Transmigrated into the role of the matriarch, I ensured my family had enough to eat and wear during

Although the village head couldn't understand the logic of the drug trial records, the villagers of Yangqu Village had always regarded written records as the standard.

Tang Susu directly pointed out the core issue: "Artemisia can repel locusts, and Lantana can kill locusts. Let's test this locust-killing method on the spot."

The village head, filled with anxiety, hurriedly asked, "How exactly do we conduct the experiment? We mustn't let it set the crops in the fields on fire!"

Tang Susu replied, "Yesterday I happened to meet Magistrate Lu and heard him talk about the method of using bonfires to lure locusts. I have already asked my son to gather enough firewood and pile it up one meter away from the fields. I have also used ditches to separate the firewood pile from the rice paddies and made preparations to control the fire so that the crops will not be burned."

As the sun sets and the evening glow fades, twilight completely envelops the earth.

Tang Susu lit the fire tinderbox, and the flames instantly illuminated the surrounding area. Attracted by the light, swarms of locusts buzzed and rushed towards the fire.

Upon seeing this, the village head turned deathly pale. Although he already knew there were locusts in the fields, he hadn't expected the number to be so staggering.

Tang Susu frowned solemnly. During the day, only a few locusts were visible to the naked eye, and no one paid any attention to them. But the firelight had attracted so many locusts, which showed that a locust plague had been brewing in the dark for some time. If it was not contained in time, it would surely cause a disaster.

Lu Xianzun's method was to use fire to attract locusts, then manually cover the locusts with sheets and coarse linen, and finally bury them in the soil to kill them. This method was extremely inefficient.

Tang Susu suggested a more efficient method: "Let's throw the lantana into the fire. Since boiling lantana in water can kill locusts, the smoke produced by burning it should also kill locusts. Although it will pollute the environment, we have an urgent matter to attend to right now and can't worry about that."

She solemnly reminded the village head and Tang Chengyu: "The smell of lantana is pungent. You should quickly cover your mouths and noses to avoid discomfort."

The two quickly did as instructed. Then Tang Susu threw the lantana into the fire, and the fire intensified. Thick smoke spread wildly, and locusts flying in the air fell to the ground, their corpses covering the ground like a thick black blanket.

The village headman witnessed the mass death of locusts and was so incredulous that he was speechless for a moment. He was also irritated in his nasal cavity by the smoke from the lantana and couldn't help but cough violently.

The surrounding villagers noticed the commotion in the fields and stopped what they were doing to gather around and watch.

Even though the locust carcasses landed on their shoulders and heads, and everyone coughed incessantly, no one wanted to leave. They all wanted to witness the scene of these pests being eradicated.

The fire gradually subsided, and the swarms of locusts slowly disappeared.

Tang Susu said to everyone, "Don't be too happy yet. This time we only eliminated some of the locusts. I suggest that we use this method to kill locusts once every night before harvesting the grain. The more locusts we eliminate, the safer our crops will be."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Zheng the rascal's wife frowned and shrieked, "Tang Susu, what are you up to? These lantana plums can kill locusts, but they might also infect people with diseases. You're trying to kill us all!"

Tang Chengyu immediately stepped forward and explained in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law Zheng, don't talk nonsense. Although Lantana is a poisonous plant and can cause poisoning if ingested, the toxicity of the smoke from burning it is greatly reduced. At most, it will only cause coughing or vomiting, and will not endanger your life."

Zheng's wife, refusing to listen to any explanation, grew even angrier and shrieked, "Stop defending her! Burning this poisonous herb is just trying to harm us! Who will be responsible if we get poisoned?!"

Other villagers, upon hearing this, also felt uneasy and began to discuss it, worrying that while eliminating locusts, they would also harm their own health, feeling that it was not worth the loss.

Old Mrs. Yang squeezed through the crowd and coldly retorted to Zheng's wife, "If you value your life, you can go home, lock your doors and windows, no one is forcing you to come!"

She then mocked, "I've never seen you so afraid of death before. If the locusts devour all the grain in the fields, leaving no harvest, you'll still starve to death. Rather than be tormented to death by hunger, it's better to risk exterminating the locusts; there's still a glimmer of hope!"

Tang Chengyu cleared his throat, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Because he was the only scholar present, and his attire differed from the others, the surrounding area immediately fell silent after he spoke.

He added, "The method of using lantana to kill locusts is not limited to burning. You can also boil it into water and sprinkle it in the rice fields. The locusts will die after eating it. However, you have to control the ratio of water. Too much water will weaken the medicinal properties and reduce the locust-killing effect, while too little water will be laborious and waste the lantana."

The village head couldn't help but praise, "Chengyu, you're really clever! If only you were from our Yangqu Village!"

Tang Chengyu waved her hand shyly: "Uncle Village Head, you flatter me. These methods were all thought up by my eldest sister, Tang Susu. I was only responsible for recording the results of the drug trials. I don't know anything about farming, so I dare not take credit for it."

His lack of ambition and selflessness earned him even more respect from the village head.

Tang Susu looked at everyone and suggested, "If you all trust me, let's go to the mountains together to pick lantana tomorrow morning. After we bring them back, we can all come to my house to brew medicine."

She paused, then added, "I have a broken pot at home that everyone can use. However, I must remind everyone that the pot used to cook lantana should not be used to cook rice to avoid poisoning."

Subsequently, Tang Susu finalized the follow-up locust control plan: "At night, we will use bonfires to lure locusts and burn lantana to kill them; during the day, we will let each family's ducks prey on the scattered locusts in the fields, and then spray lantana pesticide in the rice paddies. With multiple measures combined, we will definitely be able to protect our crops and prevent the locust plague."

The villagers gathered around, responding to Tang Susu's call, and discussed the matter of going into the mountains to pick lantana early the next morning. Only Zheng the Rascal's wife stood aside, her heart breaking with rage.

She wasn't truly against locust eradication; she just couldn't stand the villagers' adoration of Tang Susu.

In the past, Tang Susu was unreliable and lazy, and the villagers mostly complained and mocked her when they talked about her. But now, the village head consults with Tang Susu on everything and listens to her arrangements.

She thought to herself that Tang Susu's current success was only due to having a smart younger brother who could study.

Then, her eyes lit up, and she remembered that her brother had a daughter who was about the same age as Tang Chengyu. She immediately came up with a plan, thinking that she would let her daughter spend more time with Tang Chengyu in the future. If it worked, she would be able to hold her head high in the village.

The fire in the field gradually died down, leaving only a few faint flames. The cold moonlight shone on the earth, making it exceptionally quiet.

Before the massive thicket of bushes on the western mountain, four wolves stood silently, their eerie green eyes gleaming coldly in the moonlight, watching the people in the fields with predatory eyes.

Although wolves fear fire and crowds of people, they lingered around for a long time, weighing the pros and cons, before finally turning around and disappearing into the dark night, quietly sowing the seeds of a wolf problem.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky, and the sunlight was scorching.

In front of Tang Susu's house, a makeshift stove was set up and the broken pot was placed on it. Villagers from Yangqu Village lined up in a long queue, bringing the lantana they had picked to boil medicine.

Tang Susu only provides the broken pot; the villagers have to provide their own firewood for boiling the medicine.

The villagers all knew that lantana was a poisonous plant, so each household brought their own buckets and gourd ladles to boil the medicine, in order to avoid contaminating their everyday household items.

The villagers carried the brewed medicine and sprinkled it on their own rice paddies. The locusts that had not yet gathered died after eating the rice that had been soaked in the medicine.

The villagers also made reasonable arrangements for the ducks to hunt: during the day, the ducks were allowed to prey on live locusts in the air. After the ducks had filled their bellies, they were quickly driven home so that the ducks would not eat the locust carcasses or damage the rice in the fields. In this way, they helped to control the locusts.

The villagers of Yangqu Village worked for several days following the plan set by Tang Susu.

At this time, there are less than ten days left until the grain harvest. The busy farming season is approaching. While continuing to fight locusts, the villagers are also starting to prepare for various matters before the busy farming season. Everyone is full of energy.

There was only one auspicious day that month, and two families in Yangqu Village were preparing to hold a wedding on that day.

Because it was a year of famine, every family was short of food and had no means to hold a banquet. Both families only planned to distribute some wedding cakes to the villagers to get by and wish for good luck.

These two happy events are: one is the marriage of Yang Houcai's eldest son, Yang Tieqiao, to his cousin, whom he knows well;

Another family is where Yang Youpeng's son, Yang Ersha, is getting married. His new wife is Shen Cuihe, the daughter of the Shen family in Ma'an Village.

Both families share the surname Yang and are villagers of Yangqu Village. As a fellow villager, Tang Susu should naturally go to offer her congratulations.

She also specially prepared gifts for the two new brides, giving each of them three feet of homespun cloth. Although it was not expensive, it was a token of her goodwill.

As Tang Susu was preparing to leave, she saw Yang Gousheng loading jelly onto an oxcart and asked, "Gousheng, where are you going? Want to come with me to the wedding and join in the fun?"

Yang Gousheng shook his head and replied, "Mother, I need to deliver the cold noodles to town. I'm in a hurry and don't have time. You two go ahead."

Yang Xiaobao, who was standing nearby, immediately stepped forward, tugged at Tang Susu's sleeve, and pleaded, "Mom, Mom, I want to go! I want to see the process of marrying a new bride, and see what the new bride looks like!"

Tang Susu smiled and ruffled his hair, then took his hand: "Okay, I'll take you. Let's go and join in the fun."

Early in the morning, Yangqu Village was bustling with activity, with the sounds of gongs and drums and laughter mingling together.

The two newlywed brides, who entered the family on the same day, were inevitably compared by the villagers who were watching.

Someone pointed at Yang Ersha's wife and praised, "Look at my friend's new wife, she's so beautiful, with bright, sparkling eyes, she's a real beauty!"

Some people also praised Yang Tieqiao's wife: "Houcai's new daughter-in-law is the best. She looks hardworking and capable. Moreover, she is a relative of Houcai's wife, so the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will be more harmonious in the future."