"Locusts lay their eggs underground. Unlike humans, who usually have one child at a time, locust eggs can produce several eggs a year, and one child can produce hundreds of children. When the weather is cold and the ground is freezing, the eggs will not survive until spring.
They were frozen to death. There are fewer locusts in the north than in the south..."
"...There are a lot of floods in the south. When the water rushes over, everything on the ground is washed away, exposing the eggs underneath, and all the locusts crawl out, looking for food everywhere..."
"Locusts are not scary. People can easily crush a locust to death. What's scary is that when the locust plague comes, there are more locusts covering the ground than there are people on the ground. They eat both crops and branches. They fly everywhere, from the south to
Go to the north, eat one piece and then find another..."
There is no memory of locust plagues in the original memory, but there have been many locust plagues in history, and each time a large number of people starve to death.
Even where they are, they cannot effectively control the locust plague. Fortunately, there is enough food.
The locust plague cannot be left unchecked, and food production must also be increased.
"Mom, since these insect eggs are hidden underneath, they can lay eggs all over the mountains and plains. I'm afraid the locusts will be very difficult to control." Duan Mingjing said with dismay.
As a citizen of Beijing, he still has the concern for the country and the people that he should have.
Qiao Lan turned around, pointed to the other end of the farmland and said, "It can still be cured."
"Locusts love to eat rice and wheat. If you plant more of these in farmland, the more food you can eat, the more locusts will grow. You have to grow food. In addition to the fields, there are many pools and lakes there.
There will be fewer insects in the lake... You can accumulate water in the fields to drown the eggs..."
Qiao Lan explained in detail what she had learned from the Qiangguo class to Duan Mingjing next to her.
Although the task of strengthening the country is hers, the skills learned here can be passed on to thousands of ordinary people, changing their traditional farming methods and increasing their farmland production and income.
A lack of ambition does not mean a lack of ambition. If Duan Mingjing is given a suitable opportunity, Qiao Lan believes that he can make a great career.
"...Although my old lady doesn't read much, she still knows that the great principles in the books are about serving the country and the people. Serving the country and the people does not necessarily have to be in the court, but also in a tile-roofed house in the countryside. Jing'er, people are alive.
We have to do something. I can't do these things by myself, I can only count on you!" Qiao Lan said earnestly, and drew a big cake for Duan Mingjing.
Duan Mingjing felt very sad yesterday thinking about the painting bug. Although he was not good at studying, his painting skills were not comparable to those of his younger brothers in the family.
If you are living a good life, why should you draw insects?
After listening to Qiao Lan's words, Duan Mingjing's mentality changed drastically.
It turns out that his drawing of insects can cure the locust plague! It can help thousands of people working in the fields around the world!
No matter how good the landscape painting is, how can it compare with the real scenery of beautiful mountains and rivers?
Duan Mingjing immediately had tears in his eyes, patted his chest and assured Qiao Lan: "Mom, don't worry, my child will definitely draw well!"
Qiao Lan looked at Duan Mingjing with joy!
Yes, her ideological work was very successful!
Under Qiao Lan's verbal attack, Duan Mingjing began to paint without fear of hardship or fatigue.
In addition to the painting bugs, he also memorized the names of many bugs, learned about their living habits and management methods, and wrote them down one by one on paper.
In general, there are just a few categories, such as using medicine, using chickens and ducks, flooding with water, and planting mutually exclusive plants. Insects are not useless. They are excellent for feeding chickens and ducks, and can make the livestock at home grow longer.
strong.
-
A few days passed in a flash, and autumn was over!
Mo Qiming drove the carriage to take brothers Duan Mingqing and Duan Mingchen back to their old home.
In the kitchen filled with steam and aroma, several women from the Duan family were busy working in the kitchen.
Long before Duan Mingqing and his wife set off, they had planned the date of their return with their families. If nothing unexpected happened, they would rest for a night in an inn after leaving the examination room, and then they would come back directly.
The sisters-in-law got up early today, made a plate of soft tofu, and asked Zhuangzi to send a lot of fish and shrimp, so they were busy washing and chopping vegetables.
It is not easy to cook meals for a family of nearly twenty people, not to mention that today is a special day, so we have to spend some time making good dishes.
The three pots in the kitchen are all simmering, and the stove on the left is simmering soup. Fresh grass carp is stewed with tofu in a fish soup. The soup is milky white and translucent, and bubbles are bubbling out.
On the stove on the right, half of the oil has been poured into the bottom of the pot. On the plate next to it are oiled shrimps and small fish sticks wrapped in golden batter. Later, some tofu balls will be added.
There is also a pot in the kitchen, which is a small pottery urn placed on the stove, and it is simmering something.
The aroma from the Duan family's kitchen wafts far away. Farmers passing by smell this smell and know it is the Duan family's aroma without much thought. It even attracts cats raised in the countryside to jump over the wall and squat outside the kitchen to meow.
shouted.
When she heard the movement of the carriage outside, Ms. Liu was cutting lotus root slices with a knife. She removed the head and tail of the peeled lotus root, washed it briefly in clean water, and then she could eat it directly.
The lotus root in summer is tender and can be eaten raw. It also has a natural sweetness after being stir-fried.
Noisy voices came through the kitchen wall, and Liu accurately identified her husband's voice from these voices.
Duan Mingqing is back home!
Mrs. Liu's heart, which had been hanging for several days, calmed down, and a relaxed smile appeared on her lips.
It's just that she hasn't finished the work at hand yet. She has to finish it quickly and go out to see her husband!
"I'll do it." Mrs. Wang suddenly said, "Your knife cuts so fast, I'm afraid you'll cut your hand. As the head of the family, I won't be able to explain to my third brother."
Wang's joke made everyone in the kitchen laugh. They are all wives and can understand Liu's feelings.
Ms. Liu was really thinking too much and didn't care about her sister-in-law's teasing. She wiped her hands on her apron and said, "Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law!"
"What's the trouble? Go quickly!" Wang beckoned.
Mrs. Liu took off her apron and walked briskly outside the kitchen.
This caused the woman in the kitchen to sigh. She is so young, so the relationship between husband and wife is indeed better.
Unlike the old couple they have been for many years, they don't even talk much on weekdays.
Duan Mingqing and the two rested for the night at the Tongzhou Inn. They could not see how tired they were from the previous few days. The family had a meal around the table, but still urged the two of them to rest.
Duan Mingqing suddenly spoke: "Mom, I have something to tell you."
The mother and son went inside the house.
-
As soon as he entered the room, Duan Mingqing took out the post hidden in his arms and handed it to Qiao Lan.
Duan Mingqing: "Mom, when I left the examination room and returned to the inn, I received a message from the prefect. The prefect invited my fourth brother and me to his home. We had just finished the imperial examination. In order to avoid danger, my son rejected the invitation from the prefect.
The housekeeper went back and asked me to bring back a message inviting our family to visit the Tongzhou Prefect's Mansion."
After Duan Mingqing said this, he looked at Qiao Lan.