We admired the beautiful scenery of sea and sky and gradually approached Snake Island.
This beautiful island gradually revealed its true appearance.
Nowadays, there are people living on the island all year round, but more than 40 years ago, this was still something that was unthinkable. Before Snake Island was established as a protected area, almost no one went there, except for a few bold snake hunters.
According to Lao Chen, the small islands around Snake Island are all bare, which is the result of thousands of years of deforestation by fishermen on the island. However, Snake Island has poisonous snakes, so no one dares to come up. Instead, it protects Snake Island. The trees and flowers blooming on Snake Island make the scenery beautiful. However, before the establishment of the protected area, there were very few snakes left on Snake Island, which was the result of being hunted and destroyed wildly by many greedy people.
"Boss, who are the people living on the island now? Are they fishermen?" the little girl asked.
Old Chen shook his head, "My dear, fishermen don't dare to live there! They are all scientific researchers, they are the only ones brave enough."
"What about the tourists who usually come here for sightseeing?" I asked next.
"The situation of tourists is special. Outsiders are allowed to visit the island only in summer and winter. In these two seasons, snakes are dormant, so there is almost no danger and it is relatively safe." Lao Chen explained.
"That means that except for summer and winter, it is impossible for outsiders to go to the island at other times?"
Lao Chen smiled mysteriously and said: "That can't be said with absolute certainty. Although this island looks small, the few people on it can't control it. If you want to sneak up there, it won't be difficult from above. Of course, we can do it anyway. No one wants to do this unless they don’t want to live anymore, and if they are bitten by a snake, they will be dead.”
What Lao Chen said was very funny and made everyone laugh again and again. Others may not care, but I heard what Lao Chen meant. There are still many people who sneak up on this island, and most of these people don't want their lives. However, apart from catching snakes, what is there on this island that is worthy of their risk?
"Boss, are you talking about the snake catchers?" I asked pretending to be confused.
Old Chen paused, "Well, it's not just snake catchers, there are everyone. We don't know what they do specifically. Sometimes they ask us to borrow boats and give us a lot of commission. We have some People are so greedy for money that they will do any business, and some even offer to sail ships for them.”
"Oh? Then these people should get a lot of money, right?"
"Don't mention it, I'm afraid I'll make money but not spend it." Lao Chen said in a mysterious manner.
But when I wanted to continue asking, he refused to speak. Helpless, I could only change the topic and continue the same conversation, "Boss, is there fresh water on this island? What do the people on the island eat?"
"There is fresh water now, but in the early years, it was really a big trouble to drink water." Lao Chen said, "And not only people need to drink water, but snakes also need to drink water. Sometimes, people have to find ways to let them drink water." The snake drinks first.”
"You said it in such a convoluted way that I was completely confused. Who drinks water, and the snake drinks it first? Please explain it clearly."
Lao Chen explained with a smile: "This snake is the same as a human. It can go without food for a year, but it cannot survive without drinking water. There is water on the island, but most of it is sea water. Snakes cannot drink sea water. , still have to live on fresh water. There is too little fresh water on the island, so people at the Snake Island Management Office have to find ways to solve the fresh water problem to prevent snakes from dying of thirst."
"So that's it." I nodded.
"At the beginning, we took a very simple approach. We dug some puddles artificially during the rainy season, and accumulated some rainwater, which would be enough for the snakes on the island to drink. It sounds simple, but it is also very difficult to do. Dig in places where there are a lot of snakes. There is water in the pits, and there is always the danger of being bitten by snakes. I remember there was a severe drought more than 20 years ago. There was almost no rain on the island for a year, and there was no water at all. In order to prevent Snake Island from becoming a snake-free island , the people in the management office really tried their best. They used boats to transport water to the island. After transporting water to the island, they did not dare to put the water into the pit, because it would be absorbed by the dry land in a short time. They spent 800 A water basin is used to distribute water on the island. This task alone keeps all the staff so busy that they don’t even have time to eat.”
"Did the snake die later?"
"The hard work pays off, and the snakes on the island are really alive." Lao Chen replied, "In the autumn of that year, the leaders of the management office decided to dig wells on the island to completely solve the fresh water problem on Snake Island. Now. The well is 10 meters deep, so there is no need to transport water from outside the island. However, the hard work of lifting water from the well and filling it in basins all over the island is not easy. Therefore, the people on the island look forward to it most. When it rains, we are most afraid of drought.”
"That's really not easy." At this time, I changed the subject and asked, "Then what are these people doing on the island? They can't just do this feeding them water, right?"
"That's definitely not possible. They do a lot of things, but us country bumpkins don't understand it. I remember that one of them is to remove snake venom!"
"Taking snake venom?" the little girl said in panic, "Aren't they afraid of being bitten?"
"Don't be afraid, little sister, this method of extracting snake venom is very simple. I've seen them do it before." Lao Chen said with a smile, "They will first grab a snake, grab the snake's head with their hands, and remove it. Put your mouth on the mouth of a small cup, let the snake's teeth press into the mouth of the cup, and then press the snake's venom glands with your hands. The venom will spurt out and then you can release the snake. I heard them say that taking the snake venom reasonably will not be harmful to the snake. Any harm.”
"That's true, but I still think it's dangerous." The little girl said anxiously.
"There are always dangers." Lao Chen said with a smile, "I know a scientific researcher on the island, we all call him Lao Xu. He once took snake venom. As he just caught a snake and was taking the venom, another snake attacked him. Yes, his leg was bitten with two holes."
"Ah? Then what happened to him?" the little girl asked with concern.
"Fortunately, they usually have first aid training in this area. He quickly took out the knife and rope he brought with him, tightly tied the upper part of the wound with the rope, cut the bitten part with the knife, and squeezed out the poisonous blood. Then I lit a fire with dry branches and roasted it, and it took half a month of treatment on the island before it was completely cured. Almost everyone on the island has been bitten by a snake, which is of course very dangerous, but they all said they are used to it."
"Why do they need to take snake venom if it's so dangerous?" the little girl asked, patting her chest.
Seemingly seeing the innocent look on the little girl's face, Old Chen became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, and took the initiative to say: "Little sister, this snake venom is a treasure. Snake venom is more precious than gold. It takes 50 vipers to extract 1 gram of dried venom." , otherwise, why do you think those snake catchers came to the island risking their lives?"
"Didn't you just say that the people who sneaked onto the island were all snake catchers?"
Lao Chen was stunned for a moment, and then replied: "That's not true. The people who come to the island are either snake catchers or hole diggers. Anyway, they are all for money."
"Drilling holes?" I pretended to smile stupidly, "It's not for catching gophers, right?" But I knew in my heart that drilling holes was a technical job. Who else would come to a place like this to drill holes except for those who can do it? Where's the hole?
Lao Chen knew that if he continued talking, he would get into trouble, so he quickly borrowed the donkey from Poxia and said: "Hey, I really told you to talk about it. On this island, besides snakes, there are also a lot of rats. Every year the people in the management office have to hunt mice."
"Ah? There are rats on the island?!" The little girl was shocked.
I smiled and consoled me: "Beauty, don't be afraid. Didn't you listen to the boss of the ship? Every year the staff at the management office hunt down rats. Even if a few fish slip through the net, it's not a big problem."
"I'm most afraid of rats, Xiaohao, otherwise we shouldn't go to the island..." The little girl backed down.
Lao Chen didn't care whether she got to the island or not. Anyway, she was going home now, and he would have to pay for the return voyage. However, in order not to affect the concerns of other passengers, Lao Chen still explained, "Don't worry, everyone, the brother just said is right. There are a few mice on this island, but every year in late autumn, snakes begin to hibernate. In order not to If more rats harm the snakes that are no longer able to resist, the staff on the island will use rat traps to kill the rats, so rats will not overrun."
Not long after, the ship had docked.
This is the only pier on the island. In addition to ferries, there are also many fishing boats docking here. The staff on the island also rely on this pier to replenish supplies. Because Snake Island cannot be separated from people all year round to observe snakes and conduct scientific research, and it must be protected from fire in winter. At the beginning, there was nothing on the island. The simple tent was cold in winter and hot in summer. I could only light candles at night, and I was afraid of being bitten by a snake when I slept. Later, they built a two-story building on the island with a wind turbine, which could basically meet their production and living needs.
Tourists visiting this place need to strictly abide by the regulations. As soon as we landed, a staff member came to receive us and explained clearly where we could and could not go. After listening to it, I can probably walk around their location and visit their laboratory, and then I have to go back.
"Hello, everyone is welcome to visit Snake Island. I am Wang Mengyao, an assistant scientific researcher in the management office. You can call me Xiao Wang. Today I will take you to visit our experimental base."
This female researcher named Wang Mengyao has a very beautiful voice, but what is more attractive is her long and healthy figure, elegant and charming demeanor, especially her shiny black hair, which has an indescribable charm.
Although it was summer, she was still wearing a long-sleeved top and trousers, a straw hat, and sneakers. Although she looked ordinary, it could not hide her incomparable temperament.
"Wow, sister, you are so beautiful!" The little girl couldn't help but praise her.
Sure enough, it is human nature to love beauty, whether it is a man or a woman.
I shook my head, thinking that it was rare for a woman to be a nymphomaniac to another woman. However, in an objective and fair evaluation, this Wang Mengyao completely beats this little girl in terms of appearance, figure and temperament.
These two women, Lin Xiaoyu and Huai Rujin, are already beautiful enough, but this Wang Mengyao is not inferior to them either.
