The rain did not slowly stop until around four in the afternoon.
Watching the torrential rain outside finally come to an end, Lin Xuan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If the downpour had continued for several days and nights, forget going into the mountains—even some of the village's farmland would have been flooded.
"This rain went on for so long. It finally stopped."
"Yeah. The heaviest rain I remember was one I saw back in my hometown."
"Whenever there was a downpour back then, the creek would flood. Once the water receded, we could even pick up fish from the fields by the river."
"I remember finding plenty of fish weighing one or two pounds!"
"I'm so jealous of rural life."
"When I get old, I want to retire to the countryside too!"
If tomorrow turned out to be bright and sunny, Lin Xuan would first head into the mountains to take a look, then decide whether to send the Giant Panda family back.
He prepared some food suitable for Panda Mother and let her eat on her own before heading over to Xiao Qing.
But as soon as he arrived, he found Xiao Qing crawling all over the table, looking extremely anxious.
Xiao Qing did not even acknowledge Lin Xuan's arrival.
What was going on?
Lin Xuan could not make sense of Xiao Qing's strange behavior either.
Xiao Qing kept rubbing her head against the things on the table, as though she were trying to scrape something off her body.
"What's wrong with Xiao Qing?"
"Could Xiao Qing be sick?"
"Could it be because she ate rabbit meat?"
The viewers in the livestream room saw the scene as well and began making guesses and worrying.
"If you're saying it was because she ate rabbit meat, I think you're just making wild guesses."
"Xiao Qing is a wild animal. Everyone knows snakes like to eat mice and similar things, which carry even more bacteria than wild rabbits. Xiao Qing has never gotten sick before, so how could eating a little rabbit meat cause this?"
"I think something else is causing it."
"If it isn't because of the rabbit meat, then tell us what the reason is."
"I'm not a snake expert, so how would I know? Anyway, before it's properly investigated, don't make wild guesses, or you'll end up getting proven wrong!"
Lin Xuan ignored the discussion in the livestream room.
He carefully examined Xiao Qing's body.
Soon, he spotted a patch of transparent skin on Xiao Qing's head.
??
If he was not mistaken, was Xiao Qing shedding her skin?
Snakes shed periodically, roughly three to four times a year.
Snake shedding repeated at intervals, and snakes continued shedding throughout their lives.
As snakes grew, they shed their skin.
Each time a snake shed its skin, it meant it had grown a little bigger, because its old skin could no longer contain its growing body.
It was easy to tell when a snake was about to shed: its skin color would become dull and lighter.
One to two days before shedding, a snake's eyes would gradually change from black to bluish-white, eventually turning cloudy.
Lin Xuan looked up some information online, then observed Xiao Qing's coloration. It was indeed much the same as what the information described.
At that thought, he relaxed.
He moved the livestream camera closer and explained, "Everyone, thank you for your concern for Xiao Qing. But based on my observations just now and the information I found online, Xiao Qing isn't sick. She's shedding her skin in order to grow."
"Shedding?"
"So Xiao Qing is shedding, not sick. What a relief."
"Some people just said Xiao Qing felt unwell because she ate rabbit meat. Proven wrong now, huh? Hehe, I told you already—don't make wild guesses before the truth comes out, or you'll get proven wrong."
"So this is what snake shedding looks like."
"When I lived in the countryside, I saw quite a few shed snake skins, but I'd never seen a snake shedding before. I didn't expect to see it in the streamer's livestream room today. This really fulfills a childhood wish of mine."
"I used to see snake skin on my husband's erhu too, but it was only one piece. I never saw the rest."
"Xiao Qing: I didn't expect a whole bunch of people to watch me take off my clothes. You're all such snake-crazies! (crying)"
"Half-shed garments, a graceful dance; that slender waist sways slowly. (doge)"
"Haha, Xiao Qing looks just like you when your back is itchy but you can't find anything to scratch it with."
"Can't relate. I can reach it. (doge)"
"For some reason, watching Xiao Qing shed makes her seem even cuter."
"Person above, you may think Xiao Qing is cute, but don't forget that she's a venomous snake."
Lin Xuan sat beside her and patiently waited for Xiao Qing to shed.
But after more than ten minutes had passed, Xiao Qing still had not completely shed her old skin.
"Streamer, Xiao Qing is having such a hard time. More than ten minutes have passed, and she still hasn't finished shedding. Why don't you help her so she doesn't have to suffer so much?"
"Are you an elementary school student? Don't you know that helping a snake shed its skin by hand is harmful to it?"
"That's right. Although Xiao Qing is following the streamer now, he still shouldn't interfere with her shedding on her own."
"You can help Xiao Qing now, but what if she returns to the forest someday? Without the streamer's help then, wouldn't she be unable to shed?"
"This is something Xiao Qing needs to go through herself. We humans shouldn't interfere. Just let her shed on her own."
Just then, after shedding for more than ten minutes, Xiao Qing gradually stopped moving much on the table.
Perhaps she had used too much strength earlier, leaving her with insufficient energy now.
Yet a large section near her tail still had not come off.
Xiao Qing weakly raised her head, looked at Lin Xuan, and hissed at him.
She looked as though she were asking Lin Xuan for help, wanting him to help her.
"Xiao Qing, do you want me to help you? To remove the rest of your skin?"
Hearing Lin Xuan's words, Xiao Qing nodded.
"All right, I'll help you."
Xiao Qing had little strength left. Although Lin Xuan did not want to interfere manually, there was no other choice.
Still, he explained the situation to the viewers in the livestream room.
"Everyone, Xiao Qing used up too much strength while shedding just now, and she still has some skin that hasn't fully come off."
"That's why she's asking me for help. Since she's seeking my help, I can't just stand by coldly."
"So please understand."
"Streamer, don't worry, we understand. Xiao Qing only asked for your help because she had no other choice."
"So go ahead and help Xiao Qing shed. We won't say anything."
Before you continue