Jiang Yimian had a sudden inspiration. She called over Gou Sheng and whispered a few words in his ear.
Gou Sheng scratched his head in confusion, "Will this work?"
He thought this method didn't seem very reliable.
Jiang Yimian just smiled and said, "Just do as I say. Call on Xiao Ye and the others. We can probably make quite a few in a day."
Gou Sheng could only nod hesitantly, then turned and called to the little guys as they returned to the small depression.
Although she felt that Jiang Yimian's method was not good, she still did it anyway.
After the fish-catching incident, he dared not distrust the other party anymore. Sister Yimian was so capable that even if her method failed, it must have a reason, and she certainly wouldn't ruin the crops on the ground.
The sun was high in the sky, and when the adults saw them leave, they assumed they were just tired and didn't say anything more.
Seeing that Jiang Yimian was still wearing a straw hat and helping to catch insects, Wang Fengqin quickly said, "Yimian, it's hot, you should go back. That's enough. We adults are fine."
They've been through a lot of pests on crops and are used to it; they can't catch all the pests in just one day.
Even if they catch them day and night, it won't be very effective. The sun is strong right now, and she feels sorry for her daughter and doesn't want her to get sick from the sun.
Old Liu glanced at the blazing sun and quickly said, "That's right, that's about enough. Yi Mian, go back first. We'll catch some more and then head back too."
The insects have already hatched, and the farmers can only leave it to fate. They hope that the insects will have mercy and eat less of the crops, leaving them some food for the winter.
Jiang Yimian simply waved her hand. She wasn't tired, and there was nothing to do back home anyway, so she might as well catch some more insects for peace of mind.
Although she didn't check on the rice seedlings every day, she still put in a lot of effort and couldn't just stand by and watch the crops go to waste.
The thought of working hard for several months but not reaping much grain made her feel exhausted.
Farming has never been a profitable business. After a year of hard work, how much grain you can harvest depends not only on the daily care you take, but also on the weather. If the weather is good and there is plenty of rain, the fields will not be dry and the crops will grow strong.
If the weather is bad and it doesn't rain, the fields will dry out, the crops won't grow well, and they might even die from the sun, making months of hard work a waste.
Not to mention insects; farmers work hard all year round, and all they can say is that they won't starve.
After working for another half hour, seeing that the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and that they might suffer from heatstroke if they stayed any longer, the group returned to the small depression.
Everyone was a little tired, so they went to take a nap after lunch. Jiang Yimian, on the other hand, followed the little ones to look for things in the small depression.
Upon hearing that they were doing something to help, the little ones immediately became very enthusiastic, looking around with their heads down, hoping that the bugs would disappear the next day.
Although they didn't go to the fields to help much, they knew that those things were their food, their sustenance. How could they allow insects to come and steal their food? They were determined to drive away the bad insects and protect their food.
The afternoon passed quickly, and as it was getting dark, Jiang Yimian and Gou Sheng took what they had caught to the field and told everyone to keep catching.
The adults thought the children were just playing and didn't pay much attention to them. All their attention was on the crops in the field, and they were so worried that their heads were throbbing.
Old Liu lost his appetite and stared at the dishes on the table, thinking of the crops in the fields.
I wish I could suffer in place of the crops.
I just can't understand why there are so many worms growing there.
It's a wonder he went to check on them every day. Is it because he went every day and made sure the seedlings grew well?
That can't be right, how could the rice seedlings hear him?
His mind was a jumbled mess, yet the incessant chirping of cicadas only made him more agitated.
He should go and pray to God for protection, hoping that there will be fewer insects tomorrow.
Liu Dayong and his wife were also very worried. Seeing that Old Man Liu had left the table, they lost their appetite.
Daya quickly finished a bowl of rice and ran out of the house.
Zhao Xing'er felt a pang of envy; it's so much better to be a child, carefree and without worries!
The others weren't much better off; they were already worrying about not having enough food for the winter.
The adults were asleep, but they were dreaming about the crops.
The other children were in a similar situation, but instead of being worried, they were looking forward to it.
If brain cells were tangible, the small depression would surely be filled with dead brain cells.
They all sacrificed themselves heroically for the crops.
*
The next morning, after having breakfast, the families went to the fields again to continue catching insects.
Liu Dayong, full of anticipation, excitedly led the group to see the field where wood ash had been spread, expecting it to be the same as the vegetable garden, with most of the insects dead.
To everyone's surprise, the number of insects in the field not only didn't decrease, but more than doubled, covering the rice seedlings in dense swarms that were quite frightening to look at.
Old Liu was both angry and heartbroken looking at the insects. He jumped into the field and started catching them, cursing under his breath, "Damn insects, I'll crush you if you want to eat my grain!"
Seeing this, the others rushed down to help, and their initial enthusiasm cooled considerably.
The harvest from just over an acre of land was already meager, and it had to be divided among three families. They had hoped that by making some porridge from corn and sorghum, along with the dried vegetables they usually stored and the vegetables grown in their small garden, they could have a better winter.
At least they won't starve to death.
Who would have thought that the rice seedlings would be infested with insects, and the harvest would be reduced by more than half. How are they going to get through the winter?
How could they possibly survive until the next harvest?
Everyone fell silent for a moment, silently catching the insects on the rice seedlings.
My heart is filled with sorrow, and I feel that the future is bleak.
The good mood of looking forward to the harvest has vanished. They can only hope that the insects will have mercy and eat less, at least leaving some for them.
Just as she was worrying, Jiang Yimian's clear voice rang out from the field not far away, her voice filled with joy.
"Come and see, there are far fewer insects in these fields."
Upon hearing this, the group was startled and quickly straightened up from the field to look at where Jiang Yimian was, but unfortunately, the distance was too far and they couldn't see clearly.
Old Liu quickly got up and went out of the field, not caring about catching insects, and carefully walked over without stepping on the rice seedlings.
When they looked into the fields where Qingjiang Yimian was, they were stunned to see that there were no more insects on the rice seedlings than yesterday, and only a few could be vaguely seen.
Old Liu thought he was seeing things, so he stared at the rice seedlings for a long time to make sure that there were really fewer insects and that he wasn't seeing things. Then he looked at other fields and saw that there were still quite a few insects. He wondered, "What's going on? Why aren't there so many insects in these fields?"
The fields are not far apart, so why is there such a big difference?
Yesterday he noticed that there were quite a few insects in every field.
Was he dreaming, or did his prayers to God work yesterday?
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