鸡犬不宁 — “Chickens and dogs are not at peace”

There was a man named Jiang whose grandfather and father had both died from snake bites while catching snakes, yet he continued their dangerous profession.

When the famous writer Liu Zongyuan advised him to stop, Jiang burst into tears. He explained that he would rather risk death by snake bite than abandon his work, as catching snakes was the only way he could pay the heavy taxes demanded by the government.

Jiang further revealed to Liu Zongyuan that if he managed to catch a venomous snake, his life would actually be better than that of his neighbors. He recounted how many of his fellow villagers had already lost all their possessions and were struggling with hunger.

When the tax collectors arrived in the village to levy taxes, they would storm through, shouting abuses and resorting to violence, leaving the villagers terrified and pleading desperately. Such chaotic scenes created such a disturbance that even the chickens and dogs could not find peace, let alone the people.