Chapter 63 Grubs
The rain poured down all day, and when it finally stopped, the temperature dropped to the low twenties. People who had been suffering from the sweltering heat could finally go out in broad daylight. Groups of people left their houses and walked around the base, and genuine smiles appeared on everyone's faces.
The sky after the rain was a clear blue, and the fields of the Xinghuo Base stretched as far as the eye could see under the blue sky. The parched land had finally drunk its fill of water, turning a fertile gray-black color.
Although Jiang Rong said the rain was acid rain, after the rain fell, everyone found that the acidity of the rainwater was not high. In addition, the large volume of rainwater was enough to dilute the acidity. Therefore, no one was worried that the rained land would become barren; instead, they seized the time to sow seeds.
The heavy rain washed away the remaining black residue from the buildings and plants in the base, and the entire base was thriving. At this time, everyone could see the difference of the Spark Base.
After months of repairs, the roads in the Spark Base are now wide and clean, unlike the congested and dilapidated roads elsewhere. Ornamental saplings have been transplanted at intervals along both sides of the roads, and it is believed that they will soon provide shade for pedestrians.
The substandard houses in the base have been demolished by the superhumans, leaving behind clean and sturdy structures. Sufficient solar panels have been installed on the roofs of every house, finally ensuring the residents have a reliable basic electricity supply.
The fields near the village were neatly arranged, without a single weed. Wide ditches ran through the fields at regular intervals. The network of waterways and ditches ensured that every field received adequate irrigation.
If there's any drawback, it's probably that the water flowing in the ditch is grayish-black, like black rain diluted many times over. The rainwater has a faint, unpleasant odor. However, compared to the smell of decay, this odor is negligible.
During this time, the superhumans in the base had no desire to go outside. The thought of the dilapidated and abandoned scenery outside the base made them lose all motivation to leave. Their base was so much better; just stepping onto its grounds made them feel alive again.
As the seeds were planted one after another, shades of green sprouted from the soil. The people at the base carefully nurtured these fragile little creatures, hoping they would grow up healthily.
Thanks to the seed company in City D, the first batch of planted vegetables included more than eighty varieties. They were all acid- and cold-resistant crops, so they wouldn't freeze to death even in cool weather.
Each resident in the base received a plot of land. After handing over 60% of the produce, they could keep the rest. This rule greatly motivated the residents. They were eager to take root in the fields, hoping their vegetables would grow plentiful and of high quality.
In less than half a month, the Xinghuo Base was filled with pleasing greenery.
Jiang Rong also received several packets of vegetable seeds, and her family carefully planted them. With Xiao Heng and Xiao Hao's continuous watering and fertilizing, the seedlings sprouted one after another.
When Chu Qiang came over from the kudzu path, he saw Jiang Rong's family busy in the field. "Xiao Jiang, Guan Tou'er, what are you busy with?"
Jiang Xiaoheng looked up with a grin and greeted him softly, "Uncle Chu, my dad is teaching me and my older brother to identify vegetables. Uncle Chu, guess how many kinds of vegetables we have at home?"
Chu Qiang chuckled. He was the one who delivered the seeds to Jiang Rong's family; how could he not know what vegetables they grew in their garden? Looking at Jiang Xiaoheng's smug little face, Chu Qiang exaggeratedly asked, "Oh dear, Uncle doesn't know! How many kinds of vegetables do you grow?"
Jiang Xiaoheng proudly held up ten chubby fingers: "We grow eight kinds!"
Chu Qiang laughed even harder: "But Xiao Heng, you held up ten fingers. So your family grows ten kinds!"
Jiang Xiaoheng corrected him earnestly, "No, Uncle Chu, look, my thumb is bent, it doesn't count. We have eight kinds at home." As he spoke, he crisply recited the names of the vegetables, "We have lettuce, celery, chives, water spinach, Chinese cabbage, bok choy..."
Every time Jiang Xiaoheng named a vegetable, Jiang Hao would nod attentively beside him. The two children were so well-behaved and attentive that Chu Qiang couldn't help but smile.
There were two more that he couldn't remember, so Jiang Xiaoheng looked to Jiang Hao for help, "Big brother, what two other vegetables do we have at home?"
Jiang Hao responded vaguely, "Lanlan..."
Jiang Xiaoheng's eyes lit up: "Oh right, there's also cauliflower and lettuce! Eight kinds, no more, no less~" Jiang Hao nodded twice in relief: "Mhm!"
Chu Qiang pointed to the largest chili pepper plant in the vegetable garden: "Xiao Heng, you forgot one. There's a big chili pepper plant in your garden."
The two children had clearly forgotten the largest chili pepper tree; they stared at each other, bewildered. Chu Qiang said with satisfaction, "Oh dear, our Xiao Hao and Xiao Heng can't count! So pitiful!"
Jiang Hao and Jiang Xiaoheng's round faces instantly fell. Chu Qiang had successfully "dealt with" the two kids and was now completely satisfied.
Jiang Rong glanced at Chu Qiang: "What happened?" Chu Qiang rarely appeared at this time, and seeing his formal attire, Jiang Rong knew something was wrong.
Chu Qiang put away his playful mood with the child: "Do you know about Dongxiang Village? There's a maggot infestation there."
Dongxiang Village is a famous flower and tree producing area; almost all the ornamental plants and fruit trees transplanted in this base come from Dongxiang. Is Dongxiang infested with grubs?
Jiang Rong frowned: "What is a grub?"
Guan Shao guessed, "It should be some kind of pest?"
Jiang Rong put down the florist's hoe and straightened her clothes: "Go and see for yourself."
Hearing that their father was leaving, the two children's eyes lit up. Jiang Xiaoheng tugged at Jiang Rong's clothes and pleaded sweetly, "Daddy, can we go with you?" Jiang Hao did the same, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Jiang Rong, "Yes, yes!"
Jiang Rong smiled and nodded: "Okay, go back and wash your hands and spray some floral water, we'll leave in a bit."
The two children cheered and ran quickly from the vegetable garden towards home: "Lele, Junjun, let's go out and play!"
Lele and Junjun responded, and the giant tiger leisurely walked towards Jiang Rong's parking lot. Seeing Junjun set off as well, the little fairy and the little darling followed suit. Two equally sized balls rolled out of the yard, one blue and one red, and skillfully turned a corner, following Junjun's footsteps.
Chu Qiang was both amused and exasperated: "Xiao Jiang, why don't you get a heavy truck driver's license? Your family makes too much noise when you go out, the pickup truck can't hold all the passengers."
Chu Qiang's little pickup truck was already struggling to carry his little darling, and now he's adding his little fairy and Junjun... It's far beyond the pickup truck's carrying capacity, and the pickup truck's tires are bound to burst sooner or later.
As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Shao calmly looked at Chu Qiang, who touched his face and asked, "What's wrong, Guan?"
Guan Shao said slowly and deliberately, "I can drive heavy trucks, so can you help me choose a suitable one?" Chu Qiang was right; if the whole family was going to travel, none of the current vehicles were suitable.
Chu Qiang's lips twitched: "At this crucial moment, are you serious?"
Guan Shao never joked. He silently picked up the bucket from the ground and tidied up the vegetable garden: "Let's go."
Dongxiang Town is located southeast of Xinghuo Base, eight kilometers from Fishery Village 3. After the ability users built the road, it only takes about ten minutes to travel from Jiang Rong's home to Dongxiang Town.
As the heavy truck slowly approached, the townspeople gathered around. They exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, the superhuman really came!" "Is that the mutated tiger? Hey? What's that green thing? A cactus?"
After Jiang Rong got out of the car, she carried the two children out. Seeing the two rosy-cheeked babies, the villagers exclaimed with envy, "What well-behaved children! They're so cute!"
Jiang Rong patted the children's heads and smiled, "Say hello to everyone."
Jiang Xiaoheng waved to the crowd: "Hi everyone, I'm Jiang Xiaoheng, I'm three years old. This is my older brother Jiang Hao, he's five years old!"
The child's innocent voice drew laughter from the onlookers, easing the tense atmosphere in Dongxiang Town. Jiang Rong said gently, "Everyone, please go ahead and get back to your work. I'll let you know if there's any progress."
The mayor of Dongxiang Town chimed in, "Yes, everyone, please disperse. Too many people will disrupt the ability users' work!"
Upon hearing the mayor's words, the residents quickly dispersed, and Jiang Rong and the others followed the mayor and a few others to the fields outside the East Township.
With a large tiger following behind him, the town mayor was a little nervous, and his words stammered, "Leader Jiang, as you know, our Dongxiang Town is famous for its flowers and trees. After the flowers and trees were transplanted, everyone responded to the base's call to grow vegetables and grains..."
The seeds received at the same time had already turned green in other towns, but those in Dongxiang Town were slow to sprout. Even those that did sprout were sparse, and the vegetables that had grown to about half an inch would wilt soon after.
Experienced farmers determined that the problem was caused by grubs. After digging through the soil, they discovered a large number of grubs, which was beyond the capabilities of the villagers in Dongxiang Village. The town mayor then quickly contacted people with special abilities, hoping they could help.
As they spoke, Jiang Rong and his group arrived at the edge of the field. Just as the town mayor had said, the fields in Dongxiang Town were sparsely green, and many vegetable seedlings were withering at a visible rate.
Everyone watched as two tender green vegetable seedlings were dragged below the soil and disappeared from sight. The old farmer accompanying them held a rake, and with each swing, the surface soil was lifted. After digging down about twenty centimeters, a palm-sized white clump was brought out of the soil.
Jiang Rong's pupils contracted, and the hairs on his body stood on end. His hands clenched involuntarily, and beads of sweat seeped into his vest. Chu Qiang gasped, "Damn... so this is what grubs are!"
The white blob in front of me was about the size of a palm. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a large, curled-up white worm. This worm had a brown head, with three pairs of yellowish-brown legs below it. Its body was plump and large, with an exceptionally large, dark black abdomen.
The insect's abdominal legs were holding two half-eaten vegetable seedlings. After being turned upside down, it curled up on the soil and pretended to be dead.
The two children had never seen such a big insect before. They hid behind Jiang Rong in fear, but couldn't resist peeking out out of curiosity.
The town mayor was extremely anxious: "Leader Jiang, what should we do? There are thousands upon thousands of these insects. These things can't be killed by pesticides. The vegetables we finally managed to grow have been eaten up by them."
Jiang Rong's face was pale and his eyes were glazed over. He stared intently at the grubs on the ground, his gaze unfocused. Chu Qiang was in no better shape; his face was ashen and he looked like he was about to vomit.
Guan Shao asked Jiang Rong with concern, "What's wrong?" When he held Jiang Rong's hand, he noticed that Jiang Rong's fingertips were radiating coldness.
Jiang Rong said in a daze, "I'm afraid of insects..." Grubs were the insects he feared most, without exception.
When Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang were little, they were pulling up bamboo shoots. There was a pile of rotten straw in the bamboo grove. As they pulled the bamboo shoots out, the straw was turned over. Underneath the straw appeared more than a dozen fat, large grubs, and the two children cried loudly in fright. Jiang Rong was so frightened by the insects that she developed a high fever, and it was only after her grandmother consulted a shaman that her fever subsided.
Jiang Rong and Chu Qiang had always thought the scariest thing they'd ever encountered was a mutated rat, but unexpectedly, in Dongxiang Village, they ran into their childhood nightmare. The thought of countless grubs swarming the ground beneath their feet sent shivers down their spines.
Chu Qiang gritted his teeth: "So this thing is a grub..."
He was careless; he thought grubs were like cabbage caterpillars. If he had known earlier that they were the white worms that gave them nightmares when they were kids, he would have had someone else do it.
Author's Note:
I remember when I was little and didn't know any better, I helped my cat dad tidy up the old haystacks at home. After we used a fork to remove the rotten straw, white grubs rolled down.
Oh, I was so scared I almost peed my pants...
You guys can Google "grub" (or "white grub"), you might just love it!
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