Chapter 251 Pulling out the Seedlings with Pests
Gu Yuexuan resolutely brushed away Tu Subo's hand and placed the dagger he had given her safely on the table. Her eyes lowered, and a hint of worry lingered in her voice: "Grandfather's body hasn't recovered yet. We shouldn't stir up any new trouble."
"I will wait for your good news at home."
Tu Subo gently pushed her playful nose, then tightened his grip on the reins and lightly jumped onto the horse's back.
Tu Su Min Fei had ingeniously borrowed the two horses from the casino. The two of them quickly disappeared from the village entrance.
Witnessing this scene, Mrs. Li, who had just returned from outside, looked confused and asked, "Xuanxuan, is your grandfather's condition still not improving?"
The news that Tu Su's grandfather was bedridden had long been an open secret known to everyone in the village.
During this period, the Tu Su family frequently sought medical advice and medicine, and when the villagers met them, they would always ask them about their needs with concern.
Gu Yuexuan forced a smile and said, "It's still the same. The doctor said that as long as you rest patiently, you will gradually get better."
Mrs. Li patted her shoulder gently and said comfortingly, "Your grandfather is a very kind-hearted man, kind-hearted and selfless. Every family in the village remembers his kindness. He will surely turn danger into safety."
As if worried that Gu Yuexuan might be overly concerned, Mrs. Li quickly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, I remember you wanted to find some Sichuan Fritillaria to add to Grandfather's prescription. I have relatives who often go into the mountains to collect herbs. Would you like me to ask around and see if I can find some high-quality Sichuan Fritillaria for you?"
Gu Yuexuan expressed her gratitude sincerely, and only let out a long sigh after she stepped into the house.
I just hope everything goes smoothly.
Before she could regain her composure, she heard Tu Suting's voice calling from afar: "Xuanxuan!"
"Hey, Uncle San, I'm here!"
Tu Suting arrived breathlessly, leaning against the door frame and breathing heavily. He danced with joy and said anxiously, "There seems to be a problem with the rice fields at the foot of Qiushan Mountain. There's something wrong with the growth of the seedlings. Come and check it out with me!"
Gu Yuexuan's brows furrowed involuntarily.
"What happened? Why did it suddenly go wrong?"
Tu Suting himself could not detect the secret, but the old farmer who was invited to work was very experienced.
He secretly recalled the old farmer's warning, suppressed his panic, and said in a trembling voice: "Uncle Guo said the seedlings were infested with insects, but I haven't seen any trace of insects."
Gu Yuexuan was secretly shocked. Without thinking too much, she hurriedly said to Xi Lanfang who was rushing out, "Grandma, you stay home to take care of Grandpa, and the two aunts will help. I will go with Third Uncle to check on the fields."
"Uncle San, I'll tell you in detail on the way."
Xi Lanfang looked at Gu Yuexuan's hurried back, her eyes full of worry. She then turned to look at the stove where the food was still cooking and smiled bitterly: "This child, she didn't even have time to enjoy a meal..."
At this time, Gu Yuexuan really had no time to care about food.
In the fields, the old farmer whom Tu Suting called Uncle Guo was over sixty years old. He was as thin as a stick, as if only a layer of skin was left covering his skeleton, and a gust of wind could blow him down.
However, his hand holding the hoe was extremely strong.
Uncle Guo saw Gu Yuexuan striding towards him, handed her the broken seedlings in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "Look at this."
Gu Yuexuan took the tender seedlings and touched them lightly with her fingers. She found a tiny swelling in the texture of the seedling leaves. There were also a few white silk-like traces attached to the surface. After tearing it open carefully, she saw a wriggling green worm inside.
Gu Yuexuan's expression immediately became solemn.
Uncle Guo saw that she seemed to be well aware of the harmful effects of this insect, so he picked up the pipe from his waist, put it in his mouth, took a deep drag, and exhaled a wisp of white smoke. He said in a heavy tone, "This little creature may seem insignificant, but it's actually a huge disaster. If an ordinary family's three or five acres of land were to be attacked by it, they would be worried for half a year, let alone your family's two hundred acres of fertile land."
As arable land expands, the nutrients available to pests also increase.
In those vast and fertile lands, pests reproduce at an astonishing rate.
When the Tusu family reclaimed new land, they deliberately connected the fields to facilitate subsequent management. The 200 mu of fertile land was almost connected. If pests appeared in a field, it is not difficult to imagine that the land would be covered by pests in a few months. This scene is horrifying.
Uncle Guo no longer paid attention to the deep worry in Gu Yuexuan's eyes and Tu Suting's look of disbelief, but turned around and stared at the fields that seemed to have no end, with regret and heartache obvious on his face.
"What a shame! I'm afraid it will be difficult to preserve so many thriving seedlings."
In other words, the Tu Su family’s hard work over the past six months has almost gone to waste.
Tu Suting's jaw nearly dropped in surprise. He asked tremblingly, "Didn't we just discover this? Can't we just pull out the rice seedlings that have been infested by pests? Why are we just giving up like that?"
"Pull it out?"
Uncle Guo chuckled and replied, "You might be able to pull out this one, but can you ensure that you can find and remove all the pests in the field? If you miss even one, the consequences will be disastrous."
A pest that escapes the law may lead to the destruction of the entire field, exhaustion of energy, and ultimately a total loss of all money.
Uncle Guo, hoe in hand, has been working with the soil his entire life. Drawing on his vast experience, he now offers the most prudent advice: "The wisest approach now is to remove any seedlings that are clearly infested by pests. Don't waste energy searching for more. Let them grow a little longer and let nature take its course."
"You've tried your best. This isn't anyone's fault. It's just bad luck."
What can human beings do in the face of natural force majeure?
Most of the old farmers who had experienced many hardships in the fields held this view. After hearing this, Tu Suting's face turned pale as paper.
In these difficult times, casually uttering the words "bad luck" might seem easy and commonplace, yet in the fields before her, every tender green seedling bears the weight of six months' hard work and nearly all of the Tu Su family's wealth. Such setbacks might be bearable for an older person, but how could Gu Yuexuan face them?
Tu Suting felt a sob in his throat and didn't want to think about it any further.
Gu Yuexuan slowly clenched the seemingly ordinary seedlings in her hands and said in a heavy tone, "No, it's not too late."
"There's still hope."
"Accept your fate?" she asked herself, then flatly denied it. "What is that?"
Gu Yuexuan can accept any challenge, but she will not succumb to the arrangements of fate.
When Uncle Guo heard this, an expression of surprise appeared on his face, as if he saw the fearlessness of a newborn calf in Gu Yuexuan.
However, how can courage and passion alone withstand the cruelty of reality?
He hesitated, his lips parted, but he heard Gu Yuexuan's firm voice: "Where were the pests first discovered? In those affected fields, all the seedlings must be uprooted, leaving not a single one behind."
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