After working hard through most of the night, the whole village had killed over ten baskets of locusts, more than double what they killed during the daytime!
"Everyone go back to sleep," Wang Jiafu's heart could finally relax back into his stomach, "Tomorrow, have the children in the families go find locust eggs, have the older folks go cut grass in the mountains to prepare firewood. The young and able-bodied, continue to light fires and eliminate locusts tomorrow night!"
Seeing the good results, Magistrate Song had the clerks work through the night to spread word to each village, and wrote several letters by hand to magistrates of neighboring counties to introduce these locust elimination methods.
He still wrote a letter to Prefect Li's side.
After all, the common people in other places were also commoners.
And in eliminating locusts, if only Baichuan County was doing it without other areas participating, it was highly likely the locust swarms could still fly over from elsewhere.
As a county magistrate, this was about all he could do.
...
Upon receiving Magistrate Song's letter, Prefect Li called Private advisor Huang into his study and showed him the letter.
"Master Huang, can you truly confirm there will not be a large-scale locust plague this time?"
"Prefect, I am quite certain."
Yesterday in Baichuan County, he had been questioned by a country scholar, and Master Huang still felt indignant over it. Early this morning he had returned to Prefect Li, claiming it was merely ordinary locusts and there was no possibility of a locust plague, and complained about the situation.
Now with Prefect Li asking again, he could only stick to his stance to the end, insisting there would be no locust plague.
Prefect Li naturally had deep faith in someone he had made a Master, plus Master Huang had experience eliminating locust plagues three times in the past. So Prefect Li did not inquire further.
"If Baichuan County is busy working, let them work," Prefect Li finally said, "But as prefect here, I can't react to every wind as rain, needlessly making commoners work for nothing and harming and taxing them."
"Prefect is absolutely right," Master Huang saw the circumstance and said, "That county magistrate is probably too eager for political achievement."
"What use is more achievement? With the mistakes he has made, he won't get promoted in this lifetime, and has no chance of returning to the capital city, only to live out his days in some poor rural backwater."
...
Li Yao's chickens, ducks and geese were truly living the good life these past few days, with several baskets of locusts every day.
Locusts themselves can actually be eaten by people. Selecting the larvae, cleaning them thoroughly, frying them in oil, coating them with aromatic oil and seasoning, they are quite tasty.
The most sophisticated locust elimination methods require the most basic cooking techniques.
In China, any edible creature can have its crisis resolved by eating all of them.
However, apart from Li Yao, when others looked at the plate of fried golden locusts, they did not dare pick them up with chopsticks.
They had also caught and roasted locusts from the fields when they were hungry children, but those were hard and crispy, scraping the throat when swallowed, with no discernible taste.
How could they compare to now, taking half a pot of oil to fry and eat them with so many ingredients?
"Why aren't you eating?" Li Yao asked.
"Mother," Wang Xiao Si said, "These bugs look so creepy, let's not eat them."
"Try one," Li Yao said, "If you feel you can't swallow it, then don't eat them."
In the end, Da Zhuang was the bravest, closing his eyes as he popped one into his mouth and crunched it to pieces.
Everyone watched him for his reaction.
"Big brother," Wang Xiao Si's mouth was already watering from the smell, "How is it?"
Da Zhuang had a pleasant surprise, "Delicious, listening to Mother is always right."
Hearing this, Wang Xiao Si hurriedly grabbed one and put it in his mouth, impatiently grabbing a second before he had even swallowed the first.
Seeing this, everyone else tried them too, and found it hard to stop after one.
For a time, crunching sounds filled the table, even the usually chatty Song Zhe ate quickly.
The plate of fried locusts was swiftly cleaned out, while Li Yao barely touched her chopsticks.
"These locusts are good, free of charge, we should catch and collect more in future. What the geese can't finish, we can eat, and what we can't finish we can sell for money."
Da Zhuang laughed, "You're still so young, don't always think about making money, you should be attending school."
"That's right, Xiao Si," Wang Er also said, "After the locusts are eliminated, you should start primary school, I'll have Teacher Lv personally teach you."
Wang Xiao Si secretly pouted, not daring to retort.
Being the youngest in the family, what could he do?
He hoped Little Yanran would hurry up and grow, so he could order around Little Yanran.
Under Magistrate Song's call, even villages that did not yet have large numbers of locusts were actively working to prevent a plague, in the entire Baichuan County.
Several neighboring counties also took it very seriously. After all, if they could not handle such a minor matter, they did not deserve to be officials.
That day, after Li Yao inspected the fields up the mountain, she discovered the locust numbers had already greatly decreased, and the sweet potato leaves were all intact.
"Granny Li! Granny Li!"
Just as she was about to head home, a tender voice called out from the mountain.
Initially, Li Yao was wary, but after walking a few steps she suddenly realized - they were calling for her!
The one calling her was the little grandson of the Fang family, two years younger even than Xiao Si. Currently he wore a sun hat woven from thin branches on his head, his bare feet pattering as he ran over.
"Niu Dan, slow down, what's the matter?"
"Big brother Xiao Si found the locust nest! He told me to hurry back and get people!"
Li Yao immediately forgot the heat when she heard, asking for directions before rushing over herself.
This was a flat area beneath a mountain gorge, with almost no trees, only large patches of wild grass.
At this time Wang Xiaoshi and several village children were using sickles to cut the grass.
"Mother, come look!"
Wang Xiao Si pointed to the cleared ground, which was densely covered in small holes. Li Yao dug out some mud with a sickle - inside were huge clumps of locust eggs.
"This whole area!" Wang Xiao Si said, "There's a lot on the open ground over there too."
Li Yao inspected all around, it really was as Wang Xiao Si said. This large area of several acres had been occupied by locusts, producing huge numbers of eggs.
She didn't know the exact amount, but if they all hatched, it would certainly be a sky-blocking swarm.
Soon, Wang Jiafu also led villagers over. Seeing so many locust eggs gave everyone lingering fears.
"Quick, go grab hoes - no - lead oxen from home over, plow this whole area up directly, then spread straw to burn it all down!"
This was the most effective method to deal with locust larvae. Over a dozen oxen working together, in less than two hours the entire open space was turned over, then burned down along with the unhatched eggs.
But looking at the vast forests behind, Li Yao was still very worried, fearing there were countless other such locust bases hidden in the big mountain.