The Snake Wife
"Xu Xian, a humble fisherman, married the beautiful and gentle Bai Susu. Their marriage should have been blissful, but rumors soon spread through the village that Bai Susu was a ""snake spirit"" who devoured her husbands after marriage. Xu Xian’s mother, already suspicious, grew convinced of this with the neighbors’ whispers, feeding her son’s fears. At first, Xu Xian dismissed the rumors. But strange occurrences chipped away at his trust: he saw a white snake obey his wife’s command, found snake skins in her clothes, glimpsed scaly patterns on her legs at night, and even overheard her murmur, ""Once I recover, I’ll eat my husband."" Meanwhile, men who had disrespected Bai Susu were found dead from snakebites—her embroidered pouch left at each scene. Under his mother’s pressure and the manipulative guidance of snake-catcher Chen Er’gou, Xu Xian’s dread grew. Chen claimed Xu Xian ""smelled of serpents,"" gave him sulfur powder to test his wife, and hinted Bai Susu would drain his life force on the full moon. That night, Xu Xian sprinkled sulfur on their bedsheets—only to see a monstrous snake’s shadow on the window. He burst in with a spear, but Bai Susu was unharmed. Yet doubt festered. His mother was bitten by a snake; he found his wife’s mouth stained ""with blood""; he eavesdropped as she told her sister, ""Tonight, I’ll feast."" Finally, Xu Xian fled to Chen Er’gou, agreeing to ""exorcise the demon."" But when they trapped Bai Susu in her room, the truth unraveled: Chen Er’gou, not Bai Susu, was the villain. Obsessed with her, he’d spun the ""snake spirit"" lies, planted dead snakes and her pouches, and staged the sulfur ""test."" Bai Susu’s ""snake traits""? Her herbal knowledge explained the obedient serpent; the ""scales"" were a skin condition; the ""blood"" was mulberry juice; and ""eating her husband"" was a private joke. In the end, Bai Susu revealed she’d married Xu Xian to repay a debt—his father had died saving her. The mother apologized; Xu Xian wept in shame. Chen Er’gou was arrested, and the village learned: Sometimes, human malice outshines any monster. Only trust can pierce the darkest lies. "
