Chapter 346: Enemies Meeting, Eyes Turn Red with Rage

While they were talking, the water in the pot had already boiled.

Liu Chuxue called out, "Mom, it's time to put the noodles in."

Liu's mother walked over, picked up the bamboo lid stitched from sorghum stalks, and headed toward the stove: "Eat quickly; who knows, they might call the heads of each household over to discuss matters soon."

Liu Chuxue was somewhat worried: "Dad, if the Secretary assigns you work, you must take it easy. Your leg has only just healed a bit; you can't do heavy labor."

Seeing his daughter worry about him, Liu's father smiled: "I know."

Liu Chuxue thought of something: "Dad, how have you usually driven away badgers?"

By now, Liu's mother's first pot of noodles was done. She scooped a large bowl, ladled on the sauce Liu Chuxue had stir-fried, added some sliced scallions and cilantro to the bowl, and then handed it to her husband: "Eat quickly; your daughter's sauce is quite good."

As she spoke, her eyes were full of smiles.

Liu's father took the large bowl: "We usually divide into several small teams to take turns guarding that field. When we see a badger or hear a noise, we grab the village's bronze gong and strike it; that will surely scare it away. Persist for a few days, and it won't dare come back."

Liu Chuxue thought for a moment: "Actually, badgers are also afraid of strong odors. Why not go to the scrap station to find some bicycle tires? Then, light a few bonfires in that field, specifically using wet firewood to create thick smoke. Throw the bicycle tires into the fire. If that's not enough, find some chili powder and toss that in too."

"At that time, just have one person guard it to ensure the bonfire doesn't go out. With the smoke and the irritating smell, it won't take long before it moves elsewhere."

Liu's father waved his hand: "I'm afraid that won't work. Even if the recycling station has them, wouldn't that cost money? I'm afraid no one would agree."

Liu Chuxue thought it over; she realized she had been taking things for granted. Now, not only did each household lack funds, but the village itself probably had little money either.

Liu Chuxue's knife went up and down as she cut the noodles, but her mind was on the badger issue: "Dad, why don't you try making a few scarecrows out of dry grass, then hang a few tattered pieces of cloth on the frame? Preferably ones with bright colors; that should also have a deterrent effect."

Liu's father nodded this time: "That is something we could try, though we would still need to use the bronze gong to drive the badgers away first, then set up the scarecrows there."

Sure enough, as soon as he finished eating, he was called away to a meeting.

Although what Liu Chuxue said seemed unrealistic, he still mentioned it to the Secretary and the Village Head.

Unexpectedly, the Secretary said, "Buying tires from the scrap station for money probably won't work, but everyone has dried chili peppers. We could try that. Light a few bonfires, throw some chili powder inside; I don't believe those creatures can stand it. Add the sound of the bronze gong, and see if we don't scare those bastards to death."

In the end, the village decided to tackle the problem on three fronts: the bronze gong, bonfires with chili powder smoke, and scarecrows, all deployed at once to drive away those creatures ruining the corn as quickly as possible.

However, being seasoned farmers, they didn't use wet firewood for the bonfires; instead, they gathered rotten leaves and such, sprinkled soil over them, and the Village Head even contributed a string of small firecrackers. He took them apart one by one and mixed them in, hoping that once lit, the firecrackers would go off at intervals to scare the badgers.

That afternoon, Liu Chuxue accompanied Liu's mother to the peanut field to weed and happened to run into the wife of the former Liu Accountant—oh, no, she wasn't the accountant anymore—she ran into Peng Ailan and her daughter.

This was the first time Liu Chuxue had seen the two of them since that day.

When Liu Shuqin saw Liu Chuxue, the hatred in her eyes was obvious to anyone. She was about to rush over to Liu Chuxue, but her mother, Peng Ailan, grabbed her: "Did you forget what your father said? Don't cause trouble."

(End of this chapter)