Jiang Yue and the others opened the courtyard door and saw a large group of black shadows flying in this direction in the sky not far away.
"What is that?!" It was so dark, it couldn't be a tornado, right? !
Jiang Nian narrowed his eyes slightly, "That's a swarm of flying insects."
Flying insects? Mr. Huang? locust?
Jiang Yue's heart skipped a beat.
People from every household in the city came out, clasped their hands in front of the gate, knelt before the locust, knocked their heads heavily on the ground, and shouted loudly, begging Master Locust to spare his life.
This scene looks like a believer worshiping a holy monk.
Maybe they are not as pious as these people now, but the common people are God's most loyal believers.
Do they think that locusts are the incarnation of God and the will of God? At this time, if you don’t run for your life, do you still want to beg God for blessing?
Jiang Yue couldn't care about them, so she quickly closed the courtyard door, led the mule into the bedroom, and then closed all the doors and windows tightly.
The destructive power of locust swarms is astonishing. They are like locust tornadoes with mouths. They not only eat plants and animals, but also wood.
In short, there are no plants or trees to make food for them now, so they will never let go of anything they can eat. What's more, people can also be bitten.
After a while, Jiang Yue heard a loud buzzing sound coming from the yard.
The room also became dark, and screams could be heard from outside.
"Ahh——"
"Mom, mother, I was bitten!"
"Ah! My food!"
"..."
It seems that locusts have swept through the city.
The window paper in the bedroom was torn, and dozens of locusts got in. The yellow-green shells appeared in piles, which looked a bit disgusting. Jiang Yue and the others took bamboo baskets to catch them and fed them to the mules.
The mule smelled it first, then rolled its tongue and started chewing. It's good to improve the food occasionally.
An hour later, the locusts' voices weakened and the light became a little brighter.
Opening the door, Jiang Yue was stunned by the mess she saw. The thatch in the kitchen house was gnawed away, and there were also signs of gnawing on the doors and windows.
There are many locusts lying around in every corner. Some are missing arms and legs, and some have broken wings. I don't know how they can rob food like this.
She opened the courtyard door, and some of the neighbors were still kneeling down to pray, and some were wiping tears over the eaten grain.
"Sister, sister..."
Jiang Yue subconsciously touched her face, as if Jiang Nian had washed her face before going to bed.
She turned her head, saw no one, and looked down.
They were two little pork ribs. One was about eight or nine years old, and the other was only three or four years old. There was only a layer of skin left on his face, his lips were chapped, and his tattered clothes looked like they were riding in the wind.
"What's wrong with you?"
Tears flowed from the sunken eye sockets. The two of them wiped them away and said in a weak voice, "Sister, can you give me something to eat? We are so hungry..."
Their eyes were wary, expecting and fearing at the same time.
She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so she pulled them into the yard and closed the door.
The two children were a little scared and trembling.
"You do things for me, and I'll give you food."
Their eyes lit up, "Okay! Let's do it!"
Jiang Yue stopped Jiang Nian who was about to clean up the yard, then gave the bamboo basket to the child and pointed to the yard, "Help me catch all the locusts in the yard. Remember to break off their wings."
The child nodded repeatedly, rolled up his tattered sleeves and started to do it.
She was afraid that the two children would faint from hunger, so she first took out a multi-grain steamed bun and let them share it among themselves.
"Sister, do you really want to feed us?"
The older child opened his eyes wide and swallowed again, steamed buns! He hasn’t eaten it in a year!
"Well, you can help me with my work after you finish eating."
Jiang Yue directly broke it in half and gave it to them, and emphasized, "Don't keep it secretly! You can only finish it here, otherwise you will be robbed before you even get out of the alley."
The child originally planned to take just one bite and take it back to his sick mother. These words gave him away. What his sister said was right. Since his father's death, their family's food supply has been hard to maintain.
The two children wiped away their tears and ate the steamed buns in small bites. They were going crazy with hunger, but they were reluctant to finish it in just two or three bites.
There were people in the yard, so Jiang Nian came to the kitchen to clean up.
Jiang Yue also walked in, holding a jar and a pair of chopsticks.
He also broke off the wings of the locusts that Jiang Nian had just picked up one by one and put them into a heated jar to cook.
Jiang Nian was surprised, "Yueyue, do you want to eat bugs?"
Jiang Yue endured her nausea and said while doing it, "I won't eat it, give it to them."
This locust is said to have higher nutritional value than eggs...
She held a locust that was burnt to a crisp, sprinkled a few grains of salt on it, handed it to Jiang Nian's mouth, and coaxed him with a smile, "Come on, big cub, this one is said to be more delicious than eggs. Do you want it?" Don’t you want to try it?”
Jiang Nian frowned and rejected her for the first time, "No, this looks disgusting, I won't eat it."
The bug was roasted to produce grease, and he felt very tired just looking at it.
Jiang Yue: You haven't even said you're tired of eating eggs for five days. How can you, a wolf who eats pheasants raw without plucking the feathers, have the nerve to say the word tired?
"Sister, we have picked up all the locusts in the yard."
A weak voice sounded outside the kitchen house. They didn't dare to go into other houses for fear that their sister would be unhappy.
"You two come in."
Jiang Yue put the roasted and cooked locusts into the jar, and then gave the chopsticks to the older child.
"I know a little bit about medical skills. Eating these locusts can replenish your body. You can try them."
Fortunately, these two children are still young and don't have such a great respect for Master Locust. If those uncles and aunts outside saw that she had roasted the incarnation of God, why not chop her alive?
Just now, the child smelled the fragrant smell in the yard and kept swallowing his saliva. But his sister had already given them steamed buns and couldn't ask for any more, so he didn't dare to ask.
Unexpectedly, my sister actually gave them food. Although they are insects, they can even eat tree bark raw, so what are they afraid of?
The elder brother picked up the chopsticks, picked up a small one and fed it to his younger brother, and then ate another one himself.
Um! Crispy, fragrant, and oily! Even more delicious than tree bark! Like eating meat!
The two brothers narrowed their eyes with joy, "This is the first time I know that locusts are so delicious!"
Jiang Yue asked them, "Where do you live now? Who do you live with?"
"We live in an empty house at the gate of the city with my mother. There are other people like us who don't have a house to live in."
"Take away all the locusts you picked up today. If you don't have water, roast them and eat them, or dry them in the sun to keep them for a while. If you have something to eat, you won't starve to death."
"Then you can all tell those who don't have food. If they have something to eat, they won't come to snatch what you have, you know?"
The two brothers were very convinced of their sister and obeyed everything she said.
Jiang Yue took out a sack for them to put their things in, put all the jars and chopsticks in it, and then sent the child away.
Locusts don't come just once. I don't know how many eggs they have left on the ground. As long as they don't burn, they will grow.
Jiang Yue looked at their thin backs and only hoped that they could keep their food.
