Chapter 12

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Just the Fenggu Farm alone has so much good farmland and two hundred tenant households?

Wang Shouzhe looked at the fields crisscrossed with paths and ditches of varying sizes, feeling a bit emotional. This was the foundation of a family that had been passed down for a hundred years.

"Fenggu Farm uses a traditional rotation of winter wheat and summer millet. It's now the busy season when the winter wheat is about to mature and the summer millet seedlings are being cultivated," Wang Shounuo said with a hint of joy. "This spring, the rain was abundant but not excessive, and the sunlight was strong but not scorching, which is very beneficial for the growth of winter wheat. It looks like it will be a bountiful harvest this year."

At this, even Wang Shouzhe showed a bit of joy. The difference between a bountiful and a poor harvest was significant, and more grain meant more development funds for the family.

"That's not right," Wang Luojing, who was like a little shadow, pouted and said, "Third Brother, you're wrong. This year's winter wheat might end up with a poor harvest."

What?

Wang Shounuo's smile froze, and he sternly said, "Luojing, you little girl, you can't just say things like that. Even Grandfather and the experienced tenant farmers say that this year will likely be a bountiful harvest. What do you know at your young age? If Grandfather hears you cursing a poor harvest, he'll scold you again."

Scared by this, Wang Luojing immediately hid behind Wang Shouzhe.

"Third Brother, our little sister is still young. Children speak without thinking, why do you take it so seriously?" Wang Shouzhe smiled and patted her head to comfort her.

"Fourth Brother, you don't know," Wang Shounuo said with a helpless smile. "You don't know how mischievous our little sister is. She loves playing with all sorts of insects all day long. When she was two or three, she could watch ants in the courtyard for days. Recently, she begged me to catch some kind of grass insect king for her. She cried and rolled on the ground if I didn't go, and I had to search the mountains for four or five days to catch just two. I was bitten by mosquitoes and covered in welts."

"It's the lacewing insect king, recorded in ancient insect books," Wang Luojing poked her head out from behind Wang Shouzhe, correcting Wang Shounuo seriously. "Brother, you're so embarrassing, your handsome head is empty. Although the Xuanwu family is established on martial arts, cultural and knowledge foundations are also the roots of a family's legacy."

Especially the last part, she was mimicking the words Wang Shouzhe used to scold her, to mock Wang Shounuo.

This made Wang Shounuo's face turn dark, and he said reluctantly, "Yes, yes, I lack knowledge. Next time you ask me to catch insects, I won't help you anymore."

"I'll ask Fourth Brother for help; he's a thousand times better than you." Wang Luojing tugged on Wang Shouzhe's sleeve, finding a protector and feeling confident.

This made Wang Shouzhe smile. She was indeed mischievous, just a bit reserved in front of him. Seeing how Wang Shounuo was almost fuming, he said, "Alright, alright, Luojing, tell us why you think there will be a poor harvest this year, despite the favorable weather?" "Don't be afraid, it's fine even if you're wrong."

With Wang Shouzhe's support, Wang Luojing's confidence grew: "Last winter was too warm, with only a light snowfall."

Wang Shounuo rolled his eyes: "Although a heavy snowfall foretells a bountiful year, it's just a saying. Does that mean no snow means a poor harvest?"

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

"Luojing," Wang Shounuo said dismissively, "We've already opened the sluice gates of the Fenggu tributary to irrigate the fields, so the winter wheat won't lack water. And the good sunlight helps the grains grow plump."

"But it also helps the aphids grow," Wang Luojing rolled her eyes.

Aphids?

Wang Shounuo shivered, hesitating, "Aphids are inevitable; they appear every year, causing some reduction in yield, which is normal... Besides, last winter, we also applied insecticide to the fields."

However, his confidence wavered. Aphids are the nemesis of winter wheat. Small-scale outbreaks are manageable, but large-scale outbreaks are a disaster.

In the Wang family's records, the most severe aphid disaster occurred 73 years ago, affecting the entire Longzuo County. That year, winter wheat yields dropped by 80%, and grain prices skyrocketed. Some noble families could rely on their stored grain, but many free citizens suffered, selling their children to survive.

Even more terrifying, the insect disaster lasted until the third year, and even some noble families couldn't endure. If it weren't for the Purple Mansion Academy's intervention, sending a large amount of grain to Longzuo County and producing a large amount of ancient insecticide, the entire county would have been desolate and uninhabited.

Wang Shouzhe frowned, "Luojing, can you prove what you're saying?"

Fenggu Farm and Xingxing Farm are the two major grain production bases of the Wang family. If there is a large-scale aphid outbreak, it would be a disaster for the Wang family.

"Brother, check a few wheat ears," Wang Luojing's expression was serious.

Wang Shounuo, feeling uneasy, walked to the field and picked a wheat ear. He saw some green dots on the wheat ear that was just starting to fill with grain.

He checked a few more wheat ears, some with more, some with fewer, but they were undoubtedly aphids.

Wang Shouzhe, at the sixth layer of the Qi Condensation stage, had physical and visual abilities far beyond ordinary people. He saw that the green dots were plump little insects. He was slightly surprised; these seemed to be aphids.

Wang Shouzhe had little knowledge in this area, only guessing that they were some type of aphids. He wasn't interested in agriculture, and the powerful apps wouldn't push this kind of content to him.

"This year, there are indeed more aphids than usual," Wang Shounuo said doubtfully, "but it doesn't necessarily mean a disaster. We can use a mixture of wood ash and insecticide to control them. At most, the yield will be slightly lower than last year."

"Brother!" Wang Luojing stomped her foot, "I've already said the climate is a big issue. There are many overwintering aphid eggs in the soil. In a few days, a large number of aphids will emerge, and by the seventh or eighth day, a second wave might break out."

"Come over here," Wang Shouzhe called to a few tenant farmers working nearby, "pull out this small patch of wheat and turn over the soil."

"These... Young Master Shounuo..." The tenant farmers hesitated, looking at Wang Shounuo doubtfully, afraid and reluctant to act. The wheat would be ready to harvest in ten days, and that was white grain.

"Follow the patriarch's orders," Wang Shounuo, not daring to offend Wang Shouzhe, personally pulled out the wheat.

The tenant farmers also started turning the soil with their hoes.

In a short while, the small patch of wheat was pulled out, and the soil was turned over.

"This..." Wang Shounuo carefully examined the roots of the pulled wheat, his face turning from serious to shocked, "How could this be, how could this be?"

The roots were covered with many white dots, which were alarming. Most of the wheat roots had them, just in varying numbers.

In the turned soil, if you looked closely, there were many white dots.

Wang Shounuo's heart sank, a sense of foreboding rising: "Quick, go call Grandfather over."

"Quick, notify Grandfather and all the tenant farmers to soak the stored wood ash," Wang Shounuo, who had studied agriculture for two years with Grandfather, had some basic knowledge.

The tenant farmers started working busily.

In a short while, the fourth elder, Wang Xiaozhi, arrived, his face extremely grim: "How could this be? How could there be so many aphid eggs in the soil? After the autumn harvest last year, we tilled the land deeply and applied insecticide as usual. Could there be a problem with the insecticide?"

"Grandfather, last year was a warm winter..." Wang Luojing reminded cautiously.

"Little girl, I've been a farmer all my life, do you think I don't know?" Wang Xiaozhi, as if his tail had been stepped on, shouted angrily, "Ten years ago was also a warm winter, with the same climate as this year, and the result was a bountiful harvest in Longzuo, with full granaries! In my opinion, the problem is with the insecticide. That damned Qian family merchant must have sold fake insecticide, and I even stocked up on a large batch at a low price!"

As they argued, Wang Shouzhe recalled some scattered knowledge and frowned: "The Qian family's business is widespread in Longzuo, and they value their reputation. If they sold fake insecticide and caused a disaster, they couldn't bear the consequences. Could it be that the aphids, through repeated exposure to the insecticide, developed resistance and gradually formed a large-scale resistance?"

In his previous life, although Wang Shouzhe didn't deal with agriculture, he knew that bacteria, viruses, and organisms constantly mutate and evolve. Most mutations are eliminated by nature, but some that evolve towards resistance survive and gradually spread.

But Wang Xiaozhi couldn't understand the concept of biological evolution and frowned, "Shouzhe, don't talk nonsense here. The insecticide worked well before, why isn't it working this year?"

"Grandfather, I think Fourth Brother has a point," Wang Luojing said, "Grandfather, don't you remember that you've been complaining in recent years that the insecticide seems less effective, and there are always aphids every year?"

Wang Xiaozhi's face stiffened, becoming increasingly grim. In recent years, especially since the bountiful harvest ten years ago, there has been a trend of increasing aphids, but it was still within manageable limits, so it was just a source of annoyance.

Wang Shouzhe was almost certain that the resistant aphids had spread. The warm winter last year allowed most of the eggs to survive, and the climate this year is suitable for aphid growth, leading to the current situation.

This is a big problem. Even Wang Shouzhe felt his scalp tingle. He had no way to formulate a new "pesticide"...

It's like a leaky roof meeting a downpour! This disaster will make life even harder for the Wang family.

"Fourth Brother," Wang Luojing pulled Wang Shouzhe aside and whispered, "I have a way to solve the aphid problem, but I'm afraid of Grandfather, so I didn't dare to say it!"

What?

Wang Shouzhe was stunned, looking at her in disbelief.

...