Old Qin used to be a farmer, cultivating a patch of land near a forest ten miles outside the county city, making a living by farming all year round.
Besides, he mastered the skill of catching snakes, capturing venomous ones every now and then and soaking them in wine to sell in the county city; thus, he managed to live a decent life with adequate food and clothing.
However, the venomous snakes he caught caught the eye of the county magistrate here, Li Kulou, specifically wanting them alive; the more venomous, the better.
At first, the county office offered silver for the snakes politely enough, but once they discovered the farmland created by Old Qin, it became a snaky tax offset. Later, they forced him to hand over snakes every few days, but how could there be so many snakes out in the wild for him to catch?
In this way, Old Qin was tormented terribly by the county magistrate, Li Kulou.
Until not long ago, his granddaughter returned from afar, which caused another calamity.
