Chapter Sixty-Eight: Attempting to Persuade the Villagers

Jiang's mother wasn't annoyed by what she was told; instead, she looked proud: "If we had retreated, there would have been nothing to eat, and the locust eggs in the rice paddies would have been gone. Luckily, my Honey is smart and learns from books, which helps me solve my problems."

Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at each other in bewilderment.

The mere mention of locusts filled everyone with anger, and they wished they could wipe these creatures out completely.

Unfortunately, locusts are agile, numerous, and fly; if we really fight them, they will be the ones who suffer.

Can this chicken really work against locusts?

One of the older women tentatively asked, "Locust eggs? Is this chicken really effective against such cursed creatures?"

Seeing this, Jiang Mi, who was sitting next to her, brightened up; this was like a pillow sent to someone who was sleepy. She was just worried about how to get the villagers to buy the products, and her mother had solved this problem for her.

"Of course!" Mother Jiang said proudly, raising her voice considerably. "It's written in the book, how could it not work?"

Jiang's mother was steady and never lied; the elderly people in Hongyang Village had watched her grow up, so they had some faith in her.

All eyes fell on Jiang Mi, and everyone hesitated to some extent.

A few days ago, they had heard about the Jiang family's affairs in Qingyun Village. The Jiang family's daughter was spoiled by her family, was obese, and arrogant; despite her poor background, she lived the life of a young lady from a wealthy family.

However, Jiang Mi's behavior in Hongyang Village has not been out of line. On the contrary, she is kind and often gives desserts to the children in the village, so everyone has a pretty good impression of her.

But they were still skeptical of what they were told. After all, they were living a hard life and didn't have much money left. They had two or three old hens, which was considered a good life.

"Why don't you aunties try putting a few of your hens into the rice paddy?" Jiang Mi chimed in.

"What if the chicken eats the ripe rice?" a villager asked.

They are beasts after all. If the locust eggs are not dealt with by then, and they eat most of the rice in the paddy fields, wouldn't they be losing more than they gain?

Jiang Mi pursed her lips, not intending to completely persuade the villagers, but just giving them a heads-up: "It's better to let the chickens eat this rice than to let the locusts eat it."

Upon hearing this, the villagers also felt that there was some truth to what he said. It's better to keep the good stuff within the family and not let it go to outsiders. It would be better to let those locust eggs benefit from it than to let you beasts benefit from it.

Just as they were struggling with their decision, Liu Ergou had already pulled Jiang's mother and Jiang Mi towards the village.

“The girl from the Jiang family is right. We shouldn’t let the good stuff go to outsiders. It’s better to feed a few hens if they’re willing to work harder and lay more eggs.”

"That's right, that's right. I'll put the chickens from home into the field tomorrow and see how it goes."

…

They chimed in with their own opinions, some even planning to give it a try.

However, some villagers who were struggling financially had concerns and were unsure of what to do.

At the entrance of the Jiang family's house.

Liu Ergou helped the Jiang family by putting all the chickens and ducks in the yard: "Aunt Jiang, I'm going back now. There's still a lot of work waiting for me at home."

As he spoke, he led the oxcart home.

"etc!"

He hadn't walked far when he heard Jiang's mother calling from behind. Liu Ergou stopped and looked at Jiang's mother who had run out, asking, "Auntie, is there anything else?"

"Boss, take twenty-five chickens and ducks back for Er Gou." Jiang's mother was afraid that Liu Er Gou would leave, so she grabbed Liu Er Gou's wrist and instructed Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan understood immediately and quickly took a cage from the kitchen, deftly stuffing the chickens and ducks inside.

"Aunt Jiang, no, this is too valuable." Liu Ergou was shocked and tried to struggle away.

Although he wasn't very bright, he knew he couldn't keep taking advantage of others.

Jiang's mother disagreed and said earnestly, "I know your father's health isn't good enough for farm work. The burden of the whole family rests on your shoulders. If you refuse, I will never ride in your oxcart again."

After saying that, she deliberately stared at him with a blank expression.

Liu Ergou's family was one of the poorest in the village. His father had difficulty walking and his mother couldn't do much farm work, so he had to take on a lot of housework at a young age.

Jiang's mother loved her child dearly, and given the means, she naturally chose to help him more.

Since Jiang's mother had said all the nice things, Liu Ergou naturally had no reason to refuse.

Looking down at the chickens and ducks in the cage, Liu Ergou was immediately moved to tears; in this era of hunger and cold, there were still people who cared about his family.

"Aunt Jiang..."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and take your things back." Jiang's mother waved her hand impatiently. She really couldn't stand seeing a grown man crying and sobbing in front of her.

…

The news that chickens and ducks could ward off locusts spread throughout Hongyang Village in less than half a day.

In the afternoon, Jiang Yan was setting up a fence in the yard, dividing it into two areas to raise chickens and ducks, as requested by her younger sister.

Jiang Mi originally wanted to help, but her older brother absolutely refused to let her do it, telling her to find a shady spot and just watch her.

Jiang Yan has excellent hands-on skills, and he completed the basic shape in just a few moments.

Jiang Mi was sitting in the courtyard with her eyes closed, seemingly resting, but in reality, she was bargaining with the system: "You have one or two methods to control locusts, so why not teach them all to me at once!"

[Please establish correct values, host, and don't dream of getting something for nothing.]

The system looks just like a fair and impartial county magistrate.

Jiang Mi pouted, inwardly cursing the system for being stingy. She turned her head and saw her grandfather standing outside the courtyard. She quickly stood up and greeted him, "Grandpa?"

Zhu Qiancheng looked at the clucking chickens in the yard and said with a smile, "I heard from Huali that these things can control locusts in the fields, so I came to take a look."

At my age, this is the first time I've ever heard that poultry are the natural enemies of locusts; I always believe what my daughter says.

Jiang Mi understood immediately and took out 50 chickens and 50 ducks that had been prepared in advance from the yard and placed them in front of Zhu Qiancheng: "My mother has prepared them for you, Grandpa, and is just waiting for you to come and get them."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Qiancheng took out half a tael of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table, saying with emotion, "I can't take it for nothing; this is just a small token of my appreciation. Although I know it's not enough, it's all I have."

Looking at the silver on the table, Jiang Mi was flattered and said with a shy smile, "We're family, so please take it, Grandpa. It's a small token of my mother's appreciation. If you don't take it, I'll be in for a world of hurt when she comes back."

He even made a sour face while saying it.

This immediately made Zhu Qiancheng both laugh and cry. Knowing Jiang Mi's intentions, Zhu Qiancheng did not refuse again and took the money back: "Alright, since it is my daughter's kind gesture, I will take it."