mtl008 Chapter 434 Pest Pest
Chapter 434 Pest Pest
Ye Jintang was busy like a spinning top and had no time to rest for a single day.
As the twins grew up day by day, they slept less and less, and they often asked her to play with them.
Sometimes Ye Jintang was busy and needed a wet nurse to take care of the two babies for a few hours. The two babies would soon become noisy, but they would not cry as long as they could feel she was around.
So in Ye Jintang's study, one could often see a small wooden bed next to her desk.
She was talking about government affairs with her subordinates while taking care of the child. For this reason, Xiao Mo came over specially to experiment on his own. He asked Ye Jintang to go out and he was in the study.
As a result, as soon as Ye Jintang left, the two children woke up immediately. When they saw Xiao Mo's smiling face, they didn't give him any face at all and started crying loudly.
In the end, Ye Jintang had no choice but to accompany him.
However, the two little babies are very well behaved as long as their mother is around. They sleep when they are full and play by themselves after getting enough sleep. Even if their diapers are wet, they will only hum a few times and will not disturb Ye Jintang from working.
One day the weather was clear, the scorching heat dissipated, and the breeze made people feel refreshed.
In the study, the two little babies had just gotten enough sleep. They lay in their little beds without making any noise, and listened to her quietly.
"The cotton bugs are so annoying. They are out to cause trouble just as the harvest is about to start."
Ye Jintang felt very distressed when he saw the damaged cotton boll in his hand.
"My lady, I have asked the farmers to prepare their own medicine and sprinkle it on the cotton, but I don't know if it can stop the pest."
"I'll write a prescription. All the herbs will come from the palace. You can send some refugees to help. Make sure all the cotton fields are sprayed within two days."
Ye Jintang had not anticipated the sudden outbreak of insect pests in the cotton fields.
She secretly regretted in her heart that she was still somewhat lacking in agriculture. If she had made arrangements earlier, she would not be so passive today.
In fact, she didn't know that in the past, large-scale outbreaks of diseases and insect pests rarely occurred in cotton fields in Ningchuan Prefecture. The reason for this year's outbreak is that the cotton leaves are more nutritious than in previous years.
The tiny cotton bugs grew stronger as they ate more, leading to an insect infestation.
"I will bring people to deliver the medicine to the farmers personally."
Qiao Yuan did not dare to delay and immediately began to dispatch medicinal materials. He organized people to issue orders and spread the news.
At this time, the power of carrier pigeons was revealed. Before the medicinal materials were delivered, the farmers who grew cotton fields had already taken out the largest pottery jar in their homes, ready to receive the herbs and cook them at any time.
Some anxious farmers did not dare to delay for a moment, and all the people in the family went out to catch cotton bugs as big as little fingers in the cotton fields.
The cotton bolls that used to be the size of apricots are now bigger than eggs. When farmers saw such good cotton bolls being bitten by insects, they were so heartbroken that they wanted to kill all the cotton bugs immediately.
Those who raise chickens at home bring the chicken coops directly to the fields. Farmers catch cotton worms and feed them to the chickens on the spot.
Qiao Yuan rode a fast horse and led a team to deliver medicinal herbs to various villages. All the cotton fields he passed by were extremely busy. In almost all of them, there were more than ten or twenty people catching cotton bugs. The majority of them were children, and some were even wearing private school robes.
"Isn't the private school going to school recently?"
Qiao Yuan asked his subordinates around him with some surprise.
"Yes, but there are too many cotton bugs in the cotton fields these days. The private school has been closed for a few days and all the children have been sent home to help catch cotton bugs. Some families that don't grow cotton have also come out to help."
"Ah."
Looking at the children laughing and catching cotton bugs in the cotton fields, Qiao Yuan felt mixed emotions.
Everyone knows the importance of cotton fields, and everyone is working hard for a good cotton harvest.
"One package of herbs is boiled into a pot of decoction, which is then added to six wooden barrels of water and sprayed on the cotton. These bundles of herbs need to be taken to the cotton fields and burned. The smoke must be used to kill all the cotton bugs."
Qiao Yuan gave orders one by one, and in less than half an hour, white smoke rose from the edge of the farmland.
The smoke was extremely pungent, and people spraying pesticides in the fields put on masks to cover their mouths and noses.
Ye Jintang also had herbal shops in other cities. When a carrier pigeon was sent over, someone would immediately arrange for packages of medicinal materials.
Within a few days, all the cotton fields in Ningchuan Prefecture were busy with pest control.
That evening, Qiao Yuan came to the palace in a hurry to deal with the matter.
"My lady, the insecticide we sprayed this morning has taken effect. There are many dead cotton bugs in the cotton fields this afternoon."
"Okay, spray again every few days to kill all the cotton bugs. We can't let them delay our cotton harvest."
"Yes, but how do you calculate the cost of the medicinal materials?"
"The herbs used for the two pest control operations this year are included in the palace's expenses. Next year, we will ask each farmer to go to Bencaotang to purchase the herbal medicine packages in advance. We will not provide them for free."
"Yes."
The cotton boll crisis came and went quickly, and most cotton bolls were not damaged.
When the cotton farmers saw that their cotton bolls were saved, many of them knelt on the ground and bowed towards the direction of the palace.
If the Qin Palace hadn't delivered the medicine in time this time, their work this year would have been in vain.
By the end of September, some cotton bolls that matured earlier finally burst open.
After two sunny days in a row, more and more cotton bolls burst.
Ye Jintang specially took the two little kids to the suburbs to see the cotton.
Dabao and Xiaobao, who are already three months old, hear occasional noises coming from the cotton fields. They open their eyes wide in surprise and look around for the source of the sound.
"You two little guys are really energetic."
Ye Jintang rubbed the head of the little baby in her arms, and the heart of an old mother was melted by the cuteness.
Xiao Mo was holding Dabao at the side, and the two little guys were talking to each other face to face. Ye Jintang thought that they must be discussing why there were noises in the cotton fields.
"Your Majesty, the cotton picking season is coming soon. Please make all the arrangements on your side."
"Well, a few days ago I asked everyone to make preparations in advance. As soon as the cotton bolls burst, we should be ready to harvest the cotton. No cotton flower should be wasted in the fields."
"Looking at how hot the sun is today, I feel like we can pick some cotton tomorrow."
At this moment, there are already a lot of exploded cotton in the farmland, and the snow-white ball is pleasing to the eye.
"Well, although it is already autumn, I heard from the old people in the city that autumn rains are even heavier. One year, it was particularly cold and there was a hailstorm before autumn even started. The cotton that had just been opened was hit by the hailstones and fell to the ground before it could be picked."
"That winter was very long. I don't know how many desperate people starved to death that winter."
Cotton is the only source of income for many farmers in a year. If the cotton is gone, the whole family will starve.
"The weather in Ningchuan Prefecture is so extreme. At the beginning, it may be sunny, but in the blink of an eye, it may be hail or snow heavily."
"Hopefully we'll have better luck this year and not have any extreme weather."
The hundred-day banquets for the two children were approaching, but Ye Jintang could not focus all his attention on the banquet.
As long as the cotton is not stored in the warehouse, she will worry.
With good weather for a week, most of the cotton bolls have burst, and the whole Ningchuan City has become bustling.
As long as there is a cotton field at home or if a relative has a cotton field, people will rush to the cotton field to pick cotton.