Chapter 134: Disaster Coming One After Another ( 5 )

Chapter 134: Disaster Coming One After Another ( 5 ) At noon, Huang He City was bustling with activity when the sky suddenly darkened. The pedestrians and hawkers raised their heads to check what was going on.

Just a moment ago, the sky was blue and the sun was bright. Suddenly, they heard a thunderous, droning sound, similar to a waterfall, coming from the outskirts.

Following the sound, they saw a dense, massive black-yellowish cloud moving at a fast speed towards them. Before everyone could take a closer look, the massive cloud descended like snowflakes.

This time, everyone finally realized what this black cloud was.

Suddenly, someone shouted in horror, "L-locusts! It’s a locust plague!"

Due to this shout, everyone panicked instantly.

"Quick, close the doors and windows!"

"Cover the plants and vegetables!"

"Ah! It went inside my clothes!"

One after another, panicked shouts echoed in the city as a distinct, foul stench filled the air.

Because of the flood, there were not many plantations left in the southern area, causing the locusts to migrate in search of food.

When the city guards saw this, they quickly went to report to the magistrate and help the commoners close their shops.

Although Huang He City could be counted as a prosperous city, there was not much food for the locusts.

In less than 2 hours, the locust swarm flew away, leaving behind leafless, bark-nicked trees that looked like white, ghostly candles.

Everyone didn’t dare open the doors or windows because some of the locusts were still outside nibbling on the grass and weeds. The sound of eerie, rapid clicking and crunching as they consumed vegetation still left a lingering fear in people’s hearts.

A locust swarm could travel over 80 kilometers per day. Therefore, the moment the locusts left the city, the magistrate sent messengers to inform the nearby cities’ and towns’ magistrates so they could make preparations.

While the southern area was hit by the locust plague, the western, eastern, and northern areas finally finished distributing Sha Wu Hen powder.

At this moment, Yao Zhi was leading her donkey to the village hall. There were 2 big bamboo baskets hung on each side of the donkey.

It had been half a month since the thunderstorm, and most of the houses and fields had been repaired and cleaned. Right now, the soldiers were helping the villagers water their fields using water mixed with Sha Wu Hen powder.

When she reached the hall, Yao Zhi heard one of the village’s elders say, "I don’t know what the General was thinking. How could we prevent locusts just by using this unknown powder?"

"Third Uncle, I heard that this powder is very expensive. No matter if it’s useful or not, the General was generous enough to share this powder with us. We should be grateful instead of complaining," the Village Chief said helplessly.

After he said this, the Village Chief glanced at the group of soldiers who were resting inside. When he saw that they were still resting and didn’t hear their words, he heaved a sigh of relief.

When he thought that no one noticed his small actions, Yao Zhi saw everything. After she tied her donkey to a nearby tree, she walked over and said, "Village Chief, Third Elder."

Suddenly being called out, the Village Chief was startled. Patting his chest, he said, "Yao Girl, you are here. Your husband is resting inside."

Yao Zhi nodded at him and walked into the village hall.

This village hall was a one-story building built almost 300 years ago by the first Village Chief.

It was said that this village hall was used as a temple back then. But after several generations, the temple was abandoned and later renovated and turned into the village hall.

Every time there was an important matter to discuss, the villagers would gather here. Since there was no empty house for the soldiers to live in, the Village Chief let them stay here temporarily. Besides Fu Chen’an, the soldiers had been living in the village hall for the past half a month.

As soon as Yao Zhi entered the hall, the soldiers woke up instantly. They had been trained for years and had become light sleepers. They would wake up at the slightest sound. So they actually heard the Third Elder’s words, but they chose to ignore him and continued their nap.

Seeing her coming, Fu Chen’an walked over and said, "Wife, you are here."

"Husband, I brought lunch over. Everyone has worked hard for so many days, so I cooked some chicken soup today."

When the soldiers heard this, their eyes lit up instantly. They had been eating Squad Leader Fu’s family’s food for half a month. If not for the heavy workload they did every day, they might have gained several jin during this period.

Two of the soldiers quickly went to get lunch. When they returned, they had lunch together.

Besides a large pot of chicken soup, there was also a large bowl of stir-fried vegetables, a large bowl of mushroom and tofu salad, a large plate of cucumber salad, and a large basket of scallion pancakes.

The soldiers had large appetites and ate fast, and they finished off all the food in less than half an hour.

After they finished lunch, they rested for a while before returning to the field. There were still half of the farmland that needed to be watered with the medicinal powder.

Before Yao Zhi left the village hall, she pulled her husband to the corner and said in a low voice, "Husband, it has been almost 3 weeks since we last sent lunch to the General. Should I send some food over? It’s not good to take his money and do nothing."

Fu Chen’an thought for a moment and said, "It’s not good for you to send the food over when I’m not there. Just wait until I go back to the barracks before sending more food to the General."

"Won’t the General blame us?"

"He won’t. At worst, we won’t accept the payment for next month," Fu Chen’an shook his head.

"Okay then. I will listen to you."

After the brief conversation, Yao Zhi returned home with the empty dishes, while Fu Chen’an and the soldiers went to the field.