Chapter 107 Hunting and Killing Locusts

Style: Historical Author: morning cloud purpleWords: 2236Update Time: 24/01/12 05:33:06
at dusk.

Classes have already started in Cheng Wanwan’s courtyard.

Cheng Zhao asked the children to practice calligraphy on the sand table. He took what he had recorded and followed Cheng Wanwan and Li Zheng to the field ridge.

The orange sunset shines on the rice fields, and the evening wind blows in. The crops and fields in the countryside are like a beautiful picture, full of vitality and hope.

Li Zheng took a deep breath and asked again: "Da Shan Niang, you know that I am a person with no ideas. I will believe whatever others say. You said that there is a way to control locusts. I really believe it. Don't Lie to me, an honest man.”

Cheng Wanwan said, "Uncle Li Zheng will know if I'm lying after reading what my nephew wrote."

Cheng Zhao handed over a stack of paper.

Li Zheng glanced at it and recognized most of the words, mainly numbers, how many herbs, how many water, how many locusts... He could understand it, but it was difficult to understand.

If these were said by others, he would definitely question it.

But this is written on paper. The words on the paper are particularly sacred to the people of Dahe Village, and they will believe in them unconditionally.

"Qi moxa can drive away locusts, and lantana can kill locusts." Cheng Wanwan said, "Now, let's give it a try."

Li Zheng swallowed his saliva: "How to try?"

Cheng Wanwan smiled and said: "Last time I met the county magistrate, he mentioned the bonfire trapping method. Why not try combining several methods."

She had already prepared dry firewood and piled it on the field ridge, which was one meter away from the rice fields and separated by a ditch. It served as a fire break and could control the fire.

At the moment when I was talking, the sun was setting in the west, the sunset had dispersed, and twilight had fallen.

She lit the dry wood with a fire stick, and the fire illuminated the land.

Insects are phototactic species. As soon as there is a fire here, large swarms of locusts will buzz over.

Li Zheng was so frightened that his face turned pale.

He knew that there were many locusts in the rice fields recently, but he did not expect that there were so many.

Above the fire, there was a buzzing sound, like it was blocking out the sky and the sun.

Cheng Wanwan's eyebrows were also serious.

What we see during the day are locusts flying everywhere, which does not have much visual impact on people, so it does not attract too many people's attention.

But when the bonfire is lit at night and all the locusts fly in one direction, it can be seen that the locusts have gradually begun to swarm and cause a disaster, and they must be killed as soon as possible.

The method mentioned by the county magistrate is to use fire to attract locusts, then hunt them manually, cover the locusts with sheets and large pieces of cloth, dig holes and bury them alive.

She has an easier way.

She took the lantana from the basket at her feet and threw it into the fire.

The water boiled from lantana can kill insects, and the smoke from burning it can also kill insects. However, the smoke will pollute the environment, and modern people will not use this method.

In ancient times, there was no concept of environmental pollution, so she didn't have to worry about it.

She said: "The smell of lantana is a bit pungent, cover your mouth and nose."

The three of them covered their noses with their sleeves. In just a moment, the fire shot into the sky and the smoke dispersed. The locusts that were buzzing and flying just now fell down one by one, and the ground was soon covered with a layer of locust corpses.

Li Zheng's face was full of disbelief: "This, this..."

He couldn't find a word to describe his mood at this moment.

The smell of lantana was really pungent, and he began to cough violently.

When the people in the village saw what was going on here, they all gathered around.

The locusts flying all over the sky fell down like chaff and fell on people. The once hated pests died under the thick smoke.

Everyone was coughing, but they didn't want to leave. They wanted to see the locusts die with their own eyes.

The fire gradually became smaller and the locusts slowly disappeared.

Cheng Wanwan said: "This is just a part of the locusts. Before harvesting, I suggest you try this method every night to see how many can be killed."

"This smells too bad." Zhang Lai's mother-in-law frowned and said in a sharp voice, "This smell can poison locusts to death. Will we get sick if we smell this smell? Dashan Niang, please don't poison the big guy. It’s all terrible.”

Cheng Zhao said: "Lantana is a poisonous herb. People will have poisoning reactions if they eat it by mistake. There is also a small amount of toxins in its smoke, which can cause coughing and vomiting in severe cases. There is no risk to life."

Zhang Lai's mother-in-law immediately exploded: "Dashan Niang, you are burning poison in the village, do you want to poison all of us in the village?"

Other villagers were also a little uneasy.

Although killing so many locusts is a good thing, if it causes harm to your own body, it is not worth the gain.

Mrs. Zhao squeezed out from the crowd and said coldly: "If you are afraid of being poisoned, just close the door and prevent the smoke from getting in... Haha, why haven't I seen you all cherishing your lives so much before? What if The locusts have eaten up all the rice, and everyone will starve to death. They will all die anyway, and it is better to be poisoned than to starve to death."

Cheng Zhao coughed.

He is the only scholar here, and the clothes he wears are different from the others. When he coughs, the surrounding area automatically becomes silent.

He said: "Lantana does not necessarily need to be burned to treat locusts. It can also be boiled into water and sprayed on the rice. The locusts will die after eating it. However, the proportion of boiling needs to be mastered. If there is more water, the medicinal properties will be lower, and if there is less water, the medicinal properties will be lower. Time-consuming."

Li Zheng couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder: "Students are smart. It would be great if this was a child from our Dahe Village."

Cheng Zhao said with some embarrassment: "My second aunt came up with this idea. I just cooperated with the record. I don't know much about farming..."

Li Zheng only thought he was being humble, and looked at him with a little more respect.

Cheng Wanwan said: "If you are someone who trusts me, you can go up the mountain to collect lantana tomorrow morning and come to my house to cook it in the afternoon."

Lantana is poisonous, and the pot in which it has been cooked can no longer be used for cooking, so she can only contribute the broken pot at home.

At night, bonfires are used to trap and kill locusts. During the day, ducks hunt and eat scattered locusts, and then spraying pesticides on the rice should be able to save some rice.

The villagers gradually walked away around Cheng Wanwan and Li Zheng.

Zhang's mother-in-law stamped her feet angrily.

She didn't have to go against Cheng Wanwan, she just couldn't stand that everyone in the village was surrounding Cheng Wanwan.

In the past, Cheng Wanwan was a gangster. People in the village shook their heads when they mentioned Dashan Niang, and they always sympathized with the children of the Zhao family.

But now, no matter what Li Zheng does, he always goes to discuss it with Dashan Niang, and Dashan Niang does whatever she says. What a village woman with long hair and short knowledge can understand cannot be relied on her nephew who can read. .

That Cheng Zhao looks really good, he looks talented and speaks politely. She has a niece in her family, maybe they can make a couple.

Mrs. Zhang's eyes flashed, and an idea came to her mind.

The fire beside the field ridge gradually extinguished, leaving only a faint glow.

Under the cold moonlight, on the mountain to the east, on a protruding rock, three or four wolves stood there, their green eyes giving off a cold light in the moonlight.

Wild wolves were afraid of fire and crowds. They stood on the mountain for a long time and finally dispersed.