If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

The young apprentice, not wanting to take out his camera for the first time and then photograph something outrageous, couldn't help but advise, "Brother, I've come all this way, it's not easy for me."

"When other people hire a photographer, it's to take pictures of people, like family portraits. Why would you want me to take pictures of riverbed worms? I'll get scolded by the photographer when I get back."

"Hey bro, slow down, my legs are short."

Jiang Lie glanced back at him, stopped and waited, then led him down to the bottom of the river. As they got closer to the riverbed, the large black mass became clearer.

The young apprentice initially thought they were grass or something, but when he got closer, he realized they weren't at all. He bent down slightly and looked at the dense swarm of insects jumping around, and his heart tightened.

A flicker of fear crossed his eyes, and he instinctively took two steps back: "Brother, what kind of bugs are these? How come there are so many?"

"What's going on with you guys? It looks kind of scary."

Jiang Lie pointed and said, "Take a picture of that topographical marker and this black area together. I need to develop it as soon as possible and take it to the commune meeting."

"These swarms of insects are locust larvae. They can't fly now and are just eating the grass around them. What do you think will happen if they molt and grow wings?"

The young apprentice said, "...Locusts, locust plague? Isn't that something we've only heard about from the older generation? I've never seen one. So this is what the larvae look like. Aren't they terrifying?"

"What do you think? The land they pass through will be barren, and the crops we've worked so hard to grow might be eaten. Many people will starve to death in the winter, so we need to let the higher-ups know about this in advance."

"It's always better to take precautions than to do nothing. The insects in this riverbed stretch for several kilometers. Do you know what that means? If it becomes a plague, the whole city will suffer."

Jiang Lie patted him on the shoulder: "Put it on properly, make sure it's clear. Only when the higher-ups take it seriously will they take precautions and make preparations in advance, so that the food won't be eaten by locusts and then there won't be any more famine."

"There's no food left in the countryside. Even if you city people have money, you can't buy food to eat. You'll just starve to death. Do you understand? This is no small matter."

The apprentice shuddered: "Okay, I'll definitely take good, clear photos. I'll go back and get the master to develop them and send them to you as soon as possible. Hey brother, have you ever seen a locust plague?"

Jiang Lie shook his head: "I've never seen them, but I've heard the older generation mention them. Back then, they saw locusts that could already fly, covering the sky and leaving empty wherever they went."

"People can't even eat grass. Just think how terrible those things are. They can eat so much. They won't stop after they finish eating. They will continue to look for food in the fields."

"If the insects eat the grain, what will people eat? They'll just starve to death."

The apprentice swallowed hard, then quickly took out his camera, stood on the hillside by the river, found the right angle to take pictures, and the two walked for half a day to photograph the area of ​​the riverbed.

I also took a few magnified photos of the swarms of insects.

As the meeting ended, the apprentice looked at the black riverbed and felt a chill run down his spine: "Brother, is there anything else? If not, I'm going to ride my bike back to develop the photos."

Jiang Lie nodded and said, "Okay, you can go back now. Can you develop the photos for me within two days? I need them urgently."

"If it's two days, the technician will start washing as soon as we get back, that should be about right. But if we have a schedule, it might be a bit slower. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the technician."

"Your situation is a bit complicated and can't afford to delay. I'll get your photos developed first. My master should agree. He also experienced the Great Famine and values ​​food very much."

"Okay, let's go to the photo studio together. I can't afford to waste any more time."

"OK."

The two returned to the photo studio and found the middle-aged man who was busy at work. The young apprentice grabbed his master and said anxiously, "Master, something has happened in the riverbed in the countryside. There are so many locust larvae."

"He didn't ask me to film people, he asked me to film locusts, locusts, stretching for kilometers along the riverbed. If they could fly, how many fertile fields would be ruined?"

The middle-aged man was completely bewildered: "What's going on?"

"Master, I've taken pictures of them all. Let's go to the photo developing room and we'll see. Locusts! Locusts are going to cause a plague! There are so many, it's terrifying!"

Jiang Lie briefly explained the whole story and said in a deep voice, "My father is going to a meeting at the commune next week. The higher-ups don't know about the locusts yet. We need to have evidence to report to the leaders."

"Otherwise, if no one pays attention, the locust larvae in those riverbeds will keep eating and growing wings in less than a month and a half. If the food is eaten by then, what will people eat?"

"If famine comes, we need our leaders to know how many people will die in winter, to take this seriously, and to intervene in advance."

"Even if the locust plague comes again in the end, at least the scale will be reduced, and the losses will be smaller if it's not too big. What do you say, boss? I urgently need the developed photos."

Wang Sheng, the owner of the photo studio, lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded slightly: "Okay, I'll go check the photo developing room. You guys wait for me here. If it's really serious, I'll develop your photos first."

Jiang Lie nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."

Half an hour later, Wang Sheng's face turned pale, and there was still a hint of fear in his eyes: "I saw the photos. So many larvae, why didn't the newspapers report it?"

"How long has this been going on, and no one has reported it? If locusts become a plague and fly everywhere, won't other places be doomed? If there's no food for the autumn harvest, we city dwellers will starve to death too."

"I don't know how long ago it was. About half a month ago, I didn't see any. But in the last few days, I went there and found that the riverbed was covered with black. When I went down to take a look, I found out that it was locust larvae."

Wang Sheng said seriously, "I'm here to develop the photos. Come pick them up the day after tomorrow morning and give them to the commune leaders as soon as possible so they can think of a way to intervene. Otherwise, the locust plague will be too terrible."

Jiang Lie nodded and said, "I know. I'll come and pick it up the day after tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I still need to try other methods to prevent and control the disease; I can't afford to waste any more time."

After everyone left, the young apprentice, seeing his master's grim expression, cautiously asked, "Master, are those insects really that edible?"

"Nonsense, why did I flee from my hometown? Too many people starved to death along the way. You have no idea how terrifying it was. When the locust plague came, it was dark."

"When we passed that field, it was completely bare in less than ten minutes. Can you imagine how terrifying that was? We could only watch helplessly; we couldn't kill all those creatures."

"Alright, that's enough. I need to hurry up and develop the photos. This is terrible! Where did all these larvae in the riverbed come from? Oh, and Xiao Ding, you should also stock up on food at home."