Chapter 107 Killing Locusts
It was evening.
Classes have already started in Cheng Wanwan's yard.
Cheng Zhao let the children practice writing on the sand tray, while he took his notes and followed Cheng Wanwan and the village head to the ridge of the field.
The orange sunset casts its glow on the rice paddies, and the evening breeze blows, making the rural fields look like a beautiful painting, full of vitality and hope.
The village head took a deep breath and asked again, "Auntie Dashan, you know I'm a simple-minded person. I believe whatever people say. You said there's a way to control the locusts, and I really believe you. Don't lie to an honest man like me."
Cheng Wanwan said, "Uncle Village Head, you'll know whether I'm lying or not once you see what my nephew wrote."
Cheng Zhao handed over a stack of papers.
The village head glanced at it; he recognized most of the characters, but they were mostly numbers: how much of each herb, how much water, how many locusts… He could read them, but not understand them.
If these words came from someone else, he would inevitably question them.
But this is written on paper, and the words on paper are especially sacred to the people of Dahe Village; they will believe in them unconditionally.
“Artemisia argyi can drive away locusts, and Lantana camara can kill locusts,” Cheng Wanwan said. “Now, let’s try it out.”
The village head swallowed hard: "How do we try?"
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Last time we met the county magistrate, he mentioned the campfire trapping method. Why don't we try combining a few methods?"
She had already prepared firewood and piled it on the ridge of the field. This ridge was about a meter away from the rice paddy, separated by a ditch, which served as a firebreak to control the fire.
As we spoke, the sun set, the evening glow faded, and twilight descended.
She lit the dry wood with a tinderbox, and the firelight illuminated the area.
Insects are attracted to light, so as soon as a fire is lit, swarms of locusts buzz over.
The village head was so frightened that his face turned pale.
He knew there were many locusts in the rice paddies recently, but he didn't expect there to be so many.
The fire was filled with a constant buzzing sound, like a blot out the sun.
Cheng Wanwan's expression was also very serious.
During the day, the locusts are scattered and flying around everywhere, which does not have a great visual impact and therefore does not attract much attention.
But once the campfire is lit at night, all the locusts fly in one direction, which shows that the locusts have gradually begun to swarm and cause a plague, and must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.
The method mentioned by the county magistrate was to use firelight to lure the locusts, then kill them by hand, covering them with bed sheets and large pieces of cloth, and burying them alive in a pit.
She has an easier way.
She took lantana from the basket at her feet and threw it into the fire.
The water boiled from lantana can kill insects, and the smoke from burning it can also kill insects, but the smoke will pollute the environment, so modern people don't use this method.
In ancient times, the concept of environmental pollution didn't exist, so she didn't need to care about it.
She said, "The smell of lantana is a bit pungent, so cover your mouth and nose."
The three men covered their noses with their sleeves. In just a short while, flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed everywhere, and the locusts that had been buzzing around fell to the ground one by one, quickly covering the ground with a layer of locust corpses.
The village head was filled with disbelief: "This, this..."
He couldn't find a word to describe his feelings at that moment.
The smell of lantana was so pungent that he began to cough violently.
When the villagers saw what was happening, they all gathered around.
Locusts swarmed down like sieves, landing on people. The pests they had once hated died under the thick smoke.
Everyone was coughing, but they didn't want to leave; they wanted to see the locusts die out with their own eyes.
The fire gradually subsided, and the locusts slowly disappeared.
Cheng Wanwan said, "This is only a portion of the locusts. Before harvesting, I suggest trying this method every night, killing as many as you can."
"This smells awful!" Zhang Wulai's wife frowned, her voice shrill. "This smell could kill locusts. Won't we get sick if we smell this? Big Mountain Mother, please don't make us all suffer."
Cheng Zhao said, "Lantana camara is a poisonous herb. If people accidentally ingest it, they will experience poisoning. Its smoke also contains a small amount of toxins, which can cause coughing and, in severe cases, vomiting. However, it will not be life-threatening."
Zhang Wulai's wife immediately erupted: "Big Mountain Mother, are you trying to poison our whole village by burning poison in the village?"
Other villagers were also somewhat uneasy.
While killing so many locusts is a good thing, it's not worth it if it harms your own health.
Old Mrs. Zhao squeezed out of the crowd and said coldly, "If you're afraid of being poisoned, then just close the door and don't let the smoke in... Heh, I never saw you all so afraid of death before. If the locusts eat all the rice, everyone will starve to death. Anyway, you're going to die, so being poisoned is better than starving to death."
Cheng Zhao coughed.
He was the only scholar here, and his clothes were different from everyone else's. Whenever he coughed, the surroundings would automatically fall silent.
He said, "Lantana camara can be used to treat locusts, but it doesn't necessarily have to be burned. It can also be boiled into water and sprayed on rice. The locusts will die after eating it. However, the ratio of water to water needs to be controlled. Too much water will reduce the medicinal effect, and too little water will be time-consuming and laborious."
The village head couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder: "Scholars are so clever. If only we had a child from Dahe Village like this."
Cheng Zhao said somewhat embarrassedly, "This method was come up with by my second aunt. I was just helping to record it; I don't know much about farming..."
The village head took it as mere modesty and looked at him with even more respect.
Cheng Wanwan said, "If you trust me, you can go up the mountain to collect lantana tomorrow morning and come to my house in the afternoon to cook it."
Lantana is poisonous, and the pot used to cook lantana cannot be used for cooking anymore, so she had no choice but to contribute her own broken pot.
At night, campfires are used to lure and kill locusts, and during the day, ducks prey on the scattered locusts. Pesticides are then sprayed on the rice plants. This should be able to save some of the rice.
The villagers gradually walked away, surrounding Cheng Wanwan and the village head.
Zhang Wulai's wife was so angry that she stomped her feet.
She didn't necessarily want to oppose Cheng Wanwan; she just couldn't stand how everyone in the village fawned over Cheng Wanwan.
Cheng Wanwan used to be a troublemaker, and the villagers would shake their heads whenever they mentioned Dashan's mother, always feeling sorry for the Zhao family's children.
But now, the village headman consults with Aunt Dashan on everything he does, and whatever Aunt Dashan says goes. What can a village woman with long hair and short wits know? She only relies on her nephew who can read.
That Cheng Zhao looks really good; he's handsome and speaks very politely. She has a niece on her mother's side, so perhaps they could make a good match.
Granny Zhang's eyes flickered, and an idea came to her mind.
The fire by the edge of the field gradually died down, leaving only a faint glow.
Under the cold moonlight, on a protruding rock on the eastern mountain, three or four wolves stood, their eerie green eyes gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
The wolves feared the firelight and the crowds. They stood on the mountain for a long time before finally dispersing.
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