Chapter 550 Extra: Locusts Are Edible
Seeing that everyone was still standing there deep in thought, Lin Luoxi urged them on.
"But Princess, our crops are just filling out; if we harvest them now, the yield will be halved!"
These are the crops they painstakingly irrigated. They would really be reluctant to harvest them now, as they are their lifeline.
"But if we don't harvest, a locust plague will come, and we'll have no harvest at all. It's better to reduce production than to do that!"
Lin Luoxi knew that these crops were the lifeblood of the villagers, which is why she patiently persuaded them.
"Here's what we'll do: if there's no locust plague, I'll make up for the half of the reduced harvest you make. But if there is a locust plague, the half of the reduced harvest will be treated as tax revenue."
Seeing the troubled expressions on everyone's faces, Lin Luoxi could only resort to this compromise.
If the people really want to wait until the crops are ripe before harvesting, they might end up with nothing, and she would have to provide them with a lot of grain and money.
"Alright, everyone will listen to the princess." Seeing that Lin Luoxi really cared about the farmers, the villagers thought about it and agreed.
Everyone went home to get their harvesting tools, and had the whole family come out to help with the harvest.
"Are they all crazy? It's not even harvest time yet, why are they all rushing to harvest?"
The grain shop owners who had come down to check on the crop growth in town all looked puzzled when they saw the farmers rushing to harvest in the fields.
“Princess Changping said that locusts are coming, so we must hurry up and harvest the crops…” A villager who was closer to the roadside heard the grain shop owner’s words and immediately stood up to answer.
"What a joke, she's just a princess..." The grain shop owner was about to make a sarcastic remark as soon as he heard that Princess Changping had ordered the grain to be collected.
But when he remembered which princess Changping was, he immediately shut his mouth.
"Someone, hurry back and call for help. Tell the shop assistants to close the shop and come help too."
The grain shop owner remembered that Princess Changping had said there were locusts, so he immediately sent his men to help.
"Boss, this..." The manager behind him, upon hearing his boss's words, thought his boss had gone mad.
"Go quickly if I tell you to. Those who work in the fields today will get an extra twenty coins." Boss Qian saw that his manager was still being indecisive and immediately increased the pay.
"Okay, boss, wait a moment, go back and inform them right away." Upon hearing that the processing fee was being increased, the manager didn't dawdle and ran even faster than usual.
After seeing that the manager had left, Qian Dajiang walked over to where Lin Luoxi and the others were and started chatting with Lin Luoxi.
"Master!" Qian Dajiang immediately addressed Lin Luoxi respectfully when he saw that only Xie Hanchuan and the quintuplets were with her.
"Yes, Manager Qian, you should have heard that we're going back to gather everyone to come and help with the harvest!" Every little bit we can get is better than being eaten by locusts.
"Don't worry, organization. I've already sent someone back to inform my men. They'll be here soon." Qian Dajiang secretly rejoiced that he had been so prescient when he heard Lin Luoxi's words.
"Yes, he's exactly the kind of person I chose. He has a broad vision and strong work ability!" Lin Luoxi praised Qian Dajiang without any reservations.
Looking at the villagers busy in the fields and the vast area of crops waiting to be harvested, Lin Luoxi was worried that there wouldn't be enough time. After thinking for a moment, she took out her harvesting tools and joined the harvesting team with her family.
When Maeji saw that this prestigious organization had actually lowered itself to harvest crops, he stopped putting on airs, rolled up his sleeves, and, despite his large belly, followed them into the fields to harvest rice.
The actions of Lin Luoxi's family and the manager of the grain shop moved the villagers to tears.
Unexpectedly, the princess and her family, who were of noble status, and the grain shop owner condescended to help them harvest the grain. Moved by their generosity, they sped up the harvest.
Lin Luoxi not only helped her own family and fellow villagers harvest the grain, but also mobilized all the shop assistants from her businesses in Quanzhou to come and harvest the crops together.
They also spread the news of the impending locust plague throughout Quanzhou, and even notified several other prefectures.
As for whether the locusts would spread to other states, Lin Luoxi couldn't guarantee it, but she told them to prepare for defense.
Those people who had received Lin Luoxi's kindness, regardless of their wealth or status, learned of the impending locust swarm.
Knowing that Lin Luoxi was busy in the fields, they all spontaneously took out their own harvesting tools and came to the edge of the fields to help harvest the crops.
This moment demonstrated the warm-hearted spirit of unity and mutual assistance among all the people of Quanzhou.
All the people of Quanzhou joined the harvest effort, and within five days, all the crops in Quanzhou were harvested.
Just as everyone was about to catch their breath, they saw countless tiny black dots appearing on the horizon.
"Oh no, locusts are coming! Quickly close the windows and go home!" Lin Luoxi, who had been keeping a close eye on the locust situation, spotted the locusts immediately and rang the bell to warn the people.
"My God, they really are locusts."
"What terrifying locusts! They've eaten all the trees bare."
As the locusts approached, everyone saw the overwhelming black dots—the locusts themselves.
He felt incredibly fortunate that he had listened to Lin Luoxi's advice. Otherwise, the crops they had worked so hard to irrigate would have been devoured by these locusts, just like the big trees, which were eaten away until not even the bark was left.
Quickly seal all the gaps in the house to prevent these locusts from entering and harming people.
The crops in the fields have all been harvested clean. These locusts have nothing to eat, so they will definitely bite people.
The locust's two large front teeth are incredibly hard; if they bite a person, they can cause excruciating pain.
"Everyone, light the fire." Now that it's confirmed to be locusts, we can't let them continue to wreak havoc on other places.
Lin Luoxi instructed everyone to light the bonfires that had been prepared beforehand, to smoke out the locusts flying in the air.
Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately lit the bonfire, which had been doused with strong liquor.
Thick smoke billowed up, and many of the locusts flying in the air were suffocated by the smoke, falling into the fire with a rustling sound. Soon, the aroma of roasted locusts filled the air.
The locusts that weren't smothered by the smoke were swept off by the villagers with bamboo brooms and into the fire.
"These locusts are high in protein and very nutritious; they're also a great snack to have with drinks."
Smelling the aroma of roasted locusts in the air, Lin Luoxi reached out and popped a roasted locust, crispy on the inside and tender on the outside, into her mouth.
"Oh, locusts are edible?"
The people who were eliminating locusts heard Lin Luoxi's words and saw her stuff a crispy roasted locust into her mouth. A surprising light shone in their eyes.
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