Chapter 98 This family is very busy
The villagers gradually dispersed.
Cheng Wanwan was also preparing to go home to unload the goods.
The village head walked up to her and said with a serious expression, "Auntie Dashan, ducks alone are not enough."
Cheng Wanwan knew that ducks were useful, but thousands of acres of farmland would require at least 10,000 ducks, and they had to be adult ducks. If locusts came in droves, these ducklings that were less than a month old would be of no use at all.
"Before the locust plague last year, there were a few small-scale locust swarms, but no one took it seriously. Who would have thought that just a few days later, all the farmland would be destroyed..." The village head sighed. "We finally managed to get the drought out, but we're really afraid that if the locusts come, everything will be over..."
Because of the upcoming harvest, the villagers have stopped saving food. After all, new grain will be stored in the granary in ten days to half a month, so there is no need to save.
If a locust plague suddenly strikes, the entire village will run out of food within three days. What will we do then...?
Cheng Wanwan also realized the seriousness of the problem.
Today the locusts were few in number, and we managed to drive them away by chance. But what about next time, and the time after that?
She tried to recall her past life, but couldn't remember anything crucial. She had never done farm work and had no idea how to drive away locusts. As for the ducks, she only knew about them because the "Duck Sweeping Army" went viral online; otherwise, she wouldn't have even known to raise ducks in advance...
I still need to buy the book; the Modern Agricultural Technology section should mention the locust plague.
She said, "Uncle Village Head, don't worry, there's definitely a way. Let's all think about it..."
The village head really didn't know who to ask, so he chatted with Cheng Wanwan for a few minutes. He sighed and looked at the grains of rice that were gradually becoming fuller in front of him, his wrinkles deepening.
Cheng Wanwan returned home, locked herself in her room, and bought a book on modern agriculture for controlling locusts at the mall. Only after buying it did she realize how damn thick the book was—seven or eight hundred pages, thicker than a Xinhua Dictionary… She silently put the book under her bed, deciding to read it slowly when she was done with her work.
She started preparing lunch. Wu Huiniang wanted to help, but she sternly refused. Anyway, the boys weren't picky eaters, so she just cooked whatever was available. She could make wild vegetable pancakes, dumpling soup, and the like now, and they tasted alright.
While she was cooking, Zhao Dashan came in and asked her, "Mom, how big of a house are we going to build, and how many rooms will it have?"
While cooking, Cheng Wanwan said, "At least one room for each person, so we don't have to build another house when they get married later. There also needs to be a main room, a kitchen, and a study. Oh, and most importantly, a toilet..."
The outhouse at home is currently just a large pit with two wooden planks on top. Every time she needs to use the toilet, she has to mentally prepare herself before stepping in. The toilet is what she most wants to improve, but she still needs to think carefully about how to do so.
Zhao Dashan nodded, mentally calculating how many adobe bricks he needed to make.
However, with his limited math skills, he couldn't possibly calculate how many adobe bricks were needed. But he knew that when the village head's family built their house, they piled up adobe bricks in front of and behind the house before they even started construction. Later, when they still didn't have enough, they spent money to buy adobe bricks from other people's houses to make up the difference. The house his mother wanted to build was about the same size as the village head's grandfather's house, so he decided to just pile up adobe bricks in front of and behind the house first.
After lunch, during the hottest part of the day, there were hardly any people in the fields.
The four boys in the family worked together to make adobe bricks. The bricks were dried in the sun and then neatly stacked behind the house.
Zhao Youyin, Zhao Youcai, and Old Mrs. Zhao also arrived at this moment.
Cheng Wanwan led the old lady to the temporary workshop at the back: "Mom, you're in charge of boiling water, and then you put the boiled water in the vent to cool..."
This job is not tiring at all. You sit by the stove, watch the heat, and when the water in the pot boils and bubbles, you pour the water into the bucket and then start boiling the next pot of water.
Because she wasn't busy, the old lady had time to look around.
Her two sons, the village head's two sons, and the neighbor's mudfish father were all bent over washing the ice jelly seeds, not even having time to slack off.
Meanwhile, her eldest daughter-in-law, whom she had always looked down upon, took the ice jelly seeds she had rubbed out and put them aside. She then used a piece of fine gauze to carefully filter them, her eyes wide as she picked out the black bits of seeds from the ice jelly with meticulous care.
The old lady walked to the front yard, where the four sons of the eldest son's family were busily making adobe bricks, and Xia Hua was sitting under a tree winding dry grass.
Even Wu Huiniang inside the house wasn't idle. She was lying on the bed, making an undergarment from the scraps of cloth left over from cutting clothes. She planned to use the smaller scraps to make shoe uppers, because after autumn, she wouldn't be able to wear straw sandals anymore and would have to wear cloth shoes...
Old Mrs. Zhao stood at the door for a long time, but Wu Huiniang didn't even notice her.
She finally understood why her eldest daughter-in-law had asked so many people to help; the family was truly busy, so busy that they didn't even have time to chat.
She thought her eldest daughter-in-law was being lazy, but she had misunderstood her.
As she sighed, Zhao Sanniu put down his farm tools, went inside, and asked his mother, "Is there no water at home? I'll go fetch a few buckets of water."
Cheng Wanwan glanced at the woodshed: "We need to chop more firewood. Let's put the adobe brick making on hold for now. You and Er Gou go chop firewood together."
She paused, then continued, "Oh, right, Sidan, we need to herd the ducks back from the fields, feed the chickens, and pick some wild vegetables to eat tonight..."
She gave instructions one by one in an orderly manner.
Grandma Zhao felt increasingly guilty. Her eldest daughter-in-law had managed the household perfectly, while she had been worrying about things unnecessarily every day.
She felt guilty for taking two coins when she was so idle, so she pulled a handful of dry grass into the backyard and started boiling water while winding the grass.
Just then, Zhao Sidan's excited voice rang out from the courtyard.
"Big cousin, what brings you here? And with luggage too. Are you not leaving now?"
He really liked his older cousin. He was even better at studying than Tie Zhu, and could understand something after hearing it only once. His current life goal was to become the second Cheng Zhao.
When Grandma Zhao, who was tying hay in the backyard, heard this, she was immediately distraught.
Why is Cheng's eldest nephew here again, and with luggage? Is he not leaving again?
How can this be allowed? How can a kid surnamed Cheng stay at the Zhao family's residence for so long?
It was one thing to receive subsidies from time to time before, but how could they move in and live here, eating and living at the Zhao family's place? When will this ever end?
Grandma Zhao put down the hay she was holding and hurried to the front yard.
Cheng Wanwan also walked to the front yard. When she saw the two large trunks in front of Cheng Zhao, her smile deepened.
This box must be full of books. If the four boys can learn even a tenth of them, they'll be the ones who benefit.
Before she could say anything, Old Mrs. Zhao said anxiously, "Young man Cheng, your second aunt's house is so small, what are you doing here? You're a scholar, how can you live in such a dilapidated house? Isn't this an insult to your status as a scholar..."
Cheng Zhao said humbly, “In ancient times, scholars used the earth as their canvas and the sky as their cover to create amazing works. Only in a harsh environment can one develop a steadfast character. Cheng Zhao thanks Second Aunt for taking me in.”
If it weren't for his second aunt asking him to teach his younger cousins, he would probably have nowhere to go right now.
His second aunt doted on him. In the past, she spoiled him with money, but now she's showing him the way.
No wonder a sage once said, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." He finally understands this principle today.
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