The Rain Stops, Xiao Qing Sheds Her Skin, and Seeking Help

The rain continued until around 4 PM before it slowly stopped.

Seeing that the downpour outside had finally ceased, Lin Xuan couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.

If this torrential rain had continued for several days and nights, let alone venturing into the mountains, even the farmland in some villages would have been submerged by the floodwaters.

"This rain has been going on for so long, it's finally stopped."

"Yeah, as far as I can remember, the heaviest rain I've seen was when I was back in my hometown."

"Back then, when it rained heavily, our stream would swell. When the water receded, we could even pick up fish from the fields by the riverbank."

"I remember we could find quite a few fish, one or two pounds each!"

"I really envy the rural life."

"When I get old, I want to retire to the countryside too!"

If tomorrow turned out to be a sunny day, Lin Xuan planned to first go into the mountains to observe before deciding on sending the giant panda family back.

He prepared some food suitable for the panda mother, letting her eat on her own, and then went over to Xiao Qing's side.

However, as soon as he arrived, he found Xiao Qing crawling all over the desktop, appearing very anxious.

Xiao Qing didn't even acknowledge Lin Xuan's arrival.

What was going on?

Lin Xuan couldn't understand Xiao Qing's peculiar behavior.

He watched as Xiao Qing's head rubbed against the items on the desktop, as if trying to rub something off its body.

"What's wrong with Xiao Qing?"

"Is Xiao Qing sick?"

"Could it be because it ate rabbit meat?"

The viewers in the live stream also saw this scene and began to speculate and worry.

"Saying it's because of eating rabbit meat, I think you're just guessing wildly."

"Xiao Qing is a wild animal. Everyone knows snakes like to eat things like mice, which have even more bacteria than rabbits. Xiao Qing never got sick before, so how could eating just a little rabbit meat cause this situation?"

"I, on the other hand, think it's due to another reason."

"Since it's not because of eating rabbit meat, then tell us, what exactly is the reason?"

"I'm not a snake expert, how would I know? In any case, before we figure it out, let's not make wild guesses, or you might get proven wrong later!"

Lin Xuan ignored the chatter in the live stream.

He was carefully observing Xiao Qing's body.

Soon, he discovered a transparent layer of skin on Xiao Qing's head.

???

If he wasn't mistaken, was Xiao Qing shedding its skin?

Snakes shed their skin periodically, about 3 to 4 times a year.

Snake shedding is a recurring process, and snakes shed their skin throughout their lives.

As snakes grow, they shed their skin.

Every time a snake sheds its skin, it means it has grown bigger, because the old skin can no longer accommodate the growing body.

It's easy to tell before a snake sheds: the snake's skin color becomes dull and lighter.

One to two days before shedding, the snake's eyes gradually change from dark black to blue-white, until they become milky.

Lin Xuan looked up some information online and then observed the color of Xiao Qing's body. It was indeed similar to what the online information stated.

Thinking this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He zoomed in the live stream camera slightly and then explained, "Dear viewers, thank you for your concern for Xiao Qing. However, based on my observations and the information I found online, Xiao Qing is not sick, but is shedding its skin to grow."

"Shedding skin?"

"So Xiao Qing is shedding its skin, not sick. That's a relief."

'A few people just now said Xiao Qing was uncomfortable because it ate rabbit meat. Now they've been proven wrong, hehe. I told you long ago, don't make wild guesses before the outcome is clear, or you'll be proven wrong.'

"So this is what snake shedding looks like."

"I've seen a lot of snake skins in the countryside before, but I've never seen a snake shedding its skin. I didn't expect to see this scene in the streamer's live broadcast today. It's like fulfilling a childhood wish."

"I've seen snake skin on my husband's erhu before, but only one piece. I didn't see the rest."

"Xiao Qing: To think there's a whole bunch of people watching me undress, I'm such a drama queen (crying)."

"Shedding clothes, dancing gracefully, a slender waist swaying slowly (dog head, smirking)."

"Haha, Xiao Qing looks like you when your back is itchy and you can't reach it."

"I haven't experienced that, I can reach (dog head)."

"For some reason, watching Xiao Qing shed its skin makes it look even cuter."

"Upstairs, you think Xiao Qing is cute, but remember, Xiao Qing is a venomous snake."

Lin Xuan sat nearby, patiently waiting for Xiao Qing to shed its skin.

However, after more than ten minutes had passed, the old skin on Xiao Qing's body had still not completely come off.

"Streamer, Xiao Qing is working so hard, it's been over ten minutes and it's still not done shedding. Streamer, why don't you help Xiao Qing and not let it struggle so much."

"Are you an elementary schooler upstairs? Don't you know that artificially helping a snake shed its skin is bad for the snake?"

"That's right. Although Xiao Qing is with the streamer now, the streamer still can't interfere with Xiao Qing's own shedding process."

"If you can help Xiao Qing now, what if one day Xiao Qing returns to the wild? Without the streamer's help then, won't it be unable to shed its skin?"

"This is a process Xiao Qing needs to go through itself. We humans shouldn't interfere. Just let it shed its skin on its own."

Just then, Xiao Qing, which had been shedding its skin for over ten minutes, gradually stopped moving on the tabletop.

Perhaps it was because it had expended too much energy just now, Xiao Qing's stamina was now insufficient.

However, a large section of its body, all the way to its tail, had not successfully shed its skin.

Xiao Qing weakly raised its head, looked at Lin Xuan, and hissed at him.

It looked as if it were asking Lin Xuan for help, wanting Lin Xuan to assist it.

"Xiao Qing, you want me to help you? To shed the rest of the skin?"

Hearing Lin Xuan's words, Xiao Qing nodded.

"Alright then, I'll help you."

Xiao Qing didn't have much energy left. Although Lin Xuan didn't want to interfere manually, there was no other choice.

However, he still explained to the viewers in the live stream.

"Everyone, Xiao Qing expended too much energy earlier due to shedding its skin, and there's still some skin left that hasn't fully come off."

"So it asked me for help. Since it's seeking my assistance, I can't just stand by indifferently."

"So please understand."

"Streamer, don't worry, we understand. Xiao Qing is only asking for your help because it has no other choice."

"So, go ahead and help Xiao Qing shed its skin. We won't say anything."