Following that, a huge snake head emerged into the view of the villagers.
"The python is descending the mountain, the python is descending!"
"Zhang Xiaoshan has been eaten, everyone run for your lives."
Seeing the enormous snake head, people screamed in terror and dispersed in all directions.
Yu Xiuxiu, who was closest to the mountain pass, was so scared that she turned pale and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a voice called out from beneath the snake’s body.
"Is that Little Shan’s voice?"
Yu Xiuxiu, who was sitting on the ground resigned to her fate, heard the call, blinked stupefiedly, and looked ahead with a vacant expression.
In the night, one could vaguely see that there was a person standing under the snake’s body.
"It’s Little Shan, it’s Little Shan!"
Yu Xiuxiu cried out in surprise.
At this moment, the panicked villagers also focused and looked carefully.
They realized that the python had long been dead, it was merely being carried on Zhang Xiaoshan’s shoulders and dragged along.
Zhang Xiaoshan threw the snake’s body on the ground and quickly walked toward Yu Xiuxiu, helping her up from the ground.
"Sister-in-law, don’t cry, I’m alright," he said to comfort Yu Xiuxiu.
Yu Xiuxiu grabbed Zhang Xiaoshan’s arm and burst into tears.
"You damn rascal, you scared your sister-in-law to death. You, you mustn’t be so reckless in the future. If anything happened to you, how would I go on living?"
"Heh heh, sister-in-law, aren’t you mad at me anymore?" Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Yu Xiuxiu and gave a silly laugh.
Before Yu Xiuxiu could respond, Xu Jing, who had already been crying with tears streaming down her face, rushed toward Zhang Xiaoshan like an arrow and threw herself into his arms, clinging tightly to him.
"Wuu wuu wuu, Zhang Xiaoshan, I thought you were dead. I had made up my mind; if you died, I wouldn’t want to live either. I would have accompanied you in death."
"Wuu wuu wuu, I won’t argue with you anymore, wuu wuu wuu..."
Zhang Xiaoshan stood there stunned, not knowing what to do, and looked guiltily towards Yu Xiuxiu.
At that time, Yu Xiuxiu also had a rather complex expression on her face.
There was joy because Zhang Xiaoshan had come back safely, but also some jealousy and a sense of loss.
"Xiuxiu, look at how good Little Shan and his spouse get along. I think you should start preparing for their wedding," someone said.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Xu has a job, looks dignified, way better than Wu Xiaoru. Your Little Shan is very lucky," added another.
"Right, right, right, quickly prepare for their wedding," chimed in others.
The crowd was egging them on, and Yu Xiuxiu, with a heart filled with sorrow, nevertheless replied with a forced smile.
"Good, I’ll definitely go to Mr. Xu’s house to propose as soon as possible and finalize their union. When the time comes, I’ll invite everyone to come for the wedding feast," she said.
Sad tears slid from her heart.
But at that moment, she also became much clearer, thinking, indeed, she was Zhang Xiaoshan’s sister-in-law; it wasn’t right to have inappropriate thoughts. Perhaps Xu Jing becoming Little Shan’s bride was really a good choice.
But did she really have to lose the person she loved?
With that thought, tears that she could not control began to fall from her eyes. She quickly raised her head to prevent the tears from flowing down and betraying her emotions to others.
On the side, Jia Lanhua watched as Zhang Xiaoshan hugged Xu Jing, feeling bitterly jealous.
Then looking at Wu Daming beside her, who looked as old as an ox, made her feel even worse.
"Xu Jing, stop crying. Look, I came back safely, didn’t I?"
Zhang Xiaoshan subtly pushed Xu Jing away.
He wanted to explain to Yu Xiuxiu, but with so many people around, and everyone assuming he and Xu Jing were a couple, what could he say?
"Good grief, Zhang Xiaoshan, you really are something, killing the python all by yourself—I’m impressed," said Li Erniu as he walked around the huge snake and couldn’t help praising Zhang Xiaoshan.
Wu Biao was also grinning as he said,
"I knew all along this little thing wouldn’t be a problem for Little Shan, heh heh heh..."
Zhang Xiaoshan glanced at everyone and knew what they were thinking.
There were those like Yu Xiuxiu, Xu Jing, and Ge Xiue who sincerely hoped he had come back safely.
But Wu Biao, Li Erniu, and others had ulterior motives.
He laughed at the crowd and said,
"That’s too kind, it’s all thanks to everyone’s effort. Without your help to injure the beast, I couldn’t have killed it. Don’t worry, I promised to give each of you a thousand bucks, and you’ll get every penny."
"I’ll go to town tomorrow to withdraw the money. Come to my house later to get it."
"Heh heh, Little Shan, everyone worked hard for the safety of our fellow villagers. It seems unfit to talk about money, but we don’t want to make you lose face either, so we’ll just have to thank you."
"You’re the generous one, Little Shan. If there’s trouble in the future, we’ll all be there for you."
The village’s able-bodied men surrounded Zhang Xiaoshan, their faces full of flattery.
This was the power of money.
Wu Damming watched this scene, grinding his teeth in irritation.
This time, by killing the giant python and buying off so many people with money, Zhang Xiaoshan’s prestige in the village was sure to rise even higher, and he would care even less about him.
"Why doesn’t this damned brat just die in the mountains?"
Wu Damming cursed bitterly in his heart.
Zhang Xiaoshan felt Wu Damming’s sharp gaze but didn’t bother to pay any heed.
These hundred or so men would take away tens of thousands from him.
That was no small sum, but compared to the value of the Red Training Snake King, it was insignificant. Not to mention, it also served the purpose of winning hearts.
He was deliberately provoking Wu Damming.
"Mom, look, Zhang Xiaoshan is really cashing in. He’s giving away tens of thousands without even blinking. You should get my sister to ask him to borrow some money," Wu Yong said with a hint of envy.
Zhang Yulian’s heart was also in agony.
A golden bachelor had slipped through her fingers. Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
"Village chief, it’s no good, it’s no good. Authorities from the town have come to the village, with police, a whole bunch of them."
Boatman Wang Goudan rushed in, panting with haste.