Chapter 12: The Omen of Pestilence (Patreon)

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Just Fenggu Farm alone has so much fertile land, and there are over 200 tenant farmers?

Wang Shoujie looked at the fields, where the ridges and furrows crisscrossed, and his heart was filled with emotion. This was the foundation of their family's century-old legacy.

"We're using the traditional Winter Wheat Summer Corn Rotation at Fenggu Farm," Wang Shuonuo said with a hint of joy on his face. "Now is the busy season for planting summer crops, and the winter wheat is about to mature. With the abundant spring rainfall and sufficient sunlight, the conditions are perfect for the wheat to grow. It looks like we're going to have a bumper harvest this year."

Wang Shoujie's face also lit up with joy. The difference between a good harvest and a bad one was huge, and a good harvest meant more development funds for the family.

"No, no, no," Wang Luojing said, pouting like a child. "Third brother, you're wrong. This year's winter wheat might not do well."

What?

Wang Shuonuo's smile froze, and he scolded, "Luojing, you can't just talk nonsense. Even Grandfather and the experienced old farmers say that this year will be a good harvest. You're just a kid, what do you know? If Grandfather hears you talking about a bad harvest, he'll scold you again."

Wang Luojing was intimidated and hid behind Wang Shoujie.

"Third brother, don't take it seriously. She's just a kid, and kids say silly things," Wang Shoujie said with a laugh, patting her head to comfort her.

"You don't know, fourth brother," Wang Shuonuo said with a sigh. "You don't know that our little sister is very clever and likes to play with all sorts of insects. When she was two or three years old, she could watch ants for days. Recently, she even asked me to help her catch a grasshopper king, and when I didn't go, she cried and threw a tantrum. I had to search everywhere for four or five days to catch two of them, and I got bitten all over by mosquitoes."

"It's the grass cicada king, recorded in the ancient Insect Classic," Wang Luojing corrected Wang Shuonuo from behind Wang Shoujie. "Brother, you're too embarrassing. Our family may be known for martial arts, but culture and knowledge are also the foundation of our family's legacy."

Especially the second half of her sentence, which was a rebuke of Wang Shuonuo, learned from Wang Shoujie's way of scolding them.

Wang Shuonuo's face turned black, and he could only say, "Okay, okay, I don't know. Next time you ask me to catch insects, I won't help you."

"I'll ask fourth brother to help me. He's a million times better than you," Wang Luojing said, pulling on Wang Shoujie's sleeve, as if she had found a reliable ally.

This made Wang Shoujie smile, and it seemed that Wang Luojing was indeed very clever, but only in front of him. Wang Shuonuo was so angry that he was about to faint.

"Okay, Luojing, tell us why you think this year's harvest will be bad," Wang Shoujie asked casually. "Don't be afraid, even if you're wrong, it's okay."

With Wang Shoujie's support, Wang Luojing's courage grew: "Last winter was too warm, and there was only a small snowfall."

Wang Shuonuo immediately rolled his eyes: "Although a good snowfall is a sign of a good harvest, it's just a saying. Does that mean we'll definitely have a bad harvest if it doesn't snow?"

"It's different," Wang Luojing said seriously. "Last winter was warm, and this spring's rainfall has been good. But it hasn't rained in over 10 days, and the weather is dry and hot."

"Luojing," Wang Shuonuo said dismissively, "we've already opened the sluice gates on the Fenggu River to irrigate the fields, so the winter wheat won't lack water. And the sunshine is good for the wheat to grow."

"But it's also good for the aphids to grow," Wang Luojing retorted.

Aphids?

Wang Shuonuo shuddered and said hesitantly, "Aphids are unavoidable, and they appear every year, causing some reduction in yield. But this year, we also spread insecticide in the fields during the winter..."

However, when he said this, his tone was not very confident. Aphids were the natural enemy of winter wheat. A small outbreak was okay, but a large-scale outbreak would be a disaster.

According to the Wang Clan's records, the most severe aphid disaster was 73 years ago, which affected the entire Longzu County. The winter wheat yield decreased by 80%, and the grain price skyrocketed. Some wealthy families could survive with their stored grain, but many poor commoners suffered, selling their children and daughters.

What was even more terrifying was that the aphid disaster lasted for three years, and even some wealthy families couldn't withstand it. If not for the Purple Palace Academy's intervention, which sent a large amount of grain to Longzu County and developed a large amount of ancient insecticide, the entire county would have been devastated, with no one left.

At this time, Wang Shoujie frowned: "Luojing, do you have a way to prove what you're saying?"

Fenggu Farm and Xingsheng Farm were the two main grain production bases of the Wang Clan. If there was really an aphid outbreak, it would be a disaster for the Wang Clan.

"Brother, you can check a few more wheat ears," Wang Luojing said, her expression also serious.

Wang Shuonuo was worried and walked into the fields, randomly picking a wheat ear to inspect. He saw some small green dots on the wheat ear that had just started to fill with grain.

One after another, several wheat ears were turned over, some with more and some with fewer, but without a doubt, they were all aphids.

Wang Shoujie, who was at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm, had a physique and eyesight that far surpassed those of ordinary people. With one glance, he discovered that the green dots were all plump little insects. He was slightly shocked, thinking that they might be aphids.

As for knowledge in this area, Wang Shoujie had accumulated very little and could only barely guess that it was a type of aphid. He wasn't interested in agriculture, and those powerful apps that calculated everything naturally wouldn't push content related to this topic.

"This year's aphids are indeed more than last year's," Wang Shuonuo said with concern, "but it's not certain that a pest disaster will occur. Using ash water mixed with insecticide powder can control it. At most, it would just reduce the yield slightly compared to last year."

"Brother!" Wang Luojing exclaimed, "I've been saying that the climate has a big problem. The soil has left too many eggs from last year, and in a short time, maybe tomorrow or the day after, or at most in three or four days, a large number of aphids will emerge, and by the seventh or eighth day, it's highly likely that a second wave will break out."

"Come over, all of you," Wang Shoujie called out to the several farmers working not far away, "pull out this small patch of wheat and turn over the soil."

"This... Young Master Wang..." The farmers hesitated, looking at Wang Shuonuo with doubt and reluctance. These wheat crops would be ready for harvest in about ten days, and they were all white and ripe.

"Listen to the clan leader," Wang Shuonuo dared not disobey Wang Shoujie and personally went forward to pull out the wheat.

The farmers also started digging with their hoes.

Not long after, the small patch of wheat was all pulled out, and the soil was turned over.

"This..." Wang Shuonuo carefully examined the roots of the pulled-out wheat, his face gradually turning grave and shocked. "How could this be? How could this be?"

There were many white dots on the roots, which were shocking to see. Moreover, most of the wheat roots had them, with only the number varying.

And in the turned-over soil, if one looked carefully, they would find a large number of white dots.

Wang Shuonuo's heart "thudded" as a sense of foreboding arose: "Quick, go call Grandfather over."

"Quick, notify Grandfather and all the farmers to soak the stored ash water quickly." Wang Shuonuo had learned farming from his grandfather for two years and had acquired some basic skills.

The farmers started to hurry.

Not long after, Fourth Old Master Wang Xiaozhi arrived, his face looking extremely difficult: "How could this be? How could there be so many aphid eggs in the soil? After last year's autumn harvest, we clearly did the same as usual, deep plowing and spreading insecticide powder. Could it be that the insecticide powder had a problem?"

"Grandfather, last year was a warm winter..." Wang Luojing reminded him cautiously from the side.

"You little girl, Grandfather has been farming for a lifetime, do you think I don't understand?" Wang Xiaozhi was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, scolding angrily, "Ten years ago was also a warm winter, and the climate was the same as this year. The result was a bumper harvest, and the granaries were full In my opinion, the problem lies with the insecticide powder. That damned Qian's Trading Company must have sold fake insecticide powder. I'm lucky I stocked up on a large batch of insecticide powder at a low price!"

As they spoke, Wang Shoujie also recalled some scattered knowledge and couldn't help but frown: "Qian's Trading Company is all over the Left Bank, and they've always emphasized their business reputation. If they sold fake insecticide powder, leading to a pest disaster in the Left Bank, they might not be able to bear the consequences. Could it be that the aphids, in their repeated battles with the insecticide powder, have evolved some strong resistance, gradually forming a large area of resistance?"

In his previous life, Wang Shoujie may not have been involved in agriculture, but he knew that whether it was bacteria, viruses, or living organisms, they would constantly undergo genetic mutations and evolution, which was almost unpredictable. However, most of them would be naturally eliminated.

And some aphids that evolved towards strong resistance, surviving the repeated battles with insecticide powder and gradually spreading, was also reasonable.

But Wang Xiaozhi couldn't understand what was meant by biological evolution and only frowned, saying, "Don't spout nonsense here, Young Master. The insecticide powder used before was fine, so why doesn't it work this year?"

"Grandfather, I think Fourth Brother is right," Wang Luojing said, "Grandfather, you've been complaining that the insecticide powder has been getting less effective over the years. Why do we have aphids every year?"

Wang Xiaozhi's face stiffened, and his expression became increasingly difficult. In recent years, especially since the bumper harvest ten years ago, there had been a trend of increasing aphids, but because it was still within a tolerable range, he had only felt annoyed.

Wang Shoujie had almost confirmed that this was the spread of aphids with strong resistance. The warm winter last year had allowed most of the eggs to survive, and this year's climate was suitable for aphid growth, leading to the current situation.

This was a big trouble, and even Wang Shoujie couldn't help but feel a chill. He didn't have the ability to develop new "pesticides"...

It was like a roof leaking on a rainy night Under this disaster, the Wang Clan's days would become even more difficult.

"Fourth Brother," Wang Luojing pulled Wang Shoujie aside and whispered, "I have a way to deal with the aphids, but I'm afraid of Grandfather and don't dare say it!"

What?

Wang Shoujie was stunned, looking at her incredulously.

[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]

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Next Chapter ->Chapter 13: The Gift of Spirit Insect Master