Chapter 205: Chapter 205: Reporting to the Government

The two doctors originally wanted to join the battle against the locusts, but in the end, they were persuaded otherwise.

After all, during the process, no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t be injured, and once injured, care would be needed.

It was naturally more important for the two doctors to treat the wounded.

So, just after the locust plague passed, the two doctors began to go from house to house, searching for the injured with their medical kits.

Yin Cheng stayed at the Qi Family Mansion, while Qin Minglang visited several other families.

Those who were uninjured were still busy clearing out the remaining locusts.

“Fourth Sister-in-law, with so many bugs, can we kill them all?”

Ai Zhaodi asked Yi Meng breathlessly, pointing at the sheet swollen with still-alive locusts.

Yi Meng was also exhausted at this time.

The men in the family could probably hold on longer, but they still needed to search for locusts left in corners, which was a meticulous task that couldn’t be relaxed.

Looking at it this way, relying on boards to swat at these sheets just wouldn’t work.

Yi Meng thought it over and called over Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai, “Brother Jin, Second Brother, swatting these locusts is too tiring, perhaps we should just set the whole thing on fire!”

“Ah? Set it all on fire? But what about these sheets…”

Qi Ercai looked at the long sheets; originally, everyone thought that after clearing the locusts, these sheets could be washed and reused.

Qi Quanjin then said, “Burn them! Save energy and clean it thoroughly.”

“Alright then, I will inform the other families.”

Qi Ercai no longer resisted.

The locusts were too hateful; burning them would be good.

Soon, other families were informed about the decision to burn the sheets.

Saying they weren’t distressed would be false, but no one objected.

They were indeed too tired, and if they were to crush each locust one by one and then find the leftover ones, it would drag on into the middle of the night.

In the dark of night, even with torches and other lighting, it would be hard to clean thoroughly. It’s better to seize the remaining daylight to finish up.

Each family brought out the little mixed oil they had stored, heated it to liquid, and then poured it over the sheets.

With several torches thrown in, a large fire quickly ignited.

The fierce fire made people’s faces hot, with a sizzling sound accompanied by some strange barbecue aroma filling the air, leaving everyone with mixed feelings.

Even using fire, it was well into the night before everyone finished their work.

This time, everyone gathered again for a meal.

The so-called meal was a simple dough dumpling soup, quickly consumed to fill the stomach before rushing back to rest.

It was exhausting, truly more exhausting than building a house.

The injured weren’t too serious; after cleaning the wounds and applying medicine, the wounds scabbed over by the next day, not affecting their work at all.

The only worry was that the bodies of several elder men were too worn out and needed to rest for a while.

In the evening, Qi Quanjin and Yi Meng lay on the kang, each holding a fan to cool off.

Yi Meng fanned the children beside her, while Qi Quanjin fanned his wife.

The children were asleep, but the couple couldn’t fall asleep.

“Wife, I’ll have to make a trip to the city early tomorrow to report the locust disaster to the government.”

Qi Quanjin said with a yawn.

Yi Meng replied with a hum, “We should report it and also mention how we dealt with the locusts.”

“Yes, that’s what I think too. We’ve managed to get through it, but I don’t know if other villages can do the same.”

Qi Quanjin sighed, “I might as well inquire about our village’s registration status.”

Such a large number of people, several families, may not compare to those big villages, but due to the ample area, they should meet the standards of a village.

Everyone discussed before, and the new village would still be called Yongping Village.

The report was submitted to the government, waiting for approval.

Although the village chief is not an official of the court, he receives a monthly salary, albeit small, amounting to one or two pieces of silver a year.

But this represents the village’s legal existence, and if something happens, the government would intervene to help.

The two chatted intermittently, unsure when the conversation turned to snores.

The chickens and ducks in the backyard entered the coop with their round bellies, and by the next morning, not a single one came to eat even after the feed was mixed.

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai drove the horse cart to the city early the next morning, only to find out that several villages suffered the disaster the day before.

But there were some that weren’t affected. Yet, upon hearing the news, the village chiefs of these uninvolved villages still came to the city to inquire.

When the Qi Brothers arrived, the clerk responsible for recording the locust disaster damage saw them and asked, “When did you suffer the disaster, and what were the losses?”

He had already said this numerous times that day, and was feeling a bit listless.

Qi Ercai gave Qi Quanjin a look, who then stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, “Official, our village was hit mid-afternoon yesterday, but suffered almost no damage. Only a few people were bitten by locusts, but they’ve seen the doctor and applied medicine, and the wounds are likely to scab over in a couple of days.”

“What? No damage?”

The clerk was startled, instantly snapping out of his lethargy, “Did your village not cultivate crops?”

“We did, and they’re growing quite well.”

Qi Quanjin laughed sheepishly, “But some of the elders in our village experienced locust disasters many years ago and felt this one was quite similar, so we made some preparations in advance.”

He originally wanted to say that they had already sent news into the city, but wasn’t sure if Liu Qinghe had reported it.

If it hadn’t been reported, bringing it up now would likely cause trouble for Liu Qinghe.

So he chose not to mention it.

The clerk considered and seemed to recall something, asking, “Did someone bring this up a few days ago? I remember, it was…”

He couldn’t immediately recall who had mentioned it to him.

Qi Quanjin realized and quickly said, “It was told to Liu Qinghe.”

“Yes, yes, Old Liu.”

The clerk nodded in understanding but then changed his expression, looked outside to make sure no one was around, and then lowered his voice, “Remember, you never came to the city to mention the locust disaster, okay?”

His implication was…

Qi Quanjin and Qi Ercai exchanged a glance and both understood.

They had informed Liu Qinghe, who then informed the clerk, but the clerk likely didn’t forward it further.

If they insisted that they had reported it earlier, the clerk might get into trouble.

The Qi Brothers understood the need not to challenge officials easily and nodded in agreement.

Qi Quanjin continued, “Sir, we never mentioned this matter before. However, we do have some experience with handling locust disasters. Is it too late to share it now?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep