Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Battling the Locust Plague

Dozens of fire pits were ignited, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Go back inside and put on those clothes! Don’t forget to drink some water, or else you’ll overheat later.”

Qi Zheng said as he was the first to go inside.

“Mom, once you’re inside, don’t come out. The kids are all inside, and I’m worried they might not close the doors and windows properly.”

Yi Meng reminded her before entering the house.

Mrs. Qi responded with a sound before entering, her legs seemed to tremble a bit.

But now, no one had time to care about that.

Actually, it wasn’t just the elderly lady whose legs were trembling, everyone else was too.

Locusts!

According to the old man, they would cover the sky, and that’s terrifying.

The chickens and ducks were herded back by Qi Dalang and his two younger brothers and were now placed in the courtyard.

Other families also bought some chickens and ducks, but not many, and they arranged them similarly.

The weather was hot, and they wore such thick layers. Sweat covered their bodies before they could even finish putting everything on.

“Damn locusts, really…”

Qi Quanjin cursed.

Yi Meng said nothing but suddenly thought of something, hurriedly going to the old man’s room to find Qi Manman.

She took the child to an empty room opposite and softly asked, “Manbao, can Little White bite those flying insects to death?”

Qi Manman scratched her chin, tilted her head, and thought for a moment, “I don’t know, maybe it can! Mom, you should ask Little White! Manbao really doesn’t know.”

Ask a snake?

Yi Meng recalled when Little White led the way before and could disperse even big animals, so perhaps… it might be possible!

“Alright, then Mom is going out, and Manbao should stay inside and not go out, okay?”

Yi Meng remembered her daughter talking in her sleep about insects biting her and felt uneasy.

Qi Manman nodded obediently, “Mom, Manbao is the most well-behaved!”

Having taken the child to the elderly woman’s room, the old lady glanced at Yi Meng but said nothing.

Despite the heat, everyone was more afraid of the crops they worked so hard to grow being ruined by the locusts. They inspected the straw blinds and wooden boards in the courtyard, all wearing thick clothing.

If there were any gaps, they would grab some straw or soil to cover them.

Whether it was useful or not was uncertain, but it brought a sense of peace.

The heat intensified; the clothes became clammy, and Wang Daya, unable to endure it any longer, began to untie the string under her chin to let herself breathe.

However, at that moment, Qi Erlang suddenly shouted, “They’re coming!”

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed and saw the southern sky full of blackness flying toward them.

Initially, they were concerned that the locusts might come from another direction, but Qi Zheng had predicted they would come from the south since that’s how the locust plague had been back home.

As it turned out, his prediction was very accurate.

But such accuracy didn’t bring any relief.

Wang Daya didn’t dare to untie the string anymore, gripping a stick tightly as if preparing for a desperate struggle with the locusts.

Upon hearing the noise, Yi Meng quickly exited the house and, when no one noticed, placed a small white snake on the windowsill.

She had just found Little White in the space.

She wanted to release Little White once the weather warmed up, but the little fellow wrapped around her wrist as soon as it left the space, unwilling to leave.

With no other choice, Yi Meng had to keep it in the space.

Little White slithered down the wall, wiggling left and right, and soon disappeared over the wall.

Yi Meng didn’t know where it went or if it would actually fend off the locusts.

The swarm of locusts approached rapidly, and the buzzing sound was like a series of heavy hammers pounding on everyone’s heart.

“Remember, if you find locusts in your clothes, call the nearest person and run inside immediately!”

Qi Quanjin shouted loudly, and the people in the courtyard responded, followed by the neighboring courtyards passing on the message until each one confirmed they received it.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

The increasingly loud sound accompanied the locusts that covered the sky as they swept over.

The width was significant, but no one paid attention to how many there were.

Their task was to block the locusts that would harm their land as much as possible; they could do nothing about the rest.

Whoosh!

The frontmost locusts hit the first line of defense, instantly causing the flat fabric to bulge.

“Quick, slap them!”

Someone shouted, and everyone rushed out at once.

Slap!

Slap!

With each hit, countless locusts could be killed on the flat surface.

The sound sent shivers up their spines, but no one stopped.

Lift and slap.

Lift and slap.

Every sweep killed many, and as they moved, the soles of their feet felt an uncomfortable sensation.

All around the courtyard and the fire pits inside emitted crackling sounds.

Even with masks on, everyone could smell a hint of grilled meat.

“Dalang, Erlang, quickly add more wood!”

Qi Quanjin noticed the fire wasn’t burning quite right, afraid the locusts might carry sparks elsewhere, starting another blaze.

Qi Dalang agreed and called Qi Erlang and Qi Sanlang to add wood to the fire while keeping an eye on its burning.

The other courtyards, with fewer people but smaller spaces, were initially flustered, but soon got the hang of it.

It was unclear how much time passed, but someone screamed, then was dragged into the nearest house by someone nearby.

The door opened and shut, letting in some locusts, followed by a series of crackling sounds inside.

As the buzzing sound diminished, the number of locusts in the air also began to decrease.

Where they had previously flown over, only bare ground remained of the once lush grassland, completely devoid of any green.

“Quickly cover the sheets!”

Qi Quanjin shouted again, and everyone, panting heavily, began to untie the sheets and cover them, capturing all the locusts that hadn’t been killed or managed to fly away.

“Hit them with something!”

Qi Quanjin was breathless at this point.

This not only tested their physical strength but also their mental endurance.

Even these men who worked the fields all year round felt gooseflesh seeing so many locusts.

“Brother, take some people to check around the house to ensure no locusts remain.”

“Sister-in-law, take some people to check the crops in the fields.”

Qi Quanjin gave out a series of instructions, and everyone split up.

Remaining were Qi Quanjin, Yi Meng, Qi Quanyin, Ai Zhaodi, and Qi Quanli, who stayed behind to crush the locusts under the sheets.

Qi Zheng was already so exhausted he was leaning against the fence, panting heavily, his body visibly trembling.

“Brother Jin, help our father inside, take off his clothes, and give him some mung bean water.”

Yi Meng was also exhausted but still paid attention to the family’s condition.

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