I raise furry animals and fly them to my motherland.

Chapter 160 Is this still modern society?

Upon hearing Xu Ying's words, the boys looked at each other, their eyes darting around.

Xu Ying immediately understood that these kids must have skipped class.

She didn't want to lecture, since kids hate being lectured.

Xu Ying simply said in a calm tone, "Let's go back to the village first. Which village are you from?"

The boys were somewhat surprised to see that Xu Ying didn't scold them, but chatted with them like a friend. "We're from Dongcun."

"Have you seen any signs of fertilizer pollution near your village recently?" Xu Ying asked as they walked. "For example, white particles appearing on the soil, poultry and livestock getting sick for no apparent reason, or boiling water having a strange taste?"

The boys' eyes widened when they heard what Xu Ying said. "How did you know, Station Chief Xu? You're even more amazing than that expert the village chief invited to summon the local earth god!"

“The situations you described are something that almost every household in the village is affected to some extent. My cow has been walking like it’s drunk lately, with a strange gait, and sometimes its body even shakes.”

……

Xu Ying was completely bewildered when the boys mentioned "a master who invites the Earth God." Was this still a modern scientific society?

However, in ancient villages like this, the villagers all have some kind of belief in gods, and compulsory education has only been implemented for one generation of children. Most of the villagers still hold deep-rooted traditional feudal ideas.

Xu Ying asked curiously, "A master who invites the Earth God? Who is this person? Are you inviting him to perform a ritual?"

"Yes, the crop harvest in the village is getting worse year by year. The adults in the village are all saying it's because of natural disasters, and that the land god is no longer protecting our land."

"So we have to perform a ritual to invite the Earth God back, and we also have to make offerings to him so that he can forgive us."

"correct!"

Among the boys was one wearing a gray coat; his name was Song Dongbai, and he was the eldest of the six.

Song Dongbai pointed to the mantou frogs in Xu Ying's luggage case: "That enlightened master also said that these mantou frogs croaking around the village are an ominous sign. After the local earth god left, these weird creatures came to the village. These frogs are all evil stars, and their croaking is a curse."

“We think this is outrageous. I read in my biology textbook that fertilizers can pollute the land. These giant frogs may have moved from the fields to our village houses because of the soil pollution.”

Another boy asked, "But why are these croaking frogs constantly croaking? Isn't their breeding season in the summer?"

The boy had a very youthful face and clear eyes; he was somewhat afraid of the rumors circulating among the adults.

Before Xu Ying came, she checked the weather forecast for Crescent Oasis. Recently, due to the invasion of cold air from the Atlantic Ocean, which encountered the mountains near Crescent Oasis, orographic rain has formed, and Crescent Oasis has been experiencing frequent rain.

After guessing the reason, Xu Ying explained to the boys, "They are croaking because there has been occasional light rain recently."

"The 'steamed bun frog' is very sensitive to rainfall; they usually start croaking within 15 to 30 minutes after it starts raining. Think back carefully—aren't their calls always after it rains?"

The boys opened their eyes wide and thought about it carefully; it really was true.

"These little frogs are really being unfairly blamed!"

"That enlightened master said that to exorcise the demons, we should first exterminate these jinxed animals that bring bad luck. We thought it was a bit far-fetched, so we volunteered to catch the mantou frogs and release them into the water." "The mantou frogs came to the village because of fertilizer pollution, and the decline in land yields is also due to fertilizer pollution. These can all be explained scientifically."

The children scratched their heads, completely puzzled: "But why do the adults say it's because the Earth God left our Crescent Moon Oasis?"

As they were talking, Xu Ying and her group arrived at the village entrance and ran into the village chief, who was leading the teacher's family to look for someone.

Upon seeing Song Dongbai and his group, the village chief immediately shouted to the main force behind him, "Found them! Found them! The child isn't lost!"

Seeing that the teenagers were safe and sound, the parents, holding sea buckthorn strips, slippers, and other items, were about to rush over and grab their children's ears to discipline them.

"You kids are really something, skipping class again instead of paying attention!"

"Six people went missing this time. Didn't any of you even know to let your families know?"

"Where did they go to play this time?"

The villagers' eyes fell on Xu Ying: "Who are you? Did you take our child out to play without permission?"

Song Dongbai and the others quickly explained, "No, no, my sister is an animal rescuer, she came here..."

At this moment, Xu Ying spoke up loudly, showing his credentials to the villagers, and said, "I was sent by the organization to conduct an inspection of the livestock such as cattle, sheep, and chickens in the village."

“On my way here, I encountered children by the water. I was worried they might drown, so I brought them back.”

Xu Ying took out a stethoscope from her backpack. "If any animals in the village have contracted any strange diseases, please let me know and I can go take a look right now."

When the villagers heard Xu Ying's explanation, their expressions softened. This girl had come to treat the village's animals and had even helped bring back a lost bear cub. Their first impression of her was that she seemed alright.

Song Dongbai and the other six boys turned their gazes to Xu Ying, blinking. Their sister's story differed from what she had just told them. However, these boys now considered Xu Ying their accomplice; they were allies, and their job was naturally to help their ally cover up the lie.

"This veterinarian is amazing! She knows everything from astronomy to geography, and she can answer all our questions!"

"My sister also told us to study hard so that we can join the army and take the civil service exam in the future."

The teacher got angry and pointed at them, saying, "Then why aren't you all coming back to school with me right now! What are you doing lingering here!"

Xu Ying smiled and patted Song Dongbai on the shoulder: "Go to school now, kids. I look forward to you working with me in the future."

The boys were greatly encouraged, and although they were scolded, they still happily followed their teacher back home.

The villagers, who thought the parents were somewhat surprised, were astonished that these silly children hadn't talked back to them this time; they were so well-behaved.

The village chief kept observing Xu Ying from the side. This staff member looked very mysterious, but his superiors had spoken to him.

"Hello young lady, I am Miao Kangji, the village chief of Yueya East Village. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

The village chief was about fifty years old. He wasn't tall, but he was very sturdy and looked like an honest farmer.

He wore a faded blue cloth hat, the brim of which was slightly droopy and crooked, pressing down on his graying sideburns. The cuffs of his coarse cloth clothes were worn and frayed, but they were clean and the buttons were fastened meticulously.