Chapter 36: The Locust Plague Comes Early

"Yes, Your Excellency, please show mercy!" The villagers of Yuping Village bowed repeatedly to Xie Yuwei. Xie Yuwei's face was taut, his expression cold and stern. "What you said about seeing locusts — is it true?"

"This humble subject would not dare lie. I dare swear to the heavens — if there is a single word of falsehood, may I be struck by lightning! Oh right, there is one more person." He pointed at Chi Nan Yi. "She came back from Jingcheng. She said that when she was in Jingcheng, she also heard people mention this matter."

Chi Nan Yi thought to herself that this was bad. That kind of talk might fool the villagers, but trying to deceive Xie Yuwei was impossible.

Locusts always travel from north to south. They were now in the north, and Jingcheng was in the south — how could Jingcheng possibly get word ahead of them?

Xie Yuwei naturally understood this logic as well.

He looked at Chi Nan Yi, his eyes full of scrutiny. "What exactly is going on?"

Just then, a guard came running over in a panic. "Your Excellency! It's terrible, Your Excellency! Locust plague! Locust plague!"

"What?" Xie Yuwei grabbed the guard by the collar. "You said locust plague?"

"Yes, Your Excellency! They're thick and dense — those locusts have already crossed the Western Regions border and are heading toward Daqi! What do we do, Your Excellency!"

There really was a locust plague!

"How long before they arrive here?"

"Estimated that the locusts will arrive by early tomorrow morning."

This was the place closest to the Western Regions, and also the place that had suffered the most devastating damage in her previous life.

Most of the people here never made it to Jingcheng — they starved or froze to death along the way.

"Harvest! Harvest immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Return to the yamen." He turned and boarded the carriage, and ordered the guards to escort Hou Qinian back to the yamen as well.

"Locust plague — there really is a locust plague!" the villagers exclaimed. "If we hadn't harvested our crops ahead of time, when the locusts came, wouldn't we have lost every last grain?"

Zhao Xifeng walked up to Chi Nan Yi and dropped straight to his knees. "Girl! You're the savior of our village! If not for you, everyone in our whole village would have starved to death. I, Zhao Xifeng, bow to you!"

"Village Chief, please get up quickly. We're all from the same village — why so formal?" Chi Nan Yi hurriedly helped Zhao Xifeng to his feet. "Village Chief, the most urgent matter right now is food. When the locusts pass through, all grain will be devoured completely — even the grass and bark will be eaten clean."

"Fortunately, we've already harvested all the crops. No matter what, our village can make it through."

Chi Nan Yi's expression was heavy. She shook her head. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

Hearing her say this, Zhao Xifeng's heart tightened. "Chi Family girl, what do you mean?"

"After we hand over the tax grain from what we have now, I'm afraid there won't be much left. This year there's a disaster, so the court will reduce the tax grain they collect. But when the locusts pass through, those villages that didn't manage to harvest their crops in time will certainly have total crop failure. As a result, all their eyes will focus on our village. 'The innocent man bears no guilt, but possessing a treasure makes him a target' — I imagine the Village Chief understands this principle better than I do."

Zhao Xifeng broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. If they were really targeted, the consequences would be unthinkable!

After all, in famine years, even cases of exchanging children to eat were not uncommon.

"Then what do you say we should do?"

It was obvious that Chi Nan Yi before their eyes had already become the backbone of the people of Yuping Village.

"While the locusts haven't arrived yet, half of our village should go help the two neighboring villages harvest their grain. The remaining half should gather firewood. Spread the firewood over the already-harvested fields — the burnt ash can serve as fertilizer to nourish the soil. Next year the land will be fertile and yield more grain."

Chi Huaijin was somewhat puzzled. "Little sister, why use firewood?"

"I once read in a miscellaneous book that locusts are very afraid of thick smoke. When the locusts come, we'll light the firewood and use the thick smoke to suffocate them."

As Chi Nan Yi finished speaking, she noticed everyone looking at her with eyes full of admiration.

"Why are you all… looking at me like that?"

Zhao Xifeng smiled and said, "You truly are a child who has seen great things — to know so much. I've farmed the land my whole life, yet I'm not even as clear on this as you."

"I just happened to come across a miscellaneous book, and that's what it said. I hope it proves useful." Chi Nan Yi suddenly realized that her identity as someone who had returned from Jingcheng still had its uses — no one would doubt her at all.

Though the locust plague was unavoidable, if they could use thick smoke to set up a barrier, it would still reduce the losses greatly.

"In that case, we might as well all go gather firewood. Why help other villages harvest their grain? Isn't that just having strength with nowhere to use it?" The village's notorious shrew, Zhao-shi, said with an eye roll. "Quite the young lady returned from Jingcheng from a big family! Ordering people around so handily."

Chi Nan Yi remembered her. The first time she went into the mountains, it was this woman who had pointed and whispered about her at the village entrance.

"Auntie, what you say is quite amusing. You say I'm ordering you about — could it be to make you serve me? When you were harvesting crops, why didn't you say I was ordering you about? Now that your crops are harvested and you're spared from the locusts devouring them, and you have surplus grain in hand, you start turning your back and pretending not to recognize anyone. Auntie really is an old lady drinking porridge."

An old lady drinking porridge? Zhao-shi didn't understand what she meant by that. Chi Huaijin's eyes darted, and he instantly thought of the meaning behind those words, unable to hold back a burst of laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone was startled by his laughter.

"What are you laughing about?"

"An old lady drinking porridge — hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter!"

Seeing him keep laughing, the crowd was somewhat bewildered.

Chi Huaijin laughed enough, wiped the tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes, and explained, "An old lady drinking porridge — shameless and obscene."

"Pfft—"

The villagers present, apart from Zhao-shi, all doubled over in laughter.

Zhao-shi panted heavily, pointing at Chi Nan Yi, and said angrily, "You! You dare curse me!"

Chi Nan Yi smiled. "I didn't say that. My second brother thought of it himself. What does that have to do with me?"

"You!"

"Enough, enough. Zhao-shi, the Chi Family girl is the great benefactor of our whole village. Never mind cursing you — even if she hit you, you'd have to endure it! We'll follow the Chi Family girl's lead on this matter!"

Zhao-shi heard this and, unwilling but helpless, secretly glared at Chi Nan Yi, thinking to herself: Little tramp, just you wait!

After Xie Yuwei returned to the government office, he quickly sent people to every village to post notices ordering an immediate harvest.

The villagers who had previously dismissed the locust plague nearly broke their thighs slapping them in regret.

If they had known this would happen, they should have listened to Yuping Village and harvested early.

Now they'd be lucky to gather even half their grain!

Meanwhile, Yuping Village had already finished harvesting all their grain.

If not abundance, at the very least they could pay the tax grain, and perhaps still have some surplus — they wouldn't starve to death.

As for themselves, that was far less certain.

Just as they were at a loss, the villagers of Yuping Village came to their settlement and began helping with the harvest.