Chapter 252 Plant more flowers along the ridges
"Those areas that are not affected can leave them alone for now. I will find a solution."
Tu Suting's voice trembled with shock. "Pull them all out? Xuanxuan, I just asked around, and everyone says that while pest infestations will reduce the harvest, as long as we leave some, we can still get something. If we pull them all out at once, won't we get nothing?" "Even if we don't get anything in the golden autumn, we can't let more insect eggs reproduce in our fields."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Gu Yuexuan made a quick decision and said boldly, "Uncle San, just do as I say. Also, help me find a few skilled workers who are good at forest work, preferably those who can collect honey and find beehives. Time is running out."
Tu Suting was in a state of confusion, bewildered by Gu Yuexuan's series of decisions. He didn't quite understand the connection behind these arrangements. However, with so many hired helpers, it wouldn't be difficult to find a few skilled workers who met the requirements.
Gu Yuexuan resolutely designated the action plan for the next day. She would roll up her sleeves and step into the mud under the worried and sympathetic eyes of everyone.
With a determined look on her face, she uprooted the tender seedlings from the land that was breeding insect eggs without hesitation, her movements ferocious and ruthless.
Uncle Guo stared quietly for a long time, and suddenly smiled.
"Although he's young, he's tough and courageous."
Although he was not completely convinced that the strategy proposed by Gu Yuexuan could surpass his decades of experience, since she paid the wages, as an employer, her words and calls were naturally obeyed by everyone.
Gu Yuexuan urged everyone to speed up. She worked hard from morning to night without a moment's rest.
When night fell, the anxious Xi Lanfang and Yu came to the field together. Seeing Gu Yuexuan covered in mud, their faces showed deep pity.
"Haven't you hired so many people? Why did you jump into the quagmire yourself?"
Gu Yuexuan sat down exhausted on the ground, panting, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her hand. She smiled bitterly and said, "The hired men have good intentions and are always hesitant to act. If I hadn't personally led the way, they wouldn't have been able to do such a cruel thing."
The average yield of one acre of rice field is 200 kilograms of grain. They pulled out the seedlings of eight acres of rice fields that day, which meant a loss of 1,600 kilograms of rice.
Such a huge food loss is an unbearable burden for any family, but only she could make this decision resolutely.
Xi Lanfang felt distressed watching this. Seeing that Gu Yuexuan was unable to get up for a while, she squatted down and wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief.
"We've all heard about the situation at home. Xuanxuan, is it really necessary to remove the child?"
"I heard from your Aunt Hu that maybe it's okay if we don't pull it out. Maybe we can still get some harvest if we leave it there?"
"No, absolutely not."
Gu Yuexuan took the handkerchief from her hand, covering her face with it, and said in a slightly muffled voice, "The insect eggs we found in our fields are called rice stem borers. They devour rice leaves when they're young, and as adults, they greedily gnaw on rice flowers and ears. Under their rampage, an entire rice plant might be eaten down to only a bare stalk, and they reproduce at an alarming rate, making it difficult to guard against them."
"It's okay to take some risks with a few acres of good farmland, but our farmland is too large to afford such a huge risk."
By taking the lead, we can curb potential dangers before they break out and prevent them from happening.
We can still bear these losses at present.
Tu Suting was so exhausted he could barely stand. He collapsed in the mud, panting heavily. He said helplessly, "But niece, we've already cleared eight acres of rice paddies today, but there are still over two hundred acres waiting for us. If pests appear elsewhere, do we really have to uproot all the seedlings?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of tension and anxiety flashed in everyone's eyes. Gu Yuexuan took a deep breath and then slowly shook her head.
"Actually, we don't have to go that far. The rice stem borer is indeed a problem, but they have many natural enemies. We can use these little helpers to solve the problem, but..."
Gu Yuexuan narrowed her eyes and looked around at the vast rice fields. Suddenly, she turned to look at Xi Lanfang and asked gently, "Grandma, I heard Tu Subo mention that you have a strong interest in gardening?"
Xi Lanfang blinked in confusion, and after a pause, she chuckled softly, "When I was young, I did like to play with flowers and plants. I just don't know why you suddenly brought this up."
"So, do you still have the same love for flowers now?"
Xi Lanfang glanced at the equally bewildered Yu, her expression somewhat bewildered. "My love for flowers has never changed, but our family mainly grows vegetables and rice. What use are flowers to us?"
Gu Yuexuan already had an idea in mind and said with a smile, "Flowers are treasures. Without sufficient flowers and plants, it would be difficult to attract the natural enemies of rice stem borers to settle in our fields."
"Mother-in-law, Second Aunt, I plan to go deep into the forest tomorrow. I'd like you to help me find some fast-growing, long-blooming flower seeds. If you can find any, please buy as many as you can take home. I think planting more flowers along the edges of the fields will not only beautify the environment, but also help prevent pests."
However, Xi Lanfang tried to picture in his mind the scene of flowers blooming on the edge of the ridge. For some reason, he found the dreamlike scene quite refreshing.
Those tiny red and green flowers come together to form a colorful ocean. Isn’t that quite charming?
This flower is indeed worth cultivating.
When the extremely tired people returned home with heavy steps under the faint moonlight, Gu Yuexuan and Tu Suting washed off the dust on their bodies, and still did not forget to go to the main hall to visit their elderly grandfather.
The old grandfather slept most of the day, but even though it was late at night, he was still awake.
The old lady was exhausted and had already settled down in the compartment to rest.
Tu Suting's face was filled with worry. He asked a few questions quietly. The old grandfather answered calmly. His eyes fell on Gu Yuexuan's face, which was slightly pale from fatigue. He asked softly, "I heard that you had an argument with someone in the fields today and insisted on pulling up the rice seedlings?"
Gu Yuexuan didn't want to make him worry, so she gently rubbed the tip of her nose and said with a smile, "Did Tu Suminyang and the others come back and tell you? These kids are incredibly fast at passing on messages."
"Do you care who the informant is?"
With the help of Tu Suting, the old grandfather slowly sat up straight, coughed a few times, and tried to suppress the pain and itchiness in his throat. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his dry and slightly purple lips, and his gaze fell on Gu Yuexuan more and more tenderly.
"You did the right thing."
"Decision-making requires a firm will and resolute judgment. If you are easily swayed by the words of others, you cannot be a true leader, nor can you be competent in matters that require control."
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