Chapter 9: The Snakeskin Skirt

“Who’s causing trouble?” After seeing off all the clients, Lion Yu returned to the inner room carrying three glasses of water. She entered without knowing what they were discussing and asked.

Lion Yu had long chestnut-red hair and tea-colored eyes that sparkled with playful mischief. This kind of woman gave Qi Yue a feeling of straightforwardness and efficiency.

“Nothing much, we were just joking around. Is it clear in front of you now? We didn’t disturb you, did we?” Leopard Xue’er asked anxiously.

“Don’t be silly! You’re still so polite with me; no need to be so formal,” Lion Yu chided with mock annoyance. Seeing Qi Yue, she greeted warmly, “Qi Yue, I heard you woke up. Congratulations! Your health is fully recovered now, right?”

“Thank you! I’m feeling fine now.” Qi Yue expressed her gratitude and then realized that spring was nearly halfway gone. In three months, the weather would become extremely hot, so she needed some light and thin animal skins to wear. She recalled that Ling’er had given her a piece of snakeskin to shield her face yesterday, which had good breathability. She asked, “Lion Yu, do you have any snakeskin here?”

“Snakeskin? Let me see... I think last autumn, Xiong An caught one and paid me with snakeskin. I made a few leather skirts for his females as compensation. I’ve already tanned them and planned to use the skins as clothing accessories. Where did I put them?” Lion Yu searched as she spoke. “Ah, right under that white tiger skin.” She pulled out a long, ice-blue python skin from a pile of hides and handed it to Qi Yue. It was very long, about sixty meters, and over a meter wide.

“Sister Yue, what are you going to do with this?” Ling’er asked curiously from the side.

“Make clothes!” Qi Yue spread the python skin on the floor, scales facing up, and picked up a rectangular wooden scraper lying nearby. She scraped against the scales in the opposite direction. Since the snake had been dead for a long time, the scales came off easily. Soon, the skin was completely clean. Qi Yue shook off the scales, and the python skin turned pale moon-white, losing its blue iridescence. She liked this color even better.

Lion Yu had never seen snakeskin treated this way and examined it closely. Taking the opportunity, Qi Yue gathered the shed scales from the floor and stored them in a small leather pouch.

“What are you collecting those for?” Lion Yu asked curiously. Wasn’t Qi Yue going to use the snakeskin for clothing?

“I can’t leave your place covered in snakescales, can I? Besides, you initially wanted to use the scales as decoration. You can punch small holes in these scales and sew them onto the clothes, creating all kinds of patterns and shapes. It’ll look prettier and be easier to embellish,” Qi Yue explained.

“Good idea! I’ll try that later. But tell me, what kind of clothes are you making with this snakeskin?” Lion Yu asked eagerly.

“A bandeau top. You can decide the style; I have no strong preference. For skirts, I want two: one ending an inch above the knee, and one two inches below the knee,” Qi Yue indicated the positions with her hand. “For the bandeau tops, make four, no decorations.”

“I want one too!” Ling’er and Leopard Xue’er exclaimed simultaneously.

“This python skin is so long that even if all four of us make clothes, it’ll only use about ten meters. There’s plenty left; no need to compete,” Lion Yu said.

Ling’er touched the snakeskin and said, “Clothes made from this will definitely be beautiful!”

“They already look beautiful. When you pair up, I’ll make you an even prettier one,” Qi Yue patted Ling’er’s head.

Looking at the snakeskin again, Qi Yue asked, “Lion Yu, after making clothes for the four of us, can I buy the remaining snakeskin? I want to make a few garments for Chi’er after he transforms.”

“Chi’er? Who’s that?” Lion Yu looked at Qi Yue, puzzled.

Qi Yue pointed to the little red bird sleeping atop her head. “My baby, just born. I don’t know when he’ll transform yet. You know it’s impossible for a single female like me to get such snakeskin.”

“Alright.” Lion Yu promptly cut ten meters of snakeskin and folded the rest to hand over to Qi Yue.

“Lion Yu, I have another favor to ask,” Qi Yue said shyly.

“Qi Yue, just say it. You’re Leopard Xue’er’s friend, so you’re my friend too,” Lion Yu replied straightforwardly.

“If anyone asks, could you not tell others that the leftover snakeskin is with me? You know the history between me and Hu Li’er. I don’t want to stir up trouble over something so trivial,” Qi Yue said cautiously. These were her problems, yet she felt uneasy asking others to keep it secret.

“That’s it? I barely have any leftover snakeskin anyway. After making clothes for the four of us, there won’t be any left. If anyone wants some, they’ll have to bring their own,” Lion Yu said decisively.

“How much will I owe you for these six snakeskin garments plus the snakeskin?” Qi Yue asked frankly. In this primitive society that prized fairness, it was better to be direct. Qi Yue thought this openness would make everyone more relaxed.

“The bandeau tops are my gift. For the two skirts and fifty meters of snakeskin, you owe me one hundred jin of meat, any kind. For you two, the two skirts count as ten jin of meat each,” Lion Yu considered and said.

“Isn’t that too cheap? Aren’t you afraid of losing out?” Leopard Xue’er worried her friend would be shortchanged.

“Not at all. I’m basically giving away one hundred and twenty jin of meat for two skirts and several bandeau tops! Now there’s one more kind of animal skin for making clothes. No matter how you calculate it, I’ve gained today,” Lion Yu said, pointing at the pouch of snakescales.

“Heh! Definitely not a loss.” Leopard Xue’er understood immediately. That snakeskin was originally meant for decoration. Also, no one used snakeskin for clothes before because the scales rubbed off easily. “Next time when Hu Yue goes hunting, I’ll have him look for pythons. This snakeskin is light and soft, cool against the skin—wearing it in summer must be very comfortable!”

Ling’er nodded enthusiastically. “I wish I could wear it right away once it’s made.”

“If you ask me, Sister Xue’er, you should take it easy. Two skirts for summer rotation are enough. Don’t let Brother Hu Yue take risks. Most snakes are venomous, and poisoning isn’t something to joke about. Once Lion Yu finishes making the clothes, when you wear them out, other females will definitely follow suit. They’ll have their beastmen or suitors hunt snakes. When everyone has snakeskin skirts, the value will drop. It’s better to wait and trade for surplus snakeskin rather than risk Brother Hu Yue’s safety,” Qi Yue advised, cooling their enthusiasm.

“That’s true. It’s not worth risking Hu Yue’s injury or death just to have a snakeskin skirt,” Leopard Xue’er said seriously. It seemed Qi Yue’s words had struck a chord. Ling’er nodded repeatedly on the side.

“Or you could consider digging up snake dens in winter. The snakes are frozen solid then and won’t attack people,” Qi Yue added, recalling the snakes’ hibernation habits.

“Really? Then in autumn, we should have our beastmen keep an eye on snake den locations, and in winter, we’ll try digging them up,” Lion Yu exclaimed excitedly. They could get snakeskin without risking poisoning and even enjoy snake meat in winter—truly a win-win.