Chapter 14

......

Nine-star Bug King!

Wang Shouzhe's lips twitched a few times. This fifth sister usually doesn't show much, but in private, she is somewhat... spine-chilling.

"Buzz buzz!"

The Nine-star Bug King, about the size of a fist, opened its carapace, and its wings fluttered rapidly in response to her.

At the same time, Wang Luojing took out a small green bamboo flute from her waist, brought it to her lips, and began to play. It was a unique melody, sharp and piercing, quite jarring to the ears.

However, the Nine-star Bug King was very familiar with the sound. Its wings vibrated, emitting a continuous buzzing. The other small Nine-star Bugs in the box spread their wings and flew around the Nine-star Bug King, like a cloud of unpredictable changes.

Following Wang Luojing's command, the Nine-star Bug King led the charge towards the wheat fields, followed by a swarm of thousands of bugs, like a fierce wind. Although they were ladybugs, the ladybugs in this Xuanwu world were clearly more ferocious.

They landed on the somewhat withered wheat ears, catching aphids and feasting on them. Their combat power far exceeded that of the lacewing larvae. In just half an hour, each Nine-star Bug had eliminated at least five or six aphids.

Such a biological army was truly invincible.

"Luojing, well done, well done," Wang Shouzhe praised with delight. "With your skills, our Wang family's crops are saved."

"Fourth brother, it's not enough," Wang Luojing shook her head. "From the wheat's filling stage to maturity, it's only about ten days. The longer it drags on, the more likely there will be a reduction in yield."

Her grandfather, Wang Xiaozhi, had been a professional farmer all his life, and she had grown up with a deep understanding of agriculture. Without a word, she took out two thick, withered-looking bugs from the lacewing larvae box.

"Fourth brother, these two lacewing larvae kings have produced too many eggs and probably won't live for more than a month," Wang Luojing said, somewhat heartbroken and guilty. "I hope they can make one last effort for the family in their final days."

She then played the green bamboo flute again, this time with a completely different, very low-pitched sound. The two withered, gray lacewing larvae kings suddenly woke up, flapping their wings and flying away.

They were extremely fast, disappearing in a few breaths. As they flew, their mouthparts vibrated, emitting a low-frequency sound.

"Fourth brother, the lacewing larvae kings have the ability to summon companions," Wang Luojing explained. "I hope they can bring back more companions. There are fewer and fewer lacewing larvae in the wild now, only some in the mountains."

Wang Shouzhe also pondered this. It was likely due to the insecticide promoted by the Zifu Academy, which had drastically reduced the aphid population, leading to a decline in the lacewing larvae population.

Now, with the emergence of drug-resistant aphids, the lacewing larvae population was not keeping up, and a major event was about to happen.

An hour later, one of the lacewing larvae kings returned, bringing back a large army. They flew around the wheat fields, crazily hunting aphids. More frighteningly, they began to lay eggs on the wheat leaves as they ate.

By dusk, another lacewing larvae king returned, bringing back even more of its kind. The dense army of lacewing larvae made Wang Shouzhe wonder if there were enough aphids in the thousands of acres of wheat fields for them to eat.

Moreover, the large number of eggs they laid would hatch in just a few days, and the tiny larvae were not to be underestimated.

Such a spectacular scene gradually caught the attention of the tenant farmers, who then reported it to Wang Xiaozhi. When Wang Xiaozhi arrived and learned that it was his granddaughter, Wang Luojing, who had done this, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Tears streamed down his face, and he muttered, "This time, our Wang family is saved, saved."

"Fourth grandfather, we also have two other farms with a lot of crops," Wang Shouzhe said. "I won't get involved in the specifics; you and Luojing can discuss it."

Although the silkworm farm mainly focused on silkworms, they also grew a lot of wheat.

"..." Wang Xiaozhi's face fell when he heard that he had to discuss with his granddaughter, who was the youngest.

"Fourth grandfather, if you think Luojing is a burden, I can take her back so she doesn't get in the way," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile.

"Not a burden, not a problem," Wang Xiaozhi quickly shook his head, his face contorted, and he seemed to be trying to please Wang Luojing. "Luojing, we still need to find a way to save the other two farms. Whatever you need, just let grandfather do it."

Wang Shouzhe smiled. Although the old man was stubborn and favored boys over girls, his loyalty and sense of belonging to the family were unquestionable. As long as his mindset could be changed, he would still be a pillar of the family.

Seeing Wang Xiaozhi's change in attitude, Wang Shouzhe pulled him aside and said solemnly, "Fourth grandfather, it seems this insect disaster is not just affecting our Wang family. I can't say for Longzuo, but in Changning Wei, the overall yield will likely be reduced by at least 40-50%."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Wang Xiaozhi was taken aback, then laughed foolishly. "If other families reduce their yield, we will have a bountiful harvest..."

"In this world, good and bad things are often not absolute," Wang Shouzhe said coldly. "Sometimes what seems like a good thing can turn into a bad thing."

Wang Xiaozhi was startled and quickly realized, "Shouzhe, you mean other families will envy us?"

"If it were just envy, it wouldn't be so bad," Wang Shouzhe said with a serious expression. "As the saying goes, it's not the scarcity but the inequality that causes problems. If everyone suffers together, there's nothing to say. But if our Wang family has a bountiful harvest, even our allies might become resentful. One misstep, and our Ping'an Wang family could become the target of everyone's attacks."

"What should we do? Our Wang family is already in a precarious situation. If it gets worse..." Wang Xiaozhi became anxious. He was, after all, just a long-time farmer and knew too little about such matters.

"Don't worry, Fourth grandfather. Sometimes bad things can turn into good things," Wang Shouzhe said confidently. "It depends on how we handle the situation and guide it to our advantage. Let's consider this: first, the Changning Xu family, the Shanyang Gong family, and the Shanyin Liu family. They have long been in marital alliances with our Ping'an Wang family, and their relationships are naturally close. We need to find ways to assist them."

Among these three families, Wang Shouzhe had the best impression of the Shanyang Gong family. This was not just because his current wife was from the Gong family, but also because the Gong family had a more open and cheerful clan style, and they did not look down on the now less prosperous Ping'an Wang family.

Of course, this was also related to the previous marital alliances. The current clan leader of the Gong family, Gong Mo, had a grandmother named Wang Lingdie, who was from the fourth generation of the Wang family.

The Changning Xu family was a very powerful Xuanwu family, not inferior to the Ping'an Wang family at its peak. At that time, the main branches of both families were intermarried, and their relationships were very close.

Unfortunately, that changed...

Wang Xiaozhi nodded with a complex and painful expression. "Yes, these three families have deep blood ties with our Wang family. But it's a pity for Sister Zhenmei..."

Wang Shouzhe knew what he meant. After the dramatic changes in the Wang family, to consolidate the relationship with the Changning Xu family, under the operation of the Longyan ancestor, the fifth-generation Wang family's direct descendant, Wang Zhenmei, married the eldest son of the Xu family.

Wang Zhenmei fulfilled her mission and became pregnant a few years later, bringing the two families to their closest relationship. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth, resulting in a tragic double fatality.

At the time, the Wang family was devastated, and the Xiao generation brothers caused a commotion at the Changning Xu family. Even the Longyan ancestor was alarmed and personally conducted an autopsy, but found no suspicious or unusual circumstances.

Since then, the close relationship between the Wang and Xu families has been damaged, and their marriages have been limited to the direct lines, no longer involving the main branches.

Similarly, the relationship between the Shanyin Liu family and the Wang family is also complex and hard to describe.

Despite the complexity, the blood ties between them cannot be erased, and they must help each other in critical times.

...