Hoang Truong Giang and his wife Vuong Que Tran have lived in a remote rural area of Jilin, China since the 1990s. Both worked as farmers, barely making enough to get by, let alone afford meat. The couple had one daughter. Their simple life wasn’t wealthy but was peaceful and happy. The local villagers had a good impression of their family.
Then one day, the wife’s actions changed their family’s life forever.
One afternoon, Que Tran headed out to the fields around 4 or 5 pm to work while the weather was cooler. Before she reached her own field, she noticed a man searching the ground nearby. Thinking he had lost something, she approached to help. But when she got closer, she was shocked to see a sack covered in dirt and blood, writhing with a snake inside. Que Tran was so scared she couldn’t say a word.
Trembling, she asked the man what he was doing. Though he didn’t want to delay his work, he explained he was catching snakes to sell. Venomous snakes can be dangerous, but they also have medicinal value. Their venom is used in medical research for cancer treatment, blood clotting, pain relief, and other health benefits.
Snake skin was even more valuable. At that time, city folks had started using snake skin for handbags and jewelry. And for those who couldn’t afford meat, snake meat was a delicacy to satisfy cravings.
After hearing this, Que Tran no longer felt afraid but instead felt pity. She asked the man if the snake could be released. The man looked at her like she was crazy. Que Tran anxiously grabbed his arm, pleading with him to let the snake go, saying it was injured and its flesh was exposed.
The man gave up and offered to sell the snake to her for 100 yuan (about 350,000 VND). But most villagers earned less than 100 yuan a month, so Que Tran didn’t have that kind of money.
She searched her pockets and found only 20 yuan. Seeing her struggle, the man took the money and left the snake behind. Que Tran then took the venomous snake home and cared for it carefully.
Husband Threatens Divorce Over Snake Obsession
After a long day working in the fields, her husband came home and was shocked to see his wife lovingly tending to the writhing snake on the floor. She even called the venomous snake her “son!”
Hoang Truong Giang broke out in a cold sweat and his hair stood on end. His face flushed with anger as he pointed at Que Tran and yelled. Everyone knew a venomous snake bite could cause poisoning or even death. They argued for hours, but in the end, Giang had no choice but to let Que Tran nurse the snake back to health before releasing it.
While Giang lived in fear every day, worried he might wake up to find a venomous snake in front of him, Que Tran devoted all her attention to caring for the snake. The day finally came to release it. Giang was secretly relieved, and though Que Tran was reluctant, she took the snake to the field.
What neither of them expected was that when they returned home that evening, the snake they had released had come back. Even after trying multiple times, the snake kept returning to their house. Seeing this, Que Tran decided to keep it. Giang was furious, shouting, “If you want to keep this venomous snake, then we should get a divorce!” Their daughter came home from school, saw her mother seemingly hypnotized by the snake, and said she wanted to run away from home.
The husband wanted a divorce, the daughter wanted to leave, neighbors gossiped, but the woman didn’t care. She believed she had a special bond with the snake. Unable to change his wife, Hoang Truong Giang accepted living with the “magical” snake.
Over time, the villagers gradually accepted the old couple keeping the snake. Some even called Que Tran to catch venomous snakes when they spotted them.
The Truth Revealed
As time passed, the story of a snake sticking to a woman and refusing to leave caught media attention, with some even coming to take photos.
Experts rushed to the couple’s home. After hearing their story, they explained that the snake wasn’t magical or attached to the person who saved it. Venomous snakes have a keen sense of smell and return home based on scent. The experts then helped the couple release the venomous snake back into the wild.
