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

"Yes, what locust plague? Where did this locust plague come from? Where did you get this information from? If it were true, we would have received some news about it."

Hao Ren smiled and deliberately said, "I think Captain Jiang is just under too much pressure and is dreaming. We've never had a locust plague before. What are you thinking?"

Liu Hongbing grunted in agreement, his eyes showing a hint of impatience: "Yeah, let's not waste any more time. Let's continue the meeting. We haven't even talked about our brigade's difficulties yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, a photo was pushed towards him.

"Take a look for yourselves. I don't believe you don't know that the great river has dried up. Yes, Yuncheng has never had a locust plague before, but that's because it's never been this dry before."

"This photo was taken just two days ago. The black stuff on the riverbed is all locust larvae, stretching for several kilometers. Do you think that once so many locusts grow wings, they will eat the grain?"

"I still think they'll bypass the fields and go elsewhere to eat; nothing grows where these things go."

The brigade leader opened the envelope, distributed the photos, and gave the remaining few to the commune director, who was the one who made the final decision. He said in a deep voice, "Director, please take a closer look at the insects in the photos."

The director squinted and leaned closer to examine it more closely, pursing his lips: "How long has it been? When did these things appear?"

"They emerged from the cracks in the riverbed within about ten days. A couple of days ago, my son noticed something was wrong with the riverbed and went down to check, only to find that it was full of insects. I believe these are locust larvae for the sake of the older generation."

"The reason we can only hop and not fly now is because it's not time for us to molt yet. Once we molt and grow wings in a month and a half, the entire Yuncheng field will suffer."

"At that time, let alone how the autumn harvest will be arranged, there won't be an autumn harvest at all. We'll just starve to death in winter."

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Hao Ren glanced at the person next to him and whispered, "Hongbing, do you think what Jiang Dashan said is true? Or is he just bluffing? How could a locust plague possibly happen here?"

"Why aren't you saying anything? You didn't believe him too, did you? You two have a history of conflict; you can't trust what he says."

Liu Hongbing looked at him, his face stern, and said coldly, "Quiet down. My disagreement with him is one thing, but the autumn harvest is a matter of utmost importance. Everyone has to put holidays aside."

"The autumn harvest is crucial to how we get through the winter. If something goes wrong, not only will we not be able to deliver the grain to the country, but we will also have a hard time getting through the winter. Things will get chaotic, you know?"

"Whether it's locust larvae or not, we have to confirm what needs to be confirmed. I have to be responsible for the people in the brigade."

Hao Ren was embarrassed and looked somewhat unhappy.

He said in a sarcastic tone, "Fine, you guys are great. So tell me, how do we deal with this thing? If we just burn the riverbed, it won't catch fire because there's water. If we try to catch it, it'll take forever."

"Nothing can be changed anyway. Besides, you've never seen what locust larvae look like. Maybe they're just ordinary grasshoppers that will never fly."

"As long as it can't fly, it won't cause much harm."

A hint of impatience flashed across Liu Hongbing's face: "Hao Ren, can you be quiet? You're so noisy."

Hao Ren's smile froze: "..."

The captain looked at the director with a serious expression: "After discovering this thing, I've been thinking of ways to reduce the scale of the locust plague. Currently, there are three methods."

"The first method is physical control, which involves using the natural enemies of locusts. Chickens and ducks are released directly into the riverbed to eat the insects. The second method involves having villagers catch the locusts at night, burn them, chop them up, dry them in the sun, and then feed them to the chickens and ducks."

"The third and final prevention is to have those who know about medicinal herbs start to develop insect repellent, with the smell that locusts hate the most, and sprinkle it on the field ridges or burn it to drive away the locusts when they come."

"If the first two steps are done well, the last step of dispelling pressure will be much less. Even if there is still some loss in the end, it won't be too big, and we can get through the winter."

Shen Zhongtian looked at the photo thoughtfully: "Captain Jiang, are you sure these are locust larvae? Do you know much about them?"

The captain shook his head, his expression calm: "During the Great Famine, I only ever saw what a locust plague looked like. A huge swarm would sweep across the sky, and the grasslands and crops would disappear at a visible speed."

"I think everyone knows how many people starved to death during that famine. If it weren't for the locust plague, there would have been grass and tree roots along the way, and so many people wouldn't have starved to death."

"Director, this is the situation now. I suggest that each brigade start to investigate. If you find these things, collect them and burn them, or chop them up, dry them, and feed them to chickens and ducks."

"We can't just do nothing. If a locust plague really comes, the whole of Yun City will suffer."

Shen Zhongtian nodded and said, "Yes, Captain Jiang is right. However, I don't have the authority to handle the larvae with such a big commotion. Other communes would also need to cooperate in searching for them."

"Here's what we'll do. Leave me a few photos, and I'll go find the town mayor. The county head should report it immediately. As for the brigade leaders, once you get back, quickly check your own brigade's area to see if there are any of these larvae."

"Report it if you have any, and the area must be accurate. This is not just a matter for one brigade; we all need to take it seriously. Do you all understand?"

Hao Ren disagreed: "Director, I have a problem with this. There are less than two months until the autumn harvest. We already have a lot of things to do, so where do we have time to deal with some insects?"

"Besides, if locust plagues were so easy to come by, news of them would have spread long ago. How could I not have heard of them? I'm in my fifties and sixties and I've never seen a locust plague before."

"I think Captain Jiang is overthinking things. We don't know if the locust plague will come, but if we really do what you say, the autumn harvest will definitely be delayed."

Seeing his defiant attitude, the captain slammed his hand on the table in anger: "Yes, you haven't seen how terrible a locust plague is. How dare you say here that they might not come? Can you afford to gamble the losses if they do?"

"A slight delay in the autumn harvest results in a small loss, but if a locust plague comes, the loss will be much greater. Do you know how many people will die in winter without food?"

"It's your business if you want to gamble, but don't drag others into it. If the rest of you don't care, then do as you please. Anyway, our brigade is definitely going to deal with the pests."

The crowd looked at each other and began to discuss among themselves.

To be honest, it would be a real waste of time for them to mobilize manpower to deal with these larvae in the face of an uncertain locust plague, but they would also feel uneasy if they did nothing.

Director Shen knew what they were struggling with, and said, "How about this, we'll hold another meeting about the autumn harvest in two days. Everyone go back and check the extent of the larvae. I need to report it in the next couple of days."

"Let's see what the authorities say. Since it's a pest problem, we should find experts to assess the likelihood of it developing into a locust plague before making any further plans."