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

Tang Susu looked at the ten pheasants at the gate of the courtyard, sighed helplessly, and turned to instruct Tang Lifu: "Kill all these pheasants, stew eight of them at once, and hang the remaining two on the clothesline to air dry."

She then carefully instructed on the distribution: "After it's cooked, give one to Miao Yulan to help her recover, as she's pregnant; give two to our family, along with Yang Dabai and Yang Dahuang; and keep the other four to feed the wolves when they come at night, so they won't cause any more trouble."

After giving the instructions, the house was bustling with activity again, with everyone doing their part and not daring to delay.

Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang shouldered their jelly-making poles and hurried to the street to deliver the goods to their regular customers.

Tang Lifu picked up his farm tools and headed straight to the fields. While the weather wasn't too hot, he weeded and fertilized the rice paddies.

Yang Xiaobao carried a bamboo basket and skipped out the door, taking charge of cutting grass and digging wild vegetables for the chickens and ducks at home;

Tang Susu and Miao Yulan stayed at home to take care of various chores and tidy up the yard.

Tang Susu first brought wood ash water and carefully sprinkled it on the chicken and duck's enclosure to clean and disinfect it and prevent the chickens and ducks from getting sick. Then she set off for the village head's house—she had important matters on her mind that she needed to discuss with the village head.

When Tang Susu arrived at the village head's house, she found the village head's wife squatting in the yard, chopping wild vegetables for her ducklings. Seeing her, she immediately stood up with a smile and greeted her, "Susu is here, come in and sit down. The village head was asked to leave before dawn."

Tang Susu stopped and asked softly why. The village head's wife explained with a smile, "The people of Liupo Village have learned about our village's locust eradication method. They saw that the locusts in our village are almost gone, so they specially sent someone to invite the village head to teach them the locust eradication method. The village head took the lantana and rushed over early this morning."

Tang Susu understood that the locust plague was widespread and not just a problem in Yangqu Village.

If only Yangqu Village seriously combats locusts while other villages ignore it, the locusts from those villages will eventually fly back to Yangqu Village. Only by working together to eliminate locusts can we truly protect the grain harvest and minimize losses.

As she was pondering this, the sound of the village head cursing came from outside the courtyard gate. Then, the village head stormed into the courtyard, his mustache bristling with anger, muttering repeatedly, "Incomprehensible! Utterly incomprehensible!"

He walked straight to the table, picked up the teacup, gulped down water, and after calming himself down for a moment, angrily recounted his ordeal to the two men.

The village head put down his teacup, his anger still simmering: "When I arrived at Liupo Village, I personally explained to them many methods for eliminating locusts, but those people only listened to the one that 'mugwort can repel locusts'!"

He grew increasingly angry as he spoke, continuing, "Their village had a lot of mugwort, and some people burned some mugwort on the spot to try it out. Sure enough, it drove away the locusts in the field, and they thought everything was fine. I then advised them to use lantana to kill them, but they wouldn't listen at all!"

The village head frowned, sighed heavily, and pointed out the problem: "The key issue is that Liupo Village is next to Wanggu Village. They burned mugwort, driving all the locusts to Wanggu Village! When the people of Wanggu Village saw this, they also burned mugwort, driving the locusts to other villages. Each village is only concerned with driving them away, not with exterminating them. They are passing the buck and no one cares about the lives of others!"

Upon hearing this, the village head's wife's smile vanished instantly, replaced by worry: "What are we going to do? If these villages eventually drive all the locusts to our Yangqu Village, won't all our efforts in eradicating locusts over the past few days be wasted?"

The village head was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the courtyard, his face full of worry: "I really can't understand it. Why not use perfectly good methods to exterminate them, and instead just keep driving them away? Isn't this just treating the symptoms, not the root cause? Sooner or later, something terrible will happen!"

Seeing that the village head was at a loss, Tang Susu slowly spoke up and offered a suggestion: "Village head, in my opinion, you should go to Dongtai Town and report this matter to the county magistrate. Let the government intervene and issue an order, and the villages will no longer dare to drive away the locusts at will and refuse to exterminate them."

Upon hearing this, the village head's eyes lit up instantly. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "This is a brilliant plan! How come I didn't think of that!"

He was about to turn and leave when Tang Susu quickly stopped him and instructed, "Village head, take Tang Chengyu with you. He has recorded in detail the effects and specific uses of the five-colored plum, as well as the entire process of locust eradication in our village over the past few days. Writing these down and presenting them to Lord Lu will be more convincing."

The village head nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes! Tang Chengyu is a cultured man. He speaks concisely and his handwriting is beautiful. It would be perfect to have him go with us!"

Without further delay, Tang Susu immediately turned around and went home to arrange for Tang Chengyu to prepare for her journey.

Back home, Tang Susu had Tang Chengyu change into a clean blue cloth long gown and then went with the village head to the Dongtai Town government office.

Tang Chengyu quickly retrieved a stack of papers he had written down, organized them, and was about to leave when Tang Susu patted his shoulder and whispered, "Chengyu, this is a great opportunity; you must seize it."

Tang Chengyu paused, instantly realizing what her older sister meant and finally understood her good intentions.

Previously, he thought that recording locust control methods was only for future use in case the village encountered another locust plague, but he never thought of anything else.

In reality, the eldest sister wanted to use the success of the locust eradication to create an opportunity for him. Last year, the locust plague caused great suffering to the people. If the locust plague could be successfully controlled this time, it would be a great achievement and a good opportunity for him to show his talent and be promoted by the government. The eldest sister was willing to give him the credit.

Tang Chengyu was deeply moved and immediately declined, saying, "Elder sister, no, this credit shouldn't go to me. It should go to Gousheng. Gousheng will benefit more from associating with government officials in the future. I can't take advantage of this."

Tang Susu pretended to have a long face, pushed him, and urged, "Stop talking nonsense and let's go!"

Her tone was stern: "Whether the adults are willing to promote you ultimately depends on your own abilities and whether you can catch their eye. Don't let a momentary refusal ruin important matters. Go now!"

As he spoke, he pushed Tang Chengyu outside the door and watched him meet up with the village head who arrived later, and together they set off for Dongtai Town.

Tang Chengyu stood outside the gate, glanced back at the courtyard gate, his eyes deep as pools, seemingly calm on the surface, but with a glint in his eyes. He tightly gripped the record paper in his hand, deeply remembering Tang Susu's kindness in his heart.

Meanwhile, inside the Dongtai Town government office, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

County Magistrate Lu was holding a small meeting with Registrar Yan, his advisor, and the clerk, among others, all of whom had a worried look on their faces.

Dongtai Town has 35 villages under its jurisdiction, and they have already visited four or five of them. Everywhere they went, they could see locusts flying everywhere. Although the locusts have not yet gathered in large numbers and have not reached the terrifying level of last year, it is still enough to make people worry.

Registrar Yan sighed, his tone heavy: "My lord, recalling this time last year, the locust plague had already broken out in full force, the grains in the fields had been devoured, the people had been displaced, and the situation was extremely critical. The scene we see now is truly heartbreaking."

The advisor's face was grave, and his tone was resolute: "In my opinion, in at most two or three days, these locusts will become a plague. At that time, there will be no room for maneuver in controlling them."

The clerk sighed repeatedly, his face full of anxiety: "Sir, we finally solved the problem of water shortage in the rice paddies, hoping for a good harvest, but then we encountered a locust plague. This year has been plagued by disasters, and both the national treasury and the official treasury are already depleted. If there is another mistake this time, and the higher-ups hold us accountable, none of us will be able to escape blame!"

Everyone sighed and looked helpless. Magistrate Lu rubbed his throbbing forehead, his head throbbing with pain.

He knew in his heart that if Dongtai Town were to suffer another large-scale locust plague this year, and the people were to have no harvest, he would probably lose his official position.

Just as everyone in the yamen was at a loss and looking worried, an official strode into the room and reported: "Sir, Yang, the village head of Yangqu Village, requests an audience, saying he has important matters to report."

Magistrate Lu's eyes lit up. He recalled their previous collaboration in searching for water and the harmonious relationship he had with Village Chief Yang. He sensed that Yang's visit was definitely about the locust plague, and immediately ordered, "Quickly, let them in!"

The village head and Tang Chengyu walked into the main hall of the yamen together. County Magistrate Lu's gaze fell on Tang Chengyu. He saw that the young man was wearing a blue robe, with a tall and straight posture, and delicate features. He looked like a learned and cultured person, and he seemed vaguely familiar.

The two men immediately knelt down and bowed in obeisance: "We, your humble servants, pay our respects, Your Excellency!"

Magistrate Lu waved his hand and said in a gentle tone, "Get up. There's no need for such formalities. We're all acquaintances, so there's no need to be so reserved."

The village head rose, not daring to delay, and immediately cut to the chase, reporting to Magistrate Lu: "Your Honor, I have come here today to report on the locust plague. Although the locusts have not yet gathered densely in the villages, the threat is enormous and must be taken very seriously!"

He said urgently, "Based on my past experience, the locusts will become a plague in two or three days at most. Once they become a plague, the grain in the fields will be completely devoured in less than half a day, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The village head's words perfectly matched the clerk's earlier prediction. The clerk immediately stepped forward and asked eagerly, "Village Head Yang, have you come here with a good plan to deal with the locust plague?"

Li Zheng truthfully reported: "My lord, my advisor, our Yangqu Village began exploring methods to eradicate locusts a few days ago. Now, we have figured out an effective method. For details, Tang Chengyu can present the recorded locust eradication information to you for review."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Chengyu stepped forward, took out a thick stack of record sheets from his pocket, and presented them with both hands: "Sir, these are my records of the locust eradication methods, operational details, and eradication results in Yangqu Village over the past few days. I humbly request that you review them."

The clerk took the paper first, and as soon as he opened the first page, he was attracted by the handwriting—the characters were strong and powerful, the strokes sharp and precise, without a trace of carelessness. He couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly, "Beautiful handwriting! Beautiful handwriting! Such handwriting must have taken a lot of hard work to perfect!"

After praising it, he handed the paper to Magistrate Lu, and Registrar Yan and Clerk Yan also came forward to examine it together.

When everyone first opened the paper, they saw that the beginning was filled with numbers, which they couldn't understand at first, and their faces showed confusion.

But when they saw the summary at the end, which clearly stated that "Artemisia can repel locusts, and Lantana can kill locusts instantly," and detailed the amount of water, boiling time, and spraying method for each pound of Lantana, they were immediately shocked, and the doubt on their faces was instantly replaced by astonishment.

The group continued to flip through the pages, and the subsequent papers detailed various methods of locust control, such as using campfires to attract locusts, feeding locusts with ducks, digging pits to bury them, and spraying rice paddies with lantana juice. They even recorded the specific number of locusts killed each day and the effectiveness of the control at different times.

The paper also included simple line drawings of field operations, along with clear text descriptions. As people looked at it, it was as if they had witnessed firsthand the entire process of the people of Yangqu Village working together to eradicate locusts.

The last few pages of the paper are even more meticulous, detailing the specific operational steps for locust control, highlighting precautions during the operation, providing practical guidance on protecting fields and avoiding damage to crops during the operation, and even outlining specific measures on how operators can protect their own safety and health.

Such detailed records and thorough considerations amazed everyone in the government office, who repeatedly expressed their wonder.

After reading all the records, Magistrate Lu and the others were stunned and stood there for a long time, unable to recover their senses.

The first to react was Registrar Yan. He looked at the village head with great anxiety and asked excitedly, "Village Head Yang, is everything recorded on the paper true? Can these methods really be effective in killing locusts?"

The village head nodded immediately and gestured to Tang Chengyu: "My lords and registrar, rest assured, everything recorded on the paper is true. As for the specific operational details and the effectiveness of the extermination, let Tang Chengyu explain it to you in detail."