A mouse venturing out encountered a snake. One mouse was swallowed whole, while the other stared wide-eyed, its face wrinkled like Sichuan peppercorns, brimming with furious indignation. The snake, its belly full, swaggered away.

The remaining mouse, consumed by a desire for vengeance, lunged forward to bite. It managed to sink its teeth into the serpent's tail. Enraged, the snake whirled around to fight, but the mouse was swift and agile, quickly darting away.

The snake returned to its lair empty-handed, but as it attempted to re-enter its hole, the mouse rushed forward to nip again. This back-and-forth repeated many times: when the snake advanced, the mouse retreated; when the snake retreated, the mouse advanced. After enduring this for a long while, the snake grew weary and impatient. It spat out the dead mouse onto the ground and departed on its own.

The living mouse approached its companion, mourning. It nudged and sniffed the corpse, chirping sorrowfully and sighing endlessly. Soon after, it carefully took the dead mouse's body in its mouth and carried it away.