"The eggs of locusts. I read a lot of books about this at school. They said that droughts are often followed by other disasters, such as floods or insect plagues."
“I can’t predict a major flood, so I’m going to check for insect infestations first. If there are too many insect eggs, it means that an insect infestation is likely to follow.”
Qian Xiao didn't know if her grandfather would believe her if she said that, and if he didn't, she had no other choice.
"You noticed?"
Qian smiled and nodded: "I can see that. There are quite a few insect eggs in the ground. If we don't really think about dealing with them, they'll all end up feeding the insects when the crops are almost grown."
Insect eggs are found in the fields every year, and there's not much that can be done about them. However, the eggs are all within a controllable range. As long as everyone works diligently, the insects won't cause any harm.
But what his eldest granddaughter was saying was not the usual kind of thing; it meant it was going to become a disaster.
"You're not seeing things?"
"If you don't believe me, come with us in a bit and you'll see. You know much more about the land than the two of us who have never farmed before."
Old Qian got out of bed and put on his shoes: "I'll go take a look." This was no joke; the sooner we found out, the sooner we could find a solution.
They had been eagerly awaiting the snowfall, but the village's food supplies were almost gone. If another insect infestation were to occur, they would truly be doomed.
Qian Xiao was a little worried about putting on her shoes, so she covered herself up tightly and followed behind her grandfather. Sun Kaicheng also quickly went back to cover himself up and followed her to the fields.
Before long, many old men appeared in the fields, heads bowed, shoveling snow away to examine the land, occasionally digging with tools to inspect it closely.
Afterwards, the old men all gathered at Qian Baozhu's house. Their joy at seeing the heavy snow had vanished, and their faces were filled with worry again.
"Baozhu, I've read it, and Erdan seems to be right. What do you think?"
"Yes, we've finally made it through this difficult time. If something else happens, how will we survive?"
"Tell me, what's wrong with God? Why won't He leave us a way to survive?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
The old man who had been complaining about God quickly shut his mouth, whether out of fear of God's wrath or because he was afraid that his words would be overheard by someone with ill intentions.
Qian Baozhu looked at Qian Xiao and Qian Baozhu: "You two, tell me, what are you thinking?" Since these two kids were able to discover these things, it means they must already have a way to deal with them.
Sun Kaicheng teased Qian Xiao, telling her to speak. Qian Xiao rolled her eyes, thinking that this guy acted like he was socially awkward, but his mouth was actually no less sparse than hers.
"This matter can be simple or difficult, and it takes a lot of effort. All you need to do is pour concentrated vinegar and alkaline water into the small holes in the ground. This will kill most of the insect eggs, and the remaining eggs will be under control."
"The difficulty lies in buying the materials. We need a lot of vinegar and alkali. Also, it's not enough for just our village to produce them. Those locusts have wings. Who can guarantee that locusts from other villages won't fly over and eat our crops?"
The old men were all silent. This was the key point. Putting aside whether they could buy all the materials, even if they themselves did a good job, what about the other villages? Could everyone trust them? If just one village slacked off, the whole area would suffer.
Qian Baozhu tapped his pipe: "I'm going to the commune to talk to the leaders about this matter, and also ask about the vinegar and alkali."
Grandpa Zhou: "Leave the shopping to me. You should talk to the leader about the insect eggs first. The leader needs to get involved in this matter."
Qian Baozhu nodded: "Thank you, I'll be right there."
Buying the goods would save a lot of trouble, since they would have to be taken to the fields. Not to mention how much it would cost, the key issue is that the quantity needed is too large, and relying on the supply and marketing cooperative is definitely not enough.
"Erdan, write down that method for me. I need to take it to the leader to see." I don't know if this thing will really work. I should ask someone knowledgeable about it.
Qian Xiao also understood this principle. The words spoken by the two children were not convincing, so they definitely needed to have someone take a look. This would prevent her and Sun Kaicheng from being held responsible if anything went wrong.
She wasn't just thinking wildly; people often do this—when they fail, they always want someone to take the blame, as if that would make them feel better. She was worried about the villagers, but she didn't want to be the one to take the fall.
Things progressed much more smoothly than Qian Xiao had anticipated. The matter unfolded in a grand and exciting manner, and everyone in the village mobilized, as the fields were covered by a heavy snowfall.
If you want to spray pesticides, you have to clear the snow first. Almost everyone in the village who can work comes out. The strong men clear the snow, while the women, children, and the elderly spray pesticides. They actually finished all the work before the New Year and then welcomed the second heavy snow.
The sky was dark and gloomy, the north wind was howling, and the noise inside the house was extremely loud. No one wanted to go out in this kind of weather, so the whole family sat in the main room to keep warm and chat. The four younger brothers were chattering away, making everyone's head hurt.
Qian Xiao felt like her head would explode if she stayed any longer, so she decided to go back to her own room. Her family was very diligent, unlike many other families who only burned firewood in one room during the day. They had plenty of firewood, so all the rooms were kept burning every day.
As Qian Xiao stepped out of the main room, she quickly wrapped her clothes tighter around herself, feeling as if the wind was about to blow her away. She pricked up her ears, wondering if someone was knocking on the door. Not sure, she listened again.
Thinking about it, Qian Xiao's body subconsciously walked towards the front door. When she was almost at the front door, she hadn't heard a knock yet, but she saw the person standing outside. This was all thanks to the gap in her own front door.
She quickly ran over and opened the door: "Dad, Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming back today? You just walked back like this?"
Qian Xiao quickly took the bundle from her mother: "Come in quickly, let's talk inside." The wind was so strong that you had to shout to be heard.
The family quickly ran into the main room.
"Oh my god, why are you back today? Did you walk all the way back?" The old lady quickly stood up, looking at her eldest son's family, whose trouser legs were practically covered in snow.
He took a broom and swept the people off. He had to hurry, or their clothes would get wet. "Why did you choose such a day to come back? San Dan and Si Dan, go and warm up on the kang (heated brick bed)."
My second and third aunts quickly greeted each other and went to the kitchen. They had walked all the way back in such heavy snow and were already frozen to the bone. They needed to drink some ginger water to warm themselves up.
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