn’t really counted on her help anyway.

Xia Xiao remained silent, thinking that she definitely couldn’t eat the snake. It was okay when she didn’t know last time, but now that she did, she just couldn’t stomach it.

"Let’s go, we’ll pick some medicinal herbs at my mother’s place; you seem really spooked," Gao Jiaxing thought that was not bad, letting Xia Xiao experience fear so she wouldn’t act alone next time.

Xia Xiao nodded and followed behind Gao Jiaxing, walking slowly but still looking around worriedly in case another snake appeared.

Gao Jiaxing shook his head as he watched her, thinking that girls were indeed troublesome.

When they arrived at Zheng Xianghong’s place, Xia Xiao was startled, "Why are there so many people?"

"Medicinal herbs can not only cure illnesses but also be sold for money."

Gao Jiaxing explained, and Xia Xiao understood. She also felt a bit ashamed because, although she knew some history and was aware of future development advantages, she still seriously lacked life experience.

Having worked in society for a year, she still hadn’t been through enough, had been inexperienced.

Xia Xiao’s life before had been limited to household chores and studying. She had never gone anywhere except for students’ gatherings, and she definitely had never traveled. Aside from studying, her life revolved around reading novels – nothing more.

Now that I have been reborn here, the conditions are somewhat harsh. Yet Xia Xiao found life to be incredibly fulfilling, even more so than before.

"Ah, caught a snake!" Zheng Xianghong said happily.

"Mm, just luck," Gao Jiaxing replied.

The others were also pleased, some even wanted to see the snake in Gao Jiaxing’s bag. Gao Jiaxing dodged the request, "Let’s wait until we get back."

"How many snakes did you catch?" one of the men asked.

Gao Jiaxing glanced at him, "How many can there be? Just one. Do you think I specialize in catching snakes?"

Xia Xiao looked at Gao Jiaxing with some curiosity. He clearly caught two but only mentioned one. However, she thought it was normal for Gao Jiaxing to keep one since he was the one who caught them.

Everyone has their own selfish interests, and she was no different. It was even rather kind of Gao Jiaxing to give one to the Red Star Production Team.

"Jiaxing, why don’t you take the snake back first?" Zheng Xianghong suggested to her son.

"No need, I’ll help you gather some herbs," Gao Jiaxing said as he leaned close to Zheng Xianghong, whispering, "Mom, let’s prepare some herbs for snake wine. It can be drunk and used as medicine; I’ve seen that the captain of the Red Star Production Team has it at home."

Zheng Xianghong’s eyes lit up as she nodded, that certainly was a good idea.

Xia Xiao didn’t hear what the mother and son were discussing. She observed the herbs Zheng Xianghong picked, which bore some resemblance to the ones in front of her, so she squatted down to pluck them.

"This is honeysuckle; we should pick this kind," Zheng Xianghong was teaching Xia Xiao, "There’s also fern, Dichroa—take as much as you can..."

Xia Xiao followed along and learned how to pick herbs. Compared to her, Gao Jiaxing appeared more adept, already knowing how to pick without instruction from Zheng Xianghong. Xia Xiao saw many men following suit and picking, each with a basket on their backs. If it wouldn’t fit, they would weave a basket with rattan to carry more.

When everyone worked together, they were particularly energetic, and with everyone chatting and laughing, time seemed to fly by quickly.

At noon, everyone ate the sweet potatoes they’d brought. Some were reluctant to eat their sweet potatoes and instead ate wild fruits from the mountain to stave off hunger.

Soon it was afternoon, and many people went to check their traps. Xia Xiao and Gao Jiaxing had set several traps, but there was not a single prey in their traps.

Some people caught mountain rats and others caught birds. Gao Jiaxing’s only catch was the snake.

"Xia Xiao, what’s wrong?" Zheng Xianghong asked, noticing Xia Xiao usually stayed close to her son, but today she kept her distance.

Gao Jiaxing glanced at Xia Xiao, "She’s afraid of snakes."

Zheng Xianghong chuckled, "It’s very normal for women to be afraid of snakes. Most women are, even I wasn’t fond of those slimy creatures, would get goosebumps just seeing them. But now, having seen them so often, I am not afraid anymore. Living here in the mountains is the best test of courage; you’ll get used to them after a while and gradually overcome your fear."

Xia Xiao gave a sheepish smile. Perhaps that would be the case; she hoped to conquer her fear deep inside of these creatures.

Gazing at the scenery in the mountains, Xia Xiao loved the air here, finding it sweet and fresh. At night, the moon was round and large, with the stars twinkling brightly and beautifully in the sky.

It wasn’t like the skies of the future, shrouded in haze. As Xia Xiao grew up, she rarely saw the moon and stars, seldom witnessed a beautiful sky.

Therefore, Xia Xiao appreciated the sky here, the quality of the water, but this era’s rural life had too many inconveniences.